Evan Mathis Update
Posted: March 3rd, 2012 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 52 Comments »I just listened to Adam Caplan’s show on WCHE. He covered a lot of NFL ground and had a couple of Eagles nuggets. One was an update on free agent G Evan Mathis. Caplan said the two sides aren’t close to a deal. Mathis can’t sign right now, but he and agent Drew Rosenhaus (yikes) can negotiate with the team.
Caplan made it sound as though Mathis and Rosenhaus are looking for big dollars. I certainly don’t blame Mathis for trying to strike while the iron is hot. He has played well in the past, but timing has never worked out for him. It did this year, as he played well for a big name team in an explosive offense. Mathis isn’t under the radar anymore. He’s a legit FA target.
That said, I hope he and Rosenhaus appreciate that playing well in the Howard Mudd system has to be factored into the equation. Jason Babin knows that he needs to be in the Wide 9 to be at his best. The same is essentially true for Mathis, although he can certainly be a starter in other systems. It isn’t Howard Mudd or bust for him.
Players have a short shelf life so I never blame a guy for trying to get what he can, within reason. Mathis has been well compensated in his career by normal standards, but not by NFL standards. He will turn 31 in November so this is his one chance to cash in. I hope he is able to do that and get a good deal.
From the Eagles perspective, you don’t want to hand Mathis a huge deal. You found him on the street last summer. He is 30 years old. Mathis started 15 games in 2011. He had 22 starts in the previous 7 years combined. G is a de-valued position anyway so you can’t justify handing him top dollar.
I hope the two sides are able to work something out. Mathis was terrific last year and seems like a hell of a guy. I want him around in 2012 and the next few years. Rosenhaus needs to be careful with how he plays this. There won’t be a huge market for Mathis so he can’t strong arm the Eagles too much. We don’t have big money invested at C or RG so hopefully that will help with getting fair money to Mathis.
Should things go south and Mathis leave…what then? I doubt we put Julian Vandervelde into the lineup right away. That would be a very, very young interior OL. We could move Todd back to LG and then draft Jonathan Martin or Mike Adams to play RT. We could draft G David DeCastro to fill the spot, if he lasts that long. There could be other FA options.
I guess we could look at moving Todd and then having Winston Justice or King Dunlap take over as RT.
Ideally, we re-sign Mathis and keep him off the Allen Wranglers, one team he’s made it clear that he wants to play for.
Those who follow him on Twitter will know about that joke.
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Update — Additional Eagles nuggets from Caplan:
* Team will extend Laws or re-sign Landri, but not likely to do both.
* Says the team wants an athletic FB – like Stanley Havili. Thinks a veteran could be brought in to compete with Havili. Named some guys that I don’t think would come here to compete (Snelling, Tolbert). Plus, I’m not sure if those guys can block. They’re hybrid RB/FB types.
* Does not think the Eagles will have interest in LaRon Landry. Too early to give up on Ja-Jar. Does think team will sign mid-level vet to compete for job. Threw out some names…Chris Hope, Jim Leonard…as wild guesses. Not inside info. Just names.
* Thinks the Eagles must add a good backup RB. Doesn’t think Lewis is ready to be the backup. Don’t recall any names.
* Said he didn’t anticipate the Eagles making a serious run at Curtis Lofton. Figured Lofton would want huge bucks and Eagles wouldn’t want to pay that for him.
* Said he had a sit down interview with Howie Roseman. Needs to write it out and post online. Will do that early this week.
* Caplan will be on Eagles Live on Monday. Lots of FA topics to be covered.
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As far as the Saints scandal…or SaintTaint as someone on Twitter called it…we do need to be careful about having a double standard.
Eagles fans love the Bounty Bowl and Body Bag Game. The House of Pain Game was the Super Bowl for the 1991 team. We also miss the days of The Vet, which was worst playing surface in the history of athletics. That’s right…cavemen in 10,000 BC preferred getting slammed into frozen, rocky ground while playing Mammoth Ball to the thought of running a pass route on the Vet’s slightly less than perfect surface.
The game has changed since the 1980s and I think fans have adapted to a certain extent. We know longer expect the kind of “killshots” that Gang Green delivered in their heyday. Wes Hopkins would be paying the NFL more fine money than James Harrison. Heck, he’d have been thrown out of the House of Pain game.
I do not condone what Gregg Williams and the Saints did. Systematically using bounties to take out opposing players over a 3-year span is much different than what Buddy did. Buddy wanted revenge on a specific player. That isn’t “right” per se, but it is far different than every week targeting players and trying to injure them.
The funny thing about all of this is that Williams has had a pair of Top 10 defenses in the last 6 years. That’s it. Whatever he is doing isn’t working. He did win a SB with the Saints, but I think that had more to do with Drew Brees and an onside kick than Williams D. Tracy Porter sealed the game, but it was hardly a defensive struggle.
I’m all for ripping the guy, but as Eagles fans we have to be careful about balancing our hatred and our history. Nobody likes a hypocrite.
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Caplan’s take on the Saints scandal…
* lose 4 draft picks – 2 1sts and 2 2nds
* huge fines (in the millions)
* 4 game suspension for Loomis & Payton
* 8 game suspension for Gregg Williams
If he wants big dollars and something can’t get worked out, would Carl Nicks interest you?
Or is David DeCastro now a target at 15?
Nicks wants elite money. Not worth it based on our system. Would have been ideal for the old system.
DeCastro…not sure he’ll last to pick 15. I’m sure Mudd would love him. Great player.
DeCastro makes me and Mudd all tingly just watching him pull around the edge and destroying everything in his path.
Sicko!!!
(glad it’s not just me)
I still miss Andrews out on screens to Westbrook.
Update…Jay Glazer reported on Twitter that the Saints punishment will come down in the next week or so.
Make sense if they want to punish with with drawl of FA rights such as the franchise tag.
Also saying that Eagles fan is hypocrites for claiming what Williams and the Saints did is wrong is like saying we are hypocrites for thinking Dunta is a punk. We all know hits like that was loved by the fans, but also know now that such hits are career ending and courses brain damage.
I didn’t say we couldn’t be critical of Williams. My point is that we can’t be over the top when talking about BountyGate because of our past. That or you have to refuse to watch highlights of Wes and Andre playing football. Andre Waters nickname was Dirty Waters. Opposing players said he went after their knees on a regular basis. He was a hated player.
It isn’t fair to embrace our rugged past enthusiastically and then turn and completely rip a team for BountyGate.
You can love Gang Green and be mad at Williams/the Saints, but things have to be kept in perspective. Calling for Sean Payton to be fired and Gregg Williams banned for life? How could we then celebrate the career of Buddy Ryan? You’re trying to have it both ways at that point.
Does that make sense?
Maybe its because Im a fairly new fan to this game (1999), but for me the perspective needs to be the era things happen in. Take the broad street bullies, every Flyers fan love them to death and nobody think that is wrong, but if players did what they did now, they would be banned for life.
True, different era different rules.
After all, the baseball guys aren’t getting an * next to their steroid laden records…
I guess Giant’s fans can’t complain with LT, and 49er fans can’t complain with Ronnie Lott, and the list goes on and on… At some point a fresh start is in order.
And redemption is possible… I used to be one who cheered on “evil players” getting injured. Now I pray for both teams to stay healthy before the start of games. I would love nothing more than for the only injuries to be the occasional ankle sprain or hamstring pull. It’s a contact sport so of course that’s not possible, but it is clear that some things need reform.
Tommy, you get the impression Sean Peyton is getting the wagons circled around him here? This is the second scandal that orbited him (pills) and both times we are hearing that he did not have direct knowledge, etc. There’s beach front property for sale in Arizona if you think the head coach doesn’t know what his defense is up to.
I know he’s one of the leagues young lion coaches, but at some point Goodell has got to think that this guy is a bit of a scum bag.
Actually, I think the report says he did know of the system. He failed to do anything about it, as did GM Mickey Loomis.
Williams will get in big trouble.
Payton and Loomis will as well.
Now, about that Arizona beach house…does it have a Pudding Room?
No but it does have rooms for Sunglasses and Lasik.
That’s how I’m paying for it!
Don’t get me wrong, I love Evan. Think he is a great guy, hard worker. But from my chair, it looks more like Mathis is lemons than lemonade. Mudd is the key. He took a JAG and made him a dependable starting quality LG. But you don’t throw a lot of money at Evan. If he wants the big $, let him walk.
Throw big money at Nicks, and switch Watkins over to LG. Move Todd back to LG, and throw big money at Demetrius Bell or Jared Gaither, if they see free agency. I’d prefer all of those scenarios to re-signing Evan to big money.
Off topic, but I am watching 1989’s “Roadhouse”.
Can’t decide if it is awesome in it’s ridiculousness, or ridiculous in it’s awesomeness.
Update: 4:02 CST
Ben Gazzara just threw a spear.
That’s pretty awesome.
Easily Ben’s best performance next to The Killing Of A Chinese Bookie.
Gazzara may have been better in Inchon, but we’ll probably never know since the Moonies still own the film and won’t release it.
i think its both!
OL question: Jeff Saturday is contemplating retirement. How much money would he be asking for? Would he want to consider playing as a backup role under Mudd? Would the eagles be interested in him?
From what I understand, Chung is learning all he can. He’d be the replacement if Mudd retires.
Saturday will:
Stay in Indy.
Go somewhere with Peyton
Retire.
That’s it. And it sounds like he’s fine with retiring.
Oops. Thought he meant as a backup on the coaching staff!
Additional Eagles nuggets from Caplan:
* Team will extend Laws or re-sign Landri, but not likely to do both.
* Says the team wants an athletic FB – like Stanley Havili. Thinks a veteran could be brought in to compete with Havili. Named some guys that I don’t think would come here to compete (Snelling, Tolbert). Plus, I’m not sure if those guys can block. They’re hybrid RB/FB types.
* Does not think the Eagles will have interest in LaRon Landry. Too early to give up on Ja-Jar. Does think team will sign mid-level vet to compete for job. Threw out some names…Chris Hope, Jim Leonard…as wild guesses. Not inside info. Just names.
* Thinks the Eagles must add a good backup RB. Doesn’t think Lewis is ready to be the backup. Don’t recall any names.
* Said he didn’t anticipate the Eagles making a serious run at Curtis Lofton. Figured Lofton would want huge bucks and Eagles wouldn’t want to pay that for him.
* Said he had a sit down interview with Howie Roseman. Needs to write it out and post online. Will do that early this week.
* Caplan will be on Eagles Live on Monday. Lots of FA topics to be covered.
You probably should have titled this article Caplan update instead of Evan Mathis update. lol.
Yeah really.
Would love to get Lofton. Ah well.
In regards to Laws or Landri getting resigned, is Landri’s agent Drew Rosenhaus? (my memory is failing me here) If so that would be DJax, Shady, and Landri with the same agent in hopes of getting a contract.
and While looking at safety position FS is obviously Nate Allen and SS Ja Jar while i guess Kurt Coleman could play either if he had to. With Colt Anderson and Tom Nelson as ST players. Will Anderson be back full 100% for training camp? Can we expect anything from Tom Nelson? And would the eagles look more towards a veteran SS or a FS safety in FA. What do you think of these names: Sean Jones Bucs, Bryan Scott Bills, Brodney Pool Jets. Does any body stick out to you?
I say we pay Herremans and move him back to LG and let King Dunlap take the right tackle position. He’s been more than serviceable when he’s been in. King deserves it. Mathis is great, but the left side wasn’t dominant. With Peters and Herremans, the left side was always dominant. Then look for either a T or G in the early rounds.
Caplan’s take on the Saints punishment seems just. The draft picks would be a steep punishment. But deserving.
the thing about that is herremans would be demoted. i dont think reid likes to do that…
It’s not a demotion. It’s maximizing your assets. Part of this is Herremans getting an extension, so he’ll be happy. King Dunlap was surprisingly good filling in at LT. You forget Mathis and keep your own good young talent.
i mean its a demotion for herremans– tackle pays more than guard. in your scenario, would herremans be paid like a guard or a tackle?
Highly paid guard.
Do you really trust KD on Vick’s blindside ALL season? Especially with how precarious our backup situation is.
Rosenhaus!!!!!! Again, he’s like our arch nemesis. He’s the agent for like half the team, and whenever his name comes up, we’re “far apart” on a deal.
Seriuously. Is there a way to get his license revoked?
King Dunlap is also a free agent, don’t forget.
A few bucks and some draft picks, oh no! I’m looking forward to the first NFL player to die on the field (or in the hospital afterwards) from a hit. It’s gonna be great, with fans of the team for the player who delivered the hit talking about how “that’s what football is” and “why don’t we just put a skirt on them” while the NFL either comes down hard or, if it’s a team they like to market, comes down “hard” on them.
The whole situation is both very sad and unbelievably disgusting. In the 80s, none of us knew about this stuff. Now, we do. Williams should get a lifetime ban, Payton a year ban, and the Saints should lose a draft class and the ability to sign free agents. Sadly, these deplorable men will get less of a punishment than Michael Vick got, despite doing this to humans.
What I hate the most is that one of my favorite players, Andre Waters, died because, essentially, we didn’t understand any of this stuff. These guys going forward, they’re dying because of greed, ignorance and despicable men like Sean Payton.
Football was at the same crossroads a century ago. We need another Teddy Roosevelt who can either reform the game or end it, because the current situation cannot go on.
Completely aside, boy do I hope the Eagles don’t pick Laws over Landri. That’ll be very upsetting.
*Bleep* Drew Rosenhaus! doesn’t Williams have a bounty on him? How much? I’d consider it…
is it really worth giving mathis, and rosenhaus, big-time money? if i were the eagles, i wouldnt work for rosenhaus at all. although mathis was really good last year, he was a street free agent. could we find another one of those?
they should let the rosenhaus clients walk, just so they can get shady mccoy to fire him again. that way they wouldnt have to deal with him with that — because it’s an imminent fiasco.
But we’ve worked out PLENTY of deals with Rosenhaus. The guy has more clients than anyone else. It’s not like he’s not doing his job. We just have a sour taste in our mouths from the T.O. fiasco, which I guarantee Rosenhaus would admit he goofed up.
I think in the end Rosenhaus did screw up, but lets not forget the client was T.O. At some point you gotta stop trying to talk that guy into his senses and just do what he asks and try to make the best of it.
Tommy – do you think Jason Jones is a legit FA target of the birds? Or do you think they are clearing space for Thorton and/or a high draft pick.
Kevin Zietler will probably be on the board when they pick in the 2nd. He looks like a perfect Howard Mudd guard.
If Mudd really likes DeCastro, I’d be into trading up to keep the Cowboys from getting him.
Mathis has limited leverage, 31, only one big season in his career, only fits a zone blocking system where the coach wants athletic, undersized OGs, i.e., Denver, Washington and Philly.
Keep the name Jake Scott in mind, 31, experienced starter, Mudd player who was successful elsewhere. Wouldn’t surprise me if they’ve put out feelers, he’d probably be happy to play for the guy who made his career and helped him make big money as a FA.
Heck, bring in Scott and Saturday and draft 2-3 undersized athletic OL to learn at their feet.
there’s good late round Howard Mudd interior linemen in this draft.. I don’t mean can’t miss but late round guys… 4th: Lonnie Edwards, 5th: Adam Gettis, Joel Foreman, 6th:: Stephen Good, Art Forst. Some RTs that could fall to the third: Bobbie Massie, Mitchell Schwartz.
That is a huge penalty for the bounty, if that’s what it is. The 2 firsts and 2 seconds punish the fans of that city as much or more as the coach and the organization. And the precedent for such a large penalty – where is it? I am in no way condoning it, and I think they need to send a message, but is this really the way to do it?
Tommy, I’m still on the “Team will extend Laws or re-sign Landri, but not likely to do both.” part.
You wrote a very interesting piece recently where you outlined that Landri and Laws play completely different DT roles. Laws is an UT while Landri is a NT. So I’m finding it peculiar that someone would report that they wouldn’t sign one if they signed the other – as if they both played the same position.
Could it be that the Eagles view both Laws and Landri as UTs?
I find it peculiar that they would even consider extending Laws.
same here. while i would really love for him to shine this year (for us), i just don’t see it happening. he just hasn’t produced when given his opportunities…