The second the Eagle's season ended, I became the typical fan - looking at mock drafts, seeing who will be free agents, and asking myself what moves do the front office need to make in order to fix this dream team that went 8-8. Now that free agency is getting closer and the NFL combine is under way I have been spending more time looking into rumors, gossip for what players will end up with the franchise tag, which players will hit the open market, and who will draft who. The more I think about it, the less I want the Eagles to go crazy this offseason. The Eagles only have a few areas to address during the offseason and I think it would be a mistake to fall into the same trap of signing as many big-name players to the roster that they can.
Key Eagle Needs In Order:
1. Middle Linebacker
2. Outside Linebacker
3. Depth at Safety
4. WR (conditional if Desean Jackson leaves)
5. Depth at Offensive Line
6. Depth at RB
7. Depth at DT
8. Depth at QB
I think that the most important areas (like LB) should be address in free agency, and the Eagles can use the draft to add depth in other areas for their 53-man roster. First, the linebacker position needs to be looked at and, with free agents already working out deals with their current teams, the amount of talent and players available is beginning to dwindle. There is one name, and one name only, that interests me in this year’s middle linebacker position in free agency - Stephen Tulloch. There are three reasons that Tulloch should be adorned in midnight green this upcoming season. First, he has played in the wide nine style of defenses for his entire career, first playing with Jim Washburn (current Eagles defensive line coach) back in Tennessee from 2006-2010, and last year playing in a very similar system with the Detroit Lions. In the past three seasons Tulloch has had 392 total tackles according to espn.com. Secondly, if they have any desire to make a run in the playoffs next year the Eagles need an experienced signal caller to lead the unit. We all saw what happened when the Eagles put a rookie (who will not be named) in the middle calling the plays…it was a disaster. The Eagles need someone who is experienced in the wide nine, along with having experience in calling the plays. Lastly, I think the Eagles need Tulloch because of his age, he is only 27 years old, and can solidify the Eagles linebacker core for many years to come. I am not looking for a quick fix that will just put the team in the same position next year; they need someone who is young and can help lead this team.
Many Eagles fans and draft experts have the Eagles selecting Luke Kuechly with the 15th pick in this year’s draft. After an impressive combine, in which Kuechly posted the 3rd fastest 40 time of all LBs and looked as big if not bigger then all other LBs at the combine, the idea of Kuechly being an Eagle sounds even better. But I still do not think he is the answer. I would be more than happy if the front office took Kuechly in the first-round, but Stephen Tulloch gives the Eagles the best chance to win, and win now. A rookie LB is not the best choice for the Eagles to make a run in the playoffs in the 2012 season.
It would also be nice to take one of the Lions’ best defensive players and, with the trouble the Lions are in with their current cap space, I do not see them being able to come to terms with the tackling machine that is Tulloch.
I have a lot more to say about the Eagles and this current offseason, but I must pace myself. I will be addressing the other positions of need over the next few days. Overall the Eagles should not go crazy this offseason, and the team that won the last four games of the season should look very similar to the team that takes the field this upcoming 2012 season.
Here is an interesting point to ponder:
ReplyDeleteIn the 2006 NFL Draft, AJ Hawk was taken 5th by the Green Bay Packers, Ernie Sims was taken 9th by the Detroit Lions and Chad Greenway was taken 17th overall by the Minnesota Vikings. The best performer out of that group so far in their careers has been Chad Greenway, playing in behind Kevin and Pat Williams for the majority of his career, while Sims did not produce for the Lions, playing behind a bad defensive line in Detroit in the pre-Suh era. AJ Hawk has not been a bad player for the Packers, but he simply did not live up to the hype being selected 5th overall, and his best years have been after the Packers draft BJ Raji.
In 2007 the Buffalo Bills drafted Paul Posluszny who proved to be a tackling force, however, he could not stay healthy because Buffalo‘s defensive line was so bad and he would get engulfed by opposing teams guards.
Several teams will be drawn to Kuechly this April because of his tackling ability, field sense and leadership. However, will he be worth a high pick if he doesn’t have a defensive line to keep the guards off of him? I say no. Right now, it is rumored that the Eagles will take him, but is the linebacker position really the problem in Philadelphia? Or is the problem in Philly the wide gaps the defensive linemen use, leaving the linebackers exposed in the process?
I think that if Kuechly were to slip down in the draft to the Jets at 16, the Steelers at 24 or the Ravens at 29, he will step in and make an immediate, Patrick Willis-like impact in this league. If the wrong team takes him, however, he will be lumped in with the likes of Aaron Curry, AJ Hawk or end up in the training room every day like Posluszny was when he played in Buffalo.
all the Kuechly talks really had me down on him but the more i read about him and after his combined i really dont see him being unsuccessful on any team. I see him as a Stephen Tulloch kind of player, just has the ability to get to the ball. He looked bigger then most LB at the combined, and his biggest knock was that people thought he was to small and not fast enough. He posted one of the fastest 40 times for linebackers and he lead the NCAA in tackling in the past two years, as a sophomore and as a junior.
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