The Linc – Recognition for Jason Kelce and Lane Johnson

Philadelphia Eagles news and links for 1/11/22.

Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links …

Joe Burrow, Cooper Kupp, Myles Garrett and Micah Parsons highlight Sheil Kapadia’s 2021 NFL All-Pro teams – The Athletic
First-team OC: Jason Kelce, Philadelphia Eagles. Kelce considered retirement in the offseason but decided to come back and once again played at a high level. He was a key cog in the Eagles’ outstanding run game. In pass protection, Kelce was charged with just one sack and zero QB hits allowed on 557 snaps. He started every game, was a team leader and performed at a high level despite being sandwiched in between two backup guards. […] First-team RT: Lane Johnson, Philadelphia Eagles. Johnson missed three games in the middle of the season, but he played at such a high level the rest of the time that he still gets the first-team nod. According to PFF, 57 offensive tackles played at least 500 snaps this season. Johnson was the only who didn’t allow a sack. He gave up just one quarterback hit and ranked first among tackles in pass block win rate. Plus he was outstanding in the run game.

An appreciation of Jeff Stoutland and the Eagles’ marvelous offensive line – PE.com
Not the accolades. Not the records. Not the headlines. He’s here to win football games and make his players better. And he does it every day. “Without Stout, of course, I wouldn’t be here,” left tackle Jordan Mailata said. “Every day, he’s on me and he’s urging me to improve myself and push myself. I know it comes from his love for all of us, and I also know that we would do anything for him.” As the Eagles prepare for Sunday’s playoff game in Tampa Bay, the offensive line has a critical role against a Buccaneers front seven that combines power and speed. For quarterback Jalen Hurts to have time to throw from the pocket or attack the edges with his legs, for the running back corps to have lanes between the tackles, the offensive line has to win. That’s it. Win. No matter the opponent, that is the goal for Stoutland and his line every week. Stoutland is busy now constructing the run game scheme for Sunday, understanding that his offensive line is as athletic and road-grading as any in the NFL. Center Jason Kelce is a brilliant tactician who dominates at the second level. Lane Johnson and Mailata are bookend freaks who have the requisite size, strength, foot speed, and change-of-direction ability to win on the edges. Guards Landon Dickerson and Nate Herbig are big and strong and nimble. If the Eagles can win here, they can put the ball in the end zone.

Eagles were rewarded for avoiding the sunk cost fallacy with Carson Wentz – BGN
So what did we learn here? What can other NFL franchises take away from this exercise? The moral of the story is not to stick with a player who is no longer a fit for your team solely because he’s making a lot of money. If you can get something of value for a player who no longer wants to be there or whose skills are declining, a smart GM should do it, even if it means eating a substantial amount of cash. After all, a team is likely to lose with a malcontent with declining skills who is no longer a fit, anyway, so why not pay that player to play somewhere else, open up the roster space on your team, and move on with your lives, especially if someone is willing to give you something of value for that player?

From the Bleachers #96: Eagles Face Buccaneers and Colts Melt Down – BGN Radio
Shamus Clancy reacts to a wild Week 18 NFL Sunday and amps himself up for the Eagles’ playoff matchup in Tampa.

NFL playoffs preview: Schedule, bracket, Super Bowl chances for every team and matchups to watch – ESPN+
Reason for concern: You can only play the teams on your schedule, but after the Eagles followed their 2-5 start with a 7-3 run to clinch a playoff spot, it’s only fair to note they didn’t beat a single team with a winning record. And four of those wins came against teams that were playing a backup quarterback. The Eagles are entering the playoffs on the kind of run, per their record, that all teams hope to have. But are they battle-tested? That’s harder to argue. Ultimately, they didn’t beat a playoff team this season.

10 reasons to believe Eagles can beat Buccaneers – NBCSP
COMMON OPPONENTS: Believe it or not, the Eagles and Bucs have the same record against common opponents. They’ve faced seven teams in common – the Cowboys, Falcons, Saints, Washington, Giants, Panthers and Jets. They both handled the Falcons, Panthers and Jets, the Bucs beating Atlanta and Carolina twice each. The Bucs beat the Cowboys, who beat the Eagles twice. And the Eagles split against the Giants, who the Bucs beat once. But the Eagles swept Washington, who Tampa lost to, and the Eagles also beat the Saints, who the Bucs lost to twice. Both are 7-3 against common opponents.

Grades for all 32 first-round picks after the 2021 NFL regular season – PFF
PICK NO. 10: WR DeVonta Smith, Philadelphia Eagles. Smith finished behind Ja’Marr Chase and Jaylen Waddle in receiving yards among rookie wideouts, but he also played in the most run-heavy offense and worked with a quarterback who couldn’t always deliver the ball where it needed to go. Smith’s route-running and ability to separate have been evident since his NFL debut, and as the season has gone on, he has shown the occasional ability to win at the catch point against inevitably bigger-bodied defenders. Smith possesses excellent upside, but how close he comes to realizing that potential is directly tied to the development of quarterback Jalen Hurts.

MAQB: Why Brian Flores and Matt Nagy Will Likely Get Second Chances – SI
Part of hiring coaches is knowing they’ll be able to fill out strong staffs, and Nick Sirianni absolutely opened some eyes in that department with the job he’s done in Philly. He was able to lure defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon there with him—Gannon was one of the more in-demand coordinator candidates in the NFL last year—and leaned on his past to grab Shane Steichen to be his offensive coordinator off Anthony Lynn’s staff, after Lynn was let go by the Chargers. Gannon has quickly grown into the coordinator role, and is already attracting head coach interest from Denver. And Steichen was a vital part of putting in, and calling, a brand-new run game to fit Jalen Hurts’s skill set. The lesson? Pay attention to who the new coaches are bringing with them to their new teams over the next few weeks.

Healthy Beginnings: Who Might Return for the Buccaneers in Wild Card Round? – Bucs Nation
But the Buccaneers are looking to get a bit healthier ahead of Sunday’s Wild Card Round matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles. “Leonard looks great…he should be back,” Tampa Bay head coach Bruce Arians told media on Monday. “(Shaquil Barrett) and (Jason Pierre-Paul) should both be back. Lavonte (David), he’ll be the one that’s the closest, but he is starting to move around pretty good…I’m still waiting to hear about Jamel Dean, that’s the one that has got me concerned for this ballgame.” JPP hasn’t played since the 9-0 loss to the New Orleans Saints, while Barrett missed the final two games of the regular season. Inside linebacker, Lavonte David has also been missing since the Saints contest, in which he had a sack and forced fumble for his team.

Dallas Tops Final 2021 DVOA Ratings – Football Outsiders
[BLG Note: The Bucs are 3rd in DVOA. The Eagles are 15th.]

Colts Head Coach Frank Reich Can’t Quite Commit to QB Carson Wentz Entering Early Offseason – Stampede Blue
More than likely, Wentz is the starter again in 2022 given the lack of clear-cut upgrades—with a weak rookie 2022 quarterback draft class and presumably limited other options. It’ll likely be a ‘make or break’ year because after 2022, when his $26.2M cap hit can completely come off the books, the Colts have far less of an incentive or financial commitment to make it work anymore going forward with Wentz. That being said, if either the Green Bay Packers Aaron Rodgers or Seattle Seahawks Russell Wilson could realistically become available, all bets should be off—as the Colts should heavily pursue either future Hall of Fame quarterback. Either would be a massive upgrade over Wentz and propel the Colts into instant Super Bowl contention (especially if the team could also add a dynamic wideout or tight end to pair with such an astronomical offseason addition).

Joe Judge appears safe as Giants’ head coach … for now – Big Blue View
It appears that Joe Judge will return for a third season as head coach of the New York Giants. After a morning filled with uncertainty and conflicting reports as to whether or not Judge was meeting with co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch, Judge appears to be safe. At least for now. Judge is said to be conducting a previously scheduled end-of-season meeting with players today with an eye toward the 2022 season. That would not happen if he were being fired. Multiple reports, though, indicate that while Judge remains the coach for now, his return for a third season is not set in stone.

Report: Denver Broncos request to interview Cowboys DC Dan Quinn, expected to be “strong candidate” – Blogging The Boys
The 2021 NFL regular season is officially in the books and while the Dallas Cowboys are headed to the playoffs there are 18 teams who are not so lucky. One of the units staying at home for the postseason is actually a team that beat the Cowboys rather handily – the Denver Broncos. It was a rocky ride for Denver this season, but they do seem to have enough pieces to be interesting if they make the right changes over the coming months. The Broncos committed to a seismic change by dismissing head coach Vic Fangio on Sunday morning. They are obviously in the market for a new head coach, and according to NFL Network, want to interview Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn.

Washington will have the 11th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft – Hogs Haven
Washington has picked a defensive player in the first round every year since 2017. If they miss on the QBs they want, would they go back to the defensive side, or take a player to help an offense that only scored more than 20 points seven times this season? The offensive line was hit hard with injuries and the team is expected to lose Brandon Scherff in free agency this year. They also have a need at WR unless they plan to depend on Curtis Samuel after his disastrous, injury-filled first year in Washington.

Which is the best open NFL head coaching job? – SB Nation
With the regular season over, NFL teams wasted no time in making moves. Black Monday gave us some predictable and obvious firings like Matt Nagy in Chicago and Mike Zimmer in Minnesota, but also at least one that made absolutely no sense. I’m talking specifically about the Miami Dolphins, who fired Brian Flores after three seasons in which he took one of the least talented teams in the NFL and turned them into a legitimately playoff hopeful. Moves like this could, and should have an impact on a team’s ability to find good coaching talent. Organizational stability and patience is as important as roster talent if you’re a highly sought after coach. Who wants to be the next Flores to be hailed for his job, then axed because the turnaround didn’t happen quickly enough? So today let’s look at the open jobs and rank how enticing they should be to a new coach.

Monday Football Monday #70: Giants keeping Joe Judge, Wentz is not the answer for Colts – The SB Nation NFL Show
The NFL’s regular season is over! RJ Ochoa and Pete Sweeney discuss the biggest storylines from Week 18 including breaking news that the Giants are keeping Joe Judge, Carson Wentz who is not the franchise QB for the Colts and what firing needs to happen next.

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