Latest / Inside the Birds: A Philadelphia Eagles Podcast / Football at Four: How does Eagles Roster Stack Up Against Other Top NFL Teams?
Transcript
- 0:00Speaker 1: Jeff Boscher's here for another edition of Football at four,
- 0:03Speaker 1: and we are getting closer to the start of the
- 0:06Speaker 1: NFL training camp season that is coming up on July
- 0:09Speaker 1: the twenty eighth, So we are moving in Jeff Boucher
- 0:13Speaker 1: on the start of training camp. But a lot of
- 0:16Speaker 1: people chiming in on our Mosher mailbag segments here. We
- 0:19Speaker 1: got a ton of questions for you today. What is
- 0:21Speaker 1: happened in my brother?
- 0:23Speaker 2: Well? Nothing's just a nice day down the shore, mic,
- 0:25Speaker 2: How are you?
- 0:26Speaker 1: Yes, it's not quite as hot today as it was
- 0:29Speaker 1: this weekend, but.
- 0:32Speaker 3: It was brutal. Do you have a nice fourth? Were
- 0:34Speaker 3: down the short all.
- 0:35Speaker 2: I was, Yeah, it was on the fourth, Yeah it
- 0:37Speaker 2: was nice. Like you said, it was hot though, even
- 0:39Speaker 2: being at the beach it was not very comfortable.
- 0:42Speaker 1: Yeah, I avoided the beach. It was too crazy for
- 0:45Speaker 1: me over there. But I want to get your thoughts
- 0:47Speaker 1: on this. Let's start here before we get some mailbag questions, which,
- 0:50Speaker 1: thanks to all the listeners, we've been getting a ton
- 0:51Speaker 1: of feedback on that. ESPN dot Com today ranked the
- 0:56Speaker 1: best projected starting lineups for twenty twenty six. They had
- 1:00Speaker 1: the Rams number one. They had the Eagles number two.
- 1:06Speaker 1: Is that ranking surprising to you.
- 1:10Speaker 2: A little bit? You know, you could. The Seahawks are
- 1:13Speaker 2: defending champs, and they brought back a lot of their
- 1:15Speaker 2: They're good players. I know there seems to be in
- 1:19Speaker 2: things that I read. A lot of people feel like
- 1:21Speaker 2: the Buffalo Bills would be a very good team. But
- 1:23Speaker 2: the Bills have always been more of like a a
- 1:25Speaker 2: Josh Allen and Sean McDermott defense operation more than like
- 1:30Speaker 2: having a great set of starters. I mean, I think
- 1:32Speaker 2: the Eagles, with all their Pro Bowl talent, certainly are
- 1:36Speaker 2: up there. You could understand that, so it doesn't it
- 1:40Speaker 2: doesn't shock me. It just shocks me that they're ahead
- 1:42Speaker 2: of both the Seahawks and or the ahead of the Seahawks.
- 1:45Speaker 1: Seahawks number three, by the way, Buffalo number four, and
- 1:50Speaker 1: rounding out the top five was Baltimore.
- 1:52Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, I think I can't even say I think Baltimore.
- 1:56Speaker 2: Buffalo has the best starting lineup. I've always felt like
- 2:00Speaker 2: they've overachieved because of Josh Allen. You know, Baltimore's got
- 2:03Speaker 2: more talent at multiple positions than Buffalo does.
- 2:08Speaker 1: All right, let me be a couple of quick things here.
- 2:11Speaker 1: They gave for the starting lineup. The biggest strength of
- 2:15Speaker 1: the starting lineup.
- 2:16Speaker 2: What would you say, I'm gonna say they're.
- 2:20Speaker 1: Still by the way, Remember this is pro football focused,
- 2:23Speaker 1: so it's very analytically driven.
- 2:26Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm gonna still think that they gave the offensive
- 2:29Speaker 2: line the strength even after last year's down the year,
- 2:33Speaker 2: I'm gonna think that they assumed some of that was
- 2:35Speaker 2: injury related.
- 2:36Speaker 1: So they went with offensive tackle the duo of Mylatta
- 2:40Speaker 1: and Lane Johnson as the biggest strength of the team.
- 2:43Speaker 1: Biggest weakness. I think this one's kind of interesting. What
- 2:46Speaker 1: would you say is the biggest weakness? Now this is
- 2:48Speaker 1: offense end defense?
- 2:50Speaker 2: Oh, offense end defense. Biggest weakness probably safeties, if not
- 2:55Speaker 2: wide receivers.
- 2:56Speaker 3: But yeah, well it was safety.
- 2:58Speaker 1: Now I thought what Mike clay is interesting said safety
- 3:01Speaker 1: the biggest weakness blanket shipside with Houston mcuba, Marcus Epps,
- 3:05Speaker 1: they're the top opption to Cooper. Regen will get a
- 3:07Speaker 1: run in safety, but his role as the team's slot
- 3:10Speaker 1: corner will keep him occupied most of the time.
- 3:13Speaker 3: Do you agree with that.
- 3:14Speaker 2: Well, it depends on your division of most of the time.
- 3:16Speaker 2: But I mean, yeah, because the Eagles are gonna Eagles
- 3:19Speaker 2: have historically been in nickel more than any other team,
- 3:22Speaker 2: I think eighty. I do think that that's gonna come
- 3:25Speaker 2: down a bit this year. I think they'll be in
- 3:27Speaker 2: base a little bit more, but they will still, like
- 3:30Speaker 2: almost every team, probably be in nickel more than base.
- 3:33Speaker 1: All Right, they list the biggest X factor of the
- 3:37Speaker 1: starting lineup. Which guy would you say is the biggest
- 3:40Speaker 1: X factor.
- 3:43Speaker 2: On offense or defense? Like the entire team?
- 3:45Speaker 3: Uh yeah, offense, defense.
- 3:47Speaker 2: Entire team hurts, probably because of the new offense, you know.
- 3:55Speaker 1: I mean that's fair to say, I think if you're
- 3:56Speaker 1: talking to our audience. They went with Woolen as the
- 4:00Speaker 1: X factor there. Yeah, I mean he's a guy that's
- 4:03Speaker 1: very polarizing. I guess he's got the size. He had
- 4:07Speaker 1: a great season in the past, he was benched at times,
- 4:11Speaker 1: so yeah, he's all over the map. And then they
- 4:13Speaker 1: went with a non starter.
- 4:16Speaker 2: To know nont well. I mean, Jelex Hunt has not
- 4:21Speaker 2: been a starter, although he might play more snaps. I mean,
- 4:25Speaker 2: so he would be somebody that I would put in
- 4:28Speaker 2: that in that terrain or that category.
- 4:30Speaker 1: I like that one better than theirs, by the way,
- 4:32Speaker 1: although if there's works out, then that's a great, you
- 4:35Speaker 1: know situation because they were they went with Hollywood Brown.
- 4:42Speaker 2: Yeah, I don't love that one.
- 4:45Speaker 1: All right, let's uh, let's see what the listeners have
- 4:47Speaker 1: for Jeff Mosher this week.
- 4:48Speaker 3: I agree with you.
- 4:49Speaker 2: I I love it. You know, it's just to me.
- 4:52Speaker 2: That's like okay.
- 4:54Speaker 1: As always, you can send in your questions on the
- 4:58Speaker 1: social media at Mike Gilshow. The text board is where
- 5:01Speaker 1: you can hit us up as well six oh nine
- 5:03Speaker 1: four oh three on nine seven three or send me
- 5:05Speaker 1: an email and you can get your questions in that way.
- 5:08Speaker 1: For Jeff Boscher. Uh, and we got a boast your
- 5:11Speaker 1: mail bag Monday. Let's start with Gary and Williams down.
- 5:14Speaker 1: How important is the number three wide receiver in Seawan
- 5:17Speaker 1: Mannion's offense. That's an interesting question based on the fact
- 5:20Speaker 1: that the number three receiver in the old offense was insignificant.
- 5:26Speaker 2: Well, I think it's It's so there's two parts of that, right,
- 5:29Speaker 2: It's not just that it's Seawan Mannon's offense. It's just
- 5:32Speaker 2: in general, it's got to be a more significant role
- 5:35Speaker 2: this year without aj Brown, because you don't have two
- 5:38Speaker 2: guys that will just hog ninety percent of the wide
- 5:42Speaker 2: receiver targets. You've got Davonte Smith, who might hog ninety
- 5:45Speaker 2: percent by himself, but certainly with when you're in eleven personnel,
- 5:51Speaker 2: which is three receiver sets, you'll probably see Mikai Lemon
- 5:53Speaker 2: in the slot more So I think that that will
- 5:56Speaker 2: be an important job to begin with. Dontavian Wis can
- 6:00Speaker 2: move inside and play slot, so you'll see that, You'll
- 6:02Speaker 2: see you'll even see DeVante Smith in the slot a
- 6:06Speaker 2: little bit. So to me, it'll be a more productive role.
- 6:09Speaker 2: And in this offense, I think it is more vital
- 6:12Speaker 2: because it's it's an offense that's supposed to capitalize on
- 6:15Speaker 2: every blade of grass in the middle of the field,
- 6:17Speaker 2: using play action to create space and yards after the catch.
- 6:22Speaker 2: So I would say, if it's really hard to replicate
- 6:26Speaker 2: what the Seahawks did last year, which is basically just
- 6:29Speaker 2: leaned so heavily on one guy Jackson Smith and Jigman
- 6:32Speaker 2: and ride that all the way to a Super Bowl,
- 6:35Speaker 2: the Seahawks did it. And I'm listening, I'm not trying
- 6:37Speaker 2: to diminish like their tight end Barner or their other
- 6:40Speaker 2: receiver or Sighed, but I mean it was really like
- 6:42Speaker 2: eighty five percent of the passes went to Smith and Jigma.
- 6:46Speaker 2: I don't think that the Eagles would be successful in
- 6:48Speaker 2: that format. I think that there definitely has to be
- 6:50Speaker 2: more from the number two and three in this offense.
- 6:53Speaker 1: Yeah, this offense, you would assume spreads it around a
- 6:55Speaker 1: little bit more.
- 6:56Speaker 2: It should you would you have enough to be able
- 6:58Speaker 2: to do it for sure.
- 7:00Speaker 3: Donna is in k A cordials.
- 7:02Speaker 1: Are we gonna carry three quarterbacks on the act of
- 7:04Speaker 1: fifty three? Is McKee fighting for the QB two spot?
- 7:08Speaker 1: I guess with Andy Dalton here.
- 7:11Speaker 2: I mean you're gonna keep four quarterbacks, I think on
- 7:13Speaker 2: the fifty three because Cole Peyton is a kid that
- 7:16Speaker 2: they drafted knowing that he's got a lot of athletic upside,
- 7:20Speaker 2: and you know, and as long as Dalton and McKee
- 7:24Speaker 2: are still on team, then they're also gonna keep Hayton.
- 7:27Speaker 2: That would make it four. So they're certainly gonna carry
- 7:30Speaker 2: three Because there's still a potential of a move here.
- 7:34Speaker 2: I think the likelihood of trading McKee is less so,
- 7:36Speaker 2: but I suppose there could be a big time quarterback
- 7:39Speaker 2: injury in camp and that necessitates a McKee trade. But
- 7:43Speaker 2: there's to me, they're at least keeping three and most
- 7:47Speaker 2: likely keeping four.
- 7:49Speaker 1: All right, let's go to Hammington where Anthony, Texan Anthony
- 7:54Speaker 1: and Hammonton. He wants to know about markel Bell. Is
- 7:58Speaker 1: he being groomed to be the swing tackle over Fred Johnson.
- 8:02Speaker 2: I'm not sure Mark kel Bell can play left tackle.
- 8:06Speaker 2: I'm sure they'll cross tain him train him as such.
- 8:09Speaker 2: But he's a wide, wide, big big man, and he's
- 8:13Speaker 2: played right tackle, and every scout I spoke to leading
- 8:17Speaker 2: up to the draft said his position is right tackle
- 8:20Speaker 2: and that he doesn't have the lateral agility or quickness
- 8:23Speaker 2: to play left tackle. But you know what, it wouldn't
- 8:25Speaker 2: shock me if somebody once said that about Fred Johnson too,
- 8:29Speaker 2: you know, coming out of college, you know, big, huge
- 8:31Speaker 2: guy coming out of Florida, not necessarily the most gifted athletically.
- 8:35Speaker 2: So again, they'll train him and see how it works there.
- 8:38Speaker 2: But I have some doubts that Mark kel Bell is
- 8:42Speaker 2: gonna be good enough to be at both that it
- 8:44Speaker 2: costs Fred Johnson his roster spot. I don't think that'll happen.
- 8:48Speaker 1: I you know, that's an interesting question because that spot
- 8:50Speaker 1: last year obviously was a big, big factor for this team,
- 8:53Speaker 1: and it generally is with Lane Johnson right. I mean,
- 8:55Speaker 1: you need that guy to be able to handle that that.
- 8:58Speaker 2: Spot right, And that's why the question is immediate swing tackle.
- 9:02Speaker 2: So you're talking about this year, I mean obviously in
- 9:04Speaker 2: the future who knows, but because in the future, most
- 9:07Speaker 2: likely Marko Bell will be your right tackle if he's
- 9:10Speaker 2: good and lives up to his billing, and then they'll
- 9:12Speaker 2: have to figure out. You know, it'll be interesting to
- 9:15Speaker 2: see if any of these guys they whether it's Miles Hitting,
- 9:17Speaker 2: whether it's Cameron Williams, whether it's anybody else that they've
- 9:20Speaker 2: brought in here, holland Pierce, if any of these guys
- 9:23Speaker 2: have the capability to play both sides of the line.
- 9:27Speaker 1: Chuck and Cherry Hill wants to know what happened to
- 9:28Speaker 1: Kaylee Ringo is he's still in the mix.
- 9:31Speaker 2: I mean, he's a great special teamer, so that makes
- 9:35Speaker 2: him in the mix for the fifty three. But he's done,
- 9:39Speaker 2: I mean his opportunities to be a starter or the
- 9:42Speaker 2: top backup. I mean the window was open for the
- 9:45Speaker 2: last two years and he did not crawl right through,
- 9:49Speaker 2: and instead you watch the Eagles go out and get
- 9:51Speaker 2: to Cory and Bennett go out and get a Droy Jackson,
- 9:53Speaker 2: go out and try to revive jy E Alexander, you know,
- 9:57Speaker 2: go out and sign Riek Wallen. So no, I mean,
- 10:00Speaker 2: is no longer in the mix to be among your
- 10:03Speaker 2: top three or even four outside corners, because you've got Wollen,
- 10:07Speaker 2: You've got Mitchell, You've got the guy Jonathan Jones that
- 10:11Speaker 2: they signed. They've got other corners too. I just think
- 10:15Speaker 2: his time to prove himself as a player on this
- 10:18Speaker 2: defense is done.
- 10:20Speaker 1: All right, let's good to Vinnie in Washington township. This
- 10:25Speaker 1: is on the text board here and he wants to
- 10:28Speaker 1: know can Trotter play if needed?
- 10:32Speaker 3: Or is he a guy that's on the bubble.
- 10:34Speaker 2: I'm so glad that he asked this question because Adam
- 10:37Speaker 2: and I tomorrow, tomorrow morning, on inside the Birds platform,
- 10:40Speaker 2: we're having our second part of a two part series
- 10:43Speaker 2: of guys that were optimistic about in twenty twenty six.
- 10:46Speaker 2: We each picked three for offense and three for defense.
- 10:48Speaker 2: So tomorrow's defense offense is out today, and I will
- 10:53Speaker 2: give away my hint Trotter is part of this discussion,
- 10:56Speaker 2: and I firmly believe a No, he's not on the bubble.
- 11:00Speaker 2: He's your number three inside linebacker, and I think that
- 11:04Speaker 2: this guy can play. And if you were competing on
- 11:07Speaker 2: another team that didn't have Zach Bond and All Pro
- 11:09Speaker 2: and didn't have Johd Campbell, a first round pick in
- 11:12Speaker 2: the starting spots, he'd probably get a better look to
- 11:15Speaker 2: be a starter. You don't find a whole lot of
- 11:17Speaker 2: great ILB play around the NFL. But you know what
- 11:20Speaker 2: he lacks in athleticism, Mike, he compensates in just having
- 11:25Speaker 2: a great understanding of how to play linebacker. And I
- 11:28Speaker 2: was saying to Adam that amazes me when I go
- 11:31Speaker 2: back through my notes at training camp and OTA's last year,
- 11:34Speaker 2: how often I had fifty four just written, like fifty
- 11:37Speaker 2: four is there? Fifty four in coverage? Fifty four makes
- 11:40Speaker 2: attack like he's always around the football. He makes plays.
- 11:45Speaker 2: He hasn't had to play much. He's a great special teamer,
- 11:48Speaker 2: but when he gets in, he plays well. And I
- 11:50Speaker 2: think he's gonna have to play this year because each
- 11:52Speaker 2: of the last two years you've seen the backup ILB
- 11:56Speaker 2: have to play two years ago as Warren Brooks when
- 11:58Speaker 2: Nikobe got hurt. Last year, it was John Campbell for
- 12:02Speaker 2: the first eight weeks until n Kobe got back, so
- 12:05Speaker 2: three years ago it was somebody because Nikobe got hurt.
- 12:08Speaker 2: So I think that Trotter will probably wind up having
- 12:10Speaker 2: to play and we'll see that he can play this game.
- 12:13Speaker 3: That's what I was gonna ask.
- 12:14Speaker 1: Like, Let's say, you know, the Eagles in the past
- 12:16Speaker 1: have gone with guys like Trotter because they just put
- 12:18Speaker 1: no focus on that position. If they didn't have all
- 12:21Speaker 1: this first round talent with Campbell that they invested in
- 12:24Speaker 1: Deaned that they you know, he was a third round guy.
- 12:26Speaker 3: But do you think Jeremiah Trotter could start in this league?
- 12:28Speaker 2: Yeah, for sure, I absolutely do think he could. Now
- 12:31Speaker 2: do I think he'd be a pro bowler and all
- 12:32Speaker 2: pro No. I think that he reminds me a little
- 12:35Speaker 2: bit of TJ. Edwards, who also coming out of Northwestern
- 12:39Speaker 2: really or Wisconsin, I'm sorry, knew how to play the game, smart,
- 12:45Speaker 2: lacked elite athleticism, lost a few pounds to try to
- 12:48Speaker 2: run a little faster, but he always had he had
- 12:52Speaker 2: to develop that. I think it was by year three
- 12:54Speaker 2: that he became a starter. I think trot I've seen it.
- 12:57Speaker 2: I mean, he's going into year three, but I've seen
- 12:59Speaker 2: the thinks in the understanding and the awareness of how
- 13:02Speaker 2: to play. He's just been stuck behind really good linebackers.
- 13:04Speaker 2: That's not his fault.
- 13:06Speaker 1: Who thought that the Eagles had this many good linebackers
- 13:09Speaker 1: over the course of years now? Right over the course
- 13:11Speaker 1: of years now, Steven Wildwood, do you think Mannion's playing
- 13:16Speaker 1: in a lightning and thunder role for Bigsby to keep
- 13:18Speaker 1: sake one fresh and maybe use more Will Shipley Hm hmmm.
- 13:23Speaker 2: So Bigsby was one of the guys I talked about
- 13:26Speaker 2: in today's pod that I was optimistic about in the
- 13:29Speaker 2: right frame. I'm optimistic that he's going to be great
- 13:33Speaker 2: for the scheme and that Sean Manion is going to
- 13:35Speaker 2: figure out a way to get him on the field
- 13:37Speaker 2: just a little.
- 13:39Speaker 3: Last year.
- 13:39Speaker 2: I think he averaged four touches a game last year,
- 13:42Speaker 2: which I didn't think was enough, And I noted Mike
- 13:45Speaker 2: that last year, I Pajohn Robinson had an unbelievable year.
- 13:48Speaker 2: He had like over two thousand yards from scrimmage I touched.
- 13:51Speaker 2: He was so productive, and yet his backup Algier still
- 13:55Speaker 2: averaged eight touches per game. I believe that there's a
- 13:58Speaker 2: role there for big again, at least eight touches per game.
- 14:01Speaker 2: I don't think it'll be lightning and foot as fifty
- 14:05Speaker 2: to fifty or sixty forty. I mean, you're still gonna
- 14:07Speaker 2: have Saquan be the bell cow. But I do think
- 14:09Speaker 2: that there is an opportunity for Bigsby in year two
- 14:12Speaker 2: here to play a little bit more and show that
- 14:15Speaker 2: he's he's one of the better running number two running
- 14:17Speaker 2: backs in the league.
- 14:19Speaker 1: I like the the the Shipley element, though, like in
- 14:22Speaker 1: this offense?
- 14:23Speaker 3: Is there more for a pass catcher in this offense?
- 14:28Speaker 2: I'm sorry you broke up a little bit of me.
- 14:30Speaker 2: Did you ask about Shipley? Is that what you're saying?
- 14:31Speaker 3: Yeah, Shipley?
- 14:32Speaker 1: Is there more? Is there more opportunities for a pass
- 14:36Speaker 1: catcher in this offense?
- 14:37Speaker 3: A running back?
- 14:40Speaker 2: I think there remains to be seen. We've seen We've
- 14:43Speaker 2: had that discussion a lot about pass catching running backs,
- 14:46Speaker 2: and you know, DeAndre Swift came here and he could
- 14:48Speaker 2: and it's just never worked. And I know this offense
- 14:52Speaker 2: has the ability to have it in there, but I
- 14:54Speaker 2: think we've got to be able to see it before
- 14:56Speaker 2: we declare it.
- 14:58Speaker 3: All right. David A.
- 14:59Speaker 1: Harber Township, Uh, it's how we bring in some training
- 15:02Speaker 1: camp competition to push Jake Elliott.
- 15:05Speaker 3: That question's been.
- 15:06Speaker 1: Asked a lot out of circles, but it's the first
- 15:08Speaker 1: time it's come across on the motion your mail back here.
- 15:13Speaker 2: Yeah, it certainly doesn't seem it. I mean the coaching staff,
- 15:16Speaker 2: the way they talk about Jake Elliott, they have the
- 15:18Speaker 2: utmost confidence in him. They think they can figure him out.
- 15:22Speaker 2: Would it shocked me if a week or two into camp,
- 15:26Speaker 2: if they see something that they they're worries about, then
- 15:28Speaker 2: maybe they bring somebody in. But you know, they didn't
- 15:31Speaker 2: sign anybody. I don't think for the OTAs so as
- 15:35Speaker 2: of now, I think he's The coast is clear for him.
- 15:38Speaker 1: Right, you got a shaky year a couple of years
- 15:42Speaker 1: ago followed by a pretty good year last year. Let's
- 15:45Speaker 1: be honest, right you would say he was shaky last year?
- 15:48Speaker 2: Oh yeah, of course you I mean be blind if
- 15:51Speaker 2: he didn't say he was shaky.
- 15:52Speaker 3: Wow.
- 15:53Speaker 1: You know you're normally it's like, hey, this guy didn't
- 15:55Speaker 1: have a good year, we might have to get some
- 15:57Speaker 1: competition for him. It almost feels like the Eagles are
- 15:59Speaker 1: just like, Nope, he's our guy, no matter what, thick
- 16:01Speaker 1: and thin.
- 16:02Speaker 2: Yeah, And I don't know if they if they worry
- 16:04Speaker 2: about like the mental side of that position in doing
- 16:06Speaker 2: that or not, or if they just feel like they
- 16:08Speaker 2: can they've got they can figure him out. I don't know.
- 16:12Speaker 2: We'll see, all right.
- 16:13Speaker 1: Uh it's a Moosher mailbag for this Monday. He's back
- 16:16Speaker 1: on Wednesday's Football at four here on the Sports Batch.
- 16:19Speaker 1: Love keep those questions coming at Mike gill show h
- 16:23Speaker 1: on the email on the text board, and Jeff Bocher
- 16:26Speaker 1: is back on Wednesday to answer your summer Eagle questions
- 16:30Speaker 1: as we are counting down to the Eagles at training camp.
- 16:34Speaker 1: All right, motion, enjoy U, enjoy the what's left of
- 16:38Speaker 1: this summer.
- 16:39Speaker 2: Oh try thanks like talking?
- 16:41Speaker 1: All right, man, take care? All right, Jeff Bocher answering
- 16:43Speaker 1: your Eagles questions