Jerry Reese spoke yesterday regarding the draft, past tense and future tense.
The moniker In Reese we trust was quickly applied to our GM soon after XLII. He reaped a bounty with his draft of 2007 that had a major impact leading up to and in XLII. Was his moniker premature?
Yesterday Reese again called out his 2nd round pick in 2009, Clint Sintim. He questioned his maturity and commitment as a professional. Is he being truthful or tactful in covering his bases on a potential bust? Reese goes on to state that “we picked him in the second round, so we expect him to be an impact player for us and right now he hasn’t been able to do that. He flashed a little bit as a rookie but last year he didn’t get to play a lot because he was injured.” Again, we hear the “I” word as an excuse, yet he did not go down until December. The other question is whether they picked the right guy for the defensive system in place? Is he better suited for the 3-4 as pass rushing OLB, where he played in college?
We all have heard how the linebacking unit has been targeted as a unit of upgrade, with even one of the owners (John Mara) passing mention. But what fruits have we developed on that unit since Reese has been in charge? Sintim, Goff, Kehl, Dillard and Tracy? (I am not mentioning DeOssie as he should be classified as a ST/Long Snapper.) The Eagles drafted Jamar Chaney in Round 7 last year and many websites are projecting him to take over Bradley’s spot at ILB.
Another 2009 pick was mentioned as a hopeful starter, William Beatty. Clearly, Beatty was behind the 8-ball starting on the PUP list but he showed signs of struggling in pre-season and in spots backing up McKenzie. Was Beatty mentioned to defray attention away from what many project as a position they are targeting in round 1?
The bottomline is that Reese stuck with his theme of picking the best available regardless of position, stating “that we need to strengthen every position.” Many dread another DL pick in the 1st round but Reese was not shy in leaving that as an option. Reese adds that “if a defensive lineman is there at 19, we will be deeper at our defensive line.” But we can only hope that in Reese’s pieces that “if somebody loves our spot and we don’t have our guy there, we will be more than happy to move down.” The perfect and easiest conundrum. Move into a slot of greater value for LB, a (desperate) need, and a likely additional 2nd round pick for the ability “to strengthen (another) position.”
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