Philadelphia Eagles 2014 Season Preview: An Interview with a Writer from PhiladelphiaEagles.com
Published by Daniel Lewis on July 28, 2014.
Rich Schultz /Getty Images
In a one-on-one interview with Tommy Lawlor, Columnist for PhiladelphiaEagles.com and Founder of ScoutsNotebook.com and IgglesBlitz.com, Lawlor and sports journalist Daniel Lewis discuss the state of the Eagles in advance of the 2014 NFL season.
The 2013 NFL season was generally a success for the Philadelphia Eagles, a team many fans expected to remain in the basement of the NFC East after a nightmare 2012 season. In fact, the Eagles began the season by losing three of their first four contests.
However, Chip Kelly was able to made his imprint on the team, coaching an offense that posted franchise records in yards gained, points, and touchdowns. Along the way, the team discovered a new franchise quarterback in Nick Foles, who rallied the team to a 10-6 record and an NFC East title despite a subpar defense.
Although the Eagles ultimately fell to the New Orleans Saints 26-24 in a close Wild Card meeting, the team may be poised to make a deeper run into the postseason this year.
Dan: Many fans (including me) were very surprised when the Eagles selected Louisville linebacker Marcus Smith with the 26th pick in the 2014 NFL Draft. What are your thoughts on him?
Tommy: I think the Eagles added a good linebacker when they drafted Marcus Smith. He can rush the passer, play the run, and even has solid cover skills. You need players like him for the 3-4. He's not great in any one area, despite leading the country in sacks per game as a senior at Louisville. Smith was able to beat blockers with athleticism for some sacks but got others due to the design of the defense. Louisville moved him around and let him attack different areas, looking for favorable matchups. Smith did earn the sacks in the sense that many players don't "finish." They get pressure, but can't get the quarterback to the ground. When Smith got into the backfield due to a well-designed blitz, he was able to seal the deal.
The only question about Smith was his draft value. Not many people had him pegged as a Top 30 target. I wrote before the draft that he could be a player the Eagles might target if they moved back in the 1st round.
"If the Eagles do move back from 22, Smith could be one of the players they hope to get. He would be an excellent fit for the defense."
Smith was better than people realize. He had a good career. He had a good showing at the Senior Bowl. He had a good Combine workout and then followed that with a good Pro Day showing. The question wasn't if he was good, but rather how good he was. The Eagles obviously felt he was worth taking at the end of the first round.
Right now he's working behind Connor Barwin at the Jack linebacker position. Smith isn't likely to push for a starting role this year, but will likely get on the field in sub-packages and on special teams. I project him to be a good starter in the future.
Dan: Do you see the Eagles’ defense as a major liability again this season? Do you think the additions of Malcolm Jenkins and Nolan Carroll in free agency and Smith and Jaylen Watkins in the draft can elevate a defense that ranked 29th in points allowed last season?
Tommy: I think calling the defense a liability is going a bit far. It certainly was the weaker unit, but also didn't have the same situation as the offense. The offense was loaded with star players and the Eagles still spent three of the first four picks on the offense. The scheme was different, but there were similarities to what Andy Reid did.
Bill Davis took a small, speedy 4-3 unit and turned it into a 3-4 defense focused on size overnight. He was given some mid-level free agents, but no real impact players. When you look at the situation like that, Davis did about what you would expect. And because of the Eagles offensive style, the defense faced more snaps than any other team in the league, which made the yardage allowed total look worse than it really was.
The defense should improve in 2014 for a few reasons. The biggest one is that this is year two and the players now know what they are doing. Bill Davis pointed out that last year players were focused on their own assignments. This season they will have a better understanding of the overall defense and how the pieces are supposed to work together.
There is also more talent on defense. Smith adds depth and athleticism at linebacker. The secondary got a big boost with the additions of Malcolm Jenkins, Nolan Carroll, and Jaylen Watkins. Jenkins is instantly the best safety on the roster. Carroll is challenging for a starting job at corner already. Watkins is good depth at corner. Chris Maragos provides depth at safety.
Dan: Do you think the return of the injured Jeremy Maclin and additions at wide receiver in the draft and Darren Sproles at running back can replace the production DeSean Jackson provided?
Tommy: Jeremy Maclin will take DeSean Jackson's starting spot. He might be able to replace Jackson's production. The Eagles aren't thinking in terms of specific numbers. Chip Kelly is focused on moving the ball and scoring points. He loses a great deep threat in Jackson. He adds a good deep threat in Maclin. Clearly there is a difference, but it isn't as if Jackson was a dominant player like Calvin Johnson that would be near impossible to replace.
If you think back to last year, the Eagles would sometimes put Jackson in the backfield and then get him the ball creatively. These situations are where Sproles comes into play. He is the kind of smaller, quicker, and elusive player that can make for tough matchups. The Eagles will get him the ball in a variety of ways, and hope he can deliver "chunk" plays so the offense isn't moving down the field five yards at a time.
The 2013 NFL season was generally a success for the Philadelphia Eagles, a team many fans expected to remain in the basement of the NFC East after a nightmare 2012 season. In fact, the Eagles began the season by losing three of their first four contests.
However, Chip Kelly was able to made his imprint on the team, coaching an offense that posted franchise records in yards gained, points, and touchdowns. Along the way, the team discovered a new franchise quarterback in Nick Foles, who rallied the team to a 10-6 record and an NFC East title despite a subpar defense.
Although the Eagles ultimately fell to the New Orleans Saints 26-24 in a close Wild Card meeting, the team may be poised to make a deeper run into the postseason this year.
Dan: Many fans (including me) were very surprised when the Eagles selected Louisville linebacker Marcus Smith with the 26th pick in the 2014 NFL Draft. What are your thoughts on him?
Tommy: I think the Eagles added a good linebacker when they drafted Marcus Smith. He can rush the passer, play the run, and even has solid cover skills. You need players like him for the 3-4. He's not great in any one area, despite leading the country in sacks per game as a senior at Louisville. Smith was able to beat blockers with athleticism for some sacks but got others due to the design of the defense. Louisville moved him around and let him attack different areas, looking for favorable matchups. Smith did earn the sacks in the sense that many players don't "finish." They get pressure, but can't get the quarterback to the ground. When Smith got into the backfield due to a well-designed blitz, he was able to seal the deal.
The only question about Smith was his draft value. Not many people had him pegged as a Top 30 target. I wrote before the draft that he could be a player the Eagles might target if they moved back in the 1st round.
"If the Eagles do move back from 22, Smith could be one of the players they hope to get. He would be an excellent fit for the defense."
Smith was better than people realize. He had a good career. He had a good showing at the Senior Bowl. He had a good Combine workout and then followed that with a good Pro Day showing. The question wasn't if he was good, but rather how good he was. The Eagles obviously felt he was worth taking at the end of the first round.
Right now he's working behind Connor Barwin at the Jack linebacker position. Smith isn't likely to push for a starting role this year, but will likely get on the field in sub-packages and on special teams. I project him to be a good starter in the future.
Dan: Do you see the Eagles’ defense as a major liability again this season? Do you think the additions of Malcolm Jenkins and Nolan Carroll in free agency and Smith and Jaylen Watkins in the draft can elevate a defense that ranked 29th in points allowed last season?
Tommy: I think calling the defense a liability is going a bit far. It certainly was the weaker unit, but also didn't have the same situation as the offense. The offense was loaded with star players and the Eagles still spent three of the first four picks on the offense. The scheme was different, but there were similarities to what Andy Reid did.
Bill Davis took a small, speedy 4-3 unit and turned it into a 3-4 defense focused on size overnight. He was given some mid-level free agents, but no real impact players. When you look at the situation like that, Davis did about what you would expect. And because of the Eagles offensive style, the defense faced more snaps than any other team in the league, which made the yardage allowed total look worse than it really was.
The defense should improve in 2014 for a few reasons. The biggest one is that this is year two and the players now know what they are doing. Bill Davis pointed out that last year players were focused on their own assignments. This season they will have a better understanding of the overall defense and how the pieces are supposed to work together.
There is also more talent on defense. Smith adds depth and athleticism at linebacker. The secondary got a big boost with the additions of Malcolm Jenkins, Nolan Carroll, and Jaylen Watkins. Jenkins is instantly the best safety on the roster. Carroll is challenging for a starting job at corner already. Watkins is good depth at corner. Chris Maragos provides depth at safety.
Dan: Do you think the return of the injured Jeremy Maclin and additions at wide receiver in the draft and Darren Sproles at running back can replace the production DeSean Jackson provided?
Tommy: Jeremy Maclin will take DeSean Jackson's starting spot. He might be able to replace Jackson's production. The Eagles aren't thinking in terms of specific numbers. Chip Kelly is focused on moving the ball and scoring points. He loses a great deep threat in Jackson. He adds a good deep threat in Maclin. Clearly there is a difference, but it isn't as if Jackson was a dominant player like Calvin Johnson that would be near impossible to replace.
If you think back to last year, the Eagles would sometimes put Jackson in the backfield and then get him the ball creatively. These situations are where Sproles comes into play. He is the kind of smaller, quicker, and elusive player that can make for tough matchups. The Eagles will get him the ball in a variety of ways, and hope he can deliver "chunk" plays so the offense isn't moving down the field five yards at a time.
Andy Lyons/Getty Images
Dan: LeSean McCoy recently said Nick Foles “has really taken a jump to really being a star.” What is your opinion of Foles? Do you see Foles as a product of a quarterback-friendly system, or do you believe he is one of the league’s premier signal callers?
Tommy: Foles is an impossible subject to define at this point. He is entering his third year and has 16 career starts. That's just not a big enough sample size to make an accurate evaluation. Based on what we've seen, Foles has been very impressive. He won't wow you with laser throws or great athleticism outside the pocket, but Foles is a good fit for the Chip Kelly system. He is smart. He makes good decisions. He is an accurate passer. He's athletic enough to run when the defense ignores him. And Foles has good pocket mobility. He's able to move around in tight spaces to buy more time or to get a different launch point.
I love what I've seen so far, but we just need to see Foles play more before we can really know just how good he is. His 2013 numbers were phenomenal. He posted the third highest QB rating in history. That's the equivalent of some young Phillies player hitting .410. Defenses will adjust to Foles. But he'll also improve and adjust. This season will give us a better feel for Foles.
Dan: What do you expect from McCoy this season? Do you think he can earn a another rushing title without Jackson opening up running lanes and with Lane Johnson’s four-game suspension?
Tommy: Kelly loves to run the ball so I would expect another big season from LeSean McCoy. That said, don't necessarily expect him to lead the league in rushing. Sproles will eat into some of his carries. Chris Polk should also get touches. McCoy will still be a workhorse and the foundation of the Eagles offense. The funny thing is that he can get better. Kelly got on him for some of his decision-making last year. There was a long run in the Detroit game, aka the Snow Bowl, that should have gone for a 70-yard touchdown. Kelly let McCoy know that the long run was nice, but it should have been even longer. Kelly will keep pushing his star runner until there aren't any yards left on the field. He wants perfection.
Dan: Nick Foles and Riley Cooper were easily last season’s major surprises. Who is your breakout candidate(s) for this Eagles squad in 2014?
Tommy: Jordan Matthews is the player to watch on offense. He has a chance to be the primary slot receiver this year, taking Jason Avant's old role. Avant didn't catch a ton of passes last year, but Matthews is bigger and faster than him. This guy is someone you want to get the ball to. Matthews is dangerous after the catch, whereas Avant wasn't.
Fletcher Cox is the breakout candidate for defense. He started slow in 2013, but finished up well. Still, he can be even better. Cox has the size and skills to be a disruptive force. He can be a playmaker. He got regular pressure last year. It would be great to see him finish more this year and come up with sacks and tackles-for-loss.
Tommy: Foles is an impossible subject to define at this point. He is entering his third year and has 16 career starts. That's just not a big enough sample size to make an accurate evaluation. Based on what we've seen, Foles has been very impressive. He won't wow you with laser throws or great athleticism outside the pocket, but Foles is a good fit for the Chip Kelly system. He is smart. He makes good decisions. He is an accurate passer. He's athletic enough to run when the defense ignores him. And Foles has good pocket mobility. He's able to move around in tight spaces to buy more time or to get a different launch point.
I love what I've seen so far, but we just need to see Foles play more before we can really know just how good he is. His 2013 numbers were phenomenal. He posted the third highest QB rating in history. That's the equivalent of some young Phillies player hitting .410. Defenses will adjust to Foles. But he'll also improve and adjust. This season will give us a better feel for Foles.
Dan: What do you expect from McCoy this season? Do you think he can earn a another rushing title without Jackson opening up running lanes and with Lane Johnson’s four-game suspension?
Tommy: Kelly loves to run the ball so I would expect another big season from LeSean McCoy. That said, don't necessarily expect him to lead the league in rushing. Sproles will eat into some of his carries. Chris Polk should also get touches. McCoy will still be a workhorse and the foundation of the Eagles offense. The funny thing is that he can get better. Kelly got on him for some of his decision-making last year. There was a long run in the Detroit game, aka the Snow Bowl, that should have gone for a 70-yard touchdown. Kelly let McCoy know that the long run was nice, but it should have been even longer. Kelly will keep pushing his star runner until there aren't any yards left on the field. He wants perfection.
Dan: Nick Foles and Riley Cooper were easily last season’s major surprises. Who is your breakout candidate(s) for this Eagles squad in 2014?
Tommy: Jordan Matthews is the player to watch on offense. He has a chance to be the primary slot receiver this year, taking Jason Avant's old role. Avant didn't catch a ton of passes last year, but Matthews is bigger and faster than him. This guy is someone you want to get the ball to. Matthews is dangerous after the catch, whereas Avant wasn't.
Fletcher Cox is the breakout candidate for defense. He started slow in 2013, but finished up well. Still, he can be even better. Cox has the size and skills to be a disruptive force. He can be a playmaker. He got regular pressure last year. It would be great to see him finish more this year and come up with sacks and tackles-for-loss.
Mitchell Leff/Getty Images
Dan: Chip Kelly had a strong case for Coach of the Year honors last season. Do you think the Eagles found someone special to lead the team? How do you feel about his decision to release Jackson?
Tommy: When it became apparent that Andy Reid was on the way out late in 2012, I began writing about coaching candidates. Chip Kelly is the coach I fell in love with because of his potential. He was bold, decisive, and innovative. He had plans. He had great energy. Kelly seemed like the kind of leader the Eagles needed to wake them from the slumber the team had fallen into.
So far, so good. Kelly has been even better than I hoped for. I think he is a truly special coach that will make his mark on the NFL. His practices, his Sports Science program, his no-huddle offense, and his playbook are already having their impact on the league. It will be fun to look back in 10 years and see what Kelly did and how he affected the NFL overall.
One of Kelly's big points is that he is trying to create the right football culture. Kelly has very specific ideas on players. He wants guys that are all-in when it comes to the game. DeSean Jackson wasn't all-in. He loves football, but also has other interests. Jackson was smaller than what Kelly wants in a receiver. Jackson's personality wasn't always an ideal fit. Kelly quickly realized that Jackson just wasn't a good overall fit. The fact he carried a hefty price tag also affected matters.
Kelly made a bold decision when the Eagles cut Jackson. You can call it dumb if you like, but to Kelly it had to be done. Jeffrey Lurie hired Kelly to come in and build the program. Lurie wanted Kelly to build his team. That was going to mean some tough choices. The thing I do like about the move is that there wasn't hesitation. The Eagles tried to find a trade partner, but no one stepped forward. Rather than keeping this mess going, the Eagles cut Jackson. End the distraction and move on. You hate to get nothing for a Pro Bowl talent, but sometimes you have to make a less-than-ideal move and focus on the players who are on the team and who will be part of the future.
Dan: No team has repeated as the NFC East champion since the Eagles last defended their division title in 2004. Do you see any other teams in the division posing a real threat to the Eagles?
Tommy: The NFC East is a mess right now. The Giants look like the second best team, but they have plenty of issues. Dallas has a terrific offense, but a dreadful defense. The Skins have a lot of potential, but Jay Gruden has plenty of issues to deal with as he starts his first head coaching gig in the NFL.
The Eagles look like the best team in a weak division.
Dan: Overall, how do you feel about the 2014 Eagles?
Tommy: Kelly has the team headed in the right direction. The Eagles probably need another set of offseason moves before they can be seen as a serious title contender, but this team will be dangerous if the offense plays like they did last year and the defense improves. The Eagles were 7-1 in the second half of the 2013 season. There is every reason to think the team can build on that and be even better.
The flip side of that is that the Eagles didn't have many injuries to deal with in 2013, and the team had a terrific turnover ratio. The question is whether those things happened randomly or were they due to Kelly's ideas on and off the field. His teams at Oregon were always very good in the turnover department (keeping the ball on offense and taking it away on defense). The Eagles avoided nagging injuries in 2013, and it sure seems like the Sports Science program played some part in that. Eagles players remarked on how fresh they felt at the end of the season, something that had not happened in previous seasons.
Time will tell if Kelly impacted these areas or not. If he did, the outlook for the future is even better.
Tommy: When it became apparent that Andy Reid was on the way out late in 2012, I began writing about coaching candidates. Chip Kelly is the coach I fell in love with because of his potential. He was bold, decisive, and innovative. He had plans. He had great energy. Kelly seemed like the kind of leader the Eagles needed to wake them from the slumber the team had fallen into.
So far, so good. Kelly has been even better than I hoped for. I think he is a truly special coach that will make his mark on the NFL. His practices, his Sports Science program, his no-huddle offense, and his playbook are already having their impact on the league. It will be fun to look back in 10 years and see what Kelly did and how he affected the NFL overall.
One of Kelly's big points is that he is trying to create the right football culture. Kelly has very specific ideas on players. He wants guys that are all-in when it comes to the game. DeSean Jackson wasn't all-in. He loves football, but also has other interests. Jackson was smaller than what Kelly wants in a receiver. Jackson's personality wasn't always an ideal fit. Kelly quickly realized that Jackson just wasn't a good overall fit. The fact he carried a hefty price tag also affected matters.
Kelly made a bold decision when the Eagles cut Jackson. You can call it dumb if you like, but to Kelly it had to be done. Jeffrey Lurie hired Kelly to come in and build the program. Lurie wanted Kelly to build his team. That was going to mean some tough choices. The thing I do like about the move is that there wasn't hesitation. The Eagles tried to find a trade partner, but no one stepped forward. Rather than keeping this mess going, the Eagles cut Jackson. End the distraction and move on. You hate to get nothing for a Pro Bowl talent, but sometimes you have to make a less-than-ideal move and focus on the players who are on the team and who will be part of the future.
Dan: No team has repeated as the NFC East champion since the Eagles last defended their division title in 2004. Do you see any other teams in the division posing a real threat to the Eagles?
Tommy: The NFC East is a mess right now. The Giants look like the second best team, but they have plenty of issues. Dallas has a terrific offense, but a dreadful defense. The Skins have a lot of potential, but Jay Gruden has plenty of issues to deal with as he starts his first head coaching gig in the NFL.
The Eagles look like the best team in a weak division.
Dan: Overall, how do you feel about the 2014 Eagles?
Tommy: Kelly has the team headed in the right direction. The Eagles probably need another set of offseason moves before they can be seen as a serious title contender, but this team will be dangerous if the offense plays like they did last year and the defense improves. The Eagles were 7-1 in the second half of the 2013 season. There is every reason to think the team can build on that and be even better.
The flip side of that is that the Eagles didn't have many injuries to deal with in 2013, and the team had a terrific turnover ratio. The question is whether those things happened randomly or were they due to Kelly's ideas on and off the field. His teams at Oregon were always very good in the turnover department (keeping the ball on offense and taking it away on defense). The Eagles avoided nagging injuries in 2013, and it sure seems like the Sports Science program played some part in that. Eagles players remarked on how fresh they felt at the end of the season, something that had not happened in previous seasons.
Time will tell if Kelly impacted these areas or not. If he did, the outlook for the future is even better.