Latest news with #ReedBlankenship
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Eagles Defense Shows Difference To True Title Contenders
Eagles Defense Shows Difference To True Title Contenders originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio has been around the NFL for a long time. As a former head coach of the Denver Broncos and defensive coordinator for multiple teams, he has seen changes in the way the game is played, and the way athletes react to certain levels of coaching. Advertisement Sometimes, those changes don't exactly fit with his style. Take his lone season with the Miami Dolphins as an example. Fangio was brought in to assist a very talented defensive room with All-Pro guys at each level. But … Despite some statistical success, his tenure only lasted a single season with many Dolphin players chastising the coach for his "old school" ways of coaching. Things changed drastically once he was hired by the Eagles last offseason. Instead of having veterans blinded by egos, Fangio joined a defense that was only interested in getting better. That is exactly what happened, too. And Philadelphia's players, unlike several stars in Miami, have nothing but great things to say about their coach. Advertisement "Whatever was said in Miami, that's their locker room. Our locker room is completely different," starting safety Reed Blankenship said. "We've got guys that liked to be coached and like to be held accountable and obviously that shows on the field. We're a young group, but we understand if we want to win the big things we've got to be coached hard." Blankenship's comments shouldn't be overlooked. During his time in Miami, Fangio joined a defense with already established stars. His way of coaching and teaching didn't jive with players who did things a certain way to a level of success. In Philly, they have fielded one of the youngest defensive groups in the league over the last two seasons. They needed that hard coaching. And along the way, they caught a level of excellence with Fangio that many of Miami's stars could only dream of. Related: Eagles Running Game Plan Takes New Shape In Roster Move This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 8, 2025, where it first appeared.
Newsweek
a day ago
- Sport
- Newsweek
Eagles Star Addresses Fallout After Outspoken Player's Exit
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. For the second time in a few years, the Philadelphia Eagles have left their former safety CJ Gardner-Johnson disgruntled. The trend continued at the top of the offseason, when the Eagles traded away Gardner-Johnson to the Houston Texans. The deal came as a shock, considering the Eagles had just re-signed the veteran secondary player one offseason ago. When Gardner-Johnson inked his second deal with the Eagles, he did it with intentions of sticking around for multiple seasons. The Eagles found success with Gardner-Johnson in their secondary once again. Both seasons he played for Philadelphia, the Eagles made a run to the Super Bowl to face the Kansas City Chiefs. The first time, the Eagles couldn't come out on top, with their defense infamously struggling against Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City's attack. The second time around, Gardner-Johnson and many Eagles players won their first Super Bowl, getting revenge over Mahomes and the Chiefs. While the defensive line's ability to get to Mahomes was the X-Factor to the win, the secondary did its part and helped the Eagles secure their second Super Bowl win in franchise history. Gardner-Johnson had an opportunity to celebrate for the moment, but it wouldn't be long before he was sent packing. Recently, Eagles safety Reed Blankenship addressed the loss of Gardner-Johnson to a scrum of reporters, wishing Gardner-Johnson well while remaining confident in his squad. C.J. Gardner-Johnson #8 and Reed Blankenship #32 of the Philadelphia Eagles look on against the Dallas Cowboys at Lincoln Financial Field on December 29, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. C.J. Gardner-Johnson #8 and Reed Blankenship #32 of the Philadelphia Eagles look on against the Dallas Cowboys at Lincoln Financial Field on December 29, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania."Obviously, you don't know as a player. I don't make those decisions, but he was a great player for us, and I wish him the best in Houston, too," Blakenship told reporters this week, via "But it's the next guys up in the room. I feel like we got the guys in the locker room to fill that position in. It's gonna be tough, but it is what it is. It's a business out there." When Eagles' defensive coordinator Vic Fangio told reporters that the Gardner-Johnson move was a "salary cap-type thing" that he supported, Gardner-Johnson clearly didn't appreciate the messaging. "I was a test dummy for them," the safety wrote on Instagram. "So, now they can be like my 'scheme' work, or did my skill set make it work?" I had zero issues. [People] had issues with me. So, yeah, let the salary cap be the 'excuse.'" As Gardner-Johnson prepares for a fresh start with the Texans, who've become his fourth team, the Eagles seem more than ready to move on. As the young secondary showed plenty of promise beyond Gardner-Johnson, Blankenship and the Eagles are ready to utilize their next-man-up mentality.
USA Today
6 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Eagles' star safety had his number retired by West Limestone High School in Alabama
Eagles' star safety had his number retired by West Limestone High School in Alabama Reed Blankenship, a 2022 undrafted free agent, was a standout two sport athlete at West Limestone High School in Lester, Alabama Reed Blankenship has become a critical cog in the Eagles' Super Bowl history, and he's continuing to add honors to his resume. Blankenship joined the Eagles as an undrafted free agent out of Middle Tennessee State and played his first two seasons at the NFL's minimum salary before earning escalators and a one-year extension. Now a Super Bowl champion and one of the best young safeties in the NFL, Blankenship just had his No. 12 football jersey retired by West Limestone High School in Lester, Alabama. Blankenship logged 78 tackles (52 solo), six pass defenses (including four interceptions), and one fumble recovery in 15 regular-season games in 2024. Blankenship improved during the playoffs, logging 27 tackles (18 solo), one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery during the Eagles ' four-game run to the Super Bowl. Blankenship signed a one-year, $3.58 million contract extension with the Eagles last April after leading the team in tackles and interceptions. Blankenship could be in line for another, more lucrative contract extension.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Saquon Barkley boldly claims that 2024 Eagles were 'a top-5 team of all time'
We're only a few months removed from the Philadelphia Eagles' dominant Super Bowl win to close out the 2024-2025 season. But it's been long enough for Eagles running back Saquon Barkley to make some bold claims about last season's team. On an episode of "Exciting Mics" — a podcast co-hosted by Barkley's Eagles teammates Cooper DeJean and Reed Blankenship — released on Thursday, Barkley told the defensive backs that he believed last year's team should be valued as one of the best teams all-time. "I firmly believe when you look at our team that we had last year, I think we're a top-five team of all time. And I tell my boys this all the time. Like if you really look at the season, outside the first four games, it was belt to a**," Barkley said. "How dominant you guys were on defense, and how dominant we were on offensive and special teams — people don't realize how great of a team that actually was." "We were working together," Blankenship chimed in. "After the bye week, we just bought in." Barkley agreed, and added, "When you have the talent and skill that we have in our team, mixed with the coaches, we all play together like how we played, teams really stood no chance." Saquon Barkley on the 2024 Eagles'I firmly believe when you look at our team that we had last year…I think we're a top-five team of all time.' — Exciting Mics (@excitingmics) May 22, 2025 Barkley, DeJean and Blankenship are obviously going to be a bit biased when it comes to the Eagles. But does Barkley's claim hold water? Barkley's key caveat — "outside the first four games" — is kind of a hard one to overlook. The Eagles lost two of their first four games of the year; their two victories were only one-score wins. After a bye week in Week 5, Philadelphia went on a much better run, going 12-1, before cruising through four playoff games to win the Super Bowl. But to ignore those first low-scoring games feels like a major oversight. Otherwise, when looking at the season-long stats, the 2024-25 Philadelphia Eagles were an excellent team — especially, as Barkley noted, on defense. The Eagles were arguably the best defense in the league last year, allowing by far the fewest yards (4,732), the fewest offensive plays (999) and the fewest passing yards allowed (2,961), per Pro Football Reference. Opposing teams averaged only 4.7 yards per play, and only one team allowed fewer points (the Chargers, who allowed two fewer points in total). Philadelphia's offense was also incredibly strong, though less so comparatively than its defense. The Eagles had one of the best scoring offenses in the league, but were seventh in key offensive stats like total points and points per game. Philadelphia was top 10 in most of the special teams stats as well. But calling the team an all-time great might be a little bit too strong. Even on defense, Philadelphia's strongest area, the '24-25 Eagles don't quite measure up to some of the greatest defensive teams in the NFL's history. Last season, Philadelphia had a DVOA (defense-adjusted value over average) of 21.3%, per Joseph Acosta of SB Nation. That number, per Acosta, is lower than some of the top Super Bowl-winning teams of the past two decades, including the 2004 New England Patriots, 2013 Seattle Seahawks and 2020 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Those teams (two Tom Brady-led squads, and the Seahawks at the peak of the Legion of Boom era) alone are hard for the 2024 Eagles to square up against — and that's not including all of the legendary teams that came before the turn of the century. With that said, last season's Philadelphia team was a great, cohesive squad — enough that the organization is sticking with most of its biggest pieces. Barkley got a massive extension that can keep him in Philadelphia potentially through 2028; Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni just agreed to a multi-year extension of his own. Now, Barkley and the team will just have to try and replicate that success next season.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Super Bowl Champion Reed Blankenship high school jersey retired
LESTER, Ala. (WHNT) — Reed Blankenship may have a Super Bowl ring, but he's never forgotten the place that started it all. The Philadelphia Eagles safety was back at his alma mater Friday for a special ceremony at West Limestone High School, where his jersey was retired. Advertisement Madison Academy girls' soccer takes tough loss in Class 1A/3A championship Blankenship has accomplished a lot since his days in a Wildcats' uniform. He signed with the Eagles in 2022 as an undrafted free agent, playing in two Super Bowls since including the 2024 win. Despite all the accomplishments he has seen at the NFL level, seeing his high school jersey hang in West Limestone's gym is one of his proudest accomplishments. 'It didn't really hit me until I kept seeing all the coaches, my players come in and to the fieldhouse and I'm like, this is real. You see all these videos of players that's been in the NFL or just been like, they've had really great careers in college, got their number, retired at high school, and it's just a great accomplishment,' said Blankenship. Advertisement 'And I'm sitting here thinking, you know, I've been to the Super Bowl twice and, you know, one more and lost one and got to go to the White House and come back. And I'm this is one of the best accomplishments, you know, I've ever had.' Blankenship will also be holding a special meet-and-greet Saturday at the high school, with all proceeds going to the Wildcats' athletics program. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to
