Ertz: Now, With New Players And Winning Culture, We Have What It Takes
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- With offseason team activities (OTAs) underway, there are plenty of substantial names and new faces at Philadelphia Eagles practice this spring.
Sam Bradford, Kiko Alonso, Byron Maxwell, DeMarco Murray, Ryan Mathews, Walter Thurmond, Miles Austin, and Tim Tebow.
"I'm loving it to be honest with you," third-year Eagles tight-end Zach Ertz told Angelo Cataldi and the 94WIP Morning Show on Wednesday. "We got a lot of good guys that have come in and just, I think, truly bought into the culture that we have created. Sam [Bradford], Kiko [Alonso], DeMarco [Murray], Byron [Maxwell], some of the other guys. So it's been a lot of fun just being out there at practice and just practicing with them."
Listen: Zach Ertz on the 94WIP Morning Show
Ertz was the Eagles' 2013 second-round pick out of Standford. Just a few months before that NFL Draft, the Eagles hired former Oregon head coach Chip Kelly to replace Andy Reid.
Kelly, after taking over Reid's 4-12 Eagles team, is 20-12 in his first two NFL seasons with one playoff appearance. This offseason Kelly was given complete control of personnel decisions, triggering a slew of controversial roster moves that sent quarterback Nick Foles to St. Louis and star running back LeSean McCoy to Buffalo.
Now, according to Ertz, the pieces are in place.
"The culture that we've created over the past three years is one, that we want guys to come in and work every single day," Ertz said of the Eagles' culture. "Guys are, I think everyday, have a singular mindset of getting better and I think that's important for the team. If you want to be the best and bring a Super Bowl home to Philadelphia I think that's what it's gonna take. I don't know if we had that before, but I think now we do."
What makes Kelly so effective as a head coach?
"He's gonna do everything in his power to make you as good as you can and I think that's all you can ask as a player, of a coach," Ertz said of Kelly. "I think all the players truly love playing for him and that's why everyone's bought in.
"I honestly don't know, and I don't want to know, what it would be like to go to another NFL team and see how slow their practices would be because we get so many more reps and each and every day is like conditioning. I mean it's a lot of fun, the uptempo."
The most contentious player that Kelly acquired is Bradford. The former 2010 first overall pick out of Oklahoma missed the entire 2014 season and played just seven games in 2013 due to back-to-back ACL tears.
On Tuesday, Bradford threw during 7-on-7's for the first time.
"Well, you could see why he was the first overall pick for a reason," Ertz said. "I mean, he's got all the arm talent in the world. I've played with some of the best in the league right now, and he's right up there with them if not better than them, in that regards.
"I didn't say that Sam was going to be a better quarterback [than Andrew Luck] in any way. I just, in my opinion, Sam has one of the best arms in the NFL and you could see why he was the first overall pick."
The most popular player Kelly has brought in this offseason, is none other than Tebow. Tebow, who hasn't played in an NFL game since 2012, is just hoping to make the team.
"He's throwing it well," Ertz said of Tebow. "He's a little inconsistent at times, but he's gotten a lot better. He can run, he's very athletic when he pulls the ball in the zone read game and stuff like that. He's definitely improved each and every day he's been out there, so I think that's all you can ask from a guy."
Last year the Eagles allowed 264.9 passing yards per game (second most in the NFL) and 30 touchdown passes (fourth most in the NFL). Kelly went out and signed the top-rated free-agent cornerback in Maxwell, a veteran in Walter Thurmond, and drafted three defensive backs including a versatile second-round pick out of Utah, Eric Rowe.
The secondary must be improved, correct?
"Yeah, no doubt in my mind," Ertz explained. "Bringing in a guy like Byron Maxwell who can play a number one receiver. Nolan Carroll has made a huge jump this offseason just bringing that great effort each and every day. And then Walter Thurmond's gonna be a great pickup for us as well I think. They're all active players, they've all been around the league for a long time, and they're all great competitors so I think it's gonna be a lot of fun with those four back there."
Speaking of Maxwell, who has played in the last two Super Bowl's as a member of the Seattle Seahawks, said last week that this Eagles team is going to make a Super Bowl run. After practice on Tuesday, Maxwell didn't back off his comments.
Ertz loves the confidence.
"I have no issues with our DB's or anybody on the team saying that they think we can go to the Super Bowl because I think we can go to the Super Bowl and I think everyone else in the NFL thinks they can go to the Super Bowl. But talk is cheap this time of year."
