The Linc - Lane Johnson says last season was “an embarrassment for everybody involved”

New York Giants v Philadelphia Eagles — Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images

Philadelphia Eagles news and links for 7/13/21.

Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links …

Eagles RT Lane Johnson: ‘Last year was an embarrassment for everybody involved’ – NFL.com
Right tackle Lane Johnson joined NFL Network’s Good Morning Football and said the groundwork has been laid for a turnaround after last year’s “embarrassment.” “Really looking at our team right now, we had a great OTAs,” he said. “(We’re) moving forward, learning the playbook. I feel like coach Sirianni’s just taking great command of the team, holding everybody accountable. I know camp starts here in a few weeks, (July) 27th, and everybody’s looking forward to that. But a lot of veteran leadership, a lot of young, hungry guys ready to prove themselves, and that’s where we’re at. Last year was an embarrassment for everybody involved, and looking forward, we’re ready to change that.” There were some questions about Sirianni after a shaky introductory press conference. The 40-year-old spent the past three seasons under Frank Reich in Indianapolis. It’s that relationship with the former Eagles OC that gives the veteran’s confidence heading into the season.

Buying In – Iggles Blitz
Johnson said all the right things, as he should. But Lane isn’t a good BS’er. If he had doubts, I think you would have had more generic comments. I also loved the last bit where he said “We have a lot to prove.” That is exactly right. It drives me nuts when players and coaches say “We’ve got a great team” or something like that and they are coming off a bad season. The Eagles have potential, but they absolutely have a lot to prove. That’s the right mindset, the right attitude. You want players to have some confidence and to believe, but you don’t want them delusional. When you’re at rock bottom, acknowledge it and move forward. I don’t know if Johnson got the “a lot to prove” from Sirianni. I’d love to think that’s where he heard it.

Can Jalen Hurts convince the Eagles he’s their franchise quarterback? – BGN
The tricky part could be if Hurts plays at a level that has the Eagles internally divided on his status as the Eagles’ starter moving forward. And it feels very possible he’ll land somewhere between obviously excellent (read: erase all doubt that he’s the guy) and obviously awful (read: no question it’s time to move on). There’s an argument to be made the Eagles won’t be able to fairly evaluate Hurts since he’s hardly surrounded by a strong supporting cast. It’s not like he has a ton of offensive weapons to work with. The Eagles’ coaching staff is very much unproven. But that much might actually work in Hurts’ favor. If he’s able to thrive under less than ideal circumstances, that would bode well for his long-term viability. Such an outcome doesn’t seem likely but, again, the opportunity is in front of him. It’s up to Hurts to seize it. He can help himself by having a strong camp and then building on that in the regular season.

Why the Eagles’ NFC East rivals will be dumpster fires – BGN Radio
Brandon Lee Gowton and Jimmy Kempski shine a spotlight on the biggest weaknesses of the other teams in the Eagles’ division. In which ways are the Giants, Football Team, and Cowboys flawed?

Three players to build around for all 32 NFL teams entering the 2021 season – PFF
Philadelphia Eagles. WR DeVonta Smith, TE Dallas Goedert, DI Fletcher Cox. Many of Philadelphia’s talented players — Brandon Brooks, Jason Kelce, Lane Johnson, Brandon Graham and Darius Slay, to name a few — find themselves on the wrong side of 30 years old. Cox does, too, but he plays an interior position that tends to age more gracefully than most. His 194 pressures since 2018 are second to only Aaron Donald among interior defensive linemen. The passing game has its concerns heading into the 2021 season with Jalen Hurts at quarterback, but Smith and Goedert should provide a solid foundation for the receiving corps. Smith is one of the best route-runners to come out of college in recent years. Meanwhile, Goedert is the only tight end in the NFL with receiving and run-blocking grades of 80.0 or higher since 2018.

Son of Eagles coach goes top 10 in MLB draft – NBCSP
Three picks before the Phillies drafted a high school power pitcher, the Mets drafted a right-handed pitcher out of Vanderbilt named Kumar Rocker at No. 10. Not ringing any bells? Well, Rocker is the son of Eagles new defensive line coach Tracy Rocker, who was hired as a part of Nick Sirianni’s coaching staff this offseason. Kumar Rocker, 21, has been considered a top prospect since he helped lead Vanderbilt to the College World Series title as a freshman back in 2019, when he was named the College World Series Most Outstanding Player. He was part of a dominant 1-2 punch at Vanderbilt with Jack Leiter, who was the No. 2 overall pick (to the Rangers) in this draft. “I’m more of a dad. I know everyone’s all excited about that. I’m more of a dad,” Tracy Rocker said about his son during a virtual call with Eagles reporters earlier this offseason. “That’s what he does and I’m proud of him and I’m supportive of him. I’m just trying to be a dang good dad and guide him in the right way. … I kind of keep it out of my world because it’s totally two different sports and they’re very difficult to play.”

Hall of Fame Debates: Eli Manning – Football Outsiders
I think it’s more likely that Belichick will say something like this: C’mon, you saw those games. The Giants defense killed us, not Manning! He was no harder to prepare for than Jake Delhomme or Donovan McNabb in that first batch of Super Bowls. He was a fine quarterback, but he’s no all-time great. If Belichick’s testimonial sounds like this, Manning will get back-burnered until the Senior Committee takes pity on his candidacy decades from now. Belichick’s opinion is not the only one the voters will solicit when Manning’s case is on the docket. Wade Phillips, Ron Rivera, Brian Dawkins, and others who coached or played on the defenses that often faced Manning will be consulted. Giants teammates and coaches will also be asked for endorsements, and siblings will no doubt provide theirs, though I don’t think committee members need more evidence that Tom Coughlin really liked Manning or that Peyton loves him. [BLG Note: This .500 career starter is not a Hall of Famer.]

Dak Prescott ranked as the seventh-best quarterback in the NFL – Blogging The Boys
The consensus around the NFL is that Prescott is easily a Top-10 QB who could ascend even higher with some significant team success. Maybe 2021 will be the year for that. For the record, the quarterbacks ranked ahead of Prescot were: Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Russell Wilson, Josh Allen and Matthew Stafford.

Controversy, Comebacks and Change – ESPN
“We will never change the name of the team,” Washington owner Dan Snyder said in 2013. In hindsight, it’s amazing how quickly big changes can happen. Just look at what the Washington Football Team has dealt with over the past 21 months. The franchise did in fact change its name. There were sexual harassment allegations against former employees, which led to a $10 million fine from the NFL because of the workplace culture. Coach Ron Rivera was hired and later diagnosed with cancer. Coach Jennifer King became the NFL’s first Black female assistant coach. Quarterback Dwayne Haskins flamed out, and QB Alex Smith made a comeback, leading the team to an NFC East title. It has been one of the wildest stretches in franchise history. Follow the monumental, the disappointing and the inspiring here.

Why Washington’s new name will be the Red Wolves – Hogs Haven
Not surprisingly, after several focus groups – some centered on getting the specific input of Native Americans – the team recognized that any attempt to retain imagery or logos that harkened back to the team’s prior Native American connection were basically radioactive at this point. No feathers, no arrows, no cloaking “Redskins” as “Warriors.” At this point, I think Wright and the team probably recognize that any attempt at linking the team’s identity to a group of people is probably fraught with sinkholes. It’s doubtful that even a team like the “Vikings” could be advanced in this day and age without running afoul of someone’s objection. No, better just to stick with animals in this climate. Having watched the promotional video, my suspicion is, that’s exactly what Wright intends to do. There are three separate instances of “Red Wolves” logo imagery that appear in the video. Each one only appears for milliseconds in a short montage, but I’ve included screen shots of each instance below.

Report: Mark Sanchez to call games for FOX – PFT
Mark Sanchez is reportedly set to be part of FOX’s NFL coverage this fall. Andrew Marchand of the New York Post reports that Sanchez is making the move from ESPN to be a game analyst during the 2021 season. Sanchez is reportedly going to work with play-by-play announcer Kevin Kugler and will also make appearances on FS1 as part of his new deal.

Monday Football Monday #44: NFC South All-Star Team – The SB Nation NFL Show
Pete Sweeney, Arrowhead Pride’s Stephen Serda and Jon Ledyard of Pewter Report run through each position and pick the best possible lineup for the NFC South.

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