Philadelphia Eagles news and links for 12/23/17.

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

Trent Cole Announces He Will Retire As An Eagle On Christmas - PE.com
Cole would play 10 seasons for the Eagles from 2005-14, eight at defensive end and two at outside linebacker, and record 85.5 sacks, good for second most in franchise history behind Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive end Reggie White. He also had one interception, a pick-six in 2006 off of New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning, which he returned 19 yards for a touchdown. What makes Cole, who spent the 2015 and 2016 seasons with the Indianapolis Colts, most proud of his NFL career? “As a person playing ball, I’ll never be satisfied,” says Cole. “I’m going to move on to the next thing. It was a great career, but it just doesn’t stop there. Being successful is never going to stop me. I’m not going to stop being successful. I’m going to go on to the next thing and try to be successful.”

Eagles vs. Raiders Game Preview: Five questions and answers with the enemy - BGN
The Philadelphia Eagles and Oakland Raiders are set to play each other this Monday at Lincoln Financial Field. In order to preview the Eagles’ Week 16 game against the Rrrrrrrrrraiders, I reached out to our enemies at Silver And Black Pride. Levi Damien took the time to answer my questions about the upcoming game. Let's take a look at the answers.

Video: All of Nate Sudfeld's 2017 preseason throws, with analysis - PhillyVoice
While the preseason can often give bad reads on what a player is, especially for quarterbacks playing behind third- and fourth-string offensive lines along with wide receivers who have no chance of making the team, you do see some of the good and bad from Zierlein's scouting report above. "I personally think I'm light years ahead of where I was even this preseason," Sudfeld said. Quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo has worked wonders with Wentz as well as David Carr, so there's reason to believe that Sudfeld is a better player now than he was when he played for the Redskins this offseason. We'll see, maybe.

Just Amazing - Iggles Blitz
Doug Pederson has done an amazing job. He doesn’t have much of a shot to win coach of the year because of the crazy turnaround by the Rams. Sean McVay deserves a ton of credit and will probably win the award. But Pederson has had to overcome so much and the Eagles don’t seem to miss a beat. The backup QB threw 4 TDs last week. That’s not luck or by accident. Pederson has this team performing at a high level. He is getting the most out of his players. He’s calling the right plays. He’s saying the right things in the locker room. The players are responding in a big way. Andy Reid is the best coach in Eagles history. I would put Pederson’s 2017 coaching job up against anything Reid ever did. That’s no insult to Big Red, but it shows you just how special this year is and what a great job Pederson has done. I can’t wait to see how this season turns out.

'Real good' news on Sidney Jones, healthier Eagles - NBC Sports Philadelphia
Sidney Jones has been practicing again this week after getting on the practice field for the first time last week. How does the young corner feel? "Real good," he said. "Good first week of practice. I'm just getting the rust off, getting my feet wet, trying to get back." Jones, who is on the non-football injury list after tearing his Achilles during the pre-draft process, began practicing last week. That kicked off a three-week window in which he's allowed to practice. After that, the Eagles either have to activate him or send him to IR. On Friday, Jones admitted getting back into game shape is a "work in progress" and emphasized the team wants him to take it slow.

Eagles' Brandon Brooks' Pro Bowl season came after confronting anxiety - Inquirer
“I definitely was nervous,” Brooks said. “Do I really want to tell people what’s really going on? But also, that was one of the highest points, too, because [I was] able to speak about what’s going on, be honest about it, be able to reach out and help people who are going through the same thing.” Brooks realized the spotlight of the NFL would allow him to reach others suffering from anxiety. After Brooks went public, an unknown neighbor in his apartment building slid a note under his door. “Don’t worry about being perfect. Our imperfections are what make us who we are,” it read. He’s since heard from fans who have benefited from his transparency.

'You can't be mad': Philadelphia Eagles' LeGarrette Blount shrugs off drop in carries - PennLive
"It's just something you can't be frustrated and you can't be mad about when you're 12-2," Blount said. "When you've won 12 games and only lost two, there's nothing to argue about. Whatever we're doing that's making it work, we're going to continue to do it, whether you're a part of it or not, whether you're getting the ball a lot or not.

Life on the IR: Eagles’ injured stars finding ways to contribute behind the scenes - The Athletic
For Barner, his return is welcome. After a play is over, Sproles will tell Barner what he saw on the play, Barner will then offer his perspective, and the back and forth goes on from there. For Barner, the only difference now is that the veteran back/returner isn’t handing out tips while he’s also in uniform. “Dude has helped me out tremendously and even now with him being here and me doing what he does and what he’s done throughout his career, he’s given me great advice and great tips,” Barner said. “And being on the sideline, that’s another set of eyes on the ball, on the punter, on the return team that I don’t normally have. Obviously I have the coaches here, but from a player’s perspective, it’s always different.”

32 NFL observations, Week 15 - PFF
Philadelphia Eagles: Cornerback Rasul Douglas has been targeted 11 times on late downs (third and fourth down) this year. He’s allowed just six to be completed and accumulated two interceptions and three pass breakups, for a playmaker index of 41.7 percent, the best mark among cornerbacks with at least 10 late down targets this season.

NFL bonuses: Gronk closing in on $6.5M; others chasing millions, too - ESPN
Brandon Graham, DE, Philadelphia Eagles. Salary: $6.5 million. Bonuses: Graham (9.5 sacks) has already added $500,000 to his 2018 salary by reaching the nine-sack mark. He can earn an additional $250,000 by getting to 12 sacks in the final two games.

2018 Pro Bowl Snubs: What About Jason Kelce, Melvin Ingram or Alex Smith? - Sports Illustrated
1. Jason Kelce, C, Philadelphia Eagles: Kelce’s teammate, Chris Long, wondered aloud on Twitter. Leaving the NFL’s best center of 2017 off the Pro Bowl roster seems like a bit of oversight. While grading offensive line play is not an exact science at the moment, Kelce ranks as Pro Football Focus’ No. 1 center by a decent margin. The Eagles have allowed just 31 sacks and are second in rushing behind only the Jacksonville Jaguars. Thanks to Kelce’s mobility and intellect, the Eagles, led by QB Carson Wentz, were able to create one of the most elastic offenses in the NFL—one that can thrive on clock control and a hard-nosed ground game, or one that can step back and shower defenses with a passing attack.

Five Good Questions with Bleeding Green Nation: How much of a dropoff is it from Wentz to Foles? Could Eagles rest starters? More - Silver And Black Pride
I speak with Brandon Lee Gowton from SB Nation’s Eagles blog, Bleeding Green Nation to get the scoop on the Raiders next opponent

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