Philadelphia Eagles Jordan
Matthews, the second-round pick from Vanderbilt, has gotten a fair amount of
attention during the past two weeks of OTA practices. He’s gotten quite a bit
from quarterbacks, who like throwing to a 6-foot-3 target with good hands. He’s
gotten attention from defensive backs, who go where the ball is going. And
Matthews has gotten a fair amount of attention from reporters working the
who-will-replace-DeSean-Jackson angle. That is understandable enough. The
release of Jackson, a Pro Bowl receiver in his prime, was the most puzzling
move yet during Chip Kelly’s tenure as head coach. Whatever you think of the
move, and the explanations or lack of same, the Eagles created a need for
themselves and Matthews is the draft pick destined to be seen as the solution
to that problem. But that’s not really fair. The truth is, the Eagles have to
replace the element of speed that Jackson provided. They can do that a
number of ways. Matthews might not have quite that elite speed himself, but he
can be part of the mix in Kelly’s offense. “I can see Matthews has a quick
first step,” veteran cornerback Cary Williams said. “I can see him
being very explosive out of breaks. And once he gets his hands on the ball, he
looks like someone who can break a couple tackles and take a simple, six-yard
curl into an 80-yard play.” For now, Matthews is running with the second team
as the slot receiver. That has more to do with Kelly’s approach to teaching
rookies than anything. Chances are, Matthews will replace Jason Avant in
the slot, with Jeremy Maclin, back from a torn ACL, stepping into Jackson’s spot on the
outside. Maclin has good speed, but not Jackson
speed. The Eagles added elite speed when they acquired Darren Sproles in
a trade with New Orleans.
But as Kelly was quick to point out last week, Sproles is a running back. He’s
not a wide receiver. Still, Sproles’ speed can have the same effect on defenses
as Jackson’s
did. He can force defensive coordinators to account for him, and that is half
the battle. Kelly’s ability to deploy his other weapons, to take advantage of
the space created by that speed, is the other half. “We knew [Sproles] was a
really, really talented player, and when he got here, he showed that right from
the jump,” Kelly said. “We heard from the coaches that coached him what an
intelligent football player he is and learned that from the first day he was in
this building, and how sharp he is and how dedicated he is. “I talked to Norv
Turner (who coached Sproles in San
Diego) and he remarked to me when I saw him at one of
the pro days, he said, ‘You'll have to slow him down because he only knows one
speed.’ And that's the same thing you see. Darren practices and trains at one
speed. It's awesome. He fits in with the culture that we want in terms of
preparation, but it's everything we wanted when we got him here.” Kelly’s
ability to move Sproles around, and to mix and match all his other offensive
weapons, will give the Eagles plenty of versatility this season. It is that,
more than Matthews or any other one player, that will replace Jackson’s speed. Good luck to him.
