The Linc – Time for resolution on Zach Ertz’s future
6 min read
By: Brandon Lee Gowton
Philadelphia Eagles news and links for 7/1/21.
Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links …
Why it’s time for the Eagles to end the Ertz madness – NBCSP
Is Roseman really going to let this drag out into training camp and hope some team gets a tight end injured and all of a sudden is willing to give up some late-round pick for Ertz? Do the Eagles really need the distraction of a holdout or a miserable veteran in camp while a 1st-year coach is trying to build something? Would the Eagles really make Ertz wait until August to find a new home after all he’s done for this franchise? If he really wants to go, let him go. Enough holding an all-time Eagles great hostage in a never-ending bid to maybe finagle a 6th- or 7th-round draft pick out of somebody. Some things are more important than some longshot chance at a Day 3 draft pick.
One last NFL offseason move for all 32 teams: Final signings, trades, extensions, more to complete rosters – ESPN
Trade tight end Zach Ertz. We floated Buffalo as a logical landing spot for Ertz earlier, but no matter the destination, a trade of the franchise stalwart seems best for all parties involved. I understand Philly’s reticence to simply give Ertz away, but for a team that could use some cap wiggle room to operate through the season (and potentially put toward an extension for Ertz’s heir apparent in Dallas Goedert), a trade helps. The Eagles have the makings of a really fun, young skill group on offense, and Ertz could provide a boost for a tight end-needy team elsewhere.
PFF says the Eagles don’t have any of the NFL’s top 50 players – BGN
The NFL dead zone is typically a prime time for various lists and rankings. It’s all about content creation and consumption, ya know? One such article that recently caught my eye was Pro Football Focus’s list of the top 50 players in the NFL. At the start of their series, I figured I’d eventually do a write-up on the Eagles player(s) who made the cut. As it turns out, though, I’m not able to do that. Because not a single member of Philadelphia’s football team made PFF’s top 50.
NFC East Mixtape Vol.11: Most Underrated Players in the NFC East – BGN Radio
Last week Brandon Lee Gowton and RJ Ochoa blessed your podcast feeds with the most overrated players in the division and this week the guys are back with the most underrated players in the division.
Eagles player review: Shaun Bradley edition – PhillyVoice
A couple weeks ago, I looked at all of Davion Taylor’s snaps on the 2020 season, and what I saw was a player who simply wasn’t ready to play in the regular defense, and who still has a long way to go before he can contribute positively. Those types of projects are in a tough spot, because they need game action to get better, and defensive coordinators have to be willing to live with bad short term results in order for them to grow. Taylor has a ways to go before he can play at all, in my opinion, while Bradley showed that he was at least a competent enough player to get meaningful snaps while he continues to grow. It also certainly doesn’t hurt that Bradley was a core special teamer, in terms of his chances of making the roster in 2021, and I would even consider him a decent candidate to earn a bigger role in the regular defense in Year 2.
Stuck in the Middle With You – Iggles Blitz
The front office passed on Justin Fields last April. Part of that was wanting to see what Hurts could do, especially with a better supporting cast. There will be a lot of pressure on him and the Eagles this year. If Hurts stinks, the team will look bad for having drafted him at all. If Fields lights it up, the Eagles will look bad for passing on him. Ideally you either want Hurts to show enough where you can say “He’s not the guy” or “We found our QB”. History tells us Hurts is likely to be somewhere in the middle of that. And his ability to run and improvise could easily have us leaning the wrong way. The worst case scenario for the Eagles would be to finish the 2021 season with a so-so record and a so-so QB. And a lot of questions heading into 2022. The 2021 team needs answers as much as they need wins.
Lane Johnson: Eagles are going to come out swinging – PFT
“Yeah, or well I think with what we have, you know, it’s easy to find motivation,” Johnson told SiriusXM NFL Radio. “4-11-1 or 4-12, whatever we were last year is not acceptable. So, you know, we’re going to come out swinging. Expectations are low. You know, we’re not expected to do much, so I feel like it’s a lot easier to play when you have that card in your hand, so that’s where we’re at and, really, I think that’s for a lot of teams in the NFC East. So, here we come.”
Jason Kelce serves ‘em up to benefit the Eagles Autism Foundation – PE.com
The line around the block of Eagles fans waiting to enter The Ocean Drive in Sea Isle City, New Jersey, started more than an hour before the doors opened on a gorgeous beach Wednesday afternoon, and all of them had the same thought in mind: Bust out the Eagles green, get ready to party with center Jason Kelce, and support the Eagles Autism Foundation. It couldn’t have gone any better, with a total of $100K raised ahead of the August 21 Eagles Autism Challenge presented by Lincoln Financial Group, the team’s signature fundraising event. Eagles fans showed once again why they are the best, donating $50,000 to the cause. Kelce and his wife, Kylie, were so touched by the outpouring of support that they matched it to cap off a wonderful day.
Carson Wentz banner outside the Linc is finally coming down – Inquirer
Former Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz was traded to the Indianapolis Colts in February. But driving past Lincoln Financial Field, you wouldn’t know it. Despite the disgruntled Wentz playing for a team in another zip code, his banner has remained prominently displayed outside the Linc in full view of I-95, drawing the ire of Eagles fans forced to see the former first-round draft choice regularly. But Wentz won’t adorn the walls of the Linc much longer. An Eagles spokesperson told the Inquirer that new artwork to replace the Wentz banner is in production, and will be installed “in mid to late July,” prior to the start of training camp.
Better or worse? Will the Giants be better at quarterback in 2021? – Big Blue View
To me, the jury is still out on Jones as ‘the guy’ beyond 2022. It is difficult, though, to say that the Giants quarterback situation position is worse than last year with another year under Jones’ belt, and the additions of Golladay, Rudolph, Toney, Ross, and a healthy Barkley vs. McCoy is an interesting debate, but this offense needs to be more explosive and McCoy just didn’t offer that ability.
Hall of Fame Debates: Frank Gore – Football Outsiders
The problem with including Gore among a group of all-time greats, as pointed out by skeptics whenever his candidacy is brought up either on Twitter or our comment threads, is that he was never truly great. Not only has Gore never led the NFL in any major rushing statistic, but he only cracked the top five in rushing yards once, finishing third with 1,695 yards in 2006. That was the only year he ever finished in the top five in scrimmage yards too. He never reached the top five in rushing touchdowns or offensive touchdowns.
Off Day Debrief #43: Who are the most overrated players in the NFL? – The SB Nation NFL Show
Rob “Stats” Guerrera and Brandon Lee Gowton examine the rosters of the entire league and pick out the most overrated offensive and defensive players in the league. The quarterback that is less than the sum of his parts. Can a running back be done at 26 years old? It’s possible in Dallas. How Stats is turning his own team’s fan base against him. The Pro Bowl pass rusher that gets way too much love.
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