Steve Spagnuolo on Atogwe
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Steve Spagnuolo on Atogwe
Sheil Kapadia, Philly.com
Oshiomogho Atogwe's first six years in the league with the Rams were good enough to earn him a five-year, $26M deal with the Redskins last offseason.
The man who coached him for two of those seasons in St. Louis, Steve Spagnuolo, said recently that the Eagles are getting a play-making safety with great leadership qualities.
Spagnuolo, speaking to 94 WIP's Anthony Gargano and Glen Macnow, praised Atogwe for his ability to create turnovers.
"What I remember is every time he was on the football field, he was making a play," Spagnuolo said. "He has a knack for creating turnovers. You guys will see that. He’s one of those guys, and when I say this, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about, the great ones in this league can tackle and punch the ball at the same time. They do it every time they tackle. No. 20 there in Philadelphia, Brian Dawkins, used to do it all the time, right until he finished in Denver, and O.J. does the same thing. He’ll create turnovers, he’ll make plays, and more than anything, he’s a great leader.
As I mentioned yesterday, Atogwe has 25 career interceptions, fifth among active safeties. He's also forced 16 fumbles in seven NFL seasons.
However, the version of Atogwe Spagnuolo is describing is probably different from the one the Eagles signed. He turns 31 on Saturday, battled through injuries last season and made it this far into free agency without being signed.
Still, Spagnuolo thinks he can be valuable and shared a story about the Rams franchising Atogwe, saying the veteran safety is a good locker-room guy.
"Typically, when guys are franchised, they usually are not at offseason workouts, OTAs, mini-camps, etc.," Spagnuolo said. "And yet, O.J., what I remember vividly, did not miss one day, not one thing, stayed committed to the team, and that’s all you really do need to know about him. He’s all about team, he’s all about winning, he puts the team before self. How can you not want a guy like that on your football team?"
Spagnuolo talked about a variety of other topics as well. He said he's spoken with former teammates of DeMeco Ryans, who have praised the new Eagles middle linebacker for his leadership skills.
And Spagnuolo said his new middle linebacker, Curtis Lofton, reminds him of Jeremiah Trotter. He liked the comparison so much that he showed Lofton and other Saints players film of Trotter and the great Eagles' defenses from when Spagnuolo coached here.
MCCOY AT NO. 18
It looks like the Eagles will have no representation in the top 15 of the NFL Network's top 100 player rankings.
Running back LeSean McCoy appears to be the highest-rated Eagle, coming in at No. 18. He Tweeted afterward that he's shooting to be in the top five next year.
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Sheil, you and Jeff McClane are making way too much out of this signing. Colt Anderson is usually the 4th safety but he torn up his knee late last season. There's a good chance he won't be ready by the start of the season. Atogwe is now just a marginal NFL player who is being brought in to compete for the 4th safety spot. People like you are piling on Jarrett prematurely. It's not reasonable to expect Jarrett to surpass Coleman in mini-camp. The mini-camps are not real football. It's just running through drills. You can't beat out an incumbent running through drills. Wait until they get the pads before making judgment.— soulman386- Hopefully he is healthy.....we need almost anybody to upgrade that postion.....but maybe they learned how to tackle in the off season..— nuggett
- soulman I think you are wrong. OJ will be one of the starters in the secondary this year. The D needs leadership and players who can tackle. Too many whiffs and missed tackles back there last year with Allen and Coleman. B Dawk was in his 30's and still playing at a very high level. I see OJ as being a lot like B Dawk as the guy creates turnovers and can hit which is more then I've seen out of Allen and Coleman. It is a needed iimprovement— connorjr
- Easy there. Spag is just being business savvy as any other Front Office person would. Did you really expect him to say "OMG, sure glad he is not on our team anymroe". Truth is, if Atogwe is as good as Spags said he was, Rams/Skins would never have let him go.— penncrow19
- Soul man, take it easy on McLane and Kapadia. They are paid to write about the Eagles every day and there's nothing else to write about right now that won't get them criticized by posters for being too positive or shunned by the Eagles for being too negative. Nothing they've written is inaccurate. They're just trying to make it to July with what they have in front of them. I give Sheil credit for listening to WIP. That's hard to do most of the time.— calm weather
- I view the signing of Atogwe as a low risk- high reward move. If he's healthy and has not lost too much speed, his physical play and experience could be a huge asset for us at safety. They'll get a better read on him in training camp and if he doesn't have it anymore, he'll be released. There really is no risk so I think the move is great.— bradco
- Ronnie Brown Part 2— ArtieLange
- If he wasn't good enough for the lousy Redskins he sure as hell aint good enough for us.— ej610
- I dont think spags would call him a leader if he wasn't and fyi good players are "let go" every year by almost every team.After playing for the lambs then the redskins.adjusting to the east coast last year,maybe this is just what he needed to put a little bounce in his step,to play for a contender,i see comeback player of the year potential,gotta love it— greensob
- If the Deadskins were actually good at evaluating talent, they wouldn't stink!! Besides, any competition is good especially at Safety. It's not like we have Ed Reed back there or a HoF'er, so what if Jarrett gets cut, sink or swim!!— xlGmanlx
Comment removed.- I see someone hasn't been paying attention.
— phillychaos - Washed up.Nothing but a backup at best.If he starts it just proves the eagles have no safeties at all.As for comeback player of the year,you are a MORON.— sewell guy
- Played at its highest level pro football is a mental sport. Veteran defensive players know how to get into opposing QB's heads, which is exactly how a banged-up Ed Reed could still perform at such a high level these past two seasons.
Not saying Atogwe is Ed Reed material - however he has played his position at a high level and we can only wait to see if he still has it in him. Feeling good about this one! Go Eagles!!!
— Laughingaloud123 - Glad McCoy has priorities in order. To be in the top 5 ranking form the worst network ever created for television. They are all a bunch of blowhards. Just play your hardest LeSean, and do your job. Be better than last year (when you were excellent) and things will take care of themselves. Do whine like Vick (who was probably rated too high). Execute and perform, which should lead to wins, and hopefully playoff success (although with that coach and QB, that is unlikely).— homerjay99
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