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Eagles soar with top picks
[SIZE=+1]Smart draft decisions could help Philadephia reclaim division control
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[SIZE=-1]12:06 AM CDT on Monday, May 1, 2006
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http://www.***BANNED-URL***/s/dws/img/standing/sports/columnists/mugs/mug_gosselin.jpg NEW YORK – The Philadelphia Eagles imploded in 2005 after four consecutive trips to NFC title games.
The Eagles sank from almost a decade in first place to worst in the NFC East, finishing 6-10. Coach Andy Reid could have blamed the off-the-field circus that was Terrell Owens for the collapse. He also could have blamed injuries that cost him his Pro Bowl offensive catalysts Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook.
Instead, Reid blamed neither. He did not consider the 2005 season an aberration. There were no excuses. The Eagles were the worst team in the division on merit and Reid intended to fix the problem.
Reid rid himself of Owens in the off-season, releasing the talented but disruptive Pro Bowl wide receiver. He let a couple other starters, linebacker Keith Adams and defensive end N.D. Kalu, leave in free agency.
The Eagles signed an elite pass rusher, Darren Howard, in free agency plus a veteran starting receiver in Jabar Gaffney. But if Philadelphia is to make a quantum leap back to the top of the East, it will be on the strength of the 2006 draft.
The Eagles were far more aggressive last weekend than they were on defense last fall when they ranked 23rd in the NFL and gave up a division-high 388 points.
The Eagles attempted to trade up to the eighth spot to secure Florida State defensive tackle Brodrick Bunkley. They failed – then watched as Bunkley slid to them at the No. 14 spot. Bunkley was rated the top penetration tackle in the draft, a high-motor Warren Sapp-type.
A short time later, Philadelphia traded starting defensive tackle Hollis Thomas to New Orleans.
Reid, a former offensive line coach, will always select blockers as fallback options in a draft. There was no fallback necessary this weekend. Reid snapped up Southern Cal All-American Winston Justice with his second-round pick, ending his slide at the 39th pick of the draft.
There were early indications that the Eagles might select Justice at 14. Then in the fourth round, Reid stopped the slide of All-SEC guard Max Jean-Gilles, who projected as a second-round pick on some boards. Philadelphia traded up to do so.
Both Justice and Gilles should start no later than 2007. They bring massive size to protect McNabb and Westbrook. Justice weighs 320 pounds, and Jean-Gilles is 355. Both were three-year starters at football powers in major conferences. So it's a smaller step for them to take onto an NFL field.
On the second day of the draft, Philadelphia traded guard Artis Hicks to the Minnesota Vikings. He was a 14-game starter for the Eagles last season.
Philly didn't end its quest for more pass rush at Howard. After managing only 29 sacks last season, the Eagles need all the help they can get. So Reid drafted small-college phenom Chris Gocong of Cal Poly in the third round.
Gocong won the 2005 Buchanan Award as the best defender in NCAA Division I-AA. He managed 231/2 sacks last year and 43 in his career. He has some Tedy Bruschi in him in that he can play tackle or end, inside or outside linebacker.
The Eagles also addressed the Owens departure by drafting Jason Avant in the fourth round, again trading up to do so. Like Justice and Gilles, Avant was a major producer at a major college power in a major conference.
Avant finished third in Michigan history with 169 career catches. Only Braylon Edwards and Anthony Carter caught more passes for the Wolverines. Avant is a three-time academic All-Big Ten selection, so he should be able to pick up the complicated West Coast offense and its read routes fairly quickly.
The Eagles also slumped on special teams last season, falling out of the top 10 for the first time this decade. So Reid drafted kick returner Jeremy Bloom and a kamikaze special-teams ace, Omar Gaither of Tennessee, to replace Adams. Gaither should spruce up the talent on kicking downs.
These Eagles will not be the same team that won the NFC championship in 2004. They also won't be the same team that lost 10 games in 2005. And that's a good thing.
E-mail rgosselin@***BANNED-URL***
DRAFT GEMS
Here are the draft picks viewed by NFL writer Rick Gosselin as the best values in each round:
FIRST: Laurence Maroney, RB, New England – Corey Dillon has hit the wall as an NFL running back. Maroney has the big-back size Bill Belichick likes (5-11 ½ , 217) and the durability to carry the ball 20 to 25 times per game. He'll ease the offensive burden on Tom Brady for years to come.
SECOND: Richard Marshall, CB, Carolina – There were nine elite corners in this draft but all were nicked – size, speed, injury-risk and caliber of competition were the questions. Marshall has size (5-11, 189), speed (4.42) and a clean bill of health. He had first-round value on some boards, yet the Panthers found him late in the second.
THIRD: Eric Winston, OT, Houston – This draft was full of heavy-footed right offensive tackle-types. There were only four prospects considered to be walk-in starters at left tackle. Winston was the fourth and carried high-second round value. The Texans claimed him early in the third.
FOURTH: Demetrius Williams, WR, Baltimore – Williams had second-round
value on some draft boards but slid into the second day. He tied an Oregon record with 10 TDs in 2005. He averaged 17.9 yards on 59 catches in 2005 and 16.4 yards on 162 career catches. He also has 4.46 speed.
FIFTH: Mark Anderson, DE, Chicago – Any defender off that 2005 Alabama defense is a good pick. Anderson set a school record for tackles for loss with 36. He has played outside linebacker and end, and he brings a pass rush at both spots. He's a three-year starter who had seven sacks in 2005.
SIXTH: Bruce Gradkowski, QB, Tampa Bay – Chad Pennington, Byron Leftwich and Ben Roethlisberger have taught the NFL not to doubt MAC quarterbacks. Gradkowski was the MAC MVP last season and Toledo's all-time leading passer. He passed for 9,225 yards and won 26 of his 36 career starts.
SEVENTH: Tim McGarigle, MLB, St. Louis – The Rams needed a big body for their undersized defense who can tackle someone, anyone. The Rams ranked 30th on defense last season and were pushovers. McGarigle is no pushover – not with 545 career tackles in the Big Ten at Northwestern.
[SIZE=+1]Smart draft decisions could help Philadephia reclaim division control
[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]12:06 AM CDT on Monday, May 1, 2006
[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1][/SIZE]
http://www.***BANNED-URL***/s/dws/img/standing/sports/columnists/mugs/mug_gosselin.jpg NEW YORK – The Philadelphia Eagles imploded in 2005 after four consecutive trips to NFC title games.
The Eagles sank from almost a decade in first place to worst in the NFC East, finishing 6-10. Coach Andy Reid could have blamed the off-the-field circus that was Terrell Owens for the collapse. He also could have blamed injuries that cost him his Pro Bowl offensive catalysts Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook.
Instead, Reid blamed neither. He did not consider the 2005 season an aberration. There were no excuses. The Eagles were the worst team in the division on merit and Reid intended to fix the problem.
Reid rid himself of Owens in the off-season, releasing the talented but disruptive Pro Bowl wide receiver. He let a couple other starters, linebacker Keith Adams and defensive end N.D. Kalu, leave in free agency.
The Eagles signed an elite pass rusher, Darren Howard, in free agency plus a veteran starting receiver in Jabar Gaffney. But if Philadelphia is to make a quantum leap back to the top of the East, it will be on the strength of the 2006 draft.
The Eagles were far more aggressive last weekend than they were on defense last fall when they ranked 23rd in the NFL and gave up a division-high 388 points.
The Eagles attempted to trade up to the eighth spot to secure Florida State defensive tackle Brodrick Bunkley. They failed – then watched as Bunkley slid to them at the No. 14 spot. Bunkley was rated the top penetration tackle in the draft, a high-motor Warren Sapp-type.
A short time later, Philadelphia traded starting defensive tackle Hollis Thomas to New Orleans.
Reid, a former offensive line coach, will always select blockers as fallback options in a draft. There was no fallback necessary this weekend. Reid snapped up Southern Cal All-American Winston Justice with his second-round pick, ending his slide at the 39th pick of the draft.
There were early indications that the Eagles might select Justice at 14. Then in the fourth round, Reid stopped the slide of All-SEC guard Max Jean-Gilles, who projected as a second-round pick on some boards. Philadelphia traded up to do so.
Both Justice and Gilles should start no later than 2007. They bring massive size to protect McNabb and Westbrook. Justice weighs 320 pounds, and Jean-Gilles is 355. Both were three-year starters at football powers in major conferences. So it's a smaller step for them to take onto an NFL field.
On the second day of the draft, Philadelphia traded guard Artis Hicks to the Minnesota Vikings. He was a 14-game starter for the Eagles last season.
Philly didn't end its quest for more pass rush at Howard. After managing only 29 sacks last season, the Eagles need all the help they can get. So Reid drafted small-college phenom Chris Gocong of Cal Poly in the third round.
Gocong won the 2005 Buchanan Award as the best defender in NCAA Division I-AA. He managed 231/2 sacks last year and 43 in his career. He has some Tedy Bruschi in him in that he can play tackle or end, inside or outside linebacker.
The Eagles also addressed the Owens departure by drafting Jason Avant in the fourth round, again trading up to do so. Like Justice and Gilles, Avant was a major producer at a major college power in a major conference.
Avant finished third in Michigan history with 169 career catches. Only Braylon Edwards and Anthony Carter caught more passes for the Wolverines. Avant is a three-time academic All-Big Ten selection, so he should be able to pick up the complicated West Coast offense and its read routes fairly quickly.
The Eagles also slumped on special teams last season, falling out of the top 10 for the first time this decade. So Reid drafted kick returner Jeremy Bloom and a kamikaze special-teams ace, Omar Gaither of Tennessee, to replace Adams. Gaither should spruce up the talent on kicking downs.
These Eagles will not be the same team that won the NFC championship in 2004. They also won't be the same team that lost 10 games in 2005. And that's a good thing.
E-mail rgosselin@***BANNED-URL***
DRAFT GEMS
Here are the draft picks viewed by NFL writer Rick Gosselin as the best values in each round:
FIRST: Laurence Maroney, RB, New England – Corey Dillon has hit the wall as an NFL running back. Maroney has the big-back size Bill Belichick likes (5-11 ½ , 217) and the durability to carry the ball 20 to 25 times per game. He'll ease the offensive burden on Tom Brady for years to come.
SECOND: Richard Marshall, CB, Carolina – There were nine elite corners in this draft but all were nicked – size, speed, injury-risk and caliber of competition were the questions. Marshall has size (5-11, 189), speed (4.42) and a clean bill of health. He had first-round value on some boards, yet the Panthers found him late in the second.
THIRD: Eric Winston, OT, Houston – This draft was full of heavy-footed right offensive tackle-types. There were only four prospects considered to be walk-in starters at left tackle. Winston was the fourth and carried high-second round value. The Texans claimed him early in the third.
FOURTH: Demetrius Williams, WR, Baltimore – Williams had second-round
value on some draft boards but slid into the second day. He tied an Oregon record with 10 TDs in 2005. He averaged 17.9 yards on 59 catches in 2005 and 16.4 yards on 162 career catches. He also has 4.46 speed.
FIFTH: Mark Anderson, DE, Chicago – Any defender off that 2005 Alabama defense is a good pick. Anderson set a school record for tackles for loss with 36. He has played outside linebacker and end, and he brings a pass rush at both spots. He's a three-year starter who had seven sacks in 2005.
SIXTH: Bruce Gradkowski, QB, Tampa Bay – Chad Pennington, Byron Leftwich and Ben Roethlisberger have taught the NFL not to doubt MAC quarterbacks. Gradkowski was the MAC MVP last season and Toledo's all-time leading passer. He passed for 9,225 yards and won 26 of his 36 career starts.
SEVENTH: Tim McGarigle, MLB, St. Louis – The Rams needed a big body for their undersized defense who can tackle someone, anyone. The Rams ranked 30th on defense last season and were pushovers. McGarigle is no pushover – not with 545 career tackles in the Big Ten at Northwestern.
.
