Post-Game Show: Eagles Lose 6-0 vs Jets

forward to that, but we're not quite there yet. Let's talk about this game a little bit. Any takeaways for you from this one? Well, I think you know, obviously, look the offense had a couple of untimely negative plays that kept them from reaching the end zone. But I think ultimately you look at what this defense was able to do. It a lot of young players playing at all three levels of the defense here for Jim Schwartz and the rest of that defensive staff, and you saw

some really good things. We continue to see some good play from that defensive front. We'll talk about one of those players here coming up. But ultimately, you'd like to see you like some of the things you saw on the defensive side of the ball, and we saw some highlights on offense as well, even though it didn't result in points. I want to let our viewers know, if you're watching on Facebook, you can send us your questions. We'll be taking those throughout the night as well, So

go ahead and let us know what you're thinking. We'll be here to kind of respond to that as well. For him, one of the big storylines really this storyline coming into this night is that you know, jobs are on the line for a lot of these players. So much is on the line. This really the last big opportunity before the roster goes from the ninety two. What are people looking for? What makes a solid backup role

in the NFL? Sure, I think really when you look at the backups on any NFL roster, really, you know all teams right now they know for the most part who the starters are. There was no starting jobs really around the NFL that were decided here on Thursday night. But when you look around, everybody's trying to pick and choose who the backups are going to be, maybe not even the primary backups, but those secondary and tertiary backups. The bottom end of your roster. So where are those

players coming from? Well, really, in my mind, it comes into three different buckets. You've got your veterans who are really mentors and leaders and have that kind of influence on younger players and the roster, so they bring plenty of value help make players around them better. Number two, you've got your developmental players, so guys do you expect

to become starters down the line. And then the third are those well defined role players, your third down running backs, your nickel corners and dime corners, your subpackage pass rushers alone, the defensive line, all of those are very defined roles. So you're fitting into one of those three buckets. Veteran leader, developmental young player, or a defined role player. So many things that can determine what value is more than just

the pure outleticism. The roles are specifically defined. That was one thing that stood out to me about the halftime interview between Dave Spiderow and Howie Roseman that how he said, Look, it's not our job to just a mass a bunch of talent. It's our job to build a complete team.

For the Eagles, every role is specifically defined, starter, backup, he said, We're not just trying to collect a bunch of talent, trying to build the best team possible for the Eagles, And so value can be defined in a lot of different ways, and that's what this team is doing from top to bottom. Yeah, I think really, And you're around players, right, whether it's here or with Sports Illustrator, you've been around players. You know that they all come in,

you know, different boxes, right. Some guys are great students of the game. Some guys don't really you know, put in that kind of work. Some guys are just very natural. Other guys have to really really work hard to reach that ceiling. And so I had an opportunity, we talked about it on the Eagle Line the Sky podcast fueled by Gatorade earlier this summer. I had an opportunity to go down and join Lane Johnson and Brandon Brooks at

the Old Line Mastermind Summit. And you know, an event like that amy really opened my eyes to really what guys are like behind the scenes from a preparation standpoint. Because you talk to them here in the locker room, you talk to them in the cafeteria or in the hallway, you get a sense of what they're like, but you know, you go down and you see what they're like from a preparation standpoint, the work that they put in, and you get a sense of demand. Like, that's how this

guy lasted the NFL for twelve years. Maybe not the best player purely off film that number one guy, you'd say, oh, this guy's a first round pick, but this guy lasted in the NFL because he really really works at it. Those guys end up sticking on rosters and those are the guys that really are the glue of your football team. Even talking to I Greece about this last week, he said, look, I was able to have such a long career because

of my commitment to special teams. And for some reason, it's not something that every guy values the way they should. When it can be something that can extend your employment in the NFL, it can keep those paychecks coming, and so you talk about value and how important that can be. Special teams a huge part of it. We talk about it all the time. It's almost a bit of a cliche. But it's a cliche for a reason. Let's go back to that game, our player that stood out friend, you

and I came to a unanimous agreement on this. It was not very difficult. DeShawn Hall, who has really made a lot of noise this preseason. He had another sack in this game for total for the preseason. That leads the team, and I believe it leads the league. It might have changed tonight, right, certainly one of the productive defensive lineman in the NFL this summer. And look, the guy is really earn you know where he's gotten to at this point where he's now fighting for a job

on the fifty three man roster. He's been so productive. A former third round pick out in Carolina, talented player, and he's played very very well this summer and that's showed up again tonight. All Right, a couple of important dates coming up this weekend. Howie Roseman going to be very busy. I believe Dave Spinnero. Spinnero jokingly said how he doesn't need to sleep. He probably won't be doing

a lot of sleeping over the next few days. Again, Saturday, four pm, that is the deadline for the roster to go from the ninety to the fifty three. Sunday at noon, that is the deadline to put in waiver claims on the players. And then an hour later Sunday at one pm, you can make your ten man practice squads. So a lot going on over this weekend, especially that one hour between the waiver claims and the practice squad. There's ten guys that they can get and to add value to that.

And there's just so many different ways this thing can go. Yeah, because if the practice squad is not just built by players that are on your own roster we mentioned it on the Kickoff show, you know, it could also be players that are on other roster. So the pro scouting department right now, those guys are invaluable to the coaching staff, to Howie Roseman, to help acquire more talent. They're scouring

all of their assigned teams. Everybody at that in that scouting department as assigned a handful of teams and they know everybody on the ninety man roster for each of those squads, and so when somebody has waived or somebody has cut, they say, hey, you know what, this guy would fill this role. We talked about those three different roles. This guy would fill this role for us on this football team. They can help us win a championship. And those guys get acquired. We've see that year after year

after year. The Eagles go out and there they're aggressive. At this point in the summer, I wouldn't expect that to change. I expect them to always be looking. They're always looking to acquire more talent every phase of the year. That's totally them for Howie Roseman and that front office staff. I wish I remember who I saw that tweeted this, but it really put things in perspective for me a little bit too. Of you know, a lot of guys who are going to not make this team and it's

going to be a really disappointing thing for them. They have the opportunity to be picked up by other teams, but there are guys who are going to make teams that are then going to be cut when someone else becomes available, and all of that maneuvering as well. So even when that first roster comes out, there's still going to be moves that are made and a lot of changes that happen from there to the practice squad as

things settled down. It's a roller coaster of emotions for those guys that are on the bubble right now because you don't know if that call that you get is going to be your last call with the organization, and so you may think you're safe on Saturday at four pm and then find out Sunday at eleven thirty that you're not. And it's again, it's it's like we talked about in the Kickoff Show, it's just the nature of

the business. This time of year is just really really tough for everybody involved on both sides, players, personnel, the teams, veteran players. They still kind of feel that hurt. Guys that you know, are out of the league and have been out of the league for a decade this time of year, they definitely feel it. I think it's something that most guys in the league can relate to as well. We mentioned a lot of choices that are going to be upcoming. We're going to break down the roster position

by a position. We'll start with the quarterbacks. We got five guys on this roster as of now. Here's the list, Fran. What stands out to you, Yeah, I think ultimately when you look at the list, you know, and it's obviously a guy a number of guys from you know, different areas of acquisition for the Eagles, right, You've got veteran signings. You've got guys who are bought in late in the offseason. You've got draft picks. You know, the guys like Nate

Sutfield were acquired you know, after cutdown day. Right, So I think ultimately the Eagles have done a really good job of acquiring Town a number of different ways at that position. Now it comes down to what we talked about earlier, right, the three different buckets for a backup quarterback. And when you're looking for a backup quarterback, you're looking

for number One, someone who can be reliable. Number Two a coach on the sideline, someone that can be you know, a sounding board for the starting quarterback, not just in the meeting room and during practice, but in the game.

I mean, if you go when you watch you know the mikings of Carson went instead of Nick Foles during the Super Bowl run, and you see the interactions both those guys had with each other on the sideline in between series where they come to the you know, come to the sideline, you know, and Carson won't say Nick, hey, what did you see there? And Nick asked Carson, Hey, what did the defense do there? And they're able to kind of bounce things off each other. Coach isn't even involved.

That's what you want from a backup quarterback. So that's something we don't see. We don't see that on film, we don't see that watching the broadcast. You know, that's just something that the coaches are very well aware of and the guys in that room are well aware off. So it's a matter of who's that number two guy, And then if you want to carry a third is that a developmental player? Is that somebody else that can also impact in that area. That's what the decision they

have to make. Well, one of the things we've heard for the last few seasons it's so unique about the Eagles quarterback room is how well these guys support each other, how they compliment each other, and what a great chemistry that room has and how unique it is across the NFL. Let's keep moving. Let's look at the running back position. One that we've heard all preseason long is going to

is an incredibly deep position. A lot of tough choices for this coaching staff in this front office when we look at that's an impressive list there, Yeah, I mean, and ultimately the problem to have, but definitely a tough one exactly. And there's just a lot of guys with proven resumes. I mean, that's really what it comes down to when you look at this running back room is that there are players with NFL experien There's guys with lots of promise, guys that have done things even in

short times in the NFL. You know, that's what makes this a very difficult decision. But ultimately, when you're looking at that running back room, you want guys that can fit roles. Everybody now talks about running back by committee, will in order for that to happen, you need a committee and guys that can fill different roles in that committee. So, you know, do you have someone that can play on early down? So you have someone that could play on

third down, goal line, short yardage. Now, can someone plays special teams? Can someone be a good pass protector? You need all of that into the mix. Now that's where the other buckets come into play. Right, Do you have someone that's developmental that you hope can be an early down back or can hope you hope can turn into a really good third down player and special teams as well, So so important, not just you know in the core special teamers you know as blockers and guys that can

get downfield and get after the football. But also the return game, if you could be a kick returner or punt returner, that can add to your value as well well. In that running back position, one where we are wait and see how many are going to be on this roster? What is the coaching staff, the front office? How many are they planning on keeping a position last season that we saw had a lot of injuries and a lot

of attrition for lack of a better word there. So it's going to be interesting to see how many running backs do you make this roster. Let's keep with the offense. Let's move on to the wide receiver group, another long list of players, a lot of options for the coaching staff. There's there's going to be some tough choices in this room as well, because there's a lot of talent in that wide receiver room. And ultimately, you know what your starting receivers are going to look like. You're one, two,

and number three. Then it goes to your four, you're five, and maybe your sixth spot. What do the what traits do you need from those three guys? And I think ultimately you're looking for players that can help as blockers, that can help and on special teams, and then also can do different things for you in different packages, whether that means you're a red zone thread or you're kind of a do everything player that can be moved around the formation and used in different ways to kind of

throw the defense off bounce. Those kinds of players bring lots of value. That versatility can offer a lot of value to an offensive coaching staff, and the Eagles have a little bit of all that in this receiver room. So it's going to be interesting see which way they decide to go with that group overall. Yeah, long list of guys there. I think I counted ten on the roster there for that position. So certainly a lot of choices.

Let's keep going. Let's go to the tight ends, take a look at not as many as the wide receivers, but I'm still going to be some difficult choices for the coaching staff and and just some thoughts about how they're going to how they see that position group and what they want to what they want to make it here. Well, you know that this is going to be a tight end center offense, right because you've got Zach Ertz and

Dallas scouted on the roster. You know that the offense is going to be, you know, heavily involved with twelve personnel a two tight ends, So for that you're also going to need some help from your backup tight ends. You need those guys to be involved. So you need guys that can block, You need players that can impact the passing game, and also players that can go out and play special teams because with especially with the changed rules amy and special teams, you need those combo players.

And what I mean by combo players not necessarily a small, undersized skill guy and not a big lumbering lineman, but those linebackers and bigger safeties and tight ends. They need to be your core special teams players. So whoever that third, potentially fourth tight end is, they need to be active on all four core special teams. That's kickoff, kick return, punt,

punt return. They have to be active participants there. As we pause the roster discussion for a minute, and friend, you've been here a long time, You've been in the building around the whole roster making process. What is it like the next few days, just the energy all of the decisions being made. I imagine there's just a lot of different feelings going through the air here. What are the next few days like for people who are not in this building the way that you have access to,

What is it like? Well, there's two sides of the coin, because on one side, you're very excited about the start of the regular season and to get things going, and you know, you see all that hard work that's happened over the offseason is now about to come to fruition. And then the second side of that is then the idea that you gotta get rid of some football players. And so it's it is very tense, it is a

little bit quiet. It is a little bit somber. So you know, there's not as much you know, joking around in the cafeteria or in the hallways or anything like that. It is a tough couple of days. But on the back end of that, there's also a level of excitement and so that's what you're really, you know, trying to hang your hat on as you're moving around and moving to the next few days from the past, do you

have any crazy stories of anything that you've seen. I know, I'm putting you on the spot here a little bit, but I'm I'm just curious. You know, there's always a lot of surprises. You know, there's always a lot of unexpected things. Have you any crazy moves that you've seen this staff make before? Yeah? I can't think of anything off the top of my head. I mean, look, every every one of these kind of stands on its own.

As you know, there's there's always those little decisions that you can kind of look back and you say, man, like remember that, and then one year later it's it's forgotten because you're moving on to the very next season. So, like I said, it's a very kind of up and down roller coaster a few days, but the team gets

through it. Now you're excited for a week one. Well, and speaking of that excitement, if you're a young player trying to make this roster, how exciting is this process when you know you see your if you know, for me, I'm a theater kid, right and you know you see your name on the cast list when you go and check. What must that feel like for a young guy, especially with just how difficult the process can be to make

it to that point. I mean, it's kind of what we just talked about, where it's all that hard work that you've put in. If you're a rookie, you know, you go back to your college season ends and you are immediately going into training for the NFL Draft. You're going to the Senior Ball or the Shrine Game, then

you're going to the Combine. Potentially you're worried about Pro Day, and you're getting shipped around plane to plane to plane to plane, going from team to team to team for all those private visits and workouts and secrecy, and you're working out with agents and you're finding out where you're

gonna go in different hotel rooms. It's crazy process. And then right from there you've got draft weekend, and then boom, you're in Mini camp, and then you're in there Ota, and then you've got a couple weeks off and then you're a training camp. It is a whirlwind. So for those guys, not even necessarily the first, the second, third round picks, guys that you expect to make the team, but the late round picks, the undrafted free agents, those

guys that make it. It's a whirlwind. But it's like we mentioned too, you don't want to get too too high because you know you never know how long that feeling will last they change so quickly. So as an insider who covers the draft process, you're around so many of these players. This they go, like you said, this Senior Bowl, the Shrine Game, their pro days. So much

goes into this. One thing that stood out to me really when I was covering, When I was around these guys, they're doing these games, they're putting everything on tape that they possibly can, and then they're going and doing interviews, then they're doing private workouts. I mean, the fatigue is beyond physical and mental. And then you come into camp and you're fighting for your life. I mean the mental

fatigue that goes into this for a guy. I don't think people realize how intense the process is to make a team. Talking with players over the years, the second year guys, the guys that are coming into their second season, they all say how much of a relief it was just to even get to the offseason because you didn't have that a year ago. You know, it really is

a whirlwind. From the time their college season ends up until the end of their first season their rookie campaign, it's craziness and you want that feeling to go as long as possible. Remember, these are guys that are used to maybe playing minimum twelve games, maximum thirteen or fourteen if they play at Alabama or Oklahoma, mark Clemson. You know, then you get those fourteenth games, but you know, twelve games that gets you to Week eight of the regular season.

I mean, if you're it's a crazy process for those rookies. So, yeah, it's for those guys coming into their second year. The offseason is a nice little retreat. And not only that, you're mentally fatigued. You're just thrown into this situation where everybody is used to being They're bigger, stronger, faster, they've

been doing it longer than you. You hear this cliche of the game speeds up exponentially, and can you imagine being so mentally fatigued, And then you're thrown into this job interview situation where you're basically swimming trying to learn and to catch up and to act like you've been there, look like you've been there. So many things go into

it for these guys. Yeah, and that's why when coaches and scouts and everybody works with these players during the pre draft process, it's not just about oh, what does the guy look like on film? It's what is he made up? From a mental standpoint and from a competitive standpoint, a toughness standpoint, all of those things go into it because you have to be able to hold up in the NFL. You can't just show up, you know, and your jaw hits the floor and say like whoa, Like

there's there's Carson Wentz. Oh like that, you've been there, you go exactly, you got to show up and you got to compete with these guys and you've got to make plays for them. They're relying on you just as much as you're relying on them. You need all those guys to be able to come in and mesh immediately. And so that's why those traits, that things that you know you try and find out away from the field,

they're just as important. And that's something I can really relate to because true story, when I came here for my interview with the Eagles and I met fran Duffy, I was like, whoa, it's fran Duffy. I've been following his work for years. Now. Now we're talking, of course, we are awaiting the thoughts of head coach Doug Peterson. Here's the press conference room. Hopefully he will be here soon. We want to, of course, hear his thoughts to summarize

the final preseason game. A lot of questions I'm sure that will be asked an answer just about the entire process the roster making as well. We heard from him pregame, We've heard from him all week just about his empathy for this situation, understanding he's been there, understanding the big moment that these guys are going through. What kind of impact do you think that has on a guy to have a coach that really understands what this process is like and what they're feeling on a day like today.

There's sincerity with it, you know, and the guys, you know, they understand that they're not getting, you know, fan you know, the fake truth, you know, so they understand, Hey, the coach has been in my seat before, he knows what it feels like. He's not gonna, you know, kind of sell me up the river and say one thing but really mean another. That's what it really allows Doug to be able to connect with these players on such a high level, and it's what makes him the coach that

he is. And you see that, you know, when we show on Eagles Unscripted, all the different behind the scenes access with Doug it at meetings and things like that. I mean, he's able to connect with these guys. You see amount of practice and the relationships he's got with those guys that shows up and that means a lot to those guys, and it means it means a lot to free agents who have choices to make. I mean, that's something we hear all the time here is from

free agents who have some choices to make. Who some of them who are still trying to make this team, but they had choices about where what team they wanted to go do their preseason with and try and make that team. They of the way that coach Peterson handles things, the way that this team does business. They feel like it has you know, that reputation goes throughout the league, and we see guys make that choice to join the Eagles because of that locker room in the way that

they treat their players. Yeah, and that goes to also the culture that not only that Doug is built in the locker room, but that the players are able to kind of maintain that culture and govern that culture. So you've got those leaders. The Carson Wentz is the Malcolm Jenkins and the Jason Peters and Jason Kelsey, the Brandon Grahams and Fletcher Coxes. They're able to maintain that. So

it makes it a fun atmosphere. And you're right. I mean you talk to Malik Jackson when he gets here, that's one of the first things that comes out of his mouth is, yeah, you know what this is. This was the kind of place that I wanted to be at. Not only we're going to compete for a title, but it's a great atmosphere for me to be able to continue my professional career. And you hear that from those

guys time and time and time again. Absolutely so, as we have preseason game number four in the books, it's kind of a surreal feeling. I feel like we've been doing this for a while already. We've seen a lot this preseason, a lot of standout moments, anything that has you particularly excited for this season to get started. I'm just excited for this Eagles offense. You know, you look at Carson Wentz coming back, and you know you have

all these weapons. You add in a Deshaun Jackson, you add Jordan Howard and Miles Sanders, you know, you bring back Dallas Goddard to pair with Zach Ertz. And you know, I've talked so much about you know, twelve personnel, the two tight end sets and what that'll mean for Doug Peterson and Micro and that offensive staff. I am so excited because now this offense has so many different ways

to beat you. As a defense, if you're strong in one area, the Eagles can attack you in that area where you're weaker, and vice versa, so they can find different ways to beat you. That's what really has me most excited. It's just getting ready to see the fireworks that Carson Wentz and the rest of that group can put on display and as things come together and that will unfold over the next few days. Is how he

Roseman and his staff gets to work. We've talked a lot about how aggressive he is, how he's always working the phones, how he's always trying to go make the big move. It's something that we love that Eagles fans love, just that emo of that aggressiveness. How do you see that philosophy? Comparing around the league? Not every front office is that aggressive. It's just you know, your your apples and your oranges. How does how he's aggressiveness compare with

what other front offices around the league are doing. You know, we've talked about it time and time again on our daily podcasts over during training camp on the Eaglene the Sky podcast. Is you know, instead of going out, you know, if there was an injury on the bottom end of the roster, or if they needed to bring in a ninetieth man or an eighty ninth man, they weren't bringing in some undrafted free agent from you know, Lindenwood College

or from Drake University. No, they were bringing in a guy who's been in the NFL for three to four years. They were going and signing a Jonathan Cyprian who was a second round pick, or they were going, you know, after guys who have played in the NFL. Those guys are competing for jobs a Cassi Meta Bali, they you know, acquire and those guys have played in the NFL. They're

here to fight for their career. Those our guys who are going to bring competitive juices that not only of you know, this guy could come in and make our team, but he's gonna bring the best out of our young players and make sure that those guys are all battling and that that's ultimately what you want, that aggressiveness. But if if you again, if you're a team that's a little bit further away, five years ago, they that wasn't

necessarily kind of player you were looking for. You're looking for someone a little bit more high upside you can try and develop and control the rights and stuff like that. Those are all the things that you worry about if you're a little bit further away. But where the Eagles are at right now from a competitive standpoint, that allows you to go and be a little bit more aggressive, which is what we've seen from them over the course

the last few weeks. Well, it's something we've continued to hear all preseason, this idea of churning the roster, of causing that competition, and here comes coach. We're going to hear from him a little bit more right now. Okay, Doug, if you look at how Clinton Corson, how would you

say playing role? Sum I think he's playing probably like like a rookie quarterback should and would be at this time quite honestly, um I you know, going all the way back to the to the offseason, starting after the after the draft, and all the way through to tonight's game. I mean, you know, UM, it's not easy to play quarterback in the National Football League, and and um the things that he has done, UM in practice, even in

you know, some of these games. It may not look like it because the end result, but he's made a lot of progress this uh, this entire training camp. So my hat's off to him and how he's worked and how he's prepared. What you see from the young defensive vents tonight, I thought they played hard. We got after the quarterback. Uh, they closed on a couple of you know, uh tackle for losses. I thought they they came ready

to play. I mean it was it was good to see, um, you know in this last game, the energy level they had, UM, the effort that uh they gave. UM obviously looked more at it tomorrow when we check out the tape. But I thought, overall played well to be made the toughest of them all. I think they're all tough. I just told the guys in the locker room that you know, these next few days or the hardest, hardest few days

we we have. UM, you know, you got ninety or so players and you got to get to fifty three and then and then you build back your practice squad guys. I mean, it's a it's a tough business, and I just appreciate all the hard work that these guys did for um through training camp, obviously through the off season, Um, you know, and and they left it in our hands. And now it's our opportunity now to you know, make some tough decisions in the next couple of days. How

do you evaluate how Malcollins has played. It's a pretty season. He's been in a little more active the last couple of weeks, sums. So we just got to go back and look at look at everything that's full, you know, the full body of work and and uh, you know, obviously you know his health coming in was was an issue, but he battled through that, got himself healthy and back on the field. And um, he fought through that and

he know that's that's commendable. And we just got to look at the whole body of work and and and see and and again make make some make some tough decisions on these guys. What did you find out about Jordan My A lot of injury. We're actually going to get another update in the morning when we get back tonight and then in the morning when we do our medical and so on Monday, I should have a probably a better update, you know, with with where he's at.

Doug obviously sewn situation a little unfortunate used, how serious is it? Used? Clear that up just as far as you expect him. But we'll get one in ten days. He'll be fine. Dog rud on a different Rudy forward wasn't out there tonight? Why wasn't he playing? It's kind of lower body issue that just needed some rest. And then you had Cameron Johnson on the kickoff. What was

the reason for that just in case? I mean you've seen us in the past when when Jake's gone down and we've used Kamu, you know, and just an opportunity to get Cam a drop kick on a kickoff that could be beneficial for us if someone were happened to Jake during the season. No, no, no, it's just something

we wanted to do. We're just tonight leave windows. Um. You know again, Windell is a player that we know, man, we got a lot of history with him, um, and and you know, unfortunate out gosh that one run tonight. I mean, we had a trap inside and the backer hit a ball on the you know, tackle on the

ball came out. But um, you know, Wendell is a guy that uh, um that we understand, we kind of know him, and and you know he last week it was you know, it was it was Corey's opportunity last week, his opportunity this week, and and uh would have played last week. The game was shortened obviously, but um, you know he's he's right in the mix. What made you not want to play Andrew Doo tonight? Knowing that he's

not going into the season as a start. Andrew's gotten a lot of work at tackle, um, especially left tackle, you know, all through training camp. I mean that that has been the primary focus with him. And you know, for a guy that could be part of the seven on game day, UM, you know, just wanted to give him extra rest. Do you ever keep a player, um, who might not figure into your plans as much? But he's turned a spot and it kind of proves to

the rest of the guys. Yeah, I think every year there's there's that one guy, sometimes two guys that on every team. You know, it might be a surprise to you guys, It might be a surprise to the fans, but to us, it's no surprise based on how that that player has worked. Um, and guys make teams all the time, Um, you know because of because of that their effort, their energy, their willingness to uh practice, you

know and make an impact. All right, thanks, lead coach said the these next few days are the hardest few days that we have. That really stood out to me. Totally understands there's going to be a difficult process to narrow this roster down to fifty three from ninety. Yeah, I mean it's what we talked about it just a few minutes before the press conference, and that you know, he's got a lot of empathy for the players on the bottom of this roster that aren't going to be

here in a couple of days. And um, you know that that was reflected I thought in the press conference. Absolutely appreciate coaches that empathy and understanding. There. We'll continue our roster breakdown in just a minute. We're going to take a quick break. Stay with us. We have the standings. Ain't go nowhere h A g I s bs me it's such a classics. Who got I having deep babies? Please come hgie fast for me. Wa wa Hoogi Fest

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presented by Rico. As we continue our roster breakdown, we are looking at the offensive line as a whole. We're going to go through the tackles, the guards in the centers, but brand when we look at the roster, a lot of talent here probably the most talented group in the NFL statistically one of the best in the NFL at this position. What stands out to you just about the

offensive line, a hole and all these guys on the roster. Sure, and I think ultimately, well as a quick refresher, you got those three buckets, right, So are you a developmental player? Are you a defined role player which on the offensive line would be a swing backup as a tackle like are you a left tackle, right tackle, a guard, center, can you play multiple positions? And then lastly the veteran mentor where do you fit into any of those three buckets?

And ultimately offensive line for the bottom of the roster, you're looking for versatility. And the reason why that is so important is, yeah, you may carry nine offensive lineman, you may carry ten offensive lineman, but typically most game days you're only going to dress seven. So you need those two backups to be able to provide the backup

options on all five spots. So you need somebody that could play both both tackle spots, somebody that could play both guard positions and we see the guards here on the Eagles roster, and someone that could also back up on the center spot and the Eagles have some versatility in the starting lineup, guys like Isaac Saymalo, who is lined up at four or five positions on game day for the Eagle so far in his young career. That's what made him such an attractive player, you know, early

in his career, before he was an ingrained starter. You need that versatility. And so you know, whereas running back you have a goal line back or something like that, a specialty player, you're not going to necessarily have that as much on the offensive line. But versatility is key unless you are a high end developmental player or a very reliable veteran backup who can kind of offer that

mentorship for the young players in that room. Well, that's a luxury of this Eagles team is that they have all of those things when it comes to this position group, because there is such talent, because there is such depth, they have those developmental guys as well. Really one of the best units in the NFL. And and and it's remarkable because even when you go down the line, you look at the starters, I mean some of the best

to ever do it. You look at some of the backups, I mean they could be starting on most teams in the NFL. So just the versatility and the ability of these guys to play multiple positions, I mean, just luxury for this team. Really in a testament to how well they've built this roster. Offensive line depth around the NFL is a plague, all right now. I mean, nobody has good offensive line depth, and the Eagles are one of a handful. And I like a handful of teams that

have good quality offensive line depth. And we'll take a look at the centers now on this roster. You know, I remember we had Daniel Jeremiah Manifl Network in the studio right here to talk on the Journey of the Draft podcast. That was his number one takeaway was, you know, just looking at this offensive line and the depth of the Eagles do have. And that's a testament to Howie Roseman.

That scouting staff as well as the coaching staff Jeff Stoutlin and his group that really have helped develop all of these young guys. They acquire the talent from the scouting side, and then they coach them up and develop them here during the spring and during the summer, and that's paying dividends. Now. It's a very talented group well, and a good offensive line coach not easy to find as well, So the Eagles very very thankful for coach

Jeff Stoutland. There, let's switch to the defense. Let's take a look at the safety's on this roster currently. That's a long list of guys as well. Friend your thoughts, Yeah, I think ultimately, when you're looking at safety's you're looking for players you know can impact you in a couple of different ways. And every team is a little bit different with how they use their safeties. Are you a free safety, strong safety team? Are you a left safety,

right safety? If you need your guys to just be interchangeable and be able to do everything, every team treats out a little bit differently. But ultimately, when you look at your safeties, the backups you need to be able to play special teams. There are those combo players that I mentioned earlier. You need them to be able to

impact special teams. You need them to be reliable players because if one guy goes down in that secondary, you need the backup to be able to step in and you can't be like the chink in the armor that all of a sudden, that's where the offense is going to go to like a magnet. You have got to be able to be reliable as a backup defensive back to the point where you know you can be at least adequate in what you're asked to do on defense. So you need to be reliable. Versatility is big and

special teams. Well, we're going to continue looking in the secondary at the cornerbacks, and when you look at the safeties and the corners, really, last season, so many injuries, there were a lot of guys, have a lot of really young, really green guys who were thrown out into the fire, really and we're able to get some amazing experience. Now you look around, this is a position of depth because of all those young guys who are able to

get some real meaningful reps last season. When you look at this cornerback roster, a lot of choices for the coaching staff as well. One of the deepest groups on the team, without question. And I think ultimately when you're looking at corner you want versatility because this is a sub package league. We hear this all the time, right, so so many snaps of both nickel package where you have five dbs in the field and dime where there

are six defensive backs on the field. Over more than half the team is defensive backs, so you need the ability to be able to play multiple positions, and the Eagles have a ton of guys that have played both corner spots, played inside, outside, have safety experience. This is a very, very versatile group and it's a very competitive group. It's one of my favorite position groups on the team.

So when you look at this quarterback group, you need guys that are gonna be able to come in in battle, be competitive, be versatile, and again broken record, play special teams right, Yes, if we haven't covered it enough, special teams are very important. Of course, Jim Schwartz really able to be creative with the different options there in the

secondary as well as up front. Let's take a look at that defensive end position, an aggressive unit, guys that were going to be rushing the pass or it's something we've talked about all season long, or all preseason long, and we'll be talking about all season long. What stands

out to you about this part of the roster. Yeah, at defensive end number one, you have your guys that are going to be starters, but this is a team that likes to rotate, so you know those backups that set that third and fourth defensive end, they're going to

play a good amount of snaps. Now, I would say that with the addition of Malie Jackson, they're probably gonna play a little bit less than what we've seen because remember when they would go into pass rushing downs before it would be Brandon Graham last year, is Michael Bennett.

Guys would slide into plays a defensive tackle. With Malie Jackson the roster, there's no need for that necessarily, but you still want that third and fourth defensive end to be able to come in get after the quarterback or be a really good early downs run player. So you want one of those two traits. Also a kicker if you can go out and play special teams as well, if you can go out and be a lead blocker

on kick return or something of that nature. We've seen some of the young defensive events on this team this summer go out and compete at least one area of special teams. You'd like that as a little bit of a cherry on top as well. That's great. Let's slide over to the defensive tackle position. You mentioned Malik Jackson.

A lot of competition there at that. Again, an aggressive unit Jim Schwartz loves to have his guys really aggressive upfront after the quarterback on the outside and blowing things up on the inside. What stands out to you about this unit? Yeah, And ultimately it comes down to some of the same things that we've talked about already. So you want some of that versatility, the ability to come in and be a three down backup. So whether you're a pass rusher that can get after it on third

down or an early downs run stuffer. Look, we've seen backup defensive tackles. I mean we're going back like I'm thinking early stages of my fandom. I'm thinking Sam Rayburn and Paul Grassmannus, guys that came off and we're the spark plugs off the bench and guys like Derek Landry when I first got here in twenty eleven, twenty twelve, I think back last year. You know, Treyvon Hester double doink. You know, got to hit off fingertip on the ball

on Cody Parkey's field goal. You need those backup defensive tackles to come in and give you quality snaps on defense and look impact special steaves Trayvon Est the last year. You need those guys to be able to impact as well. That's a great throwback Thursday there. Let's continue with our final unit on defense, the linebacking core, which there's been a lot of opportunities with all of the injuries there

and a long list of geysers. Well, I think this is one of the positions that has the most guys on the roster as well. That between that and cornerbacks, so a lot of options there as well. Yeah, and I think there's a little bit of a split discussion on this from a national standpoint. We'll talk about from a media standpoint, because a lot of people would say, oh, you don't need to carry as many linebackers now as you maybe needed to do five, six, seven years ago

because of what we discussed earlier. So many defensive backs playing now, you're taking linebackers on the field. Why are off the field? Why do you need somebody on the roster. Well, it's simple the third phase of the game. You need them to play special teams. They're your core special teams players. And when you go down and goal line, you're not playing six defensive backs down on the two yard line. You need those linebackers to come on the field and be able to hold up or else you're gonna be

like Swiss cheese inside the five. So you need to be able to come in and offer some value in those specific roles. And then from a starting standpoint, if you're going to come in and be that guy, you want to be athletic and be able to come in.

You know, we've seen guys like Commu gruge Hill, who's obviously not in this role now compared to what based off what we've seen this summer before his injury, But when he first got here, he was athletic, so he was a developmental player who played special teams, became a special team's captain. That's kind of what you're looking for. You you mentioned I Greece early in his career. He was a backup linebacker who offered special teams snaps and was a great special teamer and the versatility to be

a pass rushing defensive end on passing downs. And that's how you make it as a linebacker. Find some kind of specialty role in subpackage, be a great special teamer and a guy with upside on the back end of the roster. And if there's one thing no team wants to be, it's Swiss cheese on the goal line. You can make that quotable friend Duffie on this date into in twenty nineteen. So we're wrapping up the Eagles preseason.

We are looking ahead to Game one versus Washington. We are we talk about that game a little bit more on the other side of this break. Stay with us. Come see what's happening at your local ACME. Better sale prices, superior service and great quality products, cleaner, friendlier, fresher like fresher meat and seafood, and fresher produce including organic and our butchers could our USDA choice Lancaster beef in store

every day. So stop in shop and see for yourself why ACME it is just better shop on game day and say five percent of ACME when wearing your Eagles apparel. Thank you all the road and night had the road by was rocky. Ain't I'm gonna break must shot at. Sometimes we press for most when we help others. We respect that because it's Fanton deir Bank respect at that. You're watching the postgame Show presented by Rico as we look ahead to the regular season only a few days away,

week one, September eighth. It's coming versus Washington. That game is at one PM. Of course, fran another exciting schedule. We could just talk about every single game, but let's focus on Washington kind of the big story. We know who's going to be the quarterback for them, case Keenum, a familiar face for Eagles fans. Yeah, but no matter who was going to be quarterback for them, whether it was Keenum or Caled McCoy before he got injured, the rookie Dwayne Haskins. This was a team that needs to

run the football. So Adrian Peterson was the starter last year because Darius Geist, the second round pick, tours ACL in training camp. Well, Geist is back and