Morning Phil-Up: Brett Hundley Believes He Could Fit The Eagles

Before we get started today, I thought I’d throw my two cents in on the Sixers’ trades from yesterday.

I understand that these moves are unpopular, but Sixers fans have to look at the big picture.

The Sixers get worse in the short-term. With Carter-William and McDaniels no longer on the roster, the team just got significantly worse. They have no capable point guard on the roster, which will really create problems for them. However, this is a good thing for this year. It’s critical for them to have the best draft pick possible this summer.

Look at the what the Sixers have to work with in the coming years.

They’ve got quality pieces in Joel Embiid, Nerlens Noel, Robert Covington, Tony Wroten, and Jerami Grant on the roster. They’ve got Dario Saric coming over from Europe in the next year or two.

They’re going to have a top-five pick in this year’s draft. They could potentially have three more picks in the first round, which gives them immense flexibility to control the draft and move up as they please to get who they want.

They’ve got all the cap room they need to acquire key free agents when the time is right.

It’s easy to criticize. It’s easy to complain. But to do so is shortsighted and foolish.

If you want a real hopeless case of a franchise where nothing gets done and chaos and incompetence reigns supreme, look at the Philadelphia Phillies who have already been a bad team for three years and have made absolutely no progress in rebuilding or recovering.

That’s not the case for the Sixers. Assets have been gathered, both in young talent and future picks. The right guy is in place as head coach. The front office is organized, united, and focused. Unlike some franchises in this town, they’re not afraid to do something bold or unpopular just to appease the masses.

The future is very bright for this franchise.

Be sure to check out these articles before you start your morning.

Brett Hundley Believes He Could Fit The Eagles’ System – CSNPhilly

At the NFL Combine, UCLA quarterback Brett Hundley was asked what NFL offense he believes would make for the easiest transition for him. Hundley’s response was none other than Chip Kelly’s offense in Philadelphia.

Hundley thinks that Kelly’s offense is similar to what he ran in college, and believes that his familiarity could help him become an instant contributor if he were to be selected by the Eagles in the upcoming draft.

Hundley is currently projected to go somewhere between rounds one and two. After Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota, Hundley is considered the third best prospect available, though there is a considerable drop off in how highly he and the other two top quarterbacks are regarded.

I don’t believe the Eagles are going to consider a quarterback in this draft unless they have a realistic opportunity to grab Mariota.

Despite Special Teams Skills, Casey Too Expensive To Keep – The 700 Level

James Casey wasn’t much of a factor on offense during his two seasons in Philadelphia, but he became on of the team’s top assets on their elite special teams unit a year ago.

Casey led the team with 13 special teams tackles, and blocked two punts in 2014. He was a very valuable member of this team.

However, Casey came with a price tag of $4 million, which was simply too much for the Eagles to pay for a player like him. The Eagles already have plenty of depth at the tight end position. Brent Celek is still a viable option, and Zach Ertz is the future. Undrafted rookie Trey Burton made the team as a fourth tight end, and showed a great deal of promise as well.

With the team in need of some additional cap space, it became a necessity to release Casey and his expensive cap number. Paying $4 million for a third-string tight end was simply a luxury that the Eagles couldn’t afford at this time.

Did Hamels Hurt His Trade Value? – Philly.com

Cole Hamels spoke earlier in the week, declaring that he wants to pitch for a winning franchise, and he realizes at this point that he won’t be able to win another championship in Philadelphia.

Bob Brookover of Philly.com did a piece where he questions whether or not Hamels hurt his value in the trade market by coming out and speaking his mind.

I don’t buy that Hamels has hurt his value at all. Cole could come out and say almost anything he wanted, and it wouldn’t make any franchises in need of an ace any less interested in the former World Series MVP. The talented lefty is going to command the same amount of interest, regardless of how he speaks about his current organization.

The only way Hamels’ value will decrease is if he stops performing like one of the top pitchers in the game.

Does Marcus Mariota Want To Play For The Eagles? – Bleeding Green Nation

Marcus Mariota was asked about the possibility of reuniting with his old coach Chip Kelly, and the Oregon product expressed interest in coming to Philadelphia.

However, Mariota also noted that the process is out his hands (and Kelly’s as well) and that we’d all have to see how the process plays out.

Mariota has reportedly been doing very well in the combine interview process, drawing comparisons to that of Russell Wilson, which should only help his stock rise as draft day grows ever closer.