Good Tight End Stuff

Just making sure everyone saw this item from Domo today:

The Eagles will be scrutinizing the tight-end crop at next weekend's scouting combine in Indianapolis. They have no intention of bringing back L.J. Smith and would like to find a decent blocking tight end in this year's draft to complement Brent Celek. The problem is, beyond top-rated Brandon Pettigrew, of Oklahoma State, there aren't many tight ends who can block.

"It's really tough to find guys who can block and catch," Eagles general manager Tom Heckert said. "There's a bunch of guys we like that are really good receiving tight ends. But I'm looking at our [draft] board right now, and there are four [tight ends] that probably will go in the first four rounds that don't even line up on the line of scrimmage at all.

"You look at the kid from Missouri [Chase Coffman], he never, ever lines up on the line of scrimmage. You don't even get to see him block. With all of the spread offenses in college, to find a guy who can do both things is almost impossible. You look at their athletic ability and the receiving ability and you just hope they'll give you something as a blocker. In our offense, we want more of a receiver than a blocker. But by the same token, you've got to be able to block a little bit, or it's just going to be a situation where you're not going to be able to run the ball."

The Eagles have made it clear to Celek that he needs to improve as a blocker.

"I think he blocked a little bit better last year [2007] than he did this year," Heckert said. "But he had some minor injuries. He knows the situation. He knows he has to become a pretty good blocker. And I think he will."

And this one from "Moving the Chains":

Q: Who are the top tight ends on your board? In your most recent mock draft, you had the Eagles taking Jared Cook in the second round. Tell us a little about him.
 
A: The only tight end who carries a first-round grade this year is Brandon Pettigrew from Oklahoma St., who could be an option for Philadelphia at No. 21 if he lasts that long.  He isn't a dynamic receiving threat like Kellen Winslow or Vernon Davis, but he is a very good all-around tight end who can contribute as both a pass-catcher and blocker.  After Pettigrew, there is a group of six tight ends who are all known more for their receiving skills and should be taken in the second, third or fourth round, with the order still to be determined by the Scouting Combine and Pro Day workouts.  They are Jared Cook of South Carolina, Shawn Nelson of Southern Miss, Chase Coffman of Missouri, Cornelius Ingram of Florida, James Casey of Rice and Travis Beckum of Wisconsin.  Cook in particular is a very intriguing prospect.  He actually began his college career as a wide receiver and if he works out as well as expected (4.4's at 6-6 and 242 pounds?), his stock could soar. Nelson really helped himself with a strong showing at the Senior Bowl while Ingram is a wild card because he missed his entire senior season with a knee injury.  Most feel that overall tight end is one of the strongest positions in this draft.

Lastly, this is why Spadaro's job is tougher than it looks:

Make no mistake, the Eagles would be smart to add to the position. Smith would certainly seem to be a candidate to leave in free agency, and Matt Schobel has not been much a part of the offense in his time here.

How many drafts do you think he had to go through to find such a carefully formulated way of saying Schobel sucks and the Eagles have attached a jetpack to LJ's butt?