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Posted in Wake-Up Call
Eagles Wake-Up Call: Early On, Players Embrace Change
DeSean Jackson and his teammates had grown accustomed to doing things a certain way at the NovaCare Complex.
From 1999 to 2012, it was the Andy Reid way.
But change has now arrived in the form of Chip Kelly. In the coming weeks and months, players will be asked to step out of their comfort zones and embrace change in a variety of football-related areas.
“First day, we had the team meeting, you could kind of sense the urgency,” Jackson said. “This is what it’s going to be, and it’s on you guys to get the information and dissect it and make the change and make the difference. One thing I can say, he’s letting us be professionals. We have to take accountability to do our jobs.”
Tagged with: Brandon Graham, Chip Kelly, DeSean Jackson, Jason Peters, Sheil Kapadia
Posted in Wake-Up Call
Posted in Wake-Up Call
Eagles Wake-Up Call: Kelly Conversation Heats Back Up
Nothing but positive vibes emanating from the NovaCare Complex at the moment, as you might expect. The Chip Kelly era is still drenched with that new car smell. Players are energized and eager to impress the new head man. His ideas are fresh and untapped. Optimism and anticipation rule, as they should.
Where it gets interesting is when theory becomes practice, when the players get knee-deep in the process of changing their training, their approach and their mindset. Kelly is introducing a whole new operation to the Eagles, and in some respects, the league. He will ask veteran players, who have made it this far doing things one way, to buy into his methods even though they haven’t been tested on the NFL level.
The opening of the offseason program marks the very beginning of this experiment. The entire NFL community is watching intently to see how it plays out.
Eagles Wake-Up Call: Harsh Criticism For Geno Smith
Most scouts, evaluators and analysts seem to have at least some questions about Geno Smith as a top-level prospect.
Some believe his flaws are fixable and think he should be without question the top quarterback off the board in April’s draft. Others think he’s no more than a second-round talent.
But Pro Football Weekly’s Nolan Nawrocki recently took his criticism to another level, slamming Smith in his pre-draft scouting report.
Eagles Wake-Up Call: Offseason Program Begins
Chip Kelly has been the Eagles head coach since January 16 but, because of the restrictions in the new collective bargaining agreement, hasn’t been able to hand out a playbook or talk any real football with his players. Until today.
The Eagles’ offseason program is now underway. The wheels can finally start rolling on the Kelly era.
Eagles Wake- Up Call: The Dion Jordan Injury Factor
Less than a month from now, draft prospects will turn into draft picks, and draft picks into NFL players. Rookie minicamp is slated for the second week in May. Then onto OTAs, the mandatory minicamp, and before you know it, training camp. Ideally, you would like your new players (and especially your top 5 pick) to be healthy and ready to go from the opening gun.
The reality for the team that drafts Dion Jordan is that they will have to wait to get him into the mix.
Eagles Wake-Up Call: Don’t Forget About Special Teams
Back in February, Dave Fipp seemed confident that Chip Kelly would make special teams a focus for the Eagles.
“I can tell you this, I know that special teams is really important to him,” Fipp said. “I know special teams is critical to him. I know he’s going to allocate the time necessary that we need to perform at a high level.”
While that probably sounds like typical coach-speak, the Eagles’ actions in the past couple weeks indicate that Kelly is serious about improving a unit that let the team down on a weekly basis in 2012.
Eagles Wake-Up Call: Searching For Draft Hints
We are now less than a month away from the NFL Draft. Are we any closer to the truth when it comes to the Eagles’ strategy? Let’s search for clues:
Eagles Wake-Up Call: Westbrook Backs New Rule
Brian Westbrook knows that 25-year-olds usually aren’t thinking about what their lives are going to be like once their football-playing days are over.
And so, he has no problem with the league changing the rules to make the game safer.
Westbrook, 33, sustained at least two concussions during his playing days and said recently that he’s already suffering from short-term memory loss.
While many running backs – Emmitt Smith, Marshall Faulk and others – have spoken out against the new rule that will penalize offensive players from using the crown of their helmets against defenders, Westbrook supports it.
Eagles Wake-Up Call: Tweaking Geno Smith
When Geno Smith recounted his private workout with the Eagles, he did so with a big smile on his face.
That according to Heisman Trophy winner and Director at IMG Academy Chris Weinke, who is working with Smith to help fine-tune the quarterback’s game in front of the NFL Draft.
“He was asked to make a lot of throws and plays with his feet,” said Weinke in a phone conversation with Birds 24/7. “He felt there was a comfortable fit with the people, he felt comfortable in the classroom. He thought he did very well.”
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Sheil
Follow @SheilKapadia Email SheilSheil Kapadia has been writing about the Eagles since 2008. His previous Philly.com blog, Moving the Chains, was named one of the best in the state by the Associated Press. Sheil's main joys in life are family, football and finding good parking spots.
Tim
Follow @Tim_McManus Email TimTim McManus is a bulldog reporter with a nose for news and story angles that will get people talking. He'll talk about it himself on 97.5 The Fanatic, where he serves as a host and Eagles beat reporter. Tim, an award-winning journalist, will be with the team around the clock.
