NFL News & Notes- April 30th

With the NFL draft in the books it is time to turn our attention back to the weekly going ons in the league.

Nothing too Earth shattering on docket for this week but here is a look at the news & notes from the NFL as originally posted on InasecTV.com

NFL News & Notes- April 30th

NFL Final Draft Grades- NFC East

Here is a brief review of my final grades for each team in the NFC East as originally posted on InasecTV.com


NFL Final Draft Grades- NFC East

NFL Draft Impact Rookies- Quarterbacks

While do not expect anything from Eagles fourth round pick QB Mike Kafka next season other than carrying a clip board, here is a link to my top impact rookie QB's for next season as originally posted on InasecTV.com

NFL Draft Impact Rookies-Quarterbacks

2010 Philadelphia Eagles Draft Recap

#13 First Round-Brandon Graham DE Michigan

At 6'1" 263 lbs this guy was definitely not the biggest DE available, but he is probably the best pure pass rusher that was on the board.

#37 Second Round-Nate Allen S USF

After passing on Earl Thomas in the first round, the Eagles did get the third best safety in the draft in taking Allen.

#86 Third Round-Daniel Te'o-Nesheim DE Washington

This was a bit of a stretch with such a high pick, but Reid is obviously committed to improving the pass rush next season.

#105 Fourth Round-Trevard Lindley CB Kentucky

This guy was a playmaker at Kentucky as he set the record for the most interceptions in school history.

#121 Fourth Round-Keenan Clayton LB Oklahoma

He is not projected as a starter, but could end up being a situational player and a great special teamer.

#122 Fourth Round-Mike Kafka QB Northwestern

This guy will be the new #3 QB and will hopefully have Kevin Kolb looking over his shoulder in four or five years.

#125 Fourth Round-Clay Harbor TE Missouri State

This could be one of the Eagles best late round picks as Harbor is a tremendous athlete who can contribute in a number of ways.

#135 Fifth Round-Ricky Sapp DE Clemson

At 6'4" 252 lbs, look for Sapp to move to OLB as he is much better suited for that position.

#159 Fifth Round-Riley Cooper WR Florida

This guy has got the size to be a solid third down possession receiver.

#200 Sixth Round-Charles Scott RB LSU

Taken as a solid special teams player and a possible short yardage runner as he never fumbled the ball in his entire college career.

#220 Seventh Round-Jamar Chaney LB Mississippi State

He has excellent speed and coverage skills, but is undersized against the run. Another situational player who should excel on special teams.

#243 Seventh Round-Jeff Owens DT Georgia

At 6'1" 305 lbs, he can fill some holes on the line if one of the starters goes down.

#244 Seventh Round-Kurt Coleman S Ohio State

As the Eagles "Mr Irrelevant" Coleman is a special teams guy all the way.

Eagles Second Round Pick- Nate Allen

Here is a brief review of Allen that was originally posted on InasecTV in my review of the top safeties in this year's draft:

Nate Allen

Coming out of South Florida, Allen has not received the fanfare that some of these other players have, but at 6’0” 207 lbs he has proven to be a playmaker over the course of his college career. In his final season with the Bulls he recorded 85 tackles, four interceptions, and four broken pass plays. He does not have the straight line speed that teams sometimes get fixated on, but he has the ability to come in and help a defense right away. He should go sometime by the middle of the second round.

Bottom line, this is a great pick for the Birds

Check out the the full article at:

2010 NFL Draft Preview-Safety

NFL News & Notes- April 23rd

Here is a link to my thoughts on last night's first round of the 2010 NFL Draft as originally posted on InasecTV.com

As mentioned in a previous post, I do like the Eagles pick; Michigan DE Brandon Graham, as they filled one of their most immediate needs. Make sure to check back in after tonight's second and third round for further updates.

NFL News & Notes- April 23rd

Eagles First Round Pick- Brandon Graham

The Eagles just traded two third round picks to Denver to move up from #24 to #13 to take DE Brandon Graham from Michigan in an effort to bolster their pass rush which was a major weakness last season.

Many of the draft experts expected them to move up to take S Earl Thomas from Texas, but I believe they filled a more pressing need by taking Graham.

I actually had DE Jason Pierre-Paul from South Florida ranked a little bit higher, but Graham is more of a pure pass rusher who should be able to step in right away to help the Bird's defense.

Draft Expert Matt McGuire had the following comments on this guy:

Strengths:
Plays with great strength
Outstanding motor and doesn't take plays off
Elite level of production (29.5 career sacks)
Sets the edge in run support
Strong, active hands
Extends arms - knows how to disengage
Shows rip, swim, spin, club moves
Makes plays in pursuit
Knows how to set up an offensive tackle
Tough and plays through injuries
Plays with very sound technique
Quick to diagnose
Good intangibles
Great Senior Bowl week

Weaknesses:
Lacks a quick first step
Unimpressive speed and explosion
Below average height and poor arm length (30.5")
Limited athletically
Not comfortable in coverage
Stiff hips
Can he play standing up?
Might be 4-3 left defensive end only

Overall this is a solid pick and worth the two #3's to get him.

2010 NFL Draft Preview- Second Round Steals

With the NFL draft just a day away it is crunch time as 32 teams are busy putting the final touches on their 2010 plans.

With the Eagles having so many picks in the first four or five rounds (I think it is something like 10) I fully expect them to use some of them to trade up from their current spot; 24th to around 10 or 11 to grab a defensive lineman or possibly a pass rushing linebacker.

I'm not quite sure who, but creating a pass rush without always resorting to the blitz is still the biggest area of concern for this team.

As far as my continuing preview of this year's draft here is a link to my "Second Round Steals" as posted on InasecTV.com

2010 NFL Draft- First 10 Picks

Here is a link to my predictions for the first ten picks in Thursday's draft. The Eagles do not pick until 24th and right now I do not have a clue as to what direction they will go.

They just traded their fifth round pick to Denver for LB Ernie Sims so I expect they will take the best available defensive lineman, but with Reid you never know what he is likely to do.

2010 NFL Draft- First 10 Picks

NFL News & Notes- April 16th

With less than a week until the 2010 college draft much of the focus has been on each team's plan of attack to address their current needs with the picks they have.

Last year I tried to forecast what I thought the Eagles would do and I will not make that mistake again. If Andy Reid was not a NFL head coach he could make a living playing poker in Las Vegas, as few are better at holding their cards so close to their vest than he is.

It is obvious that the Bird's will focus on defense in this year's draft, but until they actually announce their picks anything is liable to happen.

Here is a link to this week's News & Notes from the NFL as originally posted on InasecTV


NFL News & Notes- April 16th

2010 NFL Draft Preview- Safety

With the 2010 NFL draft a little over a week away, here is my final installment of a position by position preview of the top college players available. This week I take a look at the safety position.

Is the next Brian Dawkins lurking out there somewhere, ready to come in and make a dramatic impact on a team's defense just like he did for the Eagles? Maybe Andy Reid and his staff will be able to sniff one out when they are on the clock next week.

2010 NFL Draft Preview- Safety

NFL 2009 Final Grades- AFC West

In the final installment of my ongoing series taking a look at the final 2009 grades for all 32 NFL teams, I turn my attention to the AFC West.

Here is a link to the review was originally posted on InasecTV.com

NFL 2009 Final Grades- AFC West

News & Notes from the NFL- April 9th

Here is a link to my News & Notes from the NFL this week. It is primarily devoted to this week's block buster trade that sent Donovan McNabb to the Redskins. A full analysis of this trade can be found in a seperate post on the blog.

News & Notes from the NFL- April 9th

My Persepective on the Donovan McNabb Trade

I have had a full five days to digest last Sunday's announcement that the Eagles had traded Donovan McNabb to the Washington Redskins. My initial reaction was not one of shock or dismay rather I would describe it as "puzzled" mainly because he went to a division rival.

The fact that the Eagles traded McNabb really should not have come as a surprise to anyone who has followed how the Eagles operate as a franchise over the past several years. At the end of the 2008 season when the two sides could not agree upon a contract extension and opted to just fatten up the final two years of McNabb's remaining contract, the hand writing was on the wall.

What sealed the deal was Kevin Kolb's performance this past season in the two games he started when McNabb was out with a concussion. All Andy Reid needed to see how well he threw the ball (85 attempts for 718 yards) and he was licking his chops as if he were at an all-you-can-eat rib joint.

I'm still not sure that Reid is the one that pulled the trigger on this deal, which brings up a whole other set of questions, but he now knew in the back of his mind that he had someone to step into his offensive system that could run it the way he wanted it run.

Another factor was McNabb's age. The Eagles are known for jettisoning players once they hit their 30's no matter what they have contributed to the team in the past. For the most part these decisions have been correct as history has shown that particular player’s best days were behind them. That all changed when they released Brian Dawkins. Last season with the Broncos he proved he had a lot left in the tank and the Eagles defense suffered tremendously in his absence. I tend to agree with their decision to release Brian Westbrook as with his health concerns he is better off retiring from the game. The jury is still out on Donovan McNabb.

I think he does have a couple of solid years left in his career and I still expect to see him end up with a Super Bowl ring somewhere along the line, but this may actually be the best move for all parties involved. Donovan gets a chance to be the center of attention with a brand new team that will constantly feed his enormous ego. The Eagles get to test their theory that they can plug a quarterback with a big arm into their system and still continue to perform at a high level.

I’m still not sure why the Eagles struck a deal with the Redskins. One conspiracy theory says it was to keep Washington from drafting one of this year’s top QB’s with their fourth overall pick. There may be some legs to this as while I am not thrilled at the prospect a facing McNabb twice a season for the next three or four years, if the Redskins would have had a shot at drafting Sam Bradford or Jimmy Clausen and they turned out to be the next coming of Peyton Manning, things could have ended up being much worse.

2010 NFL Draft Preview- Cornerbacks

In my eight installment of my position by position preview this year's NFL draft, I take a look at the top cornerbacks that are available.

With the Redskins second round draft pick that the Eagles received in the Donovan McNabb trade (I will reserve my comments on that whole situation until a later date as I have yet to fully digest the impact of this move)they could very well use it to add another CB to the roster, given the fact that they traded away Sheldon Brown.

Here is a link to my preview of a few of the best available CB's as posted on InsecTV.com

2010 NFL Draft Preview- Cornerbacks

AFC South- 2009 Final Grades

We are getting near the end of the line for the 2009 Final Grades for all 32 NFL teams. With the draft a little more than three weeks away it is time to start focusing on the new and not the old.

That being said their are still eight teams left that have not received their final grades. Here is a link to a review of the AFC South as posted on InasecTV.com

AFC South 2009 Final Grades

NFL News & Notes- April 2nd

While there are no new developments in the Donovan McNabb situation, I think it is a foregone conclusion that his playing days in Philadelphia are over.

Whether it is the right move or not, it appears that the Eagles are committed to Kevin Kolb as their new starting quarterback and are just trying to maximize McNabb's value to get as much as they can from another team. This is the unfortunate business side of the game as over the years we have seen many great players make an unceremonious exit from the team.

I will go on record right now by saying Donovan McNabb will eventually win a Super Bowl. He may not do it as a starter, but before he calls it quits he will get his ring. I wish I could say the same for Kevin Kolb, but that script has yet to be written.

I guess I can add my #5 jersey to the box that already contains a #12, #92,
#28, and #36.

Here is a link to some other news & notes from the NFL as originally posted on InasecTV.com


News & Notes from the NFL