Eagles Wake-Up Call: Most Overrated, Underrated Eagles
NFL.com has been running a series where they go team-by-team and come up with the most underrated and overrated players in each franchise’s history. On Wednesday, they rolled out their choices for the Eagles.
A few highlights:
Tommy Thompson, Irving Fryar, William Thomas and Bill Bradley made the underrated list. On Irving:
The former Nebraska star caught 88 and then 86 balls in his first two campaigns in midnight green, the two highest totals in franchise history at the time (Brian Westbrook now holds the mark with 90 grabs in 2007). To this day, no other wideout has caught more than 78 in a season…The No. 1 overall pick by the New England Patriots in the 1984 NFL Draft averaged 74 catches, 1,022 yards and six touchdowns as an Eagle, despite hauling in passes from the likes of Mark Rypien, Rodney Peete, Bobby Hoying and both Ty and Koy Detmer.
You probably won’t be surprised to see Nnamdi Asomugha make the overrated team. Maybe Todd Pinkston being listed won’t move you much. But the rest of the group is interesting. NFL.com has Ricky Watters, Clyde Simmons and Norm Van Brocklin in there as well. On Watters:
If you take a look at Watters’ numbers from his three years in Philly, you might think I’m crazy for dropping him on this list. The guy averaged 3.9 yards per carry and 10-plus touchdowns per year, but Watters never embodied the city’s blue-collar mentality. This can be summed up by most Eagles fans in four infamous words: “For who? For what?”
Simmons is also listed in the underrated category, taking a little of the edge off his selection.
You can read the full article here.
WHAT YOU MISSED
Given Chip Kelly and Billy Davis‘ respective histories, this defense will be all about creating turnovers.
Michael Vick is the 25th best quarterback in the league, according to Ron Jaworski.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
John Middlekauff from NFLs Future names Jordan Poyer as a seventh-round pick who can contribute in 2013.
I expect Poyer to give 2012 4th round pick Brandon Boykin (5’9) a run for his money for the 3rd corner job. At the end of the day I won’t be surprised if Kelly goes with a player he was involved in drafting, and knows well from college.
Jimmy Kempski has put together a list of the 10 Eagles the team can least afford to lose to injury. He has Fletcher Cox at No. 1.
In 2010, Jason Pierre-Paul was a rookie with the Giants. He was a role player, but flashed impressive athleticism, and made some plays. In 2011, there was a case for JPP to be the NFL’s defensive player of the year. In 2011, JJ Watt was a rookie with the Texans. Again, Watt flashed talent, and then in 2012 he became the best defensive player in the NFL, by a mile. Can Fletcher Cox be the NFL’s next defensive lineman to make that huge jump from Year 1 to Year 2?
It’s wildly unfair to expect him to make the kind of jumps that JPP and Watt made, but Cox absolutely flashed legitimate game-changing ability his rookie season, and he could be a player that the Eagles build around on their defense.
COMING UP
Happy 4th, everyone. Hope everyone enjoys the holiday.