Roster changes are adding up to a real reason for hope
New faces on the coaching staff, the front office and throughout the current 90-man roster
Since the Eagles week 17 victory against the Dallas Cowboys junior varsity team much has changed. New faces on the coaching staff, the front office, and throughout the current 90-man roster.
The immediate question after all of the changes is; are the Eagles a better team now or the team that wiped up the Cowboys in week 17 that included a cameo by the now retired Tony Romo?
In a word, YES!
The plunge into free agency brought an immediate help to the wide receiver position that included both Alshon Jeffery and Torrey Smith.
That position also saw a coaching change as Mike Groh was an upgrade to the departed Greg Lewis. Chance Warmack, the former 10th pick in the 2013 draft was reunited with his old ball coach from ‘Bama, Jeff Stoutland. Chris Long, the former №2 pick in the NFL Draft, by the Rams was excited to join the Birds after a long talk with jettisoned Defensive End, Connor Barwin. Tim Jernigan was traded for, while Patrick Robinson was a late signee in free agency.
And this article is being written less than a day after their latest addition, LeGarrette Blount gladly inked his name to a one year deal that makes him a valuable leader at running back.
Yes, on the surface, the roster looks different at almost every position.
What you don’t see and will likely not hear much about is the tireless hours put in by the personnel department lead by Joe Douglas, Andy Weidl, and Tom Donahoe.
Specifically those three men logged countless hours reviewing film of both NFL rosters and college tape. What you don’t see yet, is the type of player they were looking for.
They searched for the toughest and most committed players they could finds. It was the number one prerequisite in the process of overhauling the roster. They looked each player in then eyes and wanted men who love the game with every fiber of their body and with that love, nothing is more important than getting the Eagles into a playoff position for years to come.
It is always somewhat of a shock to fans when they hear and see the lack of commitment by players to the game that they invest so much of their time and money to follow.
I have always said about the Eagle Fan, “that if the players cared as much about the game as the fans do then the Eagles should be a perennial power” but I played with many players here in Philly that only possessed a tacit interest in the game and have met dozens of other players that loved the paycheck and the trimmings of success that come with wearing the Eagle Wings on Sundays far more than their love of the game.
One by one the new regime, lead by Douglas, Weidl, and Donahoe are filtering the non-committed players out.
The other essential ingredient in the changing of the guard is Mr. Carson Wentz. The new regime has seen all of the traits form their young quarterback to say this is the type of player that you build around and never stop trying to upgrade the talent to support him. It is far from a cliche’ that Carson is the first in and the last to leave. It’s who he is.
It is a total disservice to him if they don’t surround his talent with like minded people who think like him and want to be great like him.
This franchise lost its way towards the end of the 2000 decade and have struggled to find the tough committed players that was the foundation to a championship-level team year in and year out.
I believe that talent-wise the Eagles will be better at every offensive position next year, including the QB position as Carson is no longer a rookie and has 607 passing attempts to have learned from.
The defensive line is deeper and more talented than a year ago. The cornerback position is still largely a question mark the safety and linebacker position is much the same.
If they can find a nickel back so that Malcolm Jenkins can stay at safety, then the secondary should be improved.
Doug Pederson is not above this discussion as coaches must strive to constantly improve as well. Rookie coaches like Doug, make rookie mistakes just the way players do. I am sure Doug has looked back at in game decisions from a year ago and has said that if given a chance to kick field goals in the first quarter against the Giants that in year two he will take those two field goals early and see where they are come the fourth quarter.
The NFC EAST produced two playoff teams from a year ago, the Cowboys and the Giants.
I believe both of those teams could be better this year than last. The Redskins return one of the most talented offenses in the NFL while they have gutted the entire defense including a new set of coaches to try and get back to the playoff position they had in 2015.
The Eagles are right in the mix. The biggest improvement the Eagles made in Pederson’s inaugural season was cutting down on turnovers from a league worst of 32 to a respectable 20 in 2016. If they continue to improve ball security then they will be in the playoff hunt come December.
When they get to December they will be a tougher team. Physically and mentally which is hard to QUANTIFY. It starts with tougher and more committed players which has been the mantra of this entire offseason and its many new acquisitions. It will lead to much better competition throughout the OTA’s, mini camps, and throughout preseason Job security is no longer guaranteed by draft status or size of contract.
In 1990 the Dallas Cowboys were lead by Jimmy Johnson who was entering his second year as head coach.
He had an entire overhaul of his roster as he was in search of tougher and more committed players.
Fifteen minutes into his first practice in in sultry hot Austin, Texas he blew the whistle and ordered a full 60 play scrimmage. He wanted to see who was prepared to make the sacrifices necessary to win championships. He learned a lot that afternoon as many players dropped out of the scrimmage because they weren’t in good enough condition, or it was too hot, or it was too hard.
I am so excited by the roster changes that, like Jimmy, I want to blow the whistle, and get the number №1 offense to line up against the number №1 defense and lets get this party started.
I have a feeling that all of you die hard Eagle fans would fill up the Linc to go watch that action in mid-May.
I think we will all see the tougher and more committed roster in a few short months from now. *
