The Eagles season is over so now the talk about moves in the off season. Is the Eagles quarterback situation good or bad? What’s wrong with the Eagles defense? What free agents should they sign? Charlie Manuel wants a new contract. Villanova beat Louisville at the Wells Fargo Center.
I’ll be commenting and answering any questions you have throughout the morning. If you have something you want me to consider posting as an article, you can send it to me at Garry@GCobb.com. Let’s see what everybody’s talking about.
REID’S GAME MANAGEMENT – Michael Lombardi of the NFL Network went after Eagles head coach Andy Reid and his in game management style. He said he was the worst of all-time when it came to making decision during games.
EAGLES QUARTERBACK SITUATION – Phil Sheridan of Philly.com says the Eagles have a bad situation at their quarterback position. I disagree. He thinks a decision to franchise Michael Vick if the Birds decide to go in that direction will be a bad one because Vick would resent it. If they decide to sign Vick to a long-term deal that would mean taking a big chance on a guy who doesn’t have a good track record.
He also says a decision to maintain the services of Kevin Kolb as a backup would be a bad one because it would make Kolb disgruntled. On the other hand making Kolb the starter, while letting Vick walk would be unacceptable because Reid has already let us know that he thinks Vick is the better quarerback and it makes no sense to let a Pro Bowl quarterback leave town.
Sheridan is basically saying that there isn’t a good decision that came be made at the Eagles quarterback situation.
I would sign Vick to a four-year deal if the numbers are right. If I can’t do that I would franchise him. I would trade Kolb if I got the right offer; a first round draft pick or a second and a third rounder.
I don’t think it’s a bad situation I think it’s a great situation the Eagles have at the quarterback position.
EAGLES RUN DEFENSE – Brian Baldinger was on Comcast Sportsnet this morning talking about the Birds problems against the run. The Birds used two-deep coverages to stop the Packers from going deep against them. It opened up issues in their run defense against Green Bay as unheard of John Starks ran for more than 130 yards.
Baldinger said the Eagles were too small in their defensive tackles. He said they need to get bigger at the tackle position so that can keep offensive linemen off of the linebackers.
He also identified problems at the linebacker position for the Birds and said they need a playmaker or two amongst their backers.
I agree on both of his assessments. I’ve been saying for years that the Eagles aren’t big enough or good enough at the defensive tackle position, especially when they used two first round draft picks and a second round draft pick on the position.
OFF SEASON MOVES – Reuben Frank says the Eagles need to sign Oakland Raiders free agent Pro Bowl cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha. I don’t know if that’s possible because it would mean locking up so much money in the cornerback position with Asante Samuel already one of the top paid cornerbacks in the game on the roster. We’ll have to wait and see what happens with the CBA to see whether the Eagles can afford to do that.
I think the Eagles will go after a less expensive cornerback when free agency begins.
Phillies mangers Charlie Manuel’s contract is up after the upcoming season. He wants a two-year extension for about 4 million a year and that’s the amount of money that top managers are making. Manuel is one of the most accomplished managers in Major League Baseball. It will get worked out before the season begins and it should get worked out.
Remember you can email me at Garry@GCobb.com.
I believe the Eagles have a pretty good situation at QB… I agree I would either franchise Vick, or sign him to a workable new 4 year deal. As far as it being risky, man Mike understands his situation and that he has 2 strikes. Also I doubt very seriously that he would resent being paid 20 million to play 1 season. That would just about wipe out his debt. As for Kolb, he has 11-12 mill reasons why he has no grounds to be disgruntled. His opportunity will come, especially if he’s as good as he thinks he is. For once I agree with Baldinger. He is absolutely right the DTs need to get bigger, the defense on a whole needs to get bigger and more physical. Quick name the last Probowl outside LB who brings a thump and is a playmaker. Realize this, Bradley was not a great LB at Nebraska, and he was also not a MLB coming out of College. Stop trying to convert a guy into something, and draft one who’s been doing it already. We need athletes…
I seriously doubt Asomugha will be an Eagle this upcoming season…but they’ve surprised us before. The Eagles need to take a lesson from the Phillies… Go get some studs…
G-Cobb how can the Eagles possibly keep Kolb next season? Isnt his contract up after next year? Wouldnt that mean there is no chance to trade him and you would be letting him go for nothing? So you trade him this summer and get possibly a 1st round pick or you keep him as a backup and he walk for nothing after next year. Then if Kolb was your future you would have to negotiate with him during the season while Vick is there. I just dont understand how we are having a Kolb vs Vick conversation. People would really rather have Kolb?lol
I guess they would franchise Kolb next year if thats the way they would go but then you would be letting Vick go for nothing if you franchised Kolb next year. You cant win if both are back next year.
It would be interesting see what Kolb’s attitude would be toward resigning if they brought him back this year as a backup and paid him the $1.2 million dollars he’s set to earn on his contract. I think he’s be out of here with the quickness in the year after, if they did that.
Has anybody noticed that nobody is crying about guys losing their starting jobs due to injury like they were when Kolb lost his job to Vick. I think Bradley has lost his starting job to Chaney and Bunkley has lost his starting job to Dixon. Remember all the guys crying for Kolb when Reid decided to go with Vick.
Pay Uncle Charlie!!! He has zero speaking/PR skills, but the dude knows baseball and is a proven developer of talent (Werth, etc.). Keep the man.
G-Cobb I have seen this for years. Randall, McNabb and now Vick. You would think that Kolb was a Joe Montana with the respect he gets around here. Honestly I liked AJ Feeleys game better than Kolbs. The Eagles hae hyped Kolb up like nothing I have ever seen. They have fans debating between a pro-bowl stud playmaking machine vs a player who couldnt throw a ball more than 5 yards vs the Redskins. Its amazing.Ive seen Kolb try to throw deep vs, Tenn and Dallas. Kiss that part of the Eagles offense goodbye if Kolb is here. Ive seen Kolb look scared throwing off his back foot. I will give Kolb credit though. He plays the part. He acts like he is the man. That got him paid. Vicks gotta be laughing to himself. You are comparing me to Kolb?lol
Garry, you, and others, misinterpreted the “crying”. We were not crying ‘for’ Kolb. We were just anti Vick.
I cannot say anything about the move from Bradley to Chaney because Chaney is an unknown quantity. I have no idea whether he’ll be better or not.
The situation for Vick was different. We had 6 years evidence to study, examine and fall back on. Vick’s style of play has traditionally had limited success in the NFL.
We were arguing against Vick because:
Can’t read D…check
Fumbles….check
Runs too much….check
One read and run….check
Injury prone….check (this will get worse as he ages)
I understand where the “He’s the MVP” arguements come from, but Cinderella slipper fell off somewhere around week 10. Once Vick began to face teams that didn’t provide for him 8 second pockets, he slowly reverted to his old self. This shouldn’t have come as a surprise as:
1) Everything always falls back to the mean
2) D Co-ords needed a few weeks to re-acquaint themselves with Vick – they did
The “crying” over Kolb was simply myself (and others) pointing out our displeasure witht he move to Vick, because I felt strongly I could predict how the story would end. Not surprisingly it ended the way I thought it would.
Kolb was an unknown quantity. Just like Chaney. I would have liked to see how that story would have played it self out. (and yes I’m now prepared for a barrage of “It would have ended 4-12).
Phil Sheridan?? Resent?? Disgruntled??
That’s why the sign Contracts. It is an agreement. If you don’t like it. You don’t sign it. You take your chances in the real world were a 10 million dollar signing bonus would be like hitting the lottery 10 times.
The NFL is a business. Kolb just got paid a fortune for standing on the sidelines.
What off season moves? Ike Reese said with the exception of Nate Allen he see’s no future pro bowlers on this defensive team. Agreed. Mcdermott makes adjustments but the talent is horrible. I’m not even going to mention #50 in this post. I’m watching my blood pressure.
The fantasy off season move would be that Jeffie Lurie Sells the Team to Donald Trump. He would have no problem firing an employe that can’t accomplish the goal after 12 years.
In reality the Eagles should draft the most talented linebacker available no matter what position he plays. Bradley and Chaney can fill out the other linebacker spots. Now you have a good linebacker core.
Next. Forget that bum in Oakland. Learn from the detroit number 50 and Jevon Kearse mistakes. Drafte a stud at CB in the 2nd round. One that can cover AND tackle. Pick up a pass blocking guard in free agency then draft 2 more.
Or Trade Shady McCoy for a good starting offensive lineman. If you are’nt going to us him in the big game then you might as trade him. Since we gifted Dallas with our number one pick, and gave the Redskins a 6 time pro bowler then it’s only fair we give the Giants Shady.
I was talking about the people who made a big deal about Kolb losing job because of an injury. It was some fans but mainly media people who made a big deal about the rule of not losing you job due to injury.
I’ve always said teams lose games not individuals. If Kolb had played the Eagles wouldn’t have been any where near the playoffs and Kolb would be rehabbing a knee, ankle or shoulder injury. Or he would have suffered his second and third concussions and he career would be in doubt.
9 out of 10 NFL football people would tell you that right now Kolb can’t shine Vick’s shoes as a quarterback. We will see if that changes in the future.
Good points bsm. However, I think we are also in dire need of a stud defensive end. Did anyone see the pass rush against Green Bay? Yeah, neither did I. Rodgers stood upright like Tom Brady for the entire game and just dink and dunked under the middle. It was embarrassing. I gotta give Reid and Co. credit for going after what they “thought” would be a stud in Brandon Graham because I think it all starts at the line. The verdict is still out on Graham but we obviously won’t know much about him until 2012 with his injury. Trent Cole apparently doesn’t know how to rush the QB in the 2nd half of any season.
9 out of 10 real estate agents would have told you the housing market was on solid ground in 2007
9 out of 10 investment analysts would have told you to put your $$ in the stock market in 2006
9 out of 10 “experts” are telling you that universal health care is an essential panacea
9 out of 10 European leaders are currently telling you that the Euro debt crisis is ‘contained’
9 out of 10 NFL experts may be telling me that Vick is better. I don’t put that much stock into those ‘talking head’ analysts.
Bret Favre has been a pretty bad QB (save last year – but as usual he reverted when it counted) for about a decade. But the NFL analysts kept telling me he was the Vikings last best and only hope…..meanwhile every Vikes fan worth his salt knew precisely how that was going to turn out.
Vinnie we have heard guys like you all the time. We know. Vick, Randall, McNabb, Vince Young they cant read defenses yadi yadi. Its tiring. Its old, Its 1970s. Were in 2011 your a dying breed. Anyway Vinnie can you read a defense? If not that how can you determine if someone else can or cant read one.lol I guess from your couch at home.lol. Let me know what coaches tape you watch to determine how many reads Vick goes through. Eli Manning threw 25 ints, guess he cant read one eithier. I recall many games when the announcer said look at Vick go through all of his reads. Fumbles? Cutler, Manning, Rothlisberger etc. All fumble alot. Runs to much? Ok coach Vinnie. Because you say so. Kolb isnt unknown. Ive seen him against Tenn, GB, Wash and Dallas. He sucked. looked scared. Good game vs Atlanta. Ill give him that. 1 trick play and with all his might he reached Maclin.
I think this teams biggest problem is philosophy. Defensive and offensive. I’ll start with the defense. Reid is more concerned about guys with speed than guys that can play. Yes, in a perfect world you want a lot of speed but it that means sacrificing good play and size then I’d pass. Each year our defense gets manhandled in the playoffs by a team that decides to run the ball. Even teams that are pass first teams will run against us. We saw it last year with Dallas and this year with Green Bay. The prior year we saw Arizona kill the clock and methodically run the ball in he last few minutes. We get pushed around entirely too much and it begins with our philosophy on defense. We need a couple big and nasty players especially at the LB spot. I’m not saying everyone has to be mammoths out there but you need 1 or 2 guys that have an intimidating stature and if they don’t have that then they better be able to play well. And its seems many of our guys are lacking both. Below are the avg LB weight for the Eagles and remaining 8 teams in the playoffs. It’s also interesting to note that 5 of the 8 run the 3-4 as their base defense. Again, I am not saying everyone has to be 6’2 255 pounds but someone should.
Eagles
Chaney 242
Fokou 236
Sims 230
Avg 236
Bears
Urlacher 258
Tinoisamoa 230
Briggs 242
Avg 243.33
Packers
Bishop 238
Hawk 247
Walden 250
Matthews 255
Avg 247.5
Falcons
Lofton 242
Peterson 233
Weatherspoon 239
Avg 238
Seattle
Tatupu 250
Curry 255
Hawthorne 246
Avg 250.33
NE
Banta-Cain 250
Mayo 245
Spikes 250
Ninkovich 255
Avg 250
Jets
Scott 242
Harris 250
Pace 265
Thomas 260
Avg 254.25
Ravens
Lewis 260
McClain 250
Suggs 260
Johnson 265
Avg 258.75
Steelers
Farrior 243
Timmons 234
Harrison 242
Woodley 265
Avg 246
As you can see the only team that has a starting LB core as light as ours is the Falcons but they play solid D all around so their guys make up for size with solid play. Our guys are undersized and under-skilled.
You know people say these things that these guys cant read defenses but no one asks the question. How much leway does reid give them to change plays. Tom and Peyton can do as they please. But our qbs dont have that rein. Mcnabb was here for 10 years how often did you see him check out of a play. Not very often. We used to talk about reid being a bully and being stubborn. This could have something to do with it
In case you’re unfamiliar with Nnamdi Asomugha, he plays cornerback for the Oakland Raiders, or at least he used to. This past season, in 14 games played, NFL quarterbacks only threw Asomugha’s way 33 times. In other words, they don’t even bother looking his way. Just 13 of those passes were completed for 205 yards, and no touchdowns. That translates to 0.9 catches allowed for 14.6 yards per game. That’s just stupid good. Looking at his stats is actually comical. He only had 19 tackles and no interceptions, because again, NFL quarterbacks want no part of him. Compare his numbers to little-used Eagles rookie Trevard Lindley, and if you didn’t know any better, you’d think Lindley had a better season. That’s not to pick on you, Trevard… I have high hopes for your career here, but I digress.
We all know why Asomugha would be a great fit – The Eagles have a big fat hole at RCB, and Asomugha would fit into that empty spot ever so snugly. He and Asante Samuel would form the best corner tandem in the NFL… by far. If QB’s continued to throw away from Asomugha and target Samuel, then Samuel may just be a candidate to break interception records. The Eagles could send the house and be confident that they’re unlikely to be burned badly on the back end if blitzes don’t immediately get to the QB. BLAH BLAH BLAH, YADA YADA YADA.
Here’s the rub – Precisely 31 other teams league-wide can also come up with compelling cases to sign Asomugha and make it seem like a no-brainer. He’s that good – a rare talent that’s on the open market and an absolute sure thing at an extremely important position in today’s pass-happy NFL. He’s even far more of a sure thing than Samuel was when he was a free agent back in 2008. So why should Asomugha sign with the Eagles over any of the other 31 teams that could greatly benefit for his services?
The simple answer: The Eagles are in a perfect position to be able to pay, or rather, overpay him without dire consequences.
Here are the Eagles’ players salaries for 2011 and beyond:
*It’s important to note that NFL contracts are very complex. The following table lists salaries only, and while mostly accurate, the figures may not be 100% accurate for every player. They don’t show the signing bonuses various players may have signed. For example, Brandon Graham’s rookie contract was for 5 years, $22 million. Roughly $15 million of that was in signing bonuses. Sometimes signing bonus money is paid all upfront , other times it’s stretched over several years (although even in those cases the bulk of the signing bonus is typically paid upfront). The purpose of this table is to show the structure of the players’ salaries, all aggregated by hand from NBC’s rotoworld.com. If you’re so inclined to see the figures with some signing bonuses included, I’d recommend checking out eaglescap.com, although it’s not quite up to date. I included the most relevant Eagles. There were 59 that I felt were worthy of mention (obviously they will not all be with the team next year as many are unrestricted free agents):
Position Player 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
QB Michael Vick UFA
QB Kevin Kolb 1,392,000
QB Mike Kafka 405,000 490,000 575,000
RB LeSean McCoy 480,000 565,000
RB Jerome Harrison UFA
RB Eldra Buckley RFA
FB Leonard Weaver 2,500,000 2,500,000
FB Owen Schmitt UFA
WR Jeremy Maclin* 3,100,000 3,100,000 3,100,000
WR Jason Avant 1,250,000 1,500,000 2,000,000 3,250,000
WR DeSean Jackson 565,000
WR Riley Cooper 405,000 490,000 575,000
WR Chad Hall 405,000 490,000
TE Brent Celek 1,215,000 1,909,000 3,256,000 4,000,000 4,725,000 4,925,000
TE Clay Harbor 405,000 490,000 575,000
OT Jason Peters 5,900,000 7,900,000 10,400,000 9,650,000
OT Winston Justice 2,700,000 3,225,000 3,750,000
OT King Dunlap 555,000
OT Austin Howard 405,000 490,000
OG Todd Herremans 1,900,000 2,200,000 2,600,000
OG Max Jean-Gilles UFA
OG Nick Cole UFA
OG Reggie Wells UFA
C Jamaal Jackson 1,575,000 1,775,000 1,875,000
C Mike McGlynn 555,000
DE Juqua Parker 3,500,000
DE Trent Cole 2,900,000 2,900,000 3,400,000
DE Darryl Tapp 2,250,000 2,575,000
DE Brandon Graham 405,000 827,000 1,250,000 1,670,500
DE Daniel Te’o-Nesheim 405,000 490,000 575,000
DE Ricky Sapp 405,000 490,000 575,000
DE Bobby McCray UFA
DE Victor Abiamiri UFA
DT Mike Patterson 1,400,000 2,100,000 2,900,000 3,650,000 4,900,000 6,250,000
DT Brodrick Bunkley 635,000
DT Trevor Laws 470,000 555,000
DT Antonio Dixon 480,000
DT Jeff Owens Undisclosed
LB Stewart Bradley UFA
LB Ernie Sims UFA
LB Moise Fokou 480,000 565,000
LB Jamar Chaney 405,000 490,000 575,000
LB Akeem Jordan UFA
LB Omar Gaither UFA
LB Keenan Clayton 405,000 490,000 575,000
CB Asante Samuel 5,900,000 8,400,000 10,400,000
CB Joselio Hanson 1,680,000 2,700,000 3,100,000
CB Ellis Hobbs UFA
CB Dimitri Patterson UFA
CB Trevard Lindley 405,000 490,000 575,000
CB Jorrick Calvin 405,000 490,000 575,000
S Quintin Mikell UFA
S Nate Allen 405,000 490,000 575,000
S Kurt Coleman 405,000 490,000 575,000
S Colt Anderson 405,000 490,000
S Marlin Jackson 2,000,000
K David Akers UFA
P Sav Rocca UFA
LS Jon Dorenbos 800,000 800,000
Obviously, re-signing Michael Vick is priority numero uno, and the Eagles also need to do something about DeSean Jackson’s grossly under-market contract. If the Eagles can’t get a long term deal done with Vick, they’ll franchise him and be forced to pay him a hefty salary in 2011. Just as a reference, the salary figure for quarterbacks that were tagged was roughly $16.4 million. It should be slightly more in 2011. Let’s pretend for a minute that the QB franchise tag number jumps to $18 million 2011. Since Vick made $4,500,000 last season, that would be a raise of $13.5 million. Kevin Kolb, meanwhile made over $10 million in 2010. In 2011, he’ll make $1,392,000, which means the Eagles will save over $8,500,000 off his contract. Therefore, at the worst, the Eagles will only have to pay their QB’s $5 million more in 2011 than they did in 2010.
Otherwise, there are a grand total of ZERO Eagles that will make in excess of $6 million in base salary in 2011. None. Only 2 will make over $5 million – Samuel is set to make $5,900,000 in salary. He’ll make $8,400,000 in 2012 and $10,400,000 in 2012. The other highly paid Eagle, Jason Peters, will also only make $5,900,000 in salary, as his contract is also backloaded. Only SEVEN others will make as much as $2 million in salary – Leonard Weaver, Jeremy Maclin, Juqua Parker, Winston Justice, Trent Cole, Darryl Tapp, and Marlin Jackson. Marlin Jackson’s chances of seeing that $2 million are somewhere between slim and none, and depending on the roster moves the Eagles make this season, it’s debatable whether Justice will see the $2,700,000 that he’s scheduled to earn, and if Juqua Parker will see his $3,500,000.
It’s utterly remarkable that as of today, only 9 Eagles are scheduled to make at least $2 million in salary in 2011. So how did they get there? Well, as we all know, they purged a boatload of veterans this past offseason, and with them their lofty contracts. Here’s a quick list of all the players that the Eagles got off their books within the past 12 months:
– Donovan McNabb – In 2009, the Eagles redid the last 2 years of McNabb’s deal, which was $24.2 million over 2 years. They dumped that contract when they traded him to the Redskins.
– Brian Westbrook – The Eagles saved $7.5 million when they decided to release Westbrook in February.
– Stacy Andrews – The Eagles traded Andrews and his awful 6-year, $38.9 million contract to the Seahawks. He would have made $5,250,000 in 2011 with the Eagles, which would have been the 3rd highest salary on the team.
– Shawn Andrews – Signed a 10-year, $35.5 million extension in 2006. The Eagles released Andrews in March of 2010.
– Kevin Curtis – Signed as a free agent in 2007 for 6 years, $26.7 million. The Eagles released Curtis in March of 2010.
– Darren Howard – The Eagles signed Howard in 2006 as a free agent for 6 years, $32 million. Just like with Kevin Curtis and Shawn Andrews, the Eagles released Howard in March of 2010.
– Chris Clemons – Signed for 5 years, $13.5 million in 2008. The Eagles traded him to Seattle, although they received a similar contract back in return in Darryl Tapp.
– Reggie Brown – Signed a 5 year extension “worth as much as” $27 million in 2006. The Eagles traded Brown to the Buccaneers in March 2010.
– Sheldon Brown – Signed a 9 year contract extension worth $25.4 million in 2004. The Eagles traded Brown to the Browns in April of 2010.
– Chris Gocong – Gocong was also traded along with Brown, and would have made $1.7 million in salary in 2011.
That’s TEN veterans with significant contracts that the Eagles got off their books in one offseason. They were replaced by young players (15+ rookies played for the Eagles this season) that are mostly making near the league minimum. If the Eagles like Asomugha (and how can they not?), there’s really little excuse not to back up the Brinks truck for him, especially when the team is loaded with such an impressive young nucleus that should be a serious contender as it is in 2011.
Howie Roseman, look at me. You and Uncle Joe have done an amazing job managing the cap and building a fantastic young core through the draft, making prudent decisions and not going hog wild on garbage like some of the other crazy GM’s in your division. And I applaud the work you’ve done. (Clapping). However, now is the time get aggressive and add a true difference maker, even if you have to overpay. The money is there – I see it. So again, look at me:
Now on to the offense. I’m sure everyone’s biggest concern there is the balance between run and pass. Look, I’m not asking us to be 50/50 or lead the league in rushing. I’m just asking that we make more of an effort to establish the run and be able to run when we need to. We have no power running game to speak of to get tough short yardage plays. Teams came out and played nickel against us. So instead of running against them with the additional DB, we keep passing the ball, playing right into their hands. I know this is a passing league and you have to be able to do that to win BUT the very good teams are able to run WHEN THEY NEED TO. That’s the difference with us. Green Bay had been terrible at running all year but that didn’t stop them from doing it against us. How many times did Dallas kill us last year with the delay draw plays?
Here’s another thing. What was the last team that won the Super Bowl that runs a west cost offense? And how many in the last 10 years? Most successful teams use a mixture of systems to have their own. But in ours even throw we throw the ball more down field, the formations are the same and predictable. Small WRs that cannot take a pounding, no power running attack, small defense leaves us to be banged up and overpowered at the end of each season.
Here’s a couple of things that won’t happen
#1) Eagles will not Sign CB Asmogoah or Champ Bailey they are too old and too much $$$$
#2) Eagles will not get a 1st Round pick in return for QB Kolb if they trade him (no team will give up a 1st Rounder for him, this is a deep QB Draft and there are some other QB’s with experience out on the market like a K Orton,D McNabb, A Smith, M Lineart,S Hill, V Young,S Wallace, B Gradowski
that could fit a teams short-term QB needs while they groom a young QB)
The Eagles are more likely to get a 2nd Round and a 4th Round pick in return and should jump on it if they are offered, but asking 2 #1 Rounders is pie in the sky and will never happen
Here’s a few things that will most likely happen
#1) Eagles place Franchise Tag QB Vick and will attempt to trade back-up Kolb, but will ask too much in return, which most likley keeps Kolb in Philly for the 2011 Season in case Vick gets injured
#2) Eagles will not resign RB’s J HArrison and E Buckley as they look for younger back-ups
#3) Eagles will not re-sign Sims,Gaither and J Parker,Abiamri,Hobbs,
#4) Eagles will offer 1 year Deals to Bradley & Mickell only, which they will be very disappointed in and will most likely get bigger deals from other teams and move on
#5) Eagles will sign A Jordan and D Patterson keeping them Eagles for 2011
#6) Eagles will offer 1 year deals to MJG and J Jackson who both are likely to return
#7) Guards R Wells & N Cole will not be offered deals and will move on
#8) Eagles will offer O Schmitt and C Anderson Deals to keep them in Philly
#9) Eagles will look to deal either DT’s Bunkley of Patterson with a mid-round Draft pick (5th/6th) to get a 3rd Round Pick in Return, BOth players make over $1 Million and they are not going to pay back-up’s that kind of $$$ with the Emergence of A Dixon who now is a Starter (Bunkley probably has a little more trade value being a little younger then Patterson)
#10) Eagles will ask FB L Weaver for a reduction in salary and may end up with Medical Settlement if he does not progress well enough from his major knee surgery putting his playing career in jeopardy
After shuttling through the Current Roster on who stays and who goes, the Eagles will now have
needs at the following Positions and may look at Free-Agency to fill in some spots
#1) CB – Richard Marshall from Panthers, Cromartie from the NY Jets
#2) OLB – James Anderson from Panthers, Ben Leber from the Vikings, S Burnett from Chargers
#3) S – Antwan Landry from the Ravens or a Eric Weddle from the Chargers
#4) DE – R Edwards from Vikings, C Jenkins from Packers , T Hali from the Chiefs
#5) OL (Interior positions of Guard) – Clabo from Falcons, Nicks from the Saints, Gaither from Ravens
Eagles have 9 picks in the 2011 Draft and 5 Selections out of the Top 125 picks or so..
They may also get awarded a compensatory pick or 2 for losing some players the year before thru Free-Agency (Witherspoon,Babin,Westbrook)
Right now it appears to be
1st Round – #24 pick
2nd Round – #56 pick
3rd Round – #88 pick
4th Round – #106 pick (from Mcnabb Trade)
4th Round – #120 pick
5th Round – #146 pick (from San Diego trade)
5th Round – #153 pick
6th Round – #182 pick
7th Rouns – #213 pick
This is a pretty deep Draft for CB,LB,QB,DT,WR, Interior O/Lineman & RB
Not as deep at OT,DE,S,& TE..as in recent drafts.
Paulman I think your wrong. What I have heard (reported by Mike Lombardi)is that yes a 1st round pick for Kolb is very much in play. The problem is that the Eagles are looking for 2 number 1 picks. Thats where the problem lies. The Eagles have Kolb so hyped up that he is a very very hot commodity.
How can you bring both back. Wouldnt that mean eithier Vick or Kolb would walk for nothing after next season? If Kolb comes back his contract is up after next year you get nothing. Unless you franchise him. Then that would mean you have franchised Vick this year then he would walk after next year for nothing. What a dissaster that would be.
Damn dag, you got me mad pumped up for next season.
Information Overload… Wow, someones really been studying. Very good info. (Vinne) it’s no sense in even debating/arguing however you want to term it. You don’t like Vick, we get it. Kolb’s not going to be a starter here, get over it. And yes you guys were crying foul over the switch. Have you seen Mike’s arm vs Kolb’s arm. And let’s get this out there too, the day of the Peyton Manning, Tom Brady sit in the pocket statue QBs is about to end. Players are bigger faster stronger now adays. If you are not throwing the ball quickly, or have an awesome line, then you better be mobile. Remember Kolb got hurt this year trying to avoid Clay Matthews and could not absorb the hit he took. Coaching still plays a huge roll in the design of the plays. Andy and Marty have not been creative enough lately. Matter of fact they have been horrible, especially after the first 15 scripted plays. The Eagles are a Fun and Gun offense right now, and that does not get it done in Philly in that weather in January.
To Dagfolden
Great stuff on the Salary info above…
Back to K Kolb, What team do you see giving up a #1 Pick for Him..
There are probably 4-5 Teams that are playoff contenders right now if they had sole QB play
Vikings,TItans,49ers,Raiders and maybe the Cardinals.. If your that close to playoff contention and willing to trade a #1 Pick, I would think they would go after a more expereienced QB like a Orton or McNabb or even a V Young that have a lot more Starting and Winning experience than Kolb
If your one of the other teams who is in a rebuilding mode that needs a QB – like the Redskins, Panthers,Bills,Dolphins. These teams would most likely draft a young rising QB and begin the grooming proces and maybe pick-up a Veteran QB as a 1 year stop gap player and won’t have
to trade a #1 Pick for a Wallace,Henne,S Hill,A Smith, T Smith, etc,etc, will be 3rd Rd Values since they are not playoff ready teams anyways and have many needs to fill ..
On the Vick Contract situation
I think they will place a Franchise tag and pay him big $$ in 2011,this doesn’t mean that he would walk after 2011 for they could discuss long-term deal any time during the 2011 season and if he
If he plays well,stays healthy,stays out of trouble then they give him a long-term deal in mid-season to secure his place in Philly for 3-4 years and Kolb is a goner
But if Vick were to get injured, or doesnt play well, or gets into trouble, then he’s Vick would be a goner after 2011 and they could then negotiate with Kolb after the 2011 season and possibly Franchise Kolb after the 2011 Season if Vick fails and they still feel highly about Kolb…
Got this from IKE @ NGHT
Take Cowher out of the picture, and all the coaches who have won Super Bowls have won them in an average of three years! Chuck Noll won in his sixth season with the Steelers. John Madden won in his eighth year with the Raiders. Everybody else won within four years
#1 Off-Season Move FIRE ANDY REID….everything eles is just chit chatter
How many times can you give a coach a pass….He’s been out-coached in almost EVERY BIG GAME his teams have played in
J Lurie paid approx $375-$400 Million for the Eagles 10-12 Years ago…
The Franchise is now worth $1.2 to $1.5 Billion.. As long as the Eagles continue ot make $$$$
with Coach AR at the helm, Lurie will never fire him. Coach AR stays in Philly as long as he wants to.
Now if the team Struggles and I mean really Struggles, Fans start staying away, TV Ratings and Merchandise Sales start to fall then Lurie has a decision to make.. but that’s not even close to happening at this point in time…
“Next. Forget that bum in Oakland. Learn from the detroit number 50 and Jevon Kearse mistakes. Drafte a stud at CB in the 2nd round. One that can cover AND tackle. Pick up a pass blocking guard in free agency then draft 2 more.”
bsm, that sounds good in theory but what have the Eagles done in the past 4-5 years that gives us any indication they can draft a “stud” on the defensive side of the ball? It’s easy to say “we should draft a stud DE or CB”, but actually doing it is harder. The Eagles have done nothing in the past few years that indicates they have the slightest idea how to draft defensive “studs”.
Oh drummer….I mean Kreskin…. He “looked scared” ???
Just to review…
I can’t “see” that a guy isn’t going through reads, (even though presssing the pause button on just about any pass attp over the past 6 weeks and yo’ll see the man’s face pointing toward one and one guy only)
And yet you have the innate ability to see inside a guys head and determine if a player is scared or not. That’s pretty cool.
Chuck…if the day of the stand in the pocket passer is done….
How come the 8 remaining QBs are Hassel, Rodgers, Brady, Sanchez, Rothless, Flacco, Ryan, and Cutler? Rodgers and Rothless are considered mobile, but not runners. The rest of them are statueesque drop back and throw, sans mouvement qbs.
Who were the 2 QBs last year? Manning/Brees
Year before? Rothless/Warner
Year Before Eli/Brady
Year Before Manning/Grossman??
The “new age” of the running QB for sure.
QB who can move a bit to avoid pressure, buy time for WRs – good
QB who runs once sees 1st WR covered and feels pressure – bad
well i got to give Vick credit, he did not run on the first and last Eagles offensive plays lol
Chuck Rob – You hit the nail on the head. After the first 15, Reid not only has no clue about which plays to call, but he’s also guilty of setting his QB up to keeeeled.
Paulman – You hit that one out of the park. Reid has been great for Laurie. The team generates enough interest for Lurie to have more than tripled his investment price.
Gotta – I agree that Reid should go. It sounds crazy to indict a coach with such a winning history. In fact, it almost sounds as crazy running the ball only 13 times against a team with 4.7 average in rushing defense. It almost sounds as crazy as using 2nd tier receivers for 7 years, while passing the ball more than any other team. It almost sounds as crazy as ignoring a running back who was averaging more than 6 yards a carry (Buckhalter). It almost sounds as crazy as throwing only 2-3 screens per game against a fierce and increasing pass rush. It almost sounds as crazy as ignoring the success he had running the ball against Atlanta 54% of the time. It almost sounds as crazy at passing the ball 93% of the time against the Giants between the 2nd and 3rd quarters. It almost sounds as crazy as calling deep pass routes, exclusively, while your pro-bowl QB gets the snot knocked out of him on each play, unless, of course, he can escape. It almost sounds as crazy as refusing to run against a defense with a cornerback playing linebacker. It almost sounds as crazy as Reid naming Kolb as the starter (without competition), then re-naming Kolb as the starter, then chaning his mind and naming Vick as the starter, after desperately trying to trade him during the off-season. It almost sounds as crazy as watching the guy Reid tried to trade play himself into the pro-bowl as a starter. It almost sounds as crazy as calling 50 passes when your QB is playing on a broken ankle. It almost sounds as crazy as throwing your No. 1 scorer under the bus and potentially allowing him to walk after one of his best seasons. I could go on and on, but what’s the point? Reid’s a money-maker and when it’s all said and done, that’s the only thing that’s important to the “Gold Standard.”
This is the difference between Green Bay and the Eagles. After nearly getting Rodgers killed, they began to call plays differently.
drummerwinslow says:
October 13, 2010 at 5:05 am
ANDY REID’S TWIN – UNBELIEVABLE!!!!!
If you saw any of Green Bay’s 16-13 loss at Washington, you saw an offense that would make Graham Harrell and Colt Brennan jump in the air like Rocky and Apollo did in the ocean. The Packers spread the field and threw … and threw … and threw.
By game’s end, they had called 53 pass plays and only 14 runs. While Rodgers threw for almost 300 yards, calling a pass on 53 out of 67 plays has its downside:
a) The offense is slightly one-dimensional. The dudes out in front of Abercrombie have more layers than that.
b) No time is burned off the clock when protecting a lead (Green Bay led by at least a touchdown for a good portion of the second half).
c)The quarterback is susceptible to getting killed.
Let’s start with the last point. Rodgers is tough, but passing or attempting to pass on nearly every down has its risks. That risk was realized on Sunday when Rodgers suffered a concussion late in the game on a helmet-to-helmet hit.
Quarterbacks don’t suffer helmet-to-helmet blows, much less injuries, when they hand off the ball. Brett Favre might get tennis elbow from one of those ridiculous throwing fakes on running plays, but that’s about it.
The other thing injured from constantly passing was Green Bay’s chance of winning, which brings us to the first two points. Due to the one-dimensional attack, the Packers only scored 13 points against a defense they should’ve riddled for twice that many. Personnel-wise, Jim Haslett’s defensive unit doesn’t match up against McCarthy’s offense. Even without running back Ryan Grant, Green Bay had favorable matchups running the ball; Washington was constantly spread out trying to defend the pass, and Albert Haynesworth, the team’s best defensive lineman (in theory), wasn’t playing.
And still, the Packers had a comfortable 13-3 lead when they took over the ball with 6:42 left in the third quarter. Time to run some clock. So what did McCarthy order up on the next two series with a two-score advantage? Seven passes, three runs. One of those passes came on a third-and-1.
Let’s review: 10-point second-half lead, third-and-1, on the road … and they pass the ball! They had to stay on the ground in that situation. Why? Even if they don’t get the first down, more clock gets chewed in the process of running the ball.
It wasn’t just during the second half that McCarthy abandoned the run. The Packers ran Brandon Jackson out of a three-receiver set on their third offensive play of the game. Jackson, starting in place of the injured Grant, navigated his way through the front line maelstrom, made a brilliant cut, and wasn’t caught until he was 71 yards down the field. Jackson’s scamper led to Green Bay’s only touchdown.
So how many times did Jackson get to run the ball the rest of the half after getting 71 yards on his first carry? Two — two! In fact, the drive after his big run the Packers ran six plays: Pass, pass, pass, pass, pass, punt.
Fox analyst Troy Aikman said during the broadcast that McCarthy had mentioned in a pregame production meeting that “we want to maintain some type of balance,” and he didn’t want to go through another season where his quarterback got hit all the time (Green Bay allowed the most sacks in the NFL in 2009 with 51). That’s what makes McCarthy’s play-calling in this particular game all the more puzzling, because maintaining any type of balance is precisely what the Packers didn’t do.
As we all know, Green Bay ran the ball against the Eagles. Where we don’t necessarily agree is their reason for doing so. I contend that they did so to keep their start QB upright and healthy.
Reid’s play-calling does just the opposite. It increases the pass rush and forces his QB to run for his life. I’ve never read anything claiming that Rodgers can’t read defenses, nor that he can’t pass his way out of a blitz. However, he was getting beat-down the same as Vick. That is, until the coach changed his play-calling.
You all know that I charted plays during the season, and since about 12:00 minutes into the 2nd quarter of the Titans game (with Kolb as his QB), Reid has fallen into a passing frenzy unequalled in the history of the NFL.
After his first 15 scripted plays, Reid has called passing plays no less than 77% of the the time and as much as 93% of the time (averaging 88% of the time). These numbers exclude the 2nd Dallas game and the Green Bay game (which I haven’t charted yet.)
Why did McCarthy change his play-calling and why did Rodgers fail so miserably?
More importantly, after 12 years, why does Andy remain unchanged?
Yes of course the Eagles need to make some moves and the first move should be trading Kolb for draft picks…The defense has to be the prirority this offseason…followed by addressing the offensive line! I really dont have much faith in who we will pick in the draft…I liked what I saw from DE Graham in his limited role, maybe he gets more burn next season (he may be the best pass rusher we have 2nd on the team in QB hurries and team leader in forced fumbles) …if we can utlize Chaney and Bradley at the same time, I think we are solid at LB…For the CB position, it has to start with the group that is here now, they have to work to improve…(maybe we get a solid rookie who has an impact right away, but what are those chances) Besides Asante, trying new blood out at the position can not hurt…Saftey Mikell was the team leader in tackles, which really doesnt say alot…He doesnt put fear into the heart of receivers…we need a safety that receivers will have on their mind, who can impact the play without even making a hit…Nate Allen has a pretty solid rookie season, I expect to see good things from this kid next season…
Only time will tell, its all about what the coaches are going to be preaching and how they want the team to play…defensively they have to get better at disguising blitzes, man coverage, pressuring the QB…
Spot on Drummer,
I think the crazy imbalance that Coach AR employs not only wears out his O/Line so they can’t convert short-yardage rush plays in the Red-Zone, Gets his QB taking way too many unncessary hits and even poops out his WR and Skill Players
This is Crazy..LMAO…
Wasn’t the priority last season the DEFENSE ?
How many seasons do we say “all we need is”?
How many seasons do we watch the ALL TIME WINNINGEST COACH in Team History get outcoached?
How many seasons do we watch a RB not get used in the biggest game of the season ?
How many seasons do we say we need a balanced attack ?
Gotta
You gotta luv it! All valid questions and all repeated questions.
It still puzzles me how we can go through this year after year, yet Reid is never the culprit.
In my opinion, Reid was made to look good because of the skills of McNabb and Westbrook, and now, because of the play of Vick.
In all honesty, if Vick weren’t on this team (and Reid had called plays the same), we would have seen Kafka by Game 6 and probably had McCoy playing QB by Game 10.
To be very honest, I was hoping that Kolb would QB this year, just so that people could see that Reid’s play-calling is not QB-friendly.
I think many fans were quick to blame McNabb and Vick (because of their mobility), but those same fans would have been less likely to blame Kolb and to appropriately place the blame at Reid’s feet.
We had already seen glimpses of that change in attitude.
The complaints about the offensive line were at an all-time high when Kolb was the QB, yet those complaints died down after Vick became the QB. Some fans and media actually said and believed that the offensive line was playing very well.
There were also complaints about the receivers being scared, timid, etc. when Kolb was playing, but those also simmered.
Complaints about play-calling (my pet peeve), most certainly would have risen as we lost games.
Unfortunately for Eagles fans, Reid has got to be the luckiest man alive. Along came Vick to mask the real problem with the Eagles – Andy Reid.
Paul
I don’t know necessarily agree that the imbalance “wears out” the offensive line as much as it affects their skills associated with running the ball.
When you run the ball a lineman’s first step is forward (or left/right when pulling), but when you pass block your first step is backward. The leverage and timing involved with running require practice and commitment during the game. That’s one reason why running backs want the ball 25 times per game.
Strategy, personnel and alignment vary on each team and it can take time to establish the angles, timing, etc. to run successfully.
Also, playing the run tires out the defense. It’s a lot more difficult to fight off a block and try to make a tackle at the same time. Alternatively, when rushing the QB, he is not trying to run past you, so you need only to fight off the block, then go after him. A mobile QB wears out a defensive line. That’s one reason why Vick had so much success in the 4th quarter.
I forgot to say, all skills have one thing in common – If you don’t use it, you lose it.
like you said Drummer,
If you a 320-330 lbs O/Line and you are consistenty stepping back to receive oncome rushers,
it’s going to tire you out.. Especially the players that are not in the best of shape to being with (N COle,
J Peters) then we yuo do need to block out forward for running plays,your timing,continuity is off rhythm
is not in sinc with your linemates if one or 2 of them are pooped out for 6-7 straight drop back and pass pretect plays… and also take into account how often that Vick scrambles so not only are the pass-blocking, than once Vick goes upfield, this big huffing and puffing OL have to now run downfield to block If have seen many times better shape, skill players like D-Jax/Maclin/Avant/Celek have to come off the field for a breather after running 5-6 Pass routes in a row.. How about these 320-330 lbs Lineman