Latest / Inside the Birds: A Philadelphia Eagles Podcast / Football at Four: Taking an Updated Look at Eagles Defensive Development in Camp
Transcript
- 0:00Speaker 1: Football four powered by the Inside of the Birds podcast.
- 0:02Speaker 1: You can get it on all podcasting platforms. Adam Kaplan's here.
- 0:07Speaker 1: It's brought to you, as always by the Fanatic Sports
- 0:10Speaker 1: Book at Ocean Consider Resort in Atlantic City. You know
- 0:12Speaker 1: we're gonna be back there on Monday. You know what
- 0:14Speaker 1: that means, Football's back. We're at Ocean on Monday at
- 0:18Speaker 1: the Fanatic Sports Book. That means football is officially back.
- 0:22Speaker 1: To come out and see us this season at the
- 0:25Speaker 1: Fanatics Sports Book. Adam Kaplan is here. Vic Fangio spoke
- 0:29Speaker 1: earlier today. We talked a little bit about what he
- 0:32Speaker 1: had to say. So let's look at the defensive roster
- 0:35Speaker 1: development that he has in front of him. He did
- 0:37Speaker 1: say something about he's like, we don't have a lot
- 0:39Speaker 1: of young new players on this team, Adam. So let's
- 0:43Speaker 1: take a look at the defensive development so far where
- 0:46Speaker 1: this team is all right.
- 0:48Speaker 2: So they've had sixth practices, Mike, So it's good because always,
- 0:52Speaker 2: I mean not all, but mostly our segments have been
- 0:56Speaker 2: on offense, about the development of past game timing, past
- 1:00Speaker 2: starter group, helpfully offensive lineman. We've exhausted our discussion on offense. Well,
- 1:06Speaker 2: let's finally take a deep dive on defense. Let's get
- 1:09Speaker 2: started up up front, Mike, you do they run a
- 1:11Speaker 2: thirty four front, two overhangs. It's you know who the
- 1:15Speaker 2: starters are. Jomo Is can't out a new contract. We
- 1:19Speaker 2: noted this months ago. He changed representation, went to athletes first.
- 1:23Speaker 2: So they're going to get a new deal. Will not
- 1:26Speaker 2: be easy because they're ready paying Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter,
- 1:30Speaker 2: who will get to in a minute, top dollar. Ojomo
- 1:33Speaker 2: what a seventh round pick, Mike. Think about how good
- 1:35Speaker 2: of a football player he is. He's a seventh round pick.
- 1:38Speaker 2: So Jordan Davis could uh.
- 1:41Speaker 1: By the way, on who said last week that they
- 1:44Speaker 1: had to pay It was that Fansio that said that
- 1:45Speaker 1: that he's gonna have to get his money too, save money.
- 1:48Speaker 2: Yeah, yes, how he's got to save money for Jomo.
- 1:51Speaker 2: Now here's the thing. Okay, Davis and Carter are going
- 1:54Speaker 2: to be here long time. Right. If Ojomo does not
- 1:57Speaker 2: get his extension and he walks, he's on the finie
- 2:00Speaker 2: rivers rookie deal. They don't have another starter. Ty Robinson's
- 2:04Speaker 2: done nothing so far. Byron Young has been a quality
- 2:08Speaker 2: waiver claim. He is their first d tach off the bench.
- 2:11Speaker 2: He's not being challenged that that job's already won. He
- 2:14Speaker 2: was claimed off Waiver's Mike in August of last year,
- 2:18Speaker 2: and as the season went along he became the top backup.
- 2:21Speaker 2: Just a great story of development, Really good job of
- 2:24Speaker 2: Howie Roseman, the general manager and his pro personnel staff
- 2:27Speaker 2: identifying this player. And he could play the nose, he
- 2:30Speaker 2: could play the five technique or the seven. Just a
- 2:33Speaker 2: good football player. The Raiders screwed up and cutting him
- 2:36Speaker 2: after one year. That was dumb.
- 2:38Speaker 1: Now the Raiders have made a mistake. Go figure, I know,
- 2:42Speaker 1: I know.
- 2:42Speaker 2: Now they've got exactly They've got Gabe Hall, number ninety six. Who.
- 2:45Speaker 2: I'll tell you what, Mike. We talked about this last
- 2:47Speaker 2: summer and I'm going to remind people he had a
- 2:50Speaker 2: really good camp. He's got one problem. He's a tweener.
- 2:55Speaker 2: He's long, he's got great length. Decent athlete. Wasn't drafted
- 3:00Speaker 2: for a reason. There was a knock on his energy
- 3:04Speaker 2: for the game didn't always show up. But man, the
- 3:08Speaker 2: light went on for him. But here's the problem. He's
- 3:10Speaker 2: really not a nose tackle. He's really not an edge rusher.
- 3:13Speaker 2: He's not a pass rusher. He's he's got ability, but
- 3:18Speaker 2: he doesn't. He just you're not. They're not going to
- 3:21Speaker 2: keep six defensive tackles fake, that's unheard of. How he's
- 3:25Speaker 2: done it before. He fooled us one year and then
- 3:28Speaker 2: then they traded kintav Street very quickly after that, so
- 3:32Speaker 2: they went to five. In fact, they actually had seven
- 3:34Speaker 2: at one point, which is ridiculous. But you don't really
- 3:37Speaker 2: keep six. So Gabe Hall is going to be tough
- 3:40Speaker 2: to keep. Ty Robinson still, Mike not standing out. He
- 3:43Speaker 2: needs to earnest roster spot. Harry Roseman has cut forth
- 3:47Speaker 2: front picks after one year before. I hasn't done it much,
- 3:50Speaker 2: done a couple of times, but he's got to get
- 3:52Speaker 2: it going. And there's you are Bernard, who Vic talked
- 3:55Speaker 2: about today. He's light years away. He's as we as
- 3:58Speaker 2: we've said on our show. Andrew and I dropped a
- 4:01Speaker 2: show this morning, which is an overview of both sides
- 4:04Speaker 2: of the football. But he's at the hal part. He's
- 4:08Speaker 2: learning how to play football. Eventually, he wanted to get
- 4:11Speaker 2: to the why when we'll ask about why do we
- 4:12Speaker 2: do this? He's not there yet. And they got Zion
- 4:15Speaker 2: Wilson is a very intriguing I was gonna.
- 4:17Speaker 1: Say I like him. My girlfriend went to East Carolina,
- 4:20Speaker 1: so I saw it play a lot.
- 4:21Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, yeah, very Yeah. He's he's a pretty good athlete,
- 4:27Speaker 2: had draftable grades from clubs. So he's a guy to
- 4:32Speaker 2: watch as we go through. And also the preseason is
- 4:35Speaker 2: going to determine Mike. So I was telling Andrew on
- 4:37Speaker 2: our show this morning, there are so many backup jobs.
- 4:40Speaker 2: As one person said to me, forty five to fifty three.
- 4:43Speaker 2: Good luck trying to figure it out. There are a
- 4:44Speaker 2: lot of job backup jobs open this year.
- 4:47Speaker 1: Yeah, Zion Wilson sixty three, like three and twenty pound,
- 4:50Speaker 1: he's just a mabboth man. And as you said, Ojomo
- 4:55Speaker 1: was a seventh round pig. What's to say that an
- 4:57Speaker 1: undrafted kid doesn't, you know, stick out. He would be
- 5:00Speaker 1: an interesting guy to kind of keep an eye on there.
- 5:02Speaker 1: Let's go to the Edge crew here, because he did
- 5:07Speaker 1: talk about Eba Kenny. I thought, you know, I feel
- 5:10Speaker 1: like he's not getting like people are almost looking at
- 5:12Speaker 1: him as like the way that they sign o Ja
- 5:15Speaker 1: and what's his name last year from the Giants, Oh Jalai.
- 5:19Speaker 2: Yeah, said then Obo Conker yes, yeah, who are all
- 5:22Speaker 2: edge threshers. But so Andrew made a really good point
- 5:25Speaker 2: because he'd been noticing Ebiketty and ironically, what did Vic
- 5:28Speaker 2: talk about today? Eb Ketty didn't really stand out because
- 5:30Speaker 2: he had to learn the scheme in OTAs. Remember they
- 5:33Speaker 2: only had six practices. Well, he comes in here insteadily,
- 5:36Speaker 2: gotten better, and he really likes what he sees. He's
- 5:38Speaker 2: going to make four point three million. They guaranteed all
- 5:40Speaker 2: of it. He'll be the fourth edge thresher. Mike, and
- 5:44Speaker 2: as I talked about last time with you, aj Epanessa
- 5:48Speaker 2: has been my sleeper like he is. I'm a little
- 5:52Speaker 2: surprised at how much he stood out now, Andrew and
- 5:54Speaker 2: I see to him the same way. He may be
- 5:56Speaker 2: listed as too eighty. He looks about two forty. There
- 5:59Speaker 2: was over six five these really long He's a guy
- 6:03Speaker 2: to kind of watch. Look, ideally, you really don't need
- 6:07Speaker 2: to keep six edge rushers or even five. Dave Keishaon
- 6:11Speaker 2: James Newby has heard is a major long shot to
- 6:14Speaker 2: be there to make the team. But Grenard, Look, Harry
- 6:19Speaker 2: Rosen made it pretty clear Gredard will be ready by
- 6:21Speaker 2: week one. Now, how ready's going to be? We don't.
- 6:25Speaker 2: Nobody knows. They can't have answer that, So we'll have
- 6:27Speaker 2: to see what happens when he comes back. But there's
- 6:30Speaker 2: absolutely a chance to keep five added rushers. But Mike,
- 6:33Speaker 2: as we tell people, when you keep when you go
- 6:37Speaker 2: heavy one position, you got to go light elsewhere. And
- 6:41Speaker 2: that then, and when we get to the secondary that
- 6:43Speaker 2: I'll explain a lot more of this, and then I
- 6:46Speaker 2: think when you really look at it, as we told
- 6:48Speaker 2: you when he was drafted, John Kim was not drafted
- 6:51Speaker 2: to be an edge rusher. That was false. He was
- 6:54Speaker 2: drafted to be, first of all and foremost an insideline
- 6:58Speaker 2: back and me down the line when they felt comfortable
- 7:03Speaker 2: he could get edge snaps and nickel. Well, what happened
- 7:06Speaker 2: was on bass downs he played the edge, but as
- 7:10Speaker 2: a run defender, not as an ed pure edge rusher.
- 7:12Speaker 2: So all that talk about edge rush, it just never happened,
- 7:15Speaker 2: and they don't have any plan for him to do it.
- 7:17Speaker 1: All Right, let's go to that linebacker spot because we
- 7:20Speaker 1: could be having this conversation five years ago and saying, man,
- 7:23Speaker 1: they are really light here, how about now?
- 7:26Speaker 2: Yeah? Yeah, and look where it's kind of like with
- 7:31Speaker 2: edge rusher. Okay, We know that Gurnard, once he's healthy,
- 7:34Speaker 2: he's going to be a starter. I still feel like
- 7:37Speaker 2: I have all off season Hunt should beat out Smith.
- 7:39Speaker 2: Epichetti's the four, so you only play four. Well, now,
- 7:42Speaker 2: this is where Andrew and I had an interesting discussion.
- 7:44Speaker 2: He did point out correctly and that they didn't do
- 7:46Speaker 2: it a lot. But later in the season when Nikobe
- 7:50Speaker 2: Dean came back instead of Kuntig Smile Mandan, they kept
- 7:54Speaker 2: him and when he was active, he only played on
- 7:56Speaker 2: special teams. The only time he would play on defense
- 7:58Speaker 2: was when there was a blowout. They pulled everybody out
- 8:00Speaker 2: and then he played. But he would only really play
- 8:02Speaker 2: on special teams. That was his role strictly. So this
- 8:04Speaker 2: year it's Bond and Campbell. Johd's back. We he does
- 8:08Speaker 2: not look as big physically. We don't know because of
- 8:10Speaker 2: the shoulder what he was able to do in terms
- 8:13Speaker 2: of working out and lifting. Trotter's the clear three. In fact,
- 8:16Speaker 2: Vic Fangio was effusive this praise today. But he having
- 8:20Speaker 2: his best camp and remember Vic's benning with him the
- 8:23Speaker 2: whole way. Vic and Tratter came in in twenty four.
- 8:26Speaker 2: Manon is the four. Now Chance Campbell Vic said not
- 8:29Speaker 2: to sleep on today. He would I put him on
- 8:32Speaker 2: my list. It was my sleeper list. The difference between
- 8:37Speaker 2: last year and keeping five and this year a completely
- 8:39Speaker 2: different chance. Campbell was not drafted by the Eagles. He
- 8:41Speaker 2: said he was drafted by the Titans. But he's a
- 8:44Speaker 2: big injury history of the Eagles put no money into him.
- 8:47Speaker 2: It's highly unlikely he'll make it again. If you're keeping
- 8:51Speaker 2: five and you're never dressing five to play like you
- 8:54Speaker 2: because Mon and Mike see here's the problem with camp
- 8:56Speaker 2: will make it. Manon is already ahead of him on
- 8:59Speaker 2: special teams, so why would you keep five? It makes
- 9:02Speaker 2: no sense to Yantie Lawson's also there, who's a very
- 9:04Speaker 2: intriguing player. Absolutely would have been drafted in third or
- 9:07Speaker 2: fourth round if not for the ACL injury. So he's
- 9:11Speaker 2: obviously not gonna make it. But they have really good depth.
- 9:14Speaker 2: And here's the thing, it's pretty.
- 9:15Speaker 1: Young, well right, and I mean it almost feels like
- 9:18Speaker 1: if one of the guys goes like last year you
- 9:20Speaker 1: had Dean get hurt, Campbell stepped in, would Trotter be
- 9:24Speaker 1: able to step in and start?
- 9:26Speaker 2: They do. They feel really good about that. We noted
- 9:29Speaker 2: from someone We talked to that Trotter was tremendous in
- 9:34Speaker 2: practice last season, really good, and you know, he didn't
- 9:37Speaker 2: get a lot of defensive stats because Campbell stepped in,
- 9:40Speaker 2: as you said, for Dean, and when Dean came back,
- 9:43Speaker 2: Campbell didn't start anymore because Dean was unbelievable. One of
- 9:47Speaker 2: the incredible stories. But yeah, they're stock Man, They really
- 9:50Speaker 2: are in good shape there at inside backer.
- 9:52Speaker 1: All Right, football four, we're talking with Adam Kaplan. We're
- 9:55Speaker 1: taking a look at the roster development in training camp.
- 9:58Speaker 1: They got a lot of questions. It's safe.
- 10:01Speaker 2: Major Vic did talk about how Macoba's looking good, he's healthy,
- 10:05Speaker 2: he's got a better understanding what he's doing. Marcus EPs
- 10:08Speaker 2: clearly over Michael Carter, but it's close. In fact, Vic
- 10:12Speaker 2: talked about this is interesting and I did notice this
- 10:16Speaker 2: in my notes here, that that Carters were playing a
- 10:18Speaker 2: lot of nickel went when Degene to give Degene arrest,
- 10:22Speaker 2: so Degenias have to have every nickel. He's the second
- 10:25Speaker 2: team nickel over mac McWilliams than anyone else they have.
- 10:29Speaker 2: And they also is playing dime safety, so he's got
- 10:33Speaker 2: definitely going to be on the team. But dying by
- 10:36Speaker 2: the way six defense backs Mike. So it's he's giving
- 10:40Speaker 2: himself more value. He's got way better versatility than Marcus Epps.
- 10:43Speaker 2: So he took a major pay cut, which we told
- 10:45Speaker 2: you he was going to do if he was going
- 10:46Speaker 2: to come back. He got it. He took about eighty
- 10:49Speaker 2: percent pay cut. He didn't have a choice if he
- 10:51Speaker 2: wanted to come back. He's going to have it roll Mike.
- 10:54Speaker 2: He's going to not to special teams and backup safety,
- 10:57Speaker 2: backup Dickle maybe dying the little they play it, and yeah,
- 11:01Speaker 2: he'll be there. And I'm been trying to figure out
- 11:03Speaker 2: who the force safety is. They still have not work
- 11:05Speaker 2: Mack mcwilliamson safety. He's nickel, a little bit of corner.
- 11:10Speaker 2: Carl Wesnowski's hurt right now. Unfortunately, as he was in
- 11:12Speaker 2: the ot S and JT. Gray really only be on specialties.
- 11:15Speaker 2: Maxim's Pulley is our sleeper, like because there's so many
- 11:19Speaker 2: backup jobs Mike. He was a playmaker at Watford. He
- 11:22Speaker 2: is number thirty six an undirected free agent. We look
- 11:25Speaker 2: forward to seeing him in the preseason because that's where
- 11:28Speaker 2: he can make a really good push.
- 11:29Speaker 1: Maximus Pulley, I like that name. All right, Yeah, let's
- 11:32Speaker 1: go to the development of the cornerback room because there's
- 11:37Speaker 1: a lot of names here with a lot of intrigue.
- 11:39Speaker 1: So I'm very intrigued by what you think you've seen
- 11:42Speaker 1: in the development of this position because for years he
- 11:44Speaker 1: had a bunch of guys who were you know, the
- 11:46Speaker 1: Kaylee Ringos, the Josh Joel that you were waiting for
- 11:49Speaker 1: one of them to emerge, and none of them ever did.
- 11:52Speaker 2: Yeah, Kailee Ringo, but it's Keiley in the pronounce nation guid.
- 11:55Speaker 2: I don't know why people call him Kaylee. It's not
- 11:58Speaker 2: Keighley Ringo. Look, we talked about him for four years.
- 12:01Speaker 2: We told you four years ago he'll never make it.
- 12:03Speaker 2: We got we got bleeped on for it. We weren't wrong.
- 12:05Speaker 2: You can't get rid of rid of everybody stiffness. But man,
- 12:09Speaker 2: he looks the part though, just standing there, just he's
- 12:14Speaker 2: just he can't transition. He just can't do it. And
- 12:16Speaker 2: it's just it is what it is. And by the
- 12:18Speaker 2: way he is running. He's got some second team reps
- 12:21Speaker 2: because Jonathan Jones is a veteran, they're not practicing much.
- 12:25Speaker 2: He turns thirty, one of the oldest corners of the NFL, Uh, Mitchell,
- 12:29Speaker 2: and will know your starters will looks really good. He's
- 12:31Speaker 2: carrying by the way he's carrying over so far what
- 12:34Speaker 2: we saw. Now, Remember DeVante Smith is hurt now m
- 12:37Speaker 2: Lemon is heard, which is unfortunate. And Cooper Dejean's not
- 12:41Speaker 2: playing corner anymore. He's a nickel. He's playing safety. And
- 12:46Speaker 2: you know Vic by the way, Mike and Vic kind
- 12:48Speaker 2: of backed up what we told folks. The league has
- 12:51Speaker 2: going to so much base defense. Why because so many
- 12:55Speaker 2: teams are playing twelve personnel. Well, first four weeks, I
- 12:59Speaker 2: guarant to you that Cooper Degen will play way more
- 13:02Speaker 2: safety than nickel. Why because those four teams play so
- 13:06Speaker 2: much twelve personnel, two ten ends, two receivers run back
- 13:11Speaker 2: that coopes not look. They're telling what it's going to
- 13:13Speaker 2: look like by their personnel groupings. And I'll see Washington
- 13:17Speaker 2: next week. I'm scheduled to be there when the Dolphins
- 13:19Speaker 2: come in. We're joint practice for their preseason game. So
- 13:22Speaker 2: I look forward to what Washington's doing, Mike, But just
- 13:25Speaker 2: understand things are going to be a little bit different here,
- 13:27Speaker 2: actually a lot different with the gene and when you
- 13:30Speaker 2: talk about their cornerback group. Behind the starters, it's Jones's
- 13:35Speaker 2: the three. They don't know who the four is right
- 13:37Speaker 2: now between McWilliams, jacorring Bennett. It's got plenty of reps
- 13:41Speaker 2: with the twos still not standing out yet mentioned Ringo,
- 13:45Speaker 2: who's really a thirteen corner who almost certainly will not
- 13:48Speaker 2: play on defense unless there's an injury where a couple
- 13:51Speaker 2: guys get benched. You can't predict that. It's impossible. Aby
- 13:55Speaker 2: Thomas made it play the other day. Is yet another Mike,
- 13:59Speaker 2: yet another former third round draft pick of the Niners
- 14:03Speaker 2: that he goes we brought in. He was on and
- 14:04Speaker 2: off he goals roster.
- 14:05Speaker 1: A Michigan man, a Michigan man.
- 14:08Speaker 2: Yeah, he's talented. He actually was a starter for them.
- 14:10Speaker 2: Talking to them, they just they lost faithum because he
- 14:12Speaker 2: couldn't stay healthy. And rounding it out of Tree Castro Fields,
- 14:16Speaker 2: who has been a number. He's now in his fifth
- 14:19Speaker 2: team for a ten stater. Yet another forty nine or
- 14:22Speaker 2: six rounder and twenty two really good size. But here's
- 14:26Speaker 2: the thing, Mike, I could say he's a major lung shot,
- 14:28Speaker 2: but Eagles have no idea who the fourth corner is
- 14:30Speaker 2: going to be. So I'm not rolling out anything here.
- 14:32Speaker 2: As we get through all the practices in the.
- 14:35Speaker 1: Preseason, very intriguing position and especially and by the lay,
- 14:38Speaker 1: we're all just assuming Woolen comes in here and you
- 14:41Speaker 1: know is the lockdown guy. I mean, he was in
- 14:44Speaker 1: and out of the lineup for Seattle.
- 14:46Speaker 2: Now look, as I told you this Mike weeks ago.
- 14:49Speaker 2: The only way Degene place corner is a injury or
- 14:53Speaker 2: b that won't gets bench where he reverts back in.
- 14:55Speaker 2: You know, Vic, Vic, Vic, you don't have to guess
- 15:00Speaker 2: if Riak walland like Vick is not gonna stand for it,
- 15:04Speaker 2: if guys are not playing with disciplined, the guy's getting benched.
- 15:07Speaker 2: That's just the way it is. He's like Mike Zimmer,
- 15:09Speaker 2: I got to know over a number of years, if
- 15:11Speaker 2: they don't look quick at aid. Now Vic set up
- 15:14Speaker 2: for him. Remember he did in his press conference. He
- 15:17Speaker 2: watched the tape. He thought that won was way better
- 15:19Speaker 2: than people thought. Well, you know, I don't doubt Vic.
- 15:23Speaker 2: He's gonna go to the Hall of Fame someday. You know,
- 15:25Speaker 2: for my money, I don't have a lot of money,
- 15:26Speaker 2: but I put in the Hall of Fame. So but Anyway, Mike,
- 15:29Speaker 2: it's a very intriguing defense. I am really looking forward
- 15:33Speaker 2: to if they could staying healthy. They're gonna have a
- 15:36Speaker 2: lot of challenges early in the season. They play some
- 15:38Speaker 2: really good offenses.
- 15:39Speaker 1: Well, obviously defense gonna have to carry them for a
- 15:42Speaker 1: little while. I'll discuss the other day. You know, it's
- 15:44Speaker 1: gonna be growing Pains, Growing Pains football at four, Big Pain.
- 15:49Speaker 1: There's Adam Kaplan Football four powered by the Inside of
- 15:52Speaker 1: the Birds podcast, which you can get and download on
- 15:55Speaker 1: all podcasting platforms, and Adams back on Friday Show. Thanks man,
- 16:00Speaker 1: Thank you,