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THE PHILADELPHIA EAGLES...
The Juggler
Behind that bush over there. Posts: 47,389
since the 09 thread was inexplicably locked :roll: ...a new thread rises from the ashes. 
offseason in bird land is almost as interesting as the regular season so now is as good a time as any to start this.
tons of possibilities for '10...will donny go? can kolb step up? will b west retire? can we do to the defense what we did to the offense last off season? will jamal jackson be healthy? will shawn andrews come out of the closet? :shock:
these questions and more may or may not be answered in the months to come.
my quick take? there are lots of questions and holes to fill. however its not something that can't be done before next season. it's not like we were 2-14 or the bills or something (chan gailey?!?!?! :wtf: ).
needs: d end opposite cole who can actually get to the qb...either middle or strong side lb (depending where they put stu) and saftey on d. offense is pretty much set and will only get better as the young bucks get more seasoned. need to get healthy on the line and pick up a back rb if westbrook doesnt come back. if don goes, i actually think kolb can manage the offense with this accuracy.
what say you?
GO BIRDS!
offseason in bird land is almost as interesting as the regular season so now is as good a time as any to start this.
tons of possibilities for '10...will donny go? can kolb step up? will b west retire? can we do to the defense what we did to the offense last off season? will jamal jackson be healthy? will shawn andrews come out of the closet? :shock:
these questions and more may or may not be answered in the months to come.
my quick take? there are lots of questions and holes to fill. however its not something that can't be done before next season. it's not like we were 2-14 or the bills or something (chan gailey?!?!?! :wtf: ).
needs: d end opposite cole who can actually get to the qb...either middle or strong side lb (depending where they put stu) and saftey on d. offense is pretty much set and will only get better as the young bucks get more seasoned. need to get healthy on the line and pick up a back rb if westbrook doesnt come back. if don goes, i actually think kolb can manage the offense with this accuracy.
what say you?
GO BIRDS!
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This is a more difficult process than in years past due to the uncertainty surrounding the league’s collective bargaining agreement. The current deal expires in March and if the owners and players can’t work out a new contract, the league will go forward without a salary cap.
It sounds like a license for teams to go on a wild spending spree, but it really isn’t. The clubs may have more money to spend, but they will have fewer good players to spend it on. That’s because more than 200 players who would have been unrestricted free agents under the old system now will be restricted free agents which means their team have first rights of refusal.
In other words, some of these potential free agents may not be free at all. But for the sake of discussion, we’ll put them on our board.
Let’s take the needs in order:
1. Defensive end
Enough with the tag team system at left end with Juqua Parker, Chris Clemons and walk-ons such as Jason Babin. The Eagles need a player at that position who will be a force in big games – a player the other team has to account for in the same way they account for Trent Cole on the right side.
It is no accident that Cole’s production typically tails off late in the season. It is because other teams slide their protection to his side which means he has to fight through double-teams week after week. Look how much better the Dallas defense was this season when Anthony Spencer blossomed as a pass rush threat to go along with DeMarcus Ware.
The thought of Julius Peppers lining up at left end for the Eagles is tempting, but I’m not sure it is practical. While he is supposed to be an unrestricted free agent, it is more likely Carolina will put the franchise tag on him and then trade him for a huge package of draft picks. My guess is the price will be more than the Eagles are willing to pay.
But there are other possibilities, including Dwan Edwards (Baltimore), Jimmy Wilkerson (Tampa Bay) and Anthony Hargrove (New Orleans). Green Bay’s Aaron Kampman is an interesting name. He was a Pro Bowl end in 2008 (9.5 sacks) but the Packers switched to a 3-4 scheme this season, so Kampman was forced to play linebacker. He would probably welcome a chance to return to the end position and he would have that opportunity in the Eagles’ 4-3.
Another name to keep in mind: Minnesota’s Ray Edwards. He is overshadowed by teammate Jared Allen (14.5 sacks), but Edwards is only 25 and has already proven he can play left end. He had 8.5 sacks this season for the Vikings.
2. Linebacker
The Eagles’ linebackers could not hold up against a good running attack, and they could not cover even pedestrian tight ends. Fred Davis, a Washington backup, had 12 catches for 121 yards and two touchdowns in two games against the Eagles. The Cowboys’ O-line pounded them into the ground.
The return of Stewart Bradley will help, certainly, but it won’t solve all the problems. The Eagles could approach this one of two ways: Either they could keep Bradley in the middle and shop for better outside linebackers, or they could shift Bradley to the strong side (where he excelled in college and, frankly, seems the best fit) and look for a middle linebacker.
In the first scenario, I’d pursue Nick Roach, a 6-1, 235-pounder with Chicago. Roach is young (24), aggressive and a natural playmaker. He isn’t a marquee name, and the Bears did not exactly dominate the NFC North this season, but Roach played well.
If I moved Bradley to the strong side (where he could use his size to jam the tight end), there are two potential free agents at middle linebacker – Gary Brackett of Indianapolis and DeMeco Ryans of Houston. Ryans is younger (25), but Brackett (30) shows no signs of slowing down, and he is one of the smartest inside linebackers in the game. He is never fooled, never out of position.
3. Safety
The secondary was exposed in the last two games against the Cowboys. The corners were awful, the nickel (Joselio Hanson) was turned inside out and the safeties couldn’t cover or tackle. The Eagles need to do some major repair work here, but the good news is there could be an abundance of available players pending the CBA.
They aren’t going to replace Asante Samuel, but they need to impress upon him the need to tackle once in a while and play the defense called rather than play for the interception all the time. The Eagles could use another solid cover corner – Sheldon Brown looked all of his 30 years by season’s end – but the more immediate need is at safety.
Quintin Mikell is a tenacious overachiever, but his play fell off without having Brian Dawkins next to him. The Eagles never found an answer at free safety. Macho Harris was a rookie and played like it. Quintin Demps was hurt most of the year. Sean Jones, who played well in zone schemes with Cleveland, but his lack of speed was exposed with the Eagles where he was asked to cover more ground.
There could be as many as a dozen good safeties available in free agency. The best of them is Nick Collins, who intercepted 13 passes the last two seasons for Green Bay. He is only 26 and is a natural free safety.
Indianapolis has a very good pair in Antoine Bethea (free safety) and Melvin Bullitt (strong safety). When All-Pro Bob Sanders went down with an injury, Bullitt, a 6-1, 200-pounder from Texas A&M, stepped in, and the Colts never missed a beat.
Two other names to keep in mind: Danieal Manning, a nickel back and kick returner with Chicago, and O.J. Atogwe, a talented safety buried in the mess that is the St. Louis Rams. Atogwe had a league-high 27 combined interceptions and forced fumbles in his first three seasons as a starter.
Some E-mailers have mentioned Dawan Landry of Baltimore, but he didn’t have a very good season, and you have to be concerned because he suffered a serious injury (a spinal cord concussion) that sidelined him for 14 games in 2008.
4. Offensive line
The Eagles can’t go into next season counting on Shawn Andrews, and while they have a lot of money tied up in brother Stacy, they might not want to stay the course with him either. Max Jean-Gilles doesn’t have the feet or feel to play in this offense. The King Dunlap experiment is over, and while Winston Justice started every game at right tackle, it wouldn’t hurt to bring in someone else to compete for that spot next season.
The bad news is the potential pool of free agents isn’t very deep. Stephen Neal, a veteran right guard, might be available if New England decides to go younger, but he is 33, which means the Eagles probably wouldn’t have an interest. Harvey Dahl of Atlanta is a tough, blue-collar guard who is in his prime at 28. Tyson Clabo, who plays next to Dahl at right tackle, is a massive 6-6, 335-pounder with considerable upside, but it is hard to imagine the Falcons letting him go.
5. Running back
If we have seen the end of the Brian Westbrook era in Philadelphia, the Eagles have to fortify themselves at running back. We saw in the last Dallas game that LeSean McCoy has taken over as the No. 1 back. Leonard Weaver was the most pleasant surprise of the season, earning first-team All-Pro honors at fullback and also proving that he could play a bigger role as a ball carrier and receiver.
The Eagles need more than Eldra Buckley in reserve, however. Most likely, they would draft a back in the third or fourth round and develop him. The New York Jets found Shonn Greene in the third round this year. That’s one position where there is usually a lot of depth.
yes indeed. should be able to pick one up in the draft. hanson played very poorly since coming back from his suspension. i'd expect him to be better next year though.
yeah. i went to post in it last night and it was locked. not sure why.
not with all the drama that surrounds this team.
this is philadelphia. football is a 12 month sport around here.
Gay.
clearly a disappointing end to our season (man, i hate losing to dallas) but i've got a good feeling about this off season...i think there are going to be some much needed changes (sorry, Brian Westbrook, I love you but....) which are going to shake things up a little. hopefully the boys will work on things like clock management and our offensive line will toughen up...
Whatever you are, be a good one --Lincoln
be interesting to see if farve and warner retire. that might be the only way we end up trading him- if those teams get into a bidding war. might be easier to get a first rounder too since it will be a late 1st rounder....
like i said i am okay if he stays or if we go with kolb. more important to this team is stacking up the defense and getting this o line healthy....we shall see.
Dream the dream ... but seriously, I don't think any team is going to give up a 1st round pick for a 34 year old quraterback who has played all 16 games exactly once in the past 5 years.
"I don't believe in damn curses. Wake up the damn Bambino and have me face him. Maybe I'll drill him in the ass." --- Pedro Martinez
...coming off his best statistical season in 5 years. plus those two teams have had a little bit of success with qbs waaay older than 34 in the last two years. i've seen quite a few so called experts say a 1st is possible.
but it will more likely be a 2nd. however those are the only two teams who i can see giving a 1st only because it would be such a late first round pick. and, in this scenario, they'd both be bidding against each other thus driving up the asking price.
this assumes both Warner and Favre retire ... and retire at the same time.
"I don't believe in damn curses. Wake up the damn Bambino and have me face him. Maybe I'll drill him in the ass." --- Pedro Martinez
that piece of shit favre ain't retiring
as i said (at least i think i said this earlier), i think this particular scenario would be our best shot at getting a 1st rounder for him. not a guarantee though obviously. and the odds of him staying are appearing better as from what i have seen lately.
sucks that the vikes did not give farve a deadline. the longer that drags on, the longer the mcnabb drama lasts....
"I don't believe in damn curses. Wake up the damn Bambino and have me face him. Maybe I'll drill him in the ass." --- Pedro Martinez
Let the games begin.
"I don't believe in damn curses. Wake up the damn Bambino and have me face him. Maybe I'll drill him in the ass." --- Pedro Martinez
sorry, i have a job.
go time.
make up your mind farve...you son of a bitch.
I work from home ...
"I don't believe in damn curses. Wake up the damn Bambino and have me face him. Maybe I'll drill him in the ass." --- Pedro Martinez
Yeah, that ain't gonna happen for a while.
"I don't believe in damn curses. Wake up the damn Bambino and have me face him. Maybe I'll drill him in the ass." --- Pedro Martinez
before our time, but he really is one the greatest birds of all time.
I didn't even know he was sick
RIP Brookie
:(
The ONLY thing better than a glass of beer is tea with Miss McGill
A protuberance of flesh above the waistband of a tight pair of trousers
By Bob Brookover
Inquirer Staff Writer
MIAMI - Much of the talk during the days leading up to last night's Pro Bowl at Sun Life Stadium focused on the watered-down rosters of the two teams, thanks to the NFL's decision to play the game a week before the Super Bowl, eliminating all players from the NFC champion New Orleans Saints and AFC champion Indianapolis Colts.
A bad game, in other words, got worse.
In a way, however, the Pro Bowl exhibition between the NFC and AFC set the tone for what lies ahead for the league.
On March 5, the league's free-agent market will open, and it promises to be a real bore. That's because so many players who would have been unrestricted free agents - unless there is a new labor agreement - will instead be restricted ones under rules that go into effect next month.
Only one player on the Pro Bowl rosters appeared to fill the bill as an unrestricted free agent who could interest the Eagles. That player is defensive end Julius Peppers, who made more than $16 million last season after the Carolina Panthers put the franchise tag on him.
Peppers is considered one of the league's premier pass rushers and has been since entering the league in 2002. He had 101/2 sacks this season and 25 over the last two years. He would be a nice complement to the Eagles' Trent Cole, who played in his second Pro Bowl last night.
Peppers said he has not given much thought to what his future as one of the league's few valued unrestricted free agents will be.
"I'm just waiting to see what will happen," Peppers said. "To be honest with you, I haven't really thought about potential landing spots or what would be a good fit for me. We'll know in a couple of weeks."
According to an ESPN report last night, the Panthers do not plan to place the franchise tag on Peppers again this off-season.
Given what a difficult time the Eagles had replacing Brian Dawkins at free safety last season, Green Bay's Nick Collins would also seem to be a good free-agent fit in Philadelphia.
Collins, who has 13 interceptions over the last two seasons, said several Eagles joked with him about signing with Philadelphia.
"They've said, 'Come on over, we need a safety,' " Collins said. "I'll go anywhere. I'm not picky at all, but I'm with Green Bay right now. They have me for another year."
Collins, who just finished his fifth season with the Packers, is convinced he'll be back in Green Bay because of the different set of free-agent rules expected to be in place next month.
A year ago, if a player's contract expired and he had at least four seasons in the league, he was an unrestricted free agent. In 2010, only players who have been in the league six years or more will qualify for unrestricted free agency.
The only way that will change is in the unlikely event that the players' union and the owners sign a new collective bargaining agreement before the start of free agency.
"I just look at it that the Packers have me for another year and I have to make the best of it," Collins said. "I can't look at it any other way. If I do, I'll be upset and disappointed."
There are four levels of tenders for restricted free agents, and they make it easy for teams to keep any players they want. If the Eagles, for instance, want to keep any of their restricted free agents, they can tender contracts of $1.01 million, $1.545 million, $2.198 million, or $2.792 million.
The lowest offer would guarantee that the Eagles would be compensated with a draft pick in the round in which the player was originally selected if another team signed him. The second-lowest offer would require a team to surrender a second-round pick. The second-highest offer would require a team to surrender a first-round pick, and the highest offer would require a team to surrender first and third-round draft picks.
A year ago, none of the league's 55 restricted free agents changed teams. The Associated Press determined that 212 players who would have been unrestricted free agents will now be restricted under the new rules.
That group includes Eagles fullback Leonard Weaver, who played in his first Pro Bowl last night.
"It has been a little bit confusing," Weaver said. "I think as players we have to become more in tune with the CBA and more in tune with what the rules are so we can go to the bargaining table with knowledge. I am happy where I'm playing. I love Philly."