And Sammy Boy wants traded

[eaglesnut]

However, the motivating factor for demanding a trade was his desire to be guaranteed the starting job. We know this, because HIS AGENT SAID SO PUBLICLY AND REPEATEDLY. Any other interpretation of the facts on the ground appears to be based on a desire to either a) give Bradford the benefit of the doubt in a circumstance where it was clearly not earned, b) blame Eagles management for doing their job (albeit inefficently), or c) argue for the sake of arguing. Which is it?

That's not true. He is the starter here. That guarantee (as you call it) didn't change But the team showed him that no matter how good he is "good bye at the end of the year." He thought he had a great new beginning here and they pulled the rug out from under him. If he got overly excited about it, I'm not going to hold that against him. He's a guy that has had a lot of bad luck and just as things were turning he got another huge blow dealt to his career.

The Eagles inefficiency at improving the team is the main issue with this whole ordeal. Bungling resources at the beginning of the Pederson regime helps nobody.

 

[dilbert719]

That's not true.

Yes, it is, unless you're intentionally being narrow-minded about it. He wanted to be guaranteed to be the guy, not just for this year, but for the future as well. When we made a move to indicate we would eventually go in a different direction, he started complaining. That's the entire point!

(For the record, I'm with you in one regard; I do feel bad for Bradford that he thought he was going to be the guy and found out that was wrong. However, the response to that is "I'll prove to you that you're making the wrong decision," not "How dare you have concerns about my talent and health! TRADE ME NOW!")

To your second argument, wrong. The main issue, at least for the purposes of this thread, is that the Eagles and Sam Bradford have differing opinions about who should be the Eagles' starting QB in seasons past this one. The Eagles' ability to improve the team is a separate matter entirely.

 

[redskinsfan]

How many of those guys predicted the Redskins to finish first last year? How many predicted the Eagles to finish first in Kelly's first year? Do these guys have any track record of correctly predicting the order of finish of the division? Or...do you just cite them now as they agree with you?

I don't adopt predictions as much as I defer to the experience and knowledge of people I trust. Ray Didinger is one of them. He hasn't made a prediction of any kind, but he's given his assessment and, as of right now, it seems on point. And he echoes a consensus of Philly / NJ commentators on this point. Could they all be wrong? Sure. But their assessments are well-reasoned and they all are Eagles beat reporters. They accordingly -- as a group -- deserve a lot of deference.

 

[redskinsfan]

WTF do they know?

Ray Didinger? Are you kidding?

 

[redskinsfan]

He doesn't owe anyone shit. His arm can do the talking. It was another day at the office for Bradford yesterday. Making a big deal about offseason stuff is for writers, commentators, fans and other irrelevant people.

Yes, he does. Any player owes the fans respect and professionalism whether that's in the offseason or not. And yes, it was another day in the office for Bradford -- where he again did nothing. And what talking has his arm done since 2010?

$78M (from his rookie contract) / 78 TD passes = $1M per TD pass. That's a lot of talking there now, isn't it?

 

[redskinsfan]

Maybe I am underestimating them, we'll see... but Romo and Witten will be 2 years older than they were in 2014.

Within the division, defenses will be improved as well. Yes, the Cowboys look to have a fine running attack and a balanced overall offense (if healthy)... but all three of the Redskins, Giants and Eagles look to have strong front sevens and none are going to be easy to just push around.

I hate to say this about my Redskins, but we've got some issues on the d-line. I'm hoping things work out, but there are questions we have there, especially on the interior. But we've made improvements in many others ways, not the least of which includes the fact that Cousins has had his first full season as a starter and numerous folks are coming back from injury.

 

[redskinsfan]

Didinger has become an old grump mostly. Nice guy, no complaints about his character or his long history in the business, but he hasn't liked the regimes here since Reid so that's almost two decades now where he looks for the negatives instead of looking for the positives. His opinions follow what he is looking for.

Sorry, but Didinger still holds major sway not only in Philly but on a national level. And, as I've noted several times previously, it's not just him that voices that opinion about the Eagles chances this season. Eliot Shorr Parks, Mark Eckel, Jimmy Kempski are just a few that join in his opinion.

And if either Daniel or Wentz has to start for a majority of the games you play, Cleveland will be rejoicing with at least one pick in the top five or ten next year.

 

[WIZ]

Didinger is a great guy but his football knowledge and hatred of people who don't pedestal him are tiring. I can listen to him and respect him but he'll hold a grudge against someone forever and sometimes even when he's wrong.

 

[WIZ]

Oh and people are scared to death to take him on. They just agree to disagree... Probably because they know what will happen.

 

[old duke]

Ray Didinger? Are you kidding?

I like Ray, but he is a sports writer. Never worked for a NFL team. Never been a scout. He just has access to NFL Films, and other resources. Some teams ask him for his opinion, but that's as far as it goes.

 

[old duke]

Didinger is a great guy but his football knowledge and hatred of people who don't pedestal him are tiring. I can listen to him and respect him but he'll hold a grudge against someone forever and sometimes even when he's wrong.

 

[old duke]

Sorry, but Didinger still holds major sway not only in Philly but on a national level. And, as I've noted several times previously, it's not just him that voices that opinion about the Eagles chances this season. Eliot Shorr Parks, Mark Eckel, Jimmy Kempski are just a few that join in his opinion.

Again, you're listing sports writers. some of whom wouldn't know talent if they tripped over them. They'e not guys who played or scouted players.

 

[redskinsfan]

I like Ray, but he is a sports writer. Never worked for a NFL team. Never been a scout. He just has access to NFL Films, and other resources. Some teams ask him for his opinion, but that's as far as it goes.

This is the equivalent of saying that, if you never played the game, you never can form informed opinions about it. That's BS and you and everyone here knows it.

 

[redskinsfan]

See my comment above. Just because you've never played the game doesn't mean you can't provide sound opinions on it. Scot McCloughan, the current Redskins GM, never played the game either. Yet, he's considered an elite talent evaluator in the league right now. The converse is equally true. Just because you played the game doesn't mean you'll amount to squat when providing opinions on the NFL. Matt Millen, a two-time (maybe more?) Superbowl winner, is a shining example of this when he was a GM with the Lions. Anyone remember the Millen Man March?

The only thing I'll agree with you on is scouting. While you didn't have to play the game to be a good scout (see McCloughan, Scot), you do have to a background in scouting. That usually means you start at the bottom level, learn what its about, and rise up the corporate ladder in much the same way that Charley Casserley did.

 

[mannyz]

What about ESP and Kempski? And how about others like Ray Didinger? My brief canvassing of Philly sports commentators all seem to say that Philly is due for a down year this season. The most optimistic of them has them going 8-8, other than some yoyos like Mike Missanelli.

Ray Didinger told me that the Eagles were fine to let Jeremiah Trotter sign with the skins. We saw how that worked out.

 

[redskinsfan]

Ray Didinger told me that the Eagles were fine to let Jeremiah Trotter sign with the skins. We saw how that worked out.

He was right. Trotter busted when he went to the Redskins because he didn't fit the scheme they implemented. Trotter wanted to seek-and-destroy but was asked to read-and-react.

And Didinger and others like him aren't right 100% of the time. But they're right more often that not. And when you've got an overwhelming consensus of Eagles beat reporters saying the same thing, that should tell you something.

Of course, it's awfully early. Lots of things can happen.

 

[PhillyGreen]

Again where are you hearing this? Why would he want to be a lame duck on a team that wasn't trying to win during those years? He objected to that and for good reason.

Unless you have been hiding in a mountain in Afghanistan you would has seen it as well. It has been all over the place. You are choosing to ignore it because it does not support your argument.

 

[redskinsfan]

Unless you have been hiding in a mountain in Afghanistan you would has seen it as well. It has been all over the place. You are choosing to ignore it because it does not support your argument.

Not that anyone asked my opinion on this, but . . . Sam has a right to feel hurt about his lame duck status. But that's not the issue: the issue is how he reacted to the drafting of Wentz and his relegation to placeholder for, at most, this year. While it's okay to personally feel angst about that, you don't publicly express that sentiment and, in particular, don't whine about how there's not a real competition, that you want to be traded, and how the fans and your teammates will look at you sideways if you make a mistake. This is hardly becoming of a leader and completely tarnishes his brand to other suitors, to the extent he had one in first place. He can, of course, make up for all of this with lights out play. In the meantime, he should make a public appearance apologizing for his childish rant and face the music by taking on questions posed by reporters.

 

[eaglesnut]

To your second argument, wrong. The main issue, at least for the purposes of this thread, is that the Eagles and Sam Bradford have differing opinions about who should be the Eagles' starting QB in seasons past this one. The Eagles' ability to improve the team is a separate matter entirely.

No, it's not. They used all the resources that could improve the team to get a 3rd string QB that hopefully some day will be better than Bradford. They sacked the talent on the roster to directly replace Bradford.

As for your other point, you really think, Bradford would have had anything to say about a 5th round QB being added? It was all about the commitment the team already gave to Wentz that caused Bradford to take a second look at the QB situation here. He didn't bitch when they made Chase Daniel the highest paid backup in the league, did he?

 

[eaglesnut]

I don't adopt predictions as much as I defer to the experience and knowledge of people I trust. Ray Didinger is one of them. He hasn't made a prediction of any kind, but he's given his assessment and, as of right now, it seems on point. And he echoes a consensus of Philly / NJ commentators on this point. Could they all be wrong? Sure. But their assessments are well-reasoned and they all are Eagles beat reporters. They accordingly -- as a group -- deserve a lot of deference.

He called them a 5-6 win team the other day. Their assessments are not well reasoned. You give them too much credit for merely saying words on the topic.