5 highlights of Frank Reich’s most recent press conference
It’s been a while since we heard from him, but offensive coordinator Frank Reich recently addressed the Philadelphia Media.
When the sun came up on Monday, there were four days remaining on the OTA offseason workout schedule (June 5th, 6th, 8th and 9th). Much has been discussed about the Philadelphia Eagles, especially on offense. It’s been a while since we heard from the team’s offensive coordinator, so Frank Reich took a moment to meet with the media before starting quarterback Carson Wentz took the podium to share some of his own thoughts on how things were going.
These days, a lot of the same things are being asked and discussed repetitively. Truthfully, there’s only so many times you can hear about Wentz improving his footwork without pulling your hair out. Yes, you’ve probably also been hearing about his throwing motion and how competitive things are with some of the position groups. Still, there were some surprises and some interesting things that were discussed.
Here are some of the highlights:
1. Some have been curious about how Reich would feel about Wentz working with a passing guru.
Reich seems supportive of Wentz’s decision to seek some outside help from passing guru Adam Dedeaux. “No, I don’t have any issue at all to be honest with you”. Reich lamented that, in his day it was more common place to take some time off and rest, but he understands Wentz’s hunger. “Believe me, I would have loved to give him a few weeks off…but that’s fine. I mean, it’s a different era. You can’t do that anymore.” His description of Wentz’s work ethic is best described in one of his simplest phrases of the morning. “He has an itch to get better”.
2. Reich has no conerns about the team’s offensive line.
“I love our O-line” he said. Some Eagles fans were critical of center Jason Kelce a season ago. Don’e count Reich in that number. He raved about Kelce’s intelligence, calling him the quarterback on the line. He even believes the Eagles reserve guards would be starting on most NFL teams.
3. Kudos were given to LeGarrette Blount and Donnel Pumphrey.
It didn’t take long for Blount to win the favor of his new offensive coordinator. Reich said Blount’s vision and experience have shown through already and that Pumphrey’s ball skills and route running will add another element to the offense during the 2017 season.
4. How is it Reich can see reasons to be excited about Dorial Green-Beckham‘s game when the rest of us can’t?
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“I think it was a growing process for everybody,” said Reich. “First year, first system. Rookie quarterback. You know the whole deal. He has traits that are unique in his size and length and his strength. You saw it a few times last year. Every now and then when we’re watching a few clips from last year, you see it. He’s hard to tackle once he gets the ball. He’s so big and strong, he’s athletic, and he’s got good feet to go with it.”
Okay Frank. If you say so.
5. Competition is and always will be a good thing.
As Reich mentioned, the wide receiver position was an area the Eagles knew they had to get more production from in 2017. Now, with a pretty stocked cupboard, Reich is excited about this skill position group, particularly the rookies. “Mack Hollins is a build-to-speed guy with tremendous ball skills…Very good feet for a big man. Excited about his development.” His position on Shelton Gibson is one we all share and have already noticed. “Gibson has the trait of speed that you can’t buy.”
Enough said.
As mentioned, June 9th will conclude the voluntary portion of workouts before the Eagles move on to their mandatory minicamp. That’s scheduled for June 13th through June 15th.