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Eagles writers weigh in on Kearse

By Andrew Strickert | March 24th, 2008

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Thanks to the writers on Eagles Eye, MVN’s Philadelphia Eagles site, for their opinions on former Eagle and new Titan Jevon Kearse.

Alex Whiteleather writes,

Jevon is a good role player to have now but he can no longer withstand a full season and be a dominating pass-rusher. His production declined yearly in Philadelphia culminating with his benching to former Titan teammate Juqua Thomas. I wouldn’t expect much from Kearse beyond a veteran rotation guy but if the Titans got him cheap enough that might not be a bad idea. Two years ago Jevon looked really good to start the year but in the second game of the year to the Giants he suffered a season ending injury and he hasn’t been the same since. Maybe a change of scenery to his old team will help but I think the Freak’s tank is running low now.

Corey Seidman opines,

If I had to use one word to describe Jevon Kearse’s tenure in Philadelphia, it would be “disappointing.”

When the Eagles signed him on the first day of free agency preceding the 2004 season, it appeared they were getting a dominant pass rusher who would be here until the end of his days (much like T.O. ending his career here too as one of the game’s top WRs).

Statistically, his first two years in Philly were adequate; he played in 14 and 15 games and recorded 7.5 sacks each season. He started out 2006 on fire and had 3.5 sacks through the first game and a half of the season, but in an overtime period that never should have happened (the Giants made a HUGE fourth quarter comeback on the Eagles) Kearse suffered a season ending knee injury.

Kearse’s 2007 was abysmal, he was shut down and didn’t dress for most of the season, and recorded stats in only 6 games. His departure from Philly was inevitable.

What the Titans are getting back is a pure pass rusher and a long, lean, fast defensive end whose best ability (besides pass rushing) is creating a mismatch with his strange combination of power and speed. The trait that made him a standout player in the NFL, after all, is his ability to run like a linebacker and defeat blocks like a defensive lineman. He just needs to stay on the field to get his career back on track.

Thanks to Alex and Corey for their insight on The Freak’s time in Philadelphia. Please check out Eagles Eye for more on the Philadelphia Eagles.

When I go to training camp every year, I have a habit of trying to pay attention to two groups: new players and players coming off injuries from the previous year. Kearse falls into the first category and somewhat into the second, so he gives cause to demand extra attention. It would be premature to predict what he may or may not do until we see him on the practice field and in some preseason action.

I am cautiously optimistic.

This entry was posted on Monday, March 24th, 2008 at 7:32 pm and is filed under 2008 Offseason, Players, Commentary. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

11 Responses to “Eagles writers weigh in on Kearse”

jrtitans says:

March 24th, 2008 at 7:42 pm

I like him better than Laboy. If he makes a sack –they will play the music and the stadium will go wild.

Like it says–” if we get him cheap–not a bad idea”.
We did!

He may not be the answer but I know a lot of fans that are proud to get his jersey back out and wear it to the game.
Tom Gower says:

March 24th, 2008 at 8:06 pm

“If we got him cheap, not a bad idea” is the theme of the Free Agencypalooza 2008 for the TItans.
Garland says:

March 24th, 2008 at 9:58 pm

I would like to hear more from these guys about how the scheme in Philly affected his game since he made a big deal of that in his first press conference back in TN. From what Jevon said and what I have read elsewhere, he was made to line up directly over the tackle and basically take up a blocker to let the linebackers do the real pass rushing. His game here was always to line up pretty wide and use his speed to beat the tackle to get to the QB. To me, that sounds like a pretty legitimate gripe (that he was not being used properly or didn’t fit the scheme, whichever way you want to say it).
I.jason says:

March 24th, 2008 at 11:35 pm

The knock on Jevon is that he was never willing to go beyond his own comfort zone. He’d always been freakishly fast, and had the wingspan to recover from over-pursuing the ball-carrier, and he’d turned into kind of a one-trick pony that way. Even when he was here in his prime, he wasn’t considered to be a strong player against the run. I’ve read that he wasn’t willing to change his style while in Philly either.

That said, Philly’s defensive scheme was very different. As Garland mentioned, in Philly, the D-line is primarily used to fill the gaps, so the LBs can roam and make the plays on the runner. Not Jevon’s style.

Now, I think he’s going to be hugely successful here in TN, for two reasons: Albert Haynesworth and Kyle Vanden Bosch. On passing downs, unless the opposing offense comes out in a two-TE formation, they CANNOT double-team Jevon, and he’ll be one-on-one with the right tackle. Split out wide, and only playing 30-40% of the defensive snaps (i.e. well-rested), I think the Freak will be able to beat that match-up a good percentage of the time. Especially if you get a solid run-stuffing DE to rotate with him. Even if Jevon isn’t putting up huge sack numbers, he’ll help on passing downs. The opposing offense has no choice but to react with protection, or short passing routes.

If they run two-TE, or keep a back in to block, that’s someone not running a pattern, which helps the secondary lock down. If they don’t keep protection in, one of the three (Freak, KVB, or Big Al) is going to get a one-on-one shot at getting to the QB. And if we’re stunting, perhaps more than one. I like those odds.

The other option for opposing offenses is to run a draw, or a power run at Kearse. On long passing downs, that’s rarely a good idea - with Bulluck and Thornton at the second level, the run just isn’t likely to get the needed yards. Especially with Albert clogging up the middle like he can.

My only fear is that Al decides not to play (either because he gets his big contract, or because he doesn’t), and that no help shows up for a past-his-prime Kearse, who will be asked to do too much. If those two things happen, 8-8 would be a miracle.
wacko jacko in remington says:

March 25th, 2008 at 9:49 am

I’m hoping that Garland and l.jason are absolutely correct, that Kearse was mis-used in a different system at Philly, and that he will have a great year for the Titans if they “set him free” to do what he does best. You just gotta hope the knee really is healed and it’s not a physical problem for him anymore. He’s definitely worth the risk for what it cost to get him back.
kevin G says:

March 25th, 2008 at 12:57 pm

I have a quick question, a lot of mocks I have looked at have us taking either james hardy or malcom kelly in the first round. both of these players have slipped farther than they should have because of character concerns. while i agree that they are superior talents, would the titans pass on them? I would think after Pacman the titans would be looking for boyscouts.
Andrew Strickert says:

March 25th, 2008 at 2:08 pm

Hey, Kevin. Jeff Fisher is on record as saying character will now be a primary issue when the Titans draft. As a general rule, I certainly don’t take his words at face value, but in this case I feel reasonably sure that he means exactly what he said.
kevin G says:

March 25th, 2008 at 7:30 pm

so do you think he would pass on them if they were available?
Andrew Strickert says:

March 26th, 2008 at 7:37 am

Yeah, I really believe Reinfeldt and Fisher will pass on those guys if they do indeed have “character” issues. I don’t know of any reason why they wouldn’t go with a safer choice, even when a guy with character concerns is rated higher on their board.

Besides, when it gets to that point in the draft, there’s only a marginal difference, if any, in the grades teams have given to players.
Alex Vasquez says:

March 27th, 2008 at 4:28 pm

Awesome news! He’s finally back with a team and group of fans that will be able to appreciate him. It doesn’t seem Philly knew what to do with him. Hopefully he can get back to showing what he’s made of.

Now that he’s moving back, I’m sure he’s looking for a place to live. I saw his place in Miami, on SET magazine’s SET TV and I would love getting any leads on getting in touch with him, so I can sell his old place and help him find a new one.
thomas j. mcnasby says:

March 27th, 2008 at 6:31 pm

since i am a big jevon kearse fan and eagles fan there are two sides to what happen to jevon in philly.first,he never lined up over the tackle to fill in lanes so the linebackers could make plays he was a pass rush specialist thats why we sighed him in 04,he was constantly doubled teamed in is first two seasons here and the other ends opposite of him were brutal,04 it was burgess who had not played since 01,his rookie year,and did not start playing well intill the postseason.in 05 he had n.d. kalu who is a stiff and in 06 he got hurt in game 2 and never recovered fully from in 07 which those type of knee injuries take over a year to recover.i still think he can be a force but not a dominating player.i wish him the best.because i think he got screwed here,good luck jevon.