Giant Expectations

In the wake of cornerback Darius Slay’s arthroscopic knee surgery, the Eagles’ positional landscape looked different when it took the field against the Seattle Seahawks on “Monday Night Football.”

Rookie fourth-round pick Kelee Ringo got the start in Slay’s place, across from veteran James Bradberry, but newly appointed defensive play-caller Matt Patricia opted to implement a rotation on the outside, primarily between Ringo and fellow rookie Eli Ricks.

The rising youngsters essentially split the workload 50-50, with Ringo garnering 32 snaps (52%) and Ricks accounting for 29 (48%). Ringo and Ricks also accounted for 70 and 52 percent of special teams snaps, respectively.

Ricks took the second series and mixed in throughout the evening, but like Ringo, the extended look proved relatively uneventful, with the duo teaming for an 0-for-5 stat line when targeted.

Ringo yielded a brilliant pass breakup, while Ricks provided blanket coverage, most notably against Seahawks wide receiver Tyler Lockett on a 3rd-and-5, forcing a punt in the waning moments of the final frame.

As part of an Inside The Birds Rookie Diary series, I’ll be checking in with Ricks throughout the season, learning more about the first-year corner and chronicling his rookie campaign.

On Friday, I briefly caught up with Ricks at his locker after practice to discuss his elevated role in Seattle, his assessment of the Giants receiving corps, areas in which he can improve, and revisiting his thoughts on the Eagles all-black uniforms.

Andrew: You and Kelee essentially split outside corner reps  in Seattle. How do you think you performed?

Eli: “I think I had 2-3 targets, no completions. So, solid day. Obviously, there’s stuff to get better at and stuff to look at, but for my second game at corner, I felt it was pretty good.”

Andrew: Looking back on that last defensive series, were you surprised Drew Lock targeted a veteran?

Eli: “It’s football. I mean, 14 [DK Metcalf] was their best player, so I wasn’t really too surprised. Because JB was following him, and we knew in two-minute drill, 14 was their main targets. So, we honestly were expecting that to be honest.”

Andrew: How would you assess the Giants receiving corps?

Eli: “Wan’Dale [Robinson], nice, quick speedster guy … 13, [Jalin] Hyatt, big play receiver. And [Darius] Slayton. But they’re honestly all kind of the same type of receivers, fast guys that can kind of take the top off of a play. So, it seems like they kind of draft or get the same type of wide receivers. So, we kinda know what their game plan is gonna be.”

Andrew: You played against Hyatt in college, right?

Eli: “Yeah, I was injured in that game. But I was there, yeah.”

Andrew: Going back and watching  film last week, what areas do you feel you can improve upon?

Eli: “I feel like I could be an even more sound tackler. And probably just my communication with my teammates, just getting us all on the same page. There was a couple of times, you know, when they motioned over to a bunch, we just all gotta get on the same page. So, I would probably say my communication and my tackling.”

Andrew: You’ll get a chance to wear Eagles black alternate uniforms. Is that still your favorite?

Eli: “Yeah, my favorite combo. All-black, the best unis the Eagles have, in my opinion. Them should be our home jerseys. [Laughs]”

Andrew: What’s one goal you’re aiming to achieve this week?

Eli: “Getting turnovers. I used to be a turnover king. I haven’t gotten the best opportunities, but if I get one, I need to get it and bring it down.”

– Andrew DiCecco (@AndrewDiCecco) is a Staff Reporter/Content Producer for InsideTheBirds.com.