Philadelphia Eagles news and links for 8/21/17.

Let's get to the Philadelphia Eagles links ...

Monday Morning QB: Even in New NFL, Pittsburgh Steelers Embrace Physicality of Football - SI.com
The Ronald Darby debut for Philadelphia (one interception, two passes broken up) brings up this point: Heck of a deal by Howie Roseman to get Darby. And a heck of a job by Roseman to overhaul a very needy position, cornerback, in the span of four months. Roseman dealt a good receiver with one controllable salary year left before free agency, Jordan Matthews, plus a third-round pick to Buffalo for Darby. Darby has two years left, at a combined salary of $1.858 million—highly reasonable for a good press corner. The Eagles will have four controllable years of rookie second-round cornerback Sidney Jones (recovering from a March Achilles tear) beginning this year. Assume that Darby, 23, and Jones, 21, will be the opening day starters for Philadelphia in 2018. They’ll be 24 and 22 years old, and they’ll have a combined cap cost of $2.849 million. That means Roseman used Matthews plus second-round and third-round draft picks to build what, most likely, will be the best starting corner situation (considering money and age and ability) in the NFC East in 2018. It’s not easy to figure a way to build a good corner situation from scratch, but Roseman did it, and he deserves credit for it.

NFL insider says LeGarrette Blount is not a lock to make the Eagles’ roster - BGN
Caplan’s comment about Blount’s weight is concerning. The veteran running back reportedly had a weight clause in his contract. Blount was reportedly able to receive a bonus if he weighed between 240-245 pounds. He’s currently listed at 250 on the Eagles’ official website roster, which isn’t necessarily precisely accurate. In any case, Blount declined to confirm or deny that he earned his bonus.

Eagles 2017 training camp Practice notes, Day 19 - PhillyVoice
McLeod is a sneaky important player this season, with the recent addition of Ronald Darby. As we pointed out previously, in Darby's "down season" in Buffalo last year, he played with five different starting safeties on his side of the field. It's not easy playing cornerback in the NFL when you're not on the same page as the safeties behind you.

Game Review – PS #2 – BUF at PHI – Defense - Iggles Blitz
Jim Schwartz turned the dogs loose in this game and blitzed more than he usually does. The results were bad for Buffalo. They ran 40 plays in the 1st half, gained 163 yards and scored just 6 points. The Eagles came up with a pair of sacks and a pair of takeaways. The defense was more erratic in the 2nd half, with backups playing the whole way. Buffalo did score 10 points. The Eagles had 4 more sacks and another pair of takeaways, including the INT that sealed the win.

Alshon Jeffery on Cutler's DeVante Parker comment: 'Whatever Jay says' - ESPN
Meanwhile, Eagles wide receivers coach Mike Groh told reporters that Jeffery is "behind" after missing a chunk of training camp with a shoulder injury. "Not at all," Jeffery said when asked if he feels that is true. "But at the same time, missing a few practices here and there, just give me some time and I'll be alright."

Lawlor: Howie Roseman Will Have His Work Cut Out For Him - PE.com
After two preseason games, the Eagles' depth is looking good. Let's start along the defensive line. Rookie Derek Barnett has looked great so far, racking up three sacks and living in the backfield. He might end up playing his way into the starting lineup if he continues at this level. Barnett can explode off the ball and beat offensive tackles with his speed. He has also had success with inside moves and power rushes. He shows potential as a run defender. One of the best things about Barnett is his motor. He is relentless in pursuit of the ball. That's a great trait for a pass rusher.

Eagles set to welcome Dolphins for 'intense' joint practices this week - CSN Philly
According to Eagles rookie wide receiver Mack Hollins, the coaches have laid down a few rules for the team’s joint practices with the Miami Dolphins, which run Monday through Wednesday. “The ground rules are pretty basic, same rules as if it was in a game,” Hollins said. “Don’t act a fool, don’t fight, basically don’t do stuff you wouldn’t do in a game.” That might sound simple on paper, but several Eagles players acknowledged there tends to be a different level of competitiveness when another team shares the field.

Philadelphia Eagles' Isaac Seumalo steps up to challenge entering 1st season as starter - PennLive
"Isaac's the same cat, man," Stoutland said. "He's a great player to coach." Seuamlo's intelligence and sturdiness appeal most to Stoutland. A son of a longtime Division I defensive line coach, Seumalo played four different spots on the line at Oregon State and developed a reputation as a tireless studier in college. Last season, a pectoral injury robbed Seumalo the opportunity to truly compete for a starting job as a third-round rookie, but he filled in at three positions for the Eagles and spent the year learning the ins and outs of NFL life.

After lightning strikes and tip-overs, telescopes replace lifts in NFL practice filming scene - Daily News
Mike Dougherty was the Eagles’ video director for 37 years before retiring in 2013. Over the course of those 37 years, he spent tens of thousands of hours 45 feet up in the air standing on a hydraulic scissor lift with a camera filming practices. “When they first came out, they were a blessing,’’ Dougherty said of the lifts. “They were considered state of the art. You could get up high and move them and stuff like that. Before that, we used scaffolding that you had to climb.’’ He didn’t think it was a blessing that day in 1979 when a lightning bolt struck his camera and came perilously close to killing him.

Paxton Lynch struggles in preseason start - PFF
Of Lynch’s 13 pass attempts, he completed nine passes for 39 yards. All of his completed attempts traveled less than 10 yards past the line of scrimmage, with three completions coming behind it.

Buffalo Bills injuries: Cordy Glenn, Jordan Matthews still on the shelf - Buffalo Rumblings
There was a long list of players who would not be participating in practice due to their injuries. Offensive tackle Cordy Glenn (foot), safety Colt Anderson (foot), wide receiver Rod Streater (foot), safety Trae Elston (hamstring), wide receiver Jordan Matthews (chest), and offensive tackle Michael Ola (hip) were the non-participants. Although McDermott did make a point to address that both Glenn and Matthews were improving.

Sean McDermott on players protesting anthem: “The key word here is respect” - PFT
On Thursday, Bills offensive tackle Cameron Jefferson — who has bounced from team to team in three years and hasn’t appeared in a regular-season game — decided to throw caution completely to the wind and raise a fist, motivated by the example set by Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins and Eagles defensive end Chris Long, who placed an arm on Jenkins’ shoulder during the anthem.

Derek Carr says he placed his hand on Khalil Mack during the national anthem to 'unify people' - SB Nation
Before the Raiders’ preseason game against the Rams, quarterback Derek Carr was seen placing his hand on defensive end Khalil Mack during the national anthem. It’s the third instance of a white player standing in solidarity with a black teammate, with Chris Long and Justin Britt being the other two, although Carr and Mack weren’t protesting.

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