Hobbs, McDermott and player safety
Dorsey Levens, who spent time with the Eagles towards the end of his career, is working on a documentary called Bell Rung that will feature retired players talking about the injuries and pain that accompany life after football.
Hobbs, McDermott and player safety
Sheil Kapadia, Philly.com
Dorsey Levens, who spent time with the Eagles towards the end of his career, is working on a documentary called Bell Rung that will feature retired players talking about the injuries and pain that accompany life after football.
One of the key figures in the film is Ellis Hobbs, the Eagles cornerback who has suffered season-ending neck injuries in each of the past two seasons.
CNN's Eliott C. McLaughlin recently wrote about the documentary and included some interesting thoughts from Hobbs. In one part, he describes what it was like to be bowled over by Ravens running back Willis McGahee.
"Even though this dude outweighs me by 50 pounds easily, get up. You better not stumble. You better not cry. You better not put your head down. Jog and act as if nothing happened," Hobbs said. "All you're thinking about is, Take it like a man."
Hobbs also talked about the devastating Week 6 collision between DeSean Jackson and Falcons cornerback Dunta Robinson. He said that on the Wednesday after the hit, players were shown a film about illegal hits to reinforce that fines and suspensions would be handed out. But the Eagles' coaching staff didn't exactly reinforce the league's message.
"Not 10 minutes after that film, we went into the defensive meeting and the D coordinator got up and said, 'Nothing changes about us. Nothing changes in your guys' mentality,' " Hobbs said. "I mean, we all knew that anyway because we want jobs. I don't really see anybody with a job who can't tackle."
It's revealing to hear Hobbs call out Sean McDermott, but I can't say I'm all that surprised. I remember several players in the Eagles locker room pretty much saying the same thing at the time.
Most of the defensive players were critical of the league's message, wondering if the NFL was going too far. A couple guys admitted that maybe they'd think twice before delivering a crushing blow, but for the most part, they said they were going to play the way they always did and worry about the reprucussions later.
The player safety issue is not going away any time soon, and it's probably the No. 1 concern the league needs to address going forward, but I doubt McDermott's message was much different from the other 31 defensive coordinators.
KOLB UPDATES
Eagletarian had this covered with their post today, but in case you missed it, here are a few Kevin Kolb links to pass along.
Seattle radio host Dave Mahler Tweeted that the Seahawks have offered a first- and a third-round pick for Kolb, but then clarified that he was not reporting new news and that the offer was made some time in the last four months.
The Seahawks have been rumored to be interested in Kolb for much of the offseason, but this information doesn't seem timely. By more recent accounts, the Cardinals still appear to be the favorite. The Eagles, of course, would be helped by more than one team getting in on the bidding, and a first- and third-round pick would be great compensation.
Meanwhile, Sports Illustrated's Jim Trotter Tweeted recently that the player the Eagles might receive from the Cardinals in return for Kolb "might surprise you."
And finally, I really enjoyed this breakdown of Kolb from FoxSports.com's Adam Caplan. He joined Greg Cosell of NFL Films and provided an excellent breakdown of where Kolb is as a quarterback at this point in his career.
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McDermott had to go. His scheme was inflexible and didn't take advantage of what the players did well. The players didn't respect him. I think you'll see a big difference this season in the defense. Watch out for Trevor Laws and Bunkley. Those two guys are gonna flourish in Jim Washburn's approach to playing D-line.— soulman386- that "might surprise you" just sounds ominously like a linebacker— thefadd
- ...or, a head coach. — Dave in Cincy
- Buddy Ryan couldn't have won with the garbage on that defense. It's the players, not the coach, that execute or don't execute on the field. 3/4 of the secondary was complete garbage. All 3 LBs were below average. Only Cole was a "good" defensive lineman last year. Graham was below average (before getting injured). Parker was average. Both D tackles were average. The defense is going to be awful again this year. Starting FS has played a grand total of 9 NFL games and is coming off a torn ACL. They have no SS. Bradley is probably going to leave, and Jamar Cheney was drafted in the 7th round for a reason. They have no OLBs. The D-coordinator was an offensive line coach for the last 15 years. Stop blaming McDermott - blame the real culprits...Banner, Roseman, Reid. Period.— vdstrading
- Wow, clueless. They were ranked 12th last year, hardly garbage. And that was with McDermott at DC and a terrible DL coach (Seagrest). Graham was a rookie, cut him some slack. Were you really expecting 10+ sacks? Allen looked good until his injury. Speaking of which, it wasn't a torn ACL, but a ruptured patellar tendon. H'e expected to be ready by training camp (if there is one). Chaney was drafted late because of his size, not because he sucks dummy. DTs were average? Dixon might want a word with you. Bradley might be gone, but do they really need him? Injury prone, and hasn't been the same since his injury. Let's at least wait until we see they do in free agency before we start to cry the sky's falling.
— phillychaos - Disturbing to hear the mixed message the players got. It's great that Levens is blowing the whistle on this situation. It's not only the NFl, but football at all levels. There is a line that has to be established over which the players know they can't be pushed to play. Hobbs was so scared to admit he was injured, he cost his team a game (Eagles vs. Titans 2010).— ml307n
- "Might surprise you" - Darnell Dockett?
- Nate Allen (FS) didn't tear his ACL, that was Graham (DE). Allen tore his patellar tendon. Big difference. That tendon regrows tissue because it has enough blood flow, not so the ACL, hence ACL reconsruction involves either transplanting a ligament from a cadaver or cutting the middle third of the patellar tendon out and transplanting it in place of the ACL. I had the latter done and both my patellar tendon and my "new" ACL worked fine for basketball after over a year of rehab. Allen may be ready to play soon. Graham is not. That said, your view of the Eagles D is accurate. They need lots of help.— ml307n
- Hey Sheil, love your writing and column and everything that you do, but "reprucussions" is not a word. It is often mispronounced and has come to be understood by your phonetic spelling. It is actually spelled "repercussions."
Otherwise, keep up the awesome work, I love reading your work!— cdk104 - PhillyChaos - 1. Did I ever say Cheney sucked? No, he was drafted late because he's small. Small LBs in the NFL generally don't make it. 2. Dixon is a good rotational DL. He can't play every down...not even close. 3. Allen was OK, and in the few games before he was injured, was exposed big time. 4. Let's go through the rotational guys on D, shall we? Parker (average), Bunkley (below average), Patterson (average), Dixon (good), Cole (very good), Laws (below average), Tapp (below average), Sims (horrendous), Bradley (average), Cheney (incomplete), Foiku (below average), Jordan (below average), Gaither (below average), Hobbs (terrible), Patterson (horrible), Mikell (a little above average...gone), Samuel (very good, depending on assignment), Allen (incomplete), Hanson (below average), Coleman (below average). 5. The defense gave up a record number of red-zone TDs and a record number of passing TDs. Total yards doesn't mean anything, pal. I'd say a massive talent upgrade is in order. 6. Stop drinking the Green Kool-Aid. 7. Based on the analysis above, I'd say that you're the "dummy" and the one who's "clueless" here.— vdstrading
- Like the work stoppage, where the players think the owners owe them something, the defense, thought they knew more than the coach. Shut the F up and do your job, you may not like your boss, but you took the job, even if the coach changed since you signed, the minute you accept a check, you buy in, and be the best you can, not Hainesworth-ish.
Not in this NFL though, the players want to be video game and highlight stars.Why as a professional do they need a coach to tell them everyday not to tackle with their head ?
At least they didn't pull a LeBron, after choking in the finals again, and blame the man upstairs ...— FatBoy90
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