Sorry for the lack of posts. I've been under the weather a bit and that's kept me off the computer more than I'd like.
So TJ Houshmandzadeh wants to be an Eagle. Great. I'd love to have him. I hope he's coming here to catch 60 passes and play for a reasonable deal. In other words...forget about it. TJ wants to go somewhere and be "the man". That ain't a happenin' in Philly. We don't break the bank for possession receivers and then run the offense through them.
I know fans love the thought of adding a big name, but how many have carefully looked at his numbers. TJ averaged less than 10 ypc this year. Sure, he had Ryan Fitzpatrick throwing him the ball, but Reggie Brown had better numbers when he was a rookie and Mike McMahon was throwing him the ball. Reggie had 26 catches for 354 yards that year in non-McNabb games.
TJ will be 32 next September. He doesn't have speed. He is a workhorse receiver that hauled in more than 200 catches the last 2 years combined, but still isn't happy. This is a guy that people are excited about?
The only thing I really like about him is what he'd do for us in the Red Zone. TJ had 28 TDs catches from 2005-07. That's excellent production. He is a big, physical receiver. That's what we need. Unfortunately I just don't think the overall fit makes sense, especially when he wants a big deal.
Anquan Boldin is back to talking about wanting out of Arizona. I would have interest in him. He'll be 29 this upcoming season. He's no spring chicken, but should still have several good seasons. Boldin is more of a playmaker. He has more career TDs (40 to 37). He averages more yards per catch (12.9 to 11.4). He has more plays of 40+ yards (19 to 6).
The problem with Boldin is that he wants money and you'd have to trade for him. I'd be willing to pony up a 1st round pick for him, but I'm not sure how much more I'd give. I know people will use the Dallas/Roy Williams deal as a reference point, but you have to remember 2 key things. Dallas clearly overpaid. Everyone sees that. Also, Roy is a young guy with huge potential. The best part of his career should be ahead of him. I'm sure Arizona will ask for what Dallas gave up and more, but I don't know that anyone will bite on that (outside of the usual wildcards...OAK, DAL, WAS).
I do believe that our WRs are good enough as is to win a SB. The reason I'd add Boldin is because he could give us a great group. And, like TJ, he is the one thing we don't have...a strong, physical receiver who excels in the Red Zone.
The draft will offer us some guys who fit the same profile. The player who I like the most in that sense is Hakeem Nicks of North Carolina. He lists at 6'1, 215 and looks big, thick, and strong. He's got good hands. He's tough and productive. Hakeem reminds me of a less athletic version of Boldin. There's no guarantee he'll pan out the same way, but they are similar.
We do need to add a WR to the mix, but I don't think we need to make any desperation moves. We're much better right now than many people realize. Adding a guy like Boldin or a high pick could give us one of the top WRs groups in the whole NFL. How crazy would that be?
FA THOUGHTS
I'm gonna watch some pro tape this weekend. I'll check out Leonard Weaver and Ray Willis. I'll look at Vernon Carey. I'll see if anyone looks like help for us.
Someone asked about Jordan Gross. Here's the deal. Jordan is a solid LT. He's athletic enough to handle edge rushers. He isn't a great pass blocker. He's more comfortable as a run blocker. I wouldn't rate him as a true blue chip LT. Those guys don't make it to FA (Orlando Pace, Walter Jones, Jon Ogden, etc.). I think Gross is an outstanding player, though. He has a good combination of size, talent, and experience. The Eagles would be lucky to get him.
MORE DRAFT STUFF
I've gotten some questions about why the team would take a CB high, as I've mentioned as a possiblity.
Lito is gone. He'll either be on another team or another plane of existence. He will not be an Eagle. That leaves us with Sheldon and Asante as the starters. We're good there. MmmBop Hanson is a free agent. I assume we'll re-sign him to be our nickel back. The #4 CB right now is Jack Ikegwounu. He suffered a terrible knee injury last January. No one knows for sure what he'll look like on the field. I've asked my sources and nobody has a strong opinion at this point. Can you count on him? I don't. Hanson is solid in the slot, but lacks the speed to play outside as a starter. If one of the guys goes down we need Ike to take over. If he can't?
We added CFL star Byron Parker. That's good, but he's no lock to make the team. I think you add a CB somewhere in rounds 1-4. We don't need a starter. We need someone who could fill in as a starter if things go wrong. If the right guy is available early on, you take him and consider yourself lucky to be deep at CB.
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3 comments:
I think the Eagles will stay away from Boldin for the reason you mention - the asking price will be too high. And I also agree that Hakeem Nicks would be a nice addition
and would probably break into the rotation early in the season. Can you imagine the Eagles taking a RB like Knowshon Moreno or LeSean McCoy and a WR like Hakeem Nicks with their 2 first round picks? No, neither can I but it's nice to dream.....
I do see what you are saying about TJ, but I think he would be worth it. The cap is not really a problem for us at all. Our biggest weakness was the red zone. TJ is good in the red zone, that alone makes it a good match. Sure, we will have to pay him a good amount of money, and also improve the OL to be better in the red zone, but adding TJ will help.
Bottom line is, they need to add as many peieces to help the red zone offense as the gone, this includes OL, RB, TE, and WR. I think since TJ will only cost cap space, not other resources such as draft picks, it would be a worthwhile move. We can then concentrate our picks and trades on th other needs, mainly OL.
One thing to remember about TJ is that he's a real hot-head. He got away with that stuff in Cincy and was able to fly under the radar. If he goes nuts in Philly the press would have a field day and he'd face all kinds of scrutiny. That is one of the reasons bringing him in makes me nervous. You better keep him happy if he comes to Philly. That probably means 85 catches. Is that realistic in our offense?
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