Here is the first in a series of looks at the Eagles roster:
Today: Quarterbacks
On the roster: No position will receive more debate in the coming weeks than quarterback, where the Eagles continue to evaluate Michael Vick and Nick Foles. New coach Chip Kelly insists he can adapt his offense to the quarterback and does not necessarily need a running threat. Vick’s athleticism would help him if Kelly brought his Oregon offense to the Eagles, but Vick's turnover habit and his injury history will be an issue. (Kelly values taking care of the ball and staying in the game.) Kelly coached against Foles in college and has a better idea than most about Foles’ ability and whether he’s been limited in his career by a struggling team compared to his own shortcomings.
Jeff McLane, Inquirer Staff Writer
NEW ORLEANS – Want to know how Chip Kelly intends to use DeSean Jackson?
Hop on YouTube and type in the name “De'Anthony Thomas.”
Jackson, at the Super Bowl Media Center on Friday being whisked from one Radio Row interview to another, said that the new Eagles coach gave him an idea of how he plans to utilize him in his offense when they spoke a few weeks ago.
The Eagles are still searching for their next defensive coordinator. The Inquirer's Jeff McLane and CineSport's Noah Coslov discuss this and look at Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans.
Zach Berman, Inquirer Staff Writer
Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said his interview with the Eagles was because he was intrigued about learning how an NFL organization operates, although he insisted that he will not depart for the NFL.
"I had always been in the college game, and really did not have a good grasp of the NFL set-up,” Kelly said during a Tuesday teleconference, according to Irish Illustrated. “So for me, my head said, 'Let's be more informed as it relates to the NFL.' But my heart is in college football and with Notre Dame."
Kelly said the interview did not distract him leading up to the national championship, and it allowed him to understand the NFL so he can avoid potential interest in the future.
Zach Berman, Inquirer Staff Writer
One dynamic that has generated considerable reaction since Chip Kelly arrived was the merits of a 3-4 defense or a 4-3 defense, and with good reason. The Eagles have played a 4-3 defensive alignment for much of recent memory, and their roster had been assembled with a 4-3 in mind. But it's becoming more likely that Kelly moves the Eagles to a 3-4, which would require some positional and roster changes.
It's first important to understand that any defense will succeed or fail based on personnel, and the players are far more important than the system. Plus, the team must have the players to fit. But for the sake of discussion, let's look at two factors -- the teams that run a 3-4 defense in the NFL, and the key pieces the Eagles possess.
3-4 IN THE NFL
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Zach Berman, Inquirer Staff Writer
Steve Spagnuolo is now available, sending a portion of Eagles fans into debate about the prospect of hiring the former Eagles linebackers coach/Giants defensive coordinator/Rams head coach/Saints defensive coordinator.
Of course, the Eagles defensive coordinator job might not be as available as it appears, if the job is simply waiting on ice for 49ers defensive backs coach Ed Donatell after the Super Bowl.
But any potential marriage between Spagnuolo and the Eagles might also be complicated by the Eagles' potential scheme. There have been hints that the Eagles will switch ot a 3-4 under coach Chip Kelly. (Donatell ran a 4-3 in his stops as a defensive coordinator, but coaches in San Francisco, where they run a 3-4.) Spagnuolo's career has been marked by an attacking 4-3 defense similar to the one Jim Johnson used with the Eagles. In fact, one of the reasons the Saints made the change was because they want to run a 3-4. (It also didn't help that the Saints gave up more yards than any team in history under Spagnuolo last season.)
Zach Berman, Inquirer Staff Writer
The news of Mike Kafka signing a futures contract with the New England Patriots makes this a good time to revisit the Eagles' 2010 draft class -- and specifically the fourth round.
That's when Kafka went. He was one of four fourth-round picks. A fourth-round pick in the NFL has value, but not significant value. There's rougly a 10 percent chance of finding a starter in that round. Of course, based on those odds, the Eagles had a realistic statistical chance of finding a starter in that round. Yet of the four players drafted in that round (cornerback Trevard Lindley, linebacker Keenan Clayton, Kafka, and tight end Clay Harbor), the Eagles did not find a starter. In fact, the only player who has stayed on the roster since 2010 has been Harbor.
EAGLES 2010 DRAFT: 1st - Brandon Graham;l 2nd – Nate Allen; 3rd – Daniel Te’o Nesheim; 4th- Trevard Lindley; 4th – Keenan Clayton; 4th – Mike Kafka; 4th – Clay Harbor; 5th – Ricky Sapp; 5th- Riley Cooper; 6th – Charles Scott; 7th – Jamar Chaney; 7th – Jeff Owens; 7th – Kurt Coleman
Zach Berman, Inquirer Staff Writer
In the Eagles search for a defensive coordinator, there's been considerable attention paid toNFL experience. In fact, the presume frontrunner at this point is 49ers defensive backs coach Ed Donatell, with Georgia defensive coordinator Todd Grantham also previously discussed as a candidate. (The Eagles are not making any official announcement) Both have been coordinators in the NFL.
The term "retread" is often attached to a former head coach who gets a second chance, but the formula clearly works for defensive coordinators. Both coordinators in this season's Super Bowl -- Baltimore's Dean Pees and San Francisco's Vic Fangio -- have previously been defensive coordinators in the NFL.
In fact, this will be the fifth consecutive season in which the Super Bowl-winning defensive coordinator was on at least his second NFL defensive coordinator job:
Zach Berman, Inquirer Staff Writer
Baltimore's Joe Flacco and San Francisco's Colin Kaepernick are the two quarterbacks in the Super Bowl. Neither has reached a Pro Bowl -- yet. (Kaepernick is in his first season as a starter.) During the next two weeks, the talking point topic of "elite quarterbacks" will become popular.
It generates debate, but there's no consensus on what an "elite" quarterback is. Is it someone who wins 60 percent of his games? Is it someone who makes the Pro Bowl every year? Does an elite quarterback require a Super Bowl ring?
I've stated before, in chats and on Twitter, that the Eagles' decision at quarterback this offseason is the most important one they'll make -- even more important than their coach. (Shameless plug -- there's a chat at 1 p.m. tomorrow) While this might be a slight overstatement, the fact remains that the Eagles have a great unknown at quarterback.
