Philadelphia Eagles IDP Report

[Marauders11]

Less than 3 weeks until Training Camp opens, are you ready for some football?

 

I'll do my best to keep you up to date on the happenings surrounding my Philadelphia Eagles from the defensive side of the ball as they relate specifically to fantasy IDP's.

 

Feel free to comment, discuss, critique, etc. If you instead decide to criticize, bash, mock, etc. then you can kiss my you get what you pay for and this is a free board last I checked

 

Anyway- on to our first Pre-Season look-in.....

 

SCHEME:

 

Def. Coordinator, Jim Johnson uses a 4-3 defense, with an aggressive- blitzing style. He'll bring a blitzer at just about anytime from anyplace on the field in an effort to keep maximum pressure on the QB. The Eagles secondary excels in man to man coverage which allows the front 7 to attack the line of scrimmage more often than not.

 

* Note: I am not going to bother mentioning back-ups in this initial report. I don’t know what kind of IDP league you all play in, but from my past experience (maybe with the exception of dynasty leagues which I am NOT familiar with first hand) most do not have real deep “fantasy” benches for defensive players. I will keep an eye out and update any emerging Eagles that have a chance to contribute to your teams as camp goes on and we progress towards the season. For now I am guessing that the most important thing is to highlight the guys that will be on the field when the season opens, and who you should be targeting at your drafts.

 

Linebackers - MLB Jeremaih Trotter is the heart and soul of the Eagle LB corps (and perhaps the entire defense). Last season Trotter re-signed with the Birds after an unsuccessful 2 year tour of duty with the Washington Redskins. Trotter is a bit long in the tooth, but after starting the 2004 year on Special Teams he played his way back into Andy Reid’s good graces, and into a starting role by week 7 posting solid tackle numbers just about every week. Trotter is a fine #2 type IDP LB who will contribute consistent if not spectacular fantasy numbers. SLB Dhani Jones is a much better “real” football player than he is a regular fantasy starter. Solid all around player, but not someone I’d be looking at drafting. The real fantasy gem of this group is going to be WLB Keith Adams. With the departure of Ike Reese to Atlanta, former special teams standout Adams is the main man for the first time in his career. No Eagle LB had a better late season run than Adams who started throughout the playoffs in place of Mark Simoneau, and put up solid tackle numbers each week. I would project Adams as a guy that you can draft as your 3rd or 4th LB, but who should produce more like a #2. Value pick all the way here.

 

 

Defensive Line – The DE starters currently listed on the “official” depth charts are 3rd year man Jerome McDougle and “The Freak” Jevon Kearse. McDougle has battled injuries since being drafted out of Miami, and was finally able to contribute sparingly down the stretch last season. I haven’t seen enough of him actually on the field to make a truly accurate assessment of his abilities, but he was a high draft pick from The Football Factory so if he can kick the injury bug he could surprise. A healthy N.D. Kalu (missed all of 2004) will likely rotate with McDougle serving as the team’s pass rush specialist and could actually emerge as a surprise fantasy impact player. Kalu did rack up 6.5 sacks in 2003 with limited PT. This is an area to keep an eye on during the summer. Now, onto the big name player- “The Freak”. I love what Kearse brings to the Eagles football team, athleticism- speed, diversity (he played stand-up LB quite a bit last season), BUT (big but) from a fantasy perspective I think he’s over-hyped. People drafting IDP’s tend to fall in love with a name and Kearse is certainly a name, but if you really look into his numbers he’s not a week in week out contributor. Another case of being a better real football player than a fantasy stud IMO. Do note however that Kearse is certainly capable of putting up a monster on any given week- one of those 3 sack, 5 tackle type games, but realize that it’s boom or bust most times. If he gets a sack he helps your team- if he doesn’t get to the QB, he has one of those 1-0-0 lines that makes you cringe. Buyer beware, the weekly value versus where he’ll likely be drafted among DE’s makes him an “avoid” on my list, unless of course he slides down in your draft and you can get him on the cheap.

 

The Eagles use a 6-7 man rotation at DT that is very effective, and often detrimental to fantasy productivity. The starters are listed as Corey Simon (check status-as of today he’s not reported to any mini-camps and is threatening a holdout after being slapped with the franchise tag this past off-season) & Darwin Walker. Others in the mix include “Baby Sapp” first round draft pick from USC Mike Patterson- fire plug with a great college pedigree- (Patterson is another to keep an eye on as camp begins), Sam Rayburn, Hollis Thomas, and Paul Grasmanis. DT’s are generally not big IDP contributors, but if your league requires them I’d take a chance on Simon playing his big fat butt off for his next contract, and I’d pay close attention to what Patterson can do in the pre-season. Stay tuned.

 

Defensive Backs – The unquestioned strength of the Eagle Defense- 3 Pro Bowler’s a year ago with a 4th waiting in the wings (has an NFL team ever had their entire starting secondary go to Hawaii in the same season- really I‘m asking because I don’t know, but it could happen here in 2005).

 

I speak of course to CB’s Lito Sheppard & Sheldon Brown, plus perennial All Star FS Brain Dawkins, and emerging stud SS Michael Lewis.

 

Dawkins is the hammer- a feared hitter with a knack for big plays and always being around the ball. Still a fine all around choice for tackles, sacks (he blitzes often) and the occasional big INT. A top 10 Safety year in and year out- I’d have no problem making Dawk my #1 at that position.

 

Lewis may already be one of the best at his position, and not a lot of folks know his name- that should change very soon. Lewis is the leading tackler of the entire group and probably the most consistent weekly contributor. Would like to see a few more big plays, but until that happens he’ll remain a notch below BDawk in fantasy circles. Draft him as your #2 safety late and enjoy his emergence at a value price.

 

CB Lito Sheppard has a knack for making the highlight reel type INT and return, but lesser known Sheldon Brown might be the better all around NFL corner. Brown does his job quietly and effectively, and his fantasy numbers are less spectacular mainly because teams do not throw his way often- a testament to his emerging studliness.

 

Either Brown or Sheppard would be a fine #1-2 fantasy CB on your team- depending on scoring- if INT’s are most valuable target Lito, if solid tackles are what you are after from this position go after Brown.

 

CB Rod Hood will likely serve as the team’s nickel back, but warrants little fantasy consideration. The sleeper to watch as camp opens is rookie S, Sean Considine from Iowa. Considine should be an immediate impact player on Special Teams (he has a great history of blocking punts in college), and has a chance to emerge as the primary back up to both Dawkins & Lewis at Safety. Early word is that the Birds love Considine’s work ethic, he is a blue collar type of player with a reputation as both a hard hitter and a ball hawk. Deep sleeper consideration here.

 

Start / Bench

 

In the week in week out “must start” category I would say that any of the Eagle’s 4 primary DB’s would easily qualify in leagues that require starting players at their respective positions. Dawkins and possibly Lewis should also be considered as 4th-5th type players in league’s that only require IDP regardless of position (I’d look to them only after the top LB’s are off the board). Trotter deserves a spot in leagues that use at least 3 starting LB’s and as previously mentioned Keith Adam’s is my sleeper steal from the entire Eagle defense.

 

The Infirmary

 

Injury reports will be available once camp opens.

 

The Water Cooler

 

Rumors & musings will also start once we open camp.

[NSab]

Less than 3 weeks until Training Camp opens, are you ready for some football?

 

I'll do my best to keep you up to date on the happenings surrounding my Philadelphia Eagles from the defensive side of the ball as they relate specifically to fantasy IDP's.

 

Feel free to comment, discuss, critique, etc. If you instead decide to criticize, bash, mock, etc. then you can kiss my  you get what you pay for and this is a free board last I checked 

 

Anyway- on to our first Pre-Season look-in.....

 

SCHEME:

 

Def. Coordinator, Jim Johnson uses a 4-3 defense, with an aggressive- blitzing style. He'll bring a blitzer at just about anytime from anyplace on the field in an effort to keep maximum pressure on the QB. The Eagles secondary excels in man to man coverage which allows the front 7 to attack the line of scrimmage more often than not.

 

* Note: I am not going to bother mentioning back-ups in this initial report. I don’t know what kind of IDP league you all play in, but from my past experience (maybe with the exception of dynasty leagues which I am NOT familiar with first hand) most do not have real deep “fantasy” benches for defensive players. I will keep an eye out and update any emerging Eagles that have a chance to contribute to your teams as camp goes on and we progress towards the season. For now I am guessing that the most important thing is to highlight the guys that will be on the field when the season opens, and who you should be targeting at your drafts.

 

Linebackers - MLB Jeremaih Trotter is the heart and soul of the Eagle LB corps (and perhaps the entire defense). Last season Trotter re-signed with the Birds after an unsuccessful 2 year tour of duty with the Washington Redskins. Trotter is a bit long in the tooth, but after starting the 2004 year on Special Teams he played his way back into Andy Reid’s good graces, and into a starting role by week 7 posting solid tackle numbers just about every week. Trotter is a fine #2 type IDP LB who will contribute consistent if not spectacular fantasy numbers. SLB Dhani Jones is a much better “real” football player than he is a regular fantasy starter. Solid all around player, but not someone I’d be looking at drafting. The real fantasy gem of this group is going to be WLB Keith Adams. With the departure of Ike Reese to Atlanta, former special teams standout Adams is the main man for the first time in his career. No Eagle LB had a better late season run than Adams who started throughout the playoffs in place of Mark Simoneau, and put up solid tackle numbers each week. I would project Adams as a guy that you can draft as your 3rd or 4th LB, but who should produce more like a #2. Value pick all the way here.

Defensive Line – The DE starters currently listed on the “official” depth charts are 3rd year man Jerome McDougle and “The Freak” Jevon Kearse. McDougle has battled injuries since being drafted out of Miami, and was finally able to contribute sparingly down the stretch last season. I haven’t seen enough of him actually on the field to make a truly accurate assessment of his abilities, but he was a high draft pick from The Football Factory so if he can kick the injury bug he could surprise. A healthy N.D. Kalu (missed all of 2004) will likely rotate with McDougle serving as the team’s pass rush specialist and could actually emerge as a surprise fantasy impact player. Kalu did rack up 6.5 sacks in 2003 with limited PT. This is an area to keep an eye on during the summer. Now, onto the big name player- “The Freak”. I love what Kearse brings to the Eagles football team, athleticism- speed, diversity (he played stand-up LB quite a bit last season), BUT (big but) from a fantasy perspective I think he’s over-hyped. People drafting IDP’s tend to fall in love with a name and Kearse is certainly a name, but if you really look into his numbers he’s not a week in week out contributor. Another case of being a better real football player than a fantasy stud IMO. Do note however that Kearse is certainly capable of putting up a monster on any given week- one of those 3 sack, 5 tackle type games, but realize that it’s boom or bust most times. If he gets a sack he helps your team- if he doesn’t get to the QB, he has one of those 1-0-0 lines that makes you cringe. Buyer beware, the weekly value versus where he’ll likely be drafted among DE’s makes him an “avoid” on my list, unless of course he slides down in your draft and you can get him on the cheap.

 

The Eagles use a 6-7 man rotation at DT that is very effective, and often detrimental to fantasy productivity. The starters are listed as Corey Simon (check status-as of today he’s not reported to any mini-camps and is threatening a holdout after being slapped with the franchise tag this past off-season) & Darwin Walker. Others in the mix include “Baby Sapp” first round draft pick from USC Mike Patterson- fire plug with a great college pedigree- (Patterson is another to keep an eye on as camp begins), Sam Rayburn, Hollis Thomas, and Paul Grasmanis. DT’s are generally not big IDP contributors, but if your league requires them I’d take a chance on Simon playing his big fat butt off for his next contract, and I’d pay close attention to what Patterson can do in the pre-season. Stay tuned.

 

Defensive Backs – The unquestioned strength of the Eagle Defense- 3 Pro Bowler’s a year ago with a 4th waiting in the wings (has an NFL team ever had their entire starting secondary go to Hawaii in the same season- really I‘m asking because I don’t know, but it could happen here in 2005).

 

I speak of course to CB’s Lito Sheppard & Sheldon Brown, plus perennial All Star FS Brain Dawkins, and emerging stud SS Michael Lewis.

 

Dawkins is the hammer- a feared hitter with a knack for big plays and always being around the ball. Still a fine all around choice for tackles, sacks (he blitzes often) and the occasional big INT. A top 10 Safety year in and year out- I’d have no problem making Dawk my #1 at that position.

 

Lewis may already be one of the best at his position, and not a lot of folks know his name- that should change very soon. Lewis is the leading tackler of the entire group and probably the most consistent weekly contributor. Would like to see a few more big plays, but until that happens he’ll remain a notch below BDawk in fantasy circles. Draft him as your #2 safety late and enjoy his emergence at a value price.

 

CB Lito Sheppard has a knack for making the highlight reel type INT and return, but lesser known Sheldon Brown might be the better all around NFL corner. Brown does his job quietly and effectively, and his fantasy numbers are less spectacular mainly because teams do not throw his way often- a testament to his emerging studliness.

 

Either Brown or Sheppard would be a fine #1-2 fantasy CB on your team- depending on scoring- if INT’s are most valuable target Lito, if solid tackles are what you are after from this position go after Brown.

 

CB Rod Hood will likely serve as the team’s nickel back, but warrants little fantasy consideration. The sleeper to watch as camp opens is rookie S, Sean Considine from Iowa. Considine should be an immediate impact player on Special Teams (he has a great history of blocking punts in college), and has a chance to emerge as the primary back up to both Dawkins & Lewis at Safety. Early word is that the Birds love Considine’s work ethic, he is a blue collar type of player with a reputation as both a hard hitter and a ball hawk. Deep sleeper consideration here.

 

Start / Bench

 

In the week in week out “must start” category I would say that any of the Eagle’s 4 primary DB’s would easily qualify in leagues that require starting players at their respective positions. Dawkins and possibly Lewis should also be considered as 4th-5th type players in league’s that only require IDP regardless of position (I’d look to them only after the top LB’s are off the board). Trotter deserves a spot in leagues that use at least 3 starting LB’s and as previously mentioned Keith Adam’s is my sleeper steal from the entire Eagle defense.

 

The Infirmary

 

Injury reports will be available once camp opens.

 

The Water Cooler

 

Rumors & musings will also start once we open camp.

 

876529[/snapback]

 

 

 

 

 

Nice Job, looks good.

[Rovers]

Bout TIME! Nice job!

[Marauders11]

I know- NSab had to remind me the other day. I've been in full blown baseball mode trying to manage 2 teams so football has been off my radar. Time to multi-task I guess.

[TecmoBeast]

thx marauder, this is a nice read

[Marauders11]

OK, Training Camp opens on Monday so I guess it's time to really start paying attention to what goes on with The Birds.

 

First significant thing to monitor is DT Cory Simon's contract standoff.

 

As of this week Simon has not signed his 1 year franchise tender (5 million + BTW, go figure- pro atheletes are insane) and says he will not be reporting to camp unless he's traded or given a long term deal.

 

LINK

 

Holy Moly-

 

while I'm typing this I just heard on sports radio that Eagles DE Jerome McDougle was shot last night in Miami- he is in CRITCAL CONDITION with a gunshot wound to his abdomen. More ddetails to follow...

[keggerz]

horrible news about Jerome...may god be with him and hopefully he pulls thru!

[redman]

This nees an update, especially as to the d-line . . . (hint, hint)

[Marauders11]

Here's the update-

 

MacDougal is recovering from his gunshot wound, and Simon has yet to report.

 

Seriously though- I'll get to it- been kind of busy drafting my teams brother.

[Marauders11]

Just some quick observations from what I watched Saturday night vs. Baltimore.

 

1. Jerimiah Trotter is a beast- he looked great in his limited action- he was all over the field and he absolutley leveled Derrick Mason on a deep crossing route where he dropped back into coverage. I think Trott is on his way to a top 10 caliber IDP season.

 

2. The secondary is as advertised- the best in the NFL- Both safeties (Dawkins & Mike Lewis) had interceptions. Lewis also had a sack and FF on a blind side blitz. Lewis is a an emerging star, I think Dawkins will be drafted higher in most IDP leagues that require safeties, but I also think that Lewis may end up being the better overall fantasy producer (tackles, etc.) afterall- especially if he gets more chances to blitz the passer- toss up between Lewis/Dawkins for my #1 fantasy S.

 

Overall the defense looked fairly dominating- yes it was vs. Kyle Boller, but still they looked in mid-season form-

Edited August 22, 2005 by Marauders11