Current Status: The safety position has become a dark cloud for this franchise since they allowed Brian Dawkins to sign with Denver. Last season was another disappointing and failing effort from such an important part of a team defense.
The Eagles signed two former starters in free agency with only Patrick Chung making the roster. They drafted Earl Wolff in the fifth round and had returning veterans Nate Allen, Kurt Coleman and Colt Anderson.
The end result was one we know all too well.
Patrick Chung– The former Oregon Duck was supposed to provide some familiarity for his old coach and show the Patriots they let a good player walk. When healthy Chung was a mess, out of position, missing tackles and looked slow. His tenure in Philadelphia should be a one and done.
Nate Allen– The former “McNabb” pick was “better” and was less of a risk but provided little reward over the course of the season. Allen is average across the board, his work ethic and personality is appreciated by the coaching staff, but his skill set only gets him so far. He is a free agent, and is borderline “starter” worthy in this league. Allen provides depth in schemes; can play special teams and is a hard worker. If he signs elsewhere, it will be another wasted second round pick for the Eagles, but it is time to move on from “average” safeties.
Earl Wolff-When healthy, Wolff showed some nice skills on the football field. He is a sound tackler and hits hard, not the biggest or the fastest but can hold his own. The question of whether he can start at this level still remains to be seen. His overall play in “comparison” to what our other 2013 safeties produced could very well overate what his talent was; but he will be given every opportunity to win a starting safety spot for the 2014 season.
Coleman & Anderson– Special teams players. Both players provided no relief for the coaching staff as replacements to start at the safety position. Their time in Philadelphia has to be over.
Moving Forward– It’s been long enough, the Eagles have to get it right. They need to draft a safety in the first two rounds and sign/trade for a minimum of two guys who have started in this league and have been successful at their job.
If they are looking at tier 2 and tier 3 players, there are names that can certainly come in and help. There are the athletic type like Malcom Jenkins and guys who need a change of scenery in DeCoud and Clemons.
Two top safeties in Clinton-Dix and Pryor who may or may not be available for the Eagles to draft when they select at pick #22. If they will not sign a Byrd, Ward or Whitner, will they consider making a trade to ensure they got Clinton-Dix?
The Eagles need to make what has been a distasteful topic to swallow in regards to the safety position one that commands respect, impacts the football game and strikes fear in opposing players coming over the middle of the football field.
It’s amazing that the Eagles still haven’t found a stud safety. This has got to be our year when they get it right. Byrd, Ward, Ha Ha Dix, or Pryor, I just want a stud safety on board.
DMAN, they have no excuse this year, with Byrd & Ward not being Franchised, & Whitner, Clemens, Ihedigbo, Jenkins, & on a lesser note, Mitchell, & Delmas, out there. They must come away this off-season with either Byrd, or Ward. They have plenty of $$$ & cap space. I don’t want to hear any BS, & crying poor mouth by Weaselman!
A safety corps of Byrd, & Pryor, or Dix, & Ward, with Wolff, Major Wright as BU’s & another young safety, would be fantastic.
or Malcolm Jenkins, and Jarius Byrd, with Pryor, and Buchannon as backups
I don’t understand why people even mention Earl Wolfe’s name as an option to start at Safety – He is strictly special teams….
gmc, why, because he ain’t going anywhere, after a rookie season. You know he’s going to be given a spot to compete? I think he’s soft, & I don’t think he’s anything special, but that’s what’s going to happen. BTW, How are we going to get Byrd, Jenkins, Pryor & Buchannon? Do you honestly think we are going to spend that much FA $$$$ on Byrd, AND Jenkins, then use both of our 1st 2 picks on Pryor, & Buchannon? Dude, I love ya eye for talent bruh, but you need to be a little more realistic. That ain’t happening.
If the Eagles sign either Byrd or Ward in free agency, then i see the Eagles looking at DB help in the draft. I don’t think Pryor or Ha Ha Dix will be available at #22. Justin Gilbert, Darqueze Dennard, or even Bradley Roby would be nice at #22. Or the Eagles can take someone like DT Ra’shede Hageman (who Is gonna be a stud) or DE Kony Ealy. Then if a player like CB Kyle Fuller or CB Jason Verrett are still available in the early 2nd round, trade up and take one of these guys. But I still say take the best player available, regardless of the position..
Sounds okay to me.
Justin Gilbert and Kony Ealy will likely be long gone by the time the Eagles draft at 22. Also, if the best player available is a QB or RB, then they would be foolish to take them.
Ealy may be there btc
My wish lost would be this
Sign Free-Agent as Starting Strong a Safety
Draft Calvin Pryor at #22 as he becomes Startibg Free Safety from Day 1
Then Draft Safties Isiah Lewis (Mich State)
Or Dontae Johnson (NC State) in the 5th Round
Making a Safety Corps of
Ward/Pryor as Starters
With Wolff & one of the 5th Rounders as Back-Ups
As your 4 Safeties on the Roster
Maybe bring Colt Anderson or some undrafted
Safeties in Camp as a Special Teamer/5th Safety
I rather go with 6 CB’s & 4 Safeties on the final 53 Man Roster
A dark horse move could be Drafting a big CB
Like Baptiste or Gill in the 3rd and converting either
One as a Safety for 2 years down the Road
I like mixing Ward with Prior and then they are set at S.
Ward & Pryor are both SS. Not happening bugs.
I believe Eagkes need to sign a Veteran Free-Agent
strong Safety like award over Byrd who is a Free Safety
If Ward doesn’t work out, then other a Strong Safeties I would pursue
For a short-term (2-3 year Stop gap)
Would be Bethea,Mitchell or Whitner and still go with my Draft Plan to develop one of this 5th Selections as a future a Strong Safety
For down the road
2 Oregon Ducks out there in free agency –
FS Jarius Byrd
SS TJ Ward
Are the Eagles looking to buy a strong Safety:
( Ward, Whitner)
or Are the Eagles looking to buy a Free Safety:
( Byrd, Jenkins)
I am not sure Delmas, Clemons, Mitchel, Wright, or Bethea are better than Nate Allen. There is a lot of real estate the Eagle safeties are responsible for because Demeco Ryans has no range. Mike Mitchell’s area responsibility will double to what Kuechly covers compared to Demeco Ryans.
I believe the Eagles need to Sign a Veteran “Strong Safety in Free-Agency for the Following 2 Reasons
1) Strong Safety is a more Physcial & Complex Position to play than “Free-Safety” and often the Strong Safety is calling the plays,formations,coverages for the entire Secondary so you want an experienced player calling those shots
2) This 2014 Draft has more highly rated “Free-Safeties” as oposed to “Strong Safeties” as more and more College Programs are now passing teh Ball, better Safeties are being prepared for pass-coverages,etc,etc more than lets say 10-15 years ago where Safety’s were prepared more as small LB’s to lay the wood.. Free-Safeties of today’s NFL need to be prepared just like CB’s are with good hips, abilitity to turn,change directions, back pedal and make plays with th Ball in the Air
A combo of TJ Ward at Strong Safety and 1st Round Pick (#22) Pick Calvin Pryor at Free-Safety would be a excellent tandem not only for 2013 but for next 4-5 Seasons at the Safety Position that the Eagles haven’t had in Years since Since Dawkins earlier Days…
Paulman, you just sold me on Ward. He’ll also come a bit cheaper and with less injury concerns.
I stay away from Jarius Byrd with his Foot Issues (Plantar something or another) sometimes these Foot injuries just never seem to heal 100% or properly and If I am spending $40-$0 Million on a PLayer, I want to be 100% sure that the Player has no lingering injury issues that could come back to limit his play or effectiveness..
I never trust serious injuries to a foot of an athlete, for its the base on which they either can or cannot perform with..
Like you said about Demeco Ryans right? You speak in circles and rarely hit on anything, give it up
Like you said Ward is a better fit when hes a in the box type of safety with no coverage ability, he just hits..
Byrd Is a better fit all around, and he doesn’t have lingering injury issues, he played 11 games this past yr, the last time he didn’t play all 16 games was in 2009 playing 14 and he had 9 ints that yr as a rookie.
Lay off the “injury prone” line you’ve been spewing on here all because everyone wants Byrd and you gotta be captain contrary
Jeremy Maclin is injury prone but you and many others wanted him back. Get outta here
There’s a big difference on what I would do about what I think the Eagles will do which sometimes may sound goofy or like I am posting in Circles.. but it’s what it is….
For Example on LB D Ryans
I would have Cut Ryans last year and drafted his replacement last Draft, but that’s me.. I also would have put M Kendricks at OLB
and gotten bigger in the inside
Now that’s not what the Eagles did of course, but what I would do and now fast forward to 2014, I would still move Kendricks to the Outside and Draft another Inside LB to replace Ryans come 2015
Will the Eagles do this, probably not, should they do this, I believe they should.. for Kendricks can be a bigger playmaker from the OUtsdie whether its pass-rushing, penetrated the backfield on runs but it would utilize his greatest asset, which is his speed moving in forward.. Think of a OLB Clay Matthews. when watchin him play, he does one thing very well, and that’s rush stright in from various positions and alignment but get to the ball, the RB or QB in the backfield.. When watchign Matthews drop back in pass-coverage, it’s a joke, he has little lateral, backing up speed and never seems to know where the ball is in relation to the receiver… Now line up Matthes to get to the backfield, (QB & REB) where he’s eploding and coming right in and he’s a bear to block to to keep out of backfield..
I belive Kendricks is similatr, have him rush in standing up, left side, righ side, up the gut, etc,etc and he could probably be that 10-12-14 Sack a Season LB that the Eagles desperatley need…
Both Kendricks & Ryans are not very good in Pass Protection and the Eagles Draft need to address the middle of this Eagle Defense starting with DT/NT, Inside LB and Safety this Off-Season which is exactly what I think they will do… time will tell
paul, how many more times do I have to tell you, that Byrd’s foot problems, were BS, & are not a concern. He played up the injuries, because he did not want to be in Buffalo. They forced the Franchise tag on him for the second time last year, after promising they wouldn’t. They are an NFL purgatory team, in weather hell this time of the year. He is the best FS in the league, & we should go all out to sign him, & we don’t we will regret it. I love Ward too, but he is not good in coverage, & is an in the box SS. We need coverage, ball hawks 1st, & Byrd does both.
paul, Pryor is a SS, not a FS.
I agree with you guys. There is no excuse this year!! At all!! They complain about signing guys like Nmandi didn’t work. Well signing guys like CHUNG was a disaster as well! So they better get it done!!!
Good point about Chung. They just need to be sure that Byrd or Ward would be a fit. During the Dream Team fiasco, they just signed and traded for a bunch of names and thought it would work (see New York Knicks). I think this team now has the proper foundation to bring in a high priced FA and make it work.
i agre with that… 100% it is more about chemistry sometimes than ‘numbers’–
That is why it is nice that the coaching staff is familiar with Byrd and Ward.
Byrd, & Ward are studs, & can fit into any system. Chung is a stiff, who lost his job in NE. Not even a comparison. This Asomugha $#!t has to stop too. He was at the end of the road when we signed him. These guys are in the primes of their careers. For them to get scared off, because of their prior dumb@$$ mistakes, is pure idiocy. Use your brain, & sign real talent, not just for their names. Everybody forgets that Weaselman was the architect of the dream team, not Banner, or Reid. If you are going to over credit him for the last 2 years, you better be sure to properly credit him for his gaffes!
Avant released.
No offense but I will wait until john hart confirms this!
Haha, fair enough.
i think jon and his source got snowed in
My Sources state that JH’s Mom has punished him for failing to clean,vacum his basement as she asked him to do last week while he was typnig away and reading every blog about the NBA Trade Deadline and has now grounded him and taken away “Internet Access” More Details to follow at 11pm
Did you put your false teeth in your mouth this morning grandpa fraudman or are they still soakin? haha clown
JH already reported two or so days ago that Avant was getting released soon. No need to report it again..
JH is way ahead of the curve buddy, read it and weep
you did not ‘report’ it, you used conjecture– which we all did.
a report is ‘according to my sources’– translated, i just heard it on espn….
Everything the Eagles have does this Off-Season, I called on back in January to occur.. So not 1 surprise for me…
Extend LT Petes & Center Kelce ( I stated many times that Peters would not go into teh 2014 on his Final Year of his Contracat and would demand an extension or asked to be traded, the Eagles did the smart thing to get it done behind the scenes)
Sign Both WR Cooper (Long-Term) & Maclin (1 Year) and Release Avant who has to go as a $3.5-$4 MIllion Salary for
a 4th WR who plays no Special Teams which isn’t going to occur on any Team
Next they will Focus on Defense for a safety, DL, and possibly a LB added in Free-Agency as well as Back-Up QB
and an experienced Kicker to bring into Camp
Then Draft Time will be Focused Secondary,Pass-Rushing DE/LB, WR, OL & DL Depth
Why is what I report or when I report it so important to you hac? Sheesh..
“you didn’t report it” “Espn beat you” huh?! haha your way too invested man, back up a little and take a deep breath..
March 4, 2014 – 1:01 pm
My Sources state that JH’s Mom has punished him for failing to clean,vacum his basement as she asked him to do last week while he was typnig away and reading every blog about the NBA Trade Deadline and has now grounded him and taken away “Internet Access” More Details to follow at 11pm
HAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Soooo, every move the Birds make, you called it huh? Go play the lotto, you are Nostradamus. There have been articles, & articles, stories on NFL network, Bleacher report, & every other news worthy site, of the moves the Birds where going to make. Any body with half of a brain, new Avant was gone. You continue to prove what a delusional, @$$muppet you are! My God!!!!
Everyone on here has been talking about Avant being waived for months now and that was only amplified by Maclin signing. Timing is pretty easy to guess too considering that the beginning of FA is coming.
A serious question to all of you who spend a lot of time scouting and forming opinions of FA and college players. I like reading what you say but I honestly can’t say too much about Byrd and others because I have to admit watching the bills isn’t something I do with regularity and when I do you see a few plays he’s involved with but not much. Is most of your ‘work’ done just watching games and reading different publications. Because to me it’s tough to get a line on a player watching regular games on tv especially only a couple games per year… Can you subscribe to coaches tapes?
hac, there are a few good places to watch past stuff. NFL.com/coaches film. NFLfilms. You tube has a lot of stuff too. Byrd is a stud, & I’m not saying that because I love him. 22 interceptions, 33 pass defensed, 11 FF, & he is a good tackler. He isn’t the hitter Ward is, but Ward isn’t the ball hawk, that Byrd is. He missed 5 games this year, because he was holding out, not just because he had Plantar fasciitis. That’s overblown, & there are shoe/ cleat implants, that relieve those symptoms. He isn’t a player, that gets hurt alot. Before last year, he didn’t miss a game since his rookie season, where he played 14 games.
I would rather watch coaches film than the stuff on tv
I agree. Me too. NFL films have alot of good coaches film.
DCar took everything I said above to Paul and repeated here.. When I said be more original I didnt mean copy me now.. sheesh.. I said this like 6hrs ago
Jon Hart
March 4, 2014 – 1:26 pm
Like you said about Demeco Ryans right? You speak in circles and rarely hit on anything, give it up
Like you said Ward is a better fit when hes a in the box type of safety with no coverage ability, he just hits..
Byrd Is a better fit all around, and he doesn’t have lingering injury issues, he played 11 games this past yr, the last time he didn’t play all 16 games was in 2009 playing 14 and he had 9 ints that yr as a rookie.
Lay off the “injury prone” line you’ve been spewing on here all because everyone wants Byrd and you gotta be captain contrary
Jeremy Maclin is injury prone but you and many others wanted him back. Get outta here
Jon hart, you win. You are the smartest poster ever. Your connections to league offices, insight into players and intrinsic knowledge of all things to sports makes us all bow down! Paul is a know it all but at least semi acknowledges to being a mentally handicapped/challenged goofball. Your belief sets you apart
Hands down-post of the day.
Lil Bron-Bron, do the world a favor, & go sign yourself into an insane Asylum! WTF, are you even talking about, you nut job??? What did I say about Ryans, & WTF does that have to do with me? Where did I say Byrd was injury prone? I said he wasn’t to paul, because I’ve been arguing with him, for over a year about him. You didn’t claim anything, that hasn’t been thrown around here already. You are as delusional, irrational, & clueless, as I’ve ever seen in a person. You bring nothing original to the table on here, except copy & pastes from Twitter, Bleacher report, NFL.com, & ever other site you frequent, & repeating what you here on WIP! Give it a F^#@ING rest! You are a @$$clown, Court Jester, & everybody knows it. You aren’t smart! You aren’t informative! You have NO sources! You have a one inch killer! You are a lost soul, from the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum! Beat it kid, you are the one who is the repetitive, hypocrite, liar!
Damn DCAR called out Paul… Sign that apocalypse is upon us
We all disagree sometimes. But, I think we all love the Birds. paul just doesn’t like Byrd, & over blows the Byrd foot issue. There has been stories & grumblings everywhere, that Byrd played up the foot issue, because he didn’t want to play under the franchise tag. IDK, but sounds about right, because he looked to have no side effects from the foot issues.
I was talking bout him being 100% on predictions!
His predictions are 100% BS, sarcasm, & Tom foolery! People need to start understanding that. LOL!
As always- Guys like Paulman and JH care more about calling something first then they do about the birds. Enough already.
Birds land a big name S or CB in a week. Book it.
I also think they will land a speedy weapon on O as well.
No made up sources.. just what I think they will and hope they will do..
Stevo where do we put that O weapon? I’m intrigued.
And according to my sources the starting safety is not yet on the roster!
well- players have said that we’ve only seen about 65% of Chips O. In what we have seen, speed is used and they like to get everyone out into that square to use all of the field. My gut tells me that he would love 1 more piece to open things up. Perhaps he finds 1 more WR in the draft that is undersized but super speedy?