Who Needs A Stud Corner?
Posted: March 8th, 2012 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 72 Comments »Hi, this is Vince from the Sham-Wow commercials. Tommy asked me to stop by and help him make a sale. I asked what the product was and he said “Asante Samuel”. I said “What!!!! You don’t need me. Asante sells himself.”
Who doesn’t want an elite corner? That’s like asking Hugh Hefner if he’s interested in a beautiful, buxom blonde. So what if he’s got a mansion full of them. There’s always room for more.
Let’s say your in a tight game and need an interception. BAM! There’s Asante jumping a route and picking off a pass, then running it back for a score or to set up a score.
Let’s say your Safety tips a pass and the ball goes tumbling to the heavens. As it then descends, who is there to catch it? ASANTE, that’s who!!! The man is a walking big play.
You need a helmet-to-helmet hit on a defenseless receiver? Asante’s your man.
How good is this guy??? QBs are scared of him. SCARED!!! Eli Manning says he doesn’t know what to expect from Asante so he won’t even throw his way if he can help it at all.
Asante is a tad pricey. I’ll grant you that. But so is a BMW! You want a BMW, pay BMW prices. You want a bargain, go buy a Kia.
Asante isn’t young. Neither is Kobe Bryant, Albert Pujols, or Gordie Howe. And yet those guys remain the best players in their respective sports. Ditto that for Asante. Heck, just say his name – ASANTE. That’s fun, right. That’s the name of a guy you want on your team.
Act now or you’ll be left in the dust when Asante is running back pick after pick on your poor, helpless QB.
And he can be yours for the low, low cost of a 3rd round pick. Make that a 2nd rounder and I’ll personally throw in a Slap-Chop and a partially used Ginsu knife (that’s rust, not blood – trust me).
* * * * *
We’ve seen some movement in the CB market recently. That got me to thinking about Asante Samuel and his situation. What kind of market will there be for him? I think there are plenty of teams who could use him.
TEN
IND
JAX
DET
MIN
STL
TB
Teams like NE, BAL, DEN, and WAS could be interested if they value a playmaking CB enough. How about Dallas?
The problem is that Asante won’t appeal to all of these teams. Some will be turned off by his age. Others by his price. If you’re a rebuilding team, do you want to invest in Asante?
The other mindset is that CB is such a critical position that it can greatly affect the whole defense and if you aren’t good enough there it can be crippling. Bad corner play can affect the development of other players on your defense. At that point, he has value even to a rebuilding team.
You also wonder about the quick turnaround mentality. Teams go from worst to first all the team these days. Asante can make the kind of impact to help that process for a struggling franchise.
Clearly he has some warts or the Eagles wouldn’t be willing to deal him. Those issues will get overlooked by someone who values his playmaking ability. Don’t forget why he came here. Back in 2007 we had the makings of a good defense. Problem was lack of turnovers. We had 11 INTs that year. That total jumped to 15 in 2008 and 25 in 2009. Asante does make a difference.
I would love to see us get a 3rd round pick from someone. I’m sure the Eagles will start out by asking for a 2nd, just to see if anyone has that kind of interest. I’d certainly settle for a 4th. If you can’t get a 4th, maybe you hold him til draft weekend and hope that some team who misses on a player will pony up a 2013 pick for him.
There is the possibility that we could have no takers. I think someone will value him enough to deal with his age, cost, and issues, but there are no guarantees.
* * * * *
Dave has a good column up on players saying goodbye. The best part to me is when he talks about Freddie Mitchell and TO.
Mitchell is a classic example of a player who didn’t understand his role, who didn’t have a grasp on the reality of his situation. He could have been a good backup wide receiver here for several more seasons, could have gained great fame in the media from his fourth-and-26 catch in 2003 and his outgoing personality. He could have made a great living for himself staying in Philadelphia and developing ties with the corporate community.
Instead, Mitchell was unhappy in a backup role after four seasons here and wanted to find stardom elsewhere. He signed with Kansas City and never played in another NFL game and his career was over after 90 catches, 1,263 yards and 5 touchdowns. Since then, Mitchell has scuffled to find his way in life and is now facing prison charges.
Just as sad is the Terrell Owens story, one we have talked about a great deal over the years. Had he stayed in Philadelphia and played football and appreciated his situation, Owens would have gone down as one of the all-time great players in league history. He would have been adored in Philadelphia. He would have been a star forever.
Instead, Owens bullied his way out of town, played in Dallas, Cincinnati and Buffalo and never reached the heights he achieved as an Eagle. Owens is now reportedly in a desperate financial situation as he tries to resurrect his NFL career.
So true on both counts. Freddie could have been a cult hero. He just didn’t seem to understand that. He was sure he was the star of the movie and not the lovable sidekick.
And TO will frustrate me to my dying day. He could have been Dr. J, Reggie White, Mike Schmidt, and Bobby Clarke rolled into one. Philly loved that dude. He was a star, on and off the field. He never had it as good anywhere as he did here. He could have been the friggin mayor if he stayed and didn’t push the contract stuff. He had national endorsements while and Eagle. None since. He lost so much money by fighting for a new deal in 2005 that it’s crazy. Won the battle, lost the war. Idiot. What could have been…
I would be choked if Samuel isnt traded. There is so much bad corner play out there and even tho Samuel cant tackle, he is one of the best CBs in the NFL and even tho is getting alittle old, his cap hit isnt that high consider his position and skill set.
I’ll also be very surprised if someone doesn’t pony up a late 3rd or early 4th. Add in that anywhere he goes they could agree to restructure his contract, probably to 3-4 years, give him some guaranteed income, and everybody’s happy.
I am shocked that Tommy forgot to mention that Asante builds homes for underprivileged kids in the city and within 4 years of the end of his career he will be in the HOF AND AND AND within 4 years of his death the Pope will appoint him as a Saint (not in the New Orleans sense of the word).
Will Desean be next in your Mitchell-Owens saga?
No. Austin Howard.
?
Huh?
Wasn’t he the OT who signed with the Eagles late in training camp and ended up playing well in preseason? I though the Eagles cut him. Plus I really don’t understand the comparisons.
Everyone thought he had the potential to be a starting LT/RT in the future. He showed up overweight and out of shape. Real shame, after hearing all the praise he received his first training camp… Lots of analyst thought we caught a GREAT sleeper. Probably would have been great in Mudd’s system too. He played some TE in highschool and college before going to LT. That shows he had the althletisim to play for Mudd.
Kinda serious, kinda joke. Howard showed great promise in 2010 and was too fat to stick in 2011. He chose Doritos over Howard Mudd. I do admit the Cool Ranch flavor are hard to resist.
I digress
Did someone say Ginsu knife? Shady has that for you right here:
http://i.imgur.com/3fvRC.gif
Funny stuff. And I guess that wasn’t rust on the knife.
Asante Samuel. He can play off coverage, he can play further off coverage, he can dive at a running back’s ankles. He’s made in Central Florida (you know Central Florida makes great things). Most CB’s don’t catch wet footballs; he’ll catch footballs wet or dry. Put him on the left side, and forget about him. 50% of your turnovers, right there; you following me internet bloggers? He acts like a vacuum for footballs. You’re gonna spend $10mill a year on mediocre defenders anyhow; you’re throwing your money away. Asante Samuel: you’ll only regret trading for him on running plays or at the goal line!
Well done, sir. Where were you a couple of hours ago?
Or if someone puts a double move on him…
Yeah but it takes teams time to figure that out… he’s good for the first 2-3 yrs anyway. And he is Manning Kryptonite.
Nice linking to Spuds, very good article. It made me think of Arkansas Fred Barnett. A good weapon at WR for the Eagles and Cunningham but unfortunately didn’t blossom and was traded. I think fans during that’s era will remember him for the insane 98 yard TD Reception from Randall against the Bills as RC avoided Bruce Smith in the end zone. I recall reading that Barnett lived in an apt center city and would ride a bike through south Philly to the Vet.
D
I think Barnett could’ve beena player fans would forever appreciate
I think Fred is still a popular figure. He only left in FA because the WCO came to Philly. Fred was a terrific vertical receiver. He wasn’t good on crossing routes and slants. He struggled in 1995 under Gruden. Irving Fryar stepped into that role in 1996 and flourished.
Fred is a good guy and still brings up a lot of positive memories.
I agree with that. I’d be excited to meet Fred Barnett or Calvin Williams to this day.
That Randall play was one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen. Not even the throw or the catch, the way Randall felt the pressure backside and ducked under it.
Go to the 3:20 mark and listen to the commentary right before the play:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iQQ0hJoto0
Man we had some bad O-Lines in the 90s.
Nice find!
Me too. I grew up watching Fred and Calvin, and still have many fond memories.
I still have a Barnett jersey. If you see a guy at TC wearing it, it’s probably me.
Can’t tell you how many times I’ve given that T.O. speech, but I’d never thought about it in Freddie Mitchell’s terms. It’s one of the truest things in sports. Hugh Douglas and Ike Reese still eat off their days as an Eagle. Vermeil is beloved. I think athletes either underestimate the impact of being liked/loved, or have no foresight.
T.O. was on the cover of ESPN’s NFL video game that year. He would have made his money a couple times over if he’d stayed here and played hard. He might have ended up losing it all anyway, and that ship sailed long ago. But even right now if T.O. was beloved somewhere like he was in Philly, he could make enough money to not play for the Allen Wranglers.
Cold last line on Slap-Chop Vince. Cold.
If T.O wanted to be a sports radio host in Philly, he’d get hired in a heartbeat. His personality is what makes him. Very talented guy. At the age of 37 he put up 980 yards receiving. He kept his body in good shape and I really think he could have played out his 49 million dollar contract had he stayed in Philly. He would have probably gotten an extension in 2006 or in 2007.
I think so too. I mean even if he and Rosenhaus had realized in 2005 that they weren’t getting anywhere, maybe they could quietly broach the topic again after he had another killer season, or try to request a trade the following offseason. The point is they played that situation all wrong, and even though Drew got him another $25 mil from Dallas, $6 mil from Buffalo and a lollipop from Cincinnati, it still pales in comparison to the extension he could have signed in Philly had he maxed out his talent playing here. The value of being in this market on those teams would have truly had him set for life.
As for T.O. being a radio host, he’d have to learn to talk about something besides himself to hold listeners’ interest. T.O. delivers when T.O. feels like T.O. is properly paid respect. Even on the show, which I’m sad to say I watched a little bit of, his assistants were a couple of ass-kissers, and when they tried to cash in on their lil 15 minutes, T.O. got mad.
Still not convinced?
Purchase one (1) slightly-used Asante today for the low, low price of a 2nd round pick, and get a bonus from his best pal Tommy: a free pair of sunglasses!
Only if you call before midnight tonight.
Re: Goodbyes
David Akers showed how one can say goodbye in a professional and classy manner. The billboard he rented with his thanks showed what a fine person he is.
Freddy and T.O. were both egomaniacs. Freddy had a sense of humor about himself and his schtick, he could have eaten on gold plates in Philly if he had delivered on the field. T.O. has, I believe, a clincal mental illness. He is a guy to be pitied and once his money and fame run out will end up in a dire situation.
To go out on a limb, I am going to repeat my assertion that the worst goodbye in Philly sports history was when Reggie White split town. I don’t know why the guy remains so loved. I would understand and respect him if he had said he wanted to play for the Packers because he wanted the biggest bucks he could get and believed he had a better shot at a championship with them. But his b.s. that the Lord called him to Green Bay was ridiculous.
While I agree with the ridiculousness of claiming God told him to go to Green Bay, the fault lies squarely on Norman Braman for letting Reggie go. That erases a lot of ill will toward him, IMO.
Also Reggie was one the best to ever play defense wearing an Eagles green jersey and as far as I know, the FO didnt wanna commit to him so he choice Green Bay.
Did anyone else watch that McNabb-Owens fued segment on NFLN? Who the Hell thought it was a good idea to have Angelo Cataldi on that show? Don’t people realize that fringe lunatics who call in his show and agree with him only represent a miniscule portion of Philadelphia fans? “People
Isn’t it worth a mention that ditching Asante gives the Eagles something like $7.5 million in additional cap space ( $9.5 million of salary less $2 million of dead money).
Nice embodiment of Vince and the slap chop.
My primary objectives in free agency and the draft:
Linebacker —– Da!
DT draft is deep and we need to bolster our strength in the middle particularly against the run
WR complex set of contingencies. We need to plan incase DJax is not here for the long term. In addition we need a tall receiver to add to the mix. Finally we need to plan to replace Avant in the slot. I think we need to get at least two receivers since Reily Cooper and Chad Hall haven’t done much yet although there is probably hope for Cooper. Maybe one of the new receivers can also serve as RS. Even if we sign Jackson long term we still need a big receiver and a slot receiver – ideal if they were one and the same. We need to be able to shift to underneath throws when opponents double cover Jackson. They have too easily been able to take him out of the game.
Secondary Objectives:
Back up tackle
Back up guard
Slot Corner maybe should shift to primary
Slot Receiver if primary goal to replace Jackson is met.
Safety
Return Specialist
The Eagles have enough cap space to sign whomever they want. He’s still a talented player and I’d rather trade him for a 7th round pick than see him sign as a free agent with New Orleans, Dallas, Chicago or Detroit.
Back up tackle- Draft, resign Dunalp
Back up guard- Draft, and 34 year old veteran free agent
Slot Corner maybe should shift to primary
Slot Receiver if primary goal to replace Jackson is met.- Eddie Royal
Safety- veteran backup?- Brodney Pool
Return Specialist- Eddie Royal
I agree, we need some kinda comp. for AS22, although just like Donovan I’m not sure we “fear” him being with another team.
I also agree that Slot corner is a “primary” draft need.
I hate bringin up this conversation because it happened 8 years ago and we’ve beaten it to death. But, if you could go back in time would you have brought in T.O? I’m not sure. I still think we would have gotten to the superbowl in 05′. I also wonder as to the type of QB, McNabb could have been. He could have been more of a complete passer than one who would chuck up 40-60 yard passes every posession.
I think it was worth the risk and we got exactly what we thought we would, both the best of T.O. and the worst of him.
As for McNabb, I don’t think it significantly altered his career trajectory or affected the player he was or became.
What it did do for me, that 2004 season, is give me a glimpse what truly rooting for an elite team was like. There were three beast teams that year, us, Pittsburgh and New England, and one of three was winning the Super Bowl. I thought we had as good a chance as anybody, and even if we win one later, we can’t get that one back. The first 14 games of that season, the Pittsburgh game aside, we just slapped people around. It was a joy to watch.
That season was magical, even if it wasn’t the finish we’d hoped for.
I was sure we’d win every game. I think the first 7 games we won by double digits. It was awesome.
I think one of the lasting legacies of the Freddie Mitchell/TO era is the willingness of fans to assume the Desean Jackson is the same kind of head case as those two, despite all the evidence to the contrary. I think that, for the most part, he has handled his contract situation as maturely as anyone in his situation can. How would you feel about being paid less than Riley Cooper and Steve Smith after making the Pro Bowl?
I liked Freddie Mitchell for his ability to make TO seem normal by comparison.
T.O. or FredEx he’s not, but if you follow DeSean on Twitter, for instance, you know he’s not exactly Larry Fitzgerald either. And I mean as model citizen/teammate.
I don’t think you can really pigeonhole DeSean. On one hand you have a guy whose Dad was a big influence, who worked out with Jerry Rice, who helped out the kid who got bullied. On the other hand you have the dude who got suspended for the Arizona game, had his picture taken with a stripper who tweeted it, and the showboat. So he’s no criminal, but neither was T.O.
I’m a DeSean fan, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to see him grow up and handle himself like a true pro. Since he’s just 25, I’ll afford him some more mistakes, but when you’re talking future of the franchise money, I need to see future of the franchise attitude. I like the way Vick carries himself now, as opposed to his younger days, for instance.
As for Jackson/Riley/Smith and the contract stuff, that’s disingenous at best. It’s not like the Eagles sat all three of them at a table to sign deals at the same time and said here DeSean, we’ll pay you the least. NFL deals come up in cycles and everybody knows the big paydays are when you get closer to free agency.
Jackson’s original deal was 4 years, 3 mil. Cooper’s was 4 years, 1.96 mil. So if you’re just looking at Year 4 of Jackson and Year 2 of Cooper, that’s not really a legit comparison. And Smith got what, $2mil/year as a free agent?
DeSean has been offered much more than that, reportedly in the $8m/year range. He and his agent have chosen to try to maximize his value. That’s their prerogative and maybe the wise move, but in the meantime, let’s not act like the mean old team paid its star player a mere $545,000 and laughed all the way to the bank. DeSean and Drew are just as much a reason why he hasn’t been paid more to date as the team is. His “contract situation” is partially of his own doing, and I don’t think there’s anybody in the world who believes DeSean won’t get his huge payday some day very soon … and I mean beyond the $9.4 mil franchise tag.
Oh, I agree with you for the most part, but I’m just wondering if Desean would be getting such a hard time from the fans without the TO/FredEx experience to look back on. I just think there is a lot of presumption that he is a major diva without as much evidence to back it up. Twitter shenanigans and showboating are not a big deal, in my book. TO was locker room poison.
DeSean dogged in a contract year, to the point his teammates were disgusted with him. That IS a big deal.
A lot of players have to deal with the choice of take less money or take the risk of injury in your contract year. A lot of them handle it professionally, DeSean acted like the Eagles not paying what he demanded was a personal insult instead of business as usual in the NFL.
That, and the fact he’s never put in the work to get to the next level, he peaked in 2009 and I’m not sure he’ll ever get back there.
With all due respect, buddy, but I think you’re a bit harsh with Asante.
According to PFF he was one the best CBs of the NFL with the best (in)completion percentage. I know he’s not really keen on tackling, but the fact opposing QB’s did not complete more than 50% of their passes on his side last season, plus being probably one of the biggest ballhawks in recent history, wouldn’t make me happy to part ways with him for only a low 3rd or 4th rounder…
The reason Asante has such good PFF numbers is the Eli Manning story. Eli will tell you that Asante is completely unpredictable. You never know where he’s going to be or what he’s going to do. QBs avoid him.
The problem is that the unpredictability doesn’t work well when you’re part of a group. Just ask Jaiquawn Jarrett. Asante was supposed to have man coverage on Fitz with Ja-Jar over the top late in the ARZ game. Asante decided to bail on that and jump an underneath route. The ball goes to Fitz for a big play and sets up the winning TD. Ja-Jar and Castillo get the blame, but it was all Asante’s fault. And that’s not my opinion. Other DBs were furious with him for pulling that crap.
Opponents can’t trust Asante, but neither can teammates.
Exactly. And to reiterate the overarching point, we needed him in a few years ago when we had a genius D coordinator and defense that couldn’t generate any turnovers. We had the kind of guys who could compensate for Asante’s riskiness, and perhaps keep it in check to where he only busted it out once in a while when we had a real good hunch.
The defense we have now, we need to have everyone be working in sync. The personnel is affected, the scheme is limited by what Asante can’t/won’t do. I thought he hurt as much as he helped last year.
He’s still a good NFL player, he’s just not right for the Eagles anymore.
Cool insight! did not know that!
I think it also comes with the experience of playing with Samuel. When we had Mikell, he could do that because he had the experience and knew Samuel. What they did against Indy in 2010 would not have been possible in 2011.
I think one thing that no one talks about when it comes to Asante is his Clutch-ness in the playoffs. 13 Playoff appearances, 7 INT, 4 TDs. Because we haven’t too productive in the playoffs recently, this has gotten overlooked . But remember 2008? Turned the game around in MIN and then set us up early vs the Giants. Come playoff time, this guy comes to play and I want as many players like that on my team as possible. Maybe not at 10 mil this year but still, the guy is clutch.
Is it an option to restructure his deal? You see all these players doing this recently for their teams and even though Asante is a diva, he seems like a great guy and team player (from his twitter at least.) If he really wants to stay here, shouldnt he be willing to bring down his cap number to a more reasonable price?
I’d be open to keeping Asante if he restructures his contract. Especially since nobody can really guarantee that we’ll be able to re-sign DRC next off-season.
Despite his (tackling) flaws Asante is still a great guy, not only on the field but also in the locker room!
Asante is the odd man out. Every other corner on the roster is a big press corner. That is the direction the Eagles are going. Plus his cap number rediculous. You keep him, you again are wasting DRC who played well late in the year when they moved him back to his probowl position on the outside. Asante is great, I agree, but he just doesnt fit the direction the Eagles are going. Plus he refuses to move from the left. If he could tackle, I would say try him at FS and let him play centerfield and read the QB’s eyes…but do you really want Asante as your last line of defense when a Frank Gore type RB breaks through the front 7??? Mine as well just put the 7 points on the scoreboard.
DRC is more of a tackle misser than Asante, to go with many more penalties and blown coverages. You waste him by not trading him while you can.
This isn’t about money. Asante no longer fits what we want to do. We’re trying to play more press coverage. We’re blitzing less. Asante doesn’t fit that style of play.
Dude is still extremely gifted and will be a good starter for another team.
Uhh…Freddie Mitchell wasn’t supposed to be a “cult hero” or a “backup”, he was supposed to be a WR worthy of a 1st round pick–a starter and a contributor with the potential to be a top 10 player at his position, at some point in his career. Personally, I prefer that he moved on to look for the “stardom” the Eagles apparently thought him capable of at one point. Keeping him around would have been like leaving the product of a terrible tuna casserole recipe in the fridge, until it had grown moldy.
The idea of Asante in STL is intriguing, not as a CB, but maybe as a ballhawk FS for Gregg Williams’ defense, much in the mold of Darren Sharper was for Williams in NO. Sharper was the same kind of non-traditional player who may have lacked some fundamentals and overall defensive ability, but affected games greatly with his ability for timely turnovers.
If you open the door to see Asante as that kind of player, though, does that introduce any possibility for Asante to remain with the Eagles, in that role? Historically, he’s at the age when CB’s transition to FS. Of course we know his limitations as a tackler, but doesn’t the current defensive scheme already call for a CB to kind of play a zone S role when the receiver to his side motions, or is aligned, to the other side of the formation? In spite of his draft prognostication, Nate Allen seems more comfortable in run support than coverage, so maybe he can fill the “strong” safety role while Asante ballhawks the deep middle. Just an idea to muse for a safety-needy team, in a dreadful year for safeties, both in the draft, and free agency.
Freddie bullked up and slowed down in the pros, went from a 4.45 waterbug to a 4.55 full bodied 5’11 WR. Still could have had a great career out of the slot, but never accepted that his body had changed and he could no longer run past NFL CBs, and that crisp route running was his only hope. Which is why character does matter, and the parallel to DeSean is closer than you want to believe – 4 years in the league and DeSean has never perfected the route tree, still wants to take everything deep.
A guy running a 4.45 40 is not in possession of elite enough speed that it can be the only weapon in his repertoire, there are just too many world class athletes in the NFL. Not sure even a .10 of a second is important enough for a “1st round WR” with the commensurate skills to go along with a good, but not great, 40 time. Regardless of our agreement on the details, he was an historical first round bust, not a fringe roster player that made a memorable play, like David Tyree. Sadly, we’re discussing Mitchell’s would be folk-hero status for a play in a divisional playoff game, while Tyree has seen his folk hero status devalued by the NY Giants disgusting overabundance of recently cast Super Bowl trophies.
Asante is a terrible tackler. He cannot function at FS. Just hitting isn’t good enough there.
Freddie was a bust as a 1st round player, but he did carve out a role for himself. He became a good slot receiver. He did have good hands. He was a solid blocker. He wasn’t a Prima Donna in the way you would totally expect.
I give the guy credit for making something out of his career. There have been countless stud WR prospects who were utter failures and could not adapt to being a role player. Freddie did on the field, but his ego wouldn’t let him stick with that. TO was a bad influence on him in that regard. Freddie was better off in 2003 when he was hanging with Thrash and Pinkston. Once a star like TO hit the scene, Freddie was hooked and couldn’t squelch his old self.
Freddie seems to be an idiosyncratic guy, but I can’t fault him for trying to realize the potential he thought he had, rather than continuing on with the Eagles in a marginally productive role. Isn’t what we’re saying is that he could not adapt to being a role player? I’ll save my credit for a guy like Brandon Lloyd, who went through a ton of tribulation, keeping faith in himself, and finally blossoming into his potential when no one expected it.
Totally agree Asante’s tackling is atrocious, I’m just not sure either Coleman or Jarrett’s is superior enough in that aspect to make up the overall difference in the sum total of what each of them contributes to the defense, as a whole. You’re right, though, boy, that would be really frustrating to see Asante shy away from hits as a FS! Just a bit of woolgathering anyway, a bit of “fantasy football”.
Colts are shopping Freeney. Send Asante there for Dwight. He could be insurance for graham. Renegotiate his contract. Cut Juqua. Could you imagine Cole/Babin/Freeney/Graham/Hunt? Never happen but one can dream.
I like the idea of Freeney in the Wide 9. Would be like pirahnas feasting
I don’t think a rebuilding team wants a 31 year old, $9M / yr DB whose main feature is his freelancing ability. At best that trade would cost the Eagles some picks.
seriously tapp needs to go. just dont see him doing much good in the 9 technique
The ideal taker for Asante is a team that is trying to win now and under pressure to do so. Maybe DET fits the bill. I think Denver if they get Manning is a good bet too.
Tommy,
Do you think the Eagles should keep drafting 10+ players to either bolster depth or find a diamond in the rough? The reason I ask is if the Eagles feel they need either Cox or Kuechly, but feel they may not be there at 15, shouldn’t they trade a 4th or 5 and their 1st to move up a few spots? What’s that loss of one draft pick going to do? And I know there’s an argument there, especially for Kuechly, that he’s not worth moving up for; I just feel using a 4th or 5 to go from 15 to the 10-13 range isn’t such a huge loss.
I’m actually sort of tired of the quantity argument they seem to go with. That’s fine if you’re hitting on at least 2 out of the three first picks.
I’m actually for the Eagles doing what they can in the 15 range and then trading back into the 1st if there is still a guy sitting there they need, such as drafting Kuechly around 15 and getting BPA or best defensive linemen available at the back end of the first.
The Eagles have generally lost when they trade up. See Brandon Graham. Shawn Andrdws. Jerome McDougle. Imagine how many less holes the roster might have if none of those trades up had happened.
What exactly is the point of acknowledging this? Is it to say we should never trade up again? Because three is an awful small sample size, and I’m not of the opinion that Shawn Andrews didn’t work out. Graham hasn’t paid immediate dividends, but both he and McDougle got hurt.
Maybe that’s making excuses, but I haven’t seen where the Eagles have been so negligent trading up that they should never do it again.
And I haven’t seen where they’ve been so great in the third round that they’d have filled their roster holes by not making the Graham move (which I was not a real huge fan of, fwiw).
I think with past drafts it really does little good to cry over what didn’t pan out. It’s like analyzing a poker hand. Did you make the smart choice with the information available at the time? The actual outcome is fairly irrelevant to future outcomes; all you can do is analyze your own habits and try to maximize those opportunities.
“What exactly is the point of acknowledging this? Is it to say we should never trade up again? Because three is an awful small sample size, and I’m not of the opinion that Shawn Andrews didn’t work out. Graham hasn’t paid immediate dividends, but both he and McDougle got hurt.”
The point of acknowledging this is the same point as any other comment on this topic. Should we never trade up again? That would be a good rule if I were the owner. It’s an act of arrogance by the personnel team that isn’t borne out by data. Your observation about injuries supports my argument – injuries are a common risk of the game and personnel managers should be expected to factor that risk into the decision to trade up. If you put all your eggs in one basket, you increase the risk of a complete loss of all your eggs. Imagine if we had used the two lower picks they used to get Graham on LBs, Safeties or a 2d RB or a tall WR. Maybe one of them would have worked out. And then you skip signing Smith or Brown or you have more flexibility in your draft this year.
I tend to agree with you that in a crapshoot of a draft, you’re better off with more shots at landing a star player.
That said, I don’t think the fact that past trade-ups haven’t panned out as expected means the team will never again encounter a scenario where it’s worth the risk to trade up.
If you had a point other than that, I missed it.
The iggles always have a bounty of picks and what do they have to show for it…..spending on free agents to cover up their failed drafts.Let’s not trade up for the top ILB in the draft and use that 4th or 5th rd pick on a high motor,project..SMH…
The odds that any personnel team has identified “the top” person at any position when it makes its first round pick are modest and no better than a coin flip. I will gladly bet that whichever position the Eagles use their first round pick on, there will be someone at that position later in the draft who is as good or better. So it makes more sense to have a lot of picks and increase your chances of finding good players.
In addition, the fewer people you have the more you are exposed to loss due to injury. If you put three draft picks into one player by trading up, and that guy has a knee injury it wipes out everything you invested in hin.
LB Bracket released from colts…eagles? i have no clue who he is just throwing it out there. All i know is les bowen said that he is coming off of shoulder injury. Ill say no just because of that. and i cant believe the talk that people are saying that Brandon dbag Jacobs could come to the eagles. even if we need a change of pace back. if the team is not suited for that pace then why would the team get that player. why would the eagles get a player that would even need to adjust in order to be a the right change of pace.
Moratorium on the Eagles signing ex-Giants. That is all.
The Eagles need a stud corner.
Shocked that you would trade one of the best corners in the league for a 4th round pick.. Does not compute