Andy Reid's Big Move (1 Viewer)

[Bob Magaw]

there were a few big tradeups in the draft...

SD blowing up their draft for mathews (great move, imo)...

after trading down, DEN came back up to get tebow...

but brandon graham was one of the biggest overall moves, and could send shockwaves through the IDP landscape (ARI moved up in second for washington, also imo a great move to replace dansby, if not as high profile as some of the above moves)... many were expecting earl thomas with the pick, but in getting nate allen in the second (looks great so far), they were able to satisfy both needs with that combo probably better than they could have by taking thomas and whatever DE was left in the 2nd (where they got allen)...

graham was dominant and reportedly unblockable at the senior bowl (during espn's draft coverage, tom jackson called him his favorite defensive player in the draft)... after terrorizing PHI OL in camp, he ascended to the starting lineup even faster than some expected...

mcclain (and washington, to a lesser degree) will be in the mix for DROY, but my early favorites are suh, berry & graham...

with cole and graham, the eagles could have an enviable set of bookend rush ends... as good as cole is (top 3-5?), graham has superior pedigree and may have greater upside (eventually)...

if graham is as good as advertised, and fulfills his potential, how many other teams can sport two DEs as good?

the giants rode the four DE DL to a super bowl a few years ago, but strahan is gone and umenyiora has fallen from grace... kiwanuka may not be special, and JPP is extremely raw... two of the best bookend rush teams are PIT & DAL (harrison/woodley & ware/spencer), they do it with 3-4 OLB duos...

IND has to be near top with freeney/mathis...

MIN have allen & edwards, latter is good if not elite...

CHI added peppers, but lost o-gun & alex brown, leaving the underwhelming mark anderson...

dockett/campbell are good in the hybrid 3-4/4-3, but may not put up big sack numbers...

IF graham is the real deal, it will allow PHI to create more pressure without needing to blitz so much, allowing them to keep more defenders in the back seven in coverage (bradley and sims are fast and athletic LBs... defense got killed by opposing TEs last season)...

 

[blend]

Did he play today? Just saw the goose egg in the stats.

 

[Bob Magaw]

Did he play today? Just saw the goose egg in the stats.

didn't see game yet, but recorded...i read that they moved him inside at some point (i assume in-game adjustment)... juqua parker (ostensible "backup") had 2 sacks...

 

[mike303]

Did he play today? Just saw the goose egg in the stats.

He played a lot of DT on passing downs. Parker played well. I know he showed up in the stats with two sacks, but he really pressured the pocket throughout the game. Cole was his usual monster self making plays all over the field. Graham looked strong early on and kind of disappeared as the game progressed. I read that Bunkley had a poor game, but personally I thought he played well. I didn't notice Patterson, so I don't think he was around the ball much.Overall, the ends brought a lot of pressure early and seemed to fade. The D was great against the run early, but wasn't the same after Bradley went out. I have no doubt Graham will be a great player for the Birds. He should have some big games, but he will take his lumps like all the other rookies as well. I could see a five or six sack season for him. People that think a rookie can step in and have 13 sacks don't realize how much of an adjustment these guys have to make from playing on Saturdays to playing on Sundays.