Nick Foles Will Prove That He’s A Starting Quarterback In This League
Nick Foles won’t be Mr. 27-and-two this year, but I think he’s going to show the league that he is a legitimate starting quarterback.
As I mentioned in the my NFC East Projections article, I think the best thing that Foles has going for him is that he always keeps a cool head. He never gets too high on himself when things go well, and he doesn’t allow a poor performance to stick with him and carry over into the next game.
Having mental makeup like that is just as if not more important than having the physical tools to succeed. Foles is a smart, level-headed quarterback who is a great fit for what Chip Kelly wants to do with this offense.
I think Foles has plenty of weapons to work with, and he’s going to turn in a solid season with between 3,750-4,000 yards passing with 30-35 touchdowns and between nine and 11 interceptions.
By the time this season ends, there will no longer be a debate about whether or not Foles is the future. The only question will be when do the Eagles get a new deal done.
Mychal Kendricks Is This Year’s Breakout Player
The Eagles have a number of breakout candidates on their roster. The favorite of many to emerge as a star in 2014 is tight end Zach Ertz, but my pick for a breakout guy this year is linebacker Mychal Kendricks.
We all know Kendricks has immense physical talent. He’s got elite speed, good size, and he’s a guy that has shown flashes of being a playmaking linebacker.
I think this is the year that he puts it all together. Kendricks looked like the team’s best defender in the preseason. He was constantly around the football, fighting through blocks, and getting in position to make plays. I know it was just preseason, but it looked to me like the game is really starting to slow down for the former in second-round pick.
Kendricks now has two years of NFL experience under his belt, and should be much more comfortable in the 3-4 after playing in it for a whole year. I think he’s due to harness his potential and breakout as one of the top players on this defense.
Marcus Smith Will Be A Total Non-Factor
First-round pick Marcus Smith looks like he’s light years away from making any kind of positive contributions to this football team.
Smith had a decent showing in the team’s first preseason game, but looked completely lost in the following three outings.
The coaching staff have referred to him as a “project”all along, and even Howie Roseman just came out and stated that Marcus Smith’s story may not be authored “until next year”.
That to me forecasts very ominous signs about Smith’s chances of doing anything significant this year.
I think the top draft pick is doomed to be among the team’s inactive players for at least the first half of the season, and even at that point I can’t see him working his way past even Brandon Graham for a spot in the team’s defensive rotation.
The Eagles Will Finish As The Fourth Seed, Win A Playoff Game, And Lose In The Second Round
I have the Eagles finishing at 10-6, winning the NFC East.
I have the other three division winners (Seattle, New Orleans, Green Bay) finishing with at least 11 wins or more. That would give the Eagles the fourth seed, and a home game in the first round of the playoffs. I think this year, they’ll beat whoever comes to Philadelphia.
The Wild Card teams are most likely San Francisco and one of either the Cardinals/Bears/Lions/Panthers. I think the Eagles are better than all five of those teams, and with the home field and a year of playoff experience under this roster’s belt, they should be able to overcome whoever they face in round one.
However, I can’t see the Eagles knocking off one of the other top three teams. I think this is a good football team, but they’re also still very young across the board, and most likely in need of one more year of development and another off-season to bring in additional talent, particularly on the defensive side of the ball.
Argh! everyone in the city knew Marcus Smith was a stupid pick when they made it. Kendricks led the NFL in missed tackles last year and Demeco Ryans was number 3. These 2 have to wrap up.
Foles, McCoy and Peters are superstars. This trio guarantees a playoff spot.
Foles a Super Star? No not yet… 1 Great Season does not make any Player a Super Star in my book..
Also on looking at Draft Pick M SMith II for the Eagles
Fast Forward to after the Season when Trent COle is probably released due to huge Salary in 2015/2016/2017 and the fact that Brandon Graham will depart in Free-Agency.. Who is your Eagle’s OLB in 2015 outside of Connor Barwin ?? Draft Picks are usually Selected for the Future and not the Present..
Wrong…Stupid pick? Who would you have selected with the first round pick?
I think the pick was good. The Eagles tried addressing the weakest link from a year ago…the pass rush…In the 3/4 system Smith was arguably the best option. Smith was of high value to 3/4 teams, was on all teams boards needing a D Lineman…Marcus Smith will be fine and you’ll be changing your tune in the future.
I’ll tone it down, I don’t want to ruin my Eagles’ season cheering against the birds like a certain clueless dingbat did last year cheering against Chip Kelly, Lane Johnson, Zach Ertz, Bennie Logan and Nick Foles.
Where can I find the missed tackles stats?
I think Denny’s predictions are solid. Not sure about Kendricks because I’m skeptical of Billy Davis.
pro football focus
Peeps, relax on the Marcus Smith pick. Greg Robinson, Offensive tackle from Auburn was taken #2 overall in the first round. He was not only moved to guard do to his performance, or lack there of, but, he has since been benched and will not start, and most likely will not play this week. The two OLB’s taken ahead of Smith at # 5 and # 8 are also struggling. It takes time and patience. The hype machine of the media demands first round picks come in and contribute immediately, that is just not reality in the majority of the cases. After a year or two of conditioning, strength training and coaching as it relates to technique, if Marcus Smith continues to struggle or does not respond, then he is a bust, until then, let’s just wait and see. Show patience as if it was your kid out there playing.
Which is Why Chip said he hates the NFL Draft Hype and pressure it creates just by being picked in round one. Chip believes that the draft is one avenue by which you acquire talent. Remember Chip has college roots so he looks at young players and tried to project development as well as current Baseline. Some NFL coaches have been jaded WIN NOW beliefs vs Win and Develop as there is pressure to perform right away. Missing out on a need for next season because you want to sign a Demarcus Ware for one year is not a System Builders approach,
Smith was rated by mostly all of the pundits, to be drafted in the end of the 2nd-3rd round. He was a reach, a project & over-drafted then, & still is. PERIOD! He is another egotistical, stupid pick, by the Weasel & “demigod.” They better hope my boy Matthews plays like the beast I think he’s going to be, because the rest of draft don’t look like much! Huff is promising on returns, but can’t stay healthy. I like Watkins & Reynolds, but where are they going to play them? This “Jack of all trades”, master of nothing, has to F^#@ing stop. This is bordering on Hindenburg 2.0, with all of his ego driven moves, & square pegs in round holes. This team had waaaay too many holes to fill on this teams defense & back-ups, to reach 2 rounds for another undersized, project, reach, with your 1st pick. But don’t worry, we won the off-season “Salary cap bowl” for the umpteenth consecutive time now. 3rd most cap room left in the NFL, & the team worth $1.75B smack-a-roos! I hope & pray they get off to a great start, because a lot of kool aide drinkers will be on here with the excuses & BS! Barring any health issues, the offense should be legit, but the defense will be atrocious again, because of the lack of pass rush & playmakers in the back end! Bank on it. Let’s not talk about if Shady, or Foles go down. The division shouldn’t be a problem to win, but you never know with the NFL East. Giants could resurge? They are due for their up-&-down seasons. Dallas is in the same boat as us. Good offense when healthy, bad defense. Washington blows, & I’m going love to see DJax suffer there, especially if they continue to go with the deer in the headlights, scaredy cat RGIII. I’m hoping for the best, especially after the septic swimmers, took baseball away from us, in our summer, for the 3rd summer in a row now. As long as the retard Ruin is running the show, they are a lost cause, & status quo!
Wrong again…He was ranked higher on boards with teams running a 3-4 defense…Again, another individual going off of what was widely reported…Below taken from philly.com article…
Draft weekend is over, and the next thing to look forward to will be OTAs, which begin on May 27th. Here are some notes on the Eagles’ draft weekend:
Marcus Smith was not a ‘2nd-3rd round pick’
Many ‘draftniks’ will do draft grades for all 32 teams. A common thing you’ll read for the Eagles’ first round selection of Marcus Smith will be something like, “Marcus Smith was the number (fill in arbitrary number) on my big board. The Eagles reached.” ESPN’s Mel Kiper, for example, had this to say:
The Eagles did a solid job of adding talent and hitting needs, making up for one questionable decision early with a number of solid ones down the board. Philadelphia moved down and then selected Marcus Smith, the No. 85-ranked player on my board.
‘Big board’ rankings often don’t make sense, especially for defensive front seven players. For example, 3-4 teams are going to value a player like Marcus Smith far more than a team that runs a 4-3. Therefore, ranking a player with no regard to how he’ll fit one system over another is very difficult to do.
check philly dot com for the full article….
additionally to the article….
While the Eagles may have taken Smith slightly earlier than would be ideal, the NFL valued Smith much higher than media folk. For example, the Redskins reportedly would have likely taken him with the 34th overall pick if Smith were still available. Instead, when Smith wasn’t available, the Redskins traded out of their pick
Real, I respect your opinion, but I am a huge draft geek, & I read everything & anything draft related. If you have time, go back & read all of the pundits, & draft nicks (Walter sports, CBS Sports, Mayock, Kiper, etc., etc.). For you to put validity on an article by the local “bow at the demigod’s alter” media, is asinine. He was rated 2-3 round. Another thing, he should be a hand in the dirt 4-3 pass rusher, or situational 3-4 Rush OLB. He is not an every down 3-4 OLB, nor will he be. He can’t cover, & should not have been over-drafted the way he was. Period! We already have carbon copies like him, square peg, in round hole players in, Graham, & Cole. You are wrong. JMHO & I’m far from alone. We’ll see how much the stiff plays & contributes. I’ll guarantee you now, it won’t be much, & this time next year, we’ll be in the same boat, talking about another 1st round bust turd from the Weaselman regime!
For whatever it’s worth, I had Marcus Smith II rated between the 35th thru 40th Overall Pick and the 4th Rated OLB in the Draft who is suited for a 3-4 Scheme after Khalil Mack, Anthony Barr & Dee Ford and ahead of OLB’s Keith VanNoy, DeMarcus Lawrence, Trent Murphy, Jeremiah Attachou ..
This after double checking my notes..
I have no problem with being wrong DCAR…I can own up to it if I am..I share the same opinion of the article about ….track the players that were drafted in the top 25 of those boards you mentioned…At the end of the season let me know, how many played like studs…
But the main point in that article…what I took from it……NFL teams valued a Marcus Smith more than the media…Mayock, Kiper etc…etc…also hinted that other NFL team would have snatched up a Marcus Smith with a 30 or so pick…So DAR, who would you have drafted to help improved the pass rush, when the Eagles selected? I think the Eagles identified the need up front, and actually drafted a player to try and improve upon that…Not like when defense was a concern and the Eagles drafted Watkins…I’m happy to see that tried to address a position of need, bottom line…
Real you draft the best player available, hell I would have went in on Demarcus Ware and drafted Kelvim Benjamin. You can teach guys a lot of things but Real you can’t teach them to like contact he’s a finesse pass rusher and that’s not gonna work. He was a bad pick, so what if he was rising up the draft board. He would be inactive for someone else.
Marcus Smith was a reach…they panicked and reached for the kid…he’s a third round talent that we drafted one and thats what he showed in the preseason…
If we had waited and missed him and taken a guy in the third round would there be any hope of that level payer contributing later this season or next season???? Giive this kid a year or so to develop under these TEACHING COACHES. We have a good staff and they will get this young man to use his athletic ability (Very High) and develop his instincts and mental approach.
Not a reach at #26, the got the best OLB for a 3-4 Scheme on the Board
Do you guys realize that both Trent Cole & Brandon Graham will not be with the Eagles after the 2014 Season… They addressed their biggest need on Defense for the a Future based on their Current Roster and contract situations that they have at OLB which is critical to running a 3-4 Scheme..
Most of you guys simply don’t understand on how to build and maintain a Roster
If Smith is a bust then guess what? They’ll be drafting another rush OLB next year in round 1.
Looking at Roster right now and Contract Status of Players
The EGles will Target a CB or WR with Top Pick
In 2015 Draft – Then a ILB, OL & Safety
BTW I wanted Kelvin Benjamin but I think Smith was a great pick and will be a pleasure to watch him grow. The Matthews selection took a-lot of the Marcus Smith sting away.