1st & Goal: Ike Reese, Former Philadelphia Eagles Linebacker

The NFL season is inching closer and closer.

Who are the contenders and who are the pretenders? We have four downs to figure out your team's future. It's time now for First and Goal on the Zach Guild Show. We'll preview the Eagles right now, the reigning NFC champions with former Eagles linebacker and now superstar radio host for Sports Radio 94 WIP in the afternoons. And that of course is our pal Ike Reese. Ike Juice, how you been?

What's up Zach, how you doing brother? I'm doing fantastic and good on Howie Roseman this offseason because when you have a quarterback you got to pay them as quick as possible because after that Lamar Jackson got paid, the price goes up and we just saw what Justin Herbert got at five years $262.5 million. Yeah that's the reason why Howie's the best GM in the business. When it comes to getting deals done like this, he's not going to be last to the party. He's gonna be first to the party because he knows the price tag only goes up after the first quarterback sign. So they got Jalen done early and sure the quarterbacks that have signed after him have made a few million dollars more but as far as the Eagles go they got a an elite quarterback signed early and they got him done under a team friendly deal. I didn't think up until this week with the season that he just had there was national disrespect for Jalen Hurts but then you see that pro football focus had six quarterbacks better than him and they didn't even have him as a top 50 player in the NFL. That was just so absurd and I got to take a grain of salt with everything PFF does but that was ridiculous Ike.

Yeah I look at that two ways Zach. I think it certainly was disrespectful for him not to be one of the 50 best players in the league coming off a MVP caliber season. He would have been the MVP had he not got injured in Chicago and missed a couple games there towards the end.

He would have probably been the MVP so he certainly deserves to be in that top 50 and that's disrespectful. The whole quarterback ranking thing for me I had him as the third best quarterback in the league based off what he did last year and moving forward but I could see where some of these teams where they're going five six or seven or some of these GM's are going five six or seven with him. I would have him as no worse than the third but I don't necessarily take offense to him being ranked as the seventh best or sixth best quarterback even though I think he's ranked higher I just don't think it's necessarily disrespectful. Yeah I would have them number four.

I would have Mahomes, Burrow and it's close with him and Josh Allen. Right. And if you want to tell me that you want to throw Rodgers in front of him okay but at worst there's no way in my opinion that he could say he's not a top five quarterback with the year that he just had. Yes.

Yes Gary. Yeah at worst at worst top five but like that's at worst he's the top five and like I said I based on what he did last year what he's gonna what he's projected to do this year when a team is projected to be the Eagles are one of the team that I say the as in capital T-8-E teams in the NFL when you look at their roster when you look at their coaching staff when you look at the quarterback what's not to like about the Eagles moving forward and Jalen is the engine that drives all of that so if there if he was if he had been a top 10 pick or first round draft pick this wouldn't even be a question I think this is still a lot of stigma that comes with being you know a second round draft pick where scouts may have had some doubts about him but I don't know and I don't know how you have any doubts about him after what he did last year. The quarterbacks phenomenal the line is great Dallas Goddard continues to remain criminally underrated in the NFL the wide receivers are sensational the only question is and it's a good problem to have what is Brian Johnson going to be like as an offensive coordinator but with all that talent I'm not really concerned. No I'm not concerned at all and the best thing about that is that relationship the working relationship in the personal relationship between Brian Johnson and Jalen Hurts I don't know if it could be any better between a quarterback and his offensive coordinator slash quarterback coach even though I know that the title isn't quarterback coach anymore he's the offensive coordinator but he was the quarterback coach while Shane Steichen was here for the last two years and he and Jalen have a relationship that goes well past their time as being employees of the Eagles so so I look at that I look I look at that and I say sorry about that I look at that and I say I'm not really that concerned I think I think Jalen and Brian are gonna do great things this year together.

Let's get to the next down. Ike Reese here with us former Eagles linebacker that is a great job in sports radio 94 WIP I know Eagles fans were happy to see Jonathan Gannon go but in any weird way are they gonna miss him with how successful of a season the Eagles had in the defensive side of the ball outside of the Super Bowl? I'm gonna preface this by saying I was not a Jonathan Gannon naysayer right I'm not gonna sit here and tell you he was Jim Johnson or Buddy Ryan or any of those guys as a defensive coordinator but I think he gets a little bit of a bad rap as to what he was as a coordinator overall despite how the season ended and how his defense played in that Super Bowl I thought he did a decent job last year that being said he's from the school of Vic Fangio and so is Sean Desai so I think the philosophy and what the Eagles want to do defensively won't change a ton but I think allowing Sean Desai to come in and put his own little twist on what he wants to do as a defensive coordinator how he wants his guys to play more importantly what type of identity he wants them to have as a defense I think that's only going to be a good thing moving forward I think the overall philosophy may still remain the same they don't want to be ultra aggressive but I think Sean Desai will be given the freedom to at least put his own little tweaks on how he wants to approach the defensive mentality and I think that's going to come along with some of the things we like as we like our defense to have here in Philadelphia I love the fact that he's also coached under Pete Carroll who's a great defensive mind so you know being out there in Seattle and having that I think he brings a sort of plethora of things to the defensive sort of mindset on that side of the football and I'm excited to see what it's going to be because I really don't know exactly what they're going to look like on defense but I'm excited to see what they can do they certainly have a lot of talent over there some young talent mixed with some older guys but I can't wait till the season starts so we can see what they are well I'll tell you this we all know as Son Redick is going to be a stud once again if he could stay healthy because that's three different teams in three straight seasons with double-digit sacks and Ike Mann I think he could make a run this year at defensive player of the year yeah and that's one of the things I want to see how Sean Desai uses him how he uses him and you know last year you know Redick you know referred to himself as a weapon over there on defense like you can use it not weapon X we're not gonna go grind Dawkins we're not gonna do that but but he was referred to himself as a weapon just meaning you can use him in different ways throughout the defense and I'm hoping to see much more of that and maybe expanding upon that and giving Redick a little bit more room to get out to that quarterback I know that seems a little strange to say but he did drop back in coverage at times last year I like to see him get out to that quarterback a little bit more he's one of the premier pass rushers in the league and it's it's crazy to say he's underrated now he's an underrated pass rusher premier pass rusher in this league what about Jalen Carter your one expectations for him or what for you um they're high they have to be high and here's why they have to be high because he doesn't get the benefit that that Jordan Davis got last year where he could come in and you're playing behind Javon Hargrave Fletcher cogs Milton way like you're playing behind guys like Jalen Carter I'd be surprised if he's not a starter out there day one um and Fletcher obviously being the great player that he is he's gonna be out there and I think Jordan Davis they have to find a way to rotate those three guys enough but Jalen Carter man if there's never been a question about his ability from a talent standpoint like he he's easily he could easily been rated the best player in the draft with the highest ceiling so we know he comes with a little bit of what a little bit of baggage and some some some some things he needs to mature from and grow from that you know he did while he was in college but when you're talking about talent there's no question about the talent if if those other question marks weren't there just about decision-making also field there they could have been an easy case that he could have been the top three traffic in this draft and he was made out of had the chance to get Jalen Carter that's how good he is as a player let's get to the next down I Greece here with us going back to the offense Ike the running back position I know by committee is the way that it works in the NFL now Rashad Penny has dealt with his injuries DeAndre Swift as well I thought Miles Sanders had one really good year for the most part I thought he was overrated for the way that people perceived him coming out of Penn State is there at all any concern with the running back room or behind this offensive line they'll be able to find someone to run the football yeah they stay healthy they'll run the football well that's just how good the offensive line has been and I mean Jeff Stoutland is still the Dean of Stoutland University so I don't see why that would change those guys are just going to get better with more experience they obviously have to show up the right guard position we'll see coming out of training camp who's starting there at right guard in between JC Chelsea and Lane Johnson but as far as the running backs go if those guys stay healthy the production will be there the production will be there now I'm a DeAndre Swift fan I was excited when he was traded for him I love that move but here he's gonna get a chance to prove he can be a bell cow back he didn't get that opportunity in Detroit he had to split reps it'll be interesting to see how they use it we know what penny has shown when he's been healthy there but there's a lot of there there's a lot that has to go into a running back that has had those types of injuries throughout his career in order if you're looking for him to stay healthy throughout 17 games so and I love Kenny Gainwell and Boston Scott where they are we'll see what Trey Sermons brings to the table as a young player they're still trying to find his way in this league but man DeAndre Swift to me is the key because he's a guy who has the ability on third down to be effective also catching the ball out of the back field we it's been a while since we had a back that can run and catch the ball out of the back field and so I think DeAndre Swift has that ability and I think he's looking for the opportunity to prove that he's that caliber of player so he's the guy that I'm definitely excited about and Rashad Penny is one of those signings where there's low risk and high reward there for him and I'll just throw this out there I don't know if it makes sense right now but the longer Dalvin Cook is out there on the market if he gets at a significant discount I wouldn't put anything past Howie.

Wow listen you know you're absolutely right yeah that's the type of move that nobody sees coming that Howie makes yeah so I wouldn't put it past him man I've been a Dalvin Cook guy since he came out of Florida State in that great draft back in 2017 I believe it was when all those running backs came out so he's one of the guys I've always liked I'd be surprised if he was here but then I guess I shouldn't be surprised if it's Howie Roseman that makes that move. And let's get to the final down. Alrighty are the 49ers the only team in the NFC that actually intimidates you a little bit? Wow intimidating now do you know that word doesn't even resonate with me right there we say well we're talking about the Eagles we're talking about football so I'm acting like I didn't hear the word intimidate. Fine the only legitimate competition in the NFC is that better for you like Juice? Yeah that's better for me right there that's better for me because at least I feel okay giving you the answer so especially with the team that I'm thinking of so I honestly think that the Dallas Cowboys have a legitimate chance of being the second best team in the NFC.

Wow. My early prediction is Eagles Cowboys South Philadelphia NFC championship game that's that's because I look at the Cowboys and I say the quarterback position is solidified for them they are sort of flying under the radar there's some pressure on them I could see them sort of winning 11 or 12 games we'll see if that's enough to win the NFC East but like if I'm looking at everybody else's quarterback position in the NFC I can't necessarily put anybody ahead of obviously the Eagles are number one but like Dak is probably the second best quarterback in the NFC I mean you could go cherry golf you could go Chino Smith. Kirk Cousins. Yeah Kirk Cousins. You hold your nose in all those guys let's be real. Exactly exactly so you know I don't want to sound like I'm damn rooting for the Cowboys anything that day.

Yeah come on what are you doing? Yeah exactly I just think if I'm not picking the 49ers to be that team they face an NFC championship game I would think the team they most likely would face if the playoff matchup set up right it would be the Dallas Cowboys I think the Cowboys have a chance to be the one team that could challenge the Eagles and it's primarily because they play them twice a year they're used to seeing the Eagles. Do you think there's a chance that the Cowboys could win the division this year?

Only because of that crazy 20-plus year thing where nobody's won division two years in a row and I don't see the other two teams I don't see the Giants or Washington winning the NFC East so it's definitely gonna be the Eagles or the Cowboys. Well if we do get an Eagles Cowboys NFC championship game I would love to see Deebo Samuel have a crucial drop against the Eagles or the Cowboys. I would love that.

That would be fun. Just like how he dropped my phone call I hope he turns into like quest walk-ins in the Super Bowl dropping passes. Just ask them a few questions about the Eagles he's running his mouth it's funny you don't want to talk about it anymore Ike it's funny how that works.

Yeah yeah I mean the 49ers certainly have they've done their fair share of complaining about what happened in the NFC championship game this all season. He's like Greece Ike always appreciate the time thank you. Oh thank you Zach for having me. Go birds!