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Maclin in Philly
Posted by Phenomenal Smith on April 27th, 2009 under Uncategorized
After years of ambivalence, I am now an Eagles fan. Former Mizzou coach, Andy Reid, pulled the surprising trigger to make Maclin his team’s first round choice. Not that it was surprising that Maclin was a first round pick, but that the Eagles, a team seldom mentioned as a possible destination, picked him. After looking at the roster, though, Maclin should be able to wedge his way in for significant time. Here are the Eagle wideouts.
- DeSean Jackson, second year player. He’s a little guy at 5-10, but speedy. He had 62 receptions and 17 carries as a rookie. The carries, something Mac did well at Mizzou, is a curious thing. It seems they use Jackson similarly to how the Tigers used Maclin. I believe that is the main reason the ESPN pundits thought picking Maclin was a bad move for the Eagles.
- Hank Baskett, fourth year player out of New Mexico – considered by all good Tiger fans to be an evil man. He has just 71 receptions in his three years for the Eagles. He’s a giant compared to DeSean or Maclin at 6-4.
- Kevin Curtis, seventh year out of Utah State. The former Ram played in 9 games last year and pulled in 33 catches. In 2007, he made 77 receptions – a big part of the offense. Like the rest of the Eagle receivers, he averages between 11-14 yards a catch – the West Coast offense at work.
- Reggie Brown, fifth year out of UGA. Another big part of the 2007 offense, he made 61 receptions that year compared to 18 last year in 10 games. He’s roughly Maclin’s size.
- Jason Avant, fourth year player and a backup in ‘08, making 32 catches giving him 62 in his three years in the NFL.
- Danny Amendola, former Red Raider. He’s hanging around the NFL like a jackal hangs around lions. Good luck to the little white guy.
- Shaheer McBride. No stats. No chance.
- Brandon Gibson, this year’s 6th round pick out of Washington State. Caught 182 passes at Wazzu, so if nothing else, he has hands.
You think McNabb misses TO? I mean, of course he doesn’t miss the crazy bastard, but he probably misses having a go-to guy. Jackson is a decent wide receiver with good speed, but he is not going to take over a game. Neither are the other guys on the list above. Maclin, on the other hand, might. Philly’s West Coast Offense means Maclin will be sent over the middle on short routes plenty, which is something we’ve all seen him do well. Really good hands, takes plenty of hits, and can burn once he makes the catch. Also, Philly has a propensity to mix things up and run with their receivers – Maclin does just fine with that.
Considering the talent on the roster and the offensive scheme, Maclin is in a great place in Philly. Go Eagles!
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Gene Claude said:
April 27th, 2009 at 10:49 am
BUT THEY ALREADY HAVE A GUY THAT IS SORT OF LIKE HIM!
Espn’s incredulous reaction to the Maclin pick reminded me of why I can’t stand listening to draft coverage. This was not the 1985 Dolphins drafting a QB. Teams frequently employ 3 and even 4 wide receivers, and the Eagles basically have 1.5 usable receivers on their roster. When the draft hands you a gift, you don’t overthink it. Maclin has top 10 talent, he was available at 19, you take him and figure it out later.
Phenomenal Smith said:
April 27th, 2009 at 11:30 am
I can’t remember if it happened just after Maclin was picked or later, but at one point Trey Wingo said to Herm Edwards “now, you drafted a Missouri wide receiver and that did not work out. I want to hear about that, but first…” then he went to Todd McShay to explain why the Eagles blew the pick. As far I know, they never got back to it. Anyone catch that or so see Herm comment on Will Franklin?
Also, I liked Herm Edwards on the draft show. He was entertaining and provided some practical insight. Just another reason I’m happy the Chiefs fired him.
Roberto Frankfurter said:
April 27th, 2009 at 5:09 pm
I have already place an order for my Maclin jersey #18.
I’m looking forward to the Monday night game on October 26th during which Maclin will be scoring touchdowns for the Eagles and Chase Daniel will be wearing a backwards Redskins hat.
Euclid said:
April 27th, 2009 at 9:37 pm
They never got back to the Franklin story.
I was impressed with Wingo’s knowledge of obscure facts (like the fact that an afterthought receiver from Mizzou had recently been cut by the team that Herm used to coach). Of course it could have been a j-school grad producer talking into Trey’s ear.
Did you see Whitlock’s column on Herm today? My only complaint about Herm was that he seemed to lean forward too far everytime he spoke. It looked like he was sitting on Jaworski’s lap. I hope he had brushed his teeth.
Phenomenal Smith said:
April 28th, 2009 at 9:19 am
Wingo used to work the St. Louis sports scene, so he already has a Mizzou bent.
Whitlock pans Herm’s performance. The reason he hated Herm is probably the same reason I liked it – Whitlock complains that Herm didn’t offer any opinions. I assume I am smarter than all those jerks and dismiss their opinions and if anyone of them spouts too many opinions I change the channel. Herm was good in that he was funny and offered insight into what the people in the draft room were arguing about. When Trey scoffed at teams taking the full five minutes in the 7th round, Herm noted that the scouts were in their lobbying for their guys, and reasoned that if a scout has been following players for two years and not one of them has been picked, he’s going to start feeling pretty useless and will be lobbying for his job.
Here’s Whitlock’s article.
http://www.kansascity.com/sports/columnists/jason_whitlock/story/1163995.html
Horn/Cowboy said:
April 29th, 2009 at 10:06 pm
I hate the Maclin pick. The ‘Boys DB’s couldn’t keep up with Desean Jackson last year, and we’re certainly not going to keep up with him and Mac now.
As much as I hate it, it was a great pick by Andy Reid and Philly. When talent falls in your lap, you don’t turn your back on it…
Vasherized said:
May 1st, 2009 at 1:27 pm
As perhaps the lone Eagles fan in this abyss of Cowboys/Texans fans here in Austin, I was ecstatic to see Maclin picked by Philly. Mcnabb now has two true deep threats with him and DeSean Jackson.
I loved watching the kid at Mizzou and like to see fellow Big 12 studs do well in the league.
Horn/Cowboy said:
May 1st, 2009 at 2:35 pm
Vash, I never knew you had a dark side (Philly affiliation).
It was a better day when McNabb had no one to throw to. Mac will have us Cowboy fans pulling out our hair for the next decade or so.
I wish nothing but the best for the kid. Afterall, he did turn his back on sooner.
Phenomenal Smith said:
May 1st, 2009 at 3:40 pm
First news (and a pic) out of Philly minicamp is good.
* Rookie wide receiver Jeremy Maclin, the first-round pick, fifth-round tight end Cornelius Ingram and running back LeSean McCoy, the second-round pick, all flashed solid hands during the morning practice.
Maclin, who looked like the fastest player on the field, and McCoy got repetitions with the first team.
http://www.delcotimes.com/articles/2009/05/01/sports/doc49fb2981e4fb7740579726.txt
Roberto Frankfurter said:
May 1st, 2009 at 4:38 pm
I can’t remember the last time, if ever, I’ve been excited about mini-camp news. Maclin, Moore and Coffman are going to get me interested in the NFL again (it has been tough here in the Lou going 5-27 over the last two years).
Damn, when is my Maclin jersey going to arrive!
Phenomenal Smith said:
May 3rd, 2009 at 9:39 pm
Jeremy Maclin Update:
Really, just more of the same. From the Atlantic City paper: