McLeod shoots back at Bradham’s criticism

PHILADELPHIA » The Philadelphia Eagles practiced Wednesday in hats, not helmets, and largely with face coverings, not shoulder pads.

Quarterback Carson Wentz wore a mask while barking out the signals and running the offense. Disclaimer: It was a walkthrough tempo.

It was such a slow day that Eagles safety Rodney McLeod, the veteran anchor in the secondary, addressed the criticism directed at the Eagles by Nigel Bradham, who played linebacker for them the past four seasons.

Now with the New Orleans Saints, Bradham told reporters in the Big Easy “It’s definitely a different type of environment, a different culture because the last two organizations I went to weren’t really winning organizations.”

The Saints added parenthesis with this explanation on their official transcript: “winning organizations (when I first arrived there).”

Keeping with that theme,

McLeod believes Bradham (didn’t mean it).

“I did see a clip of that, and I know Nigel, he’s a good friend of mine,” McLeod said on Zoom. “And he tried to clear the airwaves with that one. But I will say at the end of the day throughout his four years here, we’ve been to the playoffs and we’ve also been Super Bowl champions

and he’s been a part of that. So, at the end of the day we hope to just continue that.”

The Eagles could bump into Bradham and Malcolm Jenkins, another disgruntled Eagle, should they oppose the Saints in the playoffs. They’re two of the more talented teams in the NFC, at least on paper.

To advance to the postseason McLeod and the Eagles need to get the secondary squared away. Free agent signee Darius Slay is a big start, as he’s been one of the premier cover corners in the NFC.

“He’s everything I think we all envisioned him to be,” McLeod said. “He works hard. He’s probably one of the last guys off the field.

And on the field, man, you feel his presence. He’s going to make us a better secondary because of it. He’s already making a lot of plays on the ball, like an interception the first practice out. I’m excited. It helps me out a lot being back there in the post having a guy that can take away half of the field.”

McLeod and Jalen Mills, who’s converting from cornerback to safety, are in charge of fast tracking an inexperienced and-or underachieving group of defensive backs into a disciplined, cohesive unit. Newly acquired Will Parks also is in the safety mix although he doesn’t know the defense nearly as intimately as McLeod and Mills, who intercepted Wentz Tuesday.

For now, Avonte Maddox is getting a lot of the snaps at cornerback on the opposite side of the field from Slay.

Veteran Nickell RobeyColeman also is in play outside and at slot corner, with Cre’Von LeBlanc getting snaps in the slot. Cornerbacks Rasul Douglas and Sidney Jones need to show that they belong.

The Eagles’ pass rush could be in better shape as well. Beyond Fletcher Cox, Brandon Graham and Vinny Curry are three key players with injury concerns – defensive tackle Malik Jackson, coming off Lisfranc surgery, tackle Javon Hargrave, out of action for multiple weeks with a pectoral strain and end Derrick Barnett, sidelined with an ankle sprain.

Defense starts up front for coordinator Jim Schwartz. Good coverage, on the other hand, helps the pass rush.

“The 2020 Eagles defense will have a different identity than we’ve had in

the past,” McLeod said. “At the end of the day we have to play to our strengths and plug guys in to places where it’s going to give us the best success.

“It’s coming together a lot better than I think anyone would imagine with just the short span of time we’ve been together. So far, so good.”

In terms of down-theroad drama, you’d be hard pressed to find a better storyline than the Eagles taking on the Saints for the right to go to Super Bowl LV.

“We hope to be back down in Tampa holding up that Lombardi Trophy,” McLeod said. “That’s the culture that we’ve built since I stepped in here in 2016. Playoffs is the standard. And once we get in, there’s no telling. But the goal is a championship each and every year.”