– OT Stacy Andrews will likely sign with the Eagles.  Stacy is the brother of Shawn.  The Eagles will have two beasts on the right side of the line.  Stacy is 6’7″ 342 lbs.  A deal is reached.

– If Brian Dawkins is not wearing an Eagles uniform I will be pissed beyond belief!  Dawkins is visiting with the Broncos.

– Houshmandzadeh is visiting with the Seahawks.  But, TJ is sending text messages that he wants to be an Eagle if they want him to be!

– Broncos expected to acquire Buckhalter.

– Haynesworth signs with Redskins for $100 million over 7 years.  And they still probably won’t make the playoffs.

– LJ Smith may end up in Atlanta.

I’m too distraught over the Brian Dawkins situation and severely hung over so free agency coverage will have to take a break.

With the start of free agency just 36 hours away, we are all trying to anticipate what kind of moves the Eagles will make.  The Eagles are $30 million under the cap, so there’s plenty of room to make big moves.  Here are six free agents that the Eagles should court.  This article explores the free agent rankings by position.

Although I’m personally pulling for Houshmandzadeh, who we may risk losing to the Giants, I think the Eagles top priority is the offensive line, so pursuing Ravens G/C Jason Brown may be the Eagles first move.  I think that would be a great move since it would give Shawn Andrews or Todd Herremans the opportunity to move to tackle, which the Eagles seem to be panicking over now that talks with Tra Thomas are moving slowly and Jon Runyan is a free agent and coming off knee surgery.  I’m confident the Eagles will get a deal done with Tra Thomas.  Even though he’s getting up there in years, he’s been solid and consistent and we can’t afford to lose him this offseason.  Not to mention the fact that McNabb won’t be too pleased if his blindside isn’t protected.

Les Bowen doesn’t expext the Eagles to dive into free agency like year.  I can see the only two moves the Eagles make are going after Jason Brown and perhaps upgrading at fullback with Seattle’s FB Leonard Weaver.  Weaver has a great skill set for a FB with his ability to gain short yards, block, and catch out of the backfield.  Klecko clearly isn’t getting the job done and Thomas Tapeh was sorely missed last year.

I fully expect Brian Dawkins back this year, but the Eagles could add former Giants/Raiders safety Gibril Wilson as a backup and let Sean Considine go.  If you recall, Gibril Wilson left the Giants last year for big money in Oakland and he’s already been cut.  Please let Considine go.  I have an aneurysm every time he is on the field.  I can’t stand the guy.

Laveranues Coles was also cut by the Jets.  Although the Eagles don’t need another small wide receiver, if Coles isn’t demanding big money, would the Eagles consider him?  I doubt it, but you never know.  It’s another option on the table.

As I read articles like this one from Les Bowen as well as watch clips of NFL Live on ESPN, I’m tired off this meeting between McNabb and Banner/Reid being blown way out of proportion.  Everyone is reading way too much into this.

Here is what’s going on in my opinion: McNabb has two years left on his current contract, McNabb has stated that he wants to retire an Eagle, McNabb would like an extension that would pay him nicely and keep him in Philadelphia for the remainder of his career.  The Eagles are possibly using his age/injury history as leverage to give McNabb less money.  McNabb, upset with the way the front office is playing ball, decides to return the ball back to the front office’s court and uses his latest statements to give him the leverage in the contract negotiation.  McNabb is saying before he considers signing an extension, he wants to see how the Eagles improve the team.  If the Eagles don’t improve the team, McNabb will either demand a trade or not sign the extension and wait until he is a free agent in two years.

What I’m sick of is this “poor McNabb hasn’t gotten any weapons from the Eagles front office.”  Did the Eagles attempt to acquire Randy Moss last year?  Yes, but Moss took less money to stay with Brady.  Did the Eagles attempt to trade for Tony Gonzalez last year?  Yes.  They didn’t get him because the Chiefs would not listen to any offers.  Did the Eagles not draft DeSean Jackson, arguably the best rookie wide receiver out of the class of 2008?  Yes, he is amazing.  Why is he not being mentioned as a weapon for McNabb and why is the front office not getting any credit for drafting him?  Could the Eagles do more for the offense and McNabb?  Sure they can.  Last year, there were no premier WR free agents.  This year, they have a shot at acquiring T.J. Houshmandzadeh.  If that doesn’t work, they could attempt to trade one of their first-round picks for Anquan Boldin, but I’m sure the Cardinals would balk at any offer.  They would be stupid to trade Boldin when he’s locked into the best offense in the league for two more years.  As a last resort, the Eagles could get Marvin Harrison on the cheap to please McNabb, but I wouldn’t expect more than 40 receptions, 500 yards, and 4 TDs from the veteran.   At least it’s a band-aide solution for one to two years.

Bottom Line: Start recognizing the genious of the front office to go out and draft the best wide receiver in the 2008 draft class, DeSean Jackson!

Let’s see what’s going on in Eagles Nation.  First you have McNabb saying that before he even considers a new deal, he’ll have to see what the Eagles do to improve the team through free agency, which begins this Friday at midnight, and the draft.

Stay tuned for Eagles to sign Brian Dawkins and Tra Thomas soon.  The Eagles also locked up Joselio Hanson for 5-years, $21 million.  Great move!  The secondary is set and Lito Sheppard is now expendable for whatever we can get for the guy, 3rd-round pick perhaps?  I’m sure the Lions or Chiefs will want/need him.

The news from the Combine: Wake Forest LB Aaron Curry whooed the hell out of scouts with his workout and he may go as high as #3 to the Chiefs; Andre Smith, the highly coveted Alabama OT, who was set to be a top-10 lock, had a mental/physical meltdown and left the combine without telling anyone, thus killing his stock and his paycheck dramatically; there’s an impressive list of 40 times from WRs, so the Eagles have some solid options outside the first round, and the RBs (notably Beanie Wells and even Knowshon Moreno) posted poor 40 times.

But the big buzz lately is Marvin Harrison.  The Colts cut Marvin Harrison and Harrison will be a free agent.  Yes, he’s 36 and his production has declined after his knee injury, but a return to his hometown with his college quarterback is the feel-good story floating around and the Eagles need another WR to make McNabb happy.  He’s a cheaper option that Houshmandzadeh, so this may work out quite well.  Here’s some supplemental reading on Marvin Harrison/Eagles talk:

Eagles Rumors: Marvin Harrison homecoming? [Recliner GM]

Eagles Would be Smart to Make Push For Harrison [Eagles Gab]

Schefter predicts Marvin Harrison to the Eagles? [Bleeding Green Nation]

Oh, and Ray Lewis want to play for the Cowboys.

Free Agency This Year Not Exciting As Last Year’s:

So pretty much all the fun has been sucked out of free agency thanks to the awful Franchise Tag, which needs to go!  The Panthers signed OT Jordan Gross to a 6-year deal AND tagged Peppers to boot.  That means the Panthers have to pay Peppers a cool $17 million.  Most people are asking, how do the top 5 DEs make $17 million?  They don’t: a clause states that the tagged player gets the greater of the average salaries of the top 5 highest paid players at that position or 120% of the player’s salary the prior year.  Peppers made $15 million last year.  That’s a nice two-year payday.  I don’t know what he’s complaining about that.

Adding TE Owen Daniels and kicking L.J. Smith to the curb doesn’t seem likely since Bleeding Green Nation reports that Daniels has been tendered at the highest level.  Although, there are some rumblings that Kellen Winslow is being shopped for a 2nd- and 3rd-round pick.  Here are some proposals.

Adding a WR like Antonio Bryant won’t happen either.  A big, physical guy with a lot of talent and upside.  He’s been tagged by the Bucs.

What are the Eagles options?

T.J. Houshmandzadeh — Houshmanzadeh will likely hit the market, but Heckerd says he’s not looking to add a wide receiver (unless he’s bluffing).  I think Houshmandzadeh/DeSean/Curtis would be a perfect combination of receivers.  Housh’s bread and butter is 5-yard catches over the middle, with a high amount of yards-after-the-catch (YAC).  With DeSean Jackson and Kevin Curtis out there as well, I don’t see how #5 cannot hit one of them at will.  With all the other potential free agents out there tagged, the Eagles have room to make one big move.  This is their big move.

Offensive Tackle Outlook:

Looks like Tra Thomas will be resigned.  Jon Runyan will test free agency, find out nobody wants him due to his age and knee injury, and he’ll likely sign late with the Eagles on the cheap. Winston Justice is being shopped, but who are we kidding, who’s going to want him unless the asking price is a sixth-round pick (maybe a fourth, please?).  Justice will probably end up being cut in August unless he gets his act together.

That means you can bet your last dollar that the Eagles will be targeting an OT in the draft.  I say they package their 2 first-round picks to get the OT that they want.  Or I’ll take Michael Oher AND Beanie Wells.  Please NFL Draft Gods!  More on the OT draft outlook coming later.

If I had to give you my top 3 Eagles of 2009, it would have to be in this order: Brian Dawkins, DeSean Jackson, and Asante Samuel.  To celebrate these players and their contributions, here are some new wallpapers dedicated to their domination in the NFL.

1.) Brian Dawkins — At 35 years young, Brian Dawkins is still a force to reckon with.  The 7-time Pro-Bowler hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down as he continues to be one of the NFL’s elite safeties.  Before what seems to be an eternal man has to retire, let’s get him a Super Bowl victory to cap off what has been an incredible career.

2.) DeSean Jackson — An unbelievable rookie season from the sensational Cal product.  Eagles Nation’s prayers were answered when he was drafted by the Eagles 49, about 40 spots in the draft too late for his production this year.  Can DeSean Jackson be the next Steve Smith?  It didn’t take long before we found that out.  When you get over 200 yards in your rookie debut, you know you have a special player on your hands.  We look forward to many more great seasons from D-Jack.

3.) Asante Samuel — The big-money corner paid huge dividends this year, especially in the playoffs where he had two huge interceptions (one a pick six, which led the Eagles over the Vikings and another against the Giants to set up a TD and the W).  They say big players come up big in big games and Asante proved that statement true.

Here is all the reading you need to catch up on the latest in what’s going on in the Eagles free agency rumor mill.

Full List of 2009 Free Agents [NFL Gridiron Gab] — Eagles fans are focusing on T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Anquan Boldin (not an UFA, but they can try to trade for him), and Julius Peppers.  Although I would be thrilled to have any of them, with both Tra Thomas and Jon Runyan entering free agency, I wouldn’t be surprised if Pro Bowl Carolina OT Jordan Gross is the #1 priority on the Eagles offseason list.  Odds are the Panthers resign him and let go of the disgruntled Julius Peppers.  Here’s a more detailed review of the 2009 free agent from Sports2Debate.com

Philadelphia looking at Jordan Gross or Julius Peppers [Off the Record Sports] — They seem to think the Panthers will franchise Peppers and try and sign Gross long-term, which could lead to a bidding war with the Eagles.

Free Agency Report: Jordan Gross [Bleacher Report] — A great in depth look at Jordan Gross.

If Cardinals trade Boldin, Eagles are frontrunners [All Things Philly Sports] — Boldin is locked up in Arizona for two more years and the Cardinals would be stupid to unload him, but if Boldin threatens a hold out and causes more headaches for their front office, it’s always a possibility.  The asking price is likely a first-round and third-round pick.  If that’s the asking price, I think Philly would take it.  If the Eagles don’t bite, he may end up with the Giants.

No tag for Houshmandzadeh? [Philly.com] — If the Bengals franchise Housh, they’ll have to shell out $9.88 million.  Housh said he doesn’t think the Bengals would do it.

Eagles Rank 20th in Pay Roll [Gary Cobb] — How the hell does Oakland have the highest pay roll?  Dallas is second.  Anyway, the Eagles have the room to make a big splash in free agency.

Free Agent Fullbacks [Inside the Iggles] — Although it’s not high on the priority list, the Eagles do need a Fullback.  Here is the list of free agents.  Although Lorenzo Neal is old, he still gets the job done.

Freddie Mitchell busted with Pot [Bleeding Green Nation] — Fred-Ex delivers his weed via Fed-Ex, but he got busted.

I wish I could be saying the SUPER BOWL, but we all know what happened. I am feeling confident that the Eagles could win the Super Bowl in 51 weeks. It starts with guys like DeSean Jackson already getting ready for next season.  If you want to know the definition of work ethic, read this article.  If we have more guys that play with the heart of DeSean Jackson and Brian Dawkins, the Eagles will be Super Bowl Champions next season.

After that, there’s free agency, which we’ll be on top of like white on rice.  Then there’s things like the combine to keep us busy as we wait another 6 months.  And then there’s the big day: the NFL draft.   Will Brandon Pettigrew, Beanie Wells, or Knowshon Moreno be your next Eagle? We will see April 25.

Back to DeSean Jackson.  I’m feeling a 1,300 yard, 10 TD season next year.  That means trip to the Pro Bowl.  You know what that means?  A trip to Hawaii (Miami next year) and $45,000 in straight cash homey ($22,500 if the NFC comes up short).  You know what $45,000 could buy?  Half of Terrell Owen’s orange Range Rover!  Hopefully Reid doesn’t coach it next season because that would mean the Eagles would have lost in the NFC Championship (for the fifth time in a decade).  The coaching honors always go to the coach of the AFC/NFC runner up.

Yeah DeSean Jackson, you do that dance!

DeSean Jackson Quoteable:

The first two games of the season, when I posted back-to-back 100-yard receiving games, I’d have to say that was the defining moment of my rookie year.  Next season, I’d like more than 1,000 yards receiving, more than 60 catches, more than 10 touchdowns. That’s the ideal stuff, but it still takes you going out there and doing it.

I was the first one off the field after the Arizona game. It was hard watching another team celebrate.  And I only watched a little bit of the Super Bowl because I thought we should’ve been there. When Santonio Holmes made that catch in the endzone, the first thing going through my mind was that it should’ve been me.

Great moments in DeSean Jackson history: DeSean Jackson’s NFL Debut

The Phillies have locked up Ryan Howard for 3 years.  The price tags: $54 million.  This comes from the Philadelphia Inquirer:

The Phillies today agreed on a three-year, $54 million contract with slugger Ryan Howard, a source close to the situation told The Inquirer.

Great news in addition to locking up Cole Hamels for 3 years, $20.5 million, which happened just weeks ago.

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