Eagles Mailbag: Will Nakobe make the Dean’s list?

On Monday we requested you for Eagles mailbag questions. You obliged. Let’s leap in prefer it’s a pool.

Will the Eagles LB corps be an enchancment over final season? – WGXRT51

Okay that is going to be a lame reply: I don’t anticipate it to, however I additionally wouldn’t be shocked whether it is.

Between the 2, the ground is increased for the 2022 unit. TJ Edwards entered final 12 months with 30 begins beneath his belt, Kyzir White with 29. They weren’t a fantastic duo, however you knew what you had been getting. Nicholas Morrow has 46, however he’s additionally on his third crew in as a few years. Nakobe Dean in fact has by no means began, he performed solely 34 snaps final 12 months. So Week 1 I’d really feel extra snug with Edwards and White final 12 months than Dean and Morrow this 12 months.

Past their expertise, the 2022 linebackers had it straightforward. The defensive position and secondary performed out of their thoughts, which lessened the burden on them. 70 sacks and the fourth most takeaways erase numerous errors. (Sidenote: Nakobe Dean had an identical state of affairs in school, he was enjoying behind a DL that went two deep in 1st spherical picks.)

However the ceiling is increased for this 12 months’s version, which is totally due to Nakobe Dean. Final 12 months Edwards and White mixed for 0 turnovers, and three.5 sacks. In his closing season at Georgia Dean had 4 turnovers and 6 sacks.

If Dean is simply meh, this unit is a unfavourable. If he can deliver any playmaking juice to the place, this unit turns into a constructive. No strain!

Will Dean or one of many rookies shine this season? – grantspectations

The 2023 rookie class has an excellent probability to appear like the 2022 class in that solely the highest decide will see common enjoying time as a result of the veteran starters are too good to take off the sphere, and they’re wholesome. I don’t suppose that may occur this 12 months to the extent that it did in 2022, partially as a result of Tyler Steen and Sydney Brown have a shot at a beginning job.

However amongst younger gamers who didn’t or barely featured for the Eagles in 2022 who might be actual contributors this 12 months, Dean is the chief within the clubhouse as a result of he already has a beginning job. Sean Desai has given Dean the inexperienced dot, which suggests he’s going from barely seeing the sphere to guide linebacker. With the expertise in entrance of him and expectations that aren’t excessive, Dean goes to get each probability to indicate he might be a solution.

After a 12 months for NFL groups to scheme towards the rugby sneak. Will the Eagles transfer away from Jalen Hurts (their $250 million man) sneaking the ball or construct performs off it and create an entire new subpackage? – pier 3 iggle

Till anyone reveals that it may be stopped the Eagles haven’t any purpose to go away from what they’ve been doing. The play doesn’t put Hurts at a larger threat of harm or improve his put on and tear, he’s mainly simply falling ahead and when there may be contact it’s low affect.

If groups present that they will neutralize the rugby scrum sneak, the Eagles did present some totally different appears to be like off it because the season progressed, so that they’re already forward of the adjustment/counter-adjustment sport that may happen this season. But when it ain’t broke, don’t repair it.

If Cam Jurgens isn’t the beginning RG, any thought to C rotation to achieve expertise and preserve Jason Kelce recent? Sure, sure, snap continuity, however professionals ought to be capable to deal with that, eh? – HillybillyGraham

The Patriots tried an offensive line rotation in 2015. That 12 months they opened the season purposely closely rotating each guard positions, in addition they rotated each deal with spots for a couple of possessions over the primary month of the season. That form of paid off once they encountered a bunch of accidents because the season progressed and instantly that they had a bunch of choices with some in-game expertise. They ended the 12 months with 39 totally different mixtures, nobody performed greater than 77% of snaps. Total although, it labored so nicely for them that in 2016 they completely scrapped it, all their starters performed at the least 90% of snaps. If Invoice Belichick, Josh McDaniels (who for all his faults is a fairly good OC) and Dante Scarnecchia tried it and hated it, then that’s a fairly good purpose to not attempt it your self.

Offensive line is the unit you don’t wish to fiddle with on enjoying time. Each starter must be enjoying each significant snap. However as soon as the sport is out of hand? Get Jason Kelce and Lane Johnson out of there.

How do you are feeling about Devon Allen saying he’s the quickest participant within the NFL. Particularly since folks like Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, and Parris Campbell might simply be thought of sooner by non-Philadelphia followers. – Brizzler13

I find it irresistible. Final week Devon Allen set the 4th quickest time within the 110m hurdles in 2023. Even with these very particular qualifiers, that’s fairly rattling quick. May one other NFL participant do higher in a dash occasion? Probably. However they haven’t. In March Tyreek Hill ran a 6.70 60m on the USATF Masters Indoor Championships, which is a contest for previous folks. That received his group however was solely 213th on the planet. In 2021 DK Metcalf ran in a USATF 100m occasion, he completed final in his warmth and fifteenth out of seventeenth.

Till another person places up a time in a authentic competitors that’s at the least within the dialog for quickest time on the planet, Devon Allen is the undisputed quickest man within the NFL.

Why do head coaches insist on enjoying protection at finish of a sport when their protection hasn’t stopped offense total 2nd half and their opponents protection isn’t stopping you? If opposing crew has 2 minutes, the ball, and wish to attain, simply allow them to rating through lining up on 8 yard line to defend kick, they both rating instantly or 3 downs and kick a FG. Then your crew has the ball and probability to win with near 2 minutes on the clock. – Silverlark60

Job safety. If a coach fails doing conventional issues, nicely, that’s simply the way in which it goes typically. However for those who attempt one thing completely unorthodox and fail, a coach places themselves on the market to get criticized or worse, they will get fired. It may be exhausting to climb again up that mountain.

The few instances we’ve got seen a crew let the opposite crew rating or tried to allow them to rating has been in playoff video games, the place it’s clearly do or die but in addition it’s uncommon to get fired after a playoff sport, even for those who’re one and completed. In October, towards the Chargers? Coaches aren’t going to do this.

I agree with you that they need to. Like 4th down makes an attempt and a pair of level conversions, letting a crew rating to present your self an opportunity to make the profitable rating is a type of issues the place followers are literally forward of coaches. In basketball the idea of a 2 for 1 is accepted and when it goes fallacious it’s on the gamers for not executing it, not the coach for letting it occur.

As soon as somebody does it and succeeds with it different coaches will in all probability do it.

If quarterback is a very powerful place, then why doesn’t a man like AJ Brown get MVP consideration when all he has completed is considerably increase the QBRs of Ryan Tannehill and Hurts? Appears to me like this man has important affect over the play of a very powerful place, which makes him extremely priceless. – JoeDirtsBarber

As a result of MVP voters are massively biased in the direction of QBs and RBs. Solely three gamers have received MVP with out being both a QB or RB, the latest was in 1986 when Lawrence Taylor received it.

However you’re proper, a participant like AJ Brown ought to get consideration. Josh Allen didn’t turn out to be Josh Allen till Stefon Diggs arrived. Joe Burrow’s greatest seasons in school and the professionals have been with Ja’Marr Chase. That’s to not say that these WRs made their QB, however there’s undoubtedly a hen and the egg part to QB and WR play.

As nice as AJ Brown was final 12 months, and Justin Jefferson as nicely, if any WR was deserving of MVP votes it was Tyreek Hill, who was the main purpose why Tua Tagovailoa had a “escape” season.

Is there a crew that has completed extra to depreciate the worth of RBs this previous 12 months than the Eagles? – JemTheRocker

No. The Eagles strategy to RBs this 12 months is “nicely, we must always have a couple of on the roster.” And it’s exhausting to fault them, it’s now not an necessary place in at the moment’s sport. And it’s not simply an NFL factor, for those who watched any XFL or USFL video games you would see gamers who deserved a shot on the NFL at just about each place, however the operating backs had been crap.

What are you able to see the Eagles wanting to soak up the primary two rounds with these prime three picks? – mlbsports23

So much can change between at times however proper now I’d anticipate the Eagles to draft an edge rusher and an offensive deal with in two of these picks. So long as Howie Roseman is in cost you’ll be able to safely wager on the Eagles drafting a lineman of some kind within the 1st spherical, from 2012 to 2023, seven of the Eagles 11 1st spherical picks had been offensive or defensive linemen, and through that span they’ve drafted seven offensive or defensive linemen within the 2nd or third spherical.

What makes the Eagles extra enjoyable to observe than some other NFL crew in your view? – Masked Man

Once I was in London I went to a sports activities bar to look at soccer and it was identical to watching soccer at a sports activities bar in America, with one exception: everybody had bizarre (for America) causes for following the crew they had been repping. No less than among the many folks I talked to, fantasy soccer was an enormous entry to the NFL, with folks getting hooked up to a participant who did nice for them after which changing into hooked up to their crew. I met a man from Edinburgh who was an Eagles fan as a result of he and his good friend acquired Madden, let the sport randomly select which crew every had, and so they determined that they’d observe these groups. The opposite man acquired the Patriots, he acquired the Eagles.

Subsequent time I’m in Europe if somebody stated to me they wish to get into the NFL however can’t determine on a crew, I’d attempt to promote them on the Eagles with this argument: there are solely actually a handful of franchises that really attempt to win yearly, and the Eagles usually are not solely one in every of them however are literally good at it. And naturally, the fanbase can’t be beat. What’s there to not like?

Can Jalen Carter be an elite all every part DT that may make an entire protection higher? Can we even start to say potential to succeed in a Jerome Brown, Warren Sapp or Aaron Donald stage? What’s his upside? – folesandpederson

Jalen Carter’s upside is the most effective DT within the league. That’s why his reward is definitely worth the threat. And since the crew took Jordan Davis final 12 months and can at all times prioritize the DT place, the danger is rather less than it might be on one other crew the place every part is using on him.

Who’s probably the most underrated (or unexpectedly tough to switch) participant we simply misplaced in FA? Isaac Seumalo? Marcus Epps? T.J. Edwards? – JemTheRocker

Epps if solely as a result of competence goes a good distance at security and the Eagles have had such a tough time discovering competent safeties.

How involved are you with the lack of Shane Steichen because the play caller? – WiltsJunk

I’ve a low stage of concern over the lack of Steichen. I don’t have any purpose to imagine the man isn’t a very good coach. However to channel the Bobs from Workplace House…. what precisely did he do right here?

The Eagles didn’t run his offense, he ran Nick Sirianni’s offense. And that offense, like some other in soccer, was a bunch effort, half Steichen, half Nick Sirianni, half Jeff Stoutland, half Brian Johnson, half Alex Tanney, half Kevin Patullo, half Marcus Brady… and apparently for the Tremendous Bowl half Vic Fangio for some purpose. A few of these components had been a lot larger than others, however the offense wasn’t put collectively by one man in the course of the week, and all of these different coaches are nonetheless with the crew. On Sundays in-game changes weren’t his alone both, Jeff Stoutland performs an enormous half in these. And it helps to have wonderful gamers, which the Eagles have.

Shane Steichen might be a fairly good coach, and the Eagles might be nice with out him. All of the expertise continues to be there as is the supporting workers Steichen had.

What present participant on the Eagles roster has the most effective probability of changing into a coach within the league sooner or later? – djpheel

A 12 months in the past my reply would have been Isaac Seumalo, who Jeff Stoutland and teammates have praised as mainly one other coach within the assembly room and in mentoring younger gamers. I can undoubtedly see him changing into an offensive line coach when his enjoying profession is over. And if he didn’t simply make “by no means need to work once more” cash, I’d say Jalen Hurts, although Deion Sanders is displaying that star gamers might be coaches (TBD if they are often good coaches).

Although he’s solely a rookie, I can see Nolan Smith changing into a coach. His mixture of smarts, ardour, and management are nicely suited to the job. He even moved right into a quasi-graduate assistant kind position final 12 months after getting harm, and overtly talked about entering into teaching when his enjoying days are over. Hopefully for the Eagles, that future is a protracted methods away.