The Eagles have four fifth-round picks. I think they will use 2-3 of them in order to move up in the earlier rounds, but what do you do if you have to draft 4 players in the 5th round? I took a look at what Walter Football had to say:
141. Darryl Richard, DT, Georgia Tech
Andy Reid loves taking tons of linemen each April. He’ll get his fix here.
153. David Bruton, FS, Notre Dame
The Eagles signed Sean Jones to play free safety in 2009. The problem is, Jones is a natural strong safety, and he inked a mere 1-year deal. David Bruton could take over for Jones in 2010 if he shows enough potential.
157. Morgan Trent, CB, Michigan
The Eagles could also use some corner depth with Lito Sheppard gone.
159. Kaluka Maiava, OLB, USC
How many fifth-round picks does this team need? I’m actually running out of positions to give to the Eagles. Andy Reid has a tendency to take linebackers in the middle rounds.
With Tra Thomas’s departure to Jacksonville, the Eagles have a huge need to address at the left tackle spot. We already know the Eagles have stockpiled draft picks. The Eagles have 12 picks in this year’s draft and they don’t intent to keep them all. The Eagles traded Lito Sheppard and Greg Lewis to acquire more draft picks that they can deal to either move up in the draft or use a combination of picks to go after Bills LT Jason Peters. Peters is a 6’4″, 340 lbs., 27-year-old LT with 6 years of experience. He would be a much needed addition if the Bills are willing to deal him.
Adding a veteran tackle like Orlando Pace is another idea. Pace was just released by the Rams. With all the recent injuries, I’m wondering if he’s serviceable at all, but if the Eagles have to draft a tackle, they will want to add a veteran as some “insurance.”
We know that the Eagles wanted a tackle in last year’s draft. Chris Williams was their guy. His stock skyrocketted in the days leading up to the draft and the Bears took him with their 14th pick. The next guy on the Eagles radar was Brandon Albert, but the Chiefs traded up to grab him before the Eagles could make their move to get him. This prompted the Eagles to trade out of the first round and they still got another guy that they wanted: DeSean Jackson.
Last year was much deeper at tackle than this year’s draft, so I’m wondering what the Eagles thoughts are this year on drafting a tackle. Jason Smith and Eugene Monroe should be locks to go in the top 10, so they are way out of the range for the Eagles to trade up. Andre Smith would be another top-10 lock if it wasn’t for his breakdown at the combine. Perhaps an impressive Pro Day will put him back at the top of the board and a team like Cincinnati could jump on him with their 6th pick. That would put Michael Oher as a potential guy the Eagles could target, but would have to trade up for.
We also know the Eagles want to get their hands on Brandon Pettigrew to fill the TE spot left by the departure of L.J. Smith. With the Eagles drafting at 21 and 28, I expect the Eagles to package some of their late-round picks with each of their first rounders to move up a few spots to secure Michael Oher and Brandon Pettigrew.
If the Eagles don’t find a trading partner and have to stay put and the top tackles are off the board, what do the Eagles do? Do they draft another position of need (RB) or do they go with the next best tackle? Who knows. William Beatty and Eben Britton are the consensus next-best tackles. The Eagles would also have their choice of Beanie Wells, Knowshon Moreno, or LeSean McCoy at pick 28, but the Eagles never draft a RB in the first round and RB is deep in this year’s draft. I wouldn’t be opposed to waiting until round 2 or 3 to grab a RB. There are great options in the later rounds. Iowa’s Shonne Green and NC State’s Andre Brown are good options in round 2, but I think the Eagles will have their eyes set on Texas A&M’s Mike Goodson as a 2nd or 3rd-round target. If the Eagles go OT/TE with their first two picks, I would definitely jump on taking Goodson with a 2nd-round pick. Goodson posted a 4.54 40-yard-dash at the Combine, but improved that to a 4.43 at his Pro Day. Plus, his skills at catching the ball out of the backfield have been praised, which is a prerequisite to be an Eagles RB.
Watching Material (Remind you of Brian Westbrook at all?)
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:
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.
You know the story. The Eagles dominated the Rams for over 500 yards of offense and won 38-3. DeSean Jackson was incredible (107 receiving yards, 96 punt return yards). That could go down as one of the best rookie debut performances… ever. The highlight of the game for me (other than all 522 yards of offense and the 90 yard TD reception by Hank Baskett, which supports my position that he’s the best #4 receiver in the league) was this hit by Sheldon Brown on Steven Jackson. Steven Jackson: YOU GOT JACKED UP!
The Eagles played preseason game #2 and here are some game notes. I missed the 1st half, but what a game it turned out to be in the 2nd half: a come from behind win — 24 unanswered points — 24-13. From what I saw from the 1st half highlights, it was uneventful, except for a botched field goal attempt by the Eagles that ended up in 7 for the Panthers. Carolina was up at halftime 10-0. The Eagles made a 2nd half comeback with Kolb leading the way to a 17-13 lead. The Eagles then tipped a QB pass in the final minute of the game and it was picked it off by Justin Roland for a TD. Here are some notes from the 2nd half:
– Kevin Kolb: I love the guy. His stats don’t really “woo” you, but here’s what I saw. Scratch that, he ended up with 155 yards and a TD in one half. The guy throws darts on the field. He has a great command of the offense, he plays fired up, he plays with passion — he’s a winner. He has great awareness in the pocket, he steps up at the right time, and he makes the right throw — on a bullet. He had an INT, but it wasn’t his fault: he threw a bullet to DeSean Jackson and it went through his hands, and ended up in the hands of the defender behind him. More on DeSean Jackson next. To reaffirm what I said about Kolb: he just threw a beautiful deep pass to Greg Lewis in the left corner of the end zone — touchdown, 7-13 — just text book.
– DeSean Jackson: He was definitely the #1 target with the second team. 2 mistakes from the rookie: he had a fumble and gave up and INT by not getting his hands on the ball. Hopefully, we get those mistakes out of the way early. He has the great ability of catching short passes and turning them up field for big yards: he just caught a short ball and turned it into 9 and he ended up with 4 catches for 32 yards the last time I saw the stat tracker. He looks good out there, except for giving up the INT, but as mentioned before, that pass was a bullet. As I write this, another short pass to DeSean for a first down: 7 catches 70 yards — that’s 3 catches and 28 more yards in a matter of about 3 minutes: this guys is going to be good. He will have to put on weight though, and that will come.
– Jerome McDougle: McDougle started out with a sick sack in the 3rd quarter: the first and only (as of now). The guy has his motor back. He is clearly playing for his job and it shows. If he keeps playing at this pace, I wouldn’t be surprised if he overtakes Juqua Parker for the starting job.
– Lorenzo Booker: Booker got a few touches. He got gobbled up a couple times, but he was able to break a really nice run for 17 yards.
– Hank Baskett: Baskett had a chance to convert on a deep ball from Kolb but he was forced out of bounds by a defender and couldn’t secure the ball before being run out of bounds. I’m a big Baskett fan: I think he’s the best #4 receiver in the NFL. Baskett and Kolb hooked up deep later towards the end of the 4th quarter to make a push to win the game.
– Sav Rocca: Beautiful punts from the Aussie. I want see him start hitting some people.
– Lito Sheppard: He got a pick. Is a healthy season too much to ask?
– Tony Hunt: I love the way he runs: he’s straight down hill. 3:00 minutes left in the game and he takes it 50+ yards to the house for the 17-13 lead!!!
– Andy Studebaker: After the Eagles scored 24 unanswered points (led by Kevin Kolb), I saw Studebaker with a beastly tackle on special teams at the end of the game. Great draft pick by the Eagles. Great draft pick.
– Bryan Smith: The “smallish” small school DE that the Eagles drafted in the 3rd round seems to be worthy of the selection. He had 4 tackles in the game and looked good on certain plays. He doesn’t look incredibly small on the field. He reminds me of Trent Cole. Another brilliant draft pick by the Eagles.
The Eagles released their 2008 depth chart, which you can view here.
Some interesting notes from the chart:
– Lito Sheppard and Sheldon Brown are “co-starters” — that may be a first.
– DeSean Jackson is the #7 receiver on the depth chart, but I wouldn’t read too much into that: I expect that he’ll be on the field for about 30% of the team’s packages. Gasperson is ahead of him and I’m looking forward to seeing what he can do.
– Lorenzo Booker is going to return kicks and DeSean Jackson is going to return punts. Quitin Demps is the backup to both guys and then J.R. Reed is behind them. It looks like we’ll finally have an explosive special teams. I’m setting the over/under for special teams touchdowns to 3.5. Any takers?
– Quitin Mikell is ahead of Sean Considine at the start of the season for the first time… it’s about time the Eagles got that one right.
– Juqua Parker is still holding on the starting spot opposite of Trent Cole. I was expecting Abiamiri to step up and take over the starting spot, but Abiamiri is set to have surgery on his wrist.
– Schoebel is still ahead of newly signed Kris Wilson. Many expect Schoebel to get the boot when the Eagles brought in Wilson from the Chiefs in the offseason.
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.
Even as the price of a gallon of gasoline nears $5 and heat indexes soar above 100 degrees in the Lehigh Valley, Eagle fans are once again expected to converge at Eagles Training Camp 2008 on the campus of Lehigh University in record numbers. Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in the summer amongst the fans and the media is nothing new to Coach Andy Reid, who will be preparing for his 10th year as head coach of the Eagles. Yet controversy and concerns still loom amidst an anxious and eager 2008 Philadelphia Eagle squad before the pads even go on. As all of Eagle nation knows, six of Coach Reid’s past Eagle teams have found their way into the post season with limited success (aka one Super Bowl appearance) and four of them have forever been deleted from our memories (not to mention the lingering void from not reaching the playoffs in two of the last three seasons). This all of course is in addition to the salty taste and anger that has been brewing in Southeastern Pennsylvania ever since David Tyree’s “immaculate reception” in last year’s Super Bowl.
Topping the list of the afore mentioned concerns include the contract dispute of disgruntled Pro-Bowlers RB Brian Westbrook and CB Lito Sheppard, the health of Donovan McNabb, and rookies WR DeSean Jackson and DT Trevor Laws.
(1) To begin, both Westbrook and Sheppard have fired their current agents and have re-signed with different agents in order to gain leverage against Eagle management, since their previous representation could get nothing done during talks in their favor before training camp. At the “Welcome to Training Camp” press conference, Coach Reid made it clear that he has been in contact with Westbrook in the past few days, but has not spoken with Sheppard since the discontent cornerback skipped Organized Team Activities (OTA) last month. To me, although the Eagles can survive and thrive in a season without Lito Sheppard (a la Sheldon Brown), a season without Brian Westbrook would mean disaster. Let us all cross our fingers and hope that a Westbrook holdout is not in the near future.
(2) Moving to less turbulent news, Coach Reid also noted (as reported here at www.allphiladelphiasports.com by Zach Zawarski) that Donovan McNabb’s shoulder problems are now in the past. #5 has spent the last few weeks rehabbing his injury and training in Arizona (as he does every year) along with teammate Brian Dawkins and has been quoted as saying his shoulder ailment is a “non-issue”. It is good to see the captain of our offense and the captain of our defense spending some of the offseason together butting heads in attempts to get the Eagles Team focused on another Super Bowl run. Once again, we should all pray that both these cornerstones of our team remain healthy for the duration of not only training camp, but the entire season.
(3) Finally, we move to the contract situations with rookies WR DeSean Jackson and DT Trevor Laws. It is my pleasure to report to you that as of July 21st both these explosive players, one on each side of the ball, have inked 4-year deals with the Eagles. (NOTE: DT Trevor Laws will likely miss a portion of training camp due to what’s described as a “foot injury”, however this injury does not seem to be a major concern to either Laws or the Eagles’ staff)Near the end of his press conference, Coach Reid announced his new “30 Plus Club” policy. This policy is specifically targeted at older veterans (i.e. Brian Dawkins, Tra Thomas, and Jon Runyan) to keep them fresh and ready for the start of the regular season. Basically this means that after these players workout back-to-back days, they will receive the following next day “half-off” in order to relax, recuperate, and keep from getting fatigued in the intense summer sun. Players over 30 not included in the “30 Plus Club” include Donovan McNabb and AJ Feeley, since they wear the protective red jerseys, and don’t get as physically into the practices as the rest of the players do.
TRAINING CAMP SCHEDULE NOTE: Over the next three days, the Eagles will work out their rookies and some select veterans (27 in total), including throwing sessions with Donovan McNabb, AJ Feeley, and Kevin Kolb so that these select players are ready for when the pads go on this Saturday July 26th.
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