Making Moves
Posted: April 1st, 2014 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 121 Comments »DeSean Jackson has yet to sign with the Skins, but that seems like the place he’ll end up. My guess is that the Skins aren’t offering as much money as he’d like, but the sides are tying to work something out. A few people have responded to the news of DeSean to the Skins with something like this…”I knew this would happen. Cutting DeSean is going to blow up in the Eagles face. They’ll regret this for a long time.”
No matter how much you might hate the move or it might bug you that they got no compensation, do understand that this wasn’t some knee-jerk move by the Eagles. They knew exactly what they were doing. They knew DeSean could go to a division rival or to some NFC team that they could battle for a playoff spot.
Whether it was Chip Kelly or Howie Roseman that pushed more for the move, you can bet that both guys and owner Jeff Lurie were all on board with the decision. The Eagles are prepared to deal with the backlash of this move, both on and off the field.
By making such a dramatic move, the Eagles opened themselves up to all kinds of criticism. They are going to hear about it every time DeSean scores a TD. They’ll be mocked when he makes some huge plays this season, which a player of DeSean’s caliber is going to do. As much as that should make you scratch your head about why the Eagles would make such a bizarre move, it should also make you understand how strongly they felt about the move.
You don’t cut one of your most talented players on a whim. The Eagles think they can replace him on the field and actually get better off the field with DeSean gone.
No one denies that this move could bite the Eagles in the butt. This move absolutely carries risk with it.
Some of you say that the move just shows that Chip Kelly is arrogant. To a certain extent, I think the move does show some arrogance. But I’m not sure that is a bad thing. Andy Reid was a pretty dogmatic guy early on in Philly. He started compromising left and right later in his time with the Eagles and the team fell apart. Clearly that’s not the only reason, but I do think it had some effect.
Reid came to the Eagles with a plan. He thought about the long term and building a program. By the end of his time he was living in the moment and plans changed on a regular basis. The team did not respond well to that.
Like Reid, Kelly came to the Eagles with a plan. He has one eye on the present and one on the future. Kelly is trying to build the Eagles into a very specific kind of football program. The team responded well to the changes and moves of 2013. Now the test is to see how they handle Year 2.
Cutting DeSean is easily the most controversial move of the Kelly era. I don’t think that bothers Kelly one bit and that’s the one good thing about this move. Kelly isn’t afraid to go out on a limb. He’s got a very specific vision for how he wants the team. Kelly is going to do whatever it takes to get the team to that point.
Time will tell if he’s right (maybe), but I do think you need a coach who has that kind of confidence in his beliefs. You’re not going to build a great team playing it safe. You will need to take some chances.
I’m glad Kelly is the kind of coach that is willing to make bold moves. I just hope that bold moves in the future make a bit more sense.
_
Is the team going to offer any discount in tickets for cutting one of their best players without a single reason why? If they can’t explain even a bit to the fans, that shows a fundamental lack of respect for the people they are allegedly out to please. The middle finger to the fans through all this is a serious black mark on the franchise. I definitely won’t be spending $ on this team this year since they give absolutely no shits about the fans. They’ve essentially turned the team into a joke overnight.
Jesus Christ the entitlement. When has a team ever personally announced why the cut a player? And their job is not to please the fans by building a team full of fan-favorites. It’s to please the fans by building a team capable of winning the superbowl. Obviously they thought DJax isn’t part of their future. They don’t owe an explanation to you. So why don’t you give Howie and Chip a few seasons to flesh out their vision to win a goddamn SB before you judge their transactions.
amen
their job is too literally please the fans. They certinly do owe us an explanation sam. A few seasons?? Howie is on the hot seat RIGHT NOW!!!
I honestly don’t mean any offense by this, but please just go away (might I recommend the ESPN message boards).
you cant handle the truth huh… continue being a lamb for those in control.. agreeing to whatever they say.. (or dont say)
No, it’s just that this has always been a forum for the type of civil, nuanced, and self-restrained expression of which you seem incapable.
jeez you cant take a lil heat?? Some anger?? wow.. thats on you.
@ MF84…I understand your frustration, but “a joke”? The Eagles cut a player they no longer wanted. That hardly makes them a joke.
As for an explanation…there are no guarantees that you’d like what they had to say. Rather than go down that road, the Eagles are choosing to stay quiet for now. They’ll eventually have to say something.
Staying in division really sucks though, can the skins pick up what. they did the season before this past one ? If he goes west, thats fine, staying basically down the road, SUCKS!!
No it makes them a joke, they got NOTHING for their best WR!~!!!! NOTHING!! complete joke of a job the FO did… they should feel the heat for this.. time to start the clock on howie rosemans GM job…
Why would they discount tickets? The team has MBA’s who calculate ticket prices based on demand. If you think that there is going to be a massive dropoff in demand for tickets, I think you are massively misguided. Short of Lurie/Kelly/Roseman openly and directly insulting Eagles fans the Linc will be filled to capacity. As far as not spending money on the team, sure you may not buy a jersey, or go to a game, but I highly doubt you are not going watch any games on TV or listen to them on the radio. Even these things indirectly lead to money going to the team.
You are clueless about the motivation of management. Its been well known for over month by every GM in the league that DJax was available for a trade – no takers at any price. Even after his release it took several days for anyone to sign him – the dollars will be much less than what the Birds would have paid him. Perhaps every team in the league owes their fans an explanation for why they didn’t sign him?
Sounds like Desean agreed to contract with Redskins. Of course most Skins fans are excited.
Adam Schefter @AdamSchefter 42s
Filed to ESPN: Redskins and former Eagles WR DeSean Jackson are expected to reach agreement Tuesy night on multi-year contract, per sources
Dianna Marie Russini @NBCdianna 7m
Per sources close to DeSean Jackson and the Redskins…they have agreed to terms. #Redskins
Dianna Marie Russini @NBCdianna 8m
#Breaking Its official. DeSean Jackson is a Redskin.
Just saw that.
This is going to be ugly. He’s going to hurt us a lot more than McNabb did.
I wouldn’t bank on Ugly. When we released T.O., I remember him going to Dallas and not playing so well against us if I recall.
He had one monster game against us and a few good ones. TO was 32 when he joined them? Even though TO is a different type of athlete, Djax is younger and still in his prime.
Not to mention our secondary was much better then. Its not gonna be fun watching Desean blow past the Eagles’ slow CBs two games a season for the next couple years. Mix in the fact that RGIII is already very deadly with playaction and it could get ugly versus our defense.
At least their defense is still horrible. So we should have some high scoring matchups the next couple years.
This whole situation, letting Desean dangle in the wind, cutting him, giving no explanation for it and then him signing with a division rival really bums me out.
But I guess as someone else already pointed out, I’ve seen them let Reggie walk, been through the Kotite years, the benching of Randall for Rodney Peete, watched them let Dawkins go even though he would have stayed for just about the league minimum, hell I even waded through the multiple times they cut ThaManNacho in favor of Casey Matthews and through it all I stayed loyal and kept rooting for the team. But I hate the fact that the Eagles make me hate them so much at times.
So we have to face him and a healthy RG3. Twice a year.
Now maybe three times.
Thanks Eagles for awarding the skins our bonafide #1 WR for nothing.
I am angry about losing a star player, yet I got to believe that this has been well thought out and is a calculated move.
If Chip can step this deep into “it” and come out smelling like a rose, we will all be amazed.
I have loved 95% of his decisions so he still has my trust but man is it wearing thin.
One decision and your trust is wearing thin? Wearing thin would indicate multiple decisions that are testing your patience.
I for one will not be amazed if he comes out out on top after this decision. Don’t say all.
Tommy, i would like to make the comparison of the Pats not re-signing Welker and playing Edelman in his place and getting similar results. The key being a very good system and an excellent QB makes receivers better. Also, Welker was undrafted and Edelman was 7th round. I realize the position is different, but the point is the same. Many receivers are likely as equipped to fit the scheme and Foles’ capabilities, so we won’t lose much and maybe gain something in return, especially good downfield blocking.
Nah, pats dumped welker for amendola, who has a glass jaw. Amendola was a fail, edelman was going to walk and pats tried to cheap AGAIN and let him test the market but realized he was the only one producing.
Pats have always thought that with Tom Brady receivers are replaceable. But it’s a revolving door over there and it hurts Tom’s chemistry — especially since Gronk is hurt every year and Hernandez is gone. I think at the end of the day value your guys, especially the ones that product for you. Dont be a place that everyone knows is a revolving door.
I’m wondering if it’s lack of sports science buy-in from DJax that helped push him out the door. When you have every other player on the team drinking smoothies, sleeping 10 hours a night, and whatever else Chip is doing, you’re asking for a pretty radical buy-in that can keep a team focused, unified, and healthy, but also build resentments between those committed to the routine and those who are not. What Chip’s doing in terms of “culture” is not just attendance at team meetings. I don’t have a problem with DJax’s rapping, nightclubbing, etc., in general, but I can see where a problem might arise if DJax is running up tabs while the rest of the team is in bed, focused on staying healthy and maximizing their chances of recovery (and in turn, the team’s success). I don’t think it’s too speculative to suggest that DeSean enjoys the nightlife.
If that’s the basis for the team’s decision, I’m totally fine with it. I’d rather have an entire team healthy enough for a deep run in the playoffs than a team divided with a significant portion saying FU to Chip Kelly’s fitness program. That’s a recipe for disaster IMO. IIRC Pete Carroll is a fan of sports science, too.
I’d bet that’s exactly what it was
My biggest question is, if Desean was disregarding Kelly’s program that bad or was such a locker room distraction why wasn’t he disciplined DURING the season? He started every game and had one of the highest snap counts for a WR in the league. If he was disrupting the “culture” during the season why wouldn’t he have been disciplined then?
It didn’t have to be made public but you would at least expect he would have lost some playing time at some point during the season if his behavior was such a big problem that they would end up cutting him.
You know you answered your own question, right? “It didn’t have to be made public…” Perhaps there were several “discussions” about the issue(s), but it was handled in-house. And Kelly might have decided that going the TO route (making a public stand in-season) was the wrong way to handle it, team-wise. At this point, we’re all speculating, and I think that’s all we’re ever really going to do, barring (IMO unlikely) revelation of criminal conduct.
Does anyone remember the Lindros fiasco? We still haven’t heard 1/3 of what went on behind closed doors in that situation. And, since it looks like they’ve all buried the hatchet (Clarke is promoting EL, now), I doubt the public will ever hear just how that situation got so poisonous. Just because inquiring minds want to know, doesn’t mean those involved need to tell them.
Djax is done 3-year deal to redskins.
Now we need a CB that could run with him after Sconces and Fletcher lose a step…
Show of hands. If I’d told any of you right after we won the division last year that we were going to just give DeSean Jackson, for free, to the Redskins a couple of months later, how many of you would have told me to put down the pipe?
Yeah. Still can’t believe this actually happened.
This is the DRC pyramid scheme. Suck or have a different attitude and get cut then come back to the division to give the middle finger to you. Next we’ll cut Kendricks because he’s too “thug” for supporting Djax. It all makes sense now.
The fact that DeSean ended up with the Redskins of all teams made me briefly rethink my opposition to Chip cutting him. If Dan Snyder thinks giving DeSean a lot of money is a great idea, maybe the Eagles did know what they were doing. I’m not going to go that far though. DeSean is still one of the ten best wide receivers in the NFL, and there’s nothing anyone can say to convince me otherwise. The Eagles weren’t forced at gunpoint to let him go for free, but they did so anyway.
Yeah especially since we gave him at a discount — no way Djax is getting $10mm.
we got nothing for him, FO failed us
So who actually seriously thinks we will now lose to the Skins because of this? If you think so, we will he also help the Skins defeat the Boys and the G-Men too and actually help us out?
Reed, Garcon, and Djax is a hell of a lot better receiving corps than what we have. Did our secondary get that much better? Is our poor pass rush going to beat their poor OL? DID WE LEARN TO TACKLE THIS YEAR?
no, yes, yes, yes
that is a better WR group.. our secondary didnt get much better, our pass rush can beat their OL, but consistent enough to win the game for us? hell no
Kendricks and a slower Demeco will be facing off against a healthy Morris and RG3. Kendricks is still liable to miss tackles too. Jenkins isn’t that good. I’d say that their OL is only a notch below our poor pass rush.
Things always play out very differently on the field than they’re supposed to on paper. I think this probably strengthens the Skins, but I doubt this is the move that puts them over the top.
smh
And we got NOTHING for him… worst move this FO has ever made. Complete butcher job the entire way thru… smfh… howie better have a great draft and hope that sproles and jenkins have a big impact.. or its almost time to fire Howie and let him follow in joe banners shoes, GM of the browns!!! for a season…
You still don’t seem to understand that management didn’t want him on the team for reasons none of us know for sure AND that NO TEAM offered ANYTHING for him in trade, nada, not even a seventh round pick. Thats why we got NOTHING, not because they didn’t try. The fact that he went to a division rival was a risk they were obviously willing to take. Its not stupid until it plays out over time, even then it will be impossible to say what would have happened if he stayed on the team.
You still dont seem to understand i dont care about the manegment. I dont care if they have one less headache.
AND you fail to understand the reason they couldnt get anything IS THEIR OWN FAULT!!! They didnt sell it enough, they let things leak out.. terrible. Pathetic.
What should they have done, tie up Jackson’s agent in a basement?
That may not have been a bad thing when you think about it.
…Touche
simply not talk to his agent?? why would they.. they dont need anytype of permisson to trade him
You can tell by the deal he got (24 mil 3yr) that no one would trade for him. DeSean would not restructure his old deal for less money, and why would you pay 29mil and a pick when he could not get that as a free agent.
DeSean is a massive tallent but Chip demands players buy into his system anf does not accept the highest paid player on the team to not setting an example to the team.
The Eagles have effectively traded desean for maclin and 4mil for next season and that is not bad deal
So… we got rid of one of our best players because he made 5 million dollars too much??
Desean had 1300 yards in his system, how is that not buying in? Maclin isnt as good as desean and is coming off major injury.. thats not a good trade!!!
Maybe we draft D in the 1st round after all. If the draft is full of beast WRs, we’re going to need to have a beast on D to help handle 9-10 of those, including DeSean.
No playoffs?? Redskins in playoffs? Then its time to fire howie.
“The Eagles are prepared to deal with the backlash of this move” the eagles tucked their tail between their legs and went into hiding. While the fans are left blowing in the wind… smfh…
This whole DeSean/Eagles situation reminds me of a famous quote from Socrates when he said…… “I drank what?”
The actual quote was: “This ain’t no smoothie!”
It looks like we will see first hand if “bigger people beat up little people.” If nothing else, Birds Skins games will be way more interesting.
I’m no fan of the move, but I’ve (perhaps as a coping mechanism) taken to thinking of it as if DeSean had torn his ACL in offseason training a la Jason Peters. He’d be gone for the season, but in that situation all but the most pessimistic of fans would still have hope for the season. Of course, him going to a division rival chane that equation, but still…
In case any players didn;t know it’s kelly’s system. it’s clear from college that if you dont get w the program you can walk. Sometimes the new king has to make that move to consolidate power.
One of Eagles best players goes to a divisional rival. Eagles have egg on their face for the way they bungled this.
Damn, it feels good to be a gangsta
A healthier RGIII, a massively talented human lightning bolt of a WR who will LIVE to burn us with big plays multiple times a year & will likely open up alot more room for Alfred Morris to run. Atleast we got all kinds of compensation……oh wait, we got squat. Let the good times roll.
Why couldn’t we have traded DeSean to the fucking AFC for a donut and some skittles. Here’s to Brian Orakpo having a career year now that he is a full season away from his ACL tear and the Redskins not being able to resign him.
You know what would please me more than anything? If the usual cast of chicken littles would state their opinions, and then move on. Please, by all means, tell us all how you feel. But then leave it. I don’t need to see it 100 times. The degree of force and emotion with which you state your point does not equate to its accuracy or truth. Of course, state it, but I really don’t think we need or care to see the same point of view stated incessantly 100 times, as if that will somehow pull a Superman, circle the earth, and change the course of time.
I’ll start. Disappointed they couldn’t get anything for him. But it seems that GMs are a lot savvier this year than in years past. Let’s recall that Darelle Freaking Revis was outright released, and he’s easily a more impactful player than Jackson. So if there’s no one to trade with, you can’t make a trade. And any argument about “well they should have played it better” is based on assumptions you’re making with literally zero evidence.
I will miss the plays he brought to the field. I will not miss the garbage that went along with them. His mistakes were so grievous they had to hire Robert DeNiro to explain their stupidity. He constantly treated his success as a reason to rub his opponents noses in shit. I find that form of sportsmanship deplorable. And to all the people who say “DeSean never did anything actually wrong”, no. He was arrested and that was “removed”. He was suspended by Andy for his crappy behavior, and that cost us the playoffs. So he is not some wronged saint, by any means, even if you discount the NJ article about gang crap.
For now I will trust in Chip, but will reserve the right to question his decisions. I’m on watch, but I’ll grant the benefit of the doubt for now. He’s not the first coach to pull a move like this. Hell, he’s not even the first coach of the Eagles to pull a move like this. If he was that much of a detriment to the team, then he needed to go. And frankly, no DeSean backer is in ANY position to say whether this is true or not. Only the people in the locker room are. And I don’t hear any of them crying about this.
As for the Redskins, well, good luck. I’m waiting to hear from my Skins fans friends, and frankly, I’ll be smiling while they try to give me shit. They’ll be starting the same “Redskins won the superbowl” talk that normally takes a regular season win or two to get going, but starting it even before the draft. I am sure he will have some big plays for them. I am also sure he will not take them anywhere in the playoffs, and that he will eventually, maybe not this year, but eventually, help that team sink further into the shit swamp from which it arose.
I don’t want to sound like I’m overreacting but this adds to my concerns about next season.
This Eagles team that was 10-6 last year:
– Was one of the healthiest in the league, if not the healthiest. Sports science probably helped, but there was some luck in there. Chances are that it won’t happen again next year.
– Has an aging OL- remember when JimmyK, at a time where he was not busy forcing our best players out of town (just kidding), started poking fun at the Cowboys old OL, which crumbled the following year? Jason Peters might be a freak athlete, Mathis a gym rat with low mileage, Herremans a never-injured OG, etc. but we can seriously worry about them aging quick
– Had an amazing performance at QB by N.Foles, which is not likely to be repeated
– Had an amazing, injury free year from LeSean, which is not likely to be repeated
– Likely faced an easier schedule than it will face next year, especially with a division that should improve (pure speculation, but healthy RGIII+Desean for Skins, less injuries for Giants, Cowboys might actually decline)
– Had Maclin injured, but had Desean Jackson in his “prime”
– Average Pass rush is relying mainly on 2 “old” OLBs in T.Cole/C.Barwin
Of course we can point out young players improving(especially L.Johnson, Cox., Ertz) Year 2 in OFF/DEF systems for everyone, but there is a lot of usual indicators that points towards potential regression next year (the main ones being N.Foles + LeSean performances unlikely to be repeated + very low number of injuries + probable tougher schedule).
We could go back to being perennial contenders, or we could be the 2012 Chiefs and Bucs, who were dreaming of SuperBowl of the back of a Cassel and Josh Freeman-led strong playoffs season, but then fell back to earth due to some of the factors above.
I’m usually on the optimistic side, but I have to admit I am more nervous that most Eagles fans seem to be right now.
Answer to your concern is a five letter words, choose yours:
A) DRAFT
B) KELLY
C) FOLES (Real offseason as the starter)
Once again I don’t want to sound pessimistic but answers can be:
A) Every team drafts (apart from the Skins in the first round), so hoping that it will help us get a competitive advantage is wishful thinking, even if we trust Roseman(and I really do)
B) One could make the argument that teams would be more prepared for his schemes, and that getting support from the players is often easier in the first year than in the following years (some could get tired of his requests regarding sleep, eating, up-tempo practices, etc.)
C) Thinking Foles will have a better season than last year is, to me, unrealistic. Real offseason as the starter is what got us thinking Vick would have an amazing 2011, Kolb and amazin 2010, etc. Did not really turn out to be true did it?
You could say that his INT rate is unsustainable, and people will have more film of him.
Once again, thinking the eagles will have a better year next year is optimistic, not realistic, to me. I sure hope it will happen.
A) I say draft because our team doesn’t need draft to be competitive like others do, and if we draft well which I believe in Kelly and Roseman to do so we would improve an already good team.
B) I think we saw last year that it was more a question of our team adapting to kelly ideas than teams trying to counter it, one offseason of Kelly will be a huge advantage imo.
C) I’m not expecting Foles to have a legendary year like this one, a top 10 QB season though is something I imagine possible and that would be good enough to do his part for the team.
All in all, I think I’m optimistic and you are more in the half empty thinking, right answer should be somewhere in the middle. We are still a project team, if we don’t make the playoffs this year I would be fine with it as long as we see that the project is still looking as good as it has looked this year
I get that people are upset that we didnt trade Jackson… But just because you think he should be traded rather than released doesnt mean you always can… it takes two to tango, if nobody offered anything we cant force them too…
Also the teams job is not to please fans with the moves they make.. It is to win, and in Chip’s first year in charge we went from 4-12 to 10-6, which regardless of opponents or players missing is nothing to turn your nose up at.
You cant judge off-season moves in the off-season, the same way as it takes a few years to evaluate a draft class.. Until you see the team on the field in September we cannot judge the decision to cut DJax.. Schemes could change slightly, we could be looking for for our WR’s to do something completly different to what jackson brings to the table..
I’m disappointed Jackson the playmaker wont be on the field for us, but I wont miss the sideline antics like the Vikings game.. He should have handled that differently.. that game was still winnable and it looked like he had already thrown in the towel… If I was Chip, I wouldn’t want my 10mil star WR acting like that with a game on the line
How many here remember when we got a HoF WR who end up with a division rival and how little that meant?
For those with short memories, in 2006 we cut TO top 3 WR in the NFL and on path towards the HoF already. He ended up with at the time stacked Dallas team who had great players like Tony Romo, Marion Barber, Glenn, Witten and had great defense as well.
Contract that to the Skins who might get a great offense, but have nothing and I mean nothing on defense.
And one legitimately good offensive lineman. We all saw what happened to the eagles’ passing attack based around Desean in 2012.
[…] Making Moves – Tommy Lawlor, Iggles BlitzNo matter how much you might hate the move or it might bug you that they got no compensation, do understand that this wasn’t some knee-jerk move by the Eagles. They knew exactly what they were doing. They knew DeSean could go to a division rival or to some NFC team that they could battle for a playoff spot. Whether it was Chip Kelly or Howie Roseman that pushed more for the move, you can bet that both guys and owner Jeff Lurie were all on board with the decision. The Eagles are prepared to deal with the backlash of this move, both on and off the field. […]
3 year contract for DeSean in Washington. Now Kelly needs to be 6-0 vs. the Skins and ahead of them in the standings for 2014, 2015, and 2016.
Another general question I have for all of the people rushing to defend / justify the Eagles throwing pro-bowl talent out of the door; Why did Dallas tolerate Michael Irvin stabbing a teammate in the locker room while the Eagles had to unload Jackson for unpunished / rumored attitude conflicts with the coach / team?
Its not really a roumered conflict though is it… like you could see him mouth ‘i dont give a f*** on the sideline in the vikings game, Andy also had to suspend him a few years back for missing meetings, the training camp incident where he didnt want to run with the #2’s so he could learn multiple positions in the offence.. They are a few we know about.. There is no way that those are the only issues when someone like Kelce comes out and immediately defends the decision.
As to actually cutting him, the eagles know how talented he is.. but they also know how much of a head ache he is, which we dont.. If he isint buying into the system and doing everything the way chip intends it to be done then maybe his talent isint worth it… The colts(grigson) and chiefs(Reid) also stayed away once he hit the market, which would also have me wary of how he conducts himself..
As for Dallas keeping Irvin, you could make the argument of why we let TO go as well HT to Anders.. different organisations can have different views on how to deal with this sort of thing.. We wont know the outcome until desean plays out his deal in WAS… The Eagles might be better without him due to a stronger team ethic and the like, or they could be worse due to losing his obvious talent.. It’s impossible to judge right now
Because that was the 90s.
#LolEagles.
“No matter how much you might hate the move or it might bug you that they got no compensation, do understand that this wasn’t some knee-jerk move by the Eagles. ”
This move most certainly was carefully planned out. I have no arguments there. The question still is, will this blow up in their faces and after carefully planning, did they reach the right conclusion?
No one knows.
It is fair to question and criticize the move because of this uncertainty.
exactly… We cant judge the move before we see how the eagles preform next year
DJax deal is 16mil guarantees 24 overall per Schefter via @DarrenHeitner.
Was just about to post that.
Looks like Desean got what he wanted. More guaranteed money. His Eagles contract had better average per year but nothing guaranteed for the rest of the contract.
Thats a pretty good deal for the Skins too for a top 10 WR. Also the contract is done before he hits that crucial age of 31.
8m/year looks like a great deal for the Redskins to get a pro bowl WR coming of a 1,300+ yards season at the age of 27 years.
No matter how you spin it, this has been a poor off-season for the Eagles. #LolHowie
why dont you just log off? Its annoying that you have like 10 posts per article bashing the Eagles
#LolAnders. It’s called freedom of speech, my friend. But let me ask you, why don’t YOU just log off?! It’s annyoing that you have like 10 posts per article defending the Eagles.
Ps.: don’t forget our bet. Cannot wait to hear you rapping. 😉
Problem is, you keep posting the same shit every article. Nothing new, just constant bashing how they are retards etc. when we know nothing about why they cut him.
Again, do you remember TO? How was they idiots for cutting him?
I really don’t know what your problem is, but there’s no reason to be offending. If you’re fine with the Eagles’ best WR to play for a direct NFC East rival, then I respect that. But at the same time you ought to respect if some fans are NOT happy with that.
How did cutting Cris Carter work out for the Eagles? Argumentum e contrario…
Very well for Carter, but he would had been dead or out of the NFL if the Eagles hadnt cut him.
My problem is not the frustration, but the constant whining over it. Okay to went ones frustration, but do one really has to do it in every single article several times?
My point with TO (that you seems to ignore), is that we let a HoF WR go (Carter hadnt even come close to 1k yards when he was released) and majority of the fans was behind it because TO acted like a jerk on TV. Jackson most likely acts like a jerk behind the scene and TO > Jackson and TO never destroyed the Eagles like some fans think Jackson will
I still wouldn’t compare TO with DeSean. I get your argument that the first playing for the Cowboys didn’t really come back to bite the Eagles in their bum, however time will tell if signing DeSean will turn the Redskins into a legitimate playoff contender. So while the jury is still out, criticism should be absolutely allowed following such a drastic (and unpopular) move like this.
Btw I am far from whining, the only time I really cried was when Tommy [Hudson] bottled up the hold for the Eagles game winning chip field goal against the Cowboys on Monday Night.
Just wondering how many SB rings that pseudo-pro bowler brought to the Eagles? Let me count. 0. Stats don’t mean a thing. We get it, you love him. Go watch the REDSkins play and enjoy him. I certainly will. However, losing DJ, no matter the fashion does not interfere with Chips plans. DJ, did not, and will not = SB. I don’t care who we have to cut or trade or sign for too much money as long as it brings a ring. Worse things could happen in Philly….
Let’s hope the Eagles win a Super Bowl, couldn’t care less if it’s with DeSean or without, shall we?!
You can’t argue that cutting Cris Carter was a bad move for either side. If he had stayed and Eagle he would have likely ended up dead from a drug overdose which he has pretty much said.
That (Carter) was a win/win situation.
He was a mess when here(destroying himself),
Eagles released him,…reality check for him,turned his life around(outside of football–which were the reasons for his self-destruction,and his release,which led to his recuperation, both on and off the field) and he ended up realizing his potential(which is why he was an Eagle in the 1st place) and having a HOF career.
Here’s hoping that getting rid of DeSean will eventually turn into a win-win situation as well.
so the eagles were on the hook for ~$10m this year and next for Desean.
the Redskins paid him ~20% less and this was probably paying a perceived premium so he didn’t visit Oakland or San Fran.
Seems like the market said Eagles were over paying him.
Given that fact it does highlight why the FO couldn’t get a draft pick.
Guaranteed money is the big factor in NFL contracts not average per year (APY). Most players are willing to take less APY if they get more guaranteed because in the NFL you are always one play away from the end of your career.
The Eagles wanted flexibility so they had the option to cut him like they did. In order to get that flexibility they had to pay a premium in APY.
They weren’t overpaying him because the guarantees were low. The deals are in fact pretty comparable. Its more a philosophy whether they wanted flexibility or a low cap number.
The Eagles got flexibility with their deal. Desean wanted guarantees. The Skins were confident Desean will be a valuable player for 3 years and so they gave him a large guarantee in return for lower APY and a better cap number.
The contract does not prove the Eagles were overpaying just that they wanted flexibility.
you cant say its a poor off-season until we see the team on the field in September
That’s why I did say ‘it HAS BEEN’ a poor off-season. I know it’s still early doors, but it has been poor until today.
This is where talent v team comes in though… Yes the eagles lost their most talenter reciever… But overall they could be a better team, with ST getting better.. upgrade at S an actual 3rd outside corner and so on.. Yes having a recieving talent like Jackson would be useful to any team, but if that talent comes with having other players on the team not buying in because of his example, maybe its not worth it.. The team as a whole could be better (recievers on talent alone are not to this point) up to this point in the Off-season, even losing a talent like jackson.. Personally at least i think the team is more important that one player
I was a poor off-season prior to them letting DJ walk. Does this weaken the offense? yes. Does it break it? No. A bigger concern should be that defense. Until the defense improves(and I get all the brass saying there was no talent in the off season) it wouldn’t matter if DJ goes 2000 and 20 tds for the Eagles.
Unfortunately the issue now is that the Eagles might have to use some of the (DRAFT) resources on WR that they could have easily invested in Defense instead.
Or which one of the following players would you pick if you were the Eagles GM, provided all will be on board at #22:
Mike Evans
Odell Beckham Jr.
Brandin Cooks
Darqueze Dennard
Kyle Fuller
Ha-Ha Dixon
Calvin Pryor
I go Pryor. I still think the safeties stink. Draft is said to be deep with wr.
Mike Evans, then Dennard even we still had Jackson.
I thought you were dying for ODB???
I am, but mostly because Mike Evans is not falling near 22.
Watkins
Evans
Beckham
Cooks
Lee
Adams
I wouldnt be mad of any of them in the 1st, but Evans and Watkins aint dropping that far
Tweet from Cris Carter:
Cris Carter @criscarter80
@DeseanJackson10 congrats Bro.Praying this is the 2nd biggest mistake @Eagles made in their history by cutting their best WR. #2ndchances
DJ is half the man CC is…
Actually my comment was meant to be tongue in cheek.
But for the record, Jackson’s career has been much better so far than Carter’s was at the time of his release. Carter also had drug and alcohol problems at the time. So you could even say that Carter was half the man that DJ was at the time.
But like I said it was more a joke than anything else and you can’t predict the future of a man.
I was joking about the size of DJ 🙂
Haha, ok. Touche´.
My only issue with cutting DeSean Jackson is the timing. They know behind the scenes if he is a burden so I can give them the benefit of the doubt. However, to do it a little more than a month before the draft doesn’t make sense for me. If they waited until right after the draft they wouldn’t: 1.) telegraph the fact that WR is more of a probability in the first round, now a team might jump them if ODB or another good receiver is about to land at 22, 2.) Might have gotten some draft pick from a team that missed out on a first or second day WR, 3.) could have had the Skins (or another team who wanted a WR at that point since it would have been a month in the future) to waste resources in the draft on a WR, possibly even pushing a non WR pick to our 2nd or 3rd round pick that now might not fall since WR is no longer a need for them. Granted all the media releases didn’t help with holding off another month, but just seems like poor management possibly surrounded by sound judgement.
There’s only two options: either DeSean did something or got involved with something really egregious that forced the eagles hand, or he didn’t. If he did, the urgency to get him off the team even without compensation, the lack of a market for his services and even the decision to move on from him without his replacement on the roster all makes perfect sense.
If he didn’t and this was just Chip not being in love with his personality and attitude off the field then their decision, the urgency with which they executed it and their handling of the situation all must be, at the very least, brought into question. Because, quite frankly, their actions throughout last year and this year do not make sense otherwise.
Only 2? What if CK didn`t initiate this move?
What if it had been a number of years in the making?
Reid`s offense depended on the deep ball,and when Maclin went down and Jackson`s production went up,he became the go to guy that other teams schemed against…Wasn`t it written that the player was put on the trading block last offseason, a deal couldn`t get done, and dispite all the negative aspects of keeping him on the team,CK was able to get good production from DeSean(however mostly with Vick); then Foles became the central focus and Jackson no longer was in the spotlight,nor the offensive plans(which resulted more than a few times in him causing problems;due to his immaturaty-which doesn`t go away overnight)?
So maybe there were more than 2 possible reasons than you state.
I still think we’ll ultimately hear that DeSean did something to force this move. But, if we don’t and this was simply Chip sticking to his specific vision for this team, I can’t help but respect a man with that type of principled plan and dedication to stick to it even if it’s risky and unpopular. Still can’t square the logical circle though that DeSean was so bad in the locker room and with his work ethic last year that we needed to cut him with urgency this off season, but it never required him being punished, demoted, benched or reprimanded during the season.
another article explaining the issue. egads. T-law — if people don’t get it by now they never will.
I’m All in on bneing out on DeSean. Foles is the franchise QB per Chip. Odds are Foles didn’t like DeSean. We know he wasn’t targeted as much under Foles as he was under Vick. Probably the reason is Foles was true to Chip’s vision for what the offense should be. A diva like DeSean would just complain, disrupt huddles and the offense, practice etc. We already saw him as a cancer one season.. The risk was high it would happen again, this year or next.
Add to that, the money to DeSean can be used for extensions for the young guys, Macklin’s return, and a deep WR draft and the cost of keeping DeSean outweighed the risk of cutting him..
Sooo, when is the draft again?
Start of may.
I really really want Odell Beckham Jr
I also really want this guy
http://www.sbnation.com/nfl-mock-draft/2014/4/1/5564916/jason-verrett-2014-nfl-draft-scouting-report
Hi Tommy,
I’m going to post over here and avoid the new “venting” thread you put up today – no need to go there.
Two things:
1) I have no problem with the move in the first place – after seeing that D Gunn video commentary, it crystallized it in my mind that DJac had to go, even if we got nothing in return.
2) It actually doesn’t bother me that DJac went to the Redskins. I was much more concerned with the DMac move (and look how that turned out!). Yes, DJac is good and in the prime of his career, but he ain’t a HOF, WR ain’t as important as a QB or RB, and, bottom-line, we’re still a significantly better team than the Skins.
Now if he had gone to the Niners (or somehow the Cowboys), yea, I’d be upset, but the Redskins? (/brushes imaginary dust off shoulder).
Sorry, but just because you feel ” strongly ” about something …… doesn’t make it RIGHT. Not being able to get ( anything ) for Desean, in a trade ( player or draft pick ) shows a lack of imagination, and or ability. There was NO reason that they could not have kept Desean ( and continued trade attempts ) up to, and then after the draft. There would have been NO ( zero ) change in dead money, or guaranteed money. They had ” NOTHING ” to lose, by keeping him longer. Evan a 3rd round pick or even a 4th round pick would have been better than NOTHING. I’m sure that some team would have given up at least 3rd rounder in 2015. Giving up picks in the following years drafts, are always less painful for teams to part with. No matter how the TEAM, or the teams apologists spin the loss of Desean, it is going to HURT the team. A little math for those of you who agree with the Lawlors and Spadaros. A ( – ) negative + a ( – ) negative = ” A NEGATIVE !! ” The letting go of Desean = ( a negative ), getting NO draft pick or player = ( a negative ), having to spend a draft pick on a replacement for Desean = ( a negative ) ……. the END result, is NEGATIVE !
Sorry, but I was talking to Tommy – and just expressing my opinion (that’s what a comment section is for, I believe).
BTW, you seem to have wandered onto the wrong thread – it’s the next one up – you can use ALL THE CAPS YOU WANT up on that one, I hear. GOOD LUCK!!!!!