Landry Update and FA Talk

Posted: March 17th, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 50 Comments »

Former Redskins GM Vinny “I’m not insane!!! I swear!!!” Cerrato told Howard Eskin that SS LaRon Landry would “probably” visit the Eagles this week.  I don’t know what the heck to make out of that.  Cerrato isn’t my idea of a great source.  The thought of him and Eskin having an in-depth conversation on the air about NFL free agents makes my brain hurt.

Landry has already been linked to the Jets and Pats.  No word if they offered him yet.  I think he visited both teams.  I don’t know why his agent is being so passive with negotiations.  He should just threaten to have LaRon take a city hostage until their team signs him to a mega-deal.  After all, who is gonna stop this guy?  I kid, I kid.

Landry and his agent are trying hard to drum up a market.  Teams are fascinated by the guy because of his enormous talent, but are scared by his injuries and oddball side.  At what point do you go from being a muscular football player to a bodybuilder that dabbles in football?  Is a Safety really served by being 230 pounds?  LaRon was 213 pounds at the Combine so he’s added about 15 to 20 pounds in the NFL.  It is pure muscle, but I still question whether that helps a guy who is supposed to cover on half the plays, or more.

I certainly don’t object to the Eagles checking him out, should that happen.  Landry can be a special player at times.  He’s too sloppy to be considered a great player.  Think of him as the DeSean Jackson of SS’s.  Oh…now the interest makes sense.

If you get him to agree to a 1-year deal, I’m definitely interested.  I just don’t want to pay this guy big bucks.  If he did come for a year, you’d have a look like this:

SS – LaRon Landry … Jaiquawn Jarrett

FS – Nate Allen …….. Kurt Coleman

I could live with that set-up.

I still don’t think much will come of this.  The guy has missed 15 of the last 32 games.  He needs someone to take a chance on him.  The Eagles have young guys in place in Coleman and Jarrett.  They aren’t as desperate at Safety as some teams who are wide open.  I know the Coleman/JaJar critics will hate this, but it is absolutely true.  The Eagles have potential answers already in place.  Other teams have nothing.

I know some people will point to the Eagles love of signing injured guys.  Let’s set the snarky jokes aside for a minute and really talk about this.  The Eagles are bargain hunting when they do this.  Marlin Jackson was signed to compete for a job at a cheap rate.  Jack Ikegwuonu was drafted at the bottom of the 4th round because he had 1st round potential.  Cornelius Ingram was taken in the 5th for the same reason.  The Eagles got Shawn Barber cheap back in 2002 and that turned out to be a great move.

If Landry will sign cheap, the Eagles will have interest.  If he wants big money, and I’m betting he does, I can’t see the Eagles rolling the dice on him.

* * * * *

Good article from Paul Domowitch about the Eagles and the salary cap, amongst other things.

* * * * *

Interesting article from Bill Barnwell on free agency.  He lauds the Eagles for the DeSean Jackson deal.

I was more interested in the first part of the article.  Barnwell talked about teams overpaying for average players.  He brought up the subject of Laurent Robinson.  The Jaguars just signed him to a big deal.  What are they getting?  Robinson had 11 TDs in 2011.  Helped that he had Romo throwing him the ball and guys like Dez Bryant, Jason Witten, and DeMarco Murray on the field at the same time.  Blaine Gabbert, MJD, and Marcedes Lewis is hardly the same type of surrounding cast.

* * * * *

No update on Evan Mathis.  He’s probably working on his tan and blasting his quads to get ready for the PC when he does sign/re-sign.  That guy is so Hollywood that it is crazy.  He’s the Brad Pitt of Eagles LGs.

50 Comments on “Landry Update and FA Talk”

  1. 1 Matthew Harbin said at 1:22 PM on March 17th, 2012:

    What about Landry as a SAM or hybrid type player?

  2. 2 TommyLawlor said at 1:35 PM on March 17th, 2012:

    I wrote about that recently. Interesting idea for sure, but I’m not sure Landry would embrace it.

  3. 3 Liam Garrett said at 2:11 PM on March 17th, 2012:

    I could see him loving it, too. Having a unique position like that might afford him some special bragging rights (which he seems quite fond of).

  4. 4 TommyLawlor said at 1:24 PM on March 17th, 2012:

    Someone on Twitter said that Cerrato was just guessing on this and had no sources.

  5. 5 bdbd20 said at 2:24 PM on March 17th, 2012:

    Was it @DanSnyder ?

  6. 6 Kammich said at 1:32 PM on March 17th, 2012:

    The lack of news on the Mike Tolbert front is agonizing. First we lose out on Haruki Nakamura, now we might lose out on Tolbert?! Get your shit together, Banner! You nickel and dime bum!

    …

    Ahem. Sorry.

  7. 7 Liam Garrett said at 2:12 PM on March 17th, 2012:

    I think I asked you this before, and I can’t remember if you responded, but do you think Tolbert would be happy with so few touches?

  8. 8 Kammich said at 2:36 PM on March 17th, 2012:

    Probably not. I just love that he can do all the little things, and you could line him up in any spot in the backfield on any down in the game. He blocks, he catches, and–unlike some other ‘big’ runners like Brandon Jacobs–he’s actually extremely efficient when carrying the ball on short yardage.

    I’ve lost faith in the coaching staff’s ability to work in backup running backs. I really thought Ronnie would get something like 125 touches last year. He had the skillset to flourish as a backup. With the exception of the 3-headed monster, Reid just doesn’t seem interested in back-up runners.

  9. 9 Liam Garrett said at 2:48 PM on March 17th, 2012:

    It’s almost a little worrisome that Shady is so good. (“Almost” is the operative word, here.) He’s elite, and we’re going to have to pay him big money, and yet the powerhouse SB-winners of the past 10 years won without elite running backs at the forefront. Personally, I like what New Orleans does. With signing Ronnie Brown, and with how good Dion Lewis looked in preseason last year, I thought maybe we’d see a little of that this year. Clearly, that wasn’t what happened.

    BUT (very important) don’t get me wrong: I’m thrilled with Shady, and I hope we pay him to stay. A player like him is special, and you don’t let that go. Here’s hoping that the Eags in 2012 run up early leads and sit on them with a balanced running attack.

  10. 10 Kammich said at 1:34 PM on March 17th, 2012:

    Laurent Robinson is the type of guy who just has to love free agency. He’s missed more than half the games in his career due to injury, and prior to last season, he had never caught more than 37 passes in a season. But he took advantage of Dez Bryant and Miles Austin getting hurt, hauled in a bunch of TDs from a good QB, and then scampered off to the bank. $13 million guaranteed for a one-year-wonder who is going from a great offense to a god awful one. Pass.

    Maybe the Jaguars can bend the NFL rulebook and figure out a way to have Blaine Gabbert AND Chad Henne throwing passes to Robinson. At the same time. He’d probably catch like 33 or 34 passes if they could figure that out.

  11. 11 TommyLawlor said at 2:00 PM on March 17th, 2012:

    Love the Gabbert/Henne idea. Actually made me laugh with that. Kudos.

  12. 12 Septhinox said at 1:45 PM on March 17th, 2012:

    Every time you write JaJar, I always read Jar-Jar. Now That’s what I will know him as… 😀

  13. 13 Liam Garrett said at 2:14 PM on March 17th, 2012:

    Same here.

  14. 14 Arby1 said at 4:12 PM on March 17th, 2012:

    I like that nickname as much as I liked JamJax. Which is to say: not at all. Too much fun saying Jamal and Jaiquain!

  15. 15 JRO91 said at 1:52 PM on March 17th, 2012:

    Anyone else growing tired of Mathis’s games?? I get that he is trying to cash in, but he’s not A QB or top flight WR. I know he’s ranked as the #1 guard, and played well last year, and is trying secure his financial future. Heck he deserves some $$$, but act like an effin professional. Make a choice and live with it. He was a nothing, journeyman before coming to this team, that I promise you 95% of Eagles fans never even heard of before. Howard Mudd made him. Jason Peters helped him look good. Eagles front office made you a household name. They are even offering to beat the Ravens offer. Either that means something to you or not. Would you rather play next to Jason Peters or Bryant Mkinney….nuff said.

  16. 16 TommyLawlor said at 2:02 PM on March 17th, 2012:

    No problem with Evan. Once in a (football) lifetime opportunity. He’d be foolish to make a quick decision. Has a chance to set up his family for life if he plays it right.

    Of course I’ll have the good taste to rip him mercilessly if he leaves.

  17. 17 nopain23 said at 2:13 PM on March 17th, 2012:

    if the Iggles really offered to beat the Ravens’ offer why hasn’t he signed?..something doesn’t fit here

  18. 18 iskar36 said at 2:15 PM on March 17th, 2012:

    How has Mathis been playing games? The guy went on 1 visit 2 days ago and got a contract offer yesterday afternoon. He has slept on it one night. That is hardly playing games. If this goes on until the middle of next week, then I will get frustrated (although I would understand, because I agree with Tommy’s view), but so far, all he has done is not rush into making a decision.

  19. 19 Liam Garrett said at 2:16 PM on March 17th, 2012:

    He’s also probably giving the Ravens time to think about topping the Eagles’ counter-offer.

  20. 20 iskar36 said at 2:16 PM on March 17th, 2012:

    I hadn’t seen anything about this before, but I thought it was interesting.

    Jeff McLane ‏ @Jeff_McLane
    They did. There was dialogue. Jason just chose Seattle. RT @johnJiggins: Thought the Eagles would have looked at (Jason Jones).

  21. 21 Liam Garrett said at 2:37 PM on March 17th, 2012:

    I’m glad we didn’t. We will be better off spending that money elsewhere on the roster, and there will be good options in the draft.

  22. 22 Kammich said at 2:39 PM on March 17th, 2012:

    Only a one-year deal, too. Interested to see the figures. Would’ve really liked to add Jason on a one-year deal… low risk, high reward. Good move for Seattle.

    With Jones going to Seattle and St Louis adding Kendall Langford, that will (hopefully) cross two more teams off of the list of potential suitors for the draft’s top DTs. I’m still assuming that Carolina will go DT at #9(and they’ll probably go high risk/high upside with Brockers or Poe), but we should be an ideal spot to have our pick of the litter at DT.

    Assuming we don’t get Luke Kuechwalker.

  23. 23 TommyLawlor said at 3:03 PM on March 17th, 2012:

    Kuechwalker????

    Holy crap, that is awesome.

  24. 24 GeorgeFleep said at 2:33 PM on March 17th, 2012:

    On adam caplan’s wche1520 radio show he mentioned that he knows the eagles have interest of stephen tulloch but obviously wont go after him without the price being under 6 mil. Would this be the same result with Curtis Lofton? They waited on nnamdi asomugha’s gauranteed money or whatever price to come down then snagged him. But apparently i forget where i heard it(i believe Mclane) the eagles have no interest in Hawthorne what so ever. This news came out back when connor signing.

  25. 25 Kammich said at 2:44 PM on March 17th, 2012:

    The market is really hard to gauge in the first few days of free agency. Its a freakin’ circus. People go on visits and sign as soon as they get there. Teams make blockbuster offers over the phone and sign the player without either party ever leaving the house. Money gets thrown around like Pacman Jones at the Red Rabbit.

    As things begin to slow this week, I think things will become a lot more clear. The LB market has seen practically no movement. Guys who we supposedly have “zero interest” in will become logistical targets. Guys like Tulloch and Lofton who are holding out for the blockbuster offer will be forced to temper their expectations and lower their demands.

    I expect the Eagles to still be active. The market was just too crazy and rich for their blood in the first few days of the FA period. They took care of their own(which will hopefully continue with Mathis and Landry), and now will likely look towards filling out some depth with the second-tier of FAs.

  26. 26 Arby1 said at 4:18 PM on March 17th, 2012:

    “Money gets thrown around like Pacman Jones at the Red Rabbit”

    You are on a roll today Sir!

  27. 27 Liam Garrett said at 2:36 PM on March 17th, 2012:

    Tommy, I know you must hate answering all these questions about Luke and LB’s, and I PROMISE I searched back through some of your old posts to see if I could find the answers, but here are my queries: Since Luke was measured at 6’3″, 242 lbs., and proved to be one of the superior athletes at the Combine, does this suggest that he might be better at SAM than we initially thought he would be?

    If Luke would indeed make a good SAM in our system, here’s a follow-up: I know signing a big name LB and then drafting one at #15 is a very big commitment of resources, BUUUUT if we got London Fletcher for a short-term deal, wouldn’t it be awesome to have one of the great veteran minds/characters playing alongside (and essentially mentoring) one of the future great minds/characters at LB? Those 2 don’t seem like the types to get into a power struggle, and our D can use all the leadership it can get. And the resource expenditure would work itself out because Fletcher can’t have more than a couple elite years left in the tank, can he?

    And while I’m not making the point that we should go all out at LB (Notice that I’m not talking about long-term deals for Tulloch or Lofton or whomever.), doesn’t the burgeoning importance of TE’s and slot receivers mean that we need not only better SS’s and slot corners, but also better LB’s? -To lock down the middle of the field?

    If I’m wrong in my assumptions and analyses, please tear my questions in half.

    One last question: What do you think of Megan Fox’s toe-thumbs? Personally, I can look past them, no problem.

  28. 28 Kammich said at 2:48 PM on March 17th, 2012:

    I started swooning over Megan Fox the day I saw the first “Transformers” in theaters(hell, I had just turned 18… seeing her perched over a Camaro was practically a religious experience). But my cousin turned to me and said, “UGH LOOK AT HER TOE THUMBS!” I was like… what the fuck is a toe thumb? Seriously, you think I’m gonna kick Megan Fox outta bed for leaving crumbs?!

    I think Tommy has said before that the SAM plays a bit more of an in-the-box, run prep role in the wide-9. So you could sign Fletcher, put Kuechwalker at SAM for 2 years, and then slide Kuechwalker back to MLB once Fletcher retires. I really love that idea, but I still think Fletcher likes it in Washington and will probably return to the Skins. I’m in favor of any idea that nets us LK40, really.

  29. 29 Liam Garrett said at 3:01 PM on March 17th, 2012:

    There seemed to be some resistance to that idea, though, because:
    – That might be too many resources at LB.
    – Even if it was the right call, the Eags just aren’t the team to spend resources there.
    – We weren’t sure if Luke would be suited for SAM.

    I guess my specific question was “if” Luke looks like an even better candidate for SAM in our system, does he look SO MUCH better that maybe a Fletcher/Kuechly partnership is worth pursuing more actively? Like, almost making it a FA priority?

    I can imagine my question might be annoying, though, because this scenario is probably more fantastical and speculative than I realize. Fletcher might hate the Eagles, and this could all be too good to be feasible. I guess I’m just intoxicated with the idea of those 2 going all Riggs and Murtaw on D. (And, yes, clearly Brian Rolle would be the Joe Pesci character from the sequels.)

    Mainly, I just want to know if Luke looks even more like a SAM possibility after the Combine, and if the changing nature of the middle of the field would make this kind of investment potentially more prudent.

  30. 30 Kammich said at 3:04 PM on March 17th, 2012:

    Hahah, I love the Lethal Weapon idea. Does that make Keenan Clayton the Chris Rock of the group?

  31. 31 Liam Garrett said at 3:05 PM on March 17th, 2012:

    Yes, in that while I like him, I also know his presence is kind of superfluous.

  32. 32 Liam Garrett said at 3:09 PM on March 17th, 2012:

    Also, Victor Cruz was clearly our unstoppable Jet Li nemesis. I’m pretty sure he went endzone on us last year while impaled with a piece of rebar.

  33. 33 Liam Garrett said at 3:03 PM on March 17th, 2012:

    And with all the hotness of Megan Fox’s other features, I don’t know if my gaze would ever even make it to her hands.

  34. 34 TommyLawlor said at 3:12 PM on March 17th, 2012:

    I’m open to playing Luke Kuechwalker (great nickname) at SAM. However…a reader pointed out in a similar discussion that one of the biggest selling points for Luke is his instincts and feel for the game. Would that not be a bit wasted at SAM?

    I doubt we draft him to play SAM. Never say never, but don’t count on it.

    We’ll find out some clues on the Eagles plans soon enough. Will they go for an OLB or MLB?

    Megan has thumbs?

  35. 35 Liam Garrett said at 3:18 PM on March 17th, 2012:

    Lol. Apparently, she does, but I’m not concerned either way.

    Did Luke’s performance at the Combine make him look like a better candidate at SAM? I guess I’m trying to figure out more what precise attributes would make a perfect SAM in our system. Being a little bigger and faster than we thought he might be eased some of our concerns of him at SAM, right? Wasn’t the size and athleticism question-marks what made us unsure if he’d work at SAM? (I’m trying to understand.)

  36. 36 Liam Garrett said at 3:20 PM on March 17th, 2012:

    And, yes, “Luke Kuechwalker” is here to stay.

    I only hope we can put him near Brans Rollo and Londo Fletchrissian.

  37. 37 Daniel Suraci said at 3:03 PM on March 17th, 2012:

    All I really want is a Landri Update.

  38. 38 nopain23 said at 3:10 PM on March 17th, 2012:

    hey T
    Can you do a post elaborating on how the recent signings will affect who will be available for the Iggles at #15.
    also, it seems like you called it on the Iggles not overpaying for a MLB ( i’m happy they haven’t) …i for one thought they would…….i guess that shows..we should never doubt TLaw!!…

    P.S. can you now predict that the Iglles WILL draft LK40..i mean u’re batting 1.000 right now..might as well go for gold

  39. 39 Liam Garrett said at 3:23 PM on March 17th, 2012:

    FA ain’t over. We’re not out of the overpaying-a-MLB woods just yet.

  40. 40 Sjampen said at 3:28 PM on March 17th, 2012:

    Mathis signed:

    Adam Schefter ‏ @AdamSchefter
    Eagles and free-agent G @evanmathis69 reached agreement on a 5-year deal, $25 million deal, including $7 mil gtd. Mathis back in Philly.

  41. 41 JRO91 said at 3:31 PM on March 17th, 2012:

    Beat me to it. Lol. I just saw his twitter.

  42. 42 Liam Garrett said at 3:32 PM on March 17th, 2012:

    Oh, man, I hope this gets confirmed!

  43. 43 T_S_O_P said at 3:46 PM on March 17th, 2012:

    It’s the top news item on philadelphiaeagles.com

  44. 44 Liam Garrett said at 4:03 PM on March 17th, 2012:

    The Eags confirmed it almost immediately after I posted my Comment. Bad ass!

  45. 45 Brian Winings said at 3:35 PM on March 17th, 2012:

    If the details are true this seems like a good deal for both sides in that there is a fairly low guarantee relative to the higher AAV. I am very happy about this.

  46. 46 Kammich said at 4:09 PM on March 17th, 2012:

    Love it. Seems like a pretty fair deal for both sides. I can’t believe we might be looking at actual… gasp… OLine continuity!

  47. 47 Arby1 said at 4:36 PM on March 17th, 2012:

    ” The Eagles got Shawn Barber cheap back in 2002 and that turned out to be a great move.” Oh good, now I know who to blame!

  48. 48 eagleizeit said at 12:34 AM on March 18th, 2012:

    I understand they want a bargin, but getting injured players all the time is a wasted expense not a bargain. Landry the S hasn’t even played with the Eagles besides being injured that’s getting ripped off. Landri the DT has played just as well as Jenkins towards the end of the season, they know he fits in with the team and is always improveing over time. They could sign him for a bargain price without any risks. He’d probably get around the same amount of sacks as Jenkins once he settles in if they gave him a 5 yr extension and he motivates the whole D since he’s pumped up when he plays. Here’s a quote from pro football focus under this yrs F/A Bargain Hunting:

    “Derek Landri, DT
    It was back in the summer of 2011 that Sam Monson and I had one of our random chats about Landri, declaring him to have as good a first step as any DT in the league. Hyperbole perhaps, but watch his finish to the year with the Eagles and you see a guy who is a nightmare for guards and centers with his ability to get up the field. Best suited to a heavy rotational role (he wore down after a positive start with the consistently high snap count in Carolina), Landri finished 2011 our fourth-ranked defensive tackle on the year with positive grades in both run defense and pass rushing.”

    Eagles crazy not to sign something good when it’s right there in front of them. Here’s what they say about his ranking:

  49. 49 eagleizeit said at 12:51 AM on March 18th, 2012:

    Here’s the page for that one: http://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2012/03/11/free-agency-2012-bargain-hunting/

    Here’s the gradeing page: http://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2012/02/25/ranking-the-2012-free-agents-interior-defensive-line/

    “9) Derek Landri, Philadelphia Eagles
    Age as of September 1st, 2011: 28
    2011 Grade: +22.0
    Key Stat: Averaged 20 snaps per game through his first six games, and 37 per game over the final six.

    Behind The Numbers: After being cut by the Eagles during the preseason, he was resigned by the club in October and surprised with a very productive year. His raw numbers (two sacks, 20 total pressures, 17 stops) may not catch the attention of the rest of the league, but the Eagles certainly knew what they had. By the end of the season, Landri was getting more snaps in the rotation than starter, Cullen Jenkins. His +14.0 run defense rating led the team while both his RSP (9.7%) and PRP (8.6) were good for Top 10 rankings among the league’s interior defensive linemen.”

  50. 50 eagleizeit said at 1:08 AM on March 18th, 2012:

    I’d love to know why they hate the good players that work out and always want to open pandoras box on something they know most likely won’t work. If they sign Landri for 5 yrs they’ll have Jenkins, Landri and if the LB’s don’t improve they have Patterson and whoever else. Landri at a bargain price there’s absolutely no rational reason not to try to keep him; unless they like going around in circles constantly drafting and bringing in F/A’s when find one get rid of them, find someone injured to bring in for as long as possible.