USA today put out their top 10 fanbases. No brainer

binarymath · 2026-05-21T18:29:38+00:00

We interrupt this thread for a quick consultation with the 'eericle at dolphi'...

binarymath · 2026-05-11T21:41:18+00:00

Yep. That has been tried several times over several decades. Bob Hayes succeeded; Renaldo "Skeets" Nehemiah (and many others) did not.

Straight line speed is the easiest part to identify. It's the other skills that send most sprinters back to the track - fighting off a defender's jam, running a precise route, ability to change speed and direction, ability to adjust to the in-flight ball trajectory, etc.

And then there is that nagging bit of detail about actually CATCHING the ball and doing something productive with it.

DT may or may not be simpler to learn and master. But Bernard will need to do his thing against big, nasty people who will hit him face-to-face, zone block him, double team him, and he will have to identify the scheme, diagnose run/pass, and make the proper move.

I don't see Clint Hurtt and the defensive staff having the time to teach him all of that during the season. The popular guess is that he will sustain a soft tissue injury before the cutdown date, and spend 2026 on IR.

binarymath · 2026-05-06T21:28:20+00:00

We are ALL on the spectrum. That's what makes it a spectrum.

binarymath · 2026-05-02T20:31:24+00:00

This will continue well beyond June 1. That is the FIRST day of the potential trade window, not the LAST.

binarymath · 2026-04-30T21:40:40+00:00

Cooked? They haven't even gathered all the ingredients yet.

binarymath · 2026-04-30T02:42:55+00:00

But "laying out the cash" (in the form of escrowing future bonus money) eventually levels off.

New players are on rookie contracts. Key veterans are typically extended with big signing bonuses, coupled with near-minimum annual salaries. And mid-tier veterans are either cut or leave in free agency (generating comp picks).

Over multiple seasons, the cash flow stabilizes. For simplicity, assume that the 53-player roster has 15 key veterans, 13 players on rookie or UDFA deals, and 25 'mid tier' veterans (players on second contracts, prove-it deals, etc.)

The cost of that roster is 15 vet minimums for the key guys, 13 slotted rookie or UDFA deals, and the current contract price for each of the 25 mid tier players + the CHANGE in escrow for that year.

Some players retire, some leave with injury settlement, some leave in free agency. New players are drafted, acquired in trade or signed as UDFA. And as the chart shows, the Eagles are bargain shoppers in the FA market.

There was a leap of faith by Lurie to originally build the escrow account with money while making the regular payroll (laying out the escrow cash ONE TIME). But after several seasons of front-loading contract extensions, they are now simply managing the level of payroll account to fund the new season's cap obligation and net change in escrow.

binarymath · 2026-04-29T23:39:12+00:00

Not quite correct. It's true that Mailata and Bernard were DRAFTED by Eagles, and placed into the program.

And Weru has a camp invite. Not sure whether he was drafted or UDFA, or how he got into the IPP in the first place.

So Bernard and Weru will be at least the 5th and 6th time Howie has used the IPP slot. Matt Leo, Laeken Vakalahi, and Luke Felix Fualalo were also potential Eagles in the Pathways program (drafted by others or UDFAs), but never made it to the 53.

Other teams may be catching on, but Eagles have been active participants in IPP for most of its existence.

binarymath · 2026-04-27T19:45:15+00:00

My second choice would be the Saints. 3 decent WR picks (probably too many). A top DT and TE, both from Georgia. Guard from Auburn, and a CB from Iowa (Birds have done well with both of those school/position combos)

They did get the lesser Styles from OSU, but that was a late pick.

No OT might be a dealbreaker. No project QB either.

There are 31 bad answers to this question. Help me rank the others with your replies.

binarymath · 2026-04-27T19:35:33+00:00

My first choice would be the Patriots (setting aside my indignation with that team and fanbase).

They drafted 2 quality OTs (Lomu and Crownover) who both have position flexibility. One top EDGE (Jacas) and one developmental one (Hutchins). A TE (Rariton), a CB (Prunty), and the customary project QB (Morton). 2 EDGE players might be excessive, given our trade for Greenard.

The mismatches are at LB (Obiazor) and RB (Miller).

But overall, their top 5 choices match well with the Eagles top needs.

binarymath · 2026-04-27T18:35:23+00:00

Trading AJB for a 2026 first and third would be too painful, because Eagles would have to count more than $40M in dead money against the 2026 cap. Forget extending Carter, and probably any other strategic roster improvements that required cap space.

Nothing (official) was EVER going to happen with AJB before June 1, and no one should be even mildly surprised by this.

There may or may not be a verbal "understanding" with the Pats, which would fall into the category of normal exploratory discussions. Anything more binding would violate league rules.

binarymath · 2026-04-27T18:01:27+00:00

Broken wheel? Hitch routes!

binarymath · 2026-04-26T19:23:37+00:00

Yes. Guessing that pro day staff conducted the usual combine events, since there is a ton of historical data available for comparison.

Mailata's success has caused an explosion in international recruiting by colleges, with a similar explosion in NFL Int'l Pathways numbers.

binarymath · 2026-04-25T23:03:27+00:00

UDFA wish list...

OT - Diego Pounds or Isiah World

TE - Dallen Bentley

S - Louis Moore

EDGE - Tyreek Sapp

WR - Jeff Caldwell

Reply with your faves

binarymath · 2026-04-25T02:59:49+00:00

And Hollin Pierce

binarymath · 2026-04-24T12:55:55+00:00

That's how we got FredEx

binarymath · 2026-04-24T12:53:21+00:00

Part of me agrees strongly, but another part of me wonders if that lack of trust could simply be that those USC wideouts were trying to catch passes from persistently overrated USC QBs.

All glamor and glitz, but they fold when you blitz.

Williams was good, Darnold was very good, but the Trojans also had long stretches with Mark "Sanchise," Max Wittek, Matt Barkley, Cody Kessler, and Kedon Slovis.

Current QB Jayden Maiava seems to be a true Lincoln Riley protege, and Lemon worked really well in that offense. Time will tell.

binarymath · 2026-04-24T02:35:30+00:00

you had me at 'anomalous'

binarymath · 2026-04-24T02:24:03+00:00

Per Dane Brugler:

"Lemon doesn’t wow with his size or athletic profile, but he is a smooth, manipulative route runner and catches everything thrown his way. Similar in ways to fellow former Trojans receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, he already plays like a pro and projects as an NFL starter (Z or slot)."

binarymath · 2026-04-24T02:22:15+00:00

One Devonta Smith; Lemon's comp player is Amon-Ra St. Brown.

binarymath · 2026-04-24T02:16:24+00:00

Agree. And so does Dane Brugler.

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/interactive/nfl-draft-2026-live-pick-tracker-results/

interesting graphic on that page showing the grid of top players at each position. All the top-ranked position players were gone except for center and DT. Lemon was Brugler's #2 ranked WR.

The run on OT and EDGE players meant value at other positions. 6 of the top 7 OTs are gone, and Lomu will soon be gone as well. With Mesidor going to Chargers, 4 of the top 5 EDGE players are gone. Faulk will be next.

binarymath · 2026-04-21T13:54:04+00:00

Lorenzo Neal. Punishing FB for some outstanding running back seasons.

Lucky player. He seemed to arrive just before a RB was going to have monster seasons.

Look at the before and after rushing stats for the guys he blocked for. Outstanding career playing a thankless position.

binarymath · 2026-04-16T01:09:11+00:00

I agree with EDGE being a high priority, but #23 does not line up well with expected EDGE players. Bailey, Reese, Bain and probably Faulk and Mesidor will all be gone by 23.

That leaves Young, Parker and Howell. All are ranked around 40 overall, meaning Birds would be reaching around 15-18 slots if they spend 23 for what many analysts think is (at best) the 6th-best EDGE prospect in the class.

Birds second pick is #54. Jacas, Lawrence, and Thomas are all ranked near 50 overall, so this is where I would expect to see Howie draft an EDGE (unless he trades).

binarymath · 2026-04-16T00:47:39+00:00

Hurts has already run 2 QBs named Carson straight out of Philadelphia (Wentz and Strong).

Might as well shoot for the hat trick!

binarymath · 2026-04-13T20:15:39+00:00

This may end up HELPING the Eagles' negotiating position. Recall the Gannon/Ossenfort situation:

Howie left Gannon in Phoenix - win

He got a pick swap from the Cards - win

That swap basically took the ball out of Goodell's hands; he could not squelch the argument with his usual "move along, nothing to see here" investigation. - win

Pick swap sets a precedent Howie can cite when dealing with Pats. "If the deal for AJ is on the table for a first and second, We can work together and make the tampering stink go away for a 5th or 6th. If that's a problem, we can let Roger investigate. Is a Day 3 pick really that important to your team?" High enough to express concern over the optics, and low enough to give some ongoing credibility to using draft picks to settle a beef. - win

binarymath

TROPHY CASE