They definitely wanted Dix or Cooks, and they I think they got fucked up and didn't know what to do - should've just traded down again.
Good amount of dudes in the 1st round went that I wouldn't say should've went any earlier than the 2nd. Was hoping Buchanan might've still been there in the 2nd.
They definitely wanted Dix or Cooks, and they I think they got fucked up and didn't know what to do - should've just traded down again.
Good amount of dudes in the 1st round went that I wouldn't say should've went any earlier than the 2nd. Was hoping Buchanan might've still been there in the 2nd.
the best thing about the draft is listening to people who have seen a guy play maybe 3 or 4 times spew how they should have been drafted higher or lower. classic stuff.
They definitely wanted Dix or Cooks, and they I think they got fucked up and didn't know what to do - should've just traded down again.
Good amount of dudes in the 1st round went that I wouldn't say should've went any earlier than the 2nd. Was hoping Buchanan might've still been there in the 2nd.
the best thing about the draft is listening to people who have seen a guy play maybe 3 or 4 times spew how they should have been drafted higher or lower. classic stuff.
Guilty as charged. Johnny Football slipped me a mickey.
Alright, alright, alright!
Tom O. "I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve. Jesus, does anyone?"
-The Writer
They definitely wanted Dix or Cooks, and they I think they got fucked up and didn't know what to do - should've just traded down again.
Good amount of dudes in the 1st round went that I wouldn't say should've went any earlier than the 2nd. Was hoping Buchanan might've still been there in the 2nd.
Yeah I loved the trade down...the Saints trade screwed them. But at least we got another pick and a 3rd is good value. And I bet they were looking for another team to trade down again but nobody wanted to dance?
Either way, they need someone to replace Cole so...we'll see. This guy migh be rough around the edges but gets to the qb.
seems the national guys like what the eagles did. not like we'll know for a couple years anyway though. for what it's worth kiper thought the birds had one of the better drafts. here's his take--
Philadelphia Eagles: B+
Top needs: OLB, S, CB, WR
Needs: B+ Value: B
Summary: The Eagles did a solid job of adding talent and hitting needs, making up for one questionable decision early with a number of solid ones down the board. Philadelphia moved down and then selected Marcus Smith, the No. 85-ranked player on my board. But while I didn't love the value, again, it came after the Eagles had moved down and accrued a little value. And he hits a need, because they're too reliant on Trent Cole as a pass-rusher and Smith can turn the corner and provide some pressure. The only receivers Philly has under contract past next season are Riley Cooper, Jeff Maehl and Jeremy Maclin (who is coming back from an ACL injury). The Eagles don't just need receivers, they need projectable players that can help soon. I thought Jordan Matthews would have made sense at No. 22, much less 42. I love that pick. Josh Huff offers underrated after-the-catch explosiveness -- he had 24 catches of 20-plus yards in 2013 -- has obvious familiarity with Kelly's methods and he's a guy who really competes and makes contested catches. Jaylen Watkins is a good value in Round 3, and was the first Florida CB off the board in a year where they have a few decent ones. Ed Reynolds is a player I thought could have been a second-round type had he stayed at Stanford another year, but he can give the Eagles a future potential starter and really anticipates well. Taylor Hart is another guy Kelly knows well, and could help the pass rush at some point. The Smith value was iffy, but I understand it, and they did a solid job thereafter.
If we drafted our 2nd rd pick in the 1st rd. And our 1st rd pick in the 2nd, no one would be bitching. If we flip flopped are 3rd and 4th rd picks,no one would be bitching. We got what we got and we won't know if there any good until they play. I hate these so called GRADES so called experts make up.
This month is the 20th anniversary of Jeffrey Lurie buying the Eagles from Norman Braman. So let’s take stock of what Lurie’s done. He’s put his franchise in position to be a 12-time playoff team. While two teams in the NFC East, the Giants and Cowboys, have won a total of three Super Bowls in those two decades, the Eagles have won none. Lurie has hired one very good coach, Andy Reid, and positioned the franchise well by hiring a second coach, Chip Kelly, who looks like he’ll adjust to the NFL and have a good career. Let’s do a 20-year study of the NFC East during the 20 seasons since Lurie bought the team (1994-2013):
Team W-L-T Pct. Division Titles Playoff Appearances Super Bowl Wins Philadelphia 176-142-2 .553 7 12 0 Dallas 170-150 .531 6 9 1 New York 168-151-1 .527 5 8 2 Washington 136-183-1 .427 2 4 0
A frustrated Eagles fan said to me at training camp a couple of years ago he was exasperated with the Andy Reid regime and the team’s inability to ever win the big one. I said to him that almost every July, you look at the Eagles and feel they can contend to play football in January, and there aren’t many franchises you can say that about. I understand that franchises, and ownerships, are ultimately measured by the number of titles they win. So the Eagles, obviously, need to win one to show that Lurie is making all the right calls and putting the right people in position with his franchise. But I like the consistency of the ship he runs.
Alright, alright, alright!
Tom O. "I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve. Jesus, does anyone?"
-The Writer
The Philadelphia Eagles' Personnel Strategy: Targeting College Grads
Six of the Seven Players the Team Drafted This Year Are on Track to Graduate
Philadelphia Eagles draft pick Beau Allen, a defensive tackle who made the Big Ten's all-academic team while at Wisconsin. Getty Images
The rookies whom the Philadelphia Eagles drafted this month can recall the same odd occurrence: the time an NFL team grilled them on whether they opened any books—besides their playbooks—during their years in college.
The Philadelphia Eagles want to see your college degree as well as your 40-yard dash. Six of the seven Eagles draft picks this year are on track to graduate. WSJ's Geoff Foster explains the strategy on the News Hub with Sara Murray. Photo: AP.
Armed with science and a bit of logic, the Eagles have quietly scoured the college ranks for something that has little to do with 40-yard dash times or bench-press abilities. They want players who have earned college degrees.
"When you look at people who are successful in any profession, it always goes back to college graduates," said Eagles general manager Howie Roseman. "We found NFL players are no different."
When Beau Allen, a 325-pound nose tackle from Wisconsin, toured the country before the draft to visit with teams, he got a question or two about academics. Most teams didn't ask much more than just what kind of student he was. Then he sat down with Chip Kelly, the Eagles' radical coach.
Kelly began peppering him with questions about why he chose his major (business), what his hardest class was and why ("I'm not much of an accounting guy," he said. "I always struggle with it") and how he learned in the classroom—that is, what professors needed to do to get through to him. Allen pegged himself as a visual learner, someone who likes to write everything down in a notebook to memorize it. A computer won't do.
After the Eagles drafted him in the seventh round, Allen arrived in Philadelphia to see that every player was given—uh oh—a tablet computer in which to see the playbook. Players were taking screenshots to better memorize plays. Allen was slightly panicked until he saw his stylus had a pen on the other end, and that the team gave him a notebook, too. Yes, Allen thought, the Eagles cared about how he learned.
Allen, who made the Big Ten Conference's all-academic team while at Wisconsin, is one of six Eagle draftees to be on track to graduate out of the seven players they selected. In today's game, that is unusual: This year, 98 college players went pro after their junior season, a record that marks a 34% increase from 2013 and an 85% increase from 2010. (That total doesn't include players who had playing eligibility left but had already graduated.)
Philadelphia's philosophy of pursuing graduates was born when Roseman, the Eagles' general manager since 2010, and Kelly, the team's second-year coach, each discovered that teams with the most college graduates are overwhelmingly successful. Kelly learned this late in his coaching tenure at Oregon, when former Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy, whose son played at Oregon, mentioned in a talk to Oregon players that in the 2000s, the two teams who happened to have loads of graduates were the Colts and New England Patriots. Those teams dominated the first decade of this century.
"I didn't know he'd take it this far," Dungy said, jokingly.
In a private conversation later, Dungy, now an analyst for NBC, told Kelly that his research showed players with degrees were more likely to earn a second NFL contract and make more money. He told Kelly "the guys with degrees have what you are looking for. They are driven. If it's between two players, a degree might tip the scale. But at the time, I don't think he was even thinking of the NFL."
But before Kelly even arrived in Philadelphia, Roseman was doing his own research. Each year, Roseman and his lieutenants take the last four teams left in the playoffs and do reports on them—studying their players' height, weight, background and virtually everything else. Through those reports came evidence that the most successful teams had many college graduates on them. When Roseman and Kelly joined forces, the plan was clear.
The trends over the last five drafts are startling. Studies show that teams who select players who spent five years in college—and thus almost always have a degree—win big. Of the three teams with the most fifth-year seniors drafted, two of them met in February's Super Bowl: the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos. The Jacksonville Jaguars, who went 4-12, took the fewest.
The team that drafted the most players who stayed just three years on campus? The New York Giants, who have missed the playoffs the past two seasons. The Colts, Patriots and Washington Redskins, who have five total playoff appearances in the last two years, have taken the fewest three-year players, who rarely have college degrees.
Kelly said a degree is more than proof of intelligence. "It's also, what is their commitment?" he said. "They set goals out for themselves and can they follow through for it? A lot of people can tell you they want to do this, this and this. But look at their accomplishments."
The Eagles say they want players who are prepared, and a degree confirms that. Take wide receiver Jordan Matthews, a Vanderbilt economics major whose study habits translated perfectly to the NFL.
Before meeting with the Eagles ahead of the draft, Matthews slipped into Vanderbilt's film room and watched a few Eagles games from last season—which he did with every team he met. Matthews was able to have an informed conversation with Kelly about the intricacies of his offense, something seldom done in the slog of pre-draft interviews, where some players meet with dozens of teams. The study habits paid off: The Eagles took Matthews in the second round.
Those close to Kelly say the degree is largely valued for one reason. "Coach Kelly is an offensive genius," said former Oregon receiver Josh Huff, whom the Eagles took in the third round this month. "You have to be on the same level as him because you have to know why he's doing what he's doing."
Huff said Kelly's offense can be so complex, and understanding every nuance of it is so crucial, that uninitiated players can't be tolerated. Kelly's offense often relies on a no-huddle approach in which the ball is snapped quickly to catch the defense off guard. But it can catch the offense off guard, too.
"In this offense you have to know absolutely everything," Huff said. "If you have to think about it for a second, the ball will be snapped and you're going to be looking dumb."
No wonder the Eagles are going after the cap-and-gown crowd.
The Philadelphia Eagles' Personnel Strategy: Targeting College Grads
Six of the Seven Players the Team Drafted This Year Are on Track to Graduate
Philadelphia Eagles draft pick Beau Allen, a defensive tackle who made the Big Ten's all-academic team while at Wisconsin. Getty Images
The rookies whom the Philadelphia Eagles drafted this month can recall the same odd occurrence: the time an NFL team grilled them on whether they opened any books—besides their playbooks—during their years in college.
The Philadelphia Eagles want to see your college degree as well as your 40-yard dash. Six of the seven Eagles draft picks this year are on track to graduate. WSJ's Geoff Foster explains the strategy on the News Hub with Sara Murray. Photo: AP.
Armed with science and a bit of logic, the Eagles have quietly scoured the college ranks for something that has little to do with 40-yard dash times or bench-press abilities. They want players who have earned college degrees.
"When you look at people who are successful in any profession, it always goes back to college graduates," said Eagles general manager Howie Roseman. "We found NFL players are no different."
When Beau Allen, a 325-pound nose tackle from Wisconsin, toured the country before the draft to visit with teams, he got a question or two about academics. Most teams didn't ask much more than just what kind of student he was. Then he sat down with Chip Kelly, the Eagles' radical coach.
Kelly began peppering him with questions about why he chose his major (business), what his hardest class was and why ("I'm not much of an accounting guy," he said. "I always struggle with it") and how he learned in the classroom—that is, what professors needed to do to get through to him. Allen pegged himself as a visual learner, someone who likes to write everything down in a notebook to memorize it. A computer won't do.
After the Eagles drafted him in the seventh round, Allen arrived in Philadelphia to see that every player was given—uh oh—a tablet computer in which to see the playbook. Players were taking screenshots to better memorize plays. Allen was slightly panicked until he saw his stylus had a pen on the other end, and that the team gave him a notebook, too. Yes, Allen thought, the Eagles cared about how he learned.
Allen, who made the Big Ten Conference's all-academic team while at Wisconsin, is one of six Eagle draftees to be on track to graduate out of the seven players they selected. In today's game, that is unusual: This year, 98 college players went pro after their junior season, a record that marks a 34% increase from 2013 and an 85% increase from 2010. (That total doesn't include players who had playing eligibility left but had already graduated.)
Philadelphia's philosophy of pursuing graduates was born when Roseman, the Eagles' general manager since 2010, and Kelly, the team's second-year coach, each discovered that teams with the most college graduates are overwhelmingly successful. Kelly learned this late in his coaching tenure at Oregon, when former Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy, whose son played at Oregon, mentioned in a talk to Oregon players that in the 2000s, the two teams who happened to have loads of graduates were the Colts and New England Patriots. Those teams dominated the first decade of this century.
"I didn't know he'd take it this far," Dungy said, jokingly.
In a private conversation later, Dungy, now an analyst for NBC, told Kelly that his research showed players with degrees were more likely to earn a second NFL contract and make more money. He told Kelly "the guys with degrees have what you are looking for. They are driven. If it's between two players, a degree might tip the scale. But at the time, I don't think he was even thinking of the NFL."
But before Kelly even arrived in Philadelphia, Roseman was doing his own research. Each year, Roseman and his lieutenants take the last four teams left in the playoffs and do reports on them—studying their players' height, weight, background and virtually everything else. Through those reports came evidence that the most successful teams had many college graduates on them. When Roseman and Kelly joined forces, the plan was clear.
The trends over the last five drafts are startling. Studies show that teams who select players who spent five years in college—and thus almost always have a degree—win big. Of the three teams with the most fifth-year seniors drafted, two of them met in February's Super Bowl: the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos. The Jacksonville Jaguars, who went 4-12, took the fewest.
The team that drafted the most players who stayed just three years on campus? The New York Giants, who have missed the playoffs the past two seasons. The Colts, Patriots and Washington Redskins, who have five total playoff appearances in the last two years, have taken the fewest three-year players, who rarely have college degrees.
Kelly said a degree is more than proof of intelligence. "It's also, what is their commitment?" he said. "They set goals out for themselves and can they follow through for it? A lot of people can tell you they want to do this, this and this. But look at their accomplishments."
The Eagles say they want players who are prepared, and a degree confirms that. Take wide receiver Jordan Matthews, a Vanderbilt economics major whose study habits translated perfectly to the NFL.
Before meeting with the Eagles ahead of the draft, Matthews slipped into Vanderbilt's film room and watched a few Eagles games from last season—which he did with every team he met. Matthews was able to have an informed conversation with Kelly about the intricacies of his offense, something seldom done in the slog of pre-draft interviews, where some players meet with dozens of teams. The study habits paid off: The Eagles took Matthews in the second round.
Those close to Kelly say the degree is largely valued for one reason. "Coach Kelly is an offensive genius," said former Oregon receiver Josh Huff, whom the Eagles took in the third round this month. "You have to be on the same level as him because you have to know why he's doing what he's doing."
Huff said Kelly's offense can be so complex, and understanding every nuance of it is so crucial, that uninitiated players can't be tolerated. Kelly's offense often relies on a no-huddle approach in which the ball is snapped quickly to catch the defense off guard. But it can catch the offense off guard, too.
"In this offense you have to know absolutely everything," Huff said. "If you have to think about it for a second, the ball will be snapped and you're going to be looking dumb."
No wonder the Eagles are going after the cap-and-gown crowd.
I like this theory although i believe Desean Jackson graduated from Cal-Berkeley. makes sense about guys who graduated from college though.
I saw Barwin, Kelce and Sanchez in the pit at the Dave Matthews show on Saturday night.
Saw Kelce at Plough on Friday. I do not typically hang out at Plough, before anyone says anything.
That show looks like it was really solid.
Jesus Christ....I didn't realize that place was still open. Haven't been there in about 11 years
Ha, yes and by the look of it, it still does well for itself. It was one of my best friend's little brother's birthday, who is in his early 20's. There then Delilah's. Brought me back to when I just moved here
As an Oregonian, I have to love the Eagles. Chip is the man! Things will happen for this team. They better, or I wasted money on an Eagles shirt!
well he has good press conferences so a good portion here are happy. seriously, some guys care about that here
pretty good year last year even with losing as a home favorite in the playoffs. he did cut loose the team's best receiver who was picked up by a division rival so we shall see going forward.
As an Oregonian, I have to love the Eagles. Chip is the man! Things will happen for this team. They better, or I wasted money on an Eagles shirt!
well he has good press conferences so a good portion here are happy. seriously, some guys care about that here
pretty good year last year even with losing as a home favorite in the playoffs. he did cut loose the team's best receiver who was picked up by a division rival so we shall see going forward.
That's it. I'm taping every single word Chip says this year and then I'm going to send it to you. )
Alright, alright, alright!
Tom O. "I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve. Jesus, does anyone?"
-The Writer
Comments
Good amount of dudes in the 1st round went that I wouldn't say should've went any earlier than the 2nd. Was hoping Buchanan might've still been there in the 2nd.
http://www.brobible.com/sports/article/philadelphia-eagles-fan-passed-out-at-draft/
the best thing about the draft is listening to people who have seen a guy play maybe 3 or 4 times spew how they should have been drafted higher or lower. classic stuff.
Tom O.
"I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve. Jesus, does anyone?"
-The Writer
Either way, they need someone to replace Cole so...we'll see. This guy migh be rough around the edges but gets to the qb.
I want Latimer tonight. He could be a beast...
Tom O.
"I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve. Jesus, does anyone?"
-The Writer
Philadelphia Eagles: B+
Top needs: OLB, S, CB, WR
Needs: B+
Value: B
Summary: The Eagles did a solid job of adding talent and hitting needs, making up for one questionable decision early with a number of solid ones down the board. Philadelphia moved down and then selected Marcus Smith, the No. 85-ranked player on my board. But while I didn't love the value, again, it came after the Eagles had moved down and accrued a little value. And he hits a need, because they're too reliant on Trent Cole as a pass-rusher and Smith can turn the corner and provide some pressure. The only receivers Philly has under contract past next season are Riley Cooper, Jeff Maehl and Jeremy Maclin (who is coming back from an ACL injury). The Eagles don't just need receivers, they need projectable players that can help soon. I thought Jordan Matthews would have made sense at No. 22, much less 42. I love that pick. Josh Huff offers underrated after-the-catch explosiveness -- he had 24 catches of 20-plus yards in 2013 -- has obvious familiarity with Kelly's methods and he's a guy who really competes and makes contested catches. Jaylen Watkins is a good value in Round 3, and was the first Florida CB off the board in a year where they have a few decent ones. Ed Reynolds is a player I thought could have been a second-round type had he stayed at Stanford another year, but he can give the Eagles a future potential starter and really anticipates well. Taylor Hart is another guy Kelly knows well, and could help the pass rush at some point. The Smith value was iffy, but I understand it, and they did a solid job thereafter.
They got an udfa kicker to battle with Henery in camp too. Good move. Still can't believe they spent a 4th rounder on a kicker a few years ago...
Tom O.
"I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve. Jesus, does anyone?"
-The Writer
Tom O.
"I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve. Jesus, does anyone?"
-The Writer
Team W-L-T Pct. Division Titles Playoff Appearances Super Bowl Wins
Philadelphia 176-142-2 .553 7 12 0
Dallas 170-150 .531 6 9 1
New York 168-151-1 .527 5 8 2
Washington 136-183-1 .427 2 4 0
A frustrated Eagles fan said to me at training camp a couple of years ago he was exasperated with the Andy Reid regime and the team’s inability to ever win the big one. I said to him that almost every July, you look at the Eagles and feel they can contend to play football in January, and there aren’t many franchises you can say that about. I understand that franchises, and ownerships, are ultimately measured by the number of titles they win. So the Eagles, obviously, need to win one to show that Lurie is making all the right calls and putting the right people in position with his franchise. But I like the consistency of the ship he runs.
Tom O.
"I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve. Jesus, does anyone?"
-The Writer
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304422704579572050338722302
The Philadelphia Eagles' Personnel Strategy: Targeting College Grads
Six of the Seven Players the Team Drafted This Year Are on Track to Graduate
Philadelphia Eagles draft pick Beau Allen, a defensive tackle who made the Big Ten's all-academic team while at Wisconsin. Getty Images
The rookies whom the Philadelphia Eagles drafted this month can recall the same odd occurrence: the time an NFL team grilled them on whether they opened any books—besides their playbooks—during their years in college.
The Philadelphia Eagles want to see your college degree as well as your 40-yard dash. Six of the seven Eagles draft picks this year are on track to graduate. WSJ's Geoff Foster explains the strategy on the News Hub with Sara Murray. Photo: AP.
Armed with science and a bit of logic, the Eagles have quietly scoured the college ranks for something that has little to do with 40-yard dash times or bench-press abilities. They want players who have earned college degrees.
"When you look at people who are successful in any profession, it always goes back to college graduates," said Eagles general manager Howie Roseman. "We found NFL players are no different."
When Beau Allen, a 325-pound nose tackle from Wisconsin, toured the country before the draft to visit with teams, he got a question or two about academics. Most teams didn't ask much more than just what kind of student he was. Then he sat down with Chip Kelly, the Eagles' radical coach.
Kelly began peppering him with questions about why he chose his major (business), what his hardest class was and why ("I'm not much of an accounting guy," he said. "I always struggle with it") and how he learned in the classroom—that is, what professors needed to do to get through to him. Allen pegged himself as a visual learner, someone who likes to write everything down in a notebook to memorize it. A computer won't do.
After the Eagles drafted him in the seventh round, Allen arrived in Philadelphia to see that every player was given—uh oh—a tablet computer in which to see the playbook. Players were taking screenshots to better memorize plays. Allen was slightly panicked until he saw his stylus had a pen on the other end, and that the team gave him a notebook, too. Yes, Allen thought, the Eagles cared about how he learned.
Allen, who made the Big Ten Conference's all-academic team while at Wisconsin, is one of six Eagle draftees to be on track to graduate out of the seven players they selected. In today's game, that is unusual: This year, 98 college players went pro after their junior season, a record that marks a 34% increase from 2013 and an 85% increase from 2010. (That total doesn't include players who had playing eligibility left but had already graduated.)
Philadelphia's philosophy of pursuing graduates was born when Roseman, the Eagles' general manager since 2010, and Kelly, the team's second-year coach, each discovered that teams with the most college graduates are overwhelmingly successful. Kelly learned this late in his coaching tenure at Oregon, when former Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy, whose son played at Oregon, mentioned in a talk to Oregon players that in the 2000s, the two teams who happened to have loads of graduates were the Colts and New England Patriots. Those teams dominated the first decade of this century.
"I didn't know he'd take it this far," Dungy said, jokingly.
In a private conversation later, Dungy, now an analyst for NBC, told Kelly that his research showed players with degrees were more likely to earn a second NFL contract and make more money. He told Kelly "the guys with degrees have what you are looking for. They are driven. If it's between two players, a degree might tip the scale. But at the time, I don't think he was even thinking of the NFL."
But before Kelly even arrived in Philadelphia, Roseman was doing his own research. Each year, Roseman and his lieutenants take the last four teams left in the playoffs and do reports on them—studying their players' height, weight, background and virtually everything else. Through those reports came evidence that the most successful teams had many college graduates on them. When Roseman and Kelly joined forces, the plan was clear.
The trends over the last five drafts are startling. Studies show that teams who select players who spent five years in college—and thus almost always have a degree—win big. Of the three teams with the most fifth-year seniors drafted, two of them met in February's Super Bowl: the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos. The Jacksonville Jaguars, who went 4-12, took the fewest.
The team that drafted the most players who stayed just three years on campus? The New York Giants, who have missed the playoffs the past two seasons. The Colts, Patriots and Washington Redskins, who have five total playoff appearances in the last two years, have taken the fewest three-year players, who rarely have college degrees.
Kelly said a degree is more than proof of intelligence. "It's also, what is their commitment?" he said. "They set goals out for themselves and can they follow through for it? A lot of people can tell you they want to do this, this and this. But look at their accomplishments."
The Eagles say they want players who are prepared, and a degree confirms that. Take wide receiver Jordan Matthews, a Vanderbilt economics major whose study habits translated perfectly to the NFL.
Before meeting with the Eagles ahead of the draft, Matthews slipped into Vanderbilt's film room and watched a few Eagles games from last season—which he did with every team he met. Matthews was able to have an informed conversation with Kelly about the intricacies of his offense, something seldom done in the slog of pre-draft interviews, where some players meet with dozens of teams. The study habits paid off: The Eagles took Matthews in the second round.
Those close to Kelly say the degree is largely valued for one reason. "Coach Kelly is an offensive genius," said former Oregon receiver Josh Huff, whom the Eagles took in the third round this month. "You have to be on the same level as him because you have to know why he's doing what he's doing."
Huff said Kelly's offense can be so complex, and understanding every nuance of it is so crucial, that uninitiated players can't be tolerated. Kelly's offense often relies on a no-huddle approach in which the ball is snapped quickly to catch the defense off guard. But it can catch the offense off guard, too.
"In this offense you have to know absolutely everything," Huff said. "If you have to think about it for a second, the ball will be snapped and you're going to be looking dumb."
No wonder the Eagles are going after the cap-and-gown crowd.
I like this theory although i believe Desean Jackson graduated from Cal-Berkeley. makes sense about guys who graduated from college though.
Tom O.
"I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve. Jesus, does anyone?"
-The Writer
That show looks like it was really solid.
I like the direction Chip's leading us though.
Tom O.
"I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve. Jesus, does anyone?"
-The Writer
pretty good year last year even with losing as a home favorite in the playoffs. he did cut loose the team's best receiver who was picked up by a division rival so we shall see going forward.
BIRDS!!
Tom O.
"I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve. Jesus, does anyone?"
-The Writer
Tom O.
"I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve. Jesus, does anyone?"
-The Writer