Did Eagles fix their LB problems?
Will the return of Stewart Bradley and the addition of Ernie Sims be enough to solve the Eagles' linebacker problems in 2010?
Did Eagles fix their LB problems?
Sheil Kapadia, Philly.com
What was the Eagles' biggest weakness in 2009 that limited them from advancing past the first round of the NFC playoffs?
That's the question Doug Farrar examined in a recent Yahoo Sports article.
His conclusion was that the linebacker play really killed the Eagles. If you ask me, there are really only two possible answers: the linebacker play or the secondary play.
Farrar does a good job explaining specifically how the LBs hurt the Birds, referencing the 73-yard run by Felix Jones in the wild-card round loss to the Cowboys. Interesting stat to consider: In 2008, when the Eagles blitzed on a run play, they allowed a league-low 3.7 yards per carry. But in 2009, that number jumped to 6.4 yards per carry, ninth-worst in the NFL.
Obviously, Sean McDermott tried just about everything in 2009 after Stewart Bradley's season ended during training camp. We've discussed the different personnel groups at length here, and clearly, none of them worked. But Farrar believes that a healthy Bradley and the addition of Ernie Sims from Detroit could be enough to solve the Eagles' problems:
With Bradley back in the fold, and talented young linebacker Ernie Sims(notes) brought over from Detroit to play the weak side, the Eagles should be in better shape when it comes to their intermediate defense. Sims always put up high tackle totals with the Lions when he was healthy, and while his coverage abilities have been questioned, it was difficult to know how talented any defender was in the Matt Millen era. With major changes on offense (in addition to Donovan McNabb’s departure, the Eagles also severed ties with running back Brian Westbrook(notes)), the Eagles could rely more on their defense than in recent years, and more consistent linebacker play is the key to improvement.
It'll be interesting to see what kind of competition there is at linebacker during training camp. After the draft, I thought that two of the three spots would be up for grabs, but now I'm not so sure.
Bradley's got the middle locked down as long as he's healthy, and he'll pretty much always be on the field.
During OTAs, it was Ernie Sims manning the weak side. I thought Akeem Jordan would get a shot to win that job, and he still might, but during spring practices, Sims was the guy. Andy Reid and McDermott may have just wanted to get Sims more reps since he's new to the system and Jordan's been here for three seasons.
And on the strong-side, it's tough to figure out who could really push Moise Fokou for the starting job. I know many of you are down on Fokou after he piled up 73 penalty yards as a rookie (most on the Eagles' defense), but considering the circumstances, he deserves a chance to prove himself. Remember, Fokou was a seventh-round pick who worked to get on the roster and eventually found himself in a starting role. He admitted to me during OTAs that he was just kind of running around trying to figure things out last season. If anyone can benefit from an offseason of practices and more time in the system, it should be Fokou.
Other links:
* Jason Cole of Yahoo Sports ranks the Eagles' defensive line 15th in the NFL:
Welcome to the Eastern version of the Bengals line, although it’s very likely the Eagles could leapfrog the Cincy bunch and other teams this season. The Eagles have a bunch of lunch-pail guys who don’t seem like much when you look at them individually. End Trent Cole, who is the best of the bunch, is undersized and seemingly not explosive. Tackles Brodrick Bunkley and Mike Patterson aren’t overwhelming. The combo of Darryl Tapp and Juqua Parker on the other side doesn’t make the toes tingle with excitement. But when you put them altogether, they’re really a pretty good group. No stars, but nobody you can sleep on either.
* NFL.com's Steve Wyche warns readers not to sleep on the Eagles just because they changed quarterbacks this offseason:
To not bore you with the mundane, one matter has been consistently trumpeted over the past few weeks by a lot of NFL folks -- mainly players and former players or coaches: The Philadelphia Eagles could surprise a lot of people. Most people feel the Eagles will be good depending on new full-time starting quarterback Kevin Kolb. If he struggles under the pressure of stepping in for longtime fixture Donovan McNabb, then things could fall apart. The majority of opinions I've heard are that coach Andy Reid and president Joe Banner wouldn't have traded McNabb to Washington if they didn't think Kolb could handle things -- and handle them well.
* Remember that Bobby Taylor comeback report last week? Gerry Fraley of the Dallas Morning News thinks the Cowboys could be one of the teams that should at least consider taking a look at the former Eagles CB.
* Adam Caplan of FoxSports.com says Brandon Graham's arm length was what caused some NFL teams to have a second-round grade on him:
The top question surrounding Graham seemed to be whether he was better off playing in the 3-4 or 4-3. Graham, who dominated Senior Bowl practices, rocketed up draft boards after that week. However, a source said at least at few teams didn’t have a first-round grade on him because of his shorter than ideal arm length. Philadelphia has decent depth at both end spots, but the talented rookie figures to be high in the rotation right away.
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No shock about Graham. He's a "fastball". We'll live and die with the philosophy of undersized DE's until Reid leaves town. It's really hard to understand why the Birds failed to address some key spots. SLB and C to name two. Why did they create another hole at RCB? Fokou is fine for ST's, but he was a 7th rounder who led the team in penalties, you're telling me picking up a guy in the second, instead of trading back for all those 4th and 5th rounders wouldn't have produced a better starting option than Fokou? Though they won't say the "r" word, I think that's what it comes down to. I'm just hoping that Reid has actual quantifiable milestones he's got to meet during the rebuilding, because the Coach For Life's philosophies are stale.— JofreyRice- Don't get this "short-arm" hysteria, especially for a DE, perhaps for an OT, strikes me as another one of those measurables that have nothing to do with playing ability. Like in basketball when teams obsess over height vs ability, when vast majority of rebounds are below the rim which is why guys like Unseld, Silas, Rodman, Barkley were all great rebounders despite being "undersized". If Graham can play it will not matter what his sleeve length is— davi
- I still think the Eagles need to upgrade the tackling issue in the secondary to avoid the extended yards after catch and RB additional yards gained. We all loved Westbrook but realistically the last year and a half was difficult to watch and a lot of drives ended with the Eagles handoff to Westy (which everyone knew was coming!!!! PLS be a little more creative this year as this play doesnt work anymore no matter who is back there) for little or no gain.— seanpat50
- Graham's a high motor guy.
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- Don't mean to be so negative about this...but what exactly has Stewart Bradley done to annoint himself as the savior to this defense? Not to mention he just had serious knee surgery...Maybe I am missing something but this defense still has glaring holes.— EaglesBleedMoney
- This will be the worst Eagles defense since before Jim Johnson. It has very little talent and an overmatched DC— sbdons1982
- No way to tell about the LBs now. Depends on how Bradley has recovered, and whether Sims can play in this defense.— p-diddy
- Philly_Mike, who should stop mentioning his size, every single media outlet that covers him? It's going to be a factor until he proves it isn't. If he starts, he'll be the shortest DE in the NFC East. Don't get me wrong, I love that he has a high motor. It's actually a little known fact that during Middle school, Graham actually had to undergo a procedure because his motor was too high. During surgery, doctors lowered Graham's motor slightly, so that he could continue playing football without having a motor that was too topheavy.— JofreyRice
- Brandon "T-Rex" Graham— darthgreen
- The only chance this team (as it's currently assembled) has of winning is to keep the other teams' offense off the field. That means a running game by KK and his head coach. Too many three and outs and this team can easily be 1-14-1 with this woeful defense.— mccloudmj
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- Eagles Bleed Money, take a look at how much ground Bradley covers on the field. He is lightning fast and has a nose for the ball. He is also smart and seems to be in the right spot to make the plays necessary to force teams into field goals instead more time consuming drives. I think aside from quarterback and the offensive line, he may be the key to a 9-7 or 10-6 year.— GOLDY2007
- Re: "this team can easily be 1-14-1 with this woeful defense" I hope you're joking. They had a middle of the pack defense last year on which they've made some nice improvements during the offseason, especially regarding the pass rush and linebacking corps. At worst, their defense should be somewhere in the middle again.— clonewolf
- OK GOLDY2007 - is he still going to be lightnight fast and cover all that ground after tearing up his knee? I just think a lot of people are overrating this guy as the teams savior I don't think Bradley would have saved us from getting whooped by the Cowboys, nor do I think he will do anything spectacular to prevent this team from being mediocre at best this year. Just my opinion...— EaglesBleedMoney
I agree EaglesBleedMoney...Bradley is a decent MLB. Nothing spectacular. Add in his history of torn ACL's and he is below-average in my opinion. Its why he slipped to the 3rd round or whatever in the draft and Reid gladly took another ACL patient. What a steal. I doubt he stays healthy for more then 1 full season. Reid is an idiot and will continue to draft guys with previous blown ACL's in college and hope by some miracle they will be able to stay healthier then the other guys, or that somehow throwing it 60% will magically win a SB, when it NEVER HAS IN HISTORY. Reid is delusional and will NEVER WIN A SB. DO NOT DRAFT PLAYERS WITH TORN ACL's IN COLLEGE AND EXPECT THEM TO BE HEALTHY. more stupidity.- Comment removed.
- JofreyRice: I challenge you to name ONE strong-side linebacker projected to play in a 4-3 scheme that was available in Round 2. In fact, I challenge you to name ONE SAM in this draft capable of being an automatic starter. There wasn't one, and that factored in to the Eagles draft decisions. The only possibility was Sean Weatherspoon, and he is more of a WIll or a MIKE, definitely not a SAM. The Eagles drafted their future SAM in Round 5: Ricky Sapp out of Clemson. He'll be the starting SAM by week #14. If there was a good SAM available early, the Eagles wold have considered drafting one. But this draft pool was very scant on outside linebackers.— montgomeryhopkins
8-8 the best they will do.- Are we all talking about the same Bradley who couldn't complete the last week of OTA's last month? You know the one who couldn't run at all because of a pulled calf. Ask Jimmy Rollins about how long it takes to play shortstop with a pulled calf and that's not like playing middle-linebacker in the NFL. I understand the optimism from Eagle fans but these comments are dreams of what use to be.— JACK V
- We won't know much about the linebackers or the rest of the team in 2010 until January, 2011. If Bradley and Sims are starters in September, I expect them to be in street clothes by November. So the linebackers could be as good as the group of Jordan, Fokou, Gaither, Cnaney, and friends. The Eagles need to get Bradley through this season completely healthy; then turn him loose full blast next year. Same with Ingram, and maybe Sims too.— tacklinjoe
- Montgomery Hopkins, I challenge YOU! To drink a gallon of milk in under one hour! I was hoping Sapp would be the SAM, but he got moved back to DE pretty quickly. If they really were tabbing him to play SAM, don't you think he would have been playing SAM a lot, rather than a little? As far as naming other SAMs they could have gotten in the draft--no, I can't. I don't get paid to watch hours of college tape on players my team might pick. There were plenty of LB's and DE's projecting to LB to pick from, including Sergio Kindle, Jermaine Cunningham, Pat Angerer, Jason Worilds, Koa Misi, Jerry Hughes, Darryl Washington to name a few. They have holes, it's their job to fill them. In ten years, this stockpiling of mid-round picks has produced 2 probowlers--Cole and Celek. You get what you pay for, and they are always looking for a bargain ESPECIALLY at LB.— JofreyRice
- The Tonner can drink a gallon of Genny Cream Ale in under an hour.
- The Tonner can probably drink a gallon of lonewolf's "cream ale" too...— EaglesBleedMoney
- Is there anyone who can hit on this defense? If I was a WR or RB that was going to play Philly I would be salivating. It is sad what has happened in a few short years.— lenmako
- lonewolf brews his own beer? Outstanding news EaglesBleedMoney. The Tonner has thought about doing that but it seems like a lot of work.
- LB position will be better this season, but still a mediocre group. Fokiu; I don't get it. I watched last year, he doesn't impress me at all. I strongly question McDermott. IMO, I don't feel he's the right guy for the job.— beegal99
- I think we'll see a much improved LB play this year. I am concerned about the secondary. Nate allen will be good, but he is a rookie. The CB's are worrisome, and they should definitely draft a CB in the 1st round next year, which will be a better for corners than this year's draft was.— ol duke
- graham and blanton have the same father, who cursed them with short arms.— bigsteve
- Yeah, Westbrook was really losing it. In the last Dallas game, his one touch only netted 30 yards.— DerbyBound
- You say Fokou deserves a chance to prove himself but he's got no competition. He deserves a chance to prove himself, but he's doesn't deserve a starting job handed to him without proving himself. Fokou is one of the biggest question marks on the team. Hopefully he works out.— bc3030
- Although the Defense put a few band-aids on the linebacking corps, and helped the D-Line somewhat....the secondary will start to get worn down almost immediatly. As recently as the start of OTA's, the "starting" secondary was in flux with 'Help Needed' signs being posted at four of the five spots. I don't see any 'corner' help in the new additions...just more question marks. Some new blood at safety is nice, but I'm not seeing the FOECE that will be necessary this year. I'm hoping that someone steps up....but that is more of a prayer, than a hope. And then there is the (long siiiiigggghhhh)Offense. mHow Ironic!....We seem to be LOADED with fine running backs, better than average fullbacks (WITH good hands too!) and a rising star at tight end with possibly another one right behind HIM! And (OH BOY!!!) wonderful, fast, exciting, playmaking bunch of guys filling ALL the Receiver spots. All we need now is an Offensive Line.......woe is us.— TBear
- Many feel Sean McD needs to prove himself a real DC after last season's tail-spin against Dallas. Team speed is improved. Team cohesion has been improved as dissenters were shipped out. Looks like a good group of small, fast players. Can McD lead 'em is the real question.— Smashmouth
Who includes a tie in their prediction of the team's record for the coming year? huh? HUH?- Blackguy33...I'm thinking more in the line of week 6. No doubt Vick will be running the plays before the end of the season, but they need to let Kolb totally implode and that will take about 6 games. By week 6 fans will be screaming to get Kolb out of there. Bradley is ok but not as good as being advertised. He's no Pro Bowler. Sims is fast but undersized and Redskins and Giants are gonna run baby run on the Eagles. Fokou can't keep his head on straight and commits far too many penalties. So did they fix the linebacker problem? These are by far the best 3 linebackers on the team, so the answer is NO.— dapmman
- Since Reid's been here, the personal playing linebacker has been a problem. In 11 years he has drafted 1 good linebacker, Bradley. Why should this year be any different. Most Super Bowl winning teams are strong at the linebacker position. Maybe thats why the Eagles haven't won any during Reid's tenure here.— watsonmr
I am with EaglesBleedMoney!!! Everyone talk's about Bradley like he is the best linebacker in the league...He is no Ray Lewis. He is a good player but not a probowler... @Jay Grace... Cut Vick for what? And let Kafka run the team incase something happen's to Kolb... Are you trying to get one of the top pics in the draft next year?— DTripp34- "With Bradley back in the fold, and talented young linebacker Ernie Sims(notes) brought over from Detroit to play the weak side, the Eagles should be in better shape when it comes to their intermediate defense" Ummmm, Sims was actually released, by one of the worst defenses in the league, not brought over. In about 4 years he went from being a first round pick, to not even worth a draft pick. Think the "talented" part might be a wee bit overrated? I can't see the difference between Sims and any of the other rent-a-linebacker pickups of the Reid era, except that he's a lot smaller. Cole is much better than described, but not a flashy player and so undervalued by the out-of=town media.— jimmyj
- Andy is still fat! Go have a cheesesteak! Times yours!— pevans1
- First thing Indy did, when Dungy retired was make the defensive line bigger. Size matters during 16 weeks of pounding plus playoff games. Since salary structures prohibit meaningful position depth, size matters. More worrisome is the Eagles defensive size coupled with injury issues. Bradley, Sims, Samuel (stingers making tackling next to physically impossible for him), Hobbs have had significant injuries. Mikell has high mileage, as does Juqua, Patterson, Cole, Samuel, Hobbs and Jose. Back -up LBs are pathetic. Omar, Jordan, Mays too small. Other than that, D is going to be fine. Nice job uncle Joe.— oldBird
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- Goldy, I think you overate Bradley (as do most) He get's smoked in coverage when covering the backs and T.E.'s that's a big liability in this division. If we have to rely on defense for us to win games we won't be better then 6-10
- Andy would rather chew off his arm (without cheese on it) than sit a healthy Kolb for Vick. If healthy (which he won't be for every start) Kolb will play. Andy will never trust Vick to run his offense, so count on the return of Garcia, even if they can't get anybody to take Vick off their hands!— jimmyj
Bradley did not get smoked in coverage, that was Trotter and Gocong who could not cover your granny. Jordan and Gaither are pretty good vs the pass. Gaither could play the strong side if he has a good camp. I think Ricky Sapp is going to play a lot eventually, he was a beast in college.- graham, cole, bradley, simms. probowlers. i dont get all the doubt. tougher up front. better in the back. hurries and sacks are going to be the key. we are already good against the run. how is the d getting worse?— meengreen
@ EaglesBleedMoney - I could not agree more about Bradley. I missed the pro bowl seasons or season that he had that makes everyone so in love with him as a LB.- Sheil, I think the world of your reports,however, It's my opinion from watching the Eagles Linebackers, that not since... Joyner and Evans has the Eagles had a capable linebacker....... to be honest they could scrap every linebacker who wore a Eagles uniform over the last 6 years and it wouldn't alter the stats. We need mean, and hungry linebackers..... being from the old school, and the days of Reggie, we have absolutely no pass rush at all...... ohhhhh I love the visions of Reggie White, and Jerome Brown..... after watching them.... sorry nothing else will every do.....— Dexter
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