EMB Blog: 2024 Camps and Preseason

[CouchKing]

5 hours ago, Texas Eagle said:

If you get the big contract your PR team should prepare you for softballs. You’re the face of the franchise. It will likely be mitigated when TC comes around but for now it’s still not ideal for a $250M guy to not have his HC back in a presser, as much a fraud as Nick may be.

If Hurts doesn’t blow us away with the talent around him this year then it’s likely that Nick is gone and Jalen is on his way out by the end of 2025 season.

Jalen Hurts | NFL | Spotrac.com

I know I ain't the sharpest tool in the shed, but how do we get rid of / trade Jalen Hurts?

Maybe someone picks up the guaranteed money, but what sort of cap hit do the Eagles receive.

After the Carson Wentz cap hit, I'm a little gun shy on trading QBs on big contracts.

I don't really understand the Spotrac cap hit numbers, especially out into the later years.

[paco]

33 minutes ago, CouchKing said:

Jalen Hurts | NFL | Spotrac.com

I know I ain't the sharpest tool in the shed, but how do we get rid of / trade Jalen Hurts?

Maybe someone picks up the guaranteed money, but what sort of cap hit do the Eagles receive.

After the Carson Wentz cap hit, I'm a little gun shy on trading QBs on big contracts.

I don't really understand the Spotrac cap hit numbers, especially out into the later years.

Basically the way the contract is structured, if we want to get rid of him we have to eat a massive bowl of s*** for a year or two.  It was structured to give him maximum security IMO

[CouchKing]

39 minutes ago, paco said:

Basically the way the contract is structured, if we want to get rid of him we have to eat a massive bowl of s*** for a year or two.  It was structured to give him maximum security IMO

We might be able to eat a medium size bowl of s*** after 2026 or so. Looks like there are a bunch of voidable years.

But, if we get into the first of those voidable years, the cap hit and size of the bowl appears to spike.

But i don't really know what I'm looking at because Howie is a trickster.

[Diehardfan]

58 minutes ago, paco said:

Basically the way the contract is structured, if we want to get rid of him we have to eat a massive bowl of s*** for a year or two.  It was structured to give him maximum security IMO

It would have to be with a rookie QB replacing him.

[Godfather]

35 minutes ago, CouchKing said:

We might be able to eat a medium size bowl of s*** after 2026 or so. Looks like there are a bunch of voidable years.

But, if we get into the first of those voidable years, the cap hit and size of the bowl appears to spike.

But i don't really know what I'm looking at because Howie is a trickster.

QB1 is a POS and the most overrated player in the NFL 

[Godfather]

18 hours ago, HazletonEagle said:

good guesses. Quez couldnt get an accurate deep ball, and Swift couldnt get a handoff in the red zone because Hurts had to score every TD. 

Barkley will be just as pissed this year

[austinfan]

19 hours ago, Sack that QB said:

I think the whole thing is ridiculous and people are just bored. For one, Sirianni should've been fired, but they decided not to fire him, and the Eagles brass usually gets really defensive when they do something they know they shouldn't have done or don't do something they should have done, because public appearance is paramount to them. We saw how defensive Howie got when he had to answer about the Reddick trade. So I think they're going to be ultra protective about Sirianni this year.

But Hurts really didn't do much of anything. Imagine getting annoyed not because he said something bad, but because he wasn't praising enough. Talk about being insecure. This is like dating a girl and she asks you how she looks before a date and you say pretty, and then she's pissy all night and then finally the next day you ask wtf is wrong and she blows up at you because you didn't spend an hour gushing about how angelic she looks(yes I've dated a girl like that before).

This whole thing is so Fing childish. Hurts is not an affable personality, he just isn't. And if you don't like that kinda personality then you shouldn't have given him that mega contract. If this is even a thing, and I'm not sure it is, but if it is, I put it entirely on the Eagles brass.

Yeah, I always fire the HC who turns around a 4-12 team, makes the playoffs three straight seasons including losing the SB on a terrible field, b/c his 12-5 team had a bad finish.

Think Eagle fans are a bit spoiled these days.

[Texas Eagle]

15 minutes ago, austinfan said:

Yeah, I always fire the HC who turns around a 4-12 team, makes the playoffs three straight seasons including losing the SB on a terrible field, b/c his 12-5 team had a bad finish.

Think Eagle fans are a bit spoiled these days.

Howie turned this team around, not Nick. The talent that Nick had to work with would make any coach look good. Also, it’s clear that Nick has only been a good coach here when he has good coordinators to hide his faults.

[Alphagrand]

32 minutes ago, Texas Eagle said:

Howie turned this team around, not Nick. The talent that Nick had to work with would make any coach look good. Also, it’s clear that Nick has only been a good coach here when he has good coordinators to hide his faults.

Even if you want to go to the most extreme example, any head coach who loses both coordinators in the same offseason will suffer significant drop off.

Belichick took the Patriots to their 3rd Super Bowl title in 4 years in 2004, went 14-2, were 4th in offense and 2nd in defense with Weis and Crennel as coordinators.  Both coordinators moved on after the season, and in 2005 the Patriots went 10-6, were 10th in offense and 17th in defense.

The answer can be as simple as neither coordinator was a good hire.  Defaulting to the rationale that the head coach doesn’t know what he’s doing is pretty ridiculous when the team goes on a 26-5 run in a 31-game span.

[Texas Eagle]

6 minutes ago, Alphagrand said:

Even if you want to go to the most extreme example, any head coach who loses both coordinators in the same offseason will suffer significant drop off.

Belichick took the Patriots to their 3rd Super Bowl title in 4 years in 2004, went 14-2, were 4th in offense and 2nd in defense with Weis and Crennel as coordinators.  Both coordinators moved on after the season, and in 2005 the Patriots went 10-6, were 10th in offense and 17th in defense.

The answer can be as simple as neither coordinator was a good hire.  Defaulting to the rationale that the head coach doesn’t know what he’s doing is pretty ridiculous when the team goes on a 26-5 run in a 31-game span.

What does Nick give this team? Also that Pats team had a ton of injuries and still went on a tear at the end of the season to win the division.

[eglz1]

21 hours ago, LeanMeanGM said:

I don't think it's a major deal, but I think there probably is some tension between them for whatever reason. Hurts did the same thing after the season when asked if Nick should be brought back. 

If it is nothing, he needs some PR classes. These are softball questions with easy answers that can be given to avoid speculation. 

I wonder if Jalen blames Nick for Brian Johnson's failure here. Jalen and Brian are lifelong friends I think.

[Alphagrand]

2 minutes ago, Texas Eagle said:

What does Nick give this team? Also that Pats team had a ton of injuries and still went on a tear at the end of the season to win the division.

What does Dan Campbell give the Lions?  What does John Harbaugh give the Ravens?  What does Tomlin give the Steelers?  Players like Kelce and Cox have already told you what Sirianni brings; why do you need me to explain it?

Exactly how talented do you think the Eagles were last season?

EDGE — Reddick was playing on one hand the first half, Sweat underperforming 

DT — Davis hasn’t developed yet, Carter a rookie who hit the rookie wall

LB — Zach Cunningham was by far the best player

CB — two old, over 30 boundary CBs, Maddox in the infirmary again

S — the white guy was by far the best player

 

The defense was being held together by duck tape and came apart, while the franchise player at QB regressed, either due to yet another injury or not being challenged enough by the OC his family goes back years with.

[Texas Eagle]

7 minutes ago, Alphagrand said:

What does Dan Campbell give the Lions?  What does John Harbaugh give the Ravens?  What does Tomlin give the Steelers?  Players like Kelce and Cox have already told you what Sirianni brings; why do you need me to explain it?

Exactly how talented do you think the Eagles were last season?

EDGE — Reddick was playing on one hand the first half, Sweat underperforming 

DT — Davis hasn’t developed yet, Carter a rookie who hit the rookie wall

LB — Zach Cunningham was by far the best player

CB — two old, over 30 boundary CBs, Maddox in the infirmary again

S — the white guy was by far the best player

 

The defense was being held together by duck tape and came apart, while the franchise player at QB regressed, either due to yet another injury or not being challenged enough by the OC his family goes back years with.

I was referring to the talent on the 2022 squad. Also what else would you expect two guys retiring to say on their way out the door?

[brkmsn]

After 2021, both Gannon and Steichen drew interest around the league for HC vacancies. After 2022, there was even more interest and both landed a job. During those 2 seasons there were a lot of hometown critics of their jobs and there were plenty of Eagles fans hoping someone else would actually hire them so we could replace them. Obviously we ended up replacing them and hired two new completely inexperienced coordinators and this team struggled compared to the previous season. In fact, this team seemed more like the 2021 Eagles than the 2022 Eagles --- like when we had two coordinators in their first season. 

I think Howie has always tried to play the compensatory game in the NFL when he felt we could gain draft capital. When we replaced Steichen and Gannon we brought in two replacements that could eventually lead to draft picks if another team signed them as head coaches. Unfortunately neither seemed to fully get the performance expected out of the players. As the season progressed and struggles lingered, neither was able to correct anything --- and that probably is a product of their inexperience. To compound matters, the defense saw an in-season leadership change that it just doesn't seem like the players bought into. The defense really didn't enter the season with any vocal on-field leadership. There were plenty of mentors, but not a single player that was the heart and soul of the defense, that held players accountable during games and inspired teammates on the sideline and on the field. The two most vocal leaders we had last season were late additions: Byard and Shaq Leonard. All of this played a part in the disfunction in 2023. 

This season we brought in two experienced coordinators which should be a good move. If successful, it's only likely that one would draw a HC opportunity as Fangio just wants to be in Philadelphia at this point. If Moore should draw any HC consideration, that's a stupid thing to worry about. It would mean he did a good job and helped this offense advance in just 1 season here. That won't happen if the players don't learn new things and improve as players. If our core offensive players learn and improve as players, they can apply that with the next OC, who would likely just be an in-house promotion. 

[McMVP]

1 hour ago, eglz1 said:

I wonder if Jalen blames Nick for Brian Johnson's failure here. Jalen and Brian are lifelong friends I think.

If there is a problem between them, I would guess this is the primary reason.

[Alphagrand]

32 minutes ago, brkmsn said:

This season we brought in two experienced coordinators which should be a good move. If successful, it's only likely that one would draw a HC opportunity as Fangio just wants to be in Philadelphia at this point. If Moore should draw any HC consideration, that's a stupid thing to worry about. It would mean he did a good job and helped this offense advance in just 1 season here. That won't happen if the players don't learn new things and improve as players. If our core offensive players learn and improve as players, they can apply that with the next OC, who would likely just be an in-house promotion. 

You’re correct it’s highly unlikely Fangio would move on to another head coaching vacancy, and Moore would very much like to get back on the shortlist for head coaching vacancies.  By definition, in a successful organization the head coach will always be a longer term hire than his coordinators.  Hopefully the team excels each season and those coordinators are worthy of being hired away and promoted elsewhere.  The organization isn’t allowed to block a head coaching opportunity, nor should they.

As far as Sirianni and the current Eagles situation goes, it’s Nick’s responsibility to learn Kellen Moore’s offense, backwards and forwards, to ensure continuity.  When Sirianni was hired and brought Shane Steichen in as part of his staff, we can assume the offense was built by both of them.  Whether it was 70/30 Sirianni, 70/30 Steichen, or some other ratio, only the coaching staff truly knows that.  We can guess, based on how events played out, that Steichen was a better play caller than Sirianni.  I’m a believer that the OC should always be the play caller, while the head coach needs to be fully aware of what is happening from whistle to whistle and after the whistle, and have his eyes, ears and head fully in the moment to execute in-game strategy, communicate to officials, players, etc. — rather than having his head buried in the play chart between plays.

IMO Moore is a very good play caller and hopefully he’ll be doing it on game days.  Sirianni’s long-term success here will be dependent on keeping the leadership core of players firmly in his corner.  As long as the team is playing hard for the head coach, he’s in a good spot.  If they start mailing it in and in-fighting, change will come fast.

I don’t believe the 2023 team imploded for lack of effort; I just think Patricia screwed up the defense so badly that no one knew what their assignments were on a given play.

[paco]

7 hours ago, CouchKing said:

We might be able to eat a medium size bowl of s*** after 2026 or so. Looks like there are a bunch of voidable years.

But, if we get into the first of those voidable years, the cap hit and size of the bowl appears to spike.

But i don't really know what I'm looking at because Howie is a trickster.

The problem is the contract has cascading option bonuses that guarantee a boatload of money the year following the trigger.  That doesn't show up immediately on OTC\spotrac when you give it a quick glance, you need to read the fine print.

 

OTC did an EXCELLENT breakdown of his contract here.  The highlights:

2024: 16.5 million of 2026 salary becomes guaranteed
2025: 30.804 million of 2026 salary becomes guaranteed
2026: 22 million of 2027 salary becomes guaranteed
2028 is the first year for the dead money to drop below $100 million.

 

[McMVP]

4 hours ago, Alphagrand said:

You’re correct it’s highly unlikely Fangio would move on to another head coaching vacancy, and Moore would very much like to get back on the shortlist for head coaching vacancies.  By definition, in a successful organization the head coach will always be a longer term hire than his coordinators.  Hopefully the team excels each season and those coordinators are worthy of being hired away and promoted elsewhere.  The organization isn’t allowed to block a head coaching opportunity, nor should they.

As far as Sirianni and the current Eagles situation goes, it’s Nick’s responsibility to learn Kellen Moore’s offense, backwards and forwards, to ensure continuity.  When Sirianni was hired and brought Shane Steichen in as part of his staff, we can assume the offense was built by both of them.  Whether it was 70/30 Sirianni, 70/30 Steichen, or some other ratio, only the coaching staff truly knows that.  We can guess, based on how events played out, that Steichen was a better play caller than Sirianni.  I’m a believer that the OC should always be the play caller, while the head coach needs to be fully aware of what is happening from whistle to whistle and after the whistle, and have his eyes, ears and head fully in the moment to execute in-game strategy, communicate to officials, players, etc. — rather than having his head buried in the play chart between plays.

IMO Moore is a very good play caller and hopefully he’ll be doing it on game days.  Sirianni’s long-term success here will be dependent on keeping the leadership core of players firmly in his corner.  As long as the team is playing hard for the head coach, he’s in a good spot.  If they start mailing it in and in-fighting, change will come fast.

I don’t believe the 2023 team imploded for lack of effort; I just think Patricia screwed up the defense so badly that no one knew what their assignments were on a given play.

I expect he knew Steichen’s every which way and will learn Moore’s inside and out as well.  Hard not to know it deeply when you are around it that much.  But it’s one thing to know it and another thing to know how to script the beginning of a game.  It’s yet another to know how to call what play and when once the flow of the game gets going.  I think Steichen is a better play caller than Sirianni will ever be (but I also think Steichen is maybe top 3 or 4 in the NFL at this right now).  I also think Moore is the better play caller when compared to Sirianni.  I’m sure a coach can improve at play-calling over time, but some just have a better feel for it.

[Diehardfan]

7 hours ago, Godfather said:

QB1 is a POS and the most overrated player in the NFL 

Not the most overrated but he is up there. He is not the guy.

[RememberTheKoy]

There is a video out on Twitter circulating of new Eagles linebacker Terrell Lewis being chased through a hotel by a naked prostitute after running on her without paying. 

[brkmsn]

2 minutes ago, RememberTheKoy said:

There is a video out on Twitter circulating of new Eagles linebacker Terrell Lewis being chased through a hotel by a naked prostitute after running on her without paying. 

Did he look fast?

[RememberTheKoy]

Just now, brkmsn said:

Did he look fast?

He was able to out run the naked prostitute at least. 

[brkmsn]

1 minute ago, RememberTheKoy said:

He was able to out run the naked prostitute at least. 

I'm glad he's using the time off to work on his conditioning. We don't want people wearing out late in the season again.

[Alphagrand]

14 minutes ago, brkmsn said:

I'm glad he's using the time off to work on his conditioning. We don't want people wearing out late in the season again.

I don’t think you’re gonna find a better training ground than running from a naked prostitute.  They’re motivated and need money 

[jsb235]

1 hour ago, paco said:

The problem is the contract has cascading option bonuses that guarantee a boatload of money the year following the trigger.  That doesn't show up immediately on OTC\spotrac when you give it a quick glance, you need to read the fine print.

 

OTC did an EXCELLENT breakdown of his contract here.  The highlights:

2024: 16.5 million of 2026 salary becomes guaranteed
2025: 30.804 million of 2026 salary becomes guaranteed
2026: 22 million of 2027 salary becomes guaranteed
2028 is the first year for the dead money to drop below $100 million.

 

It's almost like they think a top-level qb might be here for a few years. Imagine that.