Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Follow-up Stuff

Here are some responses to questions and comments.

RE: Matt Jones

With the emergence of DeSean Jackson as a star and Hank and Jason as good role players, I don't have a lot of interest in Jones. He is very talented. There are times when he can do some special things. My problem is that I'm not sure where he'd fit in.

DeSean and Curtis are the starters. Avant is the slot guy. Is Matt good enough to come in here and unseat Curtis? I doubt it. He's not as good a blocker as Avant or Hank. I doubt he'd play STs the way they do.

When you combine Jones awkward fit and his off-field troubles, I'm not sure he's a guy you want to bring in. The counter argument is that he could be a "diamond in the rough". Jones hasn't had great QB play during his career in JAX. Maybe he could flourish, even as just a role player, in a high quality passing attack like ours.

I think the Eagles will look to add someone in the draft. If that doesn't work out and Jones is still available...maybe he gets a call. Don't count on it, though.


RE: Peppers being a "confusing" player


Amen. There are times when he looks like one of the greatest athletes in the history of the NFL. There are other times when he looks lost. I think Julius is at his best on the run. He's always looked like a giant LB to me.

If he didn't cost a pick I'd be more interested in him, but I don't like the thought of trading for him and then handing him a big contract when I'm not sure what to expect.


RE: Jay Cutler

I hope smart Eagles fans don't want this guy. Jay is incredibly talented, but is this the guy you want leading your franchise? He got mad in Denver when he didn't get his way and forced his way out of town.

How the heck would Cutler handle the pressure of Philly? How would he handle the media scrutiny? Is this a guy you trust as the heart and soul of your franchise?
___

18 comments:

Unknown said...

Not a chance on Cutler. That guy is a total baby. To even suggest that Denver had anything to do with it is ridiculous. Someone came to them with a trade offer, they listened and then declined. Jay Cutler finds out and throws the mother of all selfish hissy fits. His ego couldn't even handle the thought that the Broncos might have been thinking about trading him.

The saddest thing about the whole situation is that lots of media people are saying the Broncos are partly to blame at least. I'm sorry I didn't realize that a franchise was obligated to reject even the notion of possibly trading a player.

What a freaking baby.

Mr_Boomy said...

Only if we traded for Jared Allen...

orangecrush007 said...

I think Cutler was rightfully upset. The new coach tries to come in and trade for a different QB. Hold on a second. Didnt he notice Cutler's numbers. Is he trying to blame Cutler for the loss? That bridge was burnt by the new coach. Cutler is just doing what he has to do to get a ticket out.

Hopefully Donovan can learn and pull the same thing. I hope Donovan doesn't show for mini-camp so they can get rid of him. The constant missing of open WRs is old. I thought it was just a growing process and Donovan would get more accurate as he aged. But his accuracy is very inconsistent judging from the loss in the NFC Championship game.

orangecrush007 said...

Stephen, the Bronocos pursued Cassel. Not the other way around. Nice spin.

Cliff said...

Cutler is a fool. I'll agree that it's okay for the young QB to admit his feelings were hurt or he felt disrespected by the trade proposals; however, he has the opportunity to play in the McDaniels system that produced Matt Cassel and has worked tremendously well for Tom Brady.

McDaniels could have turned Cutler's talent in to something very special. Instead, Cutler whined himself right out of town. So where does he end up? If he goes to the Jets, Browns or Redskins he wont have nearly the passer stats he could've had under McDaniels.

Whether you agree with Cutler or not, you have to acknowledge that Cutler really altered the path of his legacy as a NFL signal caller. It's also situations like these where you realize how valuable McNabb is to the Eagles in ways that we take for granted as fans. McNabb gets flamed in the media for the slightest comments and a big portion of the fan base starts to agree with the fools at WIP or the Inquirer. Cutler turns in to a 12 year old girl and the media SIDES WITH HIM! WTF?

Tommy Lawlor said...

@ orangecrush007...

The story I heard was that the Patriots called Denver to see if McDaniels wanted Cassel. Josh listened and considered the deal. It would have been a complicated situation. Belichick wanted a quick resolution and worked out the deal with KC instead.

Anyway...McDaniels obligation is to build the best team possible. Should Jimmy Johnson not have traded Hershcel Walker in 1989? That deal helped deliver 3 SB wins.

Cutler is the one most at fault in the whole situation. He didn't win at Vandy. He hasn't won with Denver. His focus should be on winning, not his comfort zone. McDaniels is coming over from the Pats. All he knows is winning. Jay should have sat back with an open mind and really embraced the new coach.

Instead, he went to the owner to make sure the offensive coaching staff wouldn't change when Shanahan was fired. They were let go and that upset him. Then Jay hears about a trade scenario and turns into a scorned 5-year old.

Grow a pair. This is the NFL. Johnny Unitas got cut. Terry Bradshaw was benched. Tom Brady was a 6th round pick. Your feelings are not important. Winning...that is all that matters.

As for McNabb...he has gotten more accurate as he's gotten older. He threw more accurately last year than any I can recall.

He did have some bad passes in the NFC-CG, but we did set the record for most yards gained in a playoff loss. It wasn't as if the offense couldn't do anything.

orangecrush007 said...

Tommy that dump pass to Westbrook on I think 3rd down where Westbrook had to leap in the air to make the catch then turned it up field for a first down and ran out of bounds. Early in the game Mcnabb was missing players all day.

And you can't tell me he was anywhere close to accurate in the infamous Cincy game. That was the worst game I ever saw McNabb play. He is 32 years old! If he hasn't learned by now, he isn't going to. You can't teach an old dog new tricks.

And I think the 32 year old coach came in to town and flexxed his muscle. I would put money down he isn't going to last. To lose a talent like Jay Cutler. Then he is revamping the defense starting with Brian Dawkins. He brings in Buckhalter and JJ Arrington? What kind of crack is this guy smoking. I feel bad for the Broncos owner. The 32 year old's job is going to turn out like the rest of the Belichick prodigies.

orangecrush007 said...

Wow the Broncos are going to be REALLY bad this year. REALLY REALLY bad. They also brought in Lamont Jordan. This is on top of all of their other RBs who seemed to me to be decent last year. I hope the coach has a better eye for draft players than he does for free agents.

Cliff said...

@ orangecrush007

I disagree with your assessment of McDaniels. He's a bright, young coaching star. He's served under Belichick in both offensive and defensive coaching positions. He was the Offensive Coordinator when Tom Brady shattered the TD record and when they took a no-name (Cassel) to a 11-5 record. He was on the staff for all 3 Super Bowls.

The Broncos needed to replace Shanahan with a coach who could rally the troops and bring a fresh, winning mantra to the organization. You seem to imply that McDaniels' youth is a liability. I see it as an advantage for the organization in this situation because he's surrounded by veteran guys who know what they're doing. He has a really solid owner to back him up, as well.

He didn't flex his muscle. He did what every coach is doing right now - answering the phone. Is he not supposed to entertain trade offers? Nobody is sacred in the NFL. Look at what the Pats did. They traded away their talented, young QB for a 2nd round pick. They could've easily kept him as a very good insurance policy this season. That's extremely valuable in today's NFL. Instead, the first-class organization that they are, they place calls around the league and entertain offers and counter-offers.

That's business. If Cutler can't handle this, he really needs to have his emotional health examined. Most of us go through similar "disrespect" on a frequent basis, too. I don't quit or refuse to do my job every time my boss hires a new person or assigns a task to someone else. Cutler is paid a bajillion times more than me. He should be able to handle it.

orangecrush007 said...

If Cutler is so bad and such a liability, let me ask you - do you think the Bears will be better off now with him on their tear?

Mangini Weiss and that black guy all served under Belichick. they all suck.

Tommy Lawlor said...

Mangini didn't suck in NY. He had winning records 2 of his 3 years.

Weiss is up in the air. He did lead ND to a pair of BCS bowls. We need to see what he does this year to really judge him.

Romeo Crennel wasn't a good coach in CLE, although he did lead them to one winning season.

There are plenty of coaches who never have any success. These guys haven't panned out as expected, but to say they "suck" is over the top.

orangecrush007 said...

Mangini has a sub-500 record. That sucks. Mangini went 4-12 in his second season. That sucks. Mangini brought in Brett Farve and went 9-7 (a winning record HOORRAAY!!) and missed the playoffs. That sucks. Mangini has coached on playoff game and lost. That sucks, Mangini got fired. The owner thinks he sucks.

Weis went 3-9 at Notre Dame. In 2007 they set the record for number of losses. You're still deciding if he is any good????

Cornell isn't even coaching anymore. He sucks.

orangecrush007 said...

You do realize the only reason Notre Dame gets BCS berths is because they draw a larger audience and therefore they make more money. That is why they get their butts handed to them by the schools that actually deserve and earn BCS berths.

06-07 ND loses 41-14

05-06 ND loses 34-20

To credit Weis for getting BCS berths is REALLY stretching it.

orangecrush007 said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

Orangecrush, thanks for the comment about the spin, but as it turns out I was the one who knew what he was talking about, and you didn't.

As for Jay Cutler, the coach of the football teams job is not to cater to the emotional needs of his quarterback, especially when he is acting like a spoiled brat. Jay Cutler has publicly acted like the biggest baby I can ever remember, and its a shame that there are actually people out there who think that thats ok.

In the end I think it says a lot about Cutler's maturity and I have to wonder what it says about his ability to lead a football team. I wouldn't trust him to lead a kindergarten gym class, one of the kids might say something that hurts his feelings and he won't show up to teach anymore.

orangecrush007 said...

So Stephen do you think the Bears are going to be better or worse now that they have Cutler?

And if you think alls McDoanlds did was pick up the phone and listen then I believe that you are very naive.

orangecrush007 said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Tommy Lawlor said...

We're all entitled to our opinions. That's part of the fun of football.

There is nothing wrong with disagreeing, but let's try to keep it from getting personal. That's no good.

RE: Cutler trade

No one questions Cutler's talent. He definitely has some character issues. Maybe he'll be great with the Bears and the issues will disappear. However, to make it seem like he's completely innocent in all of this is crazy. The Bears are rolling the dice with him. I do think it is a smart gamble for them. Offense has been an issue in Chicago for years. I don't blame them for paying a big price for Jay. Smart move, even if it does backfire. They've tried to develop or find a QB since Jimmy Mac left and haven't done it. Cutler gives them a very good QB. I wish him and the Bears all the best. I'm an NFL fan, not just an Eagles fan. I want to see teams do well, aside from our rivals of course.