One of the best yearly football features is the NFL quarterback tier rankings compiled by Mike Sando over at ESPN Insider. Sando polls executives, coaches, scouts, etc. and then puts together a massive piece that ranks all of the starting quarterbacks in the (*Ron Jaworski voice*) National Football League.
Sam Bradford made Tier 3, which is loosely classified as “legit starter but needs heavy run game/defense to win.” Problem is, he was dead last in that tier and 28th overall:
An offensive coordinator called Bradford the ultimate tease as a highly skilled player who can appear rattled and does not deliver ultimately. Bradford still has not played behind a strong offensive line or in an offense with exceptional weaponry.
"He has the arm talent, I think he is a smart guy, I think he is a little [soft], which came out the way he handled his business to begin with this offseason," a QB coach said. "I just don't see the decision-making, consistent accuracy and the fortitude that [makes me think] we have a shot to win every Sunday. With Doug Pederson coaching, I would take Alex Smith over Bradford, but it's the same kind of situation."
Next season, Carson Wentz will likely represent the Eagles on this list. He was drafted No. 2 overall because having a player near the top of these rankings is very important to long-term success in the NFL.
Bradford has played well in training camp so far. We’ll see if he can prove these rankings wrong.
In case you missed it at PhillyVoice:
1. Fast Lane: I wonder what Lilly King thinks about Lane Johnson. Can anyone in Rio get us a comment?
2. Depth chart: Jimmy has Steven Means making the team and dressing in Week 1, among other things.
3. Undercover Celek: Some people really aren’t awake until they drink their coffee, it seems.
4. High and tight: Very detailed breakdown of how the Eagles could play to their strengths and go with three tight end sets, something Doug Pederson did in Kansas City.
Other Eagles news, notes and analysis from around the web:
Eagles' Lane Johnson reportedly failed drug test: Les Bowen, Philadelphia Daily News
Oh yeah, the Birds are in big trouble if Johnson gets suspended:
This would throw into chaos an offensive line that is trying to recover from a disastrous 2015. Johnson, 26, was the fourth player taken in the 2013 draft. He is the presumed successor to 34-year-old left tackle Jason Peters, whose ability to play without getting hurt has become suspect. The Eagles didn't draft any offensive linemen between Johnson and 2016 third-rounder Isaac Seumalo, a guard who is off to a slow start in camp.
The current backup at right tackle is Dennis Kelly, a fifth-round pick in 2012 who has started 15 Eagles games, nine of them at right tackle. Three of those starts came during Johnson's previous suspension. There's also versatile veteran backup Andrew Gardner, with 11 starts, two at right tackle, and a handful of rookies, including fifth-round pick Halapoulivaati Vaitai.
NFL Preseason Power Rankings: Elliot Harrison, NFL.com
What I learned from this post is that Heath Evans is all-in on the Eagles now that Chip Kelly is gone. Oh yeah, Harrison has the Birds at 26:
Some major offseason Kool-Aid drinking in this Eagles record-prediction video from Heath Evans and a certain analyst we refuse to name. Not sure if our forecasted finish of 10-6 is attainable in 2016. It's certainly not if receiver Jordan Matthews (who isn't healthy) displays inconsistent hands and running back Ryan Mathews is inconsistently on the field. New coach Doug Pederson needs those guys. It looks like Pederson won't have Lane Johnson for the first 10 games of the season, as the starting right tackle is facing another PED suspension.
NFL Fan Base Rankings: CBS Sports
Eagles fans come in at 10th overall, according to the CBS Sports writers:
As a member of the media, I'm contractually obligated to mention the time that Eagles fans booed Santa. We're not going to hold that against them though because sometimes Santa deserves to be booed, and also, that booing incident happened almost 50 years ago. We could also bring up the time they cheered after Michael Irvin suffered a serious injury or the time time that an Eagles fan stole a prosthetic leg from a homeless guy, but there's no need to. Our panel has spoken and our panel says the Eagles have the 10th-best fan base in the NFL.
Follow Rich on Twitter: @rich_hofmann