Tapp says he will play opposite Cole
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Tapp says he will play opposite Cole
Les Bowen
Darryl Tapp was in town today to complete the trade that brought him from the Seattle Seahawks for Chris Clemons and a fourth-round pick. He passed his physical, making the deal official and he then signed a 3-year deal with the Eagles.
Tapp said that coach Andy Reid has told him he will play left end, opposite Trent Cole.
"I think I'm an every down end," said Tapp, who will wear Clemons' old No. 91 jersey.
"I’m prepared to come in here and work my way up and push myself to a starting role."
Tapp said he had not yet had a chance to talk to defensive coordinator Sean McDermott, who is out of town.
Tapp chuckled when reminded of what has become his claim to fame -- Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers' claim that Tapp bit him on the forearm last Oct. 12 when the Pack played the Seahawks.
"He said I bit him, through my facemask and my mouthguard, and left a bruise that lasted 2 months," Tapp said.
Tapp said he had re-enacted the scene with a Seattle TV reporter, who courageously offered up his forearm, which Tapp was unable to bite with force.
If Johnnie Cochran were still with us, he might assert: "If it doesn't leave a bruise, you must not accuse."
Tapp also said he has talked to Eagles fullback Leonard Weaver, a former teammate with the Seahawks.
“I have talked to big brother Leonard. Leonard was with me in Seattle and I definitely shadowed him a lot," Tapp said. "He’s a wise guy, great player and even a better person. He told me that Philadelphia is an awesome place to be. We’ve got great fans, they follow you through thick and thin, they want you to come out here and work and do what you need to do and they’ll be right behind you. He said, ‘You’re going to have a blast out here.’ Coach Reid and it’s a top-notch organization and it’ll be a special thing to be a part of.”
Tapp described his opportunity with the Eagles as a fresh start.
“It’s a new city, I’m going to have a new number. So, I’m ready to continue to go forward," he said. "Those things that I’ve learned the first four years in the league, I’ll use those things and grow from it.”
I live in Seattle. Tapp was one of the favorite player here. He has much upside. Last season he didn't start because he didn't fit the new scheme as the story was put out. When he was on the field he was clearly the best pass rusher. It was maddening.— soulman386- With the market being what it is for pass rushing ends he was probably the best one that was still out there and his cost was reasonablealthough i never like giving up picks.He will see that Philly is a great place to play if you play like you should be on the field and the blitzing scheems should get the most out of his talents.Welcome to Philly D. Tapp.— DOSTER
- Tapp may turn out to be huge acquisition. The release of Juqua Parker may be imminent. They may move Chris Gocong back to D-line as a rotational DE pass rusher to take Chris Clemons' role.— soulman386
- I used to see Tapp play when he was at Virginia Tech. I still remember the play when he got to the quarterback even as he was facemasked the whole time. Great drive this guy has, Trust me Philly fans, he will do fine opposite Cole. Plus don't read into his stats too much. Seattle has been going through coaching changes and system changes, so he was always off balance trying to adjust to this weeks system. He will fine in Philly where we have solid systems in place with solid coaches...Too bad McNabb won't be going to Seattle now. They just traded for Whitehurst. The window is closing apparently. I was looking forward to a year without McNabb and some good picks on defense in his place— crohnkiller
- and once again its time to wait and see. and i think this means the eagles don't draft an end early this year.— sasquatches
- New Eagles Menu: Cole on a roll and a left end on tapp. Works for me— mick314
- It would be real nice to see Earl Thomas start to slide and get him to play centerfield and free up Mikell to play closer to the line, but really think AR won't see anything he likes at 24, trade down, pick up extra picks, take Weatherspoon late 1st, early 2nd, and go OL and S into the fourth round picks.— Bleue
- "We've got great fans, they follow you through thick and thin...they'll be right behind you." Tapp obviously doesn't look at this blog site. Yeah, they'll be right behind you to throw you out the door when you only rack up over 3,000 yards passing and 20 TD's when your offensive line blows. Great fans in Philly. Great fans.— dr.elektrika
- Good signing, certainly can't look at the numbers. When was the last time Seattle had a good defense? High motor and a desire to succeed. He has the 2 things Peppers doesn't have.— bobf876
Comment removed.- Bleue, Earl Thomas would be a coup to get in the first round. I do like Sean Witherspoon, though, and think he can be that guy they've been missing since, well, Stew Bradley. Tapp sounds like a guy with some personality. Much needed on this team.— beegal99
dr.elektrika - WILL YOU SHUT UP WITH THE NEGATIVITY! god, people are excite about this guy, he's excited to play for the birds, shut it up or go jump on the cowgirls bandwagon, WE DON'T NEED YOU!
Now we just need to get Patterson or Bunkley to drive to the backfield. Having Tapp and Cole with enough push from the middle means that teams will have to keep they're TE in. This eases the TE coverage problem to an extent. Now, if they could get a Will LB, they could focus on drafting a traditional Safety. I saw some film of Tapp...Think of Cole with another 20-30 lbs. Good move.- "....Philadelphia is an awesome place to be. We’ve got great fans, they follow you through thick and thin". Wait till he gets load of NEGADELPHIA NATION. I personally think he was a good pickup but if he doesn't gets 20+ sacks and this team doesn't go 16-0 with a Lombardi Trophy then NEGADELPHIA NATION will tear him a new one.— Nothing but the truth
- rbecker1963 I agree with you. Football is about exploiting matchups and the Eagles were duct taping the entire right side of the defense. Not only was the coverage on TE lacking but opposing teams had no need to keep their TE on the line due to the limited pass rushing abilities from that side. Opposing teams could send their TE on a passing route on every dropback. I hope now they allow the 2 tackles to pass rush and stop the run going to the QB. Patterson is a solid player and Bunkley has way too much talent to be used as a "mush rush" DT.— Nothing but the truth
