Danny Watkins may have lost job
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Danny Watkins may have lost job
Jeff McLane
Andy Reid said that guard Danny Watkins, who has a chronic ankle injury, would struggle to play Monday against the Saints.
With Watkins questionable, Dennis Kelly could get his second straight start at right guard. Reid said the rookie did a "respectable job" on Sunday against the Falcons. With Watkins' inconsistencies this season, it's fair to question whether he'll retain his starting job even when he returns.
“Yeah, we’ll see," Reid said. "I want to see how he feels once he gets in there [and] we’ll take it from there.”
Kelly said he's up for the challenge.
“Hopefully, if I keep playing at a high level, if they give me the spot, hopefully, I can run with it,” he said.
Kelly, a fifth-round draft pick, was asked if he had been given any indication from coaches that the job was there for the taking.
“Some players have talked about it, just saying, ‘If you’re in there, you’re in there for a reason,’” Kelly said. “Obviously, Danny’s hurt, but there were other options they could have put in. They are telling me to approach it like you can take it, so that’s what I’m doing."
Watkins' chronic ankle came out of the nowhere. Reid said last week that he knew about it as far back as the draft. He said the 2011 first round draft pick re-injured it two weeks ago against the Lions and then again in practice last week.
“He’s got a bit of a component of a high ankle [sprain] and it’s got a bit of a component of a low ankle," Reid said. "Anything that he does lateral hurts him.”
Reid, who was asked if Watkins could be sidelined long-term, said that would assess his progress daily.
"This will pass here," Reid said. "It’s not where it’s going to be career-ending or anything.”
The Watkins' draft pick remains a questionable one. When the Eagles selected him 26th overall, he had only played four years of football after picking it up at the age of 22. He didn't start as a rookie until the fifth game, but seemed to take steps forward by the end of last season.
He's had some low moments this season, especially in pass protection. Watkins hasn't been the only linemen to struggle. The whole unit has been a liability with the injuries to left tackle Jason Peters and center Jason Kelce.
OTHER INJURIES
-- Cullen Jenkins has a hyperextended knee and won't practice on Thursday. The defensive tackle said that he expected to play Monday.
-- Reid said that defensive tackle Mike Patterson would practice with the first team and that there was a chance he could play against the Saints. The Eagles have until Nov. 13 to decided whether to activate Patterson or place him on season-ending Injured Reserve.
-- Wide receiver Mardy Gilyard (hamstring) won't practice either. Reid said that Damaris Johnson, who hasn't dressed the last two weeks, will be active Monday and return punts with Gilyard injured.
Comments (81)
So with the 26th pick of the draft, Andy the genius took an unheard of, old OL WITH a chronic ankle injury and he had only been playing the position for four years. Any other evidence needed as to why this ship is sinking?!— Luriesucks- I'm not so sure that Watkins was a Reid pick? This team went through a massive power struggle in the Front Office last year and Reid won that battle. The 2011 draft is gotta be one the worst of all time. Set this team back 2 years with that awful draft.
- Luriesucks makes agreat point— runger00
- If the injury is made up, then yes he is a bust— phillyceltic
- Vick is the $100 million bust....Vick is near the BOTTOM OF ALL NFL qb ratings...Dumb Lurie got robbed of $100 million by Vick....LOL— Bob112
- Well if they cut him after this year, he's only a $40 million mistake. — Cappy12619
- Only in the NFL can you say "only a $40 MM mistake"...LOL — erbower
- Agreed - if he knew about it at the draft, why did he take him? This whole situation gets worse and worse with each passing day.— uncle meat
- brandon graham,danny watkins,the safety from temple whose name i can't spell or remember....all BUSTS!!!!!!these 1st and one 2nd round picks are proof positive that the eagles front office doesn't know diddly about how the draft works...their picks in the first round have to be as solid as possible,not reaching for 28 year old players with limited experience,hybrid d.ends's who can't rush the passer or local kids who can't play a lick..when the heck are these guys ever going to learn???— jabac
- A left tackle in college, and gets moved to RG. Add to that Howard Mudd's system, which is different from every other line coach in the world. The kid has hardly been dealt a fair shake to this point. I'd like to see him in a more run driven system, or at least give him another year to see how he progresses.— cdedrick05
- This is one of the things that's at the top of my list of pet peeves that really, really, really, really pi$$e$ me off about Reid. They draft a player who's played just ONE main position his whole collegiate life and suddenly thrust him into another position that he's totally unprepared to play. A position that calls for different muscle memory, different footwork, different gap responsibilities, you name it. And then when that player fails to master it, he's declared a failure and turns into a wasted draft pick when they could have drafted a player to fill that position from the "git go".
And if that's not enough, Reid continues to draft, or sign free agents, who've suffered previous injuries that they have not fully recovered from all in the interest of getting a player at a cut-rate price. Unbelievable.— essell - Watkins's failure is a case in point for the constantly dashed hopes of Birds fans. Every year--every draft, every preseason--the fan base is assured the team has an abundance of talent and is bound for the playoffs. National prognosticators reenforce this belief even after thebteam begins losing. Even the most levelheaded fan, consciously or unconsciously, eventually buys into the hype, simply because it is inescapable. No wonder we end up feeling used and abused. Betrayal and deception breed cynicism. So Philly fans are criticized for their negative mindset. Wonder why?— birdsfansince56
- it seems like everything needed to have reid lose his job is coming together quite nicely.— djack10
- it seems like everything needed to have reid lose his job is coming together quite nicely.— djack10
- Not so fast. We still have to factor in Jeff Limp-Wrist Lurie into this. As we have seen, Lurie seems to be afraid of his own shadow and seems to be intimidated by he hulking presence of Reid. That's why he keeps giving him 'just one more chance' easily read in to his (weak) ultimatum earlier this year. I guarantee, it'll be the same "ultimatum" at the end of the season with some other strange caveat attached. — essell
- The Tonner's said it before: fire everyone who is still around and had a hand in the 2010 and 2011 drafts. The Tonner doesn't want them picking their noses for the Eagles next year, let alone players who are going to shape the future of the team.— hunglikeaton
- Major part of our teams getting worse is Andy making more and more of the draft choices and its hurting us....tremendously...As well as him choosing which free agents to go after. This is the exact opposite of the definition of team he has assembled. Cannot get quality players in here with heart...and refuses to hire qualified replacement coaches for his staff...all add up to 500 or less. Stay the course...mediocrity rules with Andy— RealizticFan
- When you promote a Lawyer/Accountant as your GM, you are rewarded with the 2010 and 2011 Drafts. The jury is still out on 2012 but don't be surprised if nearly 75% fail to make the squad when a new regime is brought in next season. Clean house Lurie or better yet sell the team!— cooperhawk
- Watkins was a nice story while it lasted. It was not his fault that the Eagles chose him so high....blame that one on the Eagles...but since then he has not developed at all. I am wondering whether this "magic" techniques that is being taught to the offensive line is causeing good prospects to go bad. Wasn'r Demetrius Bell supposed to be the best tackle available...and we keep hearing he is having trouble with the "system". By this time next year all Philly coaches will either be in a rocking chair or in San Diego.— Bob K
- It seems to me that if you were to pick up a couple of those college football draft magazines and just draft the players that they say are pretty good, you'll probably end up with a pretty good draft. It can't be that hard. I don't know for sure, but I doubt that any of those magazines had Danny Watkins listed as high as the 23rd pick of the first round.
— TexColorado - I've said before, if they just listened to Mike Mayock before (and during) the draft, they'd be golden! He'd be the first guy I hire if I was Jeff Laurie! — gdibig
- Bench Vick!!!!!!!!!!!!!— slade1955
- watkins is a bust....reid is gone after the season.— psualum
- Why not move Watkins over to left tackle?...He couldn't be any worse than what's there now!— jmb53
- Oh please, spare us. We just went through 2 weeks of stories about how Vick was supposedly going to get benched. Quit making up speculation and reporting on it like it's fact. I guess these guys can't think of any stories to write so they just make them up.— JimG
you're doing a helluva job, howie— hannibal barca
As a previous poster noted, Watkins was a tackle in college, drafted by the Eagles and put in as a guard. Most people don't realize that those are two different tchniques that have to be taught and since Watkins only had 4 yrs in college as a tackle he has to now learn guard. Smart thing would have been to keep him at tackle which he is more familiar. The guy played that position protecting last year's Heisman Trophy winner and RGIII plays a similar style to Vick so the guy can play, just another square peg that Reid tried to put in a round hole.- I posted a response citing that same thing (above)
before I had the chance to read your post. We see the same(yet another) flaw in Reid that has existed for years. Draft a player that has played just ONE position for almost his entire football life and suddenly thrust that player in to a totally foreign position with foreign concepts. Only with the Eagles. Even if they did ask the player to play another position, you still have to have COMPETENT coaches able to "coach him up" using accepted textbook instruction. I doubt the Eagles coaches ever looked at textbooks such as Play Football The NFL Way by Tom Bass which teaches position by position techniques and drills for offense, defense, and special teams. This is AN OFFICIAL NFL BOOK. I'll bet they deviate liberally from these accepted practices and pass along their own bad habits acquired over the years.— essell - Hmmm, the last couple drafts almost seem like they've been run by an intern who was promoted to GM
- bust— pr0f3ss0r
- Its nice to see Andy try and put his playees in a better position to win. (sarcasm) It is even better to see Andy put himself in a perfect position to get fired. Anyone on board for John Gruden??— gbreen88
- FFAR has proved time and time again that he has NO idea how and who to draft. The CPA certainly doesn't know and Lurie is a movie producer, so we know he doesn't know. Isn't it time for a change???— momzer1812
- "Square peg in round hole" ... alas, Watkins is another example of Reid et al, trying to be "outsmart" the rest of the league come draft day. Watkins inexperience and failure to grasp blocking schemes in a timely way (along with the ankle!) has shown him to, indeed, be a bust. Not his fault. He was put in a position to fail.
After far too many "reaches" in previous drafts, the 2012 one projects to be (finally!) a decent one. For Reid though, it will prove too little too late.
With Reid finally gone at the end of this seaon I eagerly look forward to a fresh start in 2013. In fact it really can't come soon enough.— FishFryFrank - Please stop calling him the "100 million" player/bust/whatever.... Vick will never see the total amount of that deal. He is overpaid...yes...but will not get anywhere close to the 100 million. I would just like for the guy to throw the damn ball instead of running around like an idiot. Make one read, then run north/south and move the chains. Any other QB would have half he sacks by just throwing the ball on time or throwing it away to avoid the sack.— cdedrick05
- There are plenty of things to criticize about the Eagles' drafts under Reid and Roseman but the comments here about Watkins are very ill-informed. Watkins was projected by most of the talking heads and web sites as a "late first, early second". Mike Mayock - who I think generally does a pretty good job evaluating talent - projected Watkins as going to Kansas City with the 21st pick of the draft. Watkins is physically talented but seems challenged by picking up the complexities of blocking schemes and adjustments - hardly a surprise for someone who only started playing football in college. He may indeed turn out to be a bust but that doesn't mean he was a bad pick. In contrast, the decision to make Vick the starting QB was delusional, and the decision to stick with him now will ultimately cost Reid his job at the end of the season.— joephilly
- I disagree that Danny Watkins is a bust by any stretch. Jeff you are a classless individual and writer. Last year Watkins was making great strides and same offensive line was one of the best in the league WITH WATKINS ON IT!!! Now we have a QB that is no longer able to get it done. The holding of the ball by Vick and bad decision making is obvious even to someone like you. Go look at www.phillymag.com with Sheil & Tim McManus. Look at their weekly "ALL 22" SEQUENCE OF PICTURES SHOWING JUST HOW BAD VICK IS. VICK HAD 2 OR 3 TD's last week staring at him but failed miserably. If Watkins went to New England he would be a pro bowl alternate. Additionally since the offensive line is so bad this year then signing Herremanns & Mathis was a huge mistake along with a real mistake in Bell. Jeff you are a cheap shot artist! Fans go to Birds/24/7 www.phillymag.com & get a real understanding of what is going on.— Alpha58
- watkins lost his job, now so should andy reid.— Ryan
- He is not a bust, he came on strong last year, and after 3-4 games this year, he was grading out very well, injury set him back. Once he is healthy, and back in there, he will be fine. Maybe not an All Pro, but a good starter for years to come.— camasbud
- Watkins needs another year and if he can't start maybe a solid back-up guard and maybe center ? Let's not write him off yet. Maybe we found a RG and it is a win all the way around.
— oldBird - "This will pass here," Reid said. "It’s not where it’s going to be career-ending or anything.”- What career?
— outta work - Here we go again.— bm2957
- OH,NO!! Danny can't play!
There goes our Super Bowl chances!— Eaglejay - I've been waiting for this for 14 years. I am savoring his downfall.— woody7236
- Obviously he is a bust along with many other from the 2010 and 2011 draft.
It's why the Eagles won't be winning a Superbowl anytime soon. The amount of organizations that are now smarter than the Eagles exceeds the ones that are dumber.— Drew777 - Don't give up on Watkins, Andy is a shrewd evaluator of talent.— Jim Morris
- Whole team is a bust, isn't it?????— mrjarn
- "keep playing at a high level"?— gr8fl
- according to andy's game narrative,
the offense will score so many points so fast and the wide nine will sack so much that the linc turf will catch fire.
AND ANDY HAS A FIREMAN READY SO NO PROBS.— bloodymess - Interesing that the O line coach AND the d line coach are so unconventional. And the former o line coach became the DC. And they signed two free agent corners of high repute to go with their pro bowler, "22". And other things I am probably forgetting. Any one of those alone says bold, but reasonable risk taking. But all at once, that is bad management (let the "no duh's" begin). That plus bad drafting means Andy just might not be Coach for Life.— Eephus
- Big huge fat unreal bust. Horrible decision to draft him but not as bad as Castillo as DC. Time to clean house.— foment3
- Sure hope this ankle injury doesn't keep him from passing the physical exam for the fire department when he gets cut.— Luriesucks
- Is Vick a one hundred million dollar bust? By the way, Tell Paul Domo that a football field is only one hundred yards long, not one hundred and ten yards.— mario1239
- Is Vick a one hundred million dollar bust? By the way, Tell Paul Domo that a football field is only one hundred yards long, not one hundred and ten yards.— mario1239
- Is Drew Brees still the quarterback of the Saints??????— mario1239
- only way that it gets worse is if fat Andy gets fired and fat Marty becomes the new coach......don't laugh, with this ownership it could happen— your_mom_says_hi!
- The very fact that you have to ask the question, is problematic. I'll take the bait, "he's not a bust. He just cant play." I'm sure Danny is a very nice man, its really not his fault that the Eagles were dumb enough to draft a 28yr old with limited football experience, in the first round.....brilliant. But he's not alone, is Daniel T'eo Nesheim a bust? Is Brandon Graham a bust? Is Casey Matthews a bust? Is Jaquain Jarrett a bust? Is Howie Roseman a bust?— audrina
- Bust, b um.. However you want to catagorize it.. It is what it is. And you can throw jason kelse in there too but he escaped by getting his b um ash injured.— Zeru
- Take a seat Fire Boy!— MRD
- sure not Watkins fault Reid took him with Eagles first pick .. what can you expect from a 5th rd talent! This has got to be Reids last year or else .. how many mistakes can one man make and still have a job .. thank goodness he isn't a airline pilot! GO SIXERS!!!!!— bill poore
- yes. he is a bust. next question.— AndyKotite
- Let's all repeat after djack10 and make our voices heard: "it seems like everything needed to have reid lose his job is coming together quite nicely." Success!— DiggityWak
- They shold Bomb the whole roster except for McCoy, Foles, D-Jax,Maclin, Fletcher Cox, Vinny Curry, all of 2012 draft picks, Peters, Cole, Ryans, Avant, Cooper, Cullen Jenkins, Havili, Mathis, Herremanns. Then you got a team GREAT to developed even though Todd is already a Vet along with Peters— DeathPenalty94
- Howie Roseman is a GM? He is your football guy? Seriously? The owner has culpability here but only because he trusted Reid and Banner, Roseman. Watkins, Graham (who they traded up to get) may still pan out, but when you have Howie and Andy in place as your football guys it gives one pause.....— jet2012
- As long as they play Vinny Curry, I don't care what else happens. That guy deserves a chance. And I still believe Chad Hall chould have stayed. I know thats Old news but still think he would be making a positive difference right now.— mcghee19
- I'm somewhat of a draftnik, and I don't remember anyone talking about Watkins having a chronic ankle condition before or during the draft. That's the kind of thing that would drop his draft stock. I don't remember him missing any practice the last year and a half because of ankle, either. Sounds like a load of BS to me.— Only in Philly...
- i'm in a quandary, i want the eagles to make the playoffs, but i want reid out of here.— sgamble077
- Boo— Jay Grace 69
- Is Watkins a bust? Ummmm... Have you been watching? The guy should've been fighting fires in NYC, NJ instead of pretending to play football. Not sure who the bigger fool is... Reid or Watkins?— Apollo Creed
An air of arrogance permeates this organization like none other in sports. It's seriously time for change, from the top down. I have no problem with Lurie; my only gripe is that he hasn't fired Reid yet- he's given AR EVERYTHING an owner can be asked of: money, player control, you name it.
— kjuggs77- Reid has tried to be too clever with the draft and he has had some major failures. Why did the Eagles not draft a offensive lineman with one of their two 2nd round picks. Their O-line is awful.— MUADDIB
- Most NFL evaluators say you need to wait several years in order to properly grade and judge a draft pick -- so with that, as an Eagles fan, I'm going to label a player after 18 games -- because I too like to outsmart everyone -- including NFL personnel in front offices. And of course I'm led by our fearless leader Jeff McLane -- who appreciates the good controversy an irresponsible headline with garner.— Murrayman
- This team is so bad right now, that me thinks a contract extension is in order.lol— sammydelphia
- New coach cuts him....will demand more of players...and none of the o-line stays....and Babin the fraud and Coleman the dummy are gone also....and who thinks that when AR surfaces at SD that he takes, Marty, April, Washburn or Mudd.....He will drop them like a rock showing all that he made a mistake in hiring them in the first place...— nuggett
- Your the 26th overall college player taken in the draft to play in the NFL. Your fire fighting buddies are on hand with you to celebrate. You receive the customary endorsements and perks. Life is grand! You get a BRAND new full size pickup, just have to fill the tank....Danny Watkins returns the pickup truck stating "I need a small car that does good on gas" (true story by the way). Next time we see Danny, he is driving teammates around in his own FIRETRUCK. Bought and paid for by Watkins. Danny Watkins does not want to play football, he wants to play fireman. Major misfire on the eagles pre-draft intel on this guy. There is more but since I do not want to vomit you can find pictures of Danny in a Phila FF uniform yourself. Firefighting appears to catch Danny's fancy more than playing football.....not what your looking for in a No1 pick. He has his $$$ and football is a footnote for Watkins.— EyesON
- I thought the 2010 draft was the worst draft in my lifetime, but I certainly couldn't argue too strenuously against the case for the 2011 draft holding that honor. How does Howie still have a job?— Only in Philly...
With the 23rd pick in the 2011 NFL Draft: the Philadelphia Eagles select 53 year old Danny Watkins, 6 spots ahead of 21 year old Wisconsin offensive Tackle Gabe Carimi, Outland Trophy winner, unanimous All-American, and Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year.
They then move Heremans outside to tackle to make room for Watkins. The rest is history.
— EmanuelP- For those of you who are like me and appreciate the beauty of a well-designed implosion, this is going to be a classic. The only problems are the draft, time management, play calling, team desire and effort, overrated players, and coaching. On a positive note, I do believe they have $46 in cap space and tickets will be cheap on StubHub very soon.— rwolffd12
- This whole chronic injury thing smells funny to me... Though he would never admit it, I suspect Reid feels similar to how I do as a fan about this team. I'm gonna be there every Sunday to support them, but honestly I am just tired and want it to be over.— hillbillybirdsfan
- YES!!!!!— allycat1968
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