Notes: Watkins, Playoff Odds And Graham

Some Eagles notes before we head to practice…

Emily Kaplan of The MMQB has an excellent feature up on Danny Watkins, his career with the Eagles and why he’s currently out of the league. Watkins’ failure as a player still irks his former offensive line coach, Howard Mudd:

Every Monday, Mudd would ask his players if they’d watched film of the previous day’s game yet. Kelce, Mathis and Todd Herremans almost always said yes. Jason Peters, too (Mudd didn’t always believe him, but he knew Peters would always watch tape before Tuesday morning rolled around).

Watkins’ answer, always without fail: “No Captain, not yet.”

“I coached many players over many years, and not reaching Danny Watkins was my biggest failure,” Mudd says. “He had so much talent, so much potential, and I failed.”

The whole piece is definitely worth a read.

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The Eagles’ chances of making the playoffs went down 43.9 percent with Sunday night’s loss, according to Football Outsiders. They have a 29.4 percent chance to win the division, while the Cowboys are at 70.6 percent.

The Eagles have a 5.9 percent chance of getting a wild-card spot and a 35.3 percent chance of making the postseason.

Overall, the Eagles rank seventh in DVOA – 16th on offense, eighth on defense and first on special teams.

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Geoff Mosher of CSN Philly is reporting that the Eagles and Brandon Graham have already begun talks on a potential contract extension:

Discussions on an extension started several weeks ago, according to sources, when the Eagles came to Graham with a four-year offer, but sides still remain far apart. Complicating talks are the contract structure and Graham’s potential to score more money and long-term security on the open market.

The guess here is that Graham will end up hitting the open market. There is always a demand for pass-rushers, and Graham has shown he can play 3-4 OLB or 4-3 DE.

But the report shows that the Eagles seem serious about bringing him back.