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Another day Black Brian Dawkins Jerseys , another bit of information from fan-favorite Chris Long about whether or not he plans to retire this offseason or return to the Eagles. He mentioned just days ago that the city and fans were making the decision difficult, and while stressing his motivations were not money related — which, who would have really thought that from a guy who has given up more than a season’s worth of game checks and won Walter Payton Man of the Year — he also made it clear that the biggest factor would be his role within the defense.The Eagles have made quite a few moves so far this offseason, re-signing Brandon Graham, trading Michael Bennett and adding Malik Jackson, bringing back Vinny Curry and most-recently, re-signing Timmy Jernigan to a one-year deal.Long joined Jeff McLane and Zach Berman on the Birds Eye View podcast to go into a little more detail about his decision and his love for the city of Philadelphia.They dove right into the main interest for fans, and he said that he’s really tried to stay away from the topic as much as possible this offseason because it’s a really tough decision.He went on to say that, of course Youth Haloti Ngata Jerseys , he thinks he could go somewhere and be a starter, but the third-down action is a big part of the defense and he was still able to contribute.Long continued and noted that one of his big concerns was the perception that he’s keeping the team hostage while he makes his decision. Having someone say that the Eagles could have gotten Frank Clark if it weren’t for Long was the reason he decided to speak out about the matter.He said that he’s wishing the team a lot of luck in the NFL Draft this weekend, and ultimately really appreciates Howie Roseman, Doug Pederson and the team being upfront and honest about the whole situation.Long was then asked what role would it take for him to come back — and whether it was that third-down role he had the past two seasons — and the DE was honest and said, “It really ain’t happening”. He also said that stranger things have happened, but he doesn’t wish for things to change, because for things to change that means someone would need to get hurt.Long emphasized he’s just too old to be in a situation that isn’t perfect for both sides, and he holds no ill will and certainly isn’t holding the organization hostage. He said he still wants to play, but he wants a lot of things Haloti Ngata Jerseys Stitched , and that doesn’t mean they’re all going to happen.Long did leave the door open a little bit, saying that he’d never experienced a loss quite as bitter as in the playoffs last year. He knows this is an Eagles team that will be in the hunt for the next couple of years, and after the Saints loss, he was watching the Super Bowl wishing he was playing in that game.Falcons writer gives three reasons why the Eagles will win on Thursday night The Eagles opened their Week 1 game against the Falcons as heavy favorites but the line has been moving in Atlanta’s favor ever since Nick Foles was confirmed as Philadelphia’s starting quarterback. If you’re among those who might not be feeling super confident in the Eagles for some reason, today’s post might have you feeling a little better about the reigning Super Bowl champs.Bleeding Green Nation already took some time to chat with The Falcoholic in order to preview this week’s matchup. (You can read that here.) Today, we’re back with three reasons why each team might lose. This format forces us to consider each team’s weaknesses, rather than just being homers.So, below are three reasons why the Falcons could lose, as written by The Falcoholic’s Dave Choate. Stay tuned to The Falcoholic to see why I think the Eagles could lose.I certainly hope the Falcons won’t lose Youth Nigel Bradham Jerseys , but there’s a reason the Eagles are pretty widely favored in this game. Playing at time and with plenty of talent, they can take this one even if they’re not totally healthy, especially if the Falcons don’t play the caliber of football they’re capable of. Here are three reasons why the Falcons will lose this game, though I hope none of them come to pass. 1) The pass rush doesn’t show up. This is one of my nagging concerns left after the offseason, as the team almost certainly downgraded from Dontari Poe along the defensive front and added no high-end talent up front whatsoever, no matter how promising rookie defensive tackle Deadrin Senat is.The Falcons have a pair of potentially elite pass rushers in Vic Beasley and Takkarist McKinley, but this is just Takk’s second season in the NFL, and Beasley has mixed one utterly brilliant season with two good ones where the production was a bit of a question mark. Grady Jarrett isn’t quite Aaron Donald, though he’s quite good Nigel Bradham Jerseys Stitched , and the rest of the defense has a ton of talent but a fairly mixed track record when chasing down quarterbacks. Linebacker De’Vondre Campbell has some upside and may line up closer to the line of scrimmage some this year, and cornerback Brian Poole is one of the league’s best blitzers at the position. That’s still about it.What I’m trying to say, in a roundabout way, is that this may be merely a good pass rush and not a great one. Philadelphia’s good enough to stymie Atlanta in that regard, and if they do, I can’t say I’m hugely confident the Falcons will win.2) Steve Sarkisian still isn’t ready. We’re hearing now that [new Falcons quarterbacks coach] Greg Knapp is going to have a much more active role in the offense than anticipated, but for someone who remembers the Michael Vick offenses under Knapp, that’s not necessarily a thrilling prospect. If the offensive play calling isn’t up to snuff, the Falcons may scuffle to be the elite offense they should be Tommy McDonald Jerseys Stitched , especially against quality defenses. You saw firsthand in the Divisional Round back in January that for all its weapons, Atlanta can still fall flat without inspired and smart scheming.3) The offensive line can’t hold up. We know that the Eagles can attack the Falcons ferociously up front, and the line has all the pieces it needs to in order to survive that assault. The question, again, is whether they will.A year ago we saw left tackle Jake Matthews struggle with speed and power off the edge at times. We didn’t see Andy Levitre, who is hopefully healthy after suffering a triceps injury that kept him out against Philadelphia a year ago. And we have no real idea of what to expect from Brandon Fusco, the new starting guard and a rock solid run blocker who may or may not be a major upgrade in pass protection. I worry plenty about who is going to be stuck covering Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert, but the possibility that Matt Ryan could be under fire often in this one worries me more.