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I do like that they have a blueprint and are staying with the plan. I really do think this defense will be pretty good this season, I just wish the draft was tomorrow so we could see where we stand.
Wake-Up Call: Why the Eagles Passed On Byrd
By Tim McManus | March 28, 2014 at 6:30 am
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Jeffrey Lurie made it clear that if Chip Kelly wanted him to write a large check to land Jairus Byrd, he would have obliged.
The head coach, though, said his sights were set elsewhere.
"We looked at everybody," said Kelly. "We did an extensive study, our coaches and personnel department on everybody that's available. We all felt when it came down to it that Malcolm [Jenkins] was the best fit for what we do defensively and we were excited to get him. He was the number one guy that we went after and we got the number one guy we wanted."
That's a head-scratcher, at least on the surface. Byrd is largely considered the better football player. He's been the superior playmaker [Jenkins has six interceptions in five NFL seasons; Byrd has 22 over that same time]. So what went into their thinking?
The money factor can't be ignored. Byrd's deal has $26.3 million in guaranteed cash. Jenkins' has $8.5 million. But it wasn't money alone that influenced the decision.
"If you're going to pay a guy that sort of money, what is he going to do in your scheme?" said Howie Roseman. "And then how do you project them going forward, because you can't pay a player in free agency for what they've done, you have to pay them for what they're going to do. And then how are you going to use them? And are you going to change what you do for this particular player, and does that make sense?"
The argument can certainly be made that Byrd's skill set can benefit just about any defensive scheme, and that if you need to make tweaks to accommodate such a player, you do it. But the Eagles seemed to have some questions about it.
Roseman also brought up measurables when talking in broader terms about free agents.
"Do they fit? Do they have the characteristics we're looking for to build our team?" said Roseman. "In general, if you go out and sign a big money free agent and when you look at your draft board those are the guys maybe from a size, speed, length perspective at any position that you're trying to stay away from. So now you're kind of devoting all these resources when you're trying to build your team a different way."
This quote stood out to me. Byrd (5-10, 203) ran a 40-time of 4.68 coming out. It's safe to say that the Eagles, when establishing guidelines for draft prospects at the safety position, are looking for players that are more fleet-of-foot. Jenkins (6-0, 204) was clocked at 4.53.
Part of it was money. Part of it was questions about scheme fit. Part of it could be that he wasn't a measurables match.
And part of it was a genuine fondness for what Jenkins brings to the table.
"I think his ability to be a free safety and a strong safety. His ability to cover. His football IQ," said Kelly. "Those are all factors that kind of led him to be our number one guy that we were going after."
We'll find out soon enough if the Eagles were sound in judgment.
Wake-Up Call: Why the Eagles Passed On Byrd
By Tim McManus | March 28, 2014 at 6:30 am
Share on email
Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on google_plusone_share Share on pinterest_share Share on email comment on this post
48 Comments
Jeffrey Lurie made it clear that if Chip Kelly wanted him to write a large check to land Jairus Byrd, he would have obliged.
The head coach, though, said his sights were set elsewhere.
"We looked at everybody," said Kelly. "We did an extensive study, our coaches and personnel department on everybody that's available. We all felt when it came down to it that Malcolm [Jenkins] was the best fit for what we do defensively and we were excited to get him. He was the number one guy that we went after and we got the number one guy we wanted."
That's a head-scratcher, at least on the surface. Byrd is largely considered the better football player. He's been the superior playmaker [Jenkins has six interceptions in five NFL seasons; Byrd has 22 over that same time]. So what went into their thinking?
The money factor can't be ignored. Byrd's deal has $26.3 million in guaranteed cash. Jenkins' has $8.5 million. But it wasn't money alone that influenced the decision.
"If you're going to pay a guy that sort of money, what is he going to do in your scheme?" said Howie Roseman. "And then how do you project them going forward, because you can't pay a player in free agency for what they've done, you have to pay them for what they're going to do. And then how are you going to use them? And are you going to change what you do for this particular player, and does that make sense?"
The argument can certainly be made that Byrd's skill set can benefit just about any defensive scheme, and that if you need to make tweaks to accommodate such a player, you do it. But the Eagles seemed to have some questions about it.
Roseman also brought up measurables when talking in broader terms about free agents.
"Do they fit? Do they have the characteristics we're looking for to build our team?" said Roseman. "In general, if you go out and sign a big money free agent and when you look at your draft board those are the guys maybe from a size, speed, length perspective at any position that you're trying to stay away from. So now you're kind of devoting all these resources when you're trying to build your team a different way."
This quote stood out to me. Byrd (5-10, 203) ran a 40-time of 4.68 coming out. It's safe to say that the Eagles, when establishing guidelines for draft prospects at the safety position, are looking for players that are more fleet-of-foot. Jenkins (6-0, 204) was clocked at 4.53.
Part of it was money. Part of it was questions about scheme fit. Part of it could be that he wasn't a measurables match.
And part of it was a genuine fondness for what Jenkins brings to the table.
"I think his ability to be a free safety and a strong safety. His ability to cover. His football IQ," said Kelly. "Those are all factors that kind of led him to be our number one guy that we were going after."
We'll find out soon enough if the Eagles were sound in judgment.
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