War Room Grading System -
What Scouts are looking for -
How to Read the War Room Charts
Philadelphia Eagles
Posted: Sun April 19, 1998 at 9:51 p.m.
* compensatory pick
QB - The position looks in good hands for the future with the emergence of young QB Bobby Hoying late in the season. Hoying came off the bench to almost lead the Eagles back into the playoffs. Had he been starting all year, they may have made it. Hoying has a good arm, and seems to have an exc. grasp of the offense. Backup Rodney Peete will push Hoying this preseason, but will be the backup... he is much better/productive when he's coming off the bench. With the loss of FA QB Ty Detmer to the 49ers, Koy Detmer now becomes the #3 guy.
RB - They Eagles made their choice in FA when they re-signed RB Charlie Garner instead of Watters... Watters is clearly the better RB, but management has tired of his mood swings. Garner has always excelled as a role player, and the Eagles are taking a big chance in counting on him to be a 20+ carry a game guy. He lacks size, and his body may not be able to take that kind of pounding. 1997 rookie Duce Staley is the only depth, so look for them to add another RB somewhere in the draft.
WR - Not a bad unit when healthy, which wasn't often enough in 1997. Veteran WR Irving Fryar had to shoulder too much of the pass offense with Chris T. Jones suffering from a knee injury. Jones never fully healed, and was a non-factor for much of the season. Michael Timpson is a solid #3 WR, but struggles as a #2. If Jones returns to 100%, they will be a solid 3 deep. Look for them to add a speed WR in the draft... this unit misses a gamebreaker at the WR spot.
TE - A lot of bodies, but not enough production for West Coast offense. They need Jason Dunn to revert back to his rookie form, not the lethargic player he became last season. Dunn eventually lost his spot to rookie FA Chad Lewis. Lewis is a big target, and was a solid contributor inside the red zone, but lacks Dunn's athleticism. They also added Luther Broughton last season, but he spent the season developing on the practice squad. This is not a position that needs to be addressed in the draft.
OL - The offensive line does need to be addressed through the draft, an area where they have had problems over the years... Antone Davis, Bernard Williams, Lester Holmes, and Barrett Brooks, have all been 1st rd. busts for the Eagles. This year there may be different results. Don't be surprised to see them go OL with their 1st pick again this season. They have a lot of holes to fill on their OL that can be answered by the FA signings of OT George Hegamin and OG Keith Sims. Hegamin really struggled in pass pro. last season, and Sims hasn't been a dominant force since 1995. The Eagles will be hard pressed to pass on OT's Flozelle Adams or Tra Thomas if they are on the board when they pick.
DL - A lot of bodies, but the production has been marginal... especially in the area of generating a pass rush. Their inability to generate a pass rush has put a lot of pressure on the secondary. They have traded for DE Hugh Douglas, and he should have an immediate impact. Douglas struggled last season in the Jets 3-4 scheme, but could give the Eagles the pass rush force they have missed since the departure of William Fuller. Undersized DE Mike Mamula is a liability vs. the run, and may be moved into a nickle role. This unit could still be in a lot of trouble if 1997 1st rd. pick Jon Harris doesn't develop. They gambled on Harris as an early selection last season, and he was very slow to develop. Could add a run stuffing DT in the draft.
LB - The starters will be solid and athletic, but depth is a problem. The loss of FA OLB Darrin Smith won't hurt, as he is coming off a poor season that saw him miss a lot of action with an ankle injury. Look for James Darling to move into the SLB spot. Darling was a MLB in college, but is athletic enough to fill the role on the strong side. James Willis is not really a prototypical run stuffing MLB, and they may also look for a physical MLB through the draft.
DB - Solid unit if DC Bobby Taylor returns to 100%. Taylor missed the last half of the season with a knee injury. They could also add a quality #3 DC. Charles Dimry and Willie Clark filled that spot last season, but neither has been
re-signed to this point. The DS position could also use some fine tuning... SS Michael Zordich is a solid run stopper, but struggles some vs. the pass. They need to get a little more athletic at the DS spot.
ST - PK Chris Boniol struggled some this season, but it was his 1st year kicking away from the partial dome in Dallas. Boniol should be much more consistent this season. The return units were awful, so look for the guys they draft to be ST type players. Antuwan Wyatt was a solid contributor as a RS before his knee injury, and should help in that area if he returns to 100%.
From the War Room
| 
