The Steelers and the Giants win title after title with their defenses, yet all the Philadelphia sports media and many Eagles fans want to talk about is how Donovan McNabb.should win the city a championship.
Nobody was upset that the Eagles refused to get in the chase for the most dominating free agent of 2009 Albert LHaynesworth.
It wasn't a surprise when the Redskins, who are known to get out of control in free ageny, were willing to give the big money to Haynesworth.
The most telling part of this year's free agency hasn't been publicized. The Giants who already have two of the best defensive linemen in the NFL, Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora, were trying to sign Haynesworth.
Who needs Haynesworth more, the Eagles or the Giants?
Check out this article by Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News.
The Giants weren't just testing the waters when they called about defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth a few minutes after the free-agent pool opened on Friday. They were apparently ready to make a very big splash.
In fact, according to Haynesworth, the Giants offered him more than $80 million before he instead took $100 million from the Washington Redskins And while Giants GM Jerry Reese disputed that number, he did confirm what the Daily News reported first on its Web site on Friday – that they were in the Haynesworth hunt.
"We were serious about Albert," Reese said. "I think everybody was serious about Albert Haynesworth. Everybody would want a big monster like that in the middle."
The 6-6, 320-pounder cost the Redskins $100 million-$115 million over seven years with $41 million guaranteed. In an interview on "The Michael Irvin Radio Show" in Dallas on Friday night, Haynesworth said he also had a $100 million offer from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and he added, "I had another $80-something million deal from the Giants."
"I've seen reports that we offered $80million. That's not true," Reese said. "We did make a good offer. It would be awful for us not to even put our toe in the water and (then) the guy goes to his press conference in Washington and says, 'I really wanted to be a Giant, but they never offered me anything.' We made a nice offer, but obviously it wasn't in that ballpark."
Reese did not say how high the Giants would go, but he said his intention was not to simply drive up the Redskins' price.
"I wasn't worried about what they were offering him," Reese said."
Remember that the Eagles had much more salary cap space than the Giants. Next to acquiring help on their offensive line, Haynesworth was the only way they were going to dramatically improve their football team through free agency.
There's nothing else to do with all of that money.
You win championships on defense and more specifically you win championships on your defensive front.
