The offseason for the Eagles will continue this week, with more training and team meetings, as well as a Zoom press conference with the team’s new (and some old) assistant coaches.

When we read what they are saying today, we will have more about this, but first let us dive into the big story so far this week, it comes from Jeff McLean of the Inquirer, not only questioning the profession Morality is also the influence of one of the team’s star players.

Cox control?

Jeff McLean | Enquirer network

On Monday, McLean published a long story about the Eagles veteran defensive tackle and captain Fletcher Cox. He suddenly stood on the wrong side at the age of 30 and left some in the building. People worry that he wants to be one of the best players on the team.

McLean wrote in the “Philadelphia Inquirer”: “However, some coaches have a feeling that Cox did not maximize his abilities during this time and did not take necessary health measures to protect his Healthy.” “And there is an internal concern that he will not take additional measures when he retires in Philadelphia in his 30s.”

This is obviously a highlight of this story, but it is not what impressed me the most. Later, McLean revealed Cox’s influence on the team’s decision makers.

Of course, the Eagles are not the only NFL team that supports the cornerstone of the franchise. But the source said that Rothman’s emotional attachment and preference caused the player’s power to exceed expectations. Not surprisingly, Cox took advantage of this.

“Howie will basically check everything related to the defensive line with Fletcher to make sure it’s okay in the first place,” a team source said. “So this often leads to some people finding a job, and in some cases, also losing their job.”

The Eagles and Cox declined to comment on the various claims in this story through a team spokesperson.

Cox is not the only reason the Eagles have four defensive line coaches since 2016. There are countless factors, and a new head coach was recently hired. But team sources said that the mood of the defensive tackle did play a role in the departure of the two assistants. [inquirer.com]

So why does this seem to be more important than some employees questioning Cox’s professional ethics and ability to stay ahead? Well, for starters, the question about Cox would indicate a personal failure, while the quote above and the content described in the subsequent paragraphs in the McLean story is a complete organizational failure, Rothman was told what to do By a player. If Rothman wants to be friendly with some players, that’s great, but he can’t let this make him turn a blind eye to other issues that need to be resolved. And I will not blame Cox for taking advantage of this situation. The conditioning part? Of course, that was in Cox. But what about other things? That was on Howie.

Either way, it seems that Cox is not a fan of this story…

In hindsight, it looks like 2018

Dane Bruegler | Sports meeting

Speaking of Howie, in recent years he has received a lot of criticism for his draft errors. This is why it is a bit interesting to see The Athletic rank his 2018 draft class in the top half of the NFL. But when you consider that the Eagles not only don’t have any first or third round picks, but they only have five picks in total, that’s better than it sounds. All five are still on the Hawks’ roster, including some key contributors, which other teams cannot do.

Here are Howie’s five draft picks that year:

• TE Dallas Goedert | Round 2 (49)
• CB Avonte Maddox | Round 4 (125)
• DE Josh Sweat | Round 4 (130)
• OL Matt Pryor | 6th round (206)
• OT Jordan Mailata | Round 7 (233)

Given that we now have three years to see these people playing in the NFL (and in some cases not playing), the rankings are much more accurate than the rankings published in the hours and days after the 2018 draft. According to Dane Brugler, Howie’s draft picks have performed well in most situations.

13. Philadelphia Eagles

Best player: Dallas God

Despite being overshadowed by Zach Ertz, in the past three seasons, Goldt, as one of only 10 close ends, has received more than 130 passes and more than touchdowns. Twelve times, he performed well in supporting roles. As Ertz may be about to leave, Goedert will see his target share and role expand, which may give him a chance to obtain a meaningful extension.

Best value (outside the first round): Jordan Myrata

Mailata was born in Australia and was a professional rugby player before moving to the United States and playing for the NFL team. The Eagles handed him a leaflet in the seventh round. After he missed almost all of the previous two seasons, he saw an important representative in 2020 to fill the injured Jason Peters. Melata made significant progress late in the season and was able to win Philadelphia’s starting left tackle.

The biggest mistake: Matt Pryor

The Hawks are the only team with all 2018 draft picks still on the roster. Pryor’s performance surpassed most of the sixth-round picks in his class and had a double-digit start at the guard position last season. However, he played closer to the bench level than the starting level. If the Hawks must have a “miss”, he is a draft pick. [theathletic.com]

Ranking 13th is not something you would write home about, but in a year when the draft picks were very limited, Howie’s shooting percentage was much higher than average.

The worst first?

Adam Shain | National Football League

While we are discussing ranking topics, let’s take a look at what NFL.com’s Adam Schein thinks about the Hawks’ chances of going from worst to number one in their division this year. He ranked all eight worst residents based on their chances of winning their respective departments in 2021, and he believes the Eagles are not ready to make this jump.

6. Philadelphia Eagles

NFC East·2020 Record: 4-11-1

I don’t think the Eagles are very good, but objectively speaking, NFC East is very bad. So maybe I’m a bit low in Philadelphia on this list-especially considering that I believe in Jalen Hurts more than many others in this industry. I also like DeVonta Smith, I think he will soon become a star. So what’s the problem?

Well, I’m worried… well… everything else. From a snakebite offensive line to a defense full of holes in the back seven areas. I know that the new coach Nick Sirianni likes rock-paper-scissors, but he knows very little about his potential as a leader. [nfl.com]

It all boils down to hurt

John Stones Bloody green country

According to John Stolnis of Bleeding Green Nation, if the Eagles do plan to win their division this season, it must be Jalen Hurts who brought them there. On Tuesday, he wrote that the young QB has a blueprint to follow: Donovan McNabb’s 2000 season.

McNab almost single-handedly improved the Eagles’ record to 11 wins and 5 losses, and was runner-up in the MVP vote that year, second only to Marshall Fork, who had crazy 26 touchdowns that season. McNab passed the ball for 3365 yards, 21 TDs, 11 INTs, completed 58.0% of the passes, rushed for 629 yards and 6 points on the ground. By today’s standards, these numbers are not big, but in 2000, they were pretty good. This is not just the production of the back of the football card. McNab used his legs to lead the Eagles to numerous victories throughout the season. He quickly became one of the most dynamic forces in the NFL, as evidenced by his second place in the MVP voting.

Does injury have the same effect? It is difficult to predict that Jaylen will be runner-up in the MVP voting in his first full season, and it is unfair to expect it. Nevertheless, Hertz is still talented. Anyone who has seen the end of the season can see a glimpse, the glimpse we saw in Donovan McNab’s rookie season. Although Hurts was not drafted like McNabb did, the path for Hurts to become the team’s quarterback is definitely in front of him.

The defense will not carry the 2021 Eagles. Neither does it run in the race, nor does the receiving team. If the Hawks are to challenge the division championship, Jalen Hertz will have to be close to McNab’s first full season as the team’s starter. He will have to be a force in the NFL, someone who beats the team with both legs and arms and makes his teammates better. [bleedinggreennation.com]

Gannon’s plan is still a mystery

Zach Berman | Sports meeting

Much of the conversation this offseason has focused on the Hawks offense-for good reason. But what about their defense? What plan will the new defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon take in his first season? It turns out that he didn’t even know about it.

“When I got here, I didn’t put a book on the table and said,’Hey, this is what we are running.’ If you really ask the head coach, when he interviews me we talk about this for the first time When it was,’Hey, what plan are you going to run? I said,’I don’t have a plan,'” Gannon said. “And I believe you have to adapt. But first we have to figure out what our players can do, and then we have to put them in these situations as much as possible to take advantage of them. The most important thing for us is not that we play What, but how do we play. If you ask our players, I think they know that from the moment we have to run to the ball, we will beat people, we will take it away, and we will be smart. These four things : Noisy, Intensity, Take Away, Smart. The acronym is the’HITS’ principle, which is the principle we must adhere to.”

His views are valuable, and the coach should adapt to the team’s personnel. Of course, the Hawks signed Anthony Harris and Eric Wilson for a reason. They are good players, but they also have experience in the defense of the Vikings, which is expected to be an important part of Gannon’s plan in Philadelphia. (Gannon is a former assistant under Vikings coach Mike Zimmer.) Based on some early signs and roster decisions, the Eagles sometimes implement stand-up pass charges in defense, and more than they do. He used his nose to tackle the ball under the leadership of Jim Schwartz. Compared to Schwartz’s preferred single-height security, the Eagles can use more two-layer deep security appearances.

The remaining big question is how large the Hawks’ defensive area is compared to man-to-man defense. If you remember, the purpose of the Hawks’ acquisition of Darius Slay was to emphasize the coverage of people. (Interestingly, according to the focus of professional football, the Eagles had a pass rate of 55.6% last season.)

“As for people and areas, it will depend on who we have and who we are playing with,” Gannon said. “So I believe in playing different styles of defense. There is more than one way to skin a cat, I think, we will figure it out. … But once we enter the training camp, we will really evaluate:’Hey, What can our players do? This is the first part of it. From there, who are we playing and what must we stop?” [theathletic.com]

So the plan will depend on who you own? Does this mean that there may be more supplements? Steven Nelson is still available, just to say…

More important (and in fact) will be the impact this will have on the killing of Darius. After a calm 2020, he may be able to return to form with a new look defensively this season.