Looking At The Leap Year Prospects Of The 2011 Eagles Draft Class (Part 2)
Earlier, we looked at the "leap year" prospects of the first half of the 2011 draft class, so now we'll take a look at the rest.
Dion Lewis - RB - Lewis showed some flashes running the ball last year averaging 4.4 yards per carry, but the Eagles brought in some competition for him this season. But here's where the leap year guys should stand out. Dion Lewis should know the offense better than Bryce Brown or Chris Polk. He should be more patient and he should understand pass blocking better than those guys. This is exactly what we look for in second year guys. Dion Lewis looked like a pretty good runner when he had a chance in rookie year, so now we'll get to see if he's added all those other dimensions to his game.
Julian Vandervelde - OL - There's really only backup jobs up for grabs for a guy like Vandervelde, but what we look for from his is really the same as Watkins. Get stronger and refine technique.
Jason Kelce - OL - Unlike Watkins in year one, Kelce really showed marked improvement as the year went on. The strong way he finish seems to have made a lot of people forget that he was struggling at times early last year, but that's really not a big deal for a rookie. This season we want to basically see him pick up where left off and progress with the strength and technique just like any lineman. However, for Kelce there's one other big thing we want to see this year. Last season, Michael Vick was making the line calls when normally in this offseason it has been the center. Obviously the Eagles did not want to give that responsibility to a rookie who had no offseason. This year it appears that they will put the responsibility on Kelce to make the calls. So this is a big offseason for him to be able to recognize where blitzes are coming from and adjusting the protections.
Brian Rolle - LB - Rolle was an exciting player last season when he broke into the starting lineup, but that excitement and fun attitude kind of masked that he missed a lot of tackles. Just like Casey Matthews, it's going to be interesting to see how much muscle Rolle has put on this offseason. He would get swallowed up in blocks just like Matthews at times. He's already got a tremendous motor, so if he could add some strength and shore up his tackling technique he could really be a player. The starting WILL job may very well come down to who makes the biggest year two jump between he and Matthews.
Greg Lloyd - LB - For Lloyd, the path to a roster spot is probably through special teams. So that's where we probably want to see how he's progressed.
Stanley Havili - FB - At this point, he's the starting fullback. He showed up to the rookie camp having put on some bulk and muscle so clearly he has known what his job was this offseason, which is a good sign. Havili was a good runner and very good receiver at USC, but he really didn't do as much blocking as you might expect a fullback to do. So it will be good to see how he's progressed there, but the added bulk is certainly a good sign.
Poll Of this group, who makes the biggest leap in year 2?- Dion Lewis
- Julian Vandervelde
- Jason Kelce
- Brian Rolle
- Greg Lloyd
- Stanley Havili
48 votes | Results
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Looking At The Leap Year Prospects Of The 2011 Eagles Draft Class (Part 1)
An NFL player's second year is often referred to as his "leap year." He had his rookie year, he had a full offseason in an NFL training program, he knows the playbook and now its time to take a leap up. Players often advance more form year one to two more than any other year in their career.
For the draft class of 2011, the leap could be even more dramatic. Thanks to the lockout, these guys had virtually no offseason. That means no learning the playbook, no NFL training program and not even really any chance to get to know their teammates or coaches. So it's very possible that we could see a lot of these guys, here and around the NFL, take a big jump in year 2. Below we'll assess the prospects of each of the Eagles 2011 picks.
Danny Watkins - OL - Watkins didn't even get into camp on time when it finally did start, so he was behind the 8 ball more than anyone last year and it showed. It took until week 5 for him to earn a starting job and really he was a mix of good and bad for the rest of the season. So he's a serious candidate to take a big jump. He's really got all the tools a guy needs to be a really good guard, so an offseason getting stronger and working with Howard Mudd on technique should be very valuable for him.
Jaiquawn Jarrett - S - He simply did not play very much in his rookie year and at this point is a near total question mark. Kurt Coleman has the starting SS job heading into to camp, so it's really up to Jarrett to take it from him. There's been a lot of speculation about how the Eagles feel about him, but be clear... that's all it is. We do not know what to expect from Jarrett just yet. We're going to have to wait and see him play. Here's hoping Todd Bowles knows what he's doing and Jarrett is paying attention.
Curtis Marsh - CB - Marsh only played in 7 games last year and there's not really a lot to be said about him either way. He's seen more or less the same way he was when drafted. He has the ideal tools to be a good corner... great size, long arms & good speed. However, he still has to really learn how to play corner. He only switched there in his Junior year after starting at RB for Utah State in his first two years. It should be very interesting to see how much technique he's developed this offseason to go with his really good physical tools.
Casey Matthews - LB - A lot of people have written Casey Matthews off after his rough start to last season, but my caution has to been to wait and see what shape he shows up to camp in. Matthews still has plenty to learn about being a LB, but for me his biggest problem was that he simply needed to put on muscle. If guys do anything from year one to year, they put on muscle and get stronger after a full year in an NFL training camp. Reports are that Matthews is up to 250, which is encouraging. If he's gotten stronger over the offseason without sacrificing his speed, he could actually win the starting WILL spot. He was playing pretty well late last year as a nickel coverage LB. So he has some ability, he just needs the body to go along with it. We'll see if he gets that.
Alex Henery - K - Henery now owns the NFL rookie record for accuracy after what was a pretty solid debut season. There's really every reason to believe he should continue to develop well and the main thing I'll be looking for is to see how much trust Andy Reid has in him. One of the reasons Henery was so accurate last season was that Reid simply didn't put him in a lot of tough spots, certainly not like he used to put Akers in.
We'll look over the rest of the 2011 class later, but of these guys who is your pick to make the big leap in year two?
Poll Who will make the biggest leap in year 2?- Danny Watkins
- Jaiquwan Jarrett
- Curtis Marsh
- Casey Matthews
- Alex Henery
5 votes | Results
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LeSean McCoy signing goes to plan...
Looking forward to the running of the Preakness later today... and thinking of the hard training and expertise that goes into the development of a thoroughbred running back... the ability to read blocks and adjust to lanes is just as important to an NFL running back as it is to a 110-pound jockey astride a 40-mph missile made of muscle and willpower.
That's what makes LeSean McCoy special... he can read his field like a jockey...and he has put in the hard work to qualify as a physical force in the NFL.
Only 23 years old, McCoy has emerged into one of the strongest running backs in the league. He hit the weights like Brizer told him in 2010. It paid off. No more arm tackles...and he has stayed relatively injury-free with the exception of the usual strains and pains. This guy is a horse.
He is a premier back. At 5-11, 208, he is electrifying at times.
He is now making Arian Foster money... $45 million over 5 years, $21 million guaranteed...
He can run with Foster, and catch more passes... he pass-pro blocks...he is better than Foster.
Give credit where it is due to Howie Roseman, Andy Reid and McCoy's agent Drew Rosenhaus... All three recognized they were dealing with something special here. Nobody was foolish enough to muck it up.
UPDATE to follow on Preakness Day....
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LeSean McCoy Fulfills A Life Long Dream With Long Term Deal
LeSean McCoy was all smiles as he met the media last night, the Eagles Pro Bowl RB had just put pen to paper on a brand new 5-year extension that will pay him $45 million and keep him in green through the 2017 season. For the kid from Harrisburg, its the fulfillment of a lifelong dream.
"I love this team, and I'm kind of a hometown kid from Harrisburg which is like an hour and a half away." McCoy said.
"The biggest thing is that my whole life, I've always thought about being a professional football player and working hard to this point where I sign a major contract to be with a great organization. It's a blessing."
McCoy is the fourth former Eagles draft pick to get a new, big money extension from the team this offseason (Trent Cole, Todd Herremans & DeSean Jackson being the others). Head coach Andy Reid that its important for the team to lock up players like McCoy.
"We have good, young players here who enjoy playing for the city of Philadelphia. If you're going to be accepted into this city, there's a certain attitude that you need to bring. We felt like we had a great nucleus of guys, LeSean being one of that group. He does it all, so this isn't a one-dimensional running back. This is a running back that can not only carry the football for you but can catch the football as well as the wide receivers and he can block and loves playing the game. That brings great energy to this football team."
McCoy's extension was completely painless, unlike the process to get DeSean Jackson re-signed. He was publicly unhappy about his deal, seemed to let it affect his play and had to be franchised this offseason before he finally got a deal done. McCoy was asked whether he learned anything from what DeSean went through?
"Me and DeSean are great friends, and everybody handles things differently," McCoy explained. "I don't really want to get involved with other guys contract situations or problems. We never really got into it about that, and me as a person and just the way I was raised, I try and do things the right way. I thought that the team knew that I wanted a new deal. I go out every week and work hard in practice and in the games playing my heart out. I didn't want to act the fool and do the wrong thing because I wasn't raised like that. I want to do the right things by showing up and being a team guy, all the things that I really am. It wasn't like I had to act like I was this different person, I was just being myself."
At 23 years old, LeSean McCoy already holds the Eagles single season franchise records for rushing TDs and total TDs. He was 4th in the league in rushing and led in the NFL in first downs and TDs. If he stays healthy, there's really no telling how much better he can get. Howie Roseman said that locking down McCoy and the rest of the teams' good young core was their plan this offseason.
"I think it starts when we sat down and made our offseason plan. We decided to focus on re-signing our own players and keeping a bulk of the team intact for now and going into the future. Obviously, LeSean was a big part of that. We felt like it was really important to get that done and try to get that done quickly, so we were going to be aggressive about it. He's a part of the family and his style and his play are so important to the organization and this team. I know I speak for a lot of us when I say that we're excited that he's going to be here for a long time."
LeSean McCoy Gets Paid!
Shady Gets Paid!
Time to celebrate a 100% successful off-season, Philadelphia!
The elephant in the room — LeSean McCoy’s expiring contract — has been rectified by a whopping five-year $45 million deal, with at least $20,765,000 guaranteed. This move will lock Shady with the Eagles through 2017, and if there was any doubt before it’s gone now — McCoy is the Eagles’ offensive cornerstone. The idea of losing McCoy after this season to a contract hold-out, or worse yet free agency, was something that wasn’t going to fly.
So, Philly paid Shady what he deserved.
Following a record shattering season in 2011, McCoy proved that he can be that premiere back the Eagles have been missing since the early days of Brian Westbrook. The sick cut-backs, smooth jukes, and break-away speed helped carry Shady to his new contract — one that will likely last the remainder of his career.
The question now becomes this — do the Eagles use McCoy more or less now that he has signed a new contract, and with that, does Philadelphia have the depth behind him to cut him breaks in games?
Really, it all boils down to how Dion Lewis, Chris Polk, and Bryce Brown perform. If any of those three can contribute a decent amount, I would expect Shady’s overall carry numbers to drop as the Eagles will try and keep him fresh through the entire season. However, if none of the above mentioned running backs are consistent, expect McCoy’s carries to sky-rocket compared to last season.
Either way, this contract extension is huge for the Eagles — it marks a new generation and the potential for losing McCoy is no longer an issue!