Talent, Character, and Intangibles - NFL Draft

Thursday will be the culmination of a dream for 500 players as 250 will be drafted and 250 will be added to teams as Priority Free Agents (PFA). Getting drafted or signed as a PFA by a NFL Franchise is no gurantee though but what it does is make you a prospect and talent, character, and intangibles are what's going to bind them to their organization and teammates. Those 3 things are going to carry them up the ladder or down on the bench as making a professional team is as much mental as it is physical. What does a typical prospect encounter as they try to integrate into their new organization?

Integrating into an organization can be an overwhelming experience or an expected foray into what that prospect always expected. The first level of the experience are the media requirements like interviews and appearances. That's the first judgement, presence and communication. The second level comes during the organized training activities when athletic and physical gifts are judged by the teammates. The third level is the organization's expectation of the prospect and how they fit into the team. Imagine a team cutting a respected veteran to make way for the prospect. That's a tell in poker parlance and everyone picks up on it including the prospect.

Talent, Character, and Intangibles again are what the organization, team, and fans will be looking at as these prospects try to live out their life long dream. Heavy stuff right?!

 

 

 

  

Eagles Schedule Release Party

I watched the schedule show like the darn superfan that I am and came away looking at the schedule and said "We have a shot to blow up the league!" How you're asking? This is how:

 

1. Win the 1st 4 games which are winnable even with 3 of them being on the road.

2. Dominate at home which all championship caliber teams do.

3. Win both games vs the Redskins and Giants.

 

This formula right here equals a 12-4 record and, of course, we need good quarterback play to go with the running game which everyone is expecting to be stout. I do have two concerns and its about our wide receivers and cornerbacks. We need someone other than Matthews to show up as a pass catcher and we need the corner opposite Maxwell to defend at least adequately his side of the field. If the Eagles answer my concerns we can win 12 games and blow it up! What do you think?!

Tim Tebow Signs With The Philadephia Eagles

Big news came via Jay Glazer who scooped that Tim Tebow would be signing a contract and participating in the Philadelphia Eagles offseason workouts starting April 20th. That is big news everyone, a big ticket item in a news cycle that is about to spin out of control with the Draft starting in 10 days! Is Chip Kelly the most arrogant pompous coach in the League (without a playoff win) or is too much being made over a potential 3rd string Qb? Lets break it down and see!

 

Tim Tebow deserves another chance and lets be clear its just an opportunity that Chip Kelly is extending to one of college's winningest quarterbacks. The hope is that the organization will handle the hoopla a whole lot better than the New York Jets did and set the tone for normalcy for the team. The signing also allows them to either trade or release Matt Barkley who has not faired well since being drafted two years ago. The signing, however, does has its detractors who are saying this type of move signals a lack of a quarterback on the team especially coming on the heals of trading quarterback Nick Foles for a talented but perenially hurt quarterback Sam Bradford. I don't honestly know what to think but I'm patient and willing to let things play themselves out.

 

Chip Kelly is ballsy enough to make this move and throw conventional wisdom by the wayside which can be construed as arrogant or brilliant. People are taking sides and it makes the Philadelphia Eagles must see TV as people either want to see Kelly succeed or fail. I fall on the succeed side as I'm that diehard who's open to anything that pushes us towards winning the Super Bowl. What do you think and what side do you fall on?!

Two Weeks Out From The Draft

The draft is getting close and the books and pdfs have become perfect reading material for your home "library". The Path to the Drafts, Draft Academies, and Game Changers have been watched 2x on the DVR and now you're ready since you know all the prospects and have a good feel for all the prospects at all the positions. The draft season has quite a cast of professionals who live for this season and as I've become aware this is a profitable season for them. Football as I've written has 4 Seasons: Draft Season, Training Season, Regular Season, and Post Season. These 4 distinct seasons have made football a 12 month sport with fans of each season and some who love all of em. What's a fan like me to do with this passion because I'm that 4 season fan?

Eagles 7 Round Mock

I enjoy the draftnik games that superfans like us play especially in the mock believe world that every superfan lives in. We all know what we need to fix the team and fight strongly for our mock picks. Check out my latest mock and Im be the first to say this is my make believe world and I think if it falls like this I believe a Super Bowl is but 2 years away. I could give you a breakdown on each pick but I wont because if youre reading this you know the 1st three picks make the draft! Did I say the 1st three picks make the team better immediately?!

Enjoy this mock like I did and stay tuned for one more next week.

Playoffs Or Bust - Will The Philly Fanbase Let Kelly Work?

Chip Kelly has won twenty games in two seasons and has by all accounts brought a fresh perspective to Philly and the NFL but is that enough for a rabid fan base who are desperate for a Super Bowl.  There doesn't seem to be a middle ground for the expectations of the fan base who watch every move like they are sips of air from a dying breathing apparatus. Is Kelly a victim of his early success? We're going to take a look at Kelly and his early success and how it may have hurt him in the long run.

 

In season one there was a point when the Eagles were 3-5 and looked like the team that was coming off a 4-12 season and in need of rebuilding. Somehow and in amazing fashion they won seven of the last eight games with the biggest win coming in Dallas to clinch a playoff berth. Sounds like a fairy tale right? It turned out to be just that though as New Orleans beat them at home in the playoffs. What's wrong with this picture you're probably wondering? The talent level of the team was that of a 4-12 team and it still needed more young talent coming in the form of high draft picks. In one season the team went from 4-12 to 10-6 which means a significant drop to the bottom of the draft board in each round. This doesn't seem to be a big deal you say, you draft talent wherever you draft at says a champion. Lets see what happened in season two.

 

Season two started out rather unchampion like because Kelly shocked the world by releasing without comment one of their major players, DeSean Jackson. It was a move that shocked the entire NFL community and added a new need to the team that was already drafting at the backend of round one.  This move foreshadowed a theme for Kelly that essentially said "this is my team". Kelly and GM Roseman next turned their attention to the draft and to be honest they both struck out in their second collaboration with adding talent to the team through the draft. A solid contribution only came from two of the team's eight picks with first round pick Marcus Smith offering a very tiny contribution on special teams. Kelly to his credit coached a banged up team to a 10-6 record but they sputtered down the stretch losing three of their last four games which eliminated them from the playoffs. What's next and will the fans be patient?

 

Remember Kelly essentially saying "this is my team" from earlier, well in year three he has turned the table over trading Nick Foles and LeSean McCoy and choosing not to resign Jeremy Maclin. Sam Bradford is now the Qb and DeMarco Murray, Ryan Mathews and Jordan Matthews and Miles Austin makeup the offense. This is a huge make over and represents some risk as owner Jeff Lurie stated at the NFL Annual Meeting. The question is will the fanbase stay with Kelly and his rebuild or will they abandon his unorthodox blueprint for building a team. Season three will write itself and it's going to be a tale of the ages or a coach on the brink of getting tossed out of the big leagues.

A Philadephia Story of Stars and Losses - Chip Has Every Right To Purge Stars Off His Team!

LeSean McCoy on the very first day of Buffalo's off-season program has taken to the airwaves to say Chip Kelly doesnt want or likes star players on his team. This statement by McCoy comes on the heel of two consecutive years of Kelly moving on from big-time Eagle performers DeSean Jackson and LeSean McCoy. I have a different take on why these players are not on the Kelly's Eagles anymore and this may anger some people. Bottom-line these players are not winners and are more interested in the star life. That's my analysis and I support it with the last two years of Andy Reid's reign and the actions of these players after they left the Eagles. Lets first look at the last two years of the Andy Reid.

The 2011 Season was a roller coaster ride that at one point featured a four game losing streak, a two game losing streak and a four game winning streak that brought the team's record to 8-8. It was a very average to poor showing and LeSean was a part of that team as well as the other stars (Mike Vick, DeSean and Jeremy).

The 2012 season which was dubbed the "Dream Team" was a free agency spree that brought in even more stars. One could say it was star studded but it was poorly coached and ill-equipped to even compete. It was a complete wreck of a season that ended with the team losing 8 out the last 9 games. Andy Reid was fired and again the same cast and crew was on the offensive side of the ball. Why did I use the 2011 and 2012 seasons in this piece? My point is the team never lacked for stars and the result was losing and often in consecutive streaks. A lot of the losing can be laid at the feet of Andy Reid and his staff but where were the "stars" at and why didnt they shine?

Disciplined talent wins in the NFL not stars who call themselves stars. The culture must be more important than individual performances and fancy talk of league leading poppycock. Kelly tired of such talk and lack of fortitude on the field as again the team lost three straight critical games and guess who was a part of that dive again. You guessed right.

Champion's PreSeason Fantasy Season Checklist

NFL Fantasy Football is fast becoming a 12 month operation that requires planning, prep, and mock exercises in the offseason just as well! Let's take a look at some of the things a Fantasy GM has to review in the offseason:

 

 

 

 

 

1st - Stay abreast of Team's depth charts before and after Free Agency and the Draft. Most teams wipe their charts before training camp but if you follow at these times you will know who they are counting on to produce for them. I followed OBJ and the daily reporting on the Giants website and knew they were really counting on him so I jumped in week 3 of the season and added him to my roster before his debut in week 4. I knew he was going to be counted on to add excitement for the Giants and I hit big!

2nd - Fantasy GMs have to be fans in season and out. Chip Kelly has "erased" his QB, RB, and WR from the Eagles. You have to follow that story now thru the OTAs to Training Camp. He will tell you who he's counting on offensively from his WRs and how they will be deployed before the season starts.
 

3rd - Follow all the sites for all the information. There are free and pay sites that will help you GM and if want to compete you have at least 5 sites that you can rely on so you can make informed decisions.

Do these three things in the offseason and work like hell during the season doing the same things and you see that win graphic......That could be you with some luck added with your skillful preparation!

NFL Draft Season, Oh You Thought The Football Season Was Over?!

The NFL Silly season as some would call it or evidence that Football is a twelve month league, the NFL Draft season is in full swing! A quick look at my twitter feed favorites would show favorited tweets of Matt Miller, Charles Davis, Daniel Jeremiah, Jimmy Kempski, Tommy Lawlor, Bucky Brooks and Fran Duffy.  These guys are the go to analysts for prospect analysis, prospect visits, and things happening with teams during the NFL Draft Season and please know there are a lot of things happening!  My wife asked me the other day "is the season over because that looks like the football dudes you watch during the season", my reply was it's Draft Season and it's probably just as busy now as it is during the season.  She said you must really love football and I said YES I do and I follow the Silly season just as passionately. I need to know that Dan Quinn is planning to use referees in all of the Atlanta Falcons practices so they can cut down on infractions. I surely must know that Tony Romo re-did his contract in hopes of the Dallas Cowboys trying to trade for Adrian "All Day" Peterson.  I definitely have to know that Chip Kelly is hosting wide receivers in hopes of bringing in top wide receivers to the team to offset the loss of Jeremy Maclin.  YES this is the Silly season but guess who's silly? I will fall on the silly sword but I will bet large sums of money that I'm not alone!  It's ok to step out with me silly season lovers, we must get our own shirts and be proud of it!

 

The silly season will be over starting the weekend of April 30th ending May3rd and then everyone will be redoing all of their silly season work again but with knowledge of the new players on their teams. Something funny happens after silly season though and you can probably guess it's just as passionate as the silly season and that is the Offseason Training activities and Mini Camps.  It surely does appear that the NFL season is 12 months long!!