Upcoming Off-Season Thread

[MDS]

youll know if they bring back old ass trent cole

[PhillyPhreak54]

And they should...at a reduced rate

[MDS]

what semi successful long term philly athlete should a team NOT bring back?

[PhillyPhreak54]

Sorry...bringing back a good player is an egregious mistake and shouldn't happen.

[SD]

In a perfect world the light goes on for Smith because physically he's superior to Graham and Cole.

yup...man if he could become a legit starter it would take so much weight off the PP dept as they could forget about a big need...its a cliché but its really true....when first or second rounder fail it really does reverberate down the line

the problem is they are not going to know whether he can become something until after the draft and free agency....unless I suppose hes just that bad and they have already decided he cant play

I know you've stated otherwise but from post draft interviews they expected him to be a project pick. Howie said his playing time was dependent on his willingness to learn the defense. There's no reason Smith can't succeed other than he just doesn't have it in him. Athletically he's there. The most pt we saw from him was in the preseason, I remember seeing a superior athlete who lacked heart and football smarts

[Rome]

Heart and smarts are almost as overrated as culture, amirite?!?

[ice grillin you]

In a perfect world the light goes on for Smith because physically he's superior to Graham and Cole.

yup...man if he could become a legit starter it would take so much weight off the PP dept as they could forget about a big need...its a cliché but its really true....when first or second rounder fail it really does reverberate down the line

the problem is they are not going to know whether he can become something until after the draft and free agency....unless I suppose hes just that bad and they have already decided he cant play

I know you've stated otherwise but from post draft interviews they expected him to be a project pick. Howie said his playing time was dependent on his willingness to learn the defense. There's no reason Smith can't succeed other than he just doesn't have it in him. Athletically he's there. The most pt we saw from him was in the preseason, I remember seeing a superior athlete who lacked heart and football smarts

actually i saw a ton of him in college and at the combine....hes not overly athletic...he runs pretty well thats about it...actually his best attribute coming out was how coachable and smart he was the ultimate team guy....guess they whiffed on that one

as for being a project he only was in the sense that he had to learn a new position but you don't take a five year senior who was his conferences DPOY in the first round as a project....projects are raw young guys with boatloads of talent who have yet to fully develop...yes hes a veteran but trent cole who has no ability to play OLB and is as stereotypical a 4-3 end as you can get for the last decade learned the position over an offseason...its not a difficult transition to make

bottom line is when your first round pick cant get on the field for much of the season even on special teams something went horribly wrong and I don't have much faith that he becomes a player

[SD]

I never heard of the guy until they called his name so I'll take your word. Here are the post draft comments from Howie:

As for Smith, Roseman stops short of calling him a long-range project but makes it clear that because he is moving to a new position and just turned 22, he has a lot of room for growth.

For now, Trent Cole and Connor Barwin will start at outside linebacker, but Cole is going into his 10th NFL season and is 31, and at some point, Smith will likely move into his spot.

"When we look at [Smith], it's the upside," Roseman said. "When you talk about him athletically, he's an exceptional athlete, he's 6-3, 250 pounds, he runs a 4.6, he had 14½ sacks, he was the conference defensive Player of the Year, and we think he's got so much more to grow too.

"Lucky for us, we do have veterans at that position, so we're looking at it more where's he going to be one, two, three years down the line. When you have someone who's an incredible athlete, who's a really hard worker, who's a good kid, who's smart ... it's impressive."

[ice grillin you]

doesnt surprise me that the gm would rave about his first round draft pick....that said I don't even think hes lying or doesn't believe what hes saying...im just going by what ive seen of him...

don't get me wrong hes not a sloth or something...hes a good athlete....I just don't see him being anywhere near exceptional....i think hes like connor barwin but faster....hes not jarvis jones tho or someone like that....put it this way he will not fail in the nfl because of a lack of athleticism...just don't ever expect him to be some freak of nature out there making plays on a consistent basis....I hope to god im wrong...shtein I hope to god he can become a suitable replacement for killa....ill be rooting my ass off for him this offseason....because like weve said its very important that he fills that OLB need this year

[SD]

From the time they picked him and especially after the Howie comments I chalked him up as a system guy. Never claimed he was a freak of nature just that he's sthletic enough to be a player. I haven't totally written him off yet but my biggest fear is they Andy Reid him and throw him out there when he shouldn't be because there's no one better.

[ice grillin you]

lol...i cant think of marcus smith being picked without thinking of sunny losing it because no one liked the selection (cept for j)

the board of whiney funholes is acting like whiney funholes.  super surprised you guys

[SD]

Or this:

super nfl scout sd eagle takes time from spraying CFCs into the ozone and going to women's shelters and asking them why dinner is cold to do a thorough analysis of the eagles' mindset and draft board.  well done

[Dillen]

The main thought I had about him was that you don't take projects in the 1st round if they are only "athletic enough". A project in the first round is someone who will light it up if everything goes well.  Players who are "athletic enough" but are still 1st rounders are Lamarr Woodley and Ryan Kerrigan.

[ice grillin you]

Or this:

super nfl scout sd eagle takes time from spraying CFCs into the ozone and going to women's shelters and asking them why dinner is cold to do a thorough analysis of the eagles' mindset and draft board.  well done

haha

The main thought I had about him was that you don't take projects in the 1st round if they are only "athletic enough". A project in the first round is someone who will light it up if everything goes well.  Players who are "athletic enough" but are still 1st rounders are Lamarr Woodley and Ryan Kerrigan.

i totally agree in general....and if you truly believe them that they thought he was an exceptional athlete then that's a huge scouting problem

to me tho I think that was Howie post pick press conf speak...the guy was a senior graduate....team captain with exceptional leadership skills....he came to louisville as a QB i believe and was asked to switch to defense which he was more than willing to do for the sake of the team...super versatile guy on the field who they thought could rush the edge or drop back in space....all chip qualities and why im certain the pick was chips...again we can debate whether or not chip wanted him at that spot but he had chips MO when it comes to players all over him

[AshishPatel81]

I'm not gonna to go into a tirade if they keep Trent Cole at a reduced salary, but I don't really see the point. He'd still take snaps away from other options. He's not a great pass rusher anymore, and he's only going to get worse as he gets older. He can't cover anybody. He's solid in run support still, but c'mon. That's the perfect opportunity to go younger at a position. I just don't think he's an NFL starter anymore.