The Linc – Jeremiah Trotter Jr. says it would be a “blessing” to land in Philly

Philadelphia Eagles news and links for 2/29/24.

Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links …

The First Read: 10 takeaways from 2024 NFL Scouting Combine’s media availabilities – NFL.com
6) Trotter gains inspiration from late mother. Clemson linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr. is a familiar name to football fans, especially those of the Philadelphia Eagles. The elder Trotter spent more than a decade in the NFL, including parts of eight different seasons in Philadelphia as a four-time Pro Bowler. The younger Trotter shares some of the same traits as his father, both known for their impactful hits. Even their draft ranges could end up being similar, with Trotter selected by the Eagles in Round 3 (72nd overall) of the 1998 NFL Draft. Trotter Jr. might land in a similar spot. He said it would be a “blessing” to follow in his father’s footsteps in Philadelphia. Trotter Jr.’s mother also was a massive figure in his life, and she had just as high of aspirations for his NFL dreams. Wednesday marked the one-year anniversary of the passing of Tammi Trotter, who died last Feb. 28 after a battle with breast cancer.

Why Jeremiah Trotter Jr. swings the axe like his father — and whether he could do it for the Philadelphia Eagles – PHLY
Trotter Jr. met with Eagles officials for a formal interview this week in Indianapolis, chatting with Howie Roseman and Nick Sirianni in the meeting. He said they had “good vibes” in the session. Although he was too young to fully synthesize his father as a Pro Bowler in Philadelphia — Trotter Jr. was born in 2002 and his father’s last Pro Bowl season was 2005 — it’s hard to grow up in this area when he did, in the family he did, without feeling the Eagles connection. “He’s told me stories of when he played for the Eagles,” Trotter Jr. said. “I’ve been told different things and the great time he had with that organization. The Eagles are a great team, great club. It would be a blessing to play for them as well.” The Eagles would need to consider whether bringing him home would create undue pressure, although Trotter Jr. is used to that by now. He hasn’t run from the name, the number — or even the celebration that honored Trotter’s father. “Just giving him props for everything he did and everything he’s done for me as well,” Trotter Jr said. “He said, ‘Shoot, you’ve got to keep doing it now that you did it once.’ I just kept doing it. Everybody loved it, so why not?”

2024 NFL Scouting Combine Cheat Sheet: Linebacker – PE.com
Jeremiah Trotter Jr. (Clemson) – I had to lead this category off with the most recognizable name from the bunch. The son of the Axe Man had a great three-year stay at Clemson, stuffing the stat sheet in every which way. The true junior posted 13 sacks, four picks, two touchdowns, a pair of forced fumbles, and 29.5 TFLs in just 26 starts. He was EVERYWHERE for the Tigers. Last spring, former Clemson star pass rusher KJ Henry told me Trotter came out of the womb ready to play linebacker and was responsible for getting the entire defense lined up. Former teammate Baylon Spector told me the previous year, in the spring of 2022, that it was really easy to see some of the elder Trotter in the younger Trotter’s game.

Could Jeremiah Trotter Jr. follow in his father’s footsteps with Eagles? – NBCSP
Jeremiah Trotter Jr. never felt like he grew up in his dad’s shadow. He embraced it. “I’ve never been the type to shy away from being the son of Jeremiah Trotter,” he said on Wednesday at the NFL Combine. “I appreciate him. He’s always taught me a lot at the position and really helped me to get to this point today.” The Eagles drafted Trotter Sr. in the third round in 1998 and he went on to play eight seasons for the Birds, making four Pro Bowls in a career that landed him in the Eagles Hall of Fame. And at the combine this week, his son, the 21-year-old linebacker prospect from Clemson, said he would welcome it if the Eagles drafted him too.

NFL Draft: 10 Combine players the Eagles should be watching closely – BGN
Jeremiah Trotter Junior, Linebacker, Clemson. Whether Howie Roseman likes it not, the Eagles need to spend some more premium capital on the linebacker position. If that means spending in free agency or using a day two pick in the NFL draft, so be it. It is a desperate need for the Eagles at this point. Jeremiah Trotter Junior is one of two players the Eagles should keep tabs on this week. Not only does he have roots with the team, his dad being arguably the best linebacker to play for the Eagles this century, but he is a hell of a player on his own. His game was predicated largely on speed and physicality and this week we can see just how athletic he is.

On the Shane Page #20: The free agency discussion continues – BGN Radio
Shane Haff and Jonny Page continue to preview upcoming free agents and discuss their cap hits, stats from the 2023 NFL season and decide what they would do.

10 takeaways from Nick Sirianni’s and Howie Roseman’s NFL Combine press conferences – PhillyVoice
What’s one thing Sirianni learned last year that he can apply going forward to prevent a loss or two from becoming an even more disastrous slide? … “We went through, early here in 2021 we went through a really tough stretch, right, and we doubled down on the things we knew to be true, our culture, our core values,” Sirianni said. “And then we went through a tough stretch here too. Even though we said to ourselves, hey, we’re doubling down on this, in 2021 it worked. In 2023 it didn’t work. I think it’s, again, being in this constant growth mindset of things that just always trying to get better at every style of football that you’re trying to do. I do think, though, with those core values, you always double down on those because to me it wasn’t the core values, we didn’t just make them up and say connect, compete, accountability, football IQ, and fundamentals are what’s important. That was years and years of coaching and playing that we thought to ourselves and I thought to myself these are the common denominators of good football teams. That’s not changing off of a bad spurt, right? So, it is a true double down on those from day one. Doubling down on the connection, doubling down on the accountability. I really look at those two, the connect and the accountability — even though I say connect, compete, those two C’s kind of go together, so they stay together. But connect and accountability are the two, I would say, cornerstones of our program that those are the ones that, when I really take away — hey, these are important, that we play with good football IQ, that we play with good fundamentals, and that we compete our ass off, those are important, but everything starts with the accountability and the connecting. So, it’s almost a double down and triple down on those core values, and I look forward to, when the players get back, to do that.” … #JimmyTranslation: Oof.

Embrace Youth – Iggles Blitz
I know injuries complicate things, but that is where you need to develop depth at the bottom of your roster. Play young guys. Give them a chance. Nick Sirianni talked about needing to play the guys who give you the best chance to win a game. That’s a dangerous mentality. You also need to develop players for the future. That means living with some mistakes. The Chiefs have done a great job of drafting in recent years. They also coach the guys up and get them on the field right away. They give the players a chance to show what they can do. Not every player has panned out, but a lot have and that’s a big reason they have won the last two Super Bowls. That isn’t to say if you play young guys you’ll win big. You need veterans and proven stars. But we’re in an era when star players make big money. That means you need cheap players around them. Those tend to be young guys or veterans on one-year deals.

2024 NFL offseason: Best available running backs, linebackers – ESPN+
D’Andre Swift will benefit from having his breakout season come in 2023. There wasn’t a lot of trade interest in him when the Eagles traded for him last April, but the former Lions back had his best season as a pro and made the Pro Bowl. He averaged 4.6 yards per carry but posted negative rush yards over expectation (minus-65) and first downs over expectation (minus-10) marks. Swift didn’t do much as a receiver in an offense that doesn’t typically reward its backs with catches, but he has shown that skill set in the past. Having just turned 25, his youth should play up in free agency.

NFL executive Troy Vincent suggests ‘Tush Push’ is here to stay: No support for ban on Eagles’ QB sneak play – CBS Sports
“Don’t punish a team that strategically does it very well,” Vincent said on “PFT Live,” citing the Eagles’ league-leading conversion percentage on the rugby-esque push. He explained that’s the sentiment of the entire competition committee, which is tasked with reviewing and proposing NFL rules: The “Tush Push” (also known as the “Brotherly Shove”) hasn’t surfaced in a single discussion about potential changes this offseason, he said, because everyone to this point has been in agreement over the play’s legality.

Report: Some Jets believe Mecole Hardman leaked game plans to Chiefs, Eagles – PFT
Well, Howie, this would potentially count as a conspiracy theory. In the midst of some belated public acrimony between the Jets and receiver Mecole Hardman, a doozy of a report has emerged. Here’s the tweet from Connor Hughes of SNY.tv: “Yes, I’m told there was validated belief from the #Jets that WR Mecole Hardman, frustrated by his lack-of usage, leaked game plans to the opposition, as implied by several players (Sauce Gardner, Kenny Yeboah) today. Not just the #Eagles game, but also the #Chiefs. Ironically, the Eagles victory was arguably the best of the season for the Jets while Zach Wilson enjoyed the best game of his career against the Chiefs.” [BLG Note: If this is true, it makes the Eagles’ loss to the Jets even more pathetic.]

Poll: Mike McCarthy or Dak Prescott? Which one of these guys is holding the Cowboys back the most? – Blogging The Boys
While Dak is great most of the time, he has had moments down the stretch where his performances have been subpar. He struggled down the stretch of 2019 where the Cowboys lost four of their final six games and missed the playoffs. In each of the Cowboys’ last two playoff losses, Prescott has not played well and thrown multiple picks in both games. He’s a playmaking quarterback who gets the job done during the regular season but has struggled at key moments in the playoffs. Some suggest he’s just an extension of Romo. Good, but not great.

Rome Odunze to Giants in latest Kiper mock draft – Big Blue View
Mel Kiper is apparently all aboard the Rome Odunze hype train. In his latest mock draft for ESPN [subscriber only] Kiper has the New York Giants selecting the Washington wide receiver at No. 6, three picks before giving the Chicago Bears LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers at No. 9.

Josh Harris is at the NFL Scouting Combine and took part in interviews with the top 6 QBs – Hogs Haven
The NFL Scouting Combine has been going on since Sunday, and the on-field workouts start this afternoon. The Washington Commanders hold the #2 overall pick in this year’s draft and will have a new managing partner(Josh Harris), general manager(Adam Peters), and head coach when the draft starts on April 25th in Detroit Michigan. The team is looking at every QB in the draft, and will likely be able to pick any QB they want, except for the player that goes at #1. Adam Peters and Dan Quinn spoke to the media on Tuesday, and it was also reported that Josh Harris was in Indianapolis for his first Combine as an NFL owner.

NFLPA report cards give Chiefs ownership an F-, roast Bengals’ terrible food, and more – SB Nation
You know the saying “winning cures all”? Well, not in Kansas City. The Chiefs were ranked 31st in the league in player satisfaction, with only the Washington Commanders scoring lower. Of particular note when it comes to the Chiefs is mammoth disconnect between the on-field football operations, and those off of it. Andy Reid was given an A+ by players, but everything was atrocious outside of that — particularly owner Clark Hunt, who was given an NFL-low rating of F-, which I didn’t even know was possible.

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