Couple of Quick Things
Posted: May 18th, 2012 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 23 Comments »Forgot to mention this the other day. The Eagles cut OL Zane Taylor and signed UDFA Alfred McCullough. This is hardly a big deal, but we love to keep track of each and every Eagles move. Taylor was thought to be a C here, but played OG in the recent rookie camp. Dallas Reynolds was the primary C in the camp.
I don’t know if this means that Taylor is someone they wanted at G and he didn’t impress or if he didn’t impress at C and then failed to impress at OG as well. In the end, it’s not a big deal either way. He’s off to Indy.
McCullough (6-2, 311) was a backup at Alabama. He started games each of the last couple of years, but was never a regular. He saw time at OG and OT for them. With his build, he will be a G for the Eagles. He did show decent athleticism in his Pro Day workout. I never took game notes on McCullough. He’s here as a developmental prospect. He did spend a weekend with the Ravens before getting cut. We’ve now collected he and D.J. Jones as Ravens castoffs this year. Probably just coincidence.
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Howie Roseman was the key negotiator in the big deals this year. Does this mean Joe Banner is taking a back seat? I don’t think so. If you think back to last summer, we heard that the Eagles split up negotiations among 3 people. There was Howie, Joe, and another person. I’m drawing a blank on the third, but think it was a woman. Anyway…the 3 people dealt with the agents they worked best with. Joe Banner was working with Nnamdi’s agent Ben Dogra. Apparently they get along well.
The big contracts this year all belonged to Drew Rosenhaus. Apparently he and Howie Roseman get along well. Drew and Banner have butted heads in the past over some deals (namely TO). They’ve also worked some out, but Howie is 3 for 3 on key deals with Drew in a matter of a few months. Those two have a good relationship.
If Howie gets credit in other contract situations and we continue to not hear from Banner, then we’ll know there has been a definite change. For now, I think it is mostly about the agent and relationships.
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Could the Eagles go for a QB in the 1st round next year. Yes. Absolutely yes. Vick isn’t getting any younger, no matter how well he plays. The QB class appears to be good at this point (although a lot will change in the coming months). The key to this will be a couple of things. First, the Eagles really like Nick Foles. If he has a great summer, then the Eagles may see him as the starter of the future. If Nick is more like a typical rookie and is all over the place, the Eagles will play the board. By that I mean they’ll take a QB if the right guy is available and/or the price is right.
The Skins just took a QB #2 overall and in the 4th round. The Eagles drafting a QB in the 3rd one year and then taking one in the 1st round the next season isn’t a crazy idea.
The x-factor in all of this is Mike Kafka. We tend to assume that he’s not going to work out, but it won’t be shocking if Mike takes big strides this year. He’s getting coached everyday. He’s throwing to receivers. He’s working on the little things it takes to be an NFL QB. And Mike did get on the field last year. He got a taste of game action. He now knows what needs to be done. Can he get to that level?
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Off topic…screw the Celtics. All I heard for 2 days is how the Sixers were done. Really? The Celtics were far from impressive in Boston. They did wake up for Game 3 and blow our doors off. Too many people assumed that would be the rest of the series. Gimme a break.
The Sixers got off to an awful start, but had a great response and Iggy was clutch down the stretch. I think we’d all agree the Celtics are the better team, but since when did that mean they were automatically going to win the series? The Sixers are young and dumb. They don’t know they’re supposed to lose.
I am glad this thing is tied 2-2 with only one blowout. I grew up on the Sixers and Celtics. I miss the days when this rivalry really meant something. I’d give anything to see Dr. J, Bobby Jones, Mo Cheeks, and Andrew Toney on the floor against the dreaded Celtics heroes for one more game. Somebody find me a time machine. While I’m back there I’ll get in touch with some Eagles personnel and tell them who to pick. And maybe I can convince Archie Manning to go bowling instead of staying home with the Mrs for that one night when they unleashed Eli upon the world.
Tommy —
Other than DRC and Dixon, which starters’ or key rotational players’ contracts will expire at the close of the 2012 season? I think I recall that Hanson, Tapp, Jordan, and Fokou may be in their last contract year, but unless they perform unexpectedly well, I assume that they’re not likely re-signings.
DEREK LANDRI !!!!
Jon Dorenbos
King Dunlap
Much different FA class than this year. DRC really is the key guy. It is going to be so interesting to see how he does this year. I hope he’s great and we have to pay him lots of money.
That sixers game was kind of like the Eagles-Giants comeback game. It sucked for 3 quarters but no one will remember that because the 4th was great. I went to Game 6 against Chicago and just bought tickets for Game 6 against Boston.
It’s more fun to watch a team with no expectations winning than a team with great expectations losing. (Edit: Except in the case of the Heat)
I’ll be disappointed in the Sixers if they don’t win this series, because this Boston squad is pretty old and cooked. The Celtics are just waiting for some strong wind to come and blow them down once and for good, and the Sixers could easily be that wind. If not, it will have to be the Pacers or the Heat in the next round. This will be the beginning of the Celtics’ slide into a decade of irrelevance, though, hopefully, as their core reaches critical mass with regard to old age.
Oh my god, you do other stuff too?
MOrton’s all pervading pessimism regarding even the least significant of Eagles managerial decisions is only allowed to exist as a force in the universe insofar as it counterbalanced by an uncrushable optimism in all other facets of his life. He donates his spare time to orphans and the elderly. He regularly pulls strangers cats from trees. Alas, mention casually, in passing, an Andy Reid or Howie Roseman might-have-been, and his perma-smile begins, if ever slowly, to leak southward.
Everything needs a villain, if we all just posted, Amen Tommy, after everything it would be a pretty boring place
Boston has a great team that is old and battered but can still be a great team. Paul Pierce and Garnett can still dig deep, they know how to play basketball and especially playoff basketball better than the Sixers. In a 2nd round series, the older, wiser, more experienced team SHOULD win. Let’s hope the Sixers continue to run em outta the gym and meet up with the Pacers (!) next round. They could catch another aging juggernaut in the finals if the spurs can stop Durant. No I’m not getting ahead of myself.
I keep reading and hearing (rumors) that the iggles and more importantly Bowles think Jaijar is too slow.While I’m hoping this is all hearsay,does anyone know if any credible sources have reported this.it’s disconcerting if true ’cause I had high hopes for JaiJar this season.He was one of the best tacklers in college the yr he got drafted and if you watched the iggles last season our safeties were not reliable in that aspect to say the least see the NE game.I thougt his ability to tackle would translate well to the pros and that he would complement Allen who has better ball skills
He can’t be any slower than Kurt Coleman….he’s no burner either. Jaiquan I think could be a really good in the box safety if he just played and didn’t think.
behind the wide 9 or 9 technique a box safety is crucial. Interested to know how much Ja Jarr bulked up for that role. Is it a possibility that Ja Jar is in during base formation and Coleman is in during Nickel or dime. I would like that idea but as i know their coleman just has more experience with coverage and their skills are not that different.
He was, by far, the worst combine performer of all the safeties in the 2011 draft.
Which made his selection in the 2nd all that much more of a head-scratcher: competent drafters simply do not take unathletic players earlier than the 3rd round under any circumstances, no matter how productive they were in college. (although Jarrett was productive but not anything special @ Temple).
I think the whole “he just needs to play and not think” is a little overstated. He needs to think, he just needs to do it quickly, and the guesses he makes have to be more right than wrong. IMO, a good safety is a guy that starts moving towards the play before it happens. The best MLB’s and S’s start heading towards the action before it occurs, and that’s based on instincts borne of experience and tape evaluation. Obviously, Jaiqwuan doesn’t have the physical skills to cover ground if he’s a half second slow to react, so he’s got to make up that half second in his mind.
Adam Caplan @caplannfl
Unsung hero in the #Eagles contract extensions: Aileen Daly, General Counsel. She approves the contract language in all of these deals.
and i believe Banner is the accountant or salary cap manager person who crunches numbers and what not. http://www.mcall.com/sports/columnists/fierro/mc-eagles-salary-cap-0428-20120428,0,5625590,full.story Howie is young and ready to negotiate. It is strange tho think that in order to win a championship good cap management is part of it along with coaches and players.
They are really good at knowin when a player will start decline and moving all the “cap hitting” money to that year. They can then either renegotiate or trade. Amazing we still have around 16mil in cap space with all these signings. They could sign DRC and Maclin and still have plenty of cap space.
I think Kafka was pretty spectacular last year considering the lack of offseason?
That’s a bit much, but he did pretty well given the circumstances.
“And maybe I can convince Archie Manning to go bowling instead of staying home with the Mrs for that one night when they unleashed Eli upon the world.” great stuff right there…its lines like that that make me come back here on a daily basis and read every article you write. hilarious..
We may be shocked to learn that after some hilarious hijinx, Tommy manages to get Archie out of the house -only to find himself seduced by Mrs. Manning. “Eli, I am your fah-tha”.
Now that is a scary thought.
RE: T-LAW (a/k/a “The Sheriff”) & His Time Machine
Go back to 1983 . . . and tell the Eagles NOT to draft Michael Haddix.
Maybe Dan Marino, Jim Kelly, or Bruce Matthews.
The only worse 1st round pick (not named Jon Harris) was . . . 1967 1st-round RB Harry Jones from Arkansas.
You simply cannot draft a football player named “Harry Jones” and expect big things. Especially at RB.
Great stuff. We’ll call that the Harry Jones Rule.
The Jon Harris qualifier there was key.