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The DiCecco Daily: Top Eagles Storylines On Defense Headed Into Camp · Inside the Birds: A Philadelphia Eagles Podcast

• 0:10
  Speaker 1: Hello, and welcome into another episode of The check O Daily.
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: It's Andrew de Checko, Eagles beat reporter for insidethebirds dot Com.
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: And I gave you my offensive storylines heading into training
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: camp that I'm most looking forward to learning more about.
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: And today I'm going to take a look at the
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: defensive side. And so we'll start right at the defensive
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: line with Jalen Carter. And while his contract extension is
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: looming and it does feel inevitable, it is important to
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: note that Jalen Carter did not participate in team drills
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: during the spring and when asked Nick Sirianni didn't reveal
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: one way or the other, not surprisingly whether it was
• 0:49
  Speaker 1: injury related or contract related. But it is something to
• 0:53
  Speaker 1: look at when you get into training camp because it
• 0:56
  Speaker 1: does feel like the Eagles are content with playing the
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: waiting game here with Jayalen Carter. There's also the other
• 1:03
  Speaker 1: side of things, right in terms of Jalen Carter and
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: how he returns in terms of conditioning, because that was
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: something that Vic Vanjail made sure that he called out
• 1:15
  Speaker 1: last season early in the year, and it was pretty
• 1:18
  Speaker 1: evident when you watched Jyalen Carter in training camp last
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  Speaker 1: year that while he was still dominant, he was not
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  Speaker 1: in peak performance. And those are a couple of different
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: things to keep an eye on with Jayalen Carter, and
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  Speaker 1: you can understand why the Eagles might be waiting things
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  Speaker 1: out a little bit because while Jayalen Carter has been
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  Speaker 1: such a force of nature in the middle of that
• 1:44
  Speaker 1: Eagles defensive line, opening things up for teammates, commanding double
• 1:48
  Speaker 1: and triple teams at times, being able to storm into
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  Speaker 1: the backfield, make plays against the run, and also bring
• 1:54
  Speaker 1: the quarterback down. He's just an athletic force of nature
• 1:58
  Speaker 1: that teams haven't really been able to contain. There's also
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: the battle of inconsistencies and who is he, you know,
• 2:08
  Speaker 1: year in and year out. How about the shoulder situation.
• 2:12
  Speaker 1: He had both injuries to both shoulders last year. How
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  Speaker 1: is he going to return from that? Will that impact
• 2:18
  Speaker 1: his ability to disengage from offensive linemen and be able
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  Speaker 1: to be the disruptive presence that he's been for years.
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  Speaker 1: I don't happen to think that it will, but until
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  Speaker 1: you see it, you don't know. And then there's the
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  Speaker 1: conditioning piece. There's the other element where he you know,
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: he got kicked out for spitting on Dak Prescott in
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  Speaker 1: Week one last year. There are certain there are certain
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  Speaker 1: things you can appreciate with Jayalen Carter, the intensity when
• 2:51
  Speaker 1: he's on the field, he flips the switch. But you
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  Speaker 1: got to go up to the line. You can't cross
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  Speaker 1: the line. So you're looking at it from a production standpoint,
• 3:00
  Speaker 1: it's a no brainer, and I do believe that that
• 3:02
  Speaker 1: will get done. But you have to look at the
• 3:05
  Speaker 1: other the other components, the other sides of this, and
• 3:09
  Speaker 1: that's probably what's contributing to a little bit of a
• 3:15
  Speaker 1: little bit of a low in the negotiation process here.
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  Speaker 1: Then there's the interesting wrinkle thrown in here, and that
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  Speaker 1: is the Jeffrey Simmons contract, of course, the defensive lineman
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  Speaker 1: for the Tennessee Titans, who's a incredible inside player, and
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  Speaker 1: and how that could measure up, How could that possibly
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  Speaker 1: reset that market? Will Jay and Carter command more money
• 3:39
  Speaker 1: than Jeffrey Simmons? But I think, well, I don't necessarily
• 3:42
  Speaker 1: have as much concern over that getting worked out. There
• 3:46
  Speaker 1: is the reality of will he be participating in team
• 3:51
  Speaker 1: drills and how will that ultimately play out? And conditioning,
• 3:55
  Speaker 1: So we'll learn a little bit more once we get
• 3:59
  Speaker 1: into the beginning training camp here again. The team returns
• 4:02
  Speaker 1: on July twenty eighth. But that is up there in
• 4:05
  Speaker 1: terms of the most prominent storylines on the defensive side.
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  Speaker 1: How about the leadership aspect of that side of the ball.
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  Speaker 1: The Eagles lost two critical pieces in free agency and
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  Speaker 1: safety Red Blankenship and linebacker na Kobe Dean, and the
• 4:20
  Speaker 1: Kobe Dean has been the quarterback of the Eagles defense.
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  Speaker 1: He's been more or less the unofficial spokesperson of that
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  Speaker 1: side of the ball. He's a vocal guy, leads by
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  Speaker 1: example everything you could possibly want. The Kobe provided that
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  Speaker 1: in spades, and Red Blankenship over the past two years
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  Speaker 1: had really grown into a leadership role. He felt comfortable
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  Speaker 1: being the vocal guy. He was huge when it came
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  Speaker 1: to communication and making sure. He was sort of like
• 4:48
  Speaker 1: that traffic cop back there. And there was no mistaken
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  Speaker 1: I mean there was no There are no questions as
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  Speaker 1: to why he was appointed captain last season. That was
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  Speaker 1: something that felt like it was it was a couple
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  Speaker 1: of years in the making, and to lose two pieces
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  Speaker 1: like that, if you're the Eagles, you have to naturally
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  Speaker 1: wonder where that's going to come from. But there are
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  Speaker 1: no shortage of players who are equipped to step into
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  Speaker 1: those roles for the Eagles. I look at defensive tackle
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  Speaker 1: Jordan Davis, who has grown immensely as a leader. He's vocal,
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  Speaker 1: but he's also he's also walked. You know, he's walking
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  Speaker 1: the you know, he stands up to what he said.
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  Speaker 1: He says all the right things, and he's walking it
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  Speaker 1: by his actions. And so I look at Jordan Davis
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  Speaker 1: and the player that he was just a couple of
• 5:50
  Speaker 1: years ago. There were always questions as to how he
• 5:53
  Speaker 1: was going to return in training camp, and he hasn't
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  Speaker 1: always been the great in the greatest of shape, but
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  Speaker 1: to his credit it he recognized that and he looked
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  Speaker 1: inward about what he needs to do to ensure that
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  Speaker 1: he's giving him the Eagles the best version of himself.
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  Speaker 1: And he's done that, and he has sort of evolved
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  Speaker 1: and grown into a role in which he's undertaken a
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  Speaker 1: much more important role. He's playing more snaps, at least
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  Speaker 1: he did last season. He even tapped into a little
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  Speaker 1: bit of the pass rush side of his game. Now
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  Speaker 1: that's not going to be his calling card, but he's
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  Speaker 1: showing that he can be more than a one dimensional player.
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  Speaker 1: And when you have a player who has faced criticism,
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  Speaker 1: he's handled that instead of looking at it and almost
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  Speaker 1: with resentment, he's instead embraced that almost and has put
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  Speaker 1: in the work. And he's not afraid to vocalize anything
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  Speaker 1: that he sees or that he believes on defense, and
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  Speaker 1: he's also just a welcoming presence in the locker room.
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  Speaker 1: He's holding court in front of his locker. He's he
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  Speaker 1: brings a lot of energy and enthusiasm to the locker room.
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  Speaker 1: He's grown in many ways as a leader, and that's
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  Speaker 1: somebody that I think is able to take that proverbial
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  Speaker 1: baton and run with it. Zach Bonn, the Eagles third
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  Speaker 1: year off ball linebacker, is someone who is more of
• 7:19
  Speaker 1: a quiet leader. He leads by example, and again, it's
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  Speaker 1: easier to fall into that role when you've been a
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  Speaker 1: productive player and when you have a role that is
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  Speaker 1: highly important. He certainly does and he barely comes off
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  Speaker 1: the field when he speaks. It tends to it tends
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  Speaker 1: to carry some weight. He's capable of doing it. Quinyon
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  Speaker 1: Mitchell and Cooper Dejen they're more along the quiet, quieter side,
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  Speaker 1: especially Quinnyon Mitchell, but they've proven that they can. They
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  Speaker 1: can sort of lead by example, and when you're coming
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  Speaker 1: into this season with twenty two five All Pro honors
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  Speaker 1: on your resume, he tends to carry a little bit
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  Speaker 1: more cachet. But they're entering their third seasons, They've seen
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  Speaker 1: a lot, they've experienced a lot, they know what works,
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  Speaker 1: they know what doesn't, and they'll be able to bring
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  Speaker 1: some of these players along. And I go back to
• 8:16
  Speaker 1: something that Joe Casper, the Eagles defensive backs coach, said
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  Speaker 1: about Quinnyon and how he's working with Rieke Wollen and
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  Speaker 1: helping him along and learning the defense and things like that.
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  Speaker 1: How Cooper dejen said that aj Brown made him better
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  Speaker 1: and by pushing him in practice and challenging him, and
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  Speaker 1: they're able to kind of pay it forward. And I
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  Speaker 1: just feel like both of those players are they don't
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  Speaker 1: hide from the responsibility. They're up for whatever challenge is
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  Speaker 1: thrown at them. And so this defense is there's no
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  Speaker 1: shortage of players who can step into that role. So
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  Speaker 1: I think eventually Drew Macouba, after he gets a year
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  Speaker 1: or two under his belt, will be someone that I
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  Speaker 1: can envision stepping into a leadership role. Marcus Epps is
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  Speaker 1: a player who's seen a lot of them, played a
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  Speaker 1: lot of football. He is a player that I could
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  Speaker 1: envision being a leader behind the scenes and sort of
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  Speaker 1: someone that is going to command some respect having played
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  Speaker 1: in the league. So, I mean, there's a lot of
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  Speaker 1: players there, and I just named a handful of them,
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  Speaker 1: but that's not even the full group and full candidates
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  Speaker 1: who can do it. So it just goes to show
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  Speaker 1: you that, yes, it's going to be significant losing red
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  Speaker 1: blanket ship into Kobe Dan, but the Eagles have a
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  Speaker 1: lot of options. There are players who were equipped to
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  Speaker 1: step in and fill that void. Then the third storyline
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  Speaker 1: is probably just two players who are going to be
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  Speaker 1: asked to take on much more prominent roles this year
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  Speaker 1: on defense, and both of them started last year, but
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  Speaker 1: there's going to be more of a spotlight on them
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  Speaker 1: this year, and that is linebacker Jahad Campbell throwing in
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  Speaker 1: for Nacobe Dean and safety Drew mccuba, who is stepping
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  Speaker 1: into the role as the Eagles' top safety. Both players
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  Speaker 1: were twenty twenty five draftees. They opened the seasons as starters,
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  Speaker 1: and they both didn't necessarily put together the largest of
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  Speaker 1: sample sizes. Jehad Campbell, of course gave way to Nacobe
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  Speaker 1: Dean when he was healthy and able to able to
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  Speaker 1: play linebacker. There was a comfort level there with Vic Fangio.
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  Speaker 1: It wasn't necessarily anything that Jahad did, but he sort
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  Speaker 1: of had to take a back seat there after eight
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  Speaker 1: or so games, and then mccuba suffered the unfortunate season
• 10:42
  Speaker 1: ending injury in Dallas. It was the fractured ankle, so
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  Speaker 1: he always started ten games. But both players are going
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  Speaker 1: to be counted on mightily this year and based on
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  Speaker 1: their perform and their performances will have a heavy hand
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  Speaker 1: in determining how high this defense can ultimately go in
• 11:03
  Speaker 1: terms of their overall standings in the NFL. And they
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  Speaker 1: both add something intriguing because Jahid Campbell gives you the
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  Speaker 1: coverage aspect. He's a lengthier player, He can rush the
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  Speaker 1: quarterback a little bit. The length that he has should
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  Speaker 1: be able to help in covering tight ends and running backs.
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  Speaker 1: I do have questions as to how he's going to
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  Speaker 1: hold up for the full slate of games defending the run,
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  Speaker 1: and I think it's not fully appreciated how reliable Nakobe
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  Speaker 1: Dean was being assignment sound and always seemingly being in
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  Speaker 1: the right place the right time. There are going to
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  Speaker 1: likely be mistakes from both players, and with Jahid Campbell,
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  Speaker 1: if you're a half step off, that's highlighted and teams
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  Speaker 1: will take advantage. So there may be some growing pains.
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  Speaker 1: But I thought he did some good things as a rookie.
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  Speaker 1: But again it's still going to be a question mark.
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  Speaker 1: And see you see him go out there and do it.
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  Speaker 1: And then with Macouba, that's a challenging position in its
• 13:03
  Speaker 1: own right. On defense safety in a Vic Fangio defense
• 13:07
  Speaker 1: where you're calling the shots, you're sort of that traffic
• 13:10
  Speaker 1: cop back there. Perhaps he learned something from being around
• 13:16
  Speaker 1: Red Blankenship and he's able to take some of those
• 13:17
  Speaker 1: things away and apply it to his game. But he's
• 13:20
  Speaker 1: already coming into He came into the league as a
• 13:25
  Speaker 1: highly intelligent football player, a quick study, rangey type of guy.
• 13:30
  Speaker 1: He is under size, so I have questions about durability
• 13:33
  Speaker 1: and the physical nature in which he plays the game.
• 13:36
  Speaker 1: Will that lead to availability concerns? It could? I mean,
• 13:40
  Speaker 1: we Alwaly have one season to base it off of,
• 13:42
  Speaker 1: and it was unfortunate that his season ended prematurely. But
• 13:46
  Speaker 1: it's a pretty significant position now. You can't afford to
• 13:50
  Speaker 1: have all pros everywhere across the defense. You can't spend everywhere,
• 13:54
  Speaker 1: So I think the Eagles have done a nice job
• 13:58
  Speaker 1: of providing playmakers on all three levels. They believe in Campbell,
• 14:02
  Speaker 1: and they believe in Macouba and being able to take
• 14:04
  Speaker 1: that next step, and the Eaglers are going to have
• 14:06
  Speaker 1: to really lean into their player development when it comes
• 14:11
  Speaker 1: to both, and I just based off of what I
• 14:14
  Speaker 1: saw from them last year, I get a strong sense
• 14:17
  Speaker 1: that both are primed to take a big leap forward.
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  Speaker 1: But it is a storyline because there's not a lot
• 14:25
  Speaker 1: of information that we've learned other than what we had
• 14:28
  Speaker 1: to go off of in a brief sample size in
• 14:31
  Speaker 1: twenty twenty five. So those are my defensive storylines that's
• 14:35
  Speaker 1: going to do it for this episode of the Czecho
• 14:37
  Speaker 1: Delli Andrew de Checko here and I'll catch you all
• 14:40
  Speaker 1: on the next one.