March 22, 2017
Character has been an oft-discussed subject for the last couple of Philadelphia Eagles seasons. On the one hand, there was Chip Kelly, who jettisoned talented players like DeSean Jackson who didn’t really have major character issues more than just being a handful at times in the locker room.
And then a year ago, I remember sitting in the auditorium at the NovaCare Complex as the Eagles drafted multiple Day 3 players that Kelly likely wouldn’t have even had on his draft board like Jalen Mills. There was local kid named Wendell Smallwood, who had been charged with some serious stuff in addition to having a pretty questionable social media presence. In case you want to remember the scene from that day, here is my story.
"In this case, we knew about Wendell and what was going on with him on and off the field," Howie Roseman said that day. "And we did a lot of research and homework and spent a lot of time with him. Again, young guys make mistakes and we don't condone anything that he said there but we feel comfortable going forward that he's going to have an opportunity to prove it on and off the field."
In the cases of Mills and Smallwood, so far, so good on and off the field. And with the 2017 NFL Draft coming up, Tommy Lawlor wrote about the subject of weighing character over at Iggles Blitz. Just like every year, there are really talented players like Joe Mixon who have done really ugly things:
Are the Eagles ready to handle a troubled player?
Carson Wentz is a young QB, but has already proven to be a good leader. Darren Sproles, Brent Celek, Jason Peters and Malcolm Jenkins are big time team leaders. Doug Pederson is only in his second year as coach, but he learned under Reid and seems to have a good feel for the locker room. I don’t think Pederson would bring in a questionable player if he thought his players couldn’t handle the situation.
It will be interesting to see what the Eagles do moving forward. While Mills can’t be considered “a steal” yet, I thought he did pretty well for a seventh rounder as a rookie. Thing probably are handled on a case-by-case basis, but would they decide to draft Mixon in the second round if he is still on the board?
1. TARGETS: Take an in-depth look at what Alshon Jeffery and Torrey Smith were up to last year.
2. GRADES: Want to see what the so-called “experts” are saying about the Eagles’ free-agency period? Maybe you don’t. But if so, click on through.
3. Big Board Roundup: More experts! Jimmy averaged together the rankings to create the biggest of boards.
4. MMMMMMM…. DROP: Hey, Josh Huff didn’t drop any passes! Dorial Green-Beckham on the other hand…
5. Ranking the Eagles’ biggest needs: Cornerback is obviously first, but Jimmy believes that another position is right up there with it.
NFL execs unfiltered on every team's free-agency moves: Mike Sando, ESPN
This one is pretty self-explanatory. The front office executive that Sando spoke to about the Eagles was bullish on the moves at receiver:
"I think both of those moves were really good moves for them," a pro director said. "The only problem that you get is, you kind of want to get a younger guy that will grow with your young quarterback. Alshon, if he is healthy, is a really good jump-ball, down-the-field receiver. Torrey Smith was in a system last year where the quarterbacks could not throw down the field, and he cannot run intermediate routes. That is why he didn't look very good."
Eagles Film Room: Chance Warmack isn't a good starter right now but has potential to improve: Jonny Page, Bleeding Green Nation
Good breakdown here of Warmack’s positive attributes and also his drawbacks:
Warmack is an odd player to watch. He looks good and impressive on 80% of the plays but he has these plays that are just so bad they leave you wondering if he can ever start. I would be absolutely stunned if he starts the 2017 season as a starter. I think right now, Brooks, Seumalo, Wiz and Barbre are all better guards than he is. You just can't start someone who gets beat so badly so frequently because it just blows up the play and can get your quarterback killed too.
NFL Power Rankings: Where all 32 teams stand after the free agency shuffle: Pete Prisco, CBS Sports
Prisco has the Birds ranked 25th:
They got Carson Wentz some weapons in Alshon Jeffrey and Torrey Smith. That will help get the offense cranked up in 2017.
‘NFL Blitz’ bracket: Cowboys oust Eagles in Sweet 16 of the league’s most exciting teams
Cool concept here by SB Nation for all of us who grew up playing Nintendo 64. It’s no surprise that the Cowboys skill players are better than the Eagles’, but man, the Dream Team Birds (Vick, Shady, DeSean, Maclin, Celek) would have been unstoppable:
The Cowboys are too much, too soon for an Eagles offense that’s still coming together after a rough 2016. The Zeke-Dak-Dez combination is simply tough to beat, and Philly’s only advantage in this matchup is Matthews vs. Beasley.
And finally, here is Jordan Hicks mic’d up:
He's played just two years in the league, but @JordanHicks is already a leader on this #Eagles defense. #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/wL27fE4Tdn
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) March 21, 2017
Follow Rich on Twitter: @rich_hofmann
