Tony
Curtis out, Alex Smith in. I do not expect this to be the last shake-up of the
current 53 man roster. I am guessing (and it’s a confident guess) that
another big roster move will be coming later this week (and it’s not the
resigning of Greg Lewis).
The big move is that the Eagles will cut
either WR Reggie
Brown or WR Hank
Baskett. (Maybe
Brown too can find himself a playboy model to cover the bills). I think the
Eagles are currently carrying 7 WRs in hopes of landing a trading partner for 1 of
these 2 players. Once they realize there are no takers (which I find hard to
believe) they will trim down to 6 WRs.
Who gets the extra spot?
Michael Vick of course. Yes I am aware that Vick is suspended for the first 2
games. But Vick needs to be practicing with the team during the suspension. See
Thursday’s game against the Jets as reason #1, 2, 3, etc…
Under the
suspension and since the Eagles do not have Vick on the active roster he can
only attend meetings. Vick cannot practice with the team until after the Saints game. Not having
Vick practice until then just adds to the rust. Not having Vick practice until
then just adds to the teams’ inability to develop cohesion and chemistry
with the teams other offensive pieces.
Though I see Vick as only a
gimmick player he
is still a valuable weapon. And the weapon needs to be working with the first
team offense at practice. We cannot have a repeat of the Jaguars preseason game
where rhythm is
interrupted and
people are complaining about the disruption.
Oh yeah, the Eagles and
especially Reid
have a lot riding on the Vick project being a success this season. You do not
keep Vick away from the team an additional 2 weeks with these high stakes.
Chemistry, maybe Reid’s job, the credibility of the franchise, the credibility
of the owner were all put on the line when Vick inked the contract.
So
the move has to be coming.
And here’s another thought for you…how about
Baskett being the
odd man out? I am worried about the health of Curtis. Last year it was the
sports hernia, this year it is the knee. If Curtis can’t stay healthy I would
rather have a WR
with starting experience (Brown) lining up opposite DeSean until Maclin is ready to assume
the starting spot (which could be a while based on his lengthy camp
absence).
