***
The big news of the day is Andy Reid finally admitting (be brave, Big Red...be brave!) that our QBs just might be available in a trade. No confirmation from him on whether water is wet or if the Pope wears a funny hat. All jokes aside, this is a big step.
Publicly admitting that the team is "entertaining offers" doesn't mean that a deal is imminent or even that a deal is guaranteed to happen. It does spare us the horror that Andy was in denial and genuinely expected all 3 QBs to return. He still says that is possible, but it no longer seems like his main goal. Thankfully.
You can read the full intereview in the Daily News blog here.
Now that Reid has acknowledged that a trade is real and being talked about we have to jump on the rumor mill and deal with all kinds of crazy reports.
Ashley Fox of the Inquirer has an article up that has some interesting nuggets. She says one "source with ties to the team" thinks we'll deal Kolb and keep McNabb. My reaction? No way. There is virtually no chance that happens. The Eagles did talk to at least one team about Kolb. They told the other team what the asking price is and the conversation quickly shifted over to McNabb. Nobody wants to give up a pair of 1st round picks for Kolb.
There are a few people reporting that the Eagles have lowered their asking price and now will settle for less than a 1st rounder. I'm highly skeptical of this. I doesn't jibe with what I've heard and some of the other offers that the Eagles have already had thrown their way. The Eagles asking price in one potential deal was a 1st and a 3rd round pick. Obviously compensation changes from team to team because of where the trade partner may fall in the draft. There is a huge difference in a Top 10 pick and a pick in the late 20s or early 30s.
Comcast has a good report up. Derrick Gunn heard from one source that the Eagles would settle for as little as a 3rd round pick. Impossible. Reid will keep Donovan another year before he deals him for that low an offer.
Reid also acknowledged that the team is getting trade offers for Sheldon Brown. I mentioned the other day that there was some likelihood to a deal involving him. I think it is a matter of who and when, not if.
FOR WHOM THE BELL PLAYS
RB Mike Bell is officially an Eagle. The Saints decided not to match his offer. I can say without hyperbole that we now have the deepest, most talented stable of running backs in the history of football. Give or take. I do like the addition of Bell and think he's what we need. The last thing I wanted was another scatback with great hands. We don't want to give Andy or Marty any extra reasons to throw the ball.
COMP PICKS
The NFL awarded us a pair of Compensatory picks in the 7th round. This isn't much to get excited about, but every pick helps in a deep draft. One reminder...Comp picks cannot be traded. We have to use them.
NICKEL DT
One good bit of info in the Reid interview is the fact that Trevor Laws will be given a chance to play DT in the Nickel/Dime defensive units. Darren Howard had that main role the last two years. He had a variety of guys play alongside him. I hated the fact that we didn't put Laws out there. He is the kind of upfield attacking DT that I want out there on 3rd/long. Laws is big and strong enough to play the run (draw plays), but has the quickness and penetrating ability to get in the backfield and be disruptive. Trevor has battled small injuries the last couple of years at Training Camp and they've slowed his progress. He needs to have a strong summer and take advantage of the opportunity in front of him.
___
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Monday, March 22, 2010
Gap Talk and Some Loose Ends
***
Adam Caplan of Scout.com has opened up a can of confusion via Twitter. Someone asked about us cutting Darren Howard. Here was Caplan's response:
Later on that led to these Tweets:
Honestly, I'm not sure what to make of all this. Caplan is a pretty bright guy when it comes to football. I feel safe that he knows the difference in 1-gap and 2-gap. However, there are some real mixed areas being covered.
The initial question was about Darren Howard being cut. Darren played DT in the Nickel/Dime units. That group does play 1-gap. Our base defense is the group that would play 2-gap. Howard wasn't part of that group.
The key point then becomes what Caplan asked Reid. If he asked about finding a replacement for Howard that would be a 1-gap DT. That's what Darren was. If Caplan asked Reid about the base defense and was told that we played 90% 1-gap then I am highly confused. That wasn't the case in 2008. That group did play 2-gap. Watch the tape and you'll see it. Pete Jenkins was the D-line coach and that is his specialty.
Could there have been a change last year that I missed? Possible, I guess. The tape sure didn't look to me like we were playing 1-gap. Our guys weren't firing off the ball and trying to get penetration on a consistent basis. Bunk and Patt are more athletic than you might think. They would make more plays if allowed to attack upfield consistently.
We did play 1-gap for most of the Reid era. Maybe Caplan asked and Reid responded along those lines. The final possibility is that we'll be playing a 1-gap system in 2010 and there was just mis-communication about that.
I'm trying to find out a good answer, but haven't gotten anything concrete so far. I'll continue to check into this. Could be a really interesting change if we do play 1-gap in 2010. Trevor Laws would be a very happy man.
ANSWERS TO COMMENTS
RE: Fokou at SAM
That is where he played last year. That is where the Eagles want him. Moise wasn't physically overmatched last year. His mistakes were due to inexperience, not a lack of size or talent. He's now up to 236 pounds. That added bulk will help him anchor vs the run. He's still athletic enough to cover plenty of ground and be an effective pass defender.
RE: covering TEs
We've done that in a variety of ways the last few years. In 2008 we had Akeem Jordan and Quintin Mikell focus on TEs in the last 6 or 8 games. They did a good job and the defense was terrific. In 2009 we struggled mightily until Will Witherspoon was given that task. He did a good job on TEs. I'm not sure how McDermott wants to handle them this year.
RE: Sheldon
I love what he's done for the Eagles in his time here, but there is a real strong chance he's played his last game for us. He was a good soldier last year and didn't complain publicly, but he wants more money and the Eagles just don't think he's worth it. The best thing for both sides is probably to part ways. We'll get younger at RCB and he might get someone to pony up some extra dough. No matter what, Sheldon wasn't going to be here long. He's a bit short, lacks ideal speed, and is on the wrong side of 30. At some point he'll go over the cliff. I'd love to move him to FS, but Sheldon is a proud man and I don't think he wants to do that.
RE: Plan B at SAM?
If the team trades Gocong you can bet they'll add someone in the draft for depth. We all love AJ Edds from Iowa. He's a very talented guy with size and coverage ability.
RE: McNabb to SF
I've sniffed around on this issue, but I've always heard that Mike Singletary was truly committed to Alex Smith as his QB. I think SF is an ideal spot for McNabb and he's just what that team needs. They have a good D, but scoring points is a major challenge. The NFC West is wide open right now. Why not make the deal and make a push for the playoffs? I haven't heard anything that makes me think a deal is likely. My fingers are crossed, though.
RE: Jim Johnson adjusting in division games / in the season
There are various reasons why the defense went down hill and McDermott's lack of experience I'm sure didn't help matters. Still, the biggest problems we had were personnel issues. Go back and watch the games. There was poor tackling. Players took bad angles and missed assignments. And on and on and on. The struggles were more about the guys on the field than the man on the sideline. I wish that wasn't true. It would be easier to train a coach than replace players.
RE: Jerry Hughes at LB?
The Eagles could try to use him ala Brian Orakpo. Hughes is shorter, but has a similar build. He is a terrific athlete. This is an idea that I'm sure the coaches and FO are talking about, even if it isn't likely.
___
Adam Caplan of Scout.com has opened up a can of confusion via Twitter. Someone asked about us cutting Darren Howard. Here was Caplan's response:
They need a one-gap disruptive DL that's younger. RT @bleedeaglesfan: @caplannfl Howard was not in a decline.
Later on that led to these Tweets:
Yep, Reid confirmed it. Actually asked him yesterday. 90% 1-gap. RT @NFLGoEagles: @caplannfl Sure about your one gap DT idea?
Nope, said they have been mostly one-gap. RT @eaglesnut: @caplannfl - Did Reid say the Eagles are going back to 1-gap?
Honestly, I'm not sure what to make of all this. Caplan is a pretty bright guy when it comes to football. I feel safe that he knows the difference in 1-gap and 2-gap. However, there are some real mixed areas being covered.
The initial question was about Darren Howard being cut. Darren played DT in the Nickel/Dime units. That group does play 1-gap. Our base defense is the group that would play 2-gap. Howard wasn't part of that group.
The key point then becomes what Caplan asked Reid. If he asked about finding a replacement for Howard that would be a 1-gap DT. That's what Darren was. If Caplan asked Reid about the base defense and was told that we played 90% 1-gap then I am highly confused. That wasn't the case in 2008. That group did play 2-gap. Watch the tape and you'll see it. Pete Jenkins was the D-line coach and that is his specialty.
Could there have been a change last year that I missed? Possible, I guess. The tape sure didn't look to me like we were playing 1-gap. Our guys weren't firing off the ball and trying to get penetration on a consistent basis. Bunk and Patt are more athletic than you might think. They would make more plays if allowed to attack upfield consistently.
We did play 1-gap for most of the Reid era. Maybe Caplan asked and Reid responded along those lines. The final possibility is that we'll be playing a 1-gap system in 2010 and there was just mis-communication about that.
I'm trying to find out a good answer, but haven't gotten anything concrete so far. I'll continue to check into this. Could be a really interesting change if we do play 1-gap in 2010. Trevor Laws would be a very happy man.
ANSWERS TO COMMENTS
RE: Fokou at SAM
That is where he played last year. That is where the Eagles want him. Moise wasn't physically overmatched last year. His mistakes were due to inexperience, not a lack of size or talent. He's now up to 236 pounds. That added bulk will help him anchor vs the run. He's still athletic enough to cover plenty of ground and be an effective pass defender.
RE: covering TEs
We've done that in a variety of ways the last few years. In 2008 we had Akeem Jordan and Quintin Mikell focus on TEs in the last 6 or 8 games. They did a good job and the defense was terrific. In 2009 we struggled mightily until Will Witherspoon was given that task. He did a good job on TEs. I'm not sure how McDermott wants to handle them this year.
RE: Sheldon
I love what he's done for the Eagles in his time here, but there is a real strong chance he's played his last game for us. He was a good soldier last year and didn't complain publicly, but he wants more money and the Eagles just don't think he's worth it. The best thing for both sides is probably to part ways. We'll get younger at RCB and he might get someone to pony up some extra dough. No matter what, Sheldon wasn't going to be here long. He's a bit short, lacks ideal speed, and is on the wrong side of 30. At some point he'll go over the cliff. I'd love to move him to FS, but Sheldon is a proud man and I don't think he wants to do that.
RE: Plan B at SAM?
If the team trades Gocong you can bet they'll add someone in the draft for depth. We all love AJ Edds from Iowa. He's a very talented guy with size and coverage ability.
RE: McNabb to SF
I've sniffed around on this issue, but I've always heard that Mike Singletary was truly committed to Alex Smith as his QB. I think SF is an ideal spot for McNabb and he's just what that team needs. They have a good D, but scoring points is a major challenge. The NFC West is wide open right now. Why not make the deal and make a push for the playoffs? I haven't heard anything that makes me think a deal is likely. My fingers are crossed, though.
RE: Jim Johnson adjusting in division games / in the season
There are various reasons why the defense went down hill and McDermott's lack of experience I'm sure didn't help matters. Still, the biggest problems we had were personnel issues. Go back and watch the games. There was poor tackling. Players took bad angles and missed assignments. And on and on and on. The struggles were more about the guys on the field than the man on the sideline. I wish that wasn't true. It would be easier to train a coach than replace players.
RE: Jerry Hughes at LB?
The Eagles could try to use him ala Brian Orakpo. Hughes is shorter, but has a similar build. He is a terrific athlete. This is an idea that I'm sure the coaches and FO are talking about, even if it isn't likely.
___
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Offseason and What is Going On
***
In 2008 the Eagles defense was sensational. They finished in the Top 5 in virtually every category and Top 3 in a lot of them. The stars played like stars and the role players did a terrific job as well. In 2009 the defense fell to 12th in yards allowed and 20th in points allowed. There was a real mixture of problems.
Before we talk about the problems, let's look at a trend
10
48
14
14
13
17
17
20
---
31
20
24
7
38
13
27
24
---
34
That is the point total allowed in the first 8 games, the second 8 games, and the playoffs. Notice how the numbers went up? Anything we can read into that?
We had some veteran players who either wore down or just weren't getting the job done. We had role players who had shone in '08 disappear down the stretch in '09.
* Chris Clemons started slow in 2008, but played well late in the year and got our hopes up that he was going to be a good player in 2009. That never happened. He was credited with only 4 solo tackles and 3 sacks this year.
* Joselio Hanson got off to a good start in '09. He picked off a pass and had 3 PBUs in the season opener. That was far and away his best game of the year. MmmBop was solid for the first 7 games, but then got suspended for a month. He returned and got hurt. At the end of the year he was a liability in coverage. Tony Romo was targeting him with regularity in the last 2 games.
* Will Witherspoon was great upon arrival. He had a sack, INT, and FF in his first game here. He ended the season with... 1 sack, 1 INT, and 1 FF. The playmaking ability disappeared instantly, for some odd reason. He did cover well throughout the year, but his run defense was very inconsistent. I'm not knocking the guy falsely since he's been cut. Go back and read my Game Reviews. Down the stretch I was writing "Up and down game" in regard to Will more often than not.
* Sean Jones never showed that he could handle playing FS. He wanted to come up and play in the box. The Eagles took a chance because of his potential, but it didn't work out.
* Chris Gocong was a 2-down run stuffer. He is good at that role. The problem is that he's only made small strides as a pass defender. He isn't terrible, but after 2 1/2 years of starting it is disappointing not to see more progress. The Eagles gave him some snaps at MLB. If he was versatile, that might make him worth keeping around. Chris was completely lost in the middle. One of the problems Chris had is that teams figured out the way to run on us was to go to a 3-WR set. That took Gocong and the DTs off the field. Draw plays out of the shotgun killed us. The team obviously feels that committing to a 2-down run stuffer isn't the smart way to go.
* Darren Howard is a tricky subject. You look and see 6.5 sacks and 2 FFs and think that he was a valuable reserve. 2 of those sacks came in the season opener. 2 came late in the year against the Giants. The rest of the year he was pretty quiet. The problem with Darren is that he's not a guy that gets regular pressure. Mike Mamula got good pressure on QBs, but had trouble getting sacks. Let's use a baseball analogy. Howard isn't a guy that hits mostly doubles, but gets the occasional homer. He is a guy that strikes out or hits a home run. The simple case against him is this...his sack total dropped from 10 to 65...he's about to turn 34 this fall...and he didn't have so much as one solo tackle in any of the games against Dallas. He's an aging player who's play is declining and who failed to show up in 3 huge losses to our biggest rival.
* Sheldon Brown played well early in the 2009 season. He got burned for the go-ahead TD in the first Dallas loss and that seemed to be the beginning of the end. He struggled the next week at SD. He hurt his hamstring and struggled at Chicago. Dallas ate him alive in the last couple of games. Multiple guys got the best of Sheldon. Sheldon was very up and down in the 2nd half of the season. Injuries hurt him to be sure. Still, he's going to turn 31. He wasn't a fast corner even in his younger days. Is Sheldon a top shelf CB when healthy or a player who will begin to decline? Playing well against a pedestrian passing attack like SF is fine, but we can't have a CB who struggles when we face a good passing attack (DAL, SD).
Sheldon and Joselio are the only players on this list who are still Eagles. The question is whether that is true at the end of this week, this spring, or this summer. At the very least, Hanson will be challenged for his spot. Brown is probably headed in a different direction. He wants a raise. That won't happen. I've heard rumblings that the Eagles will shop him around.
So what are the Eagles thinking? Why make these moves now?
The point is to find players you are committed to. The defense was very good in 2008 so the team brought back those guys for 2009. Things didn't work out so well. You decide who the building blocks are and then make that the foundation. For us that is the DTs, Trent Cole, Stewart Bradley, Asante Samuel, and Quintin Mikell. Moise Fokou and Darryl Tapp will join them as starters. We have other players to mix in with them: Juqua Parker, Antonio Dixon, Akeem Jordan, Macho Harris, Quintin Demps. There are still holes to fill.
The Eagles could have kept Spoon and Howard around, but simply didn't see either guy fitting in to the long term plans. Spoon only had a year left on his deal. Howard was a player on the decline. Keeping them around would have been the band-aid solution we talk about. Howard's role can be taken by Juqua and/or Victor Abiamiri this year. Both guys have played DT in the Nickel. VA actually does it quite well. WLB is still a mystery to me. I have to believe the Eagles have some plan in place.
There are still moves to be made. GM Howie Roseman was interviewed by PE.com this week and made mention that moves would take place between now and the draft. Dave Spadaro had this blurb in a recent column:
The moves could just be trades involving Gocong and Sheldon. That would likely net us some draft picks, which is a good thing with such a deep draft. Maybe the Eagles have been talking to teams about player-for-player swaps. Those aren't all that common in the NFL, but this is an odd year. I wish a QB move would happen, but don't hold your breath. I'm still hearing mixed things about what exactly is going on.
There are some pro targets we could still look at.
* S Donte Whitner
* S O.J. Atogwe
* DL Anthony Hargrove
* DL Jimmy Wilkerson
* LB Derrick Johnson
* LB Rocky McIntosh
* LB Nick Roach
* LB Clint Ingram
* LB Thomas Howard
* CB Richard Marshall
* CB Carlos Rogers
I've talked about many of these guys already. Some are UFAs and other RFAs. One of the things to keep in mind is that we might gain picks if we do trade Gocong or Sheldon. If so, we might turn around and use a pick to deal for an RFA. Say we get a 3rd rounder for Sheldon. Could we turn that into CB Richard Marshall or LB Derrick Johnson? That's an intriguing thought.
I haven't heard any good rumors about these players. This is pure speculation. I listed Hargrove and Wilkerson as DL because they are the kind of guys that came into the league as DEs, but have really made their mark as Nickel DTs. We just cut Darren Howard and that could possibly make them attractive targets. Each guy has issues and that may be enough to keep them off our wish list.
I didn't list any guys that play C or TE. It sounds like Nick Cole is going to get a chance to be the C. We also have a few other guys behind him with some potential. TE is a solid position in my mind. Brent Celek is a terrific young player. Cornelius Ingram is a player the team is excited about. He is coming off a torn ACL, but that happened last summer so he should be ready by May. The team is also optimistic about Martin Rucker. They like what they've seen in practice. The only problem I have with this group is that all 3 are pass catchers. I'd love to have a blocker or at least a blocker/catcher among the group. Alex Smith did well in that roll for us last year. There is a real deep group of TEs in the draft. We could find a blocker or big guy to challenge for a roster spot without having to use a high pick.
The Eagles may not like any of the players I listed above, due to their talent evaluation, baggage, or the compensation required to get them. Again, I'm just speculating. You can bet the Eagles are talking to the other 31 teams about all kinds of players. You want to feel teams out to see who is available and at what price. One guy that a lot of fans have asked me about is Browns ILB D'Qwell Jackson. I don't think he is going anywhere. Cleveland knows how good he is. Plus, we're set at MLB with Stewart Bradley. There is virtually no chance that Bradley is moved from the middle. A guy as talented as Jackson could move to WLB for us, but I don't think we're giving up a 1st for him and then moving him to a spot he's never played. I know the Eagles like to be creative, but not so much when 1st round picks are involved. One thing to keep in mind to the RFA situation...the compensation asking price for players may have been higher in early March. With so little action in the RFA market you may see teams lowering their demands as they realize that something is better than nothing.
I do think the Eagles will add a player or two between now and draft weekend, if for nothing other than depth/competition. The recent cuts have opened some spots on the roster.
These cuts are not about saving money. The Eagles would gladly pay Darren Howard if he was consistently disruptive. The Eagles would absolutely have kept Will Witherspoon if he was a playmaker in multiple games. Instead, the Eagles saw a pair of older players who didn't play well in consecutive losses to Dallas at the end of the year. You can argue that there is a youth movement going on. We have a strong defensive core in place. Let's surround them with ascending players or guys in their prime so that the defense can get back to championship level by 2011 or 2012.
I know some people think I'm being too optimistic in regard to Darryl Tapp. That's a possibility. He could turn out to be a lesser version of Juqua Parker. I don't think that is the case. The arguments against Tapp are the fact that he's coming off a 2.5 sack season and that Seattle was so willing to let him go.
The Seahawks would like to transition to a 3-4 defense. Pete Carroll obviously doesn't see Tapp as the guy he wants for OLB. Plus, that franchise is in the middle of rebuilding. Take the draft pick and go add a young player who is a better fit for the team. Tapp wasn't available because he was a lousy player or someone the 'Hawks were looking to dump.
As for his performance in 2008...Tapp was pushed back to being the #3 DE. The coaching staff had Patrick Kerney at LDE and 1st round pick Lawrence Jackson at RDE. The fact that Tapp was benched in favor of a 1st round pick hardly makes him unique. As for the notion of only having 2.5 sacks...ever hear of Derrick Burgess? He was our starting RDE for all of 2004 and had 2.5 sacks. He went to Oakland the next year and got to spend a lot of time at LDE and posted 16 sacks. Burgess was able to play a lot on the left side, which is where he's most comfortable. He had played RDE opposite of Kearse for us in '04 and struggled to beat LTs. Tapp is more natural at LDE. Am I saying he'll turn into Derrick Burgess? No way. I do think he can be a solid 8-sack guy on the left side. For some players there is a huge difference in playing LDE and RDE.
The return of Stewart Bradley to MLB will give the D a huge boost. He played very well in 2008, especially late in the year. Moise Fokou will have a whole offseason to practice at SAM. I know many are concerned about his size. He's up to 236 pounds already.
We do have holes at FS, WLB, and very possibly CB. Those areas must be addressed. Draft picks can contribute in the secondary. LB is more of a mystery. I'm just not sure what the Eagles want to do.
The offseason is 2 1/2 weeks old. Things started quiet, but we've seen the action pick up in the last 10 days. That trend could continue with some wheeling and dealing at the owners meetings. Stay tuned and keep your fingers crossed for some QB action.
___
In 2008 the Eagles defense was sensational. They finished in the Top 5 in virtually every category and Top 3 in a lot of them. The stars played like stars and the role players did a terrific job as well. In 2009 the defense fell to 12th in yards allowed and 20th in points allowed. There was a real mixture of problems.
Before we talk about the problems, let's look at a trend
10
48
14
14
13
17
17
20
---
31
20
24
7
38
13
27
24
---
34
That is the point total allowed in the first 8 games, the second 8 games, and the playoffs. Notice how the numbers went up? Anything we can read into that?
We had some veteran players who either wore down or just weren't getting the job done. We had role players who had shone in '08 disappear down the stretch in '09.
* Chris Clemons started slow in 2008, but played well late in the year and got our hopes up that he was going to be a good player in 2009. That never happened. He was credited with only 4 solo tackles and 3 sacks this year.
* Joselio Hanson got off to a good start in '09. He picked off a pass and had 3 PBUs in the season opener. That was far and away his best game of the year. MmmBop was solid for the first 7 games, but then got suspended for a month. He returned and got hurt. At the end of the year he was a liability in coverage. Tony Romo was targeting him with regularity in the last 2 games.
* Will Witherspoon was great upon arrival. He had a sack, INT, and FF in his first game here. He ended the season with... 1 sack, 1 INT, and 1 FF. The playmaking ability disappeared instantly, for some odd reason. He did cover well throughout the year, but his run defense was very inconsistent. I'm not knocking the guy falsely since he's been cut. Go back and read my Game Reviews. Down the stretch I was writing "Up and down game" in regard to Will more often than not.
* Sean Jones never showed that he could handle playing FS. He wanted to come up and play in the box. The Eagles took a chance because of his potential, but it didn't work out.
* Chris Gocong was a 2-down run stuffer. He is good at that role. The problem is that he's only made small strides as a pass defender. He isn't terrible, but after 2 1/2 years of starting it is disappointing not to see more progress. The Eagles gave him some snaps at MLB. If he was versatile, that might make him worth keeping around. Chris was completely lost in the middle. One of the problems Chris had is that teams figured out the way to run on us was to go to a 3-WR set. That took Gocong and the DTs off the field. Draw plays out of the shotgun killed us. The team obviously feels that committing to a 2-down run stuffer isn't the smart way to go.
* Darren Howard is a tricky subject. You look and see 6.5 sacks and 2 FFs and think that he was a valuable reserve. 2 of those sacks came in the season opener. 2 came late in the year against the Giants. The rest of the year he was pretty quiet. The problem with Darren is that he's not a guy that gets regular pressure. Mike Mamula got good pressure on QBs, but had trouble getting sacks. Let's use a baseball analogy. Howard isn't a guy that hits mostly doubles, but gets the occasional homer. He is a guy that strikes out or hits a home run. The simple case against him is this...his sack total dropped from 10 to 65...he's about to turn 34 this fall...and he didn't have so much as one solo tackle in any of the games against Dallas. He's an aging player who's play is declining and who failed to show up in 3 huge losses to our biggest rival.
* Sheldon Brown played well early in the 2009 season. He got burned for the go-ahead TD in the first Dallas loss and that seemed to be the beginning of the end. He struggled the next week at SD. He hurt his hamstring and struggled at Chicago. Dallas ate him alive in the last couple of games. Multiple guys got the best of Sheldon. Sheldon was very up and down in the 2nd half of the season. Injuries hurt him to be sure. Still, he's going to turn 31. He wasn't a fast corner even in his younger days. Is Sheldon a top shelf CB when healthy or a player who will begin to decline? Playing well against a pedestrian passing attack like SF is fine, but we can't have a CB who struggles when we face a good passing attack (DAL, SD).
Sheldon and Joselio are the only players on this list who are still Eagles. The question is whether that is true at the end of this week, this spring, or this summer. At the very least, Hanson will be challenged for his spot. Brown is probably headed in a different direction. He wants a raise. That won't happen. I've heard rumblings that the Eagles will shop him around.
So what are the Eagles thinking? Why make these moves now?
The point is to find players you are committed to. The defense was very good in 2008 so the team brought back those guys for 2009. Things didn't work out so well. You decide who the building blocks are and then make that the foundation. For us that is the DTs, Trent Cole, Stewart Bradley, Asante Samuel, and Quintin Mikell. Moise Fokou and Darryl Tapp will join them as starters. We have other players to mix in with them: Juqua Parker, Antonio Dixon, Akeem Jordan, Macho Harris, Quintin Demps. There are still holes to fill.
The Eagles could have kept Spoon and Howard around, but simply didn't see either guy fitting in to the long term plans. Spoon only had a year left on his deal. Howard was a player on the decline. Keeping them around would have been the band-aid solution we talk about. Howard's role can be taken by Juqua and/or Victor Abiamiri this year. Both guys have played DT in the Nickel. VA actually does it quite well. WLB is still a mystery to me. I have to believe the Eagles have some plan in place.
There are still moves to be made. GM Howie Roseman was interviewed by PE.com this week and made mention that moves would take place between now and the draft. Dave Spadaro had this blurb in a recent column:
League meetings in Orlando straight ahead. This is the time when the talks really heat up and trades and deals are made. Why do I have the feeling that this week is going to be very, very interesting?
The moves could just be trades involving Gocong and Sheldon. That would likely net us some draft picks, which is a good thing with such a deep draft. Maybe the Eagles have been talking to teams about player-for-player swaps. Those aren't all that common in the NFL, but this is an odd year. I wish a QB move would happen, but don't hold your breath. I'm still hearing mixed things about what exactly is going on.
There are some pro targets we could still look at.
* S Donte Whitner
* S O.J. Atogwe
* DL Anthony Hargrove
* DL Jimmy Wilkerson
* LB Derrick Johnson
* LB Rocky McIntosh
* LB Nick Roach
* LB Clint Ingram
* LB Thomas Howard
* CB Richard Marshall
* CB Carlos Rogers
I've talked about many of these guys already. Some are UFAs and other RFAs. One of the things to keep in mind is that we might gain picks if we do trade Gocong or Sheldon. If so, we might turn around and use a pick to deal for an RFA. Say we get a 3rd rounder for Sheldon. Could we turn that into CB Richard Marshall or LB Derrick Johnson? That's an intriguing thought.
I haven't heard any good rumors about these players. This is pure speculation. I listed Hargrove and Wilkerson as DL because they are the kind of guys that came into the league as DEs, but have really made their mark as Nickel DTs. We just cut Darren Howard and that could possibly make them attractive targets. Each guy has issues and that may be enough to keep them off our wish list.
I didn't list any guys that play C or TE. It sounds like Nick Cole is going to get a chance to be the C. We also have a few other guys behind him with some potential. TE is a solid position in my mind. Brent Celek is a terrific young player. Cornelius Ingram is a player the team is excited about. He is coming off a torn ACL, but that happened last summer so he should be ready by May. The team is also optimistic about Martin Rucker. They like what they've seen in practice. The only problem I have with this group is that all 3 are pass catchers. I'd love to have a blocker or at least a blocker/catcher among the group. Alex Smith did well in that roll for us last year. There is a real deep group of TEs in the draft. We could find a blocker or big guy to challenge for a roster spot without having to use a high pick.
The Eagles may not like any of the players I listed above, due to their talent evaluation, baggage, or the compensation required to get them. Again, I'm just speculating. You can bet the Eagles are talking to the other 31 teams about all kinds of players. You want to feel teams out to see who is available and at what price. One guy that a lot of fans have asked me about is Browns ILB D'Qwell Jackson. I don't think he is going anywhere. Cleveland knows how good he is. Plus, we're set at MLB with Stewart Bradley. There is virtually no chance that Bradley is moved from the middle. A guy as talented as Jackson could move to WLB for us, but I don't think we're giving up a 1st for him and then moving him to a spot he's never played. I know the Eagles like to be creative, but not so much when 1st round picks are involved. One thing to keep in mind to the RFA situation...the compensation asking price for players may have been higher in early March. With so little action in the RFA market you may see teams lowering their demands as they realize that something is better than nothing.
I do think the Eagles will add a player or two between now and draft weekend, if for nothing other than depth/competition. The recent cuts have opened some spots on the roster.
These cuts are not about saving money. The Eagles would gladly pay Darren Howard if he was consistently disruptive. The Eagles would absolutely have kept Will Witherspoon if he was a playmaker in multiple games. Instead, the Eagles saw a pair of older players who didn't play well in consecutive losses to Dallas at the end of the year. You can argue that there is a youth movement going on. We have a strong defensive core in place. Let's surround them with ascending players or guys in their prime so that the defense can get back to championship level by 2011 or 2012.
I know some people think I'm being too optimistic in regard to Darryl Tapp. That's a possibility. He could turn out to be a lesser version of Juqua Parker. I don't think that is the case. The arguments against Tapp are the fact that he's coming off a 2.5 sack season and that Seattle was so willing to let him go.
The Seahawks would like to transition to a 3-4 defense. Pete Carroll obviously doesn't see Tapp as the guy he wants for OLB. Plus, that franchise is in the middle of rebuilding. Take the draft pick and go add a young player who is a better fit for the team. Tapp wasn't available because he was a lousy player or someone the 'Hawks were looking to dump.
As for his performance in 2008...Tapp was pushed back to being the #3 DE. The coaching staff had Patrick Kerney at LDE and 1st round pick Lawrence Jackson at RDE. The fact that Tapp was benched in favor of a 1st round pick hardly makes him unique. As for the notion of only having 2.5 sacks...ever hear of Derrick Burgess? He was our starting RDE for all of 2004 and had 2.5 sacks. He went to Oakland the next year and got to spend a lot of time at LDE and posted 16 sacks. Burgess was able to play a lot on the left side, which is where he's most comfortable. He had played RDE opposite of Kearse for us in '04 and struggled to beat LTs. Tapp is more natural at LDE. Am I saying he'll turn into Derrick Burgess? No way. I do think he can be a solid 8-sack guy on the left side. For some players there is a huge difference in playing LDE and RDE.
The return of Stewart Bradley to MLB will give the D a huge boost. He played very well in 2008, especially late in the year. Moise Fokou will have a whole offseason to practice at SAM. I know many are concerned about his size. He's up to 236 pounds already.
We do have holes at FS, WLB, and very possibly CB. Those areas must be addressed. Draft picks can contribute in the secondary. LB is more of a mystery. I'm just not sure what the Eagles want to do.
The offseason is 2 1/2 weeks old. Things started quiet, but we've seen the action pick up in the last 10 days. That trend could continue with some wheeling and dealing at the owners meetings. Stay tuned and keep your fingers crossed for some QB action.
___
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Off You Go
***
Back in April of 2004 some kid sent me a message on the Eagles Message Board. "What's going on? Who are we going to pick?" Here was my answer:
Why the hell I wanted that kept a secret I have no idea. Everyone else was screaming for Steven Jackson. I would have looked kinda smart. Oh well. I also wondered if WR Roy Williams was a potential target. We had just landed TO so that likely would have been overkill, but coming off the 2003 title game loss to Carolina that might not have been a bad thing.
Back to Andrews. He was a dominant RT at Arkansas. He had some weight problems and that made a lot of people wonder if he could play on the edge or if he'd have to move inside to G. No matter what, he was so dominant that you felt like he was worth a pretty high pick. Here was a quick blurb I wrote on him prior to the draft:
We traded up on draft day and took Shawn with the 16th overall pick. The next weekend was the post-draft mini-camp. Shawn was the starting RG by the end of that camp. He had a great spring and summer. We were all excited by our new stud O-lineman. He then broke his leg in the season opener with the Giants. That should have been an omen for us. Shawn missed the rest of the year.
He returned in 2005 and played pretty well. He was terrific in 2006 and looked like one of the best Guards in the entire league. Shawn and the O-line were dominant down the stretch with Garcia at QB and more of an emphasis on the run game.
The summer of 2007 is when the train started to go off the tracks. Shawn suffered a high ankle sprain. He then told the media that he feared it could be career threatening. Everyone wondered what the heck that meant. Careers rarely end due to an ankle injury. Shawn later said it was a joke and that he was just having fun with the media. Uhh, okay. I don't think any of us were concerned at the time, but in hindsight that is a huge red flag. Stalin and Chairman Mao would have been proud of the size of that red flag.
The next summer Shawn didn't show for Training Camp. I was told by a source that Reid was absolutely furious. He thought Shawn was holding out for more money. Reid let cooler heads prevail and we found out that Shawn was battling depression. The Eagles gave him space and were supportive, publicly and in the locker room. Everyone knew how good Shawn was and wanted to do anything to keep him around.
He was on the field for the first couple of games, but hurt his back against Dallas. Max Jean-Gilles replaced him. That was Shawn's last ever game as an Eagle. And it may be the end of his NFL career. The Eagles didn't put Shawn on IR immediately. They kept him part of the roster. Players on IR are treated differently than guys that are just injured, believe it or not. Someone still on the roster remains part of the team. Guys on IR are ghosts of Christmas past or future, but they don't exist in the current time continuum.
The Eagles hoped that keeping Shawn on the roster would keep his spirits up and that it would keep him interactive with his teammates. Camaraderie on a football team can have a major impact on some guys. Shawn's back didn't get better. The Eagles eventually put him on IR.
The 2009 offseason brought about new hope. Shawn talked a great game. He was going go move to RT and seemed fired up about being healthy and getting back on the field. All that positivity ended when Training Camp rolled around and he was once again hurt. The Eagles didn't hesitate to put him on IR this year.
The Shawn Andrews who was a dominant blocker in 2006 is long since gone. That guy seemed to enjoy football. He was very good at it. Something happened between then and now. Forget about the back and depression. There was a personality shift. Shawn decided that he wanted to be a "star", not just a football player. That is against the laws of the offensive line universe.
Linemen are allowed to have some personality. They are allowed to enjoy occasionally being in the limelight. Still, they must remember that they are first and foremost football players. And amongst players they are the ones who do the thankless dirty work. Most linemen not only know this but they love it. They wear that as a badge of honor. Not Shawn.
He was busy on YouTube and Twitter and any other media source that would let him get the word out about what was going on in his world. He was excited to talk about his rapping career or how loud his neighbors were when they had sex. Football was just a subject that got mixed in occasionally. There was no real passion for it.
An offensive linemen who's heart isn't in football is done. Done. You have to want to play. Being part of 50 to 70 car wrecks per game isn't something for people to approach casually. Being a blocker isn't easy. It isn't "fun" in the traditional sense of the word. You need to have a mean streak and a high tolerance for discomfort (pain just doesn't seem like the right word). Jon Runyan loved being a lineman. He played with a broken tailbone late in his career. Sitting down hurt, but he didn't miss a game. Jon's consecutive games streak meant a lot to him. That gave him the kind of pride and joy that apparently Shawn got from one of his own YouTube clips. Shawn is off in his own little world. As Captain Willard might say of the situation, "He broke from them, and then he broke from himself".
That is why I'm fine with the Eagles cutting Shawn. He's not an NFL guy who can't stay healthy (see Jerome McDougle for example). Shawn is a guy who loves being an NFL celebrity, but not an NFL player. He's not committed to the game. In my opinion (and that's all it is), the depression is partially due to the fact that he doesn't like football, but knows he needs it for the money and attention it brings him.
The best thing for Shawn to do is give up on the NFL and go be the quirky guy that he wants to be. There is nothing wrong with his desires. It just happens to be torturous to us Eagles fans because Shawn has Hall of Fame football ability. It does feel at times as if the Football Gods are out to get us. Why can't we put Nick Cole's personality in Shawn's body?
Letting go of Shawn was the right thing to do. Keeping him around was a distraction. Best to send him on his way and focus on players who are committed to playing and helping us win.
***
On Sunday I'll be answering some questions and talking about some possible player moves.
__
Back in April of 2004 some kid sent me a message on the Eagles Message Board. "What's going on? Who are we going to pick?" Here was my answer:
"Could be Shawn Andrews. He would fit the profile. Big OL. Dominant run blocker. He could be the RG or RT of the future. I have no sources. I just "read the tea leaves" and make my guesses. Again, let's keep this talk between us til Sat. afternoon."
Why the hell I wanted that kept a secret I have no idea. Everyone else was screaming for Steven Jackson. I would have looked kinda smart. Oh well. I also wondered if WR Roy Williams was a potential target. We had just landed TO so that likely would have been overkill, but coming off the 2003 title game loss to Carolina that might not have been a bad thing.
Back to Andrews. He was a dominant RT at Arkansas. He had some weight problems and that made a lot of people wonder if he could play on the edge or if he'd have to move inside to G. No matter what, he was so dominant that you felt like he was worth a pretty high pick. Here was a quick blurb I wrote on him prior to the draft:
Dominant drive blocker. The best I've seen in college football. Pass blocking will be a bit of an adventure, but this guy could be special in the right situation.
We traded up on draft day and took Shawn with the 16th overall pick. The next weekend was the post-draft mini-camp. Shawn was the starting RG by the end of that camp. He had a great spring and summer. We were all excited by our new stud O-lineman. He then broke his leg in the season opener with the Giants. That should have been an omen for us. Shawn missed the rest of the year.
He returned in 2005 and played pretty well. He was terrific in 2006 and looked like one of the best Guards in the entire league. Shawn and the O-line were dominant down the stretch with Garcia at QB and more of an emphasis on the run game.
The summer of 2007 is when the train started to go off the tracks. Shawn suffered a high ankle sprain. He then told the media that he feared it could be career threatening. Everyone wondered what the heck that meant. Careers rarely end due to an ankle injury. Shawn later said it was a joke and that he was just having fun with the media. Uhh, okay. I don't think any of us were concerned at the time, but in hindsight that is a huge red flag. Stalin and Chairman Mao would have been proud of the size of that red flag.
The next summer Shawn didn't show for Training Camp. I was told by a source that Reid was absolutely furious. He thought Shawn was holding out for more money. Reid let cooler heads prevail and we found out that Shawn was battling depression. The Eagles gave him space and were supportive, publicly and in the locker room. Everyone knew how good Shawn was and wanted to do anything to keep him around.
He was on the field for the first couple of games, but hurt his back against Dallas. Max Jean-Gilles replaced him. That was Shawn's last ever game as an Eagle. And it may be the end of his NFL career. The Eagles didn't put Shawn on IR immediately. They kept him part of the roster. Players on IR are treated differently than guys that are just injured, believe it or not. Someone still on the roster remains part of the team. Guys on IR are ghosts of Christmas past or future, but they don't exist in the current time continuum.
The Eagles hoped that keeping Shawn on the roster would keep his spirits up and that it would keep him interactive with his teammates. Camaraderie on a football team can have a major impact on some guys. Shawn's back didn't get better. The Eagles eventually put him on IR.
The 2009 offseason brought about new hope. Shawn talked a great game. He was going go move to RT and seemed fired up about being healthy and getting back on the field. All that positivity ended when Training Camp rolled around and he was once again hurt. The Eagles didn't hesitate to put him on IR this year.
The Shawn Andrews who was a dominant blocker in 2006 is long since gone. That guy seemed to enjoy football. He was very good at it. Something happened between then and now. Forget about the back and depression. There was a personality shift. Shawn decided that he wanted to be a "star", not just a football player. That is against the laws of the offensive line universe.
Linemen are allowed to have some personality. They are allowed to enjoy occasionally being in the limelight. Still, they must remember that they are first and foremost football players. And amongst players they are the ones who do the thankless dirty work. Most linemen not only know this but they love it. They wear that as a badge of honor. Not Shawn.
He was busy on YouTube and Twitter and any other media source that would let him get the word out about what was going on in his world. He was excited to talk about his rapping career or how loud his neighbors were when they had sex. Football was just a subject that got mixed in occasionally. There was no real passion for it.
An offensive linemen who's heart isn't in football is done. Done. You have to want to play. Being part of 50 to 70 car wrecks per game isn't something for people to approach casually. Being a blocker isn't easy. It isn't "fun" in the traditional sense of the word. You need to have a mean streak and a high tolerance for discomfort (pain just doesn't seem like the right word). Jon Runyan loved being a lineman. He played with a broken tailbone late in his career. Sitting down hurt, but he didn't miss a game. Jon's consecutive games streak meant a lot to him. That gave him the kind of pride and joy that apparently Shawn got from one of his own YouTube clips. Shawn is off in his own little world. As Captain Willard might say of the situation, "He broke from them, and then he broke from himself".
That is why I'm fine with the Eagles cutting Shawn. He's not an NFL guy who can't stay healthy (see Jerome McDougle for example). Shawn is a guy who loves being an NFL celebrity, but not an NFL player. He's not committed to the game. In my opinion (and that's all it is), the depression is partially due to the fact that he doesn't like football, but knows he needs it for the money and attention it brings him.
The best thing for Shawn to do is give up on the NFL and go be the quirky guy that he wants to be. There is nothing wrong with his desires. It just happens to be torturous to us Eagles fans because Shawn has Hall of Fame football ability. It does feel at times as if the Football Gods are out to get us. Why can't we put Nick Cole's personality in Shawn's body?
Letting go of Shawn was the right thing to do. Keeping him around was a distraction. Best to send him on his way and focus on players who are committed to playing and helping us win.
***
On Sunday I'll be answering some questions and talking about some possible player moves.
__
Friday, March 19, 2010
Friday Night Thoughts
***
A few people have been asking about the offseason. What are the Eagles doing? Is this all about money? All we see are players getting cut. The Eagles have added a couple of role players, but no one worth a flip. In the immortal words of Vince Lombardi, "What the hell is going on out there?"
I understand that mentality. I can see where that is the way things appear if you are skeptical about the front office. Your first inclination is to doubt moves, to find the gray lining in every cloud. I don't mean that as a criticism. It is just a behavioral observation. The Eagles have never won a Super Bowl. There are times when Andy Reid, Joe Banner, Jeff Lurie and the Personnel Department seem as if they know something the rest of the world doesn't. Their somewhat unorthodox ideas mixed in with a secretive, business-like approach to things can lead someone to wonder about the guys. I get that.
I'm generally an optimistic person. I'm not unrealistic, though. I'm a fan of the Sixers as well as the Eagles. The Sixers were god-like in the late 70s and early 80s, but that organization has done very little in the last 15 years to make me feel that they know what they are doing. When they make a move that is odd, I question it. The Eagles have a track record of success. Not perfection, but success. When they do something odd I try to give them the benefit of the doubt. I think they've earned that with the winning ways of the Reid era. This doesn't mean you can't be skeptical or critical.
The offseason so far is a mixed bag. The Eagles, and most fans, coveted Julius Peppers. I had real mixed feelings about him so seeing Julius go to Chicago didn't break my heart. My goal is for the Eagles to win the Super Bowl. Julius seems interested in money and making Julius happy. I'm not sure that goes well with winning a SB.
I do like the Darryl Tapp move. He is the right kind of guy. He fits our team and our scheme. I wish he was a difference-maker, but he's not an elite talent. I think he does make our defense better and that really is the key. People point out that he only had 2.5 sacks, but the guy only started 5 games. He was the #3 DE last year. Darryl still managed 40 solo tackles and 7 TFLs. That tells you that he's a good run defender. He'll be an effective pass rusher at LDE for us. I think he's likely to be in the 6-8 sack range, but Darryl could be better than that. He's never gotten to play on a defense that blitzes like us. That should mean some more sack opportunities where he comes free due to confusion among the blockers.
Marlin Jackson is a mystery. We just don't know what to make of the ACL situation. The key point for you to remember is that Marlin wasn't brought here to fill the FS hole. Marlin was brought here to compete for a job. The Eagles do not see FS as solved. They are keeping their eyes open. This isn't a case of the Eagles being cheap. They feel like Jackson was worth the risk. He can play CB, NB, SS, and FS. This is a guy you invest in and see what he can do. The Eagles didn't want to pay huge bucks to Antrel Rolle because they didn't like him all that much as a player. No team has yet to make a run at O.J. Atogwe. There might be an injury issue none of us knows about.
Mike Bell is what we need at RB. He isn't a great athlete or receiver. He isn't a scat back. He isn't someone to play out in space. Bell is a 225-pound runner to feed the ball between the tackles. Isn't that what we've wanted for several years? We finally get him (maybe) and fans are somehow disappointed. I don't get criticism of this move. We need a physical runner with some size to be a backup and role player. What's not to like? Bell is good enough that he could start for a game or two if McCoy got hurt. Bell isn't anything great, but again...he's what we need.
As for the cuts...forget about the money for a second. Let's talk just about the players:
Shawn Andrews - nothing.
Kevin Curtis - couldn't stay healthy.
Brian Westbrook - health issues.
Darren Howard - good sack total, but wasn't consistently disruptive this year. Descending player.
Will Witherspoon - slowed down in the stretch run.
Chris Clemons - traded.
Reggie Brown - traded.
I'm writing a column about Shawn's situation. Cutting him was smart. Same for Kevin. Trading Reggie and CC was smart. Neither guy was a lock to make the roster in 2010. That leaves us with Darren and Will.
Darren is a player that I've mentioned to friends as cut material for quite a while. He was good in 2008, but not nearly as effective in 2009. I'm not sure if he slowed down or teams just caught on to him. Yeah, he had 6.5 sacks, but Howard got a few of those because he was in the right place at the right time. Those sacks are replaceable.
Witherspoon is the trickiest cut. I'm okay with letting him go, depending on what the Eagles do to replace him. I've heard that this wasn't done to get Akeem Jordan back on the field. I hope that is true. Jordan ideally is a backup and STer. If the Eagles add a pro player or draft a LB fairly high, then I might love cutting Spoon. If we sit here on August 1st with Jordan as the WLB I'm going to be ticked off.
I haven't heard a specific target at WLB, college or pro. I'm sure the Eagles have some guys they are interested in. The question is whether they can pull off those moves. Because they cut Spoon so early I'm assuming they feel confident in landing a target. I could be dead wrong, of course. Time will tell.
I do think we're a better team now than on March 5th. We added a starting LDE in Tapp. That moves Parker to the bench, making him more effective. Parker played DT in the Nickel at times in the last few years. He could take that role full time now that Tapp is here, as well as Juqua being a good backup DE. I think Bell is just what our backfield needed. We traded a broken down Westy for him. That's an improvement in my mind. Don't think of Brian the star RB. Sadly, doesn't seem like that player exists anymore. And I definitely like Hank over Reggie as the #4 WR. Brown was needed in '09 because we didn't know what to expect from J-Mac. Now we know he's a good starter. Hank is here to be a role player, something he's good at and happy to do.
We will make another pro move or two, not necessarily involving starters. We'll have to see how that goes. We have 4 picks in the Top 100 on draft day. That's good ammo. There will be good players added to the roster. The offseason isn't over. I know I keep saying this, but the key is to add the right players and not the biggest names. I think we're doing a solid job so far. A little work on the back seven and I might be real happy with this offseason.
MISC NEWS
* Sounds like the Gocong deal might be on hold for now. Chances are that he will be dealt between now and the draft, but I think the Eagles and Browns are both trying to figure out exactly what they want to do before finalizing the trade. Scouts and coaches are working out players on a daily basis and that can affect the plans for next round of moves.
* Someone in the comments section asked about Victor Abiamiri being on crutches after some kind of operation. I've heard rumors that he might have to undergo a procedure. Sounds like that happened. Let's hope he gets well by the summer. You can't count on the young man, but you hate to count him out because he's still so young.
___
A few people have been asking about the offseason. What are the Eagles doing? Is this all about money? All we see are players getting cut. The Eagles have added a couple of role players, but no one worth a flip. In the immortal words of Vince Lombardi, "What the hell is going on out there?"
I understand that mentality. I can see where that is the way things appear if you are skeptical about the front office. Your first inclination is to doubt moves, to find the gray lining in every cloud. I don't mean that as a criticism. It is just a behavioral observation. The Eagles have never won a Super Bowl. There are times when Andy Reid, Joe Banner, Jeff Lurie and the Personnel Department seem as if they know something the rest of the world doesn't. Their somewhat unorthodox ideas mixed in with a secretive, business-like approach to things can lead someone to wonder about the guys. I get that.
I'm generally an optimistic person. I'm not unrealistic, though. I'm a fan of the Sixers as well as the Eagles. The Sixers were god-like in the late 70s and early 80s, but that organization has done very little in the last 15 years to make me feel that they know what they are doing. When they make a move that is odd, I question it. The Eagles have a track record of success. Not perfection, but success. When they do something odd I try to give them the benefit of the doubt. I think they've earned that with the winning ways of the Reid era. This doesn't mean you can't be skeptical or critical.
The offseason so far is a mixed bag. The Eagles, and most fans, coveted Julius Peppers. I had real mixed feelings about him so seeing Julius go to Chicago didn't break my heart. My goal is for the Eagles to win the Super Bowl. Julius seems interested in money and making Julius happy. I'm not sure that goes well with winning a SB.
I do like the Darryl Tapp move. He is the right kind of guy. He fits our team and our scheme. I wish he was a difference-maker, but he's not an elite talent. I think he does make our defense better and that really is the key. People point out that he only had 2.5 sacks, but the guy only started 5 games. He was the #3 DE last year. Darryl still managed 40 solo tackles and 7 TFLs. That tells you that he's a good run defender. He'll be an effective pass rusher at LDE for us. I think he's likely to be in the 6-8 sack range, but Darryl could be better than that. He's never gotten to play on a defense that blitzes like us. That should mean some more sack opportunities where he comes free due to confusion among the blockers.
Marlin Jackson is a mystery. We just don't know what to make of the ACL situation. The key point for you to remember is that Marlin wasn't brought here to fill the FS hole. Marlin was brought here to compete for a job. The Eagles do not see FS as solved. They are keeping their eyes open. This isn't a case of the Eagles being cheap. They feel like Jackson was worth the risk. He can play CB, NB, SS, and FS. This is a guy you invest in and see what he can do. The Eagles didn't want to pay huge bucks to Antrel Rolle because they didn't like him all that much as a player. No team has yet to make a run at O.J. Atogwe. There might be an injury issue none of us knows about.
Mike Bell is what we need at RB. He isn't a great athlete or receiver. He isn't a scat back. He isn't someone to play out in space. Bell is a 225-pound runner to feed the ball between the tackles. Isn't that what we've wanted for several years? We finally get him (maybe) and fans are somehow disappointed. I don't get criticism of this move. We need a physical runner with some size to be a backup and role player. What's not to like? Bell is good enough that he could start for a game or two if McCoy got hurt. Bell isn't anything great, but again...he's what we need.
As for the cuts...forget about the money for a second. Let's talk just about the players:
Shawn Andrews - nothing.
Kevin Curtis - couldn't stay healthy.
Brian Westbrook - health issues.
Darren Howard - good sack total, but wasn't consistently disruptive this year. Descending player.
Will Witherspoon - slowed down in the stretch run.
Chris Clemons - traded.
Reggie Brown - traded.
I'm writing a column about Shawn's situation. Cutting him was smart. Same for Kevin. Trading Reggie and CC was smart. Neither guy was a lock to make the roster in 2010. That leaves us with Darren and Will.
Darren is a player that I've mentioned to friends as cut material for quite a while. He was good in 2008, but not nearly as effective in 2009. I'm not sure if he slowed down or teams just caught on to him. Yeah, he had 6.5 sacks, but Howard got a few of those because he was in the right place at the right time. Those sacks are replaceable.
Witherspoon is the trickiest cut. I'm okay with letting him go, depending on what the Eagles do to replace him. I've heard that this wasn't done to get Akeem Jordan back on the field. I hope that is true. Jordan ideally is a backup and STer. If the Eagles add a pro player or draft a LB fairly high, then I might love cutting Spoon. If we sit here on August 1st with Jordan as the WLB I'm going to be ticked off.
I haven't heard a specific target at WLB, college or pro. I'm sure the Eagles have some guys they are interested in. The question is whether they can pull off those moves. Because they cut Spoon so early I'm assuming they feel confident in landing a target. I could be dead wrong, of course. Time will tell.
I do think we're a better team now than on March 5th. We added a starting LDE in Tapp. That moves Parker to the bench, making him more effective. Parker played DT in the Nickel at times in the last few years. He could take that role full time now that Tapp is here, as well as Juqua being a good backup DE. I think Bell is just what our backfield needed. We traded a broken down Westy for him. That's an improvement in my mind. Don't think of Brian the star RB. Sadly, doesn't seem like that player exists anymore. And I definitely like Hank over Reggie as the #4 WR. Brown was needed in '09 because we didn't know what to expect from J-Mac. Now we know he's a good starter. Hank is here to be a role player, something he's good at and happy to do.
We will make another pro move or two, not necessarily involving starters. We'll have to see how that goes. We have 4 picks in the Top 100 on draft day. That's good ammo. There will be good players added to the roster. The offseason isn't over. I know I keep saying this, but the key is to add the right players and not the biggest names. I think we're doing a solid job so far. A little work on the back seven and I might be real happy with this offseason.
MISC NEWS
* Sounds like the Gocong deal might be on hold for now. Chances are that he will be dealt between now and the draft, but I think the Eagles and Browns are both trying to figure out exactly what they want to do before finalizing the trade. Scouts and coaches are working out players on a daily basis and that can affect the plans for next round of moves.
* Someone in the comments section asked about Victor Abiamiri being on crutches after some kind of operation. I've heard rumors that he might have to undergo a procedure. Sounds like that happened. Let's hope he gets well by the summer. You can't count on the young man, but you hate to count him out because he's still so young.
___
Thursday, March 18, 2010
More Cuts
***
There I was typing away at a brilliant piece on the release of Shawn Andrews when my buddy Matt called to tell me the Birds gently nudged Kevin Curtis and Darren Howard from the nest. By "gently nudged" I mean that Andy Reid told each guy to "hit the bricks, pal". C'mon Howie and Big Red. Can't a guy get 5 minutes to type a confusing overly-long player obit before you go and get rid of more dead weight?
Curtis departure is a surprise to no one. He was terrific when healthy, but just couldn't get back to 100% in the last couple of years. He was due a big salary this year and that wasn't good for him. Old, expensive, and fragile is fine in the world of antiques, but not the NFL. Curtis can hopefully catch on with a team as a slot receiver at a lower salary. There is still a place for him in the league, but you can't rely on him as a starter.
Howard had a very good showing in 2008, notching 10 sacks. He seemed reborn with the primary role of pass-rushing DT. He was in terrific shape and played like a much younger man. Darren wasn't the same guy in '09. He had some good moments and even finished with 6.5 sacks, but he wasn't consistently disruptive like he was in '08. I think the Eagles saw him as a descending player and decided this was the time to let him go. Like the old saying says, "Better to let a guy go a year too early rather than a year too late." If you could guarantee the Eagles Darren would play at his 2009 level they may have kept him around. With that being uncertain they decided to cut bait and go find a new disruptive force for the interior of the Nickel and Dime units.
Actually, I'd love for the Eagles to mix in more true DTs in passing situations. Those guys can push the pocket and clog the middle so that draw plays aren't as effective. We had major problems with draw plays in 2009. Several teams killed us at times, most notably Dallas and the Giants.
We now have Trent Cole, Darryl Tapp, Juqua Parker, and Victor Abiamiri left at DE. Victor isn't 100%. That means we need to add some guys in free agency or plan on finding some bodies in the draft. I'll keep my ear to the ground and let you know what I hear.
RUMOR MILL
Cleveland is talking to the Eagles about Chris Gocong. Tom Heckert is the man who drafted Chris and Eric Mangini is the coach who coveted Gocong back in the 2006 draft. Chris actually thought he was going to be a Jet. He was caught off guard by the Eagles. We'll see if the teams can agree on compensation. Word is that the Eagles are hoping for a 4th round pick.
__
There I was typing away at a brilliant piece on the release of Shawn Andrews when my buddy Matt called to tell me the Birds gently nudged Kevin Curtis and Darren Howard from the nest. By "gently nudged" I mean that Andy Reid told each guy to "hit the bricks, pal". C'mon Howie and Big Red. Can't a guy get 5 minutes to type a confusing overly-long player obit before you go and get rid of more dead weight?
Curtis departure is a surprise to no one. He was terrific when healthy, but just couldn't get back to 100% in the last couple of years. He was due a big salary this year and that wasn't good for him. Old, expensive, and fragile is fine in the world of antiques, but not the NFL. Curtis can hopefully catch on with a team as a slot receiver at a lower salary. There is still a place for him in the league, but you can't rely on him as a starter.
Howard had a very good showing in 2008, notching 10 sacks. He seemed reborn with the primary role of pass-rushing DT. He was in terrific shape and played like a much younger man. Darren wasn't the same guy in '09. He had some good moments and even finished with 6.5 sacks, but he wasn't consistently disruptive like he was in '08. I think the Eagles saw him as a descending player and decided this was the time to let him go. Like the old saying says, "Better to let a guy go a year too early rather than a year too late." If you could guarantee the Eagles Darren would play at his 2009 level they may have kept him around. With that being uncertain they decided to cut bait and go find a new disruptive force for the interior of the Nickel and Dime units.
Actually, I'd love for the Eagles to mix in more true DTs in passing situations. Those guys can push the pocket and clog the middle so that draw plays aren't as effective. We had major problems with draw plays in 2009. Several teams killed us at times, most notably Dallas and the Giants.
We now have Trent Cole, Darryl Tapp, Juqua Parker, and Victor Abiamiri left at DE. Victor isn't 100%. That means we need to add some guys in free agency or plan on finding some bodies in the draft. I'll keep my ear to the ground and let you know what I hear.
RUMOR MILL
Cleveland is talking to the Eagles about Chris Gocong. Tom Heckert is the man who drafted Chris and Eric Mangini is the coach who coveted Gocong back in the 2006 draft. Chris actually thought he was going to be a Jet. He was caught off guard by the Eagles. We'll see if the teams can agree on compensation. Word is that the Eagles are hoping for a 4th round pick.
__
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
And So Say All of Us...Tapp Into Philadelphia
***
UPDATE --- Shawn Andrews has officially been released. No real shock. He's missed the last 30 games. His persona on Twitter and YouTube is more of a crazy teenager than a man trying to make a comeback and salvage an NFL career. Sad story. He and Bernard Williams headline the All "What if..." Team. I'll write more on Shawn when there isn't something more pressing to discuss.
The next Eagle who could be getting walking papers is Kevin Curtis.
***
Let's talk some more about Darryl Tapp. I popped in the first couple of Seattle game tapes I came across. I wasn't looking for his best game or anything special. I just wanted to see how Tapp played in a couple of average games. Here goes:
* Quick off the ball, but not explosive. Darryl isn't athletic enough to consistently beat LTs.
* He plays both sides, but looks more natural at LDE. He can beat RTs.
* Good awareness. Tapp comes off the ball under control and reads the play as he's on the move. This keeps him from getting burned on screens and draws.
* Lots of 4-point stance. Not many guys do this, but Hugh, Trent, and Juqua have all done it for us.
* Very good motor. He will make hustle plays, both in the run game and pass game.
* Uses his hands/arms well at times. Good shoulder dip. Re-directs well. Poor spin move...brutally slow. Lose that from the arsenal.
* Effective when he has to drop in pass coverage because of a zone blitz.
* Not a "run around" guy. Darryl will battle blockers to hold the point of attack. He lacks ideal size, but plays with good leverage and is tough. He is able to shed blocks and find the ball.
I saw about what I expected. Darryl was a solid player for Seattle. Nothing more, nothing less. He was miscast at RDE. He just doesn't have the burst that it takes to get by LTs. He was a try-hard guy on that side who made plays with effort. LDE is a whole other story. I think he is a starting caliber player on that side. I also think Darryl is an ideal fit for our system. He is a good run defender, which is something we like in our DEs. He's still a solid pass rusher. We can use him creatively if desired, but I think he'll mainly stay at LDE.
Darryl is young (25) and durable (64 straight games). He brings youth and toughness to the DL. He is not an impact player that offenses will fear. Darryl does make the front line better. He and Juqua will battle for the starting job. I'm sure the coaches will give Tapp the inside track. They'd love a young guy to get that job so that he could possibly hold it for several years.
While Darryl lacks great production, it will be interesting to see how his numbers are affected by playing in our system. Seattle doesn't do the exotic blitzing we do. That creates some mismatches and some easy opportunities for guys in the front seven. Darryl's numbers could also go up due to the fact he's playing at LDE with Trent Cole on the opposite side. In Seattle he benefited from Patrick Kerney being the other DE, but Tapp still had to beat the LT to get to the QB. As I said earlier, he lacks that kind of ability.
In my offseason writings I never mentioned Tapp as a target. Seattle placed a 2nd round tender on him. Darryl isn't worth a pick in that range. I assumed they wanted to keep him and it would require that kind of compensation. The Eagles got him at a good price (Clemons and our late 4th). Darryl is a very good acquisition at that price.
We no longer go into the draft needing a LDE. We could still take one if the right player falls to our pick. The Eagles covet D-linemen and won't pass on a talented pass rusher. I do think we'll concentrate on the back seven, the group that really needs work (27 TD passes allowed).
We still do have Victor Abiamiri in the mix. He's not 100% healthy right now and wasn't for much of the 2009 season. If he were to emerge this year or some draft pick were to light it up we could always make Tapp a backup DE. We don't have such a big investment in Tapp (trade or money wise) that we will feel obligated to have him as the starting LDE.
Darryl doesn't have a high ceiling. I don't see him coming in here and turning into a 12-sack, disruptive force. I do think his numbers will go up and that he can be an improvement over Parker. Tapp fits our system and he's also our kind of player (high motor, overachiever type).
Bonus points to anyone who gets the reference in the title.
__
UPDATE --- Shawn Andrews has officially been released. No real shock. He's missed the last 30 games. His persona on Twitter and YouTube is more of a crazy teenager than a man trying to make a comeback and salvage an NFL career. Sad story. He and Bernard Williams headline the All "What if..." Team. I'll write more on Shawn when there isn't something more pressing to discuss.
The next Eagle who could be getting walking papers is Kevin Curtis.
***
Let's talk some more about Darryl Tapp. I popped in the first couple of Seattle game tapes I came across. I wasn't looking for his best game or anything special. I just wanted to see how Tapp played in a couple of average games. Here goes:
* Quick off the ball, but not explosive. Darryl isn't athletic enough to consistently beat LTs.
* He plays both sides, but looks more natural at LDE. He can beat RTs.
* Good awareness. Tapp comes off the ball under control and reads the play as he's on the move. This keeps him from getting burned on screens and draws.
* Lots of 4-point stance. Not many guys do this, but Hugh, Trent, and Juqua have all done it for us.
* Very good motor. He will make hustle plays, both in the run game and pass game.
* Uses his hands/arms well at times. Good shoulder dip. Re-directs well. Poor spin move...brutally slow. Lose that from the arsenal.
* Effective when he has to drop in pass coverage because of a zone blitz.
* Not a "run around" guy. Darryl will battle blockers to hold the point of attack. He lacks ideal size, but plays with good leverage and is tough. He is able to shed blocks and find the ball.
I saw about what I expected. Darryl was a solid player for Seattle. Nothing more, nothing less. He was miscast at RDE. He just doesn't have the burst that it takes to get by LTs. He was a try-hard guy on that side who made plays with effort. LDE is a whole other story. I think he is a starting caliber player on that side. I also think Darryl is an ideal fit for our system. He is a good run defender, which is something we like in our DEs. He's still a solid pass rusher. We can use him creatively if desired, but I think he'll mainly stay at LDE.
Darryl is young (25) and durable (64 straight games). He brings youth and toughness to the DL. He is not an impact player that offenses will fear. Darryl does make the front line better. He and Juqua will battle for the starting job. I'm sure the coaches will give Tapp the inside track. They'd love a young guy to get that job so that he could possibly hold it for several years.
While Darryl lacks great production, it will be interesting to see how his numbers are affected by playing in our system. Seattle doesn't do the exotic blitzing we do. That creates some mismatches and some easy opportunities for guys in the front seven. Darryl's numbers could also go up due to the fact he's playing at LDE with Trent Cole on the opposite side. In Seattle he benefited from Patrick Kerney being the other DE, but Tapp still had to beat the LT to get to the QB. As I said earlier, he lacks that kind of ability.
In my offseason writings I never mentioned Tapp as a target. Seattle placed a 2nd round tender on him. Darryl isn't worth a pick in that range. I assumed they wanted to keep him and it would require that kind of compensation. The Eagles got him at a good price (Clemons and our late 4th). Darryl is a very good acquisition at that price.
We no longer go into the draft needing a LDE. We could still take one if the right player falls to our pick. The Eagles covet D-linemen and won't pass on a talented pass rusher. I do think we'll concentrate on the back seven, the group that really needs work (27 TD passes allowed).
We still do have Victor Abiamiri in the mix. He's not 100% healthy right now and wasn't for much of the 2009 season. If he were to emerge this year or some draft pick were to light it up we could always make Tapp a backup DE. We don't have such a big investment in Tapp (trade or money wise) that we will feel obligated to have him as the starting LDE.
Darryl doesn't have a high ceiling. I don't see him coming in here and turning into a 12-sack, disruptive force. I do think his numbers will go up and that he can be an improvement over Parker. Tapp fits our system and he's also our kind of player (high motor, overachiever type).
Bonus points to anyone who gets the reference in the title.
__
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