I’m concerned about the lingering health problems of young wide receiver Jeremy Maclin. Well I’m not alone, the Eagles are concerned as well and they showed it by signing former Giants wide receiver, Steve Smith.
Smith and the Eagles have come to an agreement on a one year deal. Smith a former Pro Bowler was a key part of the Giants Super Bowl championship team during his second-year in the league. He became such a favorite target of Eli Manning on third downs that New York fans came up with the saying “third and Smith”.
Smith had microfracture surgery on his knee and won’t be able to play for while, maybe midseason. Smith has been talking to the Giants about signing with them, but they hadn’t been able to work anything out. You know the Giants weren’t happy about getting this news and the message which Smith put on his Facebook page. Smith wrote, “eagles wanted me part of their organization MUCH more than the Giants did”
“Like I’ve said many times before, Howie Roseman and I are always keeping our eyes open for good football players and players that we think can help our football team win,” said head coach Andy Reid. “And Steve Smith certainly fits that category. He’s a Pro Bowl quality receiver that we will work into our offense as soon as he is ready to go. We feel very good about our current group of receivers and Steve adds another dimension to that position. He’s played very well against us in the past few years and we’re happy to have him on board.”
The 26-year-old Smith played his first four NFL seasons with the New York Giants, who selected him in the 2nd round of the 2007 NFL draft. The 5’-11”, 195-pound receiver has totaled 220 receptions for 2,386 yards and 11 TDs in 46 career regular season games (26 starts). In five career playoff contests, Smith recorded 16 catches for 169 yards.
After catching just eight passes in his rookie season, Smith exploded onto the scene during his sophomore campaign, snaring 57 receptions in a reserve role for 574 yards and one TD as the Giants went on to win Super Bowl XLII. The following year, Smith earned his first Pro Bowl selection as he grabbed a Giants team-record 107 catches (2nd in NFL) for 1,220 yards and seven touchdowns. He recorded a league-best 38 grabs on 3rd down that year and his yardage total was the 2nd most in Giants history. In 2010, a knee injury limited him to just nine games as he caught 48 passes for 529 yards and three touchdowns.
Smith finished his collegiate career at USC with 190 receptions (5th in school history) for 3,019 yards (4th in USC record books) and 22 touchdowns. He is a product of Taft High School in Woodland Hills, CA.
OUTSTANDING! UNBELIEVABLE!.
We took the G mens 2nd best WR to an already stacked group. Just when you thought they were done mannnnnn wow.
But as we all know This move doesn’t scare Rex Grossman.
Great to add a player like Smith however, knowing Smith wouldn’t be ready until several games in to the season, this doesn’t help with early seaon issues IF Maclin isn’t ready.
Here’s hoping this is more for some great depth rather than Eagles FO grave concerns over Maclin missing time.
This move sucks. It makes no sense at all. Smith is a 3rd down possesion reciever who plays in the slot. We have plenty of them type of recievers. Avant is a slot reciever and to slow to play outside. This tells me that Maclin has something MAJOR going on. Goodness I would of made a al with the $%$^. I would of brought TO(reported that he is close to 100%) or Moss in.
Great move for the EAgles and another poor move by the Giants who have not let Eli’s Favorite 2 Targets in S Smith and K Boss move elsewhere but this is what happens to a team who didn’t manage their Salary Cap real well the last couple of seasons and now have lost key veteran players to move on which will have a negative effect on the Giants lockeroom (which is their problem) Remember that they released popular Center S O’hara too and have unhappy campers in DE OSi and RB Bradshaw who resigned reluctantly
Signing SMith at this time knowing that he wont play to about mid-October is surprising and tells me the Eagles are not real comfortable with both the Maclin health issues or that the Eagles do not have plans of extending D-Jax contract which would allow him to become a Free-agent after the 2011 Season which appears to me to be a 70-30% chance of happening now and if it does, D-Jax will feed spurned by the Eagles and definitely move elsewhere for the big payday..
I agree Paulman — I don’t think the Eagles have ANY intentions of signing D-Jacc. He wants Larry Fitz money and he’s not going to get it from this orgnization. They say they are working on a deal but in the long run, both sides won’t be able to meet and he will walk.
The Eagles now have Eli Manning’s two favorite receivers…Steve Smith and Asante Samuel.
Steve Smith feels Spurned by the Giants too after 3 very Productive Seasons with them, He signed a 1 Year only with the Eagles but if he returns by mid-season and can remain healthy and be a clutch WR as he always has been,down the stretch then I think the Eagles will offer him a nice extension besfore the Season’s over once they feel he’s healed 100% , which means no deal for D-JAx.. If they don’t extend D-Jax by start of the Season, then he is a goner for sure..
I cant disagree more. Jackson will be resigned and I have NEVER EVER heard Jackson contract demands. Show me in print where Jackson has EVER asked for Fitzgerald money? That is media generated. What he did ask for is more than f$%kin 600,000 dollars this year. Now thats in print. Why in the world would the Eagles EVER let Jackson walk for NOTHING? come on man think.
I was having the same concerns, after seeing this signing, about the FO not extending DJax, but I’m clinging to the hope that their not that foolish. Without his speed this Offense is an entirely different animal and it ain’t the beast.
As we all know, they NEED his speed and deep threat so Maclin, a very accurate route runner, can take advantage of whats left after the D tries to manage the DJax threat.
dag – Yeah, the idea that Djax wants an insane contract is media driven, but the idea that the Eagles don’t want to resign him, that’s just plan old Paulman driven – AKA BULLSHIT.
See paulman, you found out 1 fact – Eagles signed Steve Smith – and then you made up a bunch of stuff in your head – jumping to conclusions…this means that..and so on….
hey, maybe you’re right. Who knows, but I say you’re full of baloney
What this move tells me is that Paulman is jumping to conclusions as usaul. The Eagles are following the Green Bay blue print, there gonna use Maclin, Jackson, Smith, and Avant in four wide rec. sets. Thats a pretty tough group to defend. The only problem is can Vick read the def. quick enough and get the ball out, becuase he definetly will be tested. All things considered none of which paulman is talking about, this is a great signing. The Eagles are going to try and blow teams doors of offensively and just turn the defense lose on teams, and with the talent they have assembled they have the potential to be deadly. I for one am going to enjoy this ride. All that other shit will sort itself out at the end of the year. Word up yo.
The Eagles not extending DJax would make absolutely no sense. Especially knowing that even the team commented last season that they couldn’t do much for him last year implying they would have, if they could, leaving now as the opportunity to square things up.
That said, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the FO isn’t playing very hard ball because they absolutely hate his agent.
What does this mean for Maclin ? Is he gonna play this year. I like the player but don’t understand the signing. He plays same position as Jason Avant and as good of a camp as Avant has been having it seems a little odd. Eagles don’t go 4 wide that much they usually keep a back and TE on the feild to help protect.
Yeah, I’m assuming that DJax wouldn’t be unreasonable in the negotiations.
Steve Smith is the one type of WR that CoACh AR has Coveted for years and never had.. A small,qwuick but tough WR with good hands, excellent at running routes and is a between the #’s type of target who can make the tough catches but also run away from coverage which is a combo they have had in a while
D-Jax doesn’t work between the numbers due to his size and is not the most disciplined route runner. Maclin is a better route runner and has speed and improved last season at catching the ball in traffic.Avant is great receiver in traffic but is not quick enough o run away from most LB’s let alone Seconday Defenders
Moving forward for 2012, I envision a WR Corps of Maclin,Smith,Avant,Cooper and Higgins as their speed/deep threat plus a draft pick or 2 to battle for a Roster Spot.. I like it …
Sully – yeah, but the protections/blocking are all different now no? So what they did in the past is kinda irrelevant the way I see it.
and Jake Delhomme as QB as both Vick and D-Jax bolt Philly to Oakland for not getting extensions worked out… The Window has closed as fast as it was opened, but only in Philadelphia do these things occur.. .It’s ok though, we have the Phitin Phils and the Teflon FLyers to route for…
The Raiders go on and win 3 Consecutive Super Bowls in a row and Al Davis gives Roger Goodell the middle finger on National TV while accepting the award all 3 times with the ever goofy Terry Bradshaw stuttering on what to say next….
Smith is a great player and was the fastest player on the giants at one point.. he caught 107 balls in 2009.. and hes young.. i cant belive they got him.. this move should kmake deseans contract easier to negotiate.. vicks gotta be in heaven.. mcnabb probably cant belive this he never had weapons besides TO that one year and stallworth for a little bit..
I love this signing. I wonder if they’ll start him on the PUP. Even if they do, the Eagles will be able to utilize him if he’s healthy. This guy had 107 catches for the Giants, their single season record holder. That’s almost 20 more catches than any Eagles receiver has ever had in a season.
Paulman is right about the Eagles need for more over the middle receivers. Adding this guy to the middle of the field is a huge plus, taking him away from the Giants receiving corp is also big.
I still think they will resign Jackson in the next 2 weeks. Maclin has me worried, but this team can survive until mid-season without him as long as they have Jackson (they will even if they don’t resign him) and as long as they are able to stay healthy.
A great signing!!!
Just in!!!!!
Rex Grossman says Redskins will win the NFC East
aaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!
More!!!!
By the Noble “Rex Gross Man”
“We’re just waiting in the wings ready to take over the NFC East. Nobody’s talking about us, it’s right where we wanna be. You look at us from top to bottom out here, there’s a bunch of great players. And we don’t need people saying we’re the best right now. But when it’s all said and done, I really feel like this team’s gonna win the [NFC] East.”
Songs didnt Mcnabb say the same thing when he was there last year? I feel for the skins. They just cant find the right coach there. They seriously need to bring in Gruden or Cower to tear that organization apart from top to bottom. They could however be in the Andrew Luck sweepstakes along with the Bengals and Browns.
You guys have to be kidding, right?? Are you guys literally patting each other on the back over this?”Yeah man we are just LOADING UP!!!” You don’t smell the dead rat in the room????????????????????? Um well we have as much buzz going as the WS favorites across the street and we don’t really want to mention that our most dependable WR probably is not going to play this year. Steve Smith is a desperate move by a team that is very worried about their number one receiver. Not the Ryan Howard of the team that hits home runs and strikes out a lot and disappears or takes the third strike looking. Not that guy. That would be D Jack. This is the Chase Utley. The rock steady guy thats just as important. This is a clear signal to me that his season is in major jeopardy. The idea here is Avant will fill in for Maclin and Smith will fill in for Avant and we will try to replace J Mac’s production because he is most likely not going to be here. Smith does not fit here any other way. Plus he is hurt and not a really a good signing anyway. Smith is like somewhere between Wes Welker and a more prolific Avant WHEN HEALTHY!!! I’m not sure exactly what he can be now. I do know like Avant and Welker he doesn’t put it in the paint so I really don’t understand the move unless they are scared. They are hiding the Maclin situation from us. They will hold out until PUP expires in October and then it may very well be IR. F-ing mono! Why has God forsaken this team!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHY?!?!?!?!?
And G…..Smith was not a factor on their SB team. He caught eight passes that year. He did catch five for fifty in the SB though. He caught 16 passes in their four playoff games but didn’t score. And I can’t say I’m impressed with his twenty to one reception to TD ratio. No RZ threat here.
jbird, that window two feet to your right, well carefully slide yourself back toward it and proceed to climb back through it. I love your phillies analogy – let’s say he DOES turn out to be like Chase Utley…um…let’s see, THIS SEASON. He was down with a serious injury and was not predicted to come back soon, strong or that effectively. Well….. around mid season which is a few months away, maybe he comes back to a team with serious weapons without him – come on you know that’s true – and then they get a crafty vet who’s already part of it back as a bonus…
It might be rough going but we can make it through the first half of the season without him. I really truly believe that.
Thank god we have some fans on here that have some common sense.. The Eagles only signed Smith to a 1 yr deal, and get this HE HAS KNEE PROBLEMS. I guarantee you the Birdz siggned him for chump change. This signing will not effect Djax, since this is only an emergency signing just in case one of our Recievers goes down in the season or Maclin is’nt back..
Just wondering, is Maclins illness life threatening? Or career threatening? How serious is this crap?
ct – I think it might be. I don’t want to speculate, but I don’t doubt the truth about that the team is saying “we don’t know yet, awaiting more tests” – that’s realistic… Gotta hope the best for him and wait till we find out I guess
Uh, Steve Smith is not Vincent Jackson. Obviously not what I was wanting, which is not to say that I don’t like the move. I don’t know what Andy Reid’s thing is with 6ft and under WRs. Did T.O. psychologically scar him that badly?
If Smith is 100% and back to top shape by mid season he’s almost as fast as Maclin which means he’s a lot faster than either Avant or Cooper, he’s also more physical than than either Maclin or Jackson so he could be an excellent speedy slot guy.
Destroy the vaccination programs…..These so called Mono symptoms are directly connected to past vaccinations!!!!!
Sleeping Sicknesses manufactured by the pharmaceuticals ..slow genocide.
Wake up people!!!!! Maclin is a victim!
Jackson needs to be signed to a 2-3 year deal.
i think the Eagles will pickup a veteran wr if Maclin continues to have problems.
They should call San Diego and dangle Desean for Vincent.
atra – interesting theory – but Vincent Jax wants (and has stated to the media) he wants Fitz money,,,,
Vrinnchi – earlier in a post you mentioned need for better back up QB – couldn’t agree more.
Not really big on signing guys coming off knee surgery (maybe that’s just the bad taste from the other Andrews and watching BRadley hobble around and what Ingraham (the drafted TE) went through…..
vincent jackson is a monster.. it all depends how much desean wants.. but the thing is i think if desean gets his money he’ll be even better. all he cares about is football
@navyeaglefan steve smith injury was a little different it was microfracture surgey much different from tearing the acl mcl or miniscus..but you never know i guess
Larr – I live out in San Diego and I for one would love to see Vincent Jackson in Philly – (maybe they will trade for Riley Cooper? – that’s a joke if you didn’t cath that) I think the eagles will work out the extension for both Vick and D jax..
I am just thinking the last couple years the number of times guys have tried to play after knee injuries how well it has worked out….. a
Good move. I really think Maclin might be done for awhile. No matter what they say. I hope nothing serious is wrong with Maclin. Lots of things flying around, like STD’s, The big C, HIV. I hope not! Get well, MAC.
Hey DJAX this guy Steve Smith with the bum leg and wont even be ready to play the first month signed for 3 times as much as you will make this year. 2 million guarenteed with incentives vs your 600,000. lol What a slap in the f&^&in face.
Get off Maclins JOCK. Lets get real here. Maclin is ok. Lets not make him out to be some stud reciever. He is a slightly above avg receiver who plays on a team that throws 50 times a game. He can be replaced.
I love how you morons want to hop on D-Jacc’s jock like he’s the greatest thing since sliced bread. Look, I love the little guy, but he dissappears too much for me to consider paying him TOP receiver money. Take away TWO catches from last year (the one against the Skins and the one against Dallas) and he’d have 45 catches, 850 yds, and 4 tds. Get off his sack.
And NO, Deseans demands were not “media driven” like some of you idiots are saying. He was on the TOCHO show talking about how he wants Larry Fitz type money and how he wants to “get paid”. He has it in his mind that he can make 10 mil a year and if he thinks hes gonna get it from the Eagles, he’s delusional.
Gimme a receiving corps of Maclin/Smith/Avant/Cooper over a 150 lb ball dropping head concussed diva any day of the week.
Birdo heres a little clue. ITS NOT OUR MONEY. Why do I care how much we pay DJAX? Its not coming out of my pocket. The money they save isnt gonna be mailed to me. We have managed the cap for 13 years and it DID NOT WORK. 0 rings. So what does it matter? Pay him. I dont care if he catches 50-60 balls a year. 850 yards are Maclin numbers lol. You cant dismiss games and say remove this game and that game.lol In one sentence you state “I love the little guy” then you state Gimme a receiving corp Maclin/Smith/Avant/Cooper over a 150 lb ball dropping head concussed diva any day of the week. Which one is it?
without Jackson the eagles core of receivers are average at best
I love the name on the FRONT of the jersey more than the name on the back. It’s what makes me an EAGLES fan. People today forget that nowadays. They call themselves Eagles fans but only because of the players on that team — this was easy to see during the McNabb era and it has shifted over to Jackson.
Maclin is a better overall receiver than Jackson. Anybody that argues that is an idiot. All you have to do is look at the route running, the hands and who the QB targets the most.
I pay how much they pay him because his pay can leave other positions in dissarray. Someone like Nnamdi deserves the money he is making because he is the best at his position — you want to pay Desean nearly as much as Nnamdi and he’s not even close to being the best at his position? Please.
Desean is a hell of a talent and he’s hell of fast — but he’s a one trick pony. He’s a more flamboyant Mike Wallace. Don’t believe me? Look at the numbers. Would you pay Mike Wallace 10 mil a year?
If Macklin isnt ready to start the season how does this move help us if Smith isnt ready either? This doesnt make sense, We need a proven WR Now ! The Giants checked him out last week an said he’s waaays away from being ready an we go an give him 2 million to do what, play in mid season? Can somebody explain how this is a good move
Because this isn’t about Maclin. People just assume it is. In actuality, this is about Jackson and whether he’ll accept a deal with the Eagles or not. If not — meet your new number 2 receiver, Steve Smith.
This was not a move to improve the Eagles team, but to weaken the Giants…. Smith is an Avant clone who will not be ready until week 8 or 9. If the Eagles get any contribution, its a plus, but grabbing him away from the Giants and weakening their offense was the motive behind the move.
@Brido – Jackson is not going anywhere. Steve Smith is a 1yr deal then he will sign elsewhere. If the Eagles wanted him to replace Jackson, it would have been a multi-year deal.
@jott — learn how the Eagles work. They lock up the young talent they want EARLY. If Desean hasn’t been extended by now, he probably won’t be.
Steve Smith wasn’t given a multi-year deal because they have to see how the knee is going to hold up. If it holds up and he comes back and balls out the final few weeks of the season, expect a multi-year deal ASAP for Smith.
Come on guys, lets act like we have some common sense.
Man that Punt Return vs Giants w/14 secs remaining alone is worth 10 million…Give #10 the money that the market demands 4 to 5 yr w/40 to 50 mill
15 Guaranteed…
@Gotta Luv It — that says it all on ppl being blinded by fantasy instead of reality.
jott1972, How does this weaken the Giants if the guy wasnt gonna be ready until mid season anyway? It doesnt make sense to give him 2 million ! I just dont see it, He’s nothing more than a slot reciever and we have the second best in all of football in Avant (Welker is first)