Tagged

Posted: March 2nd, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 32 Comments »

DeSean did get the Franchise Tag on Thursday afternoon.  That is the first offseason domino to go down.  Now we have to figure out what it means.

I wrote my SB Nation Philly column on my guess for Jackson and the Eagles.

So far the reaction from Jackson is positive (to getting tagged, not my column sadly).  It is  good to see Jackson handling the news well.  We need this situation to be handled in a positive way by both sides.  Whether the team’s goal is a long term deal or a trade, things will go much smoother if both sides are professional and upbeat rather than mean and confrontational.

Jackson remains a highly troubling player for me, which I mean as a good and bad thing.  He is so talented that you want him to stay as an Eagle and get back to being a high level WR.  The flip side is that he drives you crazy with some of the little things he does.  He’s not a big enough jerk to say “the hell with him” as you would T.O.  Jackson doesn’t get in legal trouble and does nothing to embarrass the team.  I want to like him.  I really do.  Then I watch him run out of bounds for a short gain while his teammates are fighting for every possible inch.  That makes me crazy.  I think you can see how conflicted I am with him.

As for what happens now…Jackson can sign the tender/offer sheet/contract.  Not sure what the exact phrase is.  That obligates the Eagles to pay him, but also obligates Jackson to be at all mandatory practices and functions.  If he doesn’t show, the team can fine him.

Jackson can choose to not sign anything.  The Eagles would then have the freedom to remove the Franchise Tag at any time and would owe him nothing.  Jackson would have the freedom to skip functions.

It will be interesting to see what happens.  The ball is now in DeSean’s court.

* * * * *

As expected, the Falcons will Tag CB Brent Grimes.  This means MLB Curtis Lofton has a real chance to hit the FA market.  If so, I’m sure the Eagles will call his agent to get a feel for the asking price.  I’m sure the Eagles are interested in signing him, but I don’t think the team will break the bank for him.  Nor should they.

* * * * *

Questions/Topics from yesterday:

Tommy, your thoughts on Harrison Smith out of Notre Dame? Can he be a guy in the safety mix?   Smith is talented, but I don’t see him as a player that I really want.  He looks like more of a FS to me.  I’d rather stick with Nate Allen there and find out what he can do.  If we do add a Safety in the draft…I’d go for a big guy who can play in the box.  Antonio Allen from SoCar is my preference.

Trading DeSean for Dwayne Bowe straight up.   This is a pretty interesting idea since both guys will have the Tag on them.  I doubt the Chiefs would do it, though.  Pioli and Crennel would love DeSean’s speed, but his lack of toughness would drive them nuts.

Cedric Thornton.  I’ve written about him a few times this year, but I’ll make a post focusing on him and his future here.

Morris Claiborne.  He is the top CB in the draft.  I think he’ll be a Top 5 pick.  If he fell anywhere close to 15 I could see the Eagles going for him, but that is highly unlikely.  And I don’t see the Eagles using a bunch of resources to move up and get him.  Claiborne is a great prospect.  Love watching him play.

32 Comments on “Tagged”

  1. 1 tcd3 said at 12:53 PM on March 2nd, 2012:

    A WR name I don’t hear many people talking about is Denver’s Eddie Royal. His #’s have taken a nosedive, but I’d put a lot of that blame on the, um, erratic QB situation in Denver. You can probably get a guy like Royal for cheap and he can also double as a KR/PR. He’s not much bigger than DJax, but has good speed (4.39) and isn’t afraid of contact and has a much stronger frame than Jackson (24 reps of 225). Of course, those are 2008 combine #’s, but he’s intriguing and could add some real value as a #2 or #3 WR as well as a KR/PR…

  2. 2 hallcr3 said at 1:29 PM on March 2nd, 2012:

    I’m in favor of adding Eddie even if we do re-sign DeSean.

  3. 3 TommyLawlor said at 1:48 PM on March 2nd, 2012:

    Royal could be of definite interest, but I think it would have as much to do with his RS ability as anything. I loved him coming out of VT back in 2008. Could be a good bargain. Only problem is that the team may be looking for a bigger WR to pair with the current duo.

  4. 4 Mac said at 4:36 PM on March 2nd, 2012:

    Could our WR corps hypothetically be:

    DeSean
    Maclin
    Royal
    Plax
    Coop/Avant duel for 5th spot

    Or is that tying up too many resources at one position?

  5. 5 hallcr3 said at 5:53 PM on March 2nd, 2012:

    I think we could keep a 6th WR. Didn’t we have 6 last season?

  6. 6 Mac said at 6:53 PM on March 2nd, 2012:

    DeSean, Mac, Smith, Avant, Coop, Hall… but I don’t think Hall was on the team to start the season, I believe he was activated when Smith went down.

    I think it was the yr before last we had 6 WR on the roster…

  7. 7 ian_no_2 said at 1:03 PM on March 2nd, 2012:

    DJax said a few months ago he would accept the tag so it seems assured. He’s been waiting for at least this much insurance if there’s a huge injury.

    I turned off the game that people hated the most this year before he did whatever Derek et al hated, so I’m not up on that. I personally see DJax as someone who plays well with a contract. He is cocky and socially unpolished, has stopped getting counseling from Jerry Rice, and had to deal with a situation where he was underpaid up to this point and used against his will and good sense on ST. The big picture on last year is that he showed up, but had his bad moments along the way. I don’t see him as someone who chronically underperforms and becomes a problem in the locker room.

    Without question, he is a better #1 receiver than Maclin imho. Maclin is a top #2 WR who can be #1 in a pinch, a fast, smart, tall son of a doctor who knows how to behave. If I had to lose one I’d lose Maclin, but keeping them and Avant around is important for a passing offense with a set OL and Shady. DeSean spreads the defense for a WCO intermediate attack, can run routes down the middle, and connect with Vick’s deep arm which is the QB main strength now.

  8. 8 hallcr3 said at 1:30 PM on March 2nd, 2012:

    Agreed. The DeSean you describe is a lot different than the DeSean his opponents describe.

  9. 9 miked718 said at 1:43 PM on March 2nd, 2012:

    After the season I wanted him gone, but he is saying the right things now. And let’s be honest, you would be pissed if everyone you work with, includIng new hires and people with roles less important than you (stev smi, Jon Dorenbos, Winston Justice, etc) were making WAY more money. I think they should sign him to a reasonable deal/let him play the franchise year and let him prove his worth. Howie would botch the pick they got in return anyway…

  10. 10 TommyLawlor said at 1:57 PM on March 2nd, 2012:

    Couple of things…

    DeSean has been a problem in the locker room. His attitude and failure to go all out angered teammates in each of the last two years. Everyone was able to work past it, thankfully.

    I don’t see DeSean as a normal #1 WR. That’s part of the problem in determining his value. He has significant impact on a game, but isn’t a guy you feed the ball to in critical situations. You can know the ball is going to Larry Fitzerald, Megatron, or Andre Johnson and not be able to do anything about it.

    Even look at the numbers. DeSean’s best year is 62-1156-9. Victor Cruz blew those numbers out of the water this year. Dallas’ #3 WR Laurent Robinson this year was 54-858-11.

    Robinson doesn’t have the same impact as DeSean, but at some point impact and potential isn’t enough when talking about someone as a #1 WR. You must be a guy that can deliver tangible results.

    As for Maclin…I think he can still get better and he could develop into a #1 WR because he’s got size and speed. He will just turn 24 in May so his best football is absolutely still in front of him.

  11. 11 ACViking said at 4:26 PM on March 2nd, 2012:

    T-LAW:

    Great contrasts . . . and now the Eagles just gave D-JAX a Top-5 money.

    What the . . . ?!

  12. 12 TommyLawlor said at 4:35 PM on March 2nd, 2012:

    The Eagles aren’t going to pay DeSean $9M per season. That’s just the tag price. A deal between DJax and the Eagles would more likely be in the $7.5M per year range. I think. Sam is the money guru, not me. I know just enough to be dangerous.

  13. 13 ian_no_2 said at 5:09 PM on March 2nd, 2012:

    Victor Cruz is a potential #1 receiver that teams didn’t key on. I’m not comparing DJax to Fitz.

    I was on another board saying that the Eagles should definitely draft DJax first coming out of college. Everyone else talked about his attitude and that he wouldn’t get off the line of scrimmage. What did you say about him in the draft, Tommy? I was the only person I know of saying to pick him, and 32 teams passed on him in the first.

    I am having the exact same conversation about him now than I had about him then. with the same sort of cocksure consensus against him.

  14. 14 TommyLawlor said at 5:53 PM on March 2nd, 2012:

    SUMMARY

    Very good WR, great PR. His value is up in the air. Ran really well at the Combine, but also weighed in at just 169. Could go anywhere from the teens to the end of the 1st round. Should make an immediate impact as a returner. Needs to polish his receiving skills, but could develop into a very good X-receiver. Not only is he fast, but it is a smooth, controlled speed. Should develop into a good playmaker.

  15. 15 ian_no_2 said at 7:07 PM on March 2nd, 2012:

    You were right as is so often the case… and bonus points for nothing about him getting jammed at the line of scrimmage

  16. 16 Mac said at 6:55 PM on March 2nd, 2012:

    I wasn’t commenting on this board back then, but I was high on DeSean when I saw some tape of him working out with Jerry Rice. Personally I think his troubles come from an expanding ego, bad agent, and the death of his father. I hope he can turn it around, but I’m not holding my breath on this one.

  17. 17 Mac said at 4:54 PM on March 2nd, 2012:

    I don’t think it’s fair to say that DeSean is “without question” a better #1 receiver than Maclin. If you would have said better than Reggie Brown/Pinky/Avant I may have agreed.

    My problem is that Maclin is a WR on the rise whereas I view DeSean as a gimmick guy on the decline.

    I love me some deep passes, but comon you don’t win championships with that alone. End arounds are fun to watch but again… you don’t go to that well too many times. DeSean is in the best offense possible for his skill set with Andy/Marty running the show. He best wise up and take the money.

  18. 18 ian_no_2 said at 7:12 PM on March 2nd, 2012:

    I agree that DJax should take the money and it’s in the team’s interest not to overpay him. But in addition to the deep ball, DJax is a threat on the screen and running after an intermediate pass that Maclin hasn’t been. Maclin performed better in college on those plays. I like Maclin and am rooting for him and think he will play in Pro Bowls, and believe me, it’s great that he’s a WR who isn’t a head case, but the Eagles are a lesser team without DJax.

  19. 19 Mac said at 7:28 PM on March 2nd, 2012:

    It was nice to see the team use the WR screen a few times this season. I would think that would be something they could get Vick to audible into at the LOS when the CB is clearly playing too far off in coverage to make the deep threat a bit harder to defend.

  20. 20 metaReign said at 2:34 PM on March 2nd, 2012:

    Now that we have Jackson for another year, would it be possible the Eagles do take a chance at another WR in the draft, 2nd-3rd round, perhaps Stephen Hill falls within our reach?

  21. 21 TommyLawlor said at 2:45 PM on March 2nd, 2012:

    I don’t think Stephen Hill would make sense now. Yes, he’s big. But…he’s at his best as a downfield receiver. We’ve already got Mac/Jax for that. If the coaches think they can make Hill effective on crossing routes and underneath stuff, then I’m all for adding him.

    Other factor with Hill…does he even make it to pick 40 now? I’m not so sure.

  22. 22 Anders Jensen said at 3:22 PM on March 2nd, 2012:

    a WR needing team might value his potential more then his production and therefor take a flier on him in the early 2nd

  23. 23 Mac said at 4:57 PM on March 2nd, 2012:

    I agree, I’m blocking Hill from my memory as we speak… that is unless he goes to the cowgirls, in which case I will craft a Stephen Hill voo-doo doll.

  24. 24 JRO91 said at 3:48 PM on March 2nd, 2012:

    Im all for Sanu with one of our seconds…don’t need a burner in the middle but a big body that has hands!! = Sanu!!

  25. 25 Brian McGaughan said at 3:52 PM on March 2nd, 2012:

    Sanu would really seem to make sense. Probably will be available at our 2nd round pick, big, tough, can go over the middle and very good at running after the catch. Add either Burress or Avant as the #4 WR, and that’s a pretty good and diverse set of WR’s.

  26. 26 Gregory Post said at 3:45 PM on March 2nd, 2012:

    “So far the reaction from Jackson is positive (to getting tagged, not my column sadly).”

    Aww, your columns are badass Tommy! And thanks for answering my question about Harrison Smith.

  27. 27 James Coe said at 5:37 PM on March 2nd, 2012:

    I think that trading DeSean for Bowe is probably not going to happen, as you’ve said. The trade that I think is perhaps a little more likely would be D-Jax for V-Jax (assuming the latter gets the tag). DeSean gets to go back to Cal and Vince gets to escape a team he clearly doesn’t want to be with anymore.

  28. 28 Jonathan said at 6:20 PM on March 2nd, 2012:

    Wouldn’t a contract with a bit of a lower yearly value, but more guaranteed money make sense for both sides? Say, 5 years, 30M, 24M guaranteed? With the lower cap figure, he’s more likely to play out the whole contract, rather than what the Eagles did with Vick, who will never get the 100M that makes it look like a bigger contract (or Santonio Holmes, whom the Jets will drop once the cap hit becomes less horrendous). 24M would be slightly more than the guaranteed money they would give him if they franchise him this year and next. Just asking, since it seems to make a lot of sense, and therefore will never happen.

  29. 29 Mac said at 8:19 PM on March 2nd, 2012:

    After reading this on NFL.com… I’m convinced that Williams wasn’t running a bounty program like Buddy Ryan. Clearly this is some kind of watered down cheapened form of motivation.

    For shame….

    Phillip Daniels, a former defensive lineman under Williams and now the Redskins’ director of player development, spoke to the Post on the record and defended his former coach.

    “I think it is wrong the way they’re trying to paint (Williams),” Daniels added. “He never told us to go out there and break a guy’s neck or break a guy’s leg. It was all in the context of a good, hard football.”

  30. 30 juggadore said at 12:37 AM on March 3rd, 2012:

    let’s be frank. the FRONT OFFICE did desean wrong by not restructuring his contract. however, desean did his TEAMMATES wrong by not fighting hard for them. they are risking their health, mental function, and elderly years by putting everything out there. if they win a lot of games, everyone looks good. if they go deep in the playoffs or even win the superbowl, that means some of those guys will get a few million extra. look at the giants this year. if one key player tanked more than a couple games, they may not have made the playoffs. but they did and won the superbowl, and now some of those guys will get fat contracts. i think if i were an eagles player, i would have taken desean’s attitude personally, and im sure some of those players may have given him the evil eye from time to time…

  31. 31 RC5000 said at 3:17 PM on March 3rd, 2012:

    re Tommy’s comment:

    Then I watch him run out of bounds for a short gain while his teammates are fighting for every possible inch.

    There is plenty of room to criticize Desean but I will never understand why people want Jackson taking on defensive players for an extra inch, it’s totally mind boggling. If he was taking on defenders for unnecessary yards like Vick, he’d be criticized for that. You have to be sensible and realize that’s not Desean’s game and shouldn’t be. Need Desean to stay healthy that’s a much bigger issue and he needs to do the smart thing. He’s barely 5-10, 170 not Jason Avant.

  32. 32 Brian said at 2:26 AM on March 4th, 2012:

    I don’t really see how DeSean running out of bounds is all that much different than what Torry Holt and Issac Bruce used to do in St. Louis. Those two would hit the deck if there was a defender within 5 yards of them, and I never heard anyone question their toughness.