unCovering the Birds with Jeff McLane

Latest Episodes:

Week 2 vs. Falcons: Where the D-Line has gone wrong Sep 18, 2024

Show notes

The Eagles’ home opener on Monday Night Football was there for the taking, and the Atlanta Falcons obliged, pulling off a stunning upset in the final minutes. There were multiple factors that led to the 22-21 loss, which dropped the Eagles to 1-1. But two weeks into the season, one problem has proven more glaring and costly than the rest: the Eagles’ defensive line, a group loaded with blue-chip talent that seemed poised to take a crucial step forward this year. Why has the Eagles’ D-line underperformed? Can practice reps and continued development alone fix their issues? Or, did Eagles’ general manager Howie Roseman and his talent evaluators make some missteps in constructing the unit? The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane examines these questions in the aftermath of the Eagles’ agonizing defeat.

Plus, with Nick Foles in town for his retirement ceremony at Lincoln Financial Field, Jeff revisits an overlooked “what if” moment from the Super Bowl MVP’s career that, had it gone a different way, might have propelled his legacy to even higher heights.

00:00 Where the defensive line has gone wrong, and whether the problems can be fixed

15:05 The big "what if?" Nick Foles moment

24:10 Should Vic Fangio get a pass?

unCovering the Birds is a production of The Philadelphia Inquirer and KYW Newsradio Original Podcasts. New for this season, look for fresh episodes to drop weekly in the days following every Eagles’ game.

Here's the article link Jeff referenced in the episode.

Week 1 vs. Packers: Telling first impressions Sep 10, 2024

Show notes

The Eagles went to Brazil and came back with what they were looking for - a win to open the 2024 season. From Saquon Barkley’s breakout debut to a sturdy showing from the revamped offensive line, there were encouraging signs in the team's 34-29 victory over the Green Bay Packers. But there was also plenty of room for improvement; issues the Eagles will have to address if they want to become a Super Bowl contender. After watching game tape, The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane gives his “good” and “bad” reports from Week 1, and details what he’s been hearing about some potential personnel developments.

Plus, starting tight end Dallas Goedert joins Jeff for a “Pick Six” question-and-answer segment.

00:00 Telling Week 1 takeaways

18:01 "Pick Six" with Dallas Goedert

24:01 Linebacker rumblings...

unCovering: A tamer Nick Sirianni? Aug 30, 2024

Show notes

Nick Sirianni survived the Eagles’ disastrous collapse last season - barely. At the heart of criticism surrounding the fourth-year head coach was a sideline temperament that, at times, crossed the line from passionate to problematic. Did he suffer from a lack of composure? Were his antics undermining how the team was treated by referees? Was his enthusiasm endearing to players, or perceived as childish? As the Eagles get set to start anew in 2024, The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane asks Sirianni whether he’s changed, and talks to other members of the organization about what they've noticed.

Plus, ahead of the Eagles’ historic regular season opener in São Paulo, Jeff talks with Jake Stoutland, son of the team’s longtime offensive line coach, and his wife, Nathalia, about how football and Brazil are intertwined in their lives.

unCovering: Training camp, Week 3 Aug 15, 2024

Show notes

After beating up on mostly themselves the first two weeks of training camp, the Philadelphia Eagles welcomed a fresh challenge: a trip to New England for a joint practice with the Patriots, followed by a preseason game between the two teams. The Philadelphia Inquirer's Jeff McLane traveled to Foxboro, MA to take in the action, and explains why the joint practice might have been the singular, most important event of the Eagles' preseason. Plus, he chats with longtime Patriots beat reporter Greg Bedard about a rumor that just won't go away: ex-New England head coach Bill Belichick's interest in Nick Sirianni's job...

00:00 Revelations from joint practice with Patriots

13:58 Greg Bedard on Bill Belichick's rumored interest in Eagles

27:16 Stock up, stock down report

unCovering the Birds is a production of The Philadelphia Inquirer and KYW Newsradio Original Podcasts. Look for new episodes throughout 2024 training camp, and publishing weekly beginning with the start of the regular season.

unCovering: Training camp, Week 2 Aug 09, 2024

Show notes

C.J. Gardner-Johnson is back with the Philadelphia Eagles, and has brought the big chip on his shoulder with him. That much was clear during his unfiltered first press conference of training camp. What makes the veteran safety tick? How did his second stint with the Eagles come together? Could he be injury prone? The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane examines Gardner-Johnson’s place on the Eagles' roster, highlights DeVonta Smith’s stellar camp, and delivers a preseason stock report.

Plus, Jeff goes one-on-one with starting tackle Jordan Mailata, who discusses everything from songs he'd never try to sing to how he’s moving on after Jason Kelce’s retirement.

00:00 Week 2 training camp notes: CJGJ, DeVonta Smith, and stock report

13:48 Jordan Mailata interview

25:00 Preseason opener preview

unCovering: Training camp, Week 1 Aug 01, 2024

Show notes

The first week of Philadelphia Eagles training camp is in the books. What key storylines are taking shape? The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane has been embedded at the NovaCare Complex, and checks in with his first impressions of a group eager to embrace a clean slate following a stinging finish last season.

Plus, on the cusp of receiving his profession’s highest honor, legendary Eagles radio play-by-play broadcaster Merrill Reese talks with Jeff about a journey that has taken him from doing live M&M television commercials as a kid to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, where he’ll be inducted this weekend.

00:00 Intro / Merrill Reese interview - Part I

06:38 Jeff’s training camp notebook

16:20 Merrill Reese interview - Part II

Up next...unCovering training camp Jul 24, 2024

Show notes

Are you ready? It's time for training camp. All the speculation, hypotheticals, and "what if's" from the past six months since the Philadelphia Eagles' brutal end to the 2023 season are gone. Finally, we're on the cusp of getting answers, and The Philadelphia Inquirer's Jeff McLane is here to give them to you.

For Season 4 of unCovering the Birds, Jeff plans to react to what's happening in the moment - week by week, game by game, big story by big story - and bring you the perspective and analysis of an insider embedded with the team. Think of the podcast as his audio diary of the 2024 season, and your companion for making sense of what's going on with the Eagles behind the scenes.

Listen at inquirer.com/podcasts, free on the Audacy app, or wherever podcasts are available.

unCovering the Birds is a production of The Philadelphia Inquirer and KYW Newsradio Original Podcasts.

unCovering Minicamp Jun 14, 2024

Show notes

Evidence of a disconnect, or perhaps a difference in perspective resulting from changing dynamics? For Jalen Hurts and Nick Sirianni, the answer wasn’t clear after the Philadelphia Eagles’ quarterback and head coach sounded like they were on separate pages when asked about changes to the team's offense heading into the 2024 season. What’s really happening? On the Season Three finale of unCovering the Birds, The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Eagles beat reporter Jeff McLane dives into this question and other important subplots heard and observed during spring workouts. Learn more about the Eagles’ new coordinators, emerging leaders, and key position battles as training camp looms around the corner.

unCovering the Birds is a production of The Philadelphia Inquirer and KYW Newsradio Original Podcasts.

Pain Jun 07, 2024

Show notes

Todd Herremans and Brent Celek were more than just teammates. They were friends and later business partners. As the two former Philadelphia Eagles get farther away from their playing days, they’ve found similar and different ways to heal from the physical and mental punishment of such a violent sport. From cannabis to dietary changes, The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane investigates how these retired Eagles cope with pain as they transition deeper into the next phase of their lives.

unCovering the Birds is a production of The Philadelphia Inquirer and KYW Newsradio Original Podcasts. Look for new episodes in Season 3 dropping throughout the spring.

The price of protest May 24, 2024

Show notes

Death threats. Job threats. Uncertainty about the future, both short- and long-term. The consequences of taking a stand for racial justice hit Steven Means almost immediately. It was the outset of the 2016 season, and he, along with a wave of players across the NFL, felt compelled to protest multiple police killings of Black men earlier in the summer. Even though Means knew raising a fist with Malcolm Jenkins during the singing of the national anthem before a Monday Night Football game in Chicago would draw backlash, the fallout was fierce. How did Means navigate criticism from both outside the Philadelphia Eagles organization and within it? As a player with far less job and financial security than an entrenched veteran like Jenkins, why did Means get involved? All these years later, does he think it was worth it? Has the United States made progress in respect to racial justice? Through Means’ story and perspective, The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane examines the price the former Eagle paid for protesting.

unCovering the Birds is a production of The Philadelphia Inquirer and KYW Newsradio Original Podcasts. Look for new episodes in Season 3 dropping throughout the spring.

Here is a link to 'In His Words,' the first-person article written by Steven Means referenced in the podcast.

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