Roseman looks for improvement from Graham, Allen, Jarrett
The Philadelphia Inquirer Blog - Eagles
Roseman looks for improvement from Graham, Allen, Jarrett
Jonathan Tamari
INDIANAPOLIS -- One of the biggest problems for the Eagles recently has been drafting big-time defensive players. While the Eagles passed on Jason Pierre-Paul -- who has gone on to become a star with the Giants -- high picks such as Brandon Graham and Jaiquawn Jarrett have made little impact and Nate Allen has been up and down, at best.
Back at the Combine, where presumably general manager Howie Roseman will again be looking at players who could upgrade the defense, he talked up the possibilities for his recent picks, and called on each to improve in 2012.
"To tell you that we know exactly what they’re going to be at this point, they know that they’ve got to step up their game and they’re looking forward to it, but the work ethic is there. They want to be great players and we’ve seen it out of them," Roseman said, speaking specifically about Graham and Allen.
On Jarrett he said: "You get a guy in like that who's a rookie and doesn’t have a lot of offseason and maybe it’s a bigger adjustment than we thought. He's been in lifting already and I think he’s got a chip on his shoulder and what we’re really looking to see and we’ve told him is the nastiness, the stuff that we saw in college that he had and playing fast and I think that’s a product of knowing what you’re doing."
Unless Graham, Allen and Jarrett show improvement, the 2010 and 2011 trio could follow in the footsteps of other recent disappointing defensive picks such as Trevor Laws, Victor Abiamiri, Steward Bradley and Daniel Te'o-Nesheim.
Roseman, though, noted that Graham and Allen have been slowed by injuries after what he said were fast starts, and hopes that Jarrett will improve with a full offseason to prepare. Much of the discussion with reporters focused on Graham, the 13th overall pick in 2010.
"We have high expectations for Brandon Graham," Roseman said. "When he came into training camp he was unbelievably productive, in fact he became a starter because of his production in training camp."
But an early high ankle sprain -- "that's a tough injury," Roseman said, was followed by a torn anterior cruciate ligament.
"We knew this year was going to be a struggle for him," Roseman said. (Allen, too, suffered a serious knee injury as a rookie and was slowed last season).
As to why the Eagles chose Graham over Pierre-Paul, Roseman elaborated on some recent comments about that big decision in 2010.
"We went into the draft knowing that those two were going to be very good players. What sold us on Brandon was his production. He was productive for four years, he was a two-time team captain, he played in a big-time conference, and that’s not taking away from any other defensive ends that were drafted, but we felt very comfortable that he fit what were trying to do on defense, great character guy, he had the work ethic to succeed."
Graham, in particular, is aware of the JPP comparisons and "sees that out there and he wants more for himself."
While Graham and Allen have at least showed glimpses of what they could be, Jarrett hardly saw the field in 2011, despite the Eagles' need for safety help, and made little impression when he did play. He was invisible on special teams. Roseman made clear that the team expects more and said he believes a full offseason will help Jarrett be the big-hitter the team touted when they picked him.
"The more he’s around, the has an offseason, the better chance he has of being that kind of player," he said.
I'll bet Howie clips Joe's toenails.— Lil Ratman- ewww that is nasty — urbnasty
- Reid and his assistance are incapable of developing drafted players. That's why they leave after a few years and have better careers on other teams. And that's why the Eagles have to ALWAYS sign free agents who have been developed by other teams.— ej610
- Please Please Please fire Roseman and get a real GM who knows something about football and can draft.— JohnnyH
- Can somebody please, compare the Eagles draft history over the past (5) years vs. the other 31 teams? I'm pretty sure the Eagles are near the very bottom.— chocolatethunder
- OK, I am jealous.....I love football...I am an Eagles junkie and I read all the info on everybody in the draft...and I do belong to 3 fantasy football leagues.....and my only question is WHY AM I NOT the figure head GM of the Eagles......I am certainly as well qualified as HR and I am willing be a gofer, pick up dry cleaning and work the mid-night shift in the mail room........He is soooo lucky....that uncle Joe loves him.....if only I had sent him more flowers, candy and warm fuzzy tweets.....darn......"it is not what you know, it is who you know"— nuggett
- They should hire me to be the GM. I was a backup safety in high school, so I got to watch all the talent on the field. — urbnasty
- Roseman- Don't draft any defensive players from BC due to the curse of mike mamula.— 5th Down
- Howie Roseman is full of you know what.It is pointed out often how or who he passed on in the draft.Hire me because I'd do better than him.If you have'nt been in the dirty trenches of the game how are you going to have a feel for who is the real deal.His stats tell him certain people are better but anybody who has played the game knows that stats do not tell the whole story.It is like meeting people where you can get a certain feeling about that person and what lies beneath the surface.And only having played and shared success on the field would one know what to look for.Roseman is a joke and I hope he resigns for the sake of the team.He has not drafted well for the last several seasons.The Eagles ned to travel over to the Steelers camp and take lessons.— Andrew Grier
- Great blog and very good written also.it helps clear up some questions I had. thank you. success.
home designs (HTML deleted)— sydneylawyers - When will the fans ignore these geeks in the FO. I hope they fail and Fairytale Land Lurie feels embarrassed.— Pete60
- This team cant be fixed until Andy Reid is out. Let the countdown begin... 16 games to go... 17, 18, 19* are for the dreamers. Andy Reid will go 9-7 if he's lucky and if we do somehow make the playoffs... we'll be out coached like usual. 1 more season of hopelessness.— Apollo Creed
It's very rare that a rookie really makes an impact in today's NFL so the jury is still out on Jarrett. Allen and Graham will have to really tear it up this year. They get a pass for last year because of injuries the were coming off of, but should be healthy to really show what they can do and have 3 seasons in the system. Well 2 seasons because Juan is in his second year at DC. The new DB coach should have these guys ready and playing well. The DL coach will have Graham ready too.- Great Motor.....hahahahahahahahahahaha— SkipinWV
- Steward? Bradley— porcamiseria34
