I wasn’t all that impressed on Thursday after the Eagles OTA workout, when Chip Kelly was talking about how hard the new starting cornerback Nolan Carroll had worked during the off season. Carroll had played some dime for the Birds last year, but he hadn’t shown such great cover skills to warrant being a starting cornerback.
“A lot of guys have worked extremely hard, Nolan Carroll has one an unbelievable job in the off season”, Chip Kelly said about the current starter at cornerback.
All that hard work is good, but I wanted to hear about how this young man could cover the likes of Dez Bryant, Odell Beckham, Victor Cruz, and DeSean Jackson one-on-one. Hard work is one thing, but talent is another.
Earlier this off season, veteran safety Malcolm Jenkins had been brutally honest about the poor secondary coaching they got last year. He did it without calling out the name of the coach, who was John Lovett.
“We’ve only been with him (new secondary Coach Cory Undlin) a month, or so, and our room has already gotten better in that month. Just from a standpoint of fundamental football and that’s what we really didn’t get the past two years. I heard that when I got here. And then you saw it last year.
Last Thursday after practice, Jenkins added to what Coach Kelly said and he made the statements that I wanted to hear about why Nolan Carroll is currently the starting cornerback opposite Byron Maxwell.
“If there’s one guy who’s really been killing it from on the field to in the weight room to everything it’s probably been Nolan” Jenkins said. “His technique is drastically improved. I think he feels a lot better playing at the corner. A lot more confident. Last year we had him kind of playing at dime linebacker all year and he still has that background, that ability to go in and play the dime, the nickel, but he’s really starting to feel comfortable in making a lot of plays out on the outside too, so that’s been really encouraging to see. The stuff he’s done in the weight room, as far as his technique will transition out to the field.”
Jenkins point out, “His technique is drastically improved”. You must have great technique to cover all the league’s great receivers one-on-one. Even if you’re a great athlete with tremendous size, quickness and speed, your technique had better be good, if you’re going to be successful playing corner in the NFL.
He also said Carroll is playing with a lot more confidence. You’ve got to have that swagger to play cornerback in the NFL especially when you play as much man-to-man as the Eagles do.
I going to take a close look at the corners in the OTA practice later today at the Nova Care Complex.
Nice G-Man, do Note that Nolan Carrol is one of the only CB’s on the Roster who has actually started NFL Games at Outside CB, so it makes sense to have him listed as a Starter for the first OTA’s..
Boykin has been strictly a Slot CB and will remain so..,
Watkins has not started a NFL Game and is probably better suited as a Slot CB/Safety Type rather than a outside CB. EJ Biggers has a handful of Starts a couple of Seasons ago with teh Redskins and Thurmond is being converted to Safety and Draft Picks Rowe & Sheppard are Rookies simply trying to keep afloat while learning a NFL Playbook, etc,etc…
So bottom line, who else on the Eagles is going to be a Day 1 Starter at Outside CB opposite Maxwell.. Now once mid-Summer rolls around after a couple of Pre-Season games, we may see another change at Starting CB,
but for now, it is what it is and the Eagles are going with the experience starting out of the gate which is no surprise …
Paulman, do you think that Eric Rowe will get a starting spot in the secondary? I think he will eventually beat out Carroll. Eric Rowe wasn’t selected in the 2nd round to sit on the bench. My starting 4 goes..
CB Byron Maxwell, CB Eric Rowe, S Malcolm Jenkins, S Walter Thurmond
On Eric Rowe, No, I do not believe he will be a Starter to begin the Season, I believe Rowe will need a Season to groom, learn the Playbook and get stronger,etc,etc..before becoming a Starter in the NFL, regardless of him being Drafted in the 2nd Round..
Do note that only approx 50% of 1st Round Picks do not Start right away either and its much less as a 2nd Rounder and so on, It’s a big adjustment from the College game to the NFL Game and that Rowe has only played 2 Years at CB where he originally played Safety earlier in his College Career and where I believe his best Position for the Eagles/NFC will eventually be..
I do think Rowe will see the Field as a 4th CB on 3/4 WR’s Sets
barring injuries..
The Secondary Starters –
CB Byron Maxwell & Nolan Carroll with Slot CB Boykin in 3 WR Sets
Safety – Jenkins & Thurmond