WR Wide Open

Posted: August 2nd, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 93 Comments »

The Eagles just announced that Riley Cooper has been excused from team activities for an indefinite period. He’s going to get some counseling. I also think the time off is important as the organization tries to figure this situation out. Teammates are still in a state of shock over this whole thing. Emotions are going to run red hot initially. With time, that may change. Or not. If the emotions don’t go away, Riley Cooper will.

Jeremy Maclin is out with a torn ACL. Arrelious Benn is dealing with a minor knee injury. BJ Cunningham has been cut. Cooper is off doing his thing. Suddenly, WR is a thin position.

The Eagles do have an open roster spot. You can bet they are looking around. Here are some of the top guys available:

Donald Jones
Steve Breaston
Early Doucet
Jabar Gaffney
Mike Sims-Walker

Go here for Adam Caplan’s full list. I don’t think the Eagles will have interest in the washed-up big name guys, but these players have had some NFL success and should be able to step in right away and help in practice, if not compete for a roster spot.

The Eagles could also consider a trade with another team, but I think that would happen in a couple of weeks, not now.

DeSean Jackson, Damaris Johnson, Jason Avant, Russell Shepard and Greg Salas are all having terrific camps. That could be the 5 guys the Eagles go into the season with. That would be a strange group, to say the least. It would certainly be a lot smaller than what Kelly wanted.

Arrelious Benn’s injury is the biggest issue right now. If he was healthy, he’d likely be starting and would make me feel a lot better about the WR situation. I don’t know how far away he is from getting back on the field.

Ifenyi Momah is another X-factor here. He was solid in the spring, but has been so-so at camp so far. I don’t think you can count on him making the team, let alone contributing. The preseason games will help us figure him out.

Back to Cooper for a second. Many people think this is a sign he’ll get cut. I think this is a sign that the Eagles are trying to find a way to make this situation work. He still might end up getting cut, but the goal is to see if there is a way to have him on the team and to keep the locker room functional.

One element to this we haven’t talked much about is how the controversy could affect Cooper’s play. If he’s not sleeping well or eating enough, as he indicated on Thursday, that will affect him on the field. The Eagles have no interest in keeping Cooper if he’s not playing well and he’s a highly controversial player. Cooper must shine on the field for this to have any chance of working.

The Eagles have invested 3 1/2 years in developing Cooper and don’t want to just toss that aside if they can help it. That said, the only way this works is if the teammates want it to work. Right now that is very much up in the air. This is a very fluid situation. There is no playbook for how to handle something like this, from the perspective of Cooper, his teammates or the organization.

* * * * *

Practice is underway. Jason Avant reportedly just dove to make a catch and got up slowly. Maybe so many WRs will get hurt that Cooper’s teammates will have no choice but to welcome him back. Ugh. WR was so deep just 10 days ago.

_


93 Comments on “WR Wide Open”

  1. 1 TommyLawlor said at 1:30 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    From Adam Caplan…yikes.

    “9 WRs practicing today for the Eagles; 6 are UDFAs, 2 of the 9 practicing were drafted by the team.”

  2. 2 Tom33 said at 2:15 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    From Jimmy B….classic.

    “DeSean & Damaris are both generously listed at 175 lbs. Might be Eagles starting WRs. Combined, they outweigh Clifton Geathers by 10 lbs.”

  3. 3 Sean Scheinfeld said at 1:33 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    It really is amazing how depth has a way of evaporating so quickly. Just over a week ago, we were talking about the Eagles’ surplus of receivers and there was some concern that the team would have to let go of some good players. Now, we’re talking about whether or not the team needs to go out and sign someone just to field a functional unit.

  4. 4 GEagle said at 4:11 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    Really!!! Two weeks ago, I was trying to come to grips that WR who I don’t want us to let go we’re going to be cut…oh how things change

  5. 5 P_P_K said at 1:42 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    It wasn’t that long ago that we were wondering if Avant would make the roster. He seems like a sure bet now, as long as he isn;t hurt.

  6. 6 ICDogg said at 6:03 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    I’ve always expected him to, but certainly his position is solidified.

  7. 7 phillychuck said at 1:44 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    Great column on the Cooper issue:

    http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/whitlock-riley-cooper-eagles-wr-n-word-gaffe-offers-perfect-time-to-evolve-and-learn-080113

  8. 8 P_P_K said at 3:10 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    Good read, thanks for the link.

  9. 9 ICDogg said at 5:36 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    I think he has the right approach to it.

  10. 10 Kevin Powell said at 1:44 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    I don’t think it’s s bad as it looks. Even if it’s not for another week, Chip says that AB is returning soon, and I highly doubt that this “counseling” will go into the regular season.

    Chip sounded pretty firm yesterday in saying that Coop’s roster spot is not in jeopardy, even after admitting that there is cause for concern about a locker room divide. This tells me that Chip’s mindset will be as follows: a teammate made a mistake, you don’t have to be friends with him, and as long as the situation does not affect his on the field play, he’s here to stay.

    Just yesterday in Spuds’ studio interview, Boykin casually noted that Riley made a great move on him and beat him for the deep catch. We have no idea how Boykin feels about Riley as a person, but if everyone can adopt his mindset of just viewing him as Riley the player who is trying to compete and make the team better, then all should be fine.

  11. 11 Conor Mc Namara said at 1:46 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    Just a quick question for anyone following abroad, what do you use to watch games? I was streaming last year am I’m trying to find something reliable. Thanks

  12. 12 Anders said at 2:36 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    NFL gamepass. Going to get it again this year.

  13. 13 Conor Mc Namara said at 2:55 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    It’s worth it yeah? Like it’s good quality?

  14. 14 Anders said at 3:00 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    Its 720p HD at 4500 kbps (consider most online streams is at max 500 kbps), so you of course need the connection, but else it is good quality.

  15. 15 Conor Mc Namara said at 3:17 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    Cool man, thanks for that

  16. 16 BlindChow said at 11:25 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    I’d recommend Gamepass as well.

  17. 17 Tom33 said at 1:47 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    “DeSean Jackson, Damaris Johnson, Jason Avant, Russell Shepard and Greg Salas are all having terrific camps. That could be the 5 guys the Eagles go into the season with.”

    So you have 2 guys who are tiny by NFL standards, a guy a lot of people (me included) didn’t think would make the final cut, a guy who was described as a “project” and an “athlete” when he was signed, and a guy who has appeared in 7 games over 2 years for 3 teams. Yikes.

    TL – what do you think of Jones? He’s probably the most interesting guy on a bad list.

  18. 18 TommyLawlor said at 2:59 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    I would like signing Donald Jones. Has some size, skill and experience. Limited upside, but can at least be a good practice player.

  19. 19 barneygoogle said at 2:31 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    Please…no more Jabar Gaffney. Bring back Na Brown first. Maybe we go with 4 tight ends.

  20. 20 shah8 said at 2:45 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    What? No kind words for Clay Harbor’s good fortune?

  21. 21 TommyLawlor said at 3:00 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    I still like Clay and would love to see him make the team and pan out, but I’m not overly optimistic on that.

  22. 22 shah8 said at 4:50 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    Thought maybe he’d make the squad as someone who can play a little WR. Oh well.

  23. 23 Tom33 said at 3:13 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    I keep seeing where Desean is being called the #1 Punt Return option. With the issues at WR, wouldn’t it be better to find somebody else to do that? (Granted – I think other people fielding punts so far included Maclin and Cooper). Desean hasn’t really looked very impressive back there since 2010 anyway.

    If it were up to me, I think I’d keep him away from ST’s, and I’d probably roll him up in bubble wrap between plays just to keep him as healthy as possible.

  24. 24 TommyLawlor said at 3:38 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    Most guys don’t get hurt at PR. KOR is the more dangerous job. Still, the Eagles might play it safe and look for someone else to be the PR.

  25. 25 BlindChow said at 11:20 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    I wouldn’t worry too much. After a couple plays where Desean fields a punt, immediately runs backwards & loses five yards, someone else will take over the job.

  26. 26 JoeD said at 3:30 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    Honestly, I never thought our WR depth was as deep as we once thought. I , don’t think Cooper is all that great, Avant can ONLY play successfully in the slot, and the rest of the guys are JAGs. Aside from Jackson and Maclin I don’t think any other guys are that special…And even Maclin never really lived up to his top 10 1st round grade he once had…. Hopefully our O-line plays at a super high level, that should help!

  27. 27 TommyLawlor said at 3:44 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    I think you are way off here.

    Mac/Jax – 2 above average starters
    Avant – good to very good slot guy
    Damaris – young player who could be very good slot guy
    Cooper – big guy & potential starter
    Benn – big guy & potential starter

    Those are not JAGs. Momah, Cunningham, Salas…you can call them JAGs since they haven’t proven anything.

    How many teams had a better set of WRs? Most teams have 2 starters and then role players, which is what the Eagles had. Go look around the league. You’ll see some teams that have 1 good starter and a bunch of role players.

    I’m not saying the Eagles were the deepest team or best team at WR, but it was a strength. The question was how good could they be if Damaris improved as expected and either Cooper or Benn played well as the big guy.

    And all of this isn’t even counting Russell Shepard, who I didn’t take seriously until a few days ago. I totally saw him as a project.

  28. 28 JoeD said at 4:15 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    That’s the thing it’s all based on potential. Shepard has played really well in camp but so has Na Brown and Darrenian McCants. Aside from Jackson and Maclin, none of said WRs have actually played at a super high level at the X and Y position yet… Though, I will concede your point about other teams WR depth.

  29. 29 nickross23 said at 3:49 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    The troubling thing for me is that we haven’t gone through a game yet and our numbers are done. The good thing that i keep going back to though to ease my anxiety is how we can use our ultra talented and versatile TE and backs. Ertz and Casey can and will be used flanked outside, and our running game will still be priority number1. I’m happy to hear Russell Sheppard continues to impress, really hope he can turn it on another notch once game action starts.

  30. 30 GEagle said at 3:58 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    Tom…I interpret the teams handling of Coop the same way as you do!!
    ..
    The last point I want to make about the situation is, NO one is going to defend Riley Coopers actions. They were just disgusting and repulsive in every single way possible…However In my humble oppinion, some of the interpretations and assumptions regarding the situation could be wrong…Which isn’t an excuse for Cooper in any way..

    What I mean by this is, mY understanding of the definition of a Racist, is to HATE a Group of people because of their Race. IM not exactly sure if calling a few black guys, while you are in a state of trying to inflict serious bodily harm to them, the N word, makes you a Racist in clear cut terms…I struggle with the concept of Can a guy, who has genuine Love for plenty of his Black brothers be labeled a Racist? If he were caught, sober, with his guard down, in his comfort zone around his friends giving his hateful thoughts on Black people, putting up a front in front of black teammates, pretending to like them just so he can function on the team, yet behind closed doors, Hate them because they were black..Thats My Idea of a Racist!!….No player had more to gain from Maclin getting injured than Coop…and two days before this video was released I watched him stand in front of a group of reporters, eyes balling up with tears because He felt genuine pain for his fallen black teammate, Maclin. That was Not Fake. can you love a black man that much, and still be a racist?…I’m really struggling trying to make sense of it all..

    I actually think a bigger issue of Riley is his immaturity, anger/alcohol. I know for a fact that this was NOT the first fight Cooper has been in, in pubic places around Philadelphia this past year..there are two incidents that weren’t reportered that I know for sure about. And they had nothing to do with fighting black people…just drunken Bar stupidity by Coop.

    some people, when they get to the point of extreme anger, lose control and say things they don’t mean. if you are trying to bash someone’s face in, it’s probably safe to say you Ae looking for a way to do as much harm to the person as possible…The N word is UP there in terms of effective ammunition to hurt a person, which was the desired result of what coop was trying to accomplish…At that moment, if he were fighting a white man, he most likely would have looked for something extremely hurtful to say as well..Every single one of us at one time or another have said something we painfully regret to someone we loved, because we were probably immature at the time, lost control, and said something you hate yourself for saying, because you were trying to hurt a loved on…That’s facts of humanity…So how much can I really crucify an immature young man, for what he said to someone he doesn’t know a a time he was trying to bash his face in?

    I have seen my fair share of public appologize, and Coops was probably the most sincere I ever saw. tiger woods read from a piece of paper like a robot..tough to not see the pain in Coop when he was talking, and it was more then just being scared of losing his career. dude seemed Genuinly sorry for HURTING other people…and people have been given 2nd chances who weren’t even close to as geniune as Riley,.

    Btw, if anyone wants to hear an absolute class act of a human being talk about the Cooper situation, check out what Beasly Reese said to Angelo the jack ass Cataldi this morning….tough to find more powerful comments then Beasly this morning,..it honestly made me tear up a little, and I m not a black man

  31. 31 ICDogg said at 4:36 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    The word is very highly inflammatory and has been more and more charged up over time.

    If you call any individual by that term, you are, it is generally accepted, insulting an entire race.

    Let’s consider another word, the word “bitch”. Certainly if you call any particular woman a bitch, some people will interpret that as insulting all women in general. And some people won’t look at it this way, since it was directed at an individual. It may well be that in 20 or 50 years from now, that just about everyone interprets anyone using the word “bitch” as an insult against all women no matter how it is used, especially if it is used by a man.

  32. 32 Richard O'Connor said at 4:59 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    I encourage everyone to read Tracey Sugarman’s “Stranger at the Gates”. He was a D-Day vet who was an “embedded reporter” in MS during the summer depicted in the film “Mississippi Burning”. When you hear first hand accounts of how the n-bomb was used to dehumanize black citizens and the absolute crushing authority it represented you will cringe every time you hear it.

    While I’m sure there are scattered cases of women being beaten by police (or just good ol’ boys with shotguns) until admitting they were “bitches” -there’s not the systematic abuse which was a way of life for 100 plus years .

  33. 33 ICDogg said at 5:13 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    Yeah… it’s not an exact parallel, to be sure. But I could easily see that if a guy is calling a woman a “bitch” today, and they dig that quote up 30 years from now, it might be thought of much more harshly than it is today.

  34. 34 Richard O'Connor said at 5:19 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    Word.

  35. 35 Julescat said at 5:16 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    this isn’t the 60s and black athletes and entertainers and businessmen are among the highest paid people in the country.

    enough with the drama queens pouting over something stupid that was said.

  36. 36 Richard O'Connor said at 5:22 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    As much as some members of society would love to turn back the clock, as long as the majority of us continue to stand against their antiquated racist impulses we can continue on the path towards a more perfect Union.

    I agree with those who say Cooper most likely said the worst thing he could think of in a moment of thoughtless rage, but that doesn’t mean he’s from from accountability.

  37. 37 GEagle said at 9:10 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    I don’t think anyone suggest Cooper is free from Accountability…Riley acted like a SCUMBAG piece of Crap, no way to sugar coat it…However IMO, the intel that we have thus far about Cooper does not make him a racist…You know what real racism is? real Racism is Hating every single person of a certain group. racism would be Riley having a burning Hatred for every single black teammate regardless if they were great guys, or if they treated Riley like a brother…RACIST has been thrown around Too Lightly. it was certainly a Racist Comment…but there have been No hints of Cooper hating Black People…He was Hateful to the group of People that were at That concert…Lets be honest:
    ..
    It most likely wasnt even about that security guard being black. if the security guard was a Mexican, he would have used a different racial slur to try and hurt him. if the security guard happened to be a woman he would have called her some different hateful word…If the security guard was an openly gay man, he would have called him so hateful gay terms, If the security guard was a Fat White guy, he would have probably tried to say the most hateful thing he can think of regaurding his weight…
    .l
    Noow this would all still be all types of F’ed up, but to me that is not what it means to be a racist!! To say THAT makes him Racist, IMO is a spit in the face to the African Americans that suffered real Racism, where it didn’t matter what they ever did as humans, they couldn’t escape the real passionate Hatred that people had for them simply because they had dark skin…knowing that who they were and what they did as people, would Never matter in the some eyes of some disgusting people….That’s Racism, and to say that’s what Riley Cooper is considering the info we have IMO makes light of true Racism and Hate!!!

    the Intel we have doesn’t suggest Racism, but what it does suggest is that he does use the word in some capacity behind closed doors in his personal life. it tells me that the word is a part of his vocabulary, the problem is it doesn’t tell us why that word is in his vocabulary…

  38. 38 GEagle said at 9:15 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    And what I mean about we don’t know why that word is in his vocabulary. fact of the matter is, there are Tons of non African Americans that use that disgusting word in their vocabulary..The problem is that people use it in 300 million different contexts. if you say that word and you get used to it rolling of your mouth, then at some point, intentional or non intentional that word is going to come out at a time that’s going to cause you problems..

    Some non African Americans use it with NO MALICIOUS intent whatsoever, using it the way black people do as a term of endearment in their circle of non black friends
    ..
    there are other people who get used to singing that word in Song lyrics.
    ..
    there are some people, without a racist bone in their body that use that word to describe piece of crap people

  39. 39 D3FB said at 6:06 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    I would say the only derogatory term that even approaches the level of political incorrectness would be calling a woman a see you next Tuesday, and even then it doesn’t have the historical context of what riley said.

  40. 40 GEagle said at 8:50 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    I have every difficult time passing such a serious judgement on someone I know so little about, because How he a acted and what he said, during less then 1 minute of his life..

    Like I said, I define racism by hating an ENTIRE group of people, and by the definition I believe in, it’s difficult to see a guy with strong brotherhoods with so many African Americans be labeled a Racist….I’m sure there are way more Black people that he respects and is tight with, then the number of black guys he addressed at the concert….How can you hate black people if you have so many blak friends?

    now. If in fact Riley really does hate all blak people, and just pretends to put up a front and not have a problem with his teammates so that he can have an NFL career, that would make him racist…and since I dont know Riley, I’m not in a position to say that about him…and without being able to say that he doesn’t Genuinly love his African American friends, In my eyes, I don’t believe tht makes him a bigot or a Racist..

    I will say Shady got on my F’in nerves!!! Lost a ton of respect for Shady! For starters people that live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones…and it was just a few months that Shady had to tuck his tail, and make a public apology for similarly disgusting and inexcusable behavior(getting into altercation with woman and throwing them off a bus)…Shadys apology wasn’t half as sincere, and I doubt very much that Shady has drastically changed his behavior since the appology..There is however a chance that Cooper becomes a better human being from this…Shady is 100% in his rights to feel the way he said he felt about Riley, but as a leader of this team, living in a world where Racism and rascal taking sides still takes place, there is o reason to make those public statements to the media…He poured gasoline on racial tensions and that doesn’t help anyone..Not to mention the Eagles are a young team with a bunch of players who probably look up to Shady. A Leader, would have public ally taken the high road…Everyone knows what Cooper did was Scum, what reason did Shady need t pile on publicly? I have so much respect for Leaders like Mike Vick(first and Foremost), Avant, Brian Dawkins. These guys understood how this could destroy our entire team, and even tho Cooper has most likely hurt and offended them, they took the high road…Times like this are bad for the team, bad for the communit and bad for this nation..There are White and Black young men with impressionable minds who pay attention to their favorite Eagles. racial Tensions will be high all over this city, a well known figure in our community like Shady, should put his personal disgust to the side, keep it behind Closed Novacare doors, and actually try to defuse the racial tensions in our City, instead of throwing Gasoline on It….It doesn’t help, for anyone to hold grudges against people over Racial motives…It’s easy t pile on Riley right now, The hard part is to forgive and be a bigger person when the entire Community and Nation is watching you….Shady is setting an example of MORE HATE, more tension, more Anger, when some damn good Men like Avant, Vick, Beasly Reese are trying to defuse racial tensions, keep the Locker room in one piece, while spreading a message trying to break the cycle of hate, choosing to Love a d Forgive…

    mike Vick, I practically started Team Foles, But good For you!!! I salute you as a Man, you continue to be nothing but a class act since paying your debt to society, and I am proud Today to call you a Philadelphia Eagle…some Ish is just more important then Fumbles and refusing to slide.

  41. 41 Julescat said at 5:14 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    so if a reporter hears two black Eagles players use that word to each other, will they be told to get counseling?

  42. 42 Richard O'Connor said at 5:34 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    http://www.novaslim.com/2013/07/15-things-black-must-do-in-order-to-end-racism/

  43. 43 ICDogg said at 5:38 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    heh

  44. 44 GEagle said at 8:47 AM on August 3rd, 2013:

    Excuse me…but how the hell did you read the words that I wrote, and came up with That Statement?

  45. 45 GvilleEagleFan said at 5:53 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    Honestly, I think you may have hit the nail on the head in Riley’s case. In my freshman year at UF (Riley’ senior season) I can tell you my dorm buddies and I got irresponsibly intoxicated playing the Tim Tebow Drinking Game. Why is that relevant? One of the rules was to look one of your roommates in the eyes and chug until you stopped in sync whenever the broadcaster would mention the fact that Tim and Riley were roommates. While this was a pretty big joke around campus, it was kind of a public secret that the reason for this was to keep Riley from going out and doing stupid crap. From what you could glean from campus gossip, it seemed like Riley really embraced the idea and was thankful to have Tim around as his personified conscience.

    He was a genuinely nice guy whenever you’d see him around campus, always very respectful and much more polite than a superstar athlete (at the college level) who was idol-worshipped as the only guy of the 08 WR corp that stuck around for Tim’s senior season ever had to be. I have to think this was a moment of incredibly bad judgment when his good ol’ boy upbringing shined through. This in no way excuses his behavior, but I hope I could provide some context for his sincerity when apologizing.

  46. 46 D3FB said at 6:02 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    I have to wonder if Chad Hall played a similar role when he was here. I believe they were either roommates or lived in the same complex.

  47. 47 ICDogg said at 4:26 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    I watch Ertz video and I see a guy who could be an X receiver. He’s probably as close to an NFL X as he is to a Y at this point. Maybe that opens up a position for Harbor as a backup tight end.

  48. 48 TommyLawlor said at 4:36 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    Really could. Maybe we keep 5 WRs and 5 TEs. Aside from Benn, Ertz stands more to gain from this than anyone.

  49. 49 Anders said at 4:50 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    From what I have read on twitter, Ertz have played quite a lot of X in 3 TE sets. With Celek as the Y, Casey as the F, Jackson as the Z and Ertz as the X

  50. 50 ICDogg said at 4:59 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    Yeah, that’s exactly what I think they would do.

  51. 51 bwin29 said at 4:27 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    OT but I posted this too late on the other thread and thought it was interesting:
    Saw a crazy stat about this yesterday: Since the beginning of the 1987 season, 327 out of the 415 games the Eagles have played have been started by a black QB (79%).

  52. 52 ICDogg said at 4:28 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    Likely more than any other team during that time period. Is any other team even close?

  53. 53 bwin29 said at 4:29 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    I bet no team other than the Oilers/Titans (Moon, McNair, V. Young) even comes close.

  54. 54 TommyLawlor said at 4:37 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    We also have the most starts by a Detmer in that same time period.

  55. 55 Duracell said at 4:52 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    Yet we don’t have a Super Bowl. Weird.

  56. 56 Anders said at 4:53 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    We all know that it is McNabbs fault.

  57. 57 bwin29 said at 5:10 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    At least we have SOMETHING to hang our hats on.

  58. 58 bwin29 said at 5:11 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    26 Detmer starts in that span – can’t believe I had to sit through that many.

  59. 59 TommyLawlor said at 4:40 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    CRISIS TIME!!!

    Forget Riley Cooper, this is important. Megan Fox is pregnant again. I’m starting to think she’s no longer playing hard to get and is in fact in a committed relationship.

    I might have to start cyber-stalking someone else.

  60. 60 ACViking said at 5:15 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    T-Law:

    I’m sorry, but it’s over. Finally over. You did have a great run, though.

    Not all relationships are meant to be . . . uh . . . yes, meant to be.

  61. 61 P_P_K said at 5:57 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    I gather she is married to some handsome, wealthy, famous guy. What is she thinking? She could have had you!

  62. 62 D3FB said at 5:57 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    Jennifer Lawrence time?

  63. 63 ACViking said at 5:59 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    T-Law:

    As your attorney . . . and having read carefully what you’ve written here . . . I’m compelled to advise you . . . to start drinking heavily.

    And to be careful out there.

  64. 64 Ark87 said at 6:21 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    Heavy drinking *not at a Kenny Chesney concert*

  65. 65 TommyLawlor said at 6:30 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    Best attorney ever.

  66. 66 James Adair said at 7:08 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    You mean to tell me that YOU are NOT the father?!?!?!?!

  67. 67 Julescat said at 5:13 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    Eagles are screwing Riley Cooper and themselves! What 20 year old hasn’t said something stupid? The NFL has to realize this is a made for TV ratings scandal.

    Maybe Shady McCoy will accept Cooper’s apology when he realizes the replacement WR isn’t blocking downfield very well.

  68. 68 ACViking said at 5:20 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    Riley Cooper screwed himself.

    Just like Jack Welch, when he screwed too many women.

  69. 69 ACViking said at 5:35 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    Re: Cooper

    Corporations generally have zero tolerance policies when it comes to Cooper’s kind of conduct. Usually, the higher the employee’s profile, the faster their exit.

    Keeping folks who’ve crossed that Rubicon is bad for morale. Bad for the company’s reputation. Bad politics. Bad for sales.

    What smart corporation wants the kind of conversation ESPN and NFLN, plus morning sports talk shows, are having every day about the Eagles’ management, coach, teammates . . . and season?

    They don’t. It’s smart business to cut bait and move on.

    Call it “The Tylenol Response to Disaster Management.”

    _________________

    Jeff Laurie has stood by while his organization has cut players for smoking pot.

    I’m not seeing how keeping Cooper is a good thing in comparison.

  70. 70 ICDogg said at 5:45 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    I think there’s always a risk/reward quotient at work with these types of decisions. If the employee is critical enough to the company’s mission, they’ll find a way to keep him around. In Cooper’s case, he is not up to that standard.

  71. 71 ACViking said at 5:51 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    ICDogg:

    It is a hard situation, I agree. Really well framed point.

    I suppose the question is exactly as you said, with a does of “what’s good for us in the long run”?

    If you’re Boeing and trying to get a Govt Contract to build B-2 bombers, cutting the person loose is the right move.

    But the NFL is sui generis among American industries. So the usual rules of thumb are harder to apply to PLAYERS (management’s another story . . . you can always find another ticket manager).
    _______________

    I suppose we’re seeing exactly what New England would do if Tom Brady down to Gronk said what Cooper did.

    But if the player were Joe Rookie Free Agent-Tackling Fodder . . . I don’t know. I doubt Joe Rookie Scrub lasts.

  72. 72 D3FB said at 5:56 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    I’m also not sure if video of Joe Rookie Scrub would even been saved let alone be widely discussed past the local media level.

  73. 73 ICDogg said at 5:59 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    It would still be on the Internet, and he’d be gone so fast there wouldn’t be much of a discussion about it.

  74. 74 D3FB said at 6:13 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    What I’m saying is say this was Issac Remington who said it. Most likely nobody at that concert knows who the hell he is so they aren’t video taping him anyways. I would qualify my self as a pretty die hard fan but I think he would have to introduce himself to me for me to even pick him out of a lineup.

  75. 75 ICDogg said at 6:32 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    I dunno, people record just about anything these days no matter who it is…

  76. 76 ICDogg said at 6:01 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    Maybe if a guy like that lasts in a corporate situation, it probably means he knows where the bodies are buried.

  77. 77 ACViking said at 6:02 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    And I’ve had that very experience in a Whistleblower case against a Fortune Top 10 company.

    A client blew the whistle on fraud.

    Six of the Top 7 execs gone — to spend time with family — within 18 months.

    Only the CFO remains.

  78. 78 SteveH said at 7:36 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    AC, can you share the name of the company? I’m always intrigued by the sharks swimming at the top.

  79. 79 Julescat said at 6:19 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    I call BS on this!

    Shady McCoy was calling his baby momma all kinds of vile names on twitter a few months ago. I notice he’s still on the team acting like he has a right to be hurt.

    If McCoy was a marginal player he would get cut for his behavior.

  80. 80 ACViking said at 6:04 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    Re: Chip on Cooper’s Roster Spot

    T-Law:

    Was Kelly saying Cooper’s *on the 53-man squad* . . . or just that Kelly — and the Eagles — won’t cut Cooper for the incident?

  81. 81 Julescat said at 6:29 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    the NFL that has a team named the “Redskins” is worried about a backup WR yelling something racially inappropriate at a concert. Go figure.

  82. 82 Ark87 said at 6:30 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    I’m so tired of the Cooper story. It’s starting to morph to the point where nobody is even that mad at Cooper. Now the rage is shifting towards Goodell for doing nothing and Chip/Lurie for not consulting the team before dealing out punishment/ not cutting him.

    But I’ve seen this a bajillion times, highly emotional story, emotions get blunted, story stops. Speaking of blunt, can’t everybody just listen to some Bob Marley and move on with their lives???

  83. 83 Julescat said at 6:41 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    keep it in perspective. Cooper yelled something inappropriate when drunk. He apologized and seems sincere.

    Aaron Hernandez killed a black guy and some black players are wearing “Free Aaron Hernandez” gear.

    Tell me that the players still causing drama over this aren’t a bit hypocritical.

  84. 84 Neil said at 6:49 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    This is the society we live in. Cooper may as well have killed a man for how much airtime on ESPN he’s getting. Our sense of right and wrong might be warped, but the thing that really keeps me up at night is the complete lack of guilt. Only shame. McCoy didn’t feel none because nobody cared about another football player spawning bastards. Cooper didn’t decide to apologise to the man he viciously insulted until everyone else found out and decided it was bad.

    Maybe shame will in cases like Cooper force a positive change, but how many people do horrible things that they manage to keep hidden? What do they need to change if they don’t feel any guilt for what they did? The circuses around cases like Cooper’s allow us to direct our energy into a debate that is unconsciously but carefully framed to ensure we carry on as we were. Focus on who’s right and who’s wrong so you don’t notice that we have all failed to live by what we purport to believe.

  85. 85 Julescat said at 6:57 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    well said.

    those who still want to continue the drama are just selfish.

  86. 86 the midatlantic said at 7:00 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    This incident draws to mind something that happened a decade ago. Remember when then-Eagle TO implied his old QB Jeff Garcia was gay?

    “Owens was asked if he thinks Garcia is gay. Owens responded: “Like my boy tells me: ‘If it looks like a rat and smells like a rat, by golly, it is a rat.'” ”

    Pretty awful stuff, and Andy didn’t punish him.

    http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=1856715

  87. 87 ICDogg said at 8:04 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    People put up with a lot of stuff they otherwise wouldn’t for a player as good as T.O. was.

  88. 88 the midatlantic said at 8:18 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    Which I find distasteful. Also, strange to think how much has changed in the interim. A story like that would be front (web) page news and a media circus in 2013. Talk about sensitivity training, how wouldn’t TO qualify?

  89. 89 A_T_G said at 9:49 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    TO was plenty sensitive. “That’s my quarterback, man.”

  90. 90 SteveH said at 7:42 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    Question of genuine concern: I picked up a shift at work on August 9th and won’t be around for the preseason game. Is there a way I can get a replay of the game outside of NFLN? Or am I going to have to mash up some kind of archaic recording method with an old VHS player excavated from the ruins of time?

  91. 91 TommyLawlor said at 7:44 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    You can pay for a preseason package on NFL.com and re-watch the games that way.

  92. 92 Neil said at 7:57 PM on August 2nd, 2013:

    If you know how to use torrents, you can probably just google it. This method isn’t for the faint of computer savvy though.

  93. 93 Louis Vuitton Outlet said at 11:26 AM on August 3rd, 2013:

    Louis Vuitton Outlet…

    “fast internet and phone connections to billions of people in far flung corners of the earth.”…