Wake Up, Eagles!

It is now 7:38pm and the Eagles haven’t made a move in over an hour.  When is Howie Roseman going to give us the aggressive offseason he planned???  What a bum!!!

So…how does it feel to have Nnamdi Asomugha on board?  Talk about a shocker (and I’m not referring to the kinky version either).  I can tell you that the Eagles had serious doubts about being in the running for him.  They expected a major bidding war.  I’m guessing that when the market fell a bit, they decided to jump in.

The Eagles now have the best trio of CBs in the league – Asante, Nnamdi, adn DRC.  That won’t last for long.  I’m hearing that Asante is on the trade block.  Might be headed to another team that wears green and plays in the NFL.  Somebody that planned on landing an impact corner, but had him stolen away at the last minute.

Great job by Howie and the Eagles.  My concern with Nnamdi was his age and cost.  If we move Asante, the cost and age factors aren’t so key.  We’ll have one young CB in DRC and one older one in Nnamdi.  We don’t have to worry about money if we move Asante’s salary to a new team.

I’m shocked and then some.  I was on Twitter watching the whole thing go down at 6pm.  I was caught off guard when the Jets said they were out.  I was depressed because that meant Dallas had to be the Nnamdi sweepstakes winners.  Then his agent put out that Dallas was out of the mix.  Great!  But who was the mystery team?  Couldn’t be the Eagles.

Oops.

Seeing Adam Schefter and Jay Glazer report that Nnamdi was headed to the Eagles was like Christmas in July.  Freaking awesome.

The only question now is if I come up to Philly for this year’s Super Bowl parade or wait a year and go after the second title.

* * * * *

More to come on this move and the others.  Busy day, crazy night ahead.

Q & A

Someone asked about LB. Who’s where? Any changes coming?  Right now Casey Matthews is your #1 MLB.  They’ve got Jamar Chaney at SAM.  Moise Fokou is at WLB.  Let’s start in the middle.  Reuben Frank said on Twitter that he’s heard the Eagles have no interest in Stephen Tulloch and minimal interest in Nick Barnett.  I’ve said for a while that Tulloch doesn’t seem like a likely target.  He’s a tackling machine, but wants playmaker money.  We’re never going to pay our MLB the same as a DE.  Won’t happen.  Part of it is that I genuinely believe Juan Castillo really wants to see Casey Matthews play.  I know many of you think starting a rookie MLB is dumb.  Maybe.  Think about this.  What happened last year?  We had our veteran in the middle for most of the year and he was completely unimpressive.  We put in a 7th round rookie and were definitely impressed.  That doesn’t mean Matthews will be as good, but it does show you that going with a rookie isn’t necessarily a foolish decision.  If you really believe in the guy, play him.  It’s possible the Eagles have some other player in mind.  I get questions about Barrett Ruud.  I’ve watched 2009 and 2010 games.  Not all that impressed.  Finesse MLB.  Better in space than vs inside runs.  For now, learn to like Casey Matthews.

We spent the whole offseason talking about Jamar Chaney at WLB.  Now they’ve got him at SAM.  What gives?  I’m not sure.  Chaney seems like more of a natural WLB to me.  My best guess is that the Eagles wanted to put his speed at SAM so that he can cover TEs.  In the new scheme, the OLBs both will play off the ball.  That greatly lessens the difference in the positions.  Castillo made reference to the interchangeability of the positions back in March.

Fokou is WLB is the guy I wonder about.  Moise has the ability to play there, but is he the guy they really want there?  My big question is if Fokou is enough of a playmaker at WLB.  That’s a spot where you’d like someone who can make things happen.  Keenan Clayton could challenge for the job.  He’s got big time playmaking potentia.  Clayton has to show that he can be a functional run defender.  It would not surprise me to see the Eagles go after someone at this spot.

Should we be concerned about RT?  What’s going on?  The situation bears watching, but putting Justice on the PUP list isn’t a huge deal.  The Eagles can pull him off at any time prior to final cuts and have him practice/play immediately.  Putting him on PUP is a precautionary measure.  The unknown factor is the state of his knee.  Is this a case where he’ll be fine in 7-10 days or is this a matter of his knee being an issue that will linger for a while?

We know the Eagles put a premium on OT play.  If they have genuine concerns, they easily could make a move for a RT.  Howard Mudd is getting a chance to coach and work with King Dunlap right now.  Mudd will decide very quickly if he thinks that can work.  If he’s not happy, Mudd will push the Eagles to bring in some help.  Someone yesterday mentioned the idea of having Mike McGlynn play RG and rookie Danny Watkins play RT.  Possible, but not ideal.  I think Dunlap gets the job first, unless he struggles with the new blocking scheme.

Any chance of adding a veteran Safety?  I’m not so sure.  There is going to be a numbers crunch, as always.  Do we keep 4 or 5 Safeties?  Nate Allen will be the FS, assuming his knee continues to improve.  He’s practicing some now.  Marlin Jackson is practicing and looking good.  He could be the veteran.  Kurt Coleman isn’t giving up his starting job without a fight.  Rookie Jaiquawn Jarrett will push for a starting spot.  And remember that Colt Anderson was our best Special Teams player last year.  He’s got to be active on gameday.

It’s possible we just keep 4 guys and Jackson gets cut.  Maybe we keep him and go with 5.  Maybe we replace him and go with 5.  Is there a point to keeping a veteran if he doesn’t play?  The Eagles want Allen, Coleman, Anderson, and Jarrett to play if at all possible.  The vet would force someone to sit.

There is a strong chance that the first week or so of practice will determine what happens here.  If the young guys do okay, the Eagles may stick with what we’ve got.  If they struggle, go get a band aid player.  And Jackson is a wildcard.  He is a good player when healthy.  Maybe Marlin will have a Correll Buckhalter-like resurgence and stay healthy for the next 5 years.

Did Eagles get fair value for Kolb?  Someone posted comments from WalterFootball yesterday that the Eagles should have gotten a 1st round pick instead of “just” a 2nd.  Maybe.  The Eagles could have pushed the deal.  Arizona might have caved.  They didn’t have great options.  That thinking discounts one key point…the Eagles really wanted DRC.  He was a player they had specifically targeted.  And they wanted to get him here ASAP.  They want him on the field, adjusting to the new team and defense.  I don’t blame the Eagles one bit for not pushing the negotiations further.  That becomes a game of chicken.  Maybe you win.  Maybe you lose.  Maybe you get the same results you did, but several days later.  Be aggressive, but also smart.  Take a good deal when you can.

Improving the overall quality of the team.  This is a goal for the Eagles every offseason.  The tricky part is knowing what is an upgrade and what is just change.  Too often I think we undervalue our own players and overvalue others.  We see our guys, good days and bad.  We know other players largely through highlights and complimentary articles.  We don’t always know the warts they have.

I’m all for the Eagles making changes that improve the team.  If the right Nickelback was available and would be an upgrade on Joselio Hanson, go for it.  That said, don’t just assume some starting CB can move inside and bet better.  Some players struggle in the slot.  That’s a whole other world than normal CB.

So what needs to be upgraded now?  We must get a good backup RB.  I’m wide open to adding a veteran WR who can help in the Red Zone or as a RS.  We might bring in a P to challenge Chas Henry.  I already mentioned LB and S.  I don’t see us pursuing DTs unless the perfect guy comes available.  Now, after a week of working with our guys, Jim Washburn may feel he needs a player who can penetrate better than the current group.  If so, that could be an area to address.  The flip side is that Patt, Bunk, and Laws may thrive in the new system.

Any position that could be problem?  I’m curious to see how Brent Celek plays early on.  He was terrific in 2009.  He wasn’t as good last year.  He blocked a lot, but wasn’t the same when he was out as a receiver.  There were some not so flattering pictures of him this spring.  Is he in top shape?  Is he ready to go?  I think Clay Harbor could be sneaky good this year.  He’s got a lot more potential than most people realize.