Thurmond Likes His New Team

After the 2014 season ended in such abysmal fashion, it was obvious where the Eagles needed to improve. Their pass defense ranked last in 2013 and ranked 31st this previous season. Chip Kelly was given control of personal decisions and it did not take Kelly long to get to work. The Eagles secondary will feature three new starters in 2015, and Walter Thurmond III is among the expected starting unit. Thurmond, who has played the nickel corner position for the majority of his career, has been playing safety thus far with the Eagles. In a recent interview with BleacherReport Thurmond displayed confidence in his new team and spoke about his switch to safety.

“In Philadelphia, the potential is there for us to win a championship.” Thurmond proclaimed. “It’s going to come down to the hard work we put in during training camp. Can we continue to get better each and every week? Coach Kelly has that same goal of winning a championship, unlike too many coaches.”

Eagles Resembling Seattle?

He also spoke about how the Eagles are beginning to resemble his former team in Seattle that he won a super bowl with. “There are similarities here that I see which I saw in Seattle during the offseason. It’s very exciting, especially when there are other guys – like Byron Maxwell and Chris Maragos- that won championships on the team. They’re feeling the same way that it’s resembling what happened in Seattle.”

Thurmond also stated how he does not agree with former Eagles corner back, Cary Williams, about his assessment on Kelly’s methods. Williams stated how he believed the pace at which Kelly runs his practice, in addition to how often they practice, derailed the Eagles throughout the season. His reasoning was that he said players were tired at the latter portion of the season.

“It comes down to personal preference. I’ve talked to Malcolm about this particular situation. There are concerns coming from other programs. The next program closest to us I feel like is in Seattle in regards to our fast tempo and how competitive we are. You then go to another team that is more veteran-style with tempo and tries to protect the team like the New York Giants. By being a part of these different organizations and situations, I felt the same way going into it after my training was different when I was younger and had fresher legs.” Thurmond admitted.

“I then started talking to Malcolm, and he said that this past year was the best his knees have felt physically toward the end of the year. When you hear a guy like that who is entering his seventh year, takes it in with a positive attitude, doesn’t talk about the system, continues to adapt and he’s saying these things, it serves as a testament that it does work for some.” Thurmond, who played for Chip Kelly in college, touched on how the fast pace and hard work eventually becomes second nature and gives u a severe advantage.

He said his switch to safety has progressed well and how he is getting used to lining up in the middle of the field. Thurmond was one of the stars of OTA’S, consistently making plays from the safety position. If Thurmond can play well and solidify the safety position for the Birds, he will be a free agency steal.

Promising Receiving Core

There is no question that the culture that Kelly wanted to create in Philadelphia is beginning to resonate. Kelly now has players who have a team first mentality and love the dirty work. Thurmond offered praise for the Eagles young receivers. “We have guys that are competitors and want to be great.” Thurmond said. “Jordan (Matthews) is a guy who will not be denied. He will give you 110 percent in every single workout he does and everything on the field.”  “Josh Huff is another guy who is going to have a great year.”

“Obviously, the team added Nelson (Agholor) as well.” Thurmond added. “He has tremendous athletic ability. He could have a year like Odell (Beckham Jr.) did last season.”

If what Thurmond is proclaiming is legitimate then this is the Eagles year to make a run at the Super bowl. Their roster includes the pre-season number one ranked backfield, a young yet dynamic receiving core, and a tight end in Zach Ertz who is primed for a breakout year. Defensively, their secondary is revitalized and they have, according to their stud DT Fletcher Cox, the best front seven in the NFL.

Kelly got rid of the team cancers and replaced them with talented players who are buying into Kelly’s system. If you are sleeping on the Philadelphia Eagles wake up, they may be in for a deep playoff run.