Philadelphia Eagles Legendary Coach, Dick Vermeil Interview

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Jan 18, 2014; Carson, CA, USA; National team head coach Dick Vermeil during the first half of the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl game at StubHub Center. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

BG: In your opinion what is the best draft strategy? Is it to take the so-called best player available? Draft based on need? Draft the “can’t miss, sure-thing player”?

DV: “Well you know, a lot of that is influenced by your roster. You can say draft the best player available at the time on your board, and all of a sudden you get there, and you’re duplicating something you already have with that draft pick, Then there might be a position you need badly, so you might move a little bit, but you never move drastically.”

BG: How much stock is put into the intangibles of a player? How hard he works, if he has the “it” factor and so on?

DV: “A lot into it. That’s why you have the interviews at the combine. That’s why you bring in guys before the draft. That’s why you visit them on campus. That’s why you sit down with their coaches. Heck we interviewed High School coaches. Especially those early rounds, where you invest a lot of money. You owe it to your owner. If you’re going to spend millions of dollars, its best to invest in the guy that has five tires you know?”

BG: How much of scouting is a science?

DV: “Well I don’t know if it’s a science, I think it’s a process. And there are some people who have a more complete process in their grading system and are more disciplined to stick by it, and then there are some people who have great instincts in their evaluation abilities, because of those things, they’ll do a slightly better job.”

Next: Are the Eagles Headed in the Right Direction?

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