Sports

[gardenman]

The last of the monthly format! Starting next Monday we switch to the weekly format as the games start to be played. Things will get pretty quiet locally now until Saturday when the cuts get made. The "official" training camp period has now ended which means no more media members are allowed to observe practice. This is when teams start to insert the various wrinkles in offense and defense to ambush the opposing team in week one. With the media off the practice fields, teams can adjust the rosters and insert new starters without anyone knowing it. Teams tend to keep things very vanilla with the media watching and videotaping everything. Now that the media is gone, it's time to unwrap the "fun" stuff and insert it.

Expect rosters to look a bit different come game one as guys who have been shown as backups in training camp are now starters. The first few weeks of any season are typically a bit rocky but expect this season to be very rocky as there have been no preseason games to sharpen teams up.

On the Eagles, no one outside of the front office/coaching staff knows who the Eagles starting left tackle will be. It was to be Andre Dillard before he tore his bicep and was lost for the year. Matt Pryor took over in practice, but there's also Jordan Mailata, Jack Driscoll, Prince Tega-Wanogha, and of course Jason Peters who could play the spot. We'll likely not know who the starting left tackle is until game day. (My money would be on Jason Peters, but Prince Tega-Wanogha or Jordan Mailata wouldn't shock me. I wouldn't be shocked to see Jason Peters cut loose and Matt Pryor move back to right guard with Mailata or Prince taking over left tackle. Jack Driscoll has more experience in college and could be more pro-ready, but he's always been a right tackle. Switching sides isn't easy.) 

As teams cut players to get down to the final roster size expect each fanbase to drool at the prospect of getting a former star who's now past his prime and not worth his contract. Leonard Fournette is the hot name floating around right now, but more will be joining soon. We're less than two weeks from the season starting and this promises to be a very interesting season. I will say we got through training camps with fewer Covid-19 related issues than I'd thought there would be. Hopefully, the regular season plays out the same way.

[teganslaw]

The Colts' training camp ended. Phillip Rivers has communicated well with the rest of the team. He and TY Hilton have developed a connection; it could be camp news, but I'm all in. Rivers' familiarity with Reich and OC Nick Sirianni has paid off. 

The kicking position is between Rodrigo Blankenship and Chase McLaughlin. Both have had good days and bad days, so I don't know who will eventually be the starter. Vinatieri wasn't even mentioned. He hasn't offically retired or been released, but things don't look good for him playing. Last I heard, his rehab hasn't gone as planned. 

[Spurt]

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@teganslaw wrote:

The Colts' training camp ended. Phillip Rivers has communicated well with the rest of the team. He and TY Hilton have developed a connection; it could be camp news, but I'm all in. Rivers' familiarity with Reich and OC Nick Sirianni has paid off. 

The kicking position is between Rodrigo Blankenship and Chase McLaughlin. Both have had good days and bad days, so I don't know who will eventually be the starter. Vinatieri wasn't even mentioned. He hasn't offically retired or been released, but things don't look good for him playing. Last I heard, his rehab hasn't gone as planned. 

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@teganslaw 

I am looking forward to seeing the Colts play.  I am a Philip Rivers fan (I like his personality and hoopsa) he chose the perfect team to go to....GOOD LUCK TO THE COLTS!!!  

[Spurt]

Well the WFT will have some interesting decisions to make....and Ron Rivera mentioned specifically LB....Rueben Foster may be the odd man out.....

It looks like Dwayne Haskins has won the starting QB job....but the decision remains what will be done about Alex Smith.....He could go on IR and still be eligible to return to play in 3 weeks....but he would be taking up a valuable roster spot....But Kyle Allen has been sketchy in practice..

As far as the OL ---many predict it looks like the starting 5 OL will be Christian, Martin, Roullier, Scherff, and Moses. 4th rounder Saadhiq Charles and free agent Cornelius Lucas are likely safe as tackle depth. Keith Ismael has gotten rave reviews, and may end up eventually replacing Chase Roullier at center, perhaps signaling a practice squad assignment for Ross Pierschbacher.

[gardenman]

@Spurt 

The battle of the lines in week one should be interesting. The Eagles' d-line has been dominant against the Eagles' o-line. The Redskins' d-line has been strong. We'll start to learn if the two d-lines are really good or if the o-lines are shaky.

Chase Young will be interesting to watch. Rookie defensive linemen tend to learn pretty quickly that this is a different game. It typically takes a year or two for the light to go on. People have shown the tape of him demolishing a blocker a lot, but that blocker was Logan Thomas, a former QB turned tight end. What happens when he goes against an NFL offensive tackle? Can he hold up? We'll find out pretty soon.

I suspect the Eagles will put Alshon Jeffrey on the PUP list for the first six weeks as he recovers from his foot injury. There's talk he could play in September, but I think the Eagles will keep a kid on the roster instead and then worry about Jeffrey later.a

[Spurt]

@gardenman 

Anxious to see our D line---Sweat, Young, and Kerrigan. Those names will strike terror into the hearts of opponents this year.  

[teganslaw]

NFL analysts listed who they think will take the 2020 honors.

 @Spurt ,Chase Young was listed as DROY. At least half of the analysts selected him for the award; it's how highly they think of his talent. 

Also, the entrance to FedEx Stadium will be renamed Sean Taylor Road, and the franchise's mailing address is Coach Gibbs Drive. 

With all the problems the WFT has been having, thought I'd post some good news.

[Spurt]

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@teganslaw wrote:

NFL analysts listed who they think will take the 2020 honors.

 @Spurt ,Chase Young was listed as DROY. At least half of the analysts selected him for the award; it's how highly they think of his talent. 

Also, the entrance to FedEx Stadium will be renamed Sean Taylor Road, and the franchise's mailing address is Coach Gibbs Drive. 

With all the problems the WFT has been having, thought I'd post some good news.

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@teganslaw 

Thanks for postitives about the WFT......Its a shame all this stuff going on with Snyder and such, because there are some positives going on. I like what I hear from Ron Rivera and the coaching staff and the players seem to like them too......  

Chase Young appears to be the real deal and I am excited about the defense too....  Montez Sweat, Chase Young, and Ryan Kerrigan should be fun to watch....And the personnel in our secondary has improved....  

[grandma r]

It's sure to be a very different season.  Some stadiums will allow fans while others won't.   Imo, it should be the same rules for all.

I still find it hard to believe that the Eagle's front office, Howie, hasn't realized yet that we need to keep players in reserve in case of injuries.  We go through this every year.  And, if Carson can't stay healthy, the birds are in big trouble.

On a positive note, the Eagle's are offering cardboard cutouts of fans for $100 each.  Yes, a little steep until you find out that the proceeds go to the Eagle's Autism Foundation.  Mr Lurie's commitment to Autism research at CHOP is wonderful.  It's also very much appreciated that there are events and special suites for those Dan's with Austitic family members.

[sunshine45]

the ravens are also offering the cardboard cutouts. they have not ruled out having fans in the stadium sometime this year.

our cutouts are $55 per person OR $45 per person if you have a PSL.

proceeds go to the Ravens Coronavirus Relief Efforts.