quaKERNotes

Congrats to Jrue Holiday. And congrats to the 76ers for giving a long-term contract to a player that isn’t garbage.

Brian Dawkins & Chip Kelly

Eagles pull off a stunner!

Gus Bradley is on his way to Philly right now. Some reports say he’s coming in to finalize his deal. Other reports say it’s just a second interview and no deal is imminent.

Either way, there’s no denying that Bradley is the Eagles’ top choice. And for good reason. The Seahawks defense vastly improved during his four seasons as their defensive coordinator.

In 2009, his first year as Seahawks DC, their defense ranked 24th in yards allowed and 25th in points allowed. This season they ranked fourth and first, respectively. The season prior, they ranked ninth and seventh. Their improvement was not a one year fluke.

So how did Seattle’s defense get better? Well, it wasn’t the result of overpaying free agents. They improved through the draft. A novel approach! 

Since the Super Bowl 39 loss, the Eagles have drafted ONE defensive player that made a Pro Bowl - Trent Cole. Meanwhile in just the last three drafts, Bradley has had a hand in selecting two All-Pros, another Pro Bowler and a potential rookie of the year.

It’s impossible to know how much influence Bradley had on selecting those draft picks, but he and his assistants did some hard work to make these players perform. He obviously put them in “positions to succeed”.

The Seahawks’ first two draft picks in 2012 went to defense. DE Bruce Irvin had eight sacks and LB Bobby Wagner is the likely Defensive Rookie of the Year. DB Richard Sherman was a 5th round draft choice in 2011. He’s an All-Pro in his second season. DB Kam Chancellor, a 5th rounder in 2010, has been to a Pro Bowl. Earl Thomas, who the Eagles bypassed in 2010 for Brandon Graham, is an All-Pro safety. (What Eagles fan didn’t know that last one was going to happen?)

Sign him up!