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.

The Cardinals beat the Eagles to move onto the Super Bowl.  Yeah, it sucks big time, but I’m trying to attempt a little humor to lighten the mood.  Here are the top 5 reasons the Eagles lost to the Cardinals.

1.) Kurt Warner loves Jesus more than McNabb.

2.) McNabb picking up the phone on the Giants sidelines last week was bad karma.

3.) The non-call on Kevin Curtis on the Eagles last drive was just totally bogus.

4.) Larry Fitzgerald is a complete freak of nature. Larry is a player that is just born to play in the Super Bowl.  You have to admire his talent and he is relatively modest for the position that he plays.  Good for Larry.

5.) The flight out West and playing the early game killed them in the first half. I don’t get why this game was scheduled at 3 pm EST, 1 pm MST.  Why couldn’t the NFL switch the starting times with the Pittsburgh game?  I guess perhaps these things are prescheduled and then you have to deal with the TV Networks, but there’s no question that the Cardinals have a tremendous advantage at home playing an east-coast team.

BRIAN WESTBROOK — Coach Andy Reid said Monday that Brian Westbrook (ribs) is “progressing” and has a chance to return after the Eagles’ Week 7 bye.

REGGIE BROWN – First a hamstring injury, then a groin injury.  It doesn’t appear to be too serious and now he’ll have 3 weeks to get healthy again.

KEVIN CURTIS — He traveled with the team to San Fransisco, but was inactive for the game.  Now that the Eagles have the bye week, I expect that he’ll be fully healthy and ready to go against the Falcons.

SHAWN ANDREWS — The latest word is that surgery on his back is not likely required and doctor’s are “optimistic” about it.  After missing the last 4 games, and now with the bye week, I wonder if having him back in week 8 is a possibility.  We’ll keep you posted when we hear more.

RECAP FROM ANDY REID’S PRESS CONFERENCE:
– Max Jean-Gilles – Shoulder sprain.
– Lito Sheppard – Hamstring strain.
– Tra Thomas – Foot strain.
– Reggie Brown – Groin strain.
– J.R. Reed – Ankle sprain.  Hamstring strain.
– Brain Westrbook – Making progress with ribs.
– Shawn Andrews – Seeing 4th back specialist.
– Kevin Curtis – Making Progress.
– All players except Shawn Andrews should be ready for Atlanta.

Good news and bad news for Cowboys.

First the good news for Eagles fans: Pacman Jones suspended indefinitely at least 4 games!

I knew that Goodell would have none of this and that Pacman would be suspended at least 2 games, but an indefinite suspension is even better!  Thank you Goodell.

Then the bad news: The Cowboys acquired Roy Williams.

The Eagles were in the mix, but were outbid by the Cowboys.  The Cowboys gave up a 1st, 3rd, and 6th rounder for Williams, which I think was rather excessive considering the amount of dropped balls, health issues, and general underachieving he’s shown.  The Eagles will be fine the rest of the year assuming Westbrook can get healthy in a hurry, Kevin Curtis contributes upon his return, and Reggie Brown stays healthy and keeps making plays.  McNabb has been outstanding most games, and his bad games have been when he doesn’t get protection and the WRs don’t get open.  Consistent efforts from a fully healthy offense will keep things going in the right direction.  Shawn Andrews has been missed.

More bad news: Tony Gonzalez remains a Chief as the trade deadline passes.

Boo on the front office for not getting this done.  All the Chiefs were asking for was a 3rd-round pick and the Eagles wouldn’t budge.  Huge let down.

From the Desk of Jay Vaidya

I purposely arrived late at camp today (around 8:30am) so that  I could go through the trials and tribulations of parking far away and making the long walk with other Eagle fans to the Lehigh practice field.  Today, Saturday July 26th, marked the first day that the entire Eagle team (including RB Brian Westbrook and CB Lito Sheppard) practiced in full contact drills in front of more than 15,000 passionate and die hard Eagle fans.  As I sauntered through the crowds making my way to the main practice field where the offense was going through some drills, I stopped and talked to some of the Philly faithful about their thoughts on this glorious day.  “I’m here with my boys to finally see some hitting.  We have all waited long enough to see some football,” said Dave of Wilmington, DE.  The nest was surely a buzz. Angela from Philadelphia added, “This is my first year ever coming to camp.  It reminds me of a Woodstock-like concert.  There are so many people here.  My boys and husband are happy that they are able to see some of the new players on the team.  This Eagles camp is probably the best professional training camp in the country.  Don’t you think?”

Angela could not have been more right in her assessment of Eagle camp.  Eagles training camp is not probably, but definitively the best NFL camp in the nation.  Where else can you find passionate fans in the tens of thousands, driving up to 5 hours from their homes in places such as Virginia Beach (VA), Wilmington (DE), Lancaster (PA), Harrisburg PA), etc. just to see some guys they cheer for on weekends practice?  I mean…we’re talking about practice.  Not the game, not the game….but practice.  (Thanks again for those words A.I., you are truly missed)

The first thing I saw as I reached the stands to watch the actual practice was Donovan McNabb throwing a dart across the middle to a cutting Hank Baskett in stride for a 15 yard gain.  McNabb looked great and poised, and so did this year’s probable receiving corps of Kevin Curtis, Reggie Brown, Greg Lewis, Jason Avant, Hank Baskett, as well as new comers DeSean Jackson, Shaheer McBride, and Bam Childress.  Not only that, but our secondary looked great as well.  Led by Brian Dawkins, the corners and safeties also put in great work picking off and deflecting numerous passes from our QBs (this is not to say that the QBs played poorly).  For example J.R. Reed made a great read on a McNabb to Curtis route and jumped the route to pick of Donovan and take the ball back 20 yards.  This play was then immediately followed up by a delayed handoff to Brian Westbrook, who received a clamorous cheer from the gallery as soon as he touched the ball.  B-West was cutting and weaving past the linebackers and headed directly for the secondary before he decided to get out of bounds on many of his touches.  What followed was truly amazing.  Fans began to stand and yell comments from the gallery such as “Don’t worry Brian, we will pay you”, “Don’t hold out on us Brian”, “We need you Brian”, and “We love you Brian” for about 3 minutes after his 7 second run.  This got me thinking.  Should the media saturate the airwaves with talk of holdouts by Lito Sheppard and Brian Westbrook (as once reported here by me) along with contract disputes, rather than talk about other more pressing issues (i.e. what to make of an offense who struggled to score touchdowns in the red zone) surrounding the team and the players who are content with their roles on the 2008 Eagle squad.  So, to get an idea of what Eagle nation thought about this issue I decided to ask some fans for their thoughts on the subject and then relay their thoughts to you the reader.  What I found was that there were two schools of thought regarding this matter.  On one hand we had Eagle fans that were fed up and disgusted with the media who at times made more of these distracting contract issues then the players themselves did.  Conversely, on the other hand we had fans that were adamant that contract “hoopla” is important for fans to know about and discuss as part of Eagle nation.   “I’m tired of all this contract stuff,” complained Joe of Malvern, Pa, “If I hear that garbage on TV or the radio, I simply switch the station.  Fans shouldn’t have to worry about that stuff.”  When asked specifically about the B-West and Lito contract disputes Will of Lancaster, PA replied, “The media makes more of it than they do.  It’s all infuriating.”  Rob of Bethlehem, PA agreed with Joe and Will but also added, “All these NFL guys are way overpaid.  I honestly don’t think any of them are worth even a million dollars.  I mean, it’s a million dollars we are talking about here!”  Not all fans, however, saw the media’s role as “distracting” to the real issue at hand; getting to the Super Bowl.  “The players and the media are only as noticeable as the fans want them to be,” explained lifelong Eagle fan Nate L. of Sicklerville, NJ, “Take a look around.  How many #5, #20, and #36 jerseys do you see walking around?  We (the fans) all pay upwards of a $100 for tickets and jerseys and most other Eagle paraphernalia, and take more than 3 hours plus a week cheering on the team during the regular season.  Don’t you think, especially in today’s economy, that that money could be spent in other places?  But no, we the loyal Eagle fans see ‘being a fan’ in a different light.  In a way, through spending our hard earned money on the Eagles franchise, we become shareholders of this company called the Philadelphia Eagles.  When they win, we win.  When they lose, we lose.  It’s a mindset and a lifestyle each one of us has chosen.  Therefore, when asked should the fans care about contract ‘stuff’ and the media’s role in telling us about that ‘stuff’, I think we the fans must have a say, and be fully briefed on what is happening.  In a way, these players are being paid with our money.”

It was now 10:15am, and I turned away from the practice field to take a minute in the shade to reflect on what I had heard from you, the Eagle fans, and also gather my thoughts and then jot them down in a notepad.  My attention was then suddenly taking away by the joyous yelping of young Bird fans playing in the designated play section located about 100 yards away from the practice field.  Every little kid’s face I observed playing on the moon walk, participating in kick, pass and punt competitions, or simply eating Italian ice was one of delight and happiness.  This is what it should all be about I thought, Happiness.   These kids probably cheer our team, the Eagles, just as hard as you and I.  When we (adults) concern ourselves with contract disputes, what player said what, and who is hurt or not, we take away the element of happiness from our lives.  Rather than concern ourselves with the above mentioned distractions, we should all learn from the children and just enjoy.  We have a great team and a great fan base, and that alone should make us all happy.

– Jay Vaidya

(Thanks to every fan and person that took time out of their day to stop and talk to me.  I learned a lot from you guys and appreciate it.)

QUICK EAGLE NOTES:

– Shawn Andrews is still a no show at practice, citing personal reasons.  There is no word on when he will arrive at Lehigh.

– Asante Samuel’s practice was cut short when he re-aggravated his hamstring.  This injury has plagued the $10mil a year Pro-Bowl cornerback ever since his arrival in Philadelphia.  No further information was given about this injury.

Eagles news has been slow since they commenced their first minicamp of the season.  Despite what the critics had to say, there was a positive buzz surrounding minicamp.  The 2008 draft class got very good reviews, especially the top two picks.  Andy Reid claimed they are ready to compete for a championship and I fully agree.  There is no doubt that the Eagles are in the toughest division in football, but with a much improved defense, a healthy McNabb, and few more pieces to work with on offense, there is no reason to doubt that this is the season that the Eagles get it done.

Here are some articles to read since minicamp closed:

Which team will be this year’s Giants? [ESPN] — Writer Matt Mosley feels that the Eagles will be this year’s Giants.  He says that they won’t win the division, but will be able to battle hard deep into the playoffs with their much improved defense.  I have one point to disagree with him on: he calls Kevin Curtis a No. 3 receiver.  Curtis doesn’t get the credit he deserves.  He may not be the dominant No. 1 that fans want, but he did a damn good job last year and deserves more respect from Eagles fans.  That leads me to the following article.

Kevin Curtis has the credentials of a #1 receiver [Bleeding Green Nation] — 77 receptions, 1,100 yards, 6 TDs.  Those are the stats.  That’s more yards than Plaxico Burress (1,025), Steve Smith (1,002), Anquan Bolden (853), and Roy Williams (836).  However, Curtis ranked 13th in the NFC in TDs behind those players: his TD numbers could certainly improve.  Curtis was 19th in the NFL receptions, just 4 shy of the amount T.O. had in 2008.  I also want to re-emphasize that the Eagles are 1 of 5 teams last year to have 2 WRs with 60 or more receptions.

Is DeSean Jackson just Ted Ginn? [Iggles Blog] — Their profiles are almost exactly the same.  The one key difference is that Jackson has better hands and runs better routes than Ginn, but Ginn has a little more speed.  Either way, I love the pick, and I think Jackson will be able to contribute significantly next year.

Building Jackon’s Game, On And Off The Field [Mike Spadaro] — The one you have to admire about Jackson’s game is his work ethic.

Very Detailed Eagles Draft Review [Inside the Iggles] — I was going to work on putting up profiles on all the Eagles 2008 draft picks, but Inside the Iggles already put together a nice collaberation so we are able to learn all about the Eagles new players.

Eagles add quarterback, 2 linebackers [Philadelphia Inquirer] — The Eagles like Casey Hansen as a QB to try to develop.  The Eagles also have a knack for finding solid undrafted linebackers.

Eagles cheerleaders shoot eco-friendly calendar [Philadelphia Inquirer] — Article provides four preview pictures.

Close look at the Red Zone [Iggles Blog] — A in-depth statistical break down of the Eagles’ redzone efficiancy over the last few years.

I’m back from a vacation and ready to get into some Eagles draft coverage.  This article highlights my thoughts on the Eagles’ first two draft choices: Trevor Laws and DeSean Jackson.  Coverage on the remaining picks will soon follow.

Eagles 2008 Draft Selections:

Round Pick Player Position School
2. (47) Trevor Laws DT Notre Dame
2. (49) DeSean Jackson WR Cal
3. (80) Bryan Smith DE McNease State
4. (109) Michael McGlynn OG Pitt
4. (117) Quentin Demps S Utep
4. (131) Jack Ikegwuonu CB Wisconsin
6. (184) Michael Gibson OG Cal
6. (200) Joe Mays ILB North Dakota State
6. (203) Andrew Studebaker DE Wheaton
7. (230) King Dunlap OT Auburn

When I saw that the Eagles traded their first-round pick, I was less than thrilled.  I was really hoping the Eagles would take Branden Albert, but he was off the board.  Jeff Otah would have been a mediocre pick, but the fact that the Eagles traded away the 19th pick shows that the Eagles didn’t rate Otah too highly.  Unless they thought Otah was going to be a stud at tackle,  there was no point in drafting him and I’m glad they didn’t.

The Eagles got a steal from the Panthers with their 2009 first round pick, especially since they should be around a .500 team next year, and they got a 2008 second rounder and fourth rounder to boot.  On the draft-trade chart, they Eagles gave away a pick worth “875 points” and picked up picks equivalent to “1,546 points.”  They made out like bandits and still got a player that they could have easily have drafted in the first round: DeSean Jackson.

After the trade, I was then hoping the Eagles would be able to draft Brian Dawkins’ heir to be: Kenny Phillips.  I was livid when Phillips ended up going to the Giants with the 31st pick, but there’s a reason 30 teams passed on him and it appears that his game has major flaws.  Since he’ll be forced to be a starter next year in New York since Gibril Wilson left to sign with with the Raiders, those flaws should be exposed by most teams.

At the conclusion of the first round, not a single receiver was taken, which relieved my fears that this year’s draft would become a disaster.  I was then hoping the Eagles would be able to trade up to land James Hardy, but with the plethora of teams with WR needs, I knew that it was highly unlikely.  With two second-round picks, I was confident the Eagles would still be able to walk away with a solid defensive talent and a wide receiver.  That’s exactly what happened when the Eagles selected Trevor Laws and DeSean Jackson two picks later.

I found both picks rather curious, but I think they were both wise choices.  James Hardy, the top receiver on my board, was snatched up by the Bills. Devin Thomas also went a few picks earlier to the Redskins.  When the Eagles were up after the Laws pick, DeSean Jackson, Limas Sweed, and Malcolm Kelly were options for the Eagles.

I put Sweed and Kelly ahead of Jackson, but the Jackson pick makes much more sense after I gave it a second thought.  Jackson may never be more than a third receiver in his career, but I think the pick was better for the Eagles than Sweed and Kelly for a number of reasons.  First, Jackson’s role as a kick returner is a good enough reason to draft him over Kelly and Sweed.  Plus, as the 49th pick, it was great value since he could have easily went in the first round.  Additionally, when a team drafts a receiver, they rarely contribute as a rookie and don’t contribute much in their second season either.  Typically, a receiver takes about three years to finally come into his own.  With that said, if the Eagles took Kelly or Sweed, guys with potential to be the “No. 1 receiver” Eagles fans want, they wouldn’t be able to reap the benefits of that player until a few years down the road.  With Jackson, the Eagles not only have an excellent Hester-esque kick returner, they have a speedster they can immediately put on the field in three- or four-receiver sets who can stretch the field and give Kevin Curtis and Reggie Brown more room to make plays.  Basically, with Jackson on the field, it will create more mismatches for defenses and it gives the guys around him a better chance to make plays — “the Reggie Bush effect.”  I also think Jackson is a great fit in the West Coast system since he has the ability to turn a short catch into a ton of yards.  A receiving trio of Reggie Brown, Kevin Curtis, and DeSean Jackson should work much better together than if you interjected Limas Sweed or Malcolm Kelly into the mix.

When the Eagles selected Trevor Laws, I was slighly disappointed because I would prefer to address a position of need over a position where the Eagles are set.  The Eagles used their 2005 and 2006 first-round picks on their two starting DTs Mike Patterson and Broderick Bunkley, and last year they were both outstanding.  The Eagles love rotating linemen, so the pick makes sense because outside those two guys, the Eagles didn’t get much contribution from any reserve DTs.  I truly believe the Eagles took the best player available at that spot.  I’m absolutely shocked a team with question marks at DT, like the St. Louis Rams, Oakland Raiders, or Cincinnati Bengals, didn’t pull the trigger to get Laws in the second round.  Laws is easily the third best DT in the 2008 draft class behind Glenn Dorsey and Sedrick Ellis.  Laws is the only lineman in this year’s draft class to amass over 100 tackles with 112 tackles, including 14.5 tackles for a loss, 6 sacks, 5 pass breakups, and 3 blocked kicks.  The guy has a non-stop motor [YouTube Video].  Here is a video of his combine work out.  35 reps on the 225-pound bench press — the guy is a beast!

The Eagles learned their lesson after the New Orleans playoff loss two years ago and improved immensely against the run last year with the development of Bunkley and their young linebackers.  With another year of experience for their young front seven and Laws in the mix, the Eagles should rank in the top five against the run in years to come.  Although I may have scratched my head at the first two picks at first, I’m going to have to say that they were rather brilliant picks.