MVN - Most Valuable Network

The Countdown Is On!

The Flyers surprising postseason run, a year removed from being the NHL’s worst team, seems to be coming to an end.  The Phillies are entering the dog days of summer and Philadelphia fans will start to looking forward to their beloved Eagles. Make no doubt about it win or lose, Philadelphia is a football town and collectively bleeds green. With that being said. . .

It’s just. . .

66 days until rookies and select veterans report to training camp at Lehigh University

84 days until the opening pre-season game in Pittsburgh

90 days until the pre-season home opener against Carolina

114 days until the season opener with the Birds hosting St. Louis

GET EXCITED IT’S JUST AROUND THE CORNER!!

Lito Sheppard Dominates First Mini-Camp Talks

The first mini-camp of the 2008 season has come and gone with relative quiet. The Eagles have found themselves in the rare position of being buried in the Philadelphia media by the playoff successes of the Flyers and 76ers. The Phillies avoided an April slump and have captured the attention of the city as well. The Eagles for a change have gone under the radar and that can only be considered a good thing with the questions that swirl around the team.

The few questions that people have been wondering revolve around Lito Sheppard and his future with the team. Lito seems to be the odd man out of the cornerback rotation and its a matter of when Lito will be gone rather than if he will be gone. Could Lito stay for the whole year and be traded in the off-season or will the team find a trading partner prior to the season? There are plenty of rumors floating around but for the most part seems to be speculation.

So I ask to the readers what do you think can be done. Can we afford to keep Lito and potentially have the locker room torn apart? Should we keep Lito for just one year and then try to move him or move him now? I’m interested in hearing your responses.

Philadelphia Eagles Draft Recap: Thoughts & Comments

Now let’s all take a deep breath, it’s over. The hours upon hours of tedious “mock-ing”, prospect ranking and compiling of team needs is out the window. All the things that the Eagles were predicted to do, they didn’t do, as is the norm now and days for the Eagles in the draft. Luckily, this time there was no QB taken, no controversy stirred up, this draft was a normal one, in which Andy Reid and Company, once again, did a tremendous job.

• To start things off, the Eagles absolutely robbed Carolina, getting a 2nd and 4th Rd. Pick this year and Carolina’s 1st next year. It’s time for us to start rooting against the Panthers.
• Then, even though they had traded down in to the mid-2nd round, they get an absolute force at DT, who will only help improve their D-Line rotation.
• Then, with their 2nd pick, in the 2nd round, they take the man most people expected them to take with the #19th Overall pick. If that’s not doing a hell of a job, then I don’t know what is.
• They also added a guy who, coming in to his Junior year, was perceived as the best CB in the nation. Problems off the field, and a knee injury, kept teams away, but if he recovers back to his true form, he is going to be one hell of a steal in the late rounds.
• Quintin Demps, Mike McGlynn and King Dunlap all could be viable starters in my eyes.
• I don’t know too much about Bryan Smith, but what I’ve heard is that he will most likely end up being a linebacker in the NFL. After looking up on him a little, he is quite undersized for a DE, but then again so is Trent Cole.
• Mike Gibson out of California could either become the next Jon Runyan, or the next Todd Herremans, we’ll hope for the first. No knock on Todd, but I’d prefer another Jon.
• I like Joe Mays, he may have been my favorite pick in the draft. He’s short, but he is an absolute tank when you look at him. He has the exact size and frame of Curtis Lofton out of Oklahoma and ran a slightly slower 40 time. Mays will be a force on special teams this year without a doubt.
• Andy Studebaker is this years Chris Gocong, he has virtually the same skill set and size as Gocong, and he comes from a small school where he racked up the sacks.

All in all, if I had to give the Eagles draft a grade, I’d give them a B+ to A-. They got a lot more talent than people are giving them credit for, and they also got Carolina’s 1st rounder next year, which could prove to be a pretty valuable pick depending on how the year plays out. So don’t panic Eagles fans, we know Andy does this every year, yet our picks, besides the WR position, always seem to pan out well. Now what do we have to look forward to? Training Camp.

Eagles Stock Up Prospects on Day 2

The Philadelphia Eagles stocked up on defensive prospects and offensive lineman.  Of the eight second day selections, none were used on skill position players so the Eagles emerge from the 2008 draft with DeSean Jackson being the only skill position player to emerge.  Now for a look at the day 2 picks for the Eagles.

• 3rd round 80 overall - DE Bryan Smith (McNeese State)
• 4th round 109 overall - OL Mike McGlynn (Pittsburgh)
• 4th round 117 overall - FS Quintin Demps (UTEP)
• 4th round 131 overall - CB Jack Ikegwuonu (Wisconsin)
• 6th round 184 overall - OG Mike Gibson (Cal)
• 6th round 200 overall - LB Joe Mays (North Dakota State)
• 6th round 203 overall - LB Andy Studebaker (Wheaton)
• 7th round 230 overall - OT King Dunlap (Auburn)

Bryan Smith out of McNeese State will be used as an edge rusher.  The Eagles have been committed to shoring up the defensive line with the additions of Clemons, Laws, and Smith.  Look for the Eagles to use a heavy defensive line rotation once again.

The Eagles were impressed with the versatility of OL Mike McGlynn.  Many believe he will project to an inside lineman after his  college career being at RT opposite Jeff Otah.

Versatility was the word once again with FS Quintin Demps.  He played all positions in the UTEP secondary in college and had the highest career interception totals coming out of college.  He is a bit raw but has incredible athleticism that should allow him to develop nicely behind current stand-out Brian Dawkins.  Also joining the secondary will be CB Jack Ikegwuonu who will be sidelined the entire 2008 season with an ACL injury.  Ikegwuonu is a first round talent that fell stemming from legal problems and his injury.  Ikegwuonu will sit out the 2008 season and compete for a spot in the secondary next season.

• The Eagles picked up a pair of lineman who will fight to make the roster or practice squad in Mike Gibson and King Dunlap. Joe Mays and Andy Studebaker are small college linebackers with upside but look for any immediate contribution to come in the form of special teams play.