What They’re Saying About the Eagles

Here’s this week’s roundup of what the national media are saying about the Eagles.

ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano recently offered his take on the Eagles’ coaching search after the Ken Whisenhunt interview:

What it says to me is that the Eagles don’t have a clear preference among their remaining available candidates and are interviewing as many people as possible to make sure they make the right decision. Some have expressed frustration that the process is taking so long and appears to lack focus, but I don’t think either of those is a valid criticism. I think there’s no harm in casting a wide net, especially when you don’t have a clear top choice (or when your top choice, who in this case I believe was Oregon’s Chip Kelly, has already passed). If nothing else, in talking to men who’ve done the job at the NFL level, the Eagles’ decision-makers can get a sense of the different approaches people take to the job and maybe educate themselves about what they like and don’t like in a candidate.

ESPN’s Mel Kiper re-drafts the 2007 class. The Eagles traded out of the first round (the Kevin Kolb year). They did get Brent Celek in the fifth round though. Kiper thinks Celek would have been a first-round pick (28th) if teams had it to do all over again:

With 280 catches for his career, he’s second to Olsen in the class among tight ends, and could end up on top, because he has proved himself to be a reliable pass-catcher and a guy who knows how to find and create space as a route runner. The Eagles got a steal down the board.

SI.com’s Peter King caught up with Andy Reid:

Q: What’s the one overriding thing you take from Philadelphia into this job?

Reid: “I learned to embrace a city in Philadelphia. They’ll take you from boyhood to manhood, which they did with me, and that’s okay. It’s a results business. I got that. As far as the team goes, it’s imperative that everybody’s pulling in the same direction. That’s the only way you can succeed.”

King also looks at the teams that passed on Colin Kaepernick:

Buffalo passed on him twice, and Arizona, Tennessee, Jacksonville, Minnesota, Miami, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Jacksonville, Kansas City and the Jets once apiece. Buddy Nix, Rod Graves, Mike Reinfeldt, Gene Smith, Rick Spielman, Jeff Ireland, Tom Heckert, Howie Roseman, Scott Pioli and Mike Tannenbaum — the GMs who passed on Kaepernick in the 2010 draft — must be asking themselves, “Maybe we should have seen this trend coming.”

Notice one thing about those 10 draft-day deciders: Six have been fired since the day Kaepernick was chosen 36th overall by the Niners in April 2011.

Gil Brandt of NFL.com has the Eagles taking Alabama guard Chance Warmack at No. 4. If you’re wondering about quarterbacks, he’s got Geno Smith going third and Matt Barkley going seventh.

Bucky Brooks of NFL.com has the Birds taking Texas A&M offensive tackle Luke Joeckel:

It is time for the Eagles to address their offensive line woes by selecting the top offensive lineman in the draft.

And Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com has the Eagles taking Alabama cornerback Dee Milliner.

Follow Sheil Kapadia on Twitter and e-mail him at skapadia@phillymag.com.
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