Eagles (-1) O/U 53
Who do you believe in more, Dan Quinn, or Chip Kelly?
Most would say Chip Kelly.
I would say Dan Quinn.
Last year, Quinn’s Seahawks’ defense, while so much more talented than his prospective Falcons defense should be in 2015, held Kelly’s offense to FOURTEEN POINTS. Everyone remembers that massacre, it was just embarrassing on the part of the so called “explosive” “new age” Eagles offense.
The Eagles, themselves, as over rated as they are on offense in my opinion, are equally underrated on defense. They may have been weak in the secondary last year, but their front-seven was ridiculously good.
This year, they add Byron Maxwell, who even though isn’t worth his huge contract, he is still a huge upgrade for the Eagles.
However, they continue to draft through a process of reaching.
I mean, this is a team that took Marcus Smith out of Louisville at pick 27 last year. I liked Smith, but I had him graded in the 3rd, and I was higher on him than most. Chip Kelly took him at 27 and he DIDNT EVEN PLAY A SNAP for the Eagles last year.
It is said by many within the organization that Smith does not have the build to be successful at OLB in the NFL, and apparently has not had a thirst to put on weight. Likely, they will get nothing out of this pick.
It is also rumored that Kelly was pounding the table for Oregon product Taylor Hart in the THIRD ROUND… well, he ended up getting his man… in the FIFTH round after he fell that far.
Kelly was put in charge of the team this year and I’m not sure I can sign up for what he is selling.
Trading away Nick Foles was a mistake.. especially for Sam Bradford. Bradford will be good, but not as good as Foles in my opinion. He is also injury prone. And the worst thing I can imagine for an immobile injury prone QB is to put him in Kelly’s zone read scheme.
Trading away LeSean McCoy for former Oregon product Kiko Alonso made sense at the time, but trading McCoy, a real threat, for Alonso (an injury prone, but talented LB- notice any trend?) doesn’t make any sense once you take his cap number and give it to DeMarco Murray, who while steady had very little breakaway candidacy.
Murray will be effective, he is a good back, but he is not worth that much money and these decisions effect a lot more than just the long term health of the organization, they effect short term success as well.
With the Eagles right now, it seems to be “system”, “system”, “system”. Yes, the system will win games, but it will not win games against SOLID defenses, and I believe that the Falcons will be a dominant defensive unit in 2015.
Quinn, inversely, seems to take to personnel acquisitions like a fish to water.
One of his first moves that I loved was acquiring great depth at Linebacker with Justin Durant who will be plugged in at the Will spot. Durant, while healthy, played incredibly well last year, being probably the most surprisingly solid player for the Cowboys, and was instrumental in that defense holding the Seahawks to ten offensive points in their games.
Ra’Shede Hageman is going to have a career year under Quinn. Hageman, a humungous and powerful man, coming out of Minnesota in the 2014 draft was thought of as a top 20 talent who needed a ton of development. Well, student… meet teacher. Quinn will put Hageman in a position to succeed and get the most out of his ridiculous athleticism.
And it won’t be too hard to do so against the Eagles’ overrated aging offensive line.
Adrian Clayborn is another player who is an incredible talent for Quinn to mold to his liking. He hasn’t been incredibly effective in Tampa Bay, but I see him being a part of a top ten defensive unit this year in Atlanta.
Now, in the draft the Falcons were ridiculous. Probably top 3 drafts in 2015. They didn’t reach, they caught. First round, they got a stud in Vic Beasley. I don’t even know where they’re going to play him, maybe Sam? who knows, he is going to rush the passer and provide solid pass coverage.
They also got Tevin Coleman, who looks like DeMarco Murray, except younger and with 4.3 speed. He’s also tough as nails, having played all of last year with a broken toe.
Grady Jarrett out of Clemson is a roly poly of a pass rusher, who knows how you use his body to disengage and extend with a strong stiff arm. That is an NFL move, one that translates well.
Jalen Collins was not worthy of a first round pick, but the Falcons got him in the second round. Collins is going to be a good player, maybe not year one because he has very little experience, but as a member of a secondary rather than a feature player, he should be a solid contributor. One who also gets burnt every now and again.
What you’re looking at here, in my opinion, is another team that is going to need more O Line parts than they have to truly succeed offensively. Jake Matthews has the talent to bounce back from a truly awful year at LT.