Busy Tuesday

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You're a die hard Eagles fan. You've just woken from a 6-month long coma. You ask a buddy to fill you in on the Eagles. Here's what he tells you:

"Trot may be the answer at MLB. He looked good last week."

"Winston Justice just got a contract extension."

"Westbrook is out with concussion problems and his future is up in the air."

"Antonio Dixon and Jason Babin are outplaying Trevor Laws and Victor Abiamiri."

"David Culley has turned into a good WRs coach. We're developing so many young receivers that we can't keep them all."

"Oh yeah...and Temple is headed to a bowl game and could win as many as 12 games."


What would your reaction be? "I don't understand this world and I want to go home."


The big news of the day is RT Winston Justice getting a contract extension. He signed a 4-year deal that will keep him here through the end of the 2013 season. 6 months ago I wanted this bum cut. Now I'm happy to have him locked up long term (and not in an asylum).

The deal makes sense for both sides. Winston clearly isn't a normal player. It took him several years to figure things out and become a good player. He's comfortable at RT. He's comfortable with the organization and in Philly. Why risk going elsewhere and having to deal with change? He didn't get to shop his services, but there is something to be said for getting the money now and staying somewhere you are comfortable.

The deal clearly makes sense for the Eagles. They now have stability on the OL. Next year Stacy Andrews will take over at RG. The other 4 spots should remain as is. We need to re-sign Nick Cole for depth purposes. We'll also have Dunlap and McGlynn off the bench. Some other young guys will be in the mix. We can do whatever we want to with Shawn Andrews. Trade him. Cut him. Just don't count on him as a starter.

I'm very happy for Winston. We see a lot of players really struggle when things don't go well. He kept plugging away and rewarded the Eagles patience. One thing to remember, he just turned 25 this September. He came into the league young. Winston took advantage of the situation this summer. He got a chance to play and made the most of it. Good for him. And us.

MORE ON THE WIN

Newest PE.column is up.

--LINK--

It is mostly stuff from the Game Review that just got fancied up.


PLAYER MOVES

Sadly, the Jack Ikegwuonu era is over. The Eagles released him today. I guess he could return to the Practice Squad. We'll see about that. You just have to wonder if he can run well enough to warrant a spot. Is he going to get better?

The team signed CB Geoffrey Pope. He's bounced around the league for a few years. I liked him as a prospect coming out of college. I had him rated just below...Ramzee Robinson. How weird is that? Here's a link to my pre-draft write-up on him:

--Link--

Here is the PE.com info on his whereabouts the last 3 years:

Pope (6-0, 186) started the 2009 season on the Cincinnati Bengals active roster and appeared in four games, playing mostly on special teams. He was waived on October 8, but was signed to their practice squad the next day and has been there for the balance of the year.

Originally a rookie free agent signing of the Miami Dolphins in 2007, Pope spent the entire preseason there but was released as part of the team's final roster cutdown. He signed to the New York Giants practice squad on September 3 and remained there for the entire regular season before being promoted to the active roster for their playoff run, appearing in both the NFC Divisional game and NFC Championship game.

Pope spent the 2008 preseason with the Giants and was briefly on their practice squad before signing to the Bengals practice squad on September 3. He was promoted to the active roster two weeks later and appeared in eight games, playing mostly on special teams.

We needed to add someone in case Sheldon or Sammie gets hurt and really misses time. Patterson did fine Sunday. Macho can play the slot. Ramzee Robinson hasn't played too much on defense, but the Eagles see something in him.
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