Yeremiah was a bullfrog; he was a good friend of Todd. I never understood a single thing Reid did, but he could give Bell the nod.
Sorry, couldn't help myself.
Yeremiah, of course, is Yeremiah Bell, the recently released safety from Miami. And as fate would have it, Bell played the strong safety position for the Dolphins.
The Eagles were interested in LaRon Landry enough to want him to come for a visit. That means they are at least thinking about adding a strong veteran to the mix at the safety position, particularly strong safety.
However, Landry never made it out of New York and ended up signing a one-year deal with the Jets.
Bell, for what it's worth, would be a nice consolation prize and could perhaps end up being a better addition since he wouldn't come with the injury concern. Though he's not as big as Landry, he makes up for it with consistency and leadership.
Bell is 6'0", 205 pounds and 34 years old. After being drafted by Miami in the sixth round of the 2003 draft, he didn't become a full-time starter until 2008, when he was 30 years old. Since then, he's posted over 100 tackles every season, has five forced fumbles, five INTs and 28 passes defensed.
The biggest thing connecting Bell and the Eagles would be new secondary coach Todd Bowles.
Not coincidentally, Bell became the starter in Miami's secondary the same year Bowles joined the Dolphins staff as the secondary coach (2008). Bowles is largely credited with Bell's development as a player and turned him into a Pro Bowler in 2009.
Therefore, it's not a stretch to think Bell would want to join his former coach on a team with Super Bowl aspirations. But obviously, there would have to be mutual interest.
Bell could be exactly what the Eagles need for their young secondary. He is a team leader, on and off the field. He gets his counterparts in the secondary lined up correctly and helped keep the team together in the locker room after a horrendous 0-7 start for the Dolphins last season.
Consider this quote about Bell from Mike Berardino of SunSentinal.com:
Cutting a team leader like Yeremiah Bell is a highly questionable decision, one the Miami Dolphins could come to regret should new defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle’s unit fail to match the success of the one predecessor Mike Nolan ran.
True, Bell recently turned 34 and his coverage skills had started to slip in recent years, but the co-captain and career-long Dolphin could always be counted on to get the young secondary lined up properly.
Bell’s emotional fire was a huge factor in those defensive huddles, especially with the game on the line, and his work ethic and preparation were great examples for the rest of the league’s sixth-ranked scoring defense.
Other than the part about slipping coverage skills, the rest of it sounds like exactly what Philadelphia's young safeties need. Plus, if the Eagles were thinking about bringing in Landry, they apparently are not making coverage skills a priority anyway.
Furthermore, Bell sounds a little bit like Brian Dawkins in having "emotional fire" in the defensive huddles. If the Eagles defense needs anything, it's emotional fire and intensity.
Bell could come in as a starter and provide some stability at strong safety while serving as a mentor, specifically to Jaiquawn Jarrett. In limited playing time last season, Jarrett didn't show much on the field to give hope he can be counted on for 2012.
Another year of experience and possibly learning from a player like Bell could do wonders for Jarrett and help him become the player the Eagles hoped he would be after spending a 2011 second-round pick on him.
A move for Bell would make sense for the Eagles for multiple reasons. He wouldn't be a flashy signing, but the Eagles don't need flashy in this area. Leadership, stability and solid play is what they need, and Bell would provide all of that.
Save the flashy signing for the linebacker position.
Wade Belak Martin Erat Marcel Goc Jamie Lundmark Nick Spaling Pikka Rinne
0 件のコメント:
コメントを投稿