Give head coach Andy Reid, GM Howie Roseman, team President Joe Banner and the Eagles front office credit for trading for former two-time All-Pro middle linebacker DeMeco Ryans. It was a steal by the Birds for only a fourth round pick and swapping this year’s third round pick, as you would expect they were elated in their comments following the deal.
“DeMeco is a proven Pro Bowl linebacker in this league and we’re excited to be able to plug him into the middle of our defense,” said Reid. “He’s been the signal caller and a leader on a very good Texans defense for the last several years. He’s a tough, instinctive football player and he’ll be a great fit for our team.”
“We’re thrilled to be able to add a young and productive linebacker in DeMeco Ryans,” said Roseman. “We’d like to thank [Houston general manager] Rick Smith and the Texans. Once we found out that he could be available to us in a trade, we quickly found a way to work together to produce a good outcome for both teams.”
Acquiring Ryans is a better option than signing Detroit’s Stephen Tulloch or Atlanta’s Curtis Lofton, if he’s healthy. He’s scheduled to make about $5.9 million this year. The deal will be dependent upon Ryans passing a physical for the Eagles later today.
Ryans is not only a great football player, but he’s also a great leader. There will be no question about who will be in charge of the Eagles defense. A couple of the Texans key defensive players, defensive ends J.J. Watt and Antonio Smith just happened to be on the NFL Network last night and they spoke glowingly about Ryans as a teammate and leader.
“DeMeco by far and away [is] the most respected guy on the defense, our leader”, said Watt on the NFL Network. “He’s a guy that everybody turns to especially when things are going tough. It’s tough to see him go, but at the end of the day, what can we do? He’s obviously going to go play great football for the Eagles. Now it’s time for the rest of us as a defense to step up and find a new leader and go out there and play football. We can’t do anything about that so it’s time for us to go out there and do it on our own.”
“It’s a big surprise to me”, Smith said on the NFL Network. I don’t know what is going on at this moment but DeMeco is a great 
player, a leader. He’s going to be an asset to each and every team he plays for. … Our defense is going to miss him. That’s all I can say about it. I’m not in agreeance with it.”
The timing of this deal was the key to the Eagles being able to make off like bandits.
One reason that the Texans traded Ryans was because of their salary cap problems. The Texans had a football team that was on the verge of playing for a Super Bowl. Houston was a playoff team despite losing starting quarterback Matt Schaub for the season with a foot injury.
They have now allowed Pro Bowl defensive end Mario Williams to walk in free agency and traded away a former Pro Bowler like Ryans.
In addition, they’ve lost starting offensive guard Mike Briesel to the Raiders in free agency, and released starting right tackle Eric Winston, who subsequently quickly signed a big deal with the Chiefs. Remember this offensive line helped running back Arian Foster average 142 yards per game in the playoffs. Foster ran for 1224 yards during the season regular season and Ben Tate ran for 942.
Why would you let two of your starters on that line walk unless you had serious cap problems?
Secondly, Ryans ruptured his Achilles tendon in the middle of the 2010 season. He missed the rest of that season, came back in 2011 but had the least productive season of his career.
It’s common knowledge amongst athletic trainers that the rupture of an Achilles tendon takes a full year to recover from. Ryans should be back to his old self in 2012, so the timing is great for the Eagles.
Another factor playing into the Texans decision to trade a linebacker as accomplished as Ryans for basically a fourth round pick in this year’s draft, is because they changed from a 4-3 defensive alignment to a 3-4 setup under defensive coordinator Wade Phillips.
He was sharing time with second-year linebacker Darryl Sharpton in their new 3-4 defense, which led the league. The 3-4 defense forces the inside backers to cover their gaps in the defense, unlike the 4-3 which allows the middle linebackers to use their quickness and instincts to go wherever they need to go to make tackles. You don’t have to be as instinctive to play the 3-4 as compared to a 4-3.
Most teams ask their defensive linemen to keep the middle linebackers free in the 4-3. Ryans is a quick and instinctive tackling machine who was used to some cover in the middle of a 4-3, so he could move freely and make tackles. He played very well down the stretch for the Texans in the 3-4, but he’s at his best when playing a 4-3.
Ryans will have adjustments to make in playing behind the Wide-Nine because Jim Washburn teaches his defensive line to attack the line of scrimmage and not worry about keeping the middle linebacker free. They create chaos and the backers are able to clean up what’s left. I don’t think Ryans will have much trouble making the adjustment and I expect him to flourish for the Birds.
The Eagles have plenty of reasons to be smiling today.
Great news indeed, hopefully he will b e100% healthy come OTA/CAmp time so he can hit the ground running… Ryans when Healthy is better that the other LB who were in Free-Agency in my opinion including Tulloch,Lofton and is a 3 -Down LB who plays a similar style All-Pro’s Patrick Willis & Jon Beason which is relentless and smart
The Eagles made out like bandits when they signed Ernie Sims.
The Eagles made out like bandits when they got Tekao Spikes.
The Eagles made out like bandits when they got Levon Kirkland.
Nobody in the NFL Let’s a 2 time Pro bowl linebacker go in his prime. 27 years old?
Here we go again with Torn ACL(achilles tendon) guy.
1. Get a real linebacker coach who knows this defense.
2. Draft a stud, from the SEC who will failed all his classes except football.
Also wanted for assault, but was cleared by the school adminstrators.
In other words, somebody you don’t want to met in a dark alley.
3. No weaklings that can’t shed blocks.
4. No slow guys that can’t beat maple syrup running up a hill.
5. No project guys who played defensive end in college.
Can’t wait to see the look on Andy Reid’s face when he goes limping off the field.
The Eagles need a quality linebackers coach who knows this sceme. That will help all of the linebackers to get better. If you insist on running the wide (will get run on in the playoffs) nine defense.
Remember. the Packers were a passing team with no running game when they came into lincoln financial field and ran against the Eagles. When it’s all said and done. 300lb tackles can move 250lb defensive ends out of the way.
This looks like the same deal the Saints made for Jonathan Vilma, They gave up nothing cause the Jets thought he was done from his injury, this guys injury is nothing compared to that, for those that think his injury was the reason his stats were low last year, keep in mind he only was used 58% of the time last year because of the sceme compared to 99% of the time when he played in the 4-3, we got a steal!
I am not going to complain…..Ryans replaces the garbage we had at MLB…. the guy is a proven leader and can call a defense….it fills a HUGE hole on the defense.. I still want the Eagles to take a young LB early in the draft.
So why would the Texans want to give up a 27-year-old, two-time Pro Bowl pick and Defensive Rookie of the Year?
Ryans suffered a torn Achilles in 2010 and initially was slow to recover last year. He also didn’t fit as naturally into Wade Phillips’ 3-4 defense, although Ryans played quite well at the end of the season.
NFL.COM
The Eagle doctors clears that offensive lineman last year with back problems. He was supposed to fill a need and all he did was fill his bank account.
BSM our two starting DEs are 270+. gotta be miserable being a fan like you, we got a great player and you still bitching. Just so you know, Ryans is a badass form the SEC, which were your requirements. educate yourself.
@bsmv ideos they actaully wanted him to take a pay cut and switched from a 4-3 which ryans is best at to a 3-4.. so there are a lot of variables
love the trade. now you can all but forget about them staying at 15. especially if Poe or Brockers are gone. I think this paves the way for them to draft an O-lineman after they trade down. I hope I’m incorrect..
wow bsm I guess you don’t like the trade…Tulloch resigned with the Lions and Lofton wants at LEAST $9mil a year. Lofton is not that good for that kind of money. He can’t be any worse than what we already have and he’s a full year recovered from the injury. Not to mention he’s a legit 3-down MIKE who can shed blocks and play downhill.
Look at the Texans Situation and the Talent level they still have at the LB positions OLB’s Conner Barwin, Brooks Reed and ILB Pat Cushing playing their 3-4 Scheme.. They have 2 young capable ILB’s to replace Ryans in T Dobbins, M Alxeander and will probably Draft a young MLB in this years Draft. They have the 26th Pick and could be in Line for Donta Hightower…
Texans are up against the CAp which is why they released RT Eric WInsont, Let an OG Go and of course did not purse SUper MArio and now trade Ryans and free up another $6.5 Salary.. Texans have had 3 Excellent Drafts in a row and keep adding young talent to an already good Defensive team and I would be surprised to see them select MLB D Hightower with thier 1st Round Selection which is the #26 Th Pick and the area of the 1st Round that many expect Hightower to go in the Draft…
This is a really impressive move by the Eagles front office and Coach Andy Reid. I mean in order to pull this off they had to recognize that the defensive scheme change in Houston was going to cause issues for Ryans and that he might want to leave. Speaking of Houston, how do you let go of your two best defensive player in successive weeks? That’s a big gamble for them and a steal for us. But let’s not forget, this deal only goes through if Ryans passes the physical so we really have nothing to lose. This is brilliant!
Now let’s start talking draft… I’m still making a case for Dontari Poe… yes I know other players have had great combines and didn’t make it in the league. I know all about Mike Mammula… But I don’t think Poe is Mammula… I don’t think Poe specifically had a training camp to prepare for the combine. My interest in Poe is two fold 1) at 6’3 and 350 lbs running a sub 4.9 40 is mind-blowing and if you combine that with pressing 225lbs 44 times, a very impressive vertical and broad jump as well as impressive shuttle drills, you come up with a guy who is exceptionally fast, strong, and explosive. You can’t ask for more in a DT. 2) If The Eagles get him he’ll be playing along side three all pro defensive linemen and he’ll be taught by one of the best in the business in Washburn. Poe is versatile so he can go from a 3-4 to a 4-3 (which I actually think will be better for him) and succeed. He can do for Ryans what Siragosa did for Ray Lewis and what Gnata is doing for him now.
I think Poe is worth the 15th pick.
I don’t believe Poe and Brockers are good fits for Washburn’s Scheme..
He likes his DL long and lean and explosive to get into the backfield.. With Dixon & Patterson, Jenkins locks for the DT spot, I would think they would go after a DT who can be a little more versatile and move out to DE spot on occasion (Like Jenkins can) to allow for more versatility from the entire DL Group… Players like Fletcher Cox and Devon Still probably have this ability to play inside and outside which I believe gives them the edge over Poe & Brockers who are more traditional DT’s and both could very well be 1-year wonders and I would stay clear of both of them …
I swear that some of you guys wouldnt be happy if we got Patrick Willis.
Must be sad to lead such a miserable life.
Bravo…Excellent move, Ryans is an experienced young addition to the LB group This move = Improvement…..Good job by the front office.
Do some homework B-vids and the rest of you clowns who think this move is suspect.
2 Pro-bowls and Rook D-MVP….who cares he had an injury…FYI-wtf DOESNT HAVE AN INJURY IN THE LEAGUE?
He bounced back from it and he DOES NOT fit there scheme any longer.He had several open field tackles on Ray Rice in that p-off game last year. He is a fiery leader.He’s fine…healthy and a whole season removed from a nasty injury.
Every linebacker on your B-vids list doesnt even compare….your like a teenager….saying ish just to say it.Comment with some substance.
Another thing to keep in mind about the Draft and Eagles trying to trade down..
After the Top 6-8 Picks of so, the remaining board is about a toss-up talent wise and there is not much difference in the talent level of players between the Picks between #10 thru #30 so many team will be trying to trade down which will make it more difficult to actually do so.. The Eagles may want to look a potential trading Partner for that #15 Pick to a Team that has no 1st Round Pick like the Raiders,Falcons & Saints for maybe a 2nd Round Pick in 2012 Season and a 1st Rounder for the 2013 Draft… There are 3 teams with 2 Selections each in the First round
Browns have the 4th & 22nd Pick (Biggest needs – QB,RB,WR,CB,TE)
Bengals have the 17th & 21st Pick (Biggest needs, OL,RB,CB,DT,LB)
Pats have the 27th & 31st Pick (Biggest needs DE,OL,OLB,Safety)
Temas with no 1st Round Selection
Raiders – Biggest Needs OL,WR,TE,DE,OLB,CB
Falcons – Biggest Needs OL, DE,LB,TE, RB,Safety
Saints – Biggest Needs DT,LB,CB,Safety and OL (and who knows what Draft picks they may have to forfeit with the Bounty Gate Scandal so they may be desperate and ioverpay for a highg Draft pick if they are allowed to do so..)
A couple of potential Trade Scenario’s that I like
-Eagles Send #15th pick and DE Darryl Tapp to Patriots for their #27 & #31
-Eagles Send their #15th Pick and 3rd Round Pick and CB Samuel or DCR to the Browns for their #4 Oveall Pick (of course, Samuel would have to agree to restructure of his contract with any potential trade partner)
-Eagles Sent their #15th Pick for the Browns #22nd and a 3rd Rounder (68th Overall) which may be the best deal..
-Eagles Send their #15th Pick and CB Samuel or DCR for the Bengals for their #17th & 21st Selections
– Eagles send their #15th Pick to the Bengals for their #21st Pick and a 3rd Rounder (approx 85th Selection)
– Eagles Trade their #15 Selection to the Raiders for their 2012 2nd Rounder (#46th Overall) and 3rd Rounder (#82nd pick) and Raiders 2013 1st Round PIck
I would stay away trading a 15th Pick to the Falcons or Saints so as not to help them improve their Roster unless they bowled me over with a trade package that was just too good to turn down..
Lots of options and should be fun to see how it plays out ..
Even I love this move. Come on BSM, all of the reasons were given in G’s article, why he was available. Be happy for once, for Christ’s sake! We lost NOTHING OF SIGNIFICANCE, & he is better than our entire corp put together. We are responsible for ZERO, bonus $$$ & basically his contract is non-guaranteed. If he doesn’t workout, we release him. It’s low risk-high reward deal. IMHO, we will still draft 2 LB’s & get either a WILL, or SAM in FA. It’s starting to get interesting, & I am really getting jazzed for the draft now.
I don’t want the Eagles going anywhere near an o-lineman in the first round of the draft. I think this solidifies their decision to go DT in round one. Keep in mind that our d line is aging very quickly. I’d like to see them draft another LB in the 2nd round.
Check this out. Here’s my plan with DeMeco now in the fold. Cut Clayton and Jordan and draft the best SLB you can find in the draft, Upshaw (better for 3-4) or Ronnell Lewis…. or draft my boy Burfict in the 3rd and put him under Ryan’s tutelage or throw him out there at Strong-Side.
We’re looking at Rolle – Ryans – Chaney right now
(Matthews) (Chaney) (Fokou)
Here are 10 Players that are Rated between the #10 thru #20 best Prospect by NFL DraftScouts.Com that the Eagles will most liklely be considering with their #15 Selection based on who drops or who moves up over the next month
#10) DT M Brockers (LSU 6-6 322lbs- Red Shirt Sophomore, very young)
#11) QB R Tannehill (Texas A&M 6-4 221lbs- probably goes to Dolphins)
#12) DT D Poe (Memphis 6-4 346lbs-great combine,didnt dominate on tape)
#13) OG D DeCastro (Stanford 6-5 315lbs- Best Guard in the Draft)
#14) MLB L Kuechley (Boston COllege 6-3 242lbs-Best MLB in Draft)
#15) DT F Cox (Miss St 6-4 298lbs- Vesatile,Good 3 years in tough SEC)
#16) WR M Floyd (Notre DAme 6-3 220lbs- Great workouts, Size & Speed)
#17) CB D Kirkpatrick (Aabama 6-2 186lbs- physical, more of a slot CB)
#18) OT J Martin (Stanford 6-5 312lbs- Projects as RT in NFL,good upside)
#19) WR K Wright (Baylor 5-10 196lbs- great College Career, Rebounded well with very good workouts at his Pro Day after disappointing Indy Combine)
#20) DE Whitney Mercilus (Illinois 6-4 261lbs- Huge upside and reminds many of a Aldon Smith type who the 49ers 1st Round Pick in last years Draft and to some even like a JPP…)
I think with the Eagles locking up Mathis & Herremans long term, I can’t see them using a 1st round Pick in what is a pretty average Class of OL to begin with. Now if Mathis moved elsewhere, I could envision the Eagles selecting OG DeCastro just because he’s a great prospect and you could plug him as starter from Day 1 to replace Match, but now they Eagles don’t have to worry about that and have added Mike Gibson, Zane Taylor, E Vallos and have last years pick J Vandervelde on hand to compete for depth at G/C Spots…
This Draft is probably deepest at the DT,WR,CB and OLB Postions but is not very Deep at DE, MLB, Safety positions and I think the Eagles can get a quality DT with one of their 2nd Round Selections ( like Kendall Reyes or Brandon Thompson) and therefor do not have to use a 1st Rounder to get a good DT which leaves DE and WR in my opinion
I believe the Eagles may surprise and select DE Whitney Mercilus or WR Michael Floyd for Coach AR just loves his DE”S & WR’s. DE Mercilus gives the Eagles a DE with big upside for the Future to also protect against the disappointment of Brandon Graham who honestly, is in a make or break it type of Season with the Eagles .. Remember that DE’s Cole, Babin are over 30 years old.. Floyd would be an interesting pick for he provides the Size to be able to be a really good Red-Zone Target fot years to come, he also has Return Abilitiy and Experience and still has that outside speed to get open against NFL CB’s… he needs to improve his Route Running (as all COllege WR’s do), probably work on his strength and could be a great 4th/5th WR for 2012 but quickly move up the charts by 2013 & 2014 and really be a solid #2 WR for years to come… remember that Jeremy MAclin is coming into a COntract Year after the 2012 Season and It seems the Eagles in general really lied how he’s performed and would want to keep him, but who knows what happens a year from now, Maybe he gets injured or that illness the had pops back up, or maybe he wants a monster Contract that the Eagles just don’t think he’s worth .. You have to plan for things and having multiple talented DE’s and WR’s on your roster is a must in today’s NFL
Should be fun to watch but my $$$ is on DE Mercilus, then WR Floyd with the 15th Selection..
What is the possibility we send Asante and Chaney to Chi for Briggs and maybe a 3rd?
**correction** should have been “the Eagles have liked what Maclin has produced thus far as an Eagle” carry on..
Boyer – putting Burfict out there at strong side is more dangerous than Cullen Jenkins gently picking up an opposing RB with the ball in his hands and giving him a gentle piggy back ride to the endzone. Burfict is what the scouts and analysts call a shitty LB who can’t cover and misses tackles more than he makes them…I also think Clayton and Jordan are better than Fokou. We’ll see how the backups work out… but who knows, there are more FAs out there…. and much better draft picks than Burfict
I do like the fact that he’s vocal and will dig in guys if they’re not pulling their weight. But, I’ll stay reserved until he plays.
That injury could be an issue and we know how injured guys the Eagles pick up pans out. Not one panned out. NOT ONE
Deasr – tempting I’m sure, but Chicago runs a D that specifically requires press coverage from the corners. They’d have no interest in Asante from a purely football standpoint, let alone contract.
Love this move. This guy is a stud and so what he got hurt. BS please name one significant player in the nfl that’s played four years or more with no injuries. You’re living in a fantasy world. Btw Ryan’s is from Alabama which last I remember is in the SEC. The Texans have cap problems, a new defense and young up and coming replacements for him. What part don’t you understand. I guess u think Mario Williams is a bum too because they let him go too?
Are people still on here talking about Burfict? Really? Really? No no….really?
It’s very unlikely Deasr though I do believe the bears would entertain trades scenarios for Briggs but not for CB Samuel. Lovie Smith’s and the Bearr’s Defensive schemes has their CB’s play mostly a press-man to man coverage and this is not Samuels strength.
I think Samuels fits well with Vikings,Panthers and TB Bucs as far as scheme wise… The Vikings desperately need a play-making CB playing the PAckers,Lions and now Bears with Brandon Marshall twice and may feel compelled to overpay for a quality CB.. The PAnthers could use a CB but are close in cap $$$ and would have to release a couple of players to make room for his salary unless Samuel was willing to re-structure his deal to re-unite with DC mcDermott which Samuel had some very good seasons playing for..
Tampa Bay has $$ under the Cap and brought in Eric Wright as a Free-Agent but again could use another CB since R Barber is probably going to retire and their other starting CB A Talib is probably going to jail from a shooting trial in a which a person died in Texas from over a year ago that is supposed to start Trial this summer so who knows Talib’s status and Samuel also lives year around down in the Sarasota/Tampa area
I would not be all that surprised if the Eagles end up keeping Samuel and end up Dealing DCR who is younger, cheaper and has more upside at this stage of his career then an aging Samuel does.. But AR loves Samuel and always has so it will be interesting to see how this plays out and is an important decision affecting this 21012 Eagle Roster but potenitally the CB position for the next few Seasons and we all know that stability as a CB tandem is huge in the NFL and when you look at the top Teams, it ways seems they have a CB tandem who have played together and feed off of each other.. Can Asmo & DCR be that Tandem for the next 5 Years, It”s very likely.. We all know that Samuel probably has 2 very Solid Seasons left in his knees.. I go with Asmo and DCR myself and then start grooming the young ones as back-ups (Hughes & Marsh and maybe T Lindley takes over for Hanson as the Slot CB which is where he seems much more comfortable than playing on the outside)
Songs — Mike Vick has STAYED injured and the Eagles picked him up. Is that how you feel about Vick now?
Just a thought. He would be worth it for 2 years and Briggs Ryans Rolle hello nasty
Paulman, I love this one, my absolute favorite:
“-Eagles Send their #15th Pick and CB Samuel or DCR for the Bengals for their #17th & 21st Selections”
I would do that in a heartbeat.
I also find it hard to believe some of you are still on Burfict’s bandwagon. I’m amazed how you can be unsure or down on a proven player like Ryans who is two years removed from his injury yet remain a fan of a lazy idiot who choked not once but twice during the two biggest moments of his life. You would really rather have a guy like that over a two time pro bowler and former ROY? Truly amazing smh…..
Birdo…..an ACL or Achilles tear is different compared to the injury’s Vick experienced.
you can’t run without legs.
On another note….We can now set our sight on Dontari Poe for this upcoming draft.
I’ll also take Burfict if he slips past the 2nd round which would really give us a beast for the future.
Songs, we may be able to get him in the 6th
Even after this trade I still say they need to draft a LB in round 1. I wonder if they can get their hands on Upshaw? Even Luke would be a good pick, he could possibly play outside. Like paulman said there are plenty of quality DTs out there and one could be had in the second. This trade opens up a lot of options for the eagles. Draft day should be really interesting!
D. Tapp is the new Parker for Paulman- expect to see his name in every trade prop fro the next 3 years. haha.
LOVE THIS MOVE. here is why……..
1) the man is a leader. A LEADER. something we did not have enough of last year. but but but but…… hes a first year guy,,,,, they cant be leaders…….. i actually agree but but but but but……… Almost the entire D is made up of 2nd year guys. Guys that are still new to philly. My friends….. they did it. They have built a solid core of Vocal, BUT POSITIVE (im eyeballong you asam) guys to lead this D. Jenkins leads our D line. Nnamdi Leads our CB’s, RYANS the LB capt and perhaps the capt of the D.
2) This dude can ball. He’s aggresive, makes tackles. Ill say that again but its BIG…. the man MAKES TACKLES!!!
Im telling you guys…… he has swag and he will chew out anyone who does the rollercoaster this year- (the roller coaster is when guys like DRC throw their habds up in anger WHILE THEY PLAY IS STILL GOING.
Im not going to lie….. i want to see what Mathews can do now. Im rooting for the guy. Let him learn from a Vet like our new starting MLB.
paulman you have more information in this thread than the average fan assimilates in a year, do you work, go to the gym, take care of business with the ladies, there is more to life than gcobb as much as we appreciate the vast amount of info you provide
I think we can sign Burfict as an undrafted free agent.
Maybe Demeco Ryans can teach Juan Castilllo about NFL Linebackering and NFL Defense since Juan has no clue ————-
Burfict is the next Ernie Sims in my opinion.. HE probably falls to the 4th Round and maybe doesn’t even make a squad.. It takes a lot more than pure talent (which he does have) to be able to make a NFL Roster and contribute..
4th quarter leads — can Juan Castillo protect them this coming season against playoff teams? what else does Juan need to hold onto victories in the 4th quarter? A cornerback? A safety? A Defensive Tackle?
DeMeco Ryans is one of about 6 new starters needed to rebuild this defense into a successful playoff winner.
Burfict is the next Maurice Clarett or Brian Bosworth ——All talk no game
Deasr….I don’t care where we get Burfict. He have the attitude that’s needed on the defensive side and would be an improvement from what we’ve become accustomed to.
I don’t ever want to hear Eagles fans shooting down a linebacker after the likes of Bradley, Gocong, Matt McCoy, Casey Matthew, Jordan, Clayton..etc.
Now, guys are claiming Burfict wouldn’t be better than what our front office have evaluated?
Speaking of Clayton, he’s probably the best safety we have on the team playing a situational linebacker position.
Yes, he played Safety in his Sophomore year.
Bring Burfict in and coach him up and we’ll have the linebacker issue solved for years to come.
Paste it…..when Keuchly is a damn bust working on his farm, Burfict will be making an impact in the NFL.
I stated this last off-season and will say so again..
If I am the Eagles I try to see if I can convert LB K Clayton to Strong Safety
He’s 6-1 229lbs and can fly and tackles well and actually was recruited as a SAfety from High School when he first went to Oklahoma.. I am not sure he can pass-denfense on the deep routes and maybe take him off the field in obviouls passing situations, but I think he could the Eagles best option playing down in the Box on running downs and covering TE’s and then let FS Nate Allen play the deep centerfield postion as the last line of Defense
I don’t beleive Clayton will make the team at LB for he does not have the strength at the point of attack to take on and shed bigger O/Lineman but as a roving Strong Safety, I believe he can utilize his speed to get to the holes and open spaces and make some plays and has the athleticism to cover most TE’s better than anyone else currently on the Eagles Squad from a LB/SS Position.. plus he could be an aweson BLitzer from the down in the Box position for this is an area he is very explosive at and probably not utilized enough in doing since the Eagles haven’t blitzed as much the last couple of season..
anyone else have thoughts on this…
where is jon hart with the FA signings? This doesn’t count because it was a trade
Wow Songs and I agree about Clayton being a better Safety…Who would have thunk……
I believe Kuechley is the next Zach Thomas and will have a very good 8-10 Year Career and possible Pro-Bowls if he gets with the right team
John Hart is picking up Songs from the Airport who canceled his flight to Phoenix who was going to Coach Up Burfict, since the Eagles solved their MLB Problem…
Draft Kuechley and have him play strong or weak and then move him inside if something happens to Ryans.
I still really like rolle on the weak side. I think he is like a little pinball. I love his aggression and attitude.