The 76ers Era Of Excuses Has To End

We ALL want the same thing for the 76ers. We just all have different ideas of what constitutes a breaking point. I can attest that mine came at about 3:30 pm on Sunday afternoon. I’m not done with my 76ers fandom, but I’m most certainly done with believing.

I’ve ridden that horse one too many times. I keep buying in when the return on my goodwill has been nothing but pain. It’s a road of good intentions but lined with the guardrails of excuses. There is ALWAYS going to be a reason that the 76ers don’t meet expectations.

If you don’t already know, the critique will never fall on the shoulders of the stars we love. It’s been blamed on coaches, role players, and underachievers. One thing is consistent, your belief won’t be rewarded with any actual victories of measure. I’ve had enough.

It’s fun to see your team win 50 games most seasons when the payoff is a playoff run. It’s been 23 seasons since we have experienced one of those! Every time you think this might be the year, this team doubles down on misery. We saddle up for another Spring of empty promises and plans that never come to fruition.

Ive heard this argument offered as criticism of the 76ers front office. They haven’t done enough to build around Embiid. Can anyone say that again this year?

We all sympathize with the constant barrage of injuries and ailments that keep Joel from reaching his full potential come playoff time. The question is are you willing to just do it all again and believe in a different outcome? This will be a huge debate.

If your argument is that this roster isn’t good enough around Embiid, who are you going to blame? Has there not been enough time for Morey to deliver a roster that could actually advance in the playoffs? There is no Doc Rivers to take the fall this time.

It can get boring, but I am always a blame the players first unless there is leadership incompetence. The 76ers have had a plan that was good enough to win every game of the series. You can’t coach heart and desire. It appears that is severely lacking on this roster.

The 76ers will never be out of my system, but I’ve had enough of the constant excuses. This series is 3-1 in favor of the Knicks due to effort issues. Thats unacceptable.

This summer they will attempt to rework this roster once again. I’m sure some over-the-hill, high-priced veteran will be brought in so that we can all hop on board the hope train. That train crashed today.

I'm not sure I’m ever going to be the same until proven otherwise. You can be a fan and not have blind optimism. I can’t muster any, just like the 76ers can’t muster a quality effort when a game hangs in the balance.

Just because the draft has ended, does not mean the work is over. There are hundreds of players who never heard their names called, who will still have a shot with an NFL team. We are in UDFA time now.

Undrafted Free Agency is sometimes where you find real diamonds in the rough. Most guys will never see an NFL roster. But there is great talent to be found there if you know where to look. Kurt Warner was a UDFA. Wes Welker went undrafted. Warren Moon started as an Undrafted Free Agent. You can get a Hall of Famer if you are lucky. Short of that, you can find solid starters too. That said, most guys will be cut by the end of camp.

More recently, we saw Corey Clement go from Undrafted Free Agent to Super Bowl hero in his first season. His career spun out from there, but without his toe-tapping TD, the Eagles might have never had a parade.

Jamaal Jackson went undrafted in 2003, and went on to be the Eagles starting center for parts of 5 seasons.

TJ Edwards turned into their best LB not too long after being signed as a UDFA.

Not to mention names like Andre Watters, Herman Edwards, and Chad Lewis.

Last year the Eagles relied on many UDFAs. it didn't go great. But it is hard to blame them for not being perfect in their 1st or 2nd seasons. Reed Blankenship and Eli Ricks may till have roles with the Eagles going forward. The fact the Eagles had to rely on them is more a problem with roster construction than it is a statement on the future of those two players.

So who are the Eagles bringing in this year? Can any of them crack the roster. Did they find one of those diamonds in the rough?

In his post-draft press conference, Howie Roseman confirmed this would be a small UDFA class.

One, they had a lot of draft picks, but they also signed a few players to future contracts, like Julian Okwara and Darian Kinnard, whom they view in a similar way to UDFAs. There was not much space left on the 90-man roster, so they weren't able to be as busy in UDFA as they usually are.

But they did make some signings. And some might have a chance at making the roster.

You can check out what they did in the actual draft here, and then you can keep scrolling to see which UDFAs they sign

We knew they would get a Georgia guy somewhere. They didn't take any in the actual draft, but the first UDFA to land here is a Bulldog.

Milton was semi-productive at Georgia. What hurt him was the complete lack of production through the air. But he had an eye for the endzone on the ground, racking up 14 TDs.

Being one-dimensional will hurt his chances of making the final roster though in a crowded backfield. Two RB spots are locked in, and as a 4th round pick, Will Shipley is a near lock too. Maybe they keep 4, though there is no guarantee of that. It will be an uphill battle for him to earn that spot.

We know the Eagles love shopping in the SEC for DBs that fall out of the draft. Eli Rcks, Mekhi Garner, Josh Jobe, Mario Goodrich, are just a few of the Bama otr LSU DBs that have signed with the Eagles the past few years as a UDFA. Two, Ricks and Jobe, even got decent playing time last year.

They gave Sam a decent signing bonus to come to Philly, so clearly they like him. And Safety might be one of the bets ways for any UDFA to get onto the roster given the lack of depth there.

He comes in with a lot of experience, playing over 1,400 snaps at Safety in college and 600 at Slot Corner already between McNeese State and LSU. That type of experience, and the production he had, 11 straight weeks in 2023 without allowed a TD, makes him a decent candidate to make the final cut.

Hall is big, and has the tools, but the production was never there in college. Super high upside is kind of what you want in a UDFA though. There is no risk there apart from wasting Jeff Lurie's money. If he comes in, and gives you nothing, you just cut him and it doesn't hurt the team at all. But if your coaches can unlock Hall's tools, you might have something.

There might be some space at the very back of the DT rotation for someone to sneak on the roster. Apart from Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, and Milton Williams, no one else is a lock.

Talik Keaton was not a productive WR at Marshall. In 5 seasons, his single-season high in yards was 268 yards. It would be hard to see him being any more productive in the NFl. But what he did do well in College was return punts and kicks. And with the new kickoff rules, there will be chances for people to make the roster solely as a kick returner. He has heavy competition for that role though.

I would be shocked if Keaton cracked the roster. Even as a return man.

The 5th year TE spent his final college year at Tennessee, but before that spent 3 at UC Davis, and 1 at Cal. He never racked up many yards, but he did have a nose for the endzone. 5 TDs last season, and 14 total over the last 4 years. They need help at TE, but I have a hard time seeing him beat out Albert O or C.J. Uzomah for a spot.

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Cankwah is a mssive human being. 6ft8, 353 lbs. That type of size can play. It did not always translate in great play at Howard though. He gave up at least 3 sacks every year in college. But get a guy with tools in, let Jeff Stoutland work his magic, and see what happens. He is so far the only OT they added during the draft.

Olatoke is not an official UDFA, and will not count against the 90-man roster. But the Eagles are inviting him to mini-camp. if they like what they see, he may get a contract and make it to training camp. Like Devon Allen, he is a track and field star, and played for the Ohio State Football VClub (not the actual Ohio State team).

The 6ft2 Wr ran a 4.36 40 at the IPP Pro Day. It is hard to see him making the roster yet. But maybe he makes it to training camp, then gets stashed on the Practice Squad for a bit. It is an interesting story to say the least, we will see if it goes anywhere.

Another rookie camp invitee. Jacob Roberts is an impressive athlete, who drew some eyeballs at his Pro Day. he was fairly productive in college too, with 6 sacks and 2 forced fumbles. Even if he does manage to turn the rookie camp invitation into a 90-man roster spot though, it's an uphill battle to make the team. LB is suddenly deep, though lacking top end talent. He would have to really stand out to get a shot.