Rashad Jeanty (OLB) moves up on JB99’s depth chart…more details below…
Contrary to the perceptions of some of our old brethern at PE.com’s “On The Inside” fan gallery, the Philadelphia Eagles organization reaches out to those of us who are currently stabled here at Eagles Eye…
PE.com has sent us more messages in a week than they have in the past six months…and it’s my privilege to relay them to you.
First up, Poorya Nayerahmadi, the Fan Development Coordinator for the Birds, has asked me to plug the upcoming “Eagles Academy For Men” event scheduled for May 21 and 22… The event takes place at the Eagles practice facility, the NovaCare Complex, and gives the chance for both Eagles fans and football fans alike to get a more in-depth view of the game they love…tickets are $90…and I’m telling you, come dressed to play…you’re gonna get a workout!
Even if you’re not an Eagles fan, but are from the area, it’s a great opportunity to learn more about the game. Film will be broken down for you in ways that you’ve never seen before, and you’ll learn terminology you may have heard before, but never truly understood.
You’ll get to meet both Eagles coaches and alumni, as they share their wealth of football knowledge with you. By the end of the experience, you’ll be able to watch the game with a whole new perspective… We had a fan last year who attended and sent us a nice report with photos…one of the coolest things he experienced was meeting Troy Vincent…who told him Brian Dawkins was the quietest man in the Eagles clubhouse during the week…and would only vocally erupt on gameday…
Then, PE.com wants me to direct your attention to their partnership with Bud Light…specifically, log on to www.BudLightFantasy.com, and get the details on how you’se can win a Budweiser-sponsored Super Bowl Party by merely picking the winners of games straight-up throughout the (alleged) 2011-12 season…
There, that takes care of biz… What do I win, Don Pardo?
So it was that kind of weekend…still feeling like an Exile on Main Street, but getting some love from PE.com…
JB99 posted an interesting thread over the weekend on the possibility of linebacker Rashad Jeanty not only making the Eagles 53-man-squad, but starting at outside linebacker…
Rashad Jeanty, 6-2, 247, only 28 years old but in his 9th year out of University of Central Florida…
When Jeanty was first signed by the Eagles in the offseason, I paid it little notice…It seems like the Eagles take a chance on an injured free agent every offseason, but…according to JB99, with Jeanty, they might have hit on something.
He’s returned from an ankle injury that kept him out for the entire 2010 season. He was a productive player for the Bengals in ’08 and ’09, and he’s only 28. New defensive coordinator Juan Castillo can throw him in the mix and see how he competes with Moise Fokou at strongside linebacker.
Jeanty told reporters he was approached by several other teams once the Bengals released him last August.
“It was a serious injury and I didn’t want to come back half-speed or 80 percent,” he said. “I wanted to be at 100 percent. That’s just the type of guy I am. I didn’t want to present myself to other teams without an oil change and a fresh tuneup. I wanted to get as healthy as possible.”
Jeanty said he was back to full speed sometime this past December. This could be a good situation for him because he’ll have a fresh start with a new-look coaching staff. Jeanty said he probably was a better fit as an inside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme, but he liked the situation with the Eagles more.
On January 9, 2010, Jeanty fractured his left fibula on the opening kickoff of a Wild Card playoff game against the New York Jets, ending his season. He was waived by the Bengals on August 30, 2010 after failing his physical with the team.
Undrafted in 2002, Jeanty was signed by the Edmonton Eskimos of the Candian Football League. After playing four seasons with the Eskimos, he signed with the Bengals of the NFL in 2006.
All three Eagles linebacker jobs are up for grabs.
LB’s Stewart Bradley, Omar Gaither, Akeem Jordan and Ernie Sims are all pending free agents. Youngsters Jamar Chaney, Keenan Clayton and Moise Fokou were the only other linebackers under contract.
One of the complaints that Eagles linebackers privately made about playing in now-departed Sean McDermott’s defensive scheme was that they weren’t allowed to be playmakers. Last season, as a group, they accounted for a combined four sacks and one interception. Those numbers were slightly better— 4 1/2 sacks and three picks — a year earlier in 2009, but still much lower than the big play totals Jim Johnson’s linebackers produced during the Eagles’ defensive heyday.
The lack of playmaking ability from Eagles linebackers is a “chicken or egg” argument…Are the numbers substandard because of coaching and scheme… or because Eagles coaches don’t have much to work with?
Well, if they ever get back on the practice field (and they will—eventually), you can throw Jeanty into the mix, along with the three LB rookies just picked up in the 2011 Draft. If JB99 says Jeanty is a legitimate candidate to compete—and not just a “camp body”—I gotta take it seriously.
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