By EVAN MACY / Metro Philly (May 31, 2017 edition)
It appears the Eagles are trying to not only replicate the success they’ve had in recent years with running back, slot receiver and punt returner Darren Sproles — they are attempting to double down on it.
After drafting Donnel Pumphrey in the fourth round — a player with a similar body-type (small) and skill set (fast) to Sproles — the team has been practicing with two running backs on the field at the same time. And according to the 5-foot-8 Pumphrey, the duo could be lethal playing together.
“So far I am loving the offense,” said Pumphrey, who was a workhorse at San Diego State, compiling the most carries of all time over four years as an Aztec. “The two running back sets, our little pony set with me and Sproles, it helps the offense a lot. We are both versatile-type backs and we can make guys miss.”
An outside observer, tight end Brent Celek, sur- mises that defenses could have a lot of trouble figuring out how to defend the two small running backs.
“You put [Sproles] and Pumphrey on the field together, how is a defense cgoing to react?” Celek said.
“Just with our size,” Pumphrey continued Tuesday, following a solid practice in the rain at Eagles’ OTAs. “We are able to get behind those big linemen and get to the next level and make guys miss out in space.
Pumphrey didn’t do much work on special teams in college, but that’s because the Aztecs wanted preserve his body for his mighty workload running the football. He says he practiced a lot of it at school, which explains why he looks so comfortable returning punts in practice.
It’s his ability as a football player to do whatever he’s called upon to do that can give him a lot of value in the NFL. Sproles has said the 2017 would be his last, so perhaps Pumphrey is his logical successor.
“Our two running back set, I am going to have to show I can move around and do a lot of different things,” Pumphrey said. “This will be Sproles’ last year. I want to stay under his wing and learn.”
Pumphrey will need to both continue to learn and perform on the field, as he’ll be competing with Sproles, LeGarrette Blount, Wendell Smallwood, Byron Marshall and Corey Clement for a spot on the 53-man roster at running back.
“You can tell the game is way faster,” Pumphrey said. “The way the linebackers are flowing, these NFL linebackers are fast, it just means I have to pick my game up."
The Eagles addressed the cornerback position this off season, but will the secondary actually be better in 2017?
By EVAN MACY / Metro Philly (May 31, 2017 edition)
It’s been said so much by Eagles fans, it’s nearly a broken record. The Birds have had a terrible secondary in recent years.
Will it be better in 2017?
After adding veteran free agent cornerback Patrick Robinson and drafting Sidney Jones and Rasul Douglas, Philadelphia clearly knows it’s an area of need. They addressed it during the offseason, but even-keeled defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz isn’t quick to provocate by calling his secondary much improved.
When asked if the cornerbacks would be be better in 2017, Schwartz said: “We’ll find out during the season for sure. The final determination in everything we do from preperation to drafting to signing free agents to coaching schemes — it all comes to light during the season. It’s a little too early to evaluate and we are working through a lot of different stuff. It certainly is a situation of importance for us.”
The Eagles secondary actually improved under Schwartz’s first year in 2016. A year prior in 2015, Philly allowed the fourth most passing yards in the NFL per game (267.1). Last year, the team allowed 239.5 yards per game, actually good for the 13th best in football. The scoring defense was in the middle of the pack last year, too, allowing the 17th most touchdowns per game through the air. Much of the credit can go to the safety tandem of Malcolm Jenkins and Rodney McLeod. Schwartz is no doubt hoping the veteran leaders he has at safety rub off on the incoming cornerbacks.
I think that we’ll see where that goes,” Schwartz said when asked if the secondary would be better in 2017. “We go in just about any position, we don’t expect anthing. We don’t expect our [de- fensive] line to be better this year. That will probably make a bad quote, but what I am trying to get to — I don’t know the best way to put it — but you maybe take for granted that you add a couple players and you are going to be better. This is a tough business and things change and you can’t take anything for granted."
The addition of Jones will be a long-term benefit for the team, as the projected first-round pick (drafted in the second round) continues to rehab from a torn ACL. But, according to Schwartz, teams shouldn’t sleep on returning starter Jalen Mills with veterans Ron Brooks and Robinson also expected to start the year.
“His challenge is creating that consistency,” Schwartz said looking back at Mills’ up-and-down rookie year. “The experience that comes from a year being out there, being thrown into the fire — he should be able to benefit that going down the road.”
(TSX / STATS) -- ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- Running back Ameer Abdullah made his long-awaited and highly anticipated return to Detroit Lions practice on Wednesday during OTAs, and did so in a blue No. 21, ditching the red no-contact jersey he was relegated to last season.
All of which was a sight for the Lions' sore eyes.
"Ameer looks good," head coach Jim Caldwell said. "He's coming along, just like everybody else. They're getting their feet underneath them, getting out there for the first time, moving around a little bit on the grass in a team-oriented setting. We've got a few guys that are working their way through some things."
Theo Riddick is one of those guys. The backup running back hopped on the field for a handful of individual drills, but was otherwise inactive as he works his way back from double wrist surgery.
Abdullah (foot) and Riddick (wrists/ankle) missed a combined 20 games last season, which thrust backups like Zach Zenner and Dwayne Washington into featured roles, and sent the Lions reeling to the bottom of the league. They were third in rushing yards per game in the two games Abdullah played. They fell to 27th without him, and their 81.9 yards per game overall were fewer than what they produced when they finished dead-last in 2015.
It came as a bit of a surprise, then, that Detroit didn't draft a running back, nor sign one in veteran free agency, despite kicking the tires on guys like LeGarrette Blount and Adrian Peterson. They believe Abdullah is better than anybody they could have acquired, especially once they got out of the first day of the draft, and are proceeding with Abdullah despite his injury-plagued 2016.
He certainly appeared healthy on Wednesday. The practice was in shorts, but Abdullah's athleticism stood out, especially as he ducked and dodged reporters wishing to inquire about his return.
As the Lions ease him back, Zenner also got some first-team reps in the backfield.
(TSX / STATS) -- New York Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr. didn't attend organized team activities on Thursday for the third time this week.
Beckham also missed OTAs on Monday and Tuesday. The workouts are voluntary so he can't be disciplined.
Part of the reason for the early week absences were tied to a Nike endorsement deal that was being finalized. The contract reportedly will pay Beckham more than $5 million annually over the next five years.
Beckham attended parts of the Giants' offseason workouts earlier this year. But he has spent ample time away from the team working out in Southern California with a group of players that include quarterback Johnny Manziel and running back Reggie Bush.
Beckham reportedly worked out with Manziel and others on Tuesday.
The three-time Pro Bowler caught 101 passes for 1,367 yards and 10 touchdowns last season. He also was fined six times for various disciplinary things and his off-field life also has come under scrutiny.
Beckham, 24, has caught 288 passes for 4,122 yards and 35 touchdowns in three NFL seasons.
(TSX / STATS) -- The Buffalo Bills signed free agent linebacker Gerald Hodges, the team announced Thursday.
He signed a one-year contract, according to NFL.com.
Hodges, 26, is coming off the most productive season in his four-year NFL career. He was a starting inside linebacker for the San Francisco 49ers in their 3-4 front in 2016. He compiled 83 tackles, two pass breakups, two interceptions and a forced fumble in 15 appearances (12 starts).
Hodges also visited with the Seattle Seahawks, Jacksonville Jaguars and New York Giants before signing with the Bills.
He figures to be in the mix for a weak-side linebacker role in the Bills 4-3 defensive front.
Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier was Hodges' head coach during his rookie year with the Minnesota Vikings.
To make room on the roster, the Bills released cornerback Charles Gaines.
(TSX / STATS) -- Free agent wide receiver Victor Cruz has agreed to a one-year contract with the Chicago Bears, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Thursday.
Wide receiver was a position of need for the Bears after losing Alshon Jeffery, a free agent who signed with the Philadelphia Eagles. But the Bears have a number of wide receivers who will vie for playing time, including Cameron Meredith, Kendall Wright and Markus Wheaton.
Cruz, 30, spent his previous six seasons with the New York Giants, and he had big seasons in 2011, 2012 and 2013, catching 241 passes for 3,626 yards and 23 touchdowns in 46 games in those three seasons.
But his production has decreased in recent seasons, largely because of injuries. He had 39 catches for 586 yards and one touchdown in 2016, when he appeared in 15 games, including 12 starts.
The Giants released him on Feb. 13.
Cruz is 2 1/2 years removed from major knee surgery and would have counted $9.4 million against the Giants' salary cap in 2017.
Following the success of its first year in Orlando, the PRO BOWL will return to Camping World Stadium on Sunday, January 28 at 3:00 PM ET, the NFL announced today. The game will be televised on ESPN and ESPN Deportes, and simulcast on ABC, marking the first time it will air on both broadcast and cable networks. It will also be streamed live on the ESPN app, and audio coverage will be available on Westwood One, SiriusXM NFL Radio, and on the TuneIn app.
For the second consecutive year, the NFL will host PRO BOWL WEEK festivities across the Orlando area, bringing new experiences and activities as well as an extraordinary number of events focused on commemorating all levels of football – from youth to high school to the NFL's best. In addition, Pro Bowl players will again be able to invite their former youth or high school coach to be a part of the week's celebrations.
"The Pro Bowl is not only a time to watch NFL greats compete live, but it is also a unique opportunity to inspire youth and the next generation of stars," said PETER O'REILLY, NFL Senior Vice President of Events. "We received tremendous feedback from players, coaches, and fans about Orlando's first Pro Bowl, and we are excited to build upon that enthusiasm with a week-long festival that celebrates the entire football community."
The 2018 Pro Bowl will follow the traditional AFC versus NFC match-up, which returned last season, and feature 88 of the best NFL players – 44 from each conference – as determined by a consensus of votes by fans, players, and coaches. Both teams will be led by offensive and defensive NFL Legends who will serve as captains representing each conference.
Orlando will once more be home to the NFL FLAG CHAMPIONSHIPS POWERED BY USA FOOTBALL, the announcement of the prestigious DON SHULA NFL HIGH SCHOOL COACH OF THE YEAR AWARD and the annual USA FOOTBALL NATIONAL CONFERENCE, the largest congregation of youth and high school football administrators and coaches in the country.
"Hosting Orlando's inaugural NFL Pro Bowl at Camping World Stadium earlier this year was not only fun, but it was a resounding success for our Central Florida community," said Orlando Mayor BUDDY DYER. "We enthusiastically welcome our NFL partners back in 2018. Their confidence in our city's ability to put on such a high-profile event underscores our reputation as one of the premier sports destinations in the U.S."
"The TDT-funded improvements at Camping World Stadium have allowed us to compete for premier events like the 2018 Pro Bowl," said Orange County Mayor TERESA JACOBS. "Not only are we looking forward to another great NFL football game – our second in a row – the Pro Bowl offers a full week of family and fan-friendly events and activities – a perfect match for our family-friendly tourism brand and a great fit for our local residents."
"We are excited to bring Pro Bowl Week back to our community," said Florida Citrus Sports CEO STEVE HOGAN. "This year's sold-out game was a landmark moment for Orlando and our reputation as a preferred destination for world-class sporting events. We became an NFL city for a week last season and look forward to making the 2018 Pro Bowl bigger and better."
Additional events during Pro Bowl Week are set to include the PRO BOWL SKILLS SHOWDOWN, testing the athletic prowess of All-Stars from each conference in unique competitions, and the NFL PRO BOWL EXPERIENCE, a free football festival located at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort.
Fans attending the Pro Bowl Experience will be closer to the action with new activities, immersive exhibits, and sponsor activations. Pro Bowl practices for the AFC and NFC teams will also be held at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, allowing fans to watch their favorite players as they prepare for the game.
