The NFL Players Association has been taking steps to be more public-facing over the past year, first with its player-voted All-Pro team revealed back in January, and now with its team report cards released earlier this week.
Also done with polling from players across the league, the aim of the report cards according to the union's president JC Tretter, was to create a "Free Agency Guide" of sorts to help illustrate the pros and cons of each organization.
It would be a tool for players when navigating the market in search of their next contract and, since the info is available to anyone, a means to try and raise the standards across all 32 NFL clubs.
But for fans, it can also be illuminating, and if you're reading this, no doubt it's because you're wondering how the Eagles graded out.
Generally, pretty well. Middle of the pack at 14th. Definitely could be better, but players like Nick Sirianni, the staff, and owner Jeffrey Lurie, and the organization seems very open to any possible improvements.
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The Philadelphia Eagles ranked 14th overall in our guide. The major concerns expressed by player respondents relate to the team’s treatment of the players and their families. They do not provide a family room for players' families at the stadium, unlike most of the other clubs. Despite not offering this to players, they do have a family room for the family members of coaches and football operations staff. The air travel also stands out as an area where players felt there could be improvement: only 51% of players feel like they have enough room to spread out, and they are one of just eight teams in the league that do not offer their players first class seats. Players also feel that the facilities can improve - less than half of the team feel like they have enough hot and cold tub space.
What raises this club’s overall score are the people who work with players, with training staffs and strength coaches ranking very highly. Also, they enjoy playing for Head Coach Nick Sirianni who is ranked as one of the most player-friendly coaches in the league. Club owner Jeffrey Lurie ranks 8th in the NFL, with 97% of the players believing he is willing to upgrade the facility. [NFLPA]
And the final grades by category:
Category | Grade | NFL Rank |
Treatment of Families | B- | Tied 16th |
Food Service/Nutrition | A | Tied 1st |
Weight Room | A- | Tied 9th |
Strength Coaches | A+ | Tied 1st |
Training Room | C- | Tied 22nd |
Training Staff | A+ | Tied 1st |
Locker Room | C+ | Tied 18th |
Team Travel | D | 27th |
Compared to the rest of the NFC East, Dallas graded out at fifth, the Giants ranked eighth, and, unsurprisingly, Washington came in dead-last at 32.
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