Drafting A TE Early?

[General_Failure]

You left holes at CB and SS.

[The BIGSTUD]

I think Rod Hood is more than good enough to hill in if Lito starts sucking, and Lewis had one bad fluke year.

[PhillyPhreak54]

Tito will be alright when the pass rush is fixed. He's a gambler and needs to be better on not taking so many chances, but once he doesn't have to break his leg trying to cover a guy for 53 seconds he'll be aight.

[Displaced]

Tito will be alright when the pass rush is fixed. He's a gambler and needs to be better on not taking so many chances, but once he doesn't have to break his leg trying to cover a guy for 53 seconds he'll be aight.

Yeah what he said.  Restoring the pass rush is key to fixing all the other problems the defense has had this year.  A dominant pass rush gets them off the field on third down after the run defense, that was improved this last year, puts teams in the whole.  Like I said this can be accomplished in a bunch of ways whether it's with a DT that collapses the pocket or a LB with the skills to get to the QB or with a shut down corner on the outside.

Again one impact player can make the difference.  It may sound simplistic but look at the difference in the run defense after Trott was inserted last year.

[The BIGSTUD]

This team needs playmaking linebackers too. Big-time. Not just one, but two of them.

[pinoyboy2pt0]

Thing is, I just can't see a Merriman in the bunch.  Is there?  Maybe besides AJ, who else is out there?  I am getting pissed off that all these NFL D ROY are coming out a LB the past two years.  Last year was a great LB corps.

[PhillyPhreak54]

The thing is, they don't really need a Merriman type guy. I'd love to have him and Andy Reid scouted him hard last year but he was too high for them. It was a shock that he made it to SD at 12.

What they need, while still being a playmaker, is a guy who is disciplined and who can eat up blockers at the point-of-attack at SAM. When we had Emmons he took on blockers and allowed pursuit to flow to the ball. Dhani is a goddamn matador.

And the WLB position needs a guy who has sideline -to-sideline speed so he can cover a guy like Tiki and flow to the weakside pursuit and is good in space.

That is why I would like to see Witherspoon here. And that is another reason why I won't give up on McCoy yet because he has speed. If he can be coached up, he might be something.

Even though I'm pimping Spoon, if they signed Peterson and moved Dhani to WIL I would be pleased.

And if they did get Peterson it would also help Mike Lewis a ton as well. Lewis is better in the box. When he has to help cover TEs or is isolated on TEs then he's out of his comfort zone.

[Displaced]

As usual Phreak you are on point.  Dhani is naturally a WILL if the Eagles could get a Bonafide SAM and move The Bow Tie back to his natural position that would be huge.  Dhani has ball skills (excellent for a Lb) and few runningbacks can out run him in patterns.  I still remember that beautiful over the shoulder int he had early on in the season. 

Also they need a Linebacker that can come in on third downs and cover the backs and TEs.  Maybe Jones could even be the guy in that role the way Ike was.  But that would call for at least two Lbs to come in and acclamate to the system right away.  Don't know if that's possible.

[pinoyboy2pt0]

Yeah, I like 'Spoon a lot.  Covers like he's insane and, for the most part, using his hands well avoiding chips and getting through trash.  I don't think Greenway or DeMeco (only watched a few games of each just focusing in on them) can shed trash very well.  Greenway can fly and can get by because of his athleticism, but can't blow a guy back like Merriman.  I'm still up in the air about the incoming draft LB's.  I think Greenway moves up at the combine bc he'll post some great measureables.

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

Witherspoon did blow the coverage on the first TD of the game yesterday.  He cheated up too much and left Stevens wide open in the middle of the end zone.  That said, there were plenty of plays I watched him playing man-to-man instead of zone, and he looked quite good.

[ice grillin you]

andy reid gets the gas face if he even thinks about taking a TE at 14

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

I don't see anyone worth taking at #14 either, but they could go TE in the first round if they trade down.

That said, I really don't see it happening.  I think they draft a big man at #14... either a beastly LB or a lineman.

[Tomahawk]

The best thing they could do to improve the passing game is to improve the running game first.

Without a legitimate threat in the backfield, teams will simply tee off on McNabb like they did last year.  Just look at the four remaining teams in the playoffs.  All of them place a premium on running the ball and then killing teams with the pass.

That's not an accident.

If LenDale White is there at 14 and they don't take him, they're farging idiots.

If AZ passes up on White, they're farging idiots.

[stillupfront]

Take LenDale White at 14 if available, if not, (I can't believe I am saying this) draft Leonard from (gulp) Rutgers. Leonard can play the FB spot and is a big enough guy to line up in the 2 TE set. From what I am told, he is a really bright kid who plays in a WCO for the (gayest nickname in all sports) Scarlet Knights.

[PhillyPhreak54]

Leonard is staying in school.