Philadelphia Eagles news and links for 7/11/23.

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Deebo Samuel abruptly ends interview when asked about Eagles - PFT
49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel has had plenty to say about the Eagles this offseason, but he’s apparently done dealing with that topic. Samuel, who has previously said the 49ers would have beaten the Eagles in the NFC Championship Game if Brock Purdy had been healthy, was asked about that in an interview with Zach Gelb of CBS Sports Radio. “I mean, I said what I said,” Samuel replied. Samuel was then asked about the 49ers-Eagles rematch this season. “I don’t know. Just wait until Week 13, 12, whatever week it is, and we’ll show you,” Samuel said. With that, a woman’s voice, apparently the public relations person who arranged the interview, was heard saying, “Hey, guys, alright, we’re good to go.” And that was the end of the interview, with Samuel apparently too upset about being asked about the Eagles to continue. [BLG Note: Big time Big Loser Energy from Deebo here.]

Here are your indisputable NFC mid-summer power rankings - BGN
1. Philadelphia Eagles. Most experts agree that, if the Eagles don’t have the best overall roster in the conference, it’s at least second-best. There are still some holes at linebacker and safety, and I don’t love the punter situation, but all in all, this is a team that is still teaming with talent with Jalen Hurts at the helm, the unquestioned best QB in the NFC. And the smart money says they’re not done adding.

Roob’s Top 10: Ranking the best assistant coaches in Eagles history - NBCSP
2. Jim Johnson: One of the first things Andy Reid did as Eagles head coach – and also one of the smartest – was to hire Jim Johnson and give him complete autonomy over the defense. From 1999 through 2008, the Eagles won five NFC East titles, reached five NFC Championship Games and allowed the 6th-fewest points in the NFL. They had the 2nd-most sacks in the NFL during that span (five fewer than the Steelers) and led the NFC in wins. Johnson’s defenses were at their best in the postseason. In 17 playoff games during that decade, the Eagles’ defense allowed just 15.8 points per game, a truly crazy number. And think about this: Troy Vincent, Brian Dawkins, Bobby Taylor and Jeremiah Trotter played 19 combined seasons before Johnson was their coach and never made a Pro Bowl. Playing under Johnson, they made a combined 16. A class act and one of the greatest defensive minds the league has ever seen. He’s missed every day.

Pederson’s Projects: Comparing the 2023 Jacksonville Jaguars to the 2017 Philadelphia Eagles - Big Cat Country
Here’s the story: Doug Pederson is entering his second season as head coach with the Jacksonville Jaguars after taking over the reins from a failed college coach in the NFL. He is coming off a successful first season during which he surpassed expectations with a previously underperforming team that now features a young and promising yet unpolished quarterback. Sound familiar? It should - this accurately describes both Doug Pederson’s 2017 pre-season with the Philadelphia Eagles and his current situation with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Though the common thread of Pederson as head coach is obvious, there are additional similarities between the two teams that may offer some optimism for the year ahead. Let’s take a look at some of these parallels.

Ranking the 5 best players on the Cowboys roster heading into 2023 - Blogging The Boys
5. Stephon Gilmore, CB. When the Cowboys front office traded for CB Stephon Gilmore from the Indianapolis Colts early in the offseason, they not only shored up their CB2 position, they also secured one of the best corners across the league. In his ten-year career, Gilmore has been selected to five Pro Bowls, two AP First-Team All-Pro selections, and won Defensive Player of the Year in 2019 when he led the league in interceptions (6). Despite being 32-years-old, Gilmore remains one of the league’s top corners. Last season with the Colts, Gilmore recorded an 81.1 PFF coverage grade and allowed just an 82.6 passer rating from 82 targets. Gilmore comes to the Cowboys with Super Bowl-winning experience, and veteran leadership that should positively impact the entire team. It will be a joy to watch him across from star CB Trevon Diggs this upcoming season.

Giants’ OC Mike Kafka considered top candidate for Northwestern head-coaching job - Big Blue View
New York Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka is at the top of the list of potential replacements for Pat Fitzgerald, fired this week as head football coach at Northwestern due to an alleged hazing scandal. In a look at potential candidates for the Northwestern job, Bruce Feldman of The Athletic writes: “The dream candidate for the school probably would be Kafka, a 35-year-old former Wildcat QB who grew up in Chicago and has risen fast up the NFL ranks. Northwestern has been terrible on offense for awhile; Kafka seems like he could fix that pretty quickly, but he’s not far from becoming an NFL head coach at this point. He interviewed for a bunch of jobs last winter, so why jump into the craziness of the college game at a place that just canned someone he learned under?”

The 5 O’Clock Club: Player overs/unders for 2023 - RB edition - Hogs Haven
It seems very likely that coach Rivera goes into the 2023 season with 3 RBs if the team feels confident in rookie Chris Rodriguez; however, there may be factors at play that would convince the coach to start the season with 4 RBs. One factor could be the desire to keep pressure off of 6th round pick Rodriguez initially by having a veteran like Jonathan Williams on the roster as a 4th back. It may also be that the coaching staff could decide, as they did in 2020, to enter the season with just 5 wide receivers — especially if they don’t keep a specialist return man like Kazmeir Allen. The coaches could see Antonio Gibson as having the skills to line up as a receiver when needed, allowing the team the luxury of keeping a 4th running back with position flexibility.

ECHL approves Tim Tebow-owned minor league team in Lake Tahoe - ESPN
Tim Tebow is bringing professional hockey to Lake Tahoe. The ECHL board of governors has approved the expansion application for a team in Lake Tahoe beginning in the 2024-25 season. The franchise will be owned by Tebow, the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner with the University of Florida and former NFL quarterback with the Denver Broncos and New York Jets [and Philadelphia Eagles].

Northwestern football’s shocking hazing scandal, explained - SB Nation
The Northwestern football program has found itself in the middle of a major scandal involving hazing, sexual harassment and potential oversight by not only the Northwestern coaching staff, but the entire athletic department for over three years. Here is a full timeline of all the events leading up to where we are today.

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