Business Decisions

Posted: February 24th, 2015 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 433 Comments »

Senior Bowl…over.  Combine…done. The focus now is on the Eagles and business. Who gets cut? Who gets an extension? Who gets re-signed? And so on.

PE.com has a good interview with Adam Caplan where he discusses a lot of the issues.

That’s definitely worth checking out.

Les Bowen had some Eagles nuggets in a recent article. He talked about who would be dealing with agents.

An agent who dealt with the Eagles recently on a player contract matter said yesterday he spoke exclusively with Howie Roseman, did not hear from Chip Kelly. There was a report at the Senior Bowl that Kelly was giving agents his cellphone number, but this agent said he sees no difference in the team’s contract setup, from his perspective.

Another agent who met with the Eagles in Indianapolis said he sat down with a triumvirate – new personnel vice president Ed Marynowitz, Roseman and director of football administration Jake Rosenberg.

It has been unclear, since the front-office restructuring announced Jan. 2, exactly how this dynamic will work. Will Roseman control every aspect of contract negotiations, make decisions on what the team can afford, or will he work within parameters established by Kelly? No one from the team has been made available to speak to this.

This isn’t ideal, but Roseman and Rosenberg are good negotiators and generally get deals done. Players/agents don’t seem to mind dealing with them. Things could get adversarial at times when Joe Banner was in charge of contracts.

Still no word on Cary Williams contract. Can the Eagles really pay him $8M this year? I find that hard to believe.

It will be interesting to see how Chip Kelly handles the business decisions. Letting go of James Casey certainly wasn’t fun for him, but that shows he can do what’s got to be done.

* * * * *

Someone recently asked about Nate Allen coming back as a backup. I doubt it.

I’d have no problem with Nate as a backup, but there is one flaw. Backup Safeties need to shine on STs. Nate isn’t exactly a warrior on STs and doesn’t fit that role all that well.

If no one else is interested…maybe he comes back to compete for a job.

I am glad he got his name cleared in the recent situation. Nate might be a frustrating player, but I’ve heard nothing but good things about him as a person.

* * * * *

I am mixing in some NFL game watching with draft prep. I’ll have a post up on Brandon Graham soon.

I also watched a bit of Jaylen Watkins recently. I came away feeling better about him than I expected.

And I’ll be writing about Byron Maxwell. Sure feels like the Eagles have to go all-in on him. That makes this good news.

Honestly, the move just makes too much sense. Maxwell needs a big deal. The Eagles need a big corner. Match made in free agent heaven.

* * * * *

Want to support a good Eagles fan? Check out the show “Fresh Off the Boat” tonight on ABC at 8pm (EST). One of the writers is a die-hard Eagles fan and a friend of mine.

Gotta support each other so we can continue our move toward world domination.

_


433 Comments on “Business Decisions”

  1. 1 GermanEagle said at 7:39 PM on February 24th, 2015:

    Mate,

    FA is exactly two weeks away. Time to hammer out your master off season plan. Cannot wait!

  2. 2 anon said at 8:38 PM on February 24th, 2015:

    Need that time to fly so we can watch all the other teams get players. How much cap do you think we roll this year? +/- $24m

  3. 3 Insomniac said at 12:50 AM on February 25th, 2015:

    The question is how disgusted would you be if Houston hit FA and we didn’t even offer him a contract?

  4. 4 anon said at 12:59 AM on February 25th, 2015:

    i’ve been hurt so much already i don’t even let myself get my hopes up.

  5. 5 A_T_G said at 6:32 AM on February 25th, 2015:

    Since we already have half of the Texans in Philly, it would just make too much sense to bring Houston here.

  6. 6 GermanEagle said at 6:54 AM on February 25th, 2015:

    I’d go with the under since we are going to sign Mac, Maxwell, McCourty, Marshall and everyone whose name starts with a M. Time to build a M&MS dynasty in Philly!

  7. 7 EAGLES said at 11:16 AM on February 25th, 2015:

    Lol thanks for the update I was wondering when it was yesterday. I hope we make some good deals.

  8. 8 Charlie Kelly said at 7:50 PM on February 24th, 2015:

    Maxwell, an OLB and a S. thats what we need baby!!

  9. 9 Sean Stott said at 7:59 PM on February 24th, 2015:

    Salivating for Vic Beasley and Trae Waynes. They seem so close to being attainable. Not holding out hope for either.

  10. 10 Insomniac said at 8:41 PM on February 24th, 2015:

    Waynes and Maxwell please

  11. 11 GENETiC-FREAK said at 8:12 PM on February 24th, 2015:

    Checked out that Fresh Off The Boat some random night.. Has that guy off The Interview movie.. Getting some good laughs out of it

  12. 12 TommyLawlor said at 8:31 PM on February 24th, 2015:

    I’m now dying to go eat fajitas.

  13. 13 A_T_G said at 8:49 PM on February 24th, 2015:

    It is good of you to put in a plug for a reader. I guess it is only fair for all the sunglasses traffic we funnel your way, but I still like seeing the community aspect.

  14. 14 TommyLawlor said at 9:12 PM on February 24th, 2015:

    My sunglasses empire is growing at such a rate that it almost sounds made up.

  15. 15 the DONALD said at 9:07 AM on February 25th, 2015:

    funny show. im a fan for sure.

  16. 16 RogerPodacter said at 11:58 AM on February 25th, 2015:

    i was confused at first, i thought it was another reality tv show haha.
    show is pretty good, at least the one episode i saw was decent. would probably watch again

  17. 17 Magmafromthedepths said at 8:44 PM on February 24th, 2015:

    For all those desperately wishing for a corner. Even a rookie.
    Watch the replay. even the other DBs can’t believe what they are seeing.
    If Jones comes through on his Pro Day…

    http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2374387-byron-jones-incredible-combine-performance-poses-more-questions-than-answers

  18. 18 EaglesD3rdandwrong said at 10:38 PM on February 24th, 2015:

    Leap frog sconces lol

  19. 19 Anders said at 2:51 AM on February 25th, 2015:

    Jones is a day 3 pick.

  20. 20 Mitchell said at 9:23 AM on February 25th, 2015:

    Hopefully with the injury this season he drops to the 4th a la Boykin.

  21. 21 Anders said at 12:52 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    Well day 3 is the 4th to 7th round

  22. 22 Mitchell said at 3:25 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    I think he is a day 2 pick but hopefully your right and his injury makes him a 3rd day pick like what happened with Boykin.

  23. 23 Anders said at 4:50 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    His lack of production also hurts him. Playing in that terrible run focused offense really didnt help him.

  24. 24 A_T_G said at 8:55 PM on February 24th, 2015:

    “Senior Bowl…over. Combine…done.”

    I think we can add to that: Draft…uncovered.

    As you can see below, I pretty much made any further discussion of draft possibilities futile by mocking the obvious actual future outcome. Once I made it happen, it was like all the fog lifted and path was clear (I’m pretty sure I didn’t oversell it at all).

  25. 25 anon said at 10:27 PM on February 24th, 2015:

    “There are a lot of teams out there that don’t spend to the cap, and we
    do,” Bisciotti said. “I’m always envious of those teams right about this
    time of the year, and then they’re envious of me when we’re in the
    playoffs. So we’re going to keep doing what we do, the way we do it…”

  26. 26 CrackSammich said at 10:54 PM on February 24th, 2015:

    There’s a lot of teams that don’t understand that the cap rollover allows teams to consistently spend more than the cap if they go light for a few years. I hope teams like the Ravens, Saints, and Cowboys have fun trying to change the rule once they realize their stupidity is screwing them.

  27. 27 anon said at 10:57 PM on February 24th, 2015:

    2 of those teams have recent SBs. Not that those things are totally correlated, but it’s not like constantly being $20m under has won us anything. Dallas obviously supports your augment.

  28. 28 CrackSammich said at 11:08 PM on February 24th, 2015:

    Not that being up against the cap forever has gotten the Cowboys anything, or the Saints anything in the near future. There’s 32 teams–picking out one winner isn’t going to show you any kind of trend. Being abble to consistently buy better players is going to play off long term for those that are patient.

  29. 29 Patrick said at 4:04 AM on February 25th, 2015:

    Well, the Ravens won their Super Bowls because they have drafted really well for a long time. The most recent one was pretty much won by Joe Flacco, and all the other players they drafted(Rice, Torrey Smith, the OL, Lewis, Kruger, Suggs, Reed, Ellerby, Ngata). Even Boldin who played a huge part was a trade, not a FA signing and didn’t get a huge contract.

    The Saints won their Super Bowl, majorly thanks to Drew Brees and the offense he was able to be run by Sean Payton. Drew Brees was a FA signing, but i dont remember the last time a 26 year old franchise QB hit the FA market. Also, pretty much their all their weapons was drafted or developed in NO, same goes for their OL and the core part of their defense with the exception of Jonathan Vilma.

    Spending your entire cap on what will most likely be Free Agency signing, isn’t the reason you win a Super Bowl. Its almost always because you draft well, develop well and do it for an extended period of time. Obviously, at some point, you end up having a team that you think is really hard to improve because you locked up all your stars at that has taken a toll on your cap, but just doing what Dallas does, and balancing on the line has hurt them more than helped. Also, theres the argument for selling out for a ring. The Bucs did it, and have been irrelevant ever since, and thats the team that actually succeeded. A lot of people might think its worth it, but you have to consider how long you might end up paying interest on the investment, even if you succeed. Im not sure I could be happy throughout a Brown-like period of badness, just because we won a Super Bowl. Think about the Lions, from 2000-2010 they pretty much have the same amount of wins as the 2011-2014. Thats a lot of years where your football season is pure suck’age, and the offseason seems like an impossible mission to improve all that suck’age for the next season of horror.

    Also, im dumbfounded that Biscotti would make that statement. I thought it was pretty much general concensus that the Ravens and Ozzie Newsome was one of the best drafters in the league. Apparently their owner doesn’t know that.

  30. 30 D3FB said at 4:30 AM on February 25th, 2015:

    Not only that but Newsome historically let’s all but the true core guys leave in FA, and does his FA shopping in the discount bin. He’s content to let a good player go get payed like a star player, take his compensatory pick and go find someone to draft and develop.

  31. 31 Anders said at 4:38 AM on February 25th, 2015:

    Which is why I hope Graham leaves in FA. He isnt worth to keep at the price he is demanding.

    Players worth keeping of the young guys right now: Maclin, Kendricks, Cox, Thornton (at his price tag).

    While Boykin looked great in 13 and looked good against OBJ when they faced off in the slot, but if the Eagles only see him as a slot CB, he will most likely be too expensive. Same with Graham, who couldnt beat out 90 year old Cole.

  32. 32 Media Mike said at 5:23 AM on February 25th, 2015:

    I love Graham, but if he’s not going to take 4 / /$24 from us because he’s going to get 4 / $30 with $20 guaranteed elsewhere; best wishes to him.

  33. 33 anon said at 7:22 AM on February 25th, 2015:

    He’s content to let a good player go get payed like a star player = maclin.

  34. 34 Anders said at 12:53 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    No im not. Star player money is what Dez is going to get, I wont pay Maclin much more than 10 mill which is what the 2nd tier WRs get now a days.

  35. 35 D3FB said at 11:02 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    No that actually = Graham.

  36. 36 Media Mike said at 5:22 AM on February 25th, 2015:

    And he does things like steal Ed Reed and CJ Mosely a few picks in front of the Eagles.

    I’m jealous of how well Baltimore drafts on a year in and year out basis.

  37. 37 LookLikeTarzanPlayLikeTarzanAl said at 8:46 AM on February 25th, 2015:

    IDK, Brees had had a handful of prolific seasons, what won them the SB was finally fielding a defense that made a ton of plays. They weren’t dominant, but oppurtunistic. They took the ball away and gave it back to their prolific offense to score more points. Something the Eagles should focus on with the disgusting amount of time our defense is on the field. Getting near the top of the league in takeaways would go a long way toward easing the the disparity in ToP and over exposure of the Defense

  38. 38 LookLikeTarzanPlayLikeTarzanAl said at 8:39 AM on February 25th, 2015:

    They don’t get the credit they deserve. Secondary was arguably as bad as ours at the start of the year, and they got it fixed enough to make a run. Got lucky with Forsett, but luck still counts. I’m watching some stuff right now that has them going after Brandon Marshall. I expect a move in the draft at RB as well. they’ll be good as long as Flacco/Ozzie/Harbaugh are there

  39. 39 Anders said at 8:42 AM on February 25th, 2015:

    Baltimore had way more talent at CBs than we had before the season.

  40. 40 Kelce's Beard said at 11:58 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    there is no way Brandon Marshall is coming here. They made it very clear players with questoinable history, particularly domestic issues, are unlikely ravens. BM checks that box.

  41. 41 LookLikeTarzanPlayLikeTarzanAl said at 4:07 PM on February 26th, 2015:

    Yes, but he dealt pretty publicly with bi-polar disorder. To the point I believe he runs an organization for troubled players now. He’s as close to a success story as you get for guy with that rap sheet

  42. 42 Kelce's Beard said at 11:59 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    amazing what a stable, franchise QB will do for a team. oh, and a smattering of all-pros on the defensive side

  43. 43 Media Mike said at 5:20 AM on February 25th, 2015:

    We still have Trent Cole, DeMeco Ryans, Cary Williams, Todd Herremans, and Brent Celek eating up far too much cap space for their contributions to the team. Every guy on this list needs to be either cut or reduced to get us the requisite cap space needed to get some help in here at positions of need.

    James Casey was a good start, now we need to get going with some more moves.

  44. 44 Anders said at 6:50 AM on February 25th, 2015:

    I think Cole and Williams really depends on FA. Lets say we get Maxwell, that means we cut Williams, but if we only get a mid tier CB, we might only approach him about a restructure

  45. 45 GEAGLE said at 7:55 AM on February 25th, 2015:

    i dunno about that…. to tell you the truth, i would prefer us following your plan, but im not so sure that we will see chip kelly screw with players futures cutting them after all the free agent money has dried up. one thing about chip is he is a good dude, who really cares about the coaches and players whether they are here or not…. i would be surprised to see chip cut players after a bunch of free agents are signed…. plus you need to go into free agent knowing what the deal is with Cary, is he restructuring? is he telling us to kiss his ass?…. I am assuming we will know which players will be cut before the market opens…

  46. 46 bill said at 8:21 AM on February 25th, 2015:

    Don’t know if this is how Kelly operates, but I think the following approach would be fair:

    Approach Cary now (or earlier) about a restructure at a number that matches his value to this team. Tell him if he agrees, he won’t be cut between the draft and opening day (absent extreme circumstances), plus he’ll have some guaranteed money and possibly an extension thrown in. If he refuses, tell him he’s taking the gamble on the team not finding a better #1; if they do, he will likely be cut.

    That way, it’s Cary’s choice. He can accept a smaller upside for a higher downside, or he can risk it all for the bigger payday.

  47. 47 GEAGLE said at 8:11 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    thats a fair way of doing business that I can see chip agree with… good stuff. Its surely more likely than seeing Chip treat players like crap and screw them by not cutting them til most teams blow their free agent money… i dont see chip screwing former players like that, or his assistant coaches for that matter. when chip is ready to jettison a coach or player we will probably see him do it with class, caring enough about giving guys a shot to land on their feet and find a new job

  48. 48 Tom W said at 7:22 AM on February 25th, 2015:

    Offseason plan
    1) cut casey (done) cary and cole
    2) restructure mccoy (guaranteed $ for cap space)
    3) leave todd and celek alone
    4) talk to meco
    5) wr – resign maclin
    6) olb – resign graham or sign mcphee
    7) c – sign maxwell or culliver and/or davon house
    8) s – sign ron parker or da’norris searcy or jeromy miles
    9) if eagles can make draft chart market price trade to get mariotta
    From 20-4 (two firsts, two seconds and a third) or 20-6 or less, do it
    And trade foles for a first or atleast a 2d and 3d to recoup some picks.
    10) if no mariotta, draft collins corner from lsu or bud dupree or g/t from lsu
    11) draft kendricks mckinney or perryman for ilb in rd 2 or fisher from oregon
    12) hundley or petty rd 3-4 w a young stud rb.
    13) re-up cox, kendricks and ced — talk to vinny let boykin play it out and bounce back

  49. 49 Magmafromthedepths said at 8:02 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000407751/article/2015-nfl-draft-order-top-three-needs-for-all-32-teams

    DBs are mentioned as needed 23 times. OLBs almost as often.
    Nobody is going to just pop up and get whatever they want. ;~)

  50. 50 D3FB said at 11:00 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    Why would you restructure Shady?

    That just moves money from the cap into future years, when he will be older and more beat up, and in return you get a little more money this year. So unless you’re frontloading one contract this year, it makes no sense to do. I don’t want 5 mil extra room this year to have to have 5 mil in dead money in two years, that’s some Jerry Jones/Saints type cap management.

  51. 51 Tom W said at 9:47 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    Just spreading out the cap hit over the life of his contract and extra two mil a yr not moving and giving him some guaranteed money for security. No new yrs not like the cowboyz or saints. Mccoys comtract numbers get alot better next two yrs just evening out the cap hit so its not so much disproportionally outta wack this yr compared to next two yrs. dead money in last yr goes up a couple mil at most not five mil

  52. 52 GEAGLE said at 7:58 AM on February 25th, 2015:

    while a big Maxwell signing makes sense, and while it also makes sense to pay for a passrusher if we lose BG, we do have to keep in mind that the current regime does care about not ruffling its current players feathers… would they dare hand an edge rusher more money than they are paying Barwin after what a monster signing Barwin has been for this franchise? are they really going to make Maxwell when of the highest paid players on our team? im not as confident as most people.

    no idea what to think of our current players. i would certainly love to see Cary swapped out for Maxwell, but i can easily see Cary back on a slightly adjusted deal. Cary is a family man, he was fortunate that he only needed to move his family from Baltimore to Philly, he has a little girl that has probably gotten used to life in philly, i could see Cary sitting down to restructure to try and stay another year, but i could just as easily see Cary telling us to Go F ourselves lol
    ..
    Celek and Todd, i have no idea. they can be brought back, but at some point soon we will need to replace them, so if you think there are replacements for them that you love in this free agent market, might wanna rip the band aid off now and get it over with. if we dont like the free agent replacements you keep them…
    ..
    Meco is the heart and soul of this team, there are just some players too important to a team that you dont screw with..

  53. 53 Tom W said at 8:25 AM on February 25th, 2015:

    Barwin should have no gripe at all. Its two yrs ago or three offseasons he signed that deal and bet on himself w little guaranteed at all. You could just make more guaranteed and add a yr and he would be thrilled in a jiffee w a better cap number too! Also deals done two yrs ago or three offseasons are going to get dwarfed this yr and next yr w giant cap increases. Gonna see some monopoly money contracts this yr and next and agents know the cap is rising. As for cary, im cutting him or making him take a cut after we sign maxwell or house or culliver. Personally i wouldnt pay top corner dollar for maxwell … He isnt elite. Id pay top 12 money but nowhere near top5. Culliver is sneaky good and house has alotta potential.

  54. 54 wee2424 said at 9:07 AM on February 25th, 2015:

    Im for house, but GB is making it sound like he is staying.

  55. 55 wee2424 said at 9:05 AM on February 25th, 2015:

    These are grown men. I can see where Barwin would get frustrated. But frustration over a big Maxwell deal? No. What they should be upsett over is Williams carrying the 4th highest cap hit on the team.

  56. 56 eagleyankfan said at 9:10 AM on February 25th, 2015:

    I’m not sure HR goes into a negotiation saying he can’t hurt other players feelings, but I get what you’re saying. If someone at my job is doing what I do and is getting paid a lot more than me, well, shame on me.
    …..
    If people are to be upset, it should be what they paid Cooper. LOL.
    …..
    It’s year 3 and so far “ok” results. I think Chip needs to make a splash this year. While I like the signing last year of Jenkins, when it was all said and done, it was “blah” (not a knock on Jenkins, just an overall performance by the secondary). With Chip in charge, that can’t be repeated. I’m not saying it’s Maxwell – but I’m expecting an eye opener to happen this off season. Whether its a big FA or a big move up in the draft….just a hunch…

  57. 57 BreakinAnklez said at 10:16 AM on February 25th, 2015:

    I don’t think HR or anyone for that matter should worry about hurting current players feelings. That’s not gonna help us. Everyone knows market generally increases year over year, that’s just the way the game is played.

    I definitely could see Cary saying go F yourself. He can be a maddening player, but I think having an improved safety behind him will help.

    I love Celek and Todd, but I’m not sure their play is worth $5M. Neither Ertz or Burton are at a blocking level of Celek, so we’d need to replace that somehow.

    Decisions, decisions

  58. 58 GEAGLE said at 8:01 AM on February 25th, 2015:

    the only real recent precedent i see for the media saying we are a leader to sign one of the most expensive players on the Market is Nnamdi.. he was always connected to the eagles leading up to that free agent market and thats the one big splash that the media called accurately ahead of time…. lol the problem with this precedent is we learned some really important lessons during the Nnamdi signing, so i find it hard to see so many people connect Maxwell to us, and it actually turning out to be true…… but this city has a rich cornerback tradition and we havent had anything even close to maxwell since sheldon brown….

  59. 59 Anders said at 8:04 AM on February 25th, 2015:

    Asante Samuel was also well predicted, so was the Jason Peters trade.

    I also remember Kearse signing been pretty well predicted

  60. 60 eagleyankfan said at 8:28 AM on February 25th, 2015:

    PFT made the Asante connection early on … and Spuds on the other site writing that there was no way possible that Asante was coming to the Eagles…lol….

  61. 61 Bert's Bells said at 10:39 AM on February 25th, 2015:

    Also Owens, the same year as Kearse. Everyone knew he was going to sign here and the whole paper filing/trade thing had to go down to make it happen.

  62. 62 BreakinAnklez said at 9:48 AM on February 25th, 2015:

    No one knew we were the “mystery” third team that was swooping in to get Nnamdi. We are always a target for high price FAs, so I’m not sure I’d give the media that much credit. I think most saw Nnamdi as a pipe dream.

  63. 63 Avery Greene said at 10:19 AM on February 25th, 2015:

    Probably Dallas and Washington were the other two teams, since they like to pay at that scale.

  64. 64 BreakinAnklez said at 10:33 AM on February 25th, 2015:

    Yea. I think it was Washington and the Jets. We had just traded Kolb for DRC and our 2 and we had Asante. No one saw Nnamdi at that point.

  65. 65 A Roy said at 10:35 AM on February 25th, 2015:

    Damn, I remember how excited I (and everyone else) was when Nnamdi was signed…and how that turned out. It’s why I view big name FAs with great trepidation. It’s hard to be smart and discriminating.

  66. 66 Dominik said at 10:44 AM on February 25th, 2015:

    I kind of feel the same way. Imagine how hard it has to be for Lurie (who wrote the check) and Roseman (who was at the table when the contract was signed). Literally everyone with a brain knows we need CB help. But if we as fans kind of fear the big contract for the big FA, imagine how it must be for the executives.

    Thing is: Chip wasn’t there and if he says: we have cap room, I love Maxwell, sign him! Then he’ll be signed.

    Difference between Maxwell and Nnamdi are huge if you look at their CV, though. Nnamdi played in a small market, every team ignored his side and just threw to the #2 and #3 CBs (because Nnmadi was good, and the other CBs weren’t – both played a role, you have to think).

    Maxwell was the #2 behind a great #1. Teams were throwing his way a lot. He did get the job done mostly, but still, he wasn’t a #1. It helps you in the secondary if you have a #1, too.

    At the end of the day, the only thing Nnamdi and Maxwell have in common, CV wise, is they are the biggest FA names on the market.

  67. 67 Bert's Bells said at 10:38 AM on February 25th, 2015:

    Definitely the Jets. They focused on him that year and planned on spending a kings ransom. By the time he was with the Eagles all the other top free agents were signed and they couldn’t make any upgrades (since they earmarked like 20 million against the cap for him).

  68. 68 BlindChow said at 2:19 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    Exactly. No one predicted the Eagles would get Nnamdi. It was the Jets and someone else. It was a shock when it was announced.

  69. 69 GEAGLE said at 7:44 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    thats true and its not true…… We signed Nnamdi in March, you can go back and see reports from National guys like Peter king who were claiming that we had interest in Targeting Nnamdi back in August before Nnamdi even played his last season as a Raider. He was often connected to us, its just that when free agency started then, he was under the radar as an eagle target, we saw them signing a bunch of other players, and other teams were being connected to Nnamdi, so we were able to fly under the radar til we swooped in to sign him..so we actually were linked alot to Nnamdi, but then when the market opened we were under the radar…

    Now that i think about it, we were probably the most secretive team in free agency last year…til this day, i dont even think we found out which of our free agents we brought in for a visit, and which were signed over the phone… Think about it, when the market opened last year, THE ONLY report I can recall seeing was the eagles were trying to sign Mike Mitchell which i dont believe at all… before last year, we would atleast here reports about which free agents were coming to visit the Eagles. Typically a free agent will visit his top option first and if the team wants the player bad enough they try to sign him before he leaves the building, keeping him from visiting other teams.. we didnt hear a peep about ANYONE visiting Novacare last year… to this day I have no clue if Jenkins came in for a visit and we signed him and not let him visit anyone else or if that entire deal took place over the phone. I have no idea if we brought Nolan Carrol in and signed him in person, No idea if Maragos visited, no idea if Braman visited… heck we didnt even see a single report of us bringing a free agent in who ended up leaving without signing an eagles contract and end up signing with another team….
    ..
    atleast the year before we saw reports like James Casey is in Philly for a visit, which led to us signing him before he left the building..atleast we heard that we had a visit scheduled with Ricky Jean Francois, but the Colts were his first visit and they signed him before he could visit us…. I dont KNOW if ANY PLAYERS visited Novacare before they signed last year, and i dont know if we brought in guys for a visit that left without a contract and ended up signing with someone else….Literally, the only report I saw last year when the market opened but before signings were announced was that we were targeting Mike Mitchell, I remember because i had a long email debate with Kapadia about why i didnt believe it to be true, and why i didnt believe he would interest us…. i dont think there was a team more secretive than us last year…. the only thing we knew about was that Eagles were one of the teams interested in trading for Sproles.. i dont recall hearing anything about any visit, before the reports announcing a player would sign… and it wasnt as secretive the year before, so im thinking this is how chip is going to want to run things going forward…
    ..
    I think chip is a smart guy who will continously grow as he gains NFL experience, I can already see growth and different approaches from 2013 chip/eagles front office to 2014 chip/eagles front office… so now that chip has two different years of draft, and free agent experience, Im really curious to see this years free agency and draft to see how

  70. 70 BreakinAnklez said at 9:05 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    We signed Nnamdi in July. Right after we traded Kolb…

    http://m.espn.go.com/nfl/story?storyId=6816873&src=desktop

    http://www.bleedinggreennation.com/2011/7/29/2304241/philadelphia-eagles-sign-nnamdi-asomugha-in-a-shocker

    I also didn’t deny we weren’t linked to him. We needed corner help, he was going to be the top FA, so we were linked. Like I said, the national media frequently links us with the top FAs, so I’m not giving them a pat on the back when they get one right.

  71. 71 Bert's Bells said at 10:35 AM on February 25th, 2015:

    Nnamdi was a surprise to everyone. Odds had him going to the Jets and they based their whole offseason plan signing him.

    Still, the Eagles under Lurie have been perpetual players in free agency and have been linked to almost every big name that’s available. Sometimes correctly -Troy Vincent, Jevon Kearse, Asante Samuel. Sometimes not so correctly -LeCharles Bentley (I’m sure there are others I’m not remembering).

  72. 72 Fede Mauccione Pérez said at 8:45 AM on February 25th, 2015:

    Off topic, but need to ask. What do you guys think of Torrey Smith? Do you think he will ask Randall Cobb money?

    Of course re-signing Maclin is, I think, top priority this Offseason, but we need to pair him up with another big play receiver. Cooper showed us he isn’t that kind of WR with his performance last year, so we either go to the draft and get a guy like Devin Smith or we go out in FA and get a guy like Cobb or Torrey Smith. Cobb is probably the best slot WR in the NFL right now and I think Torrey can play there, too. Pair Maclin and Torrey or Cobb with J-Matt and that’s dangerous.

  73. 73 anon said at 8:46 AM on February 25th, 2015:

    problem is red zone, if we do anything it’ll be to fix that.

  74. 74 fedefox8 said at 8:52 AM on February 25th, 2015:

    That’s very true. Didn’t factor it into my reasoning. Thanks for pointing that out.

    Devin Funchess might be an option to improve our red zone play. He takes hits like Celek and can go up and snatch balls up top like Benjamin. I’ve heard conflicting reports on him. People that watch him play either like him or hate him. I’d like to see him play with a real QB for once, not a RB/WR turned into signal caller.

  75. 75 BreakinAnklez said at 10:09 AM on February 25th, 2015:

    I really don’t like Funchess. He gets 0 separation. He looks disinterested in blocking, more so just trying to get in the way rather than punish the CB. Saw a lot of drops or bobbled catches. They used him inline a lot so he gets a free release off the DE or he’s im a bunch formation to help get a clean release.

    Benjamin is fantastic at using his body to position himself and is aggressive in going up to get a 50/50 ball, which I didn’t see Funchess do.

  76. 76 Mitchell said at 9:14 AM on February 25th, 2015:

    I would offer Jaelen Strong into the convo!

  77. 77 wee2424 said at 8:58 AM on February 25th, 2015:

    Maybe we get Smith, but he would be asking too much. If WR gets addressed its in house or draft. Its crazy to thing Birds would resign Maclin, take another big contract in Cobb, and still hold Coopers contract. That is sooo much money at WR. Not going to happen. You do realize Mathews is our slot right now right? Why would you put Smith in the slot? He is a pure outside WR.

  78. 78 fedefox8 said at 10:00 AM on February 25th, 2015:

    Yeah, I think, considering the money we have allocated on Coop, the secondary needs we have and possibly the pass rushing needs we’ll have, WR is not going to be a focus for us during FA. We’de be much better off drafting a guy like Devin Smith or Devin Funchess in 2nd round

  79. 79 wee2424 said at 1:18 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    Yeah. It is a very deep WR class again. Maybe Huff steps up. I just think we may go Oline early considering its not a deep Oline draft by any means. Look at the age of 3/5 of our starting line. Its acctually pretty scary. I think not drafting a linemen last year was a serious mistake.

  80. 80 eagleyankfan said at 9:14 AM on February 25th, 2015:

    Not sure you can allocate all that money to Mac AND Cobb. The development of JM and sign Mac is a very good duo. Assuming they sign Mac. If they sign Mac, they’ll draft a wr for future.

  81. 81 fedefox8 said at 10:00 AM on February 25th, 2015:

    Agreed, draft should be the right approach to upgrade our WR core this year, specially when you factor in the needs we have in the secondary and possibly pass rush.

  82. 82 Ark87 said at 11:24 AM on February 25th, 2015:

    I’d be all about that, but I’m wondering what they have an economic vision that involve our young WR’s. Will Jordan Matthews continue in the slot because they really like that mismatch or move him to the outside, and move a guy like Huff into his spot, or maybe even Cooper if they really like a size mismatch. As of right now, I don’t see a reason to leave Cooper on the field for the majority of snaps while Matthews sits for half of them. So we can either pay serious cash for a somewhat proven commodity, or give an opportunity to someone within. Wonder what Chip’s vision for that is right now.

  83. 83 bsuperfi said at 2:19 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    What I’d really like is a stable of very good though not necessarily great Wrs like ghost used to have before Nelson blew up. Maclin is a nice example of this. Jmatt probably has about this level as his ceiling. I think huff has a chance to become a real playmaker but we’ll see. One more young gun who has serious speed would be a nice addition to the portfolio.

    And this approach seems to fit with chips philosophy of going where you have the numerical advantage. Like the pats before welker and moss. I like Torrey smith and think he would bring a great dimension to the offense, but there are better ways to spend our cash.

  84. 84 Barry s goldberg said at 9:21 AM on February 25th, 2015:

    What about a plug for The Goldbergs. Creator is from Jenkintown, show takes place in Philly and they recently had an Eagles-Cowboys episode.

  85. 85 Avery Greene said at 9:30 AM on February 25th, 2015:

    Funny episode, I just watched it this past weekend. Caw-caw!!!

  86. 86 the DONALD said at 9:32 AM on February 25th, 2015:

    DONT MAKE ME HULK OUT!!! Dont make me HULK OUTTT!!!

  87. 87 the DONALD said at 9:31 AM on February 25th, 2015:

    BEST show out right now!! esp if you grew up in the 80’s early 90s…

  88. 88 Joe Minx said at 12:18 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    LOVE that show. Reminds me so much of my childhood.

  89. 89 Barry s goldberg said at 11:51 AM on February 25th, 2015:

    Actually, the creator is my brother, so I am biased. The whole Eagles-Cowboys thing was my idea. Any time you can get the phrase: ” The cowboys suck ” on national television, it has to be done. Watch tonight, epic Ferris Bueller themed episode.

  90. 90 the DONALD said at 12:52 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    on the slim chance this is you Barry.. your the man and your childhood running style is amazing.. i hope it hasnt changed in adulthood..

  91. 91 Barry s goldberg said at 1:17 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    It is really me and Adam is the one who runs like that. It is his show so he can do what he wants. Every time I see him I punch him really hard

  92. 92 the DONALD said at 2:30 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    haha well tell him the Donald loves his show and I tell everyone i know that they better start watching the best show on TV.. no lie.. thanks for having a funny childhood Barry… DONT MAKE ME HULK OUT!!! great episode.. nice work by you for the idea

  93. 93 Avery Greene said at 12:06 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    So uhhh, it seems Dez isn’t going to get the payday he thought he was. I guess there’s a video being released later with Dez going all Ray Rice on a girl.

    http://seattle.suntimes.com/nfl/7/72/695824/dez-bryant-video-released

  94. 94 Insomniac said at 12:08 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    If it’s 10 times worse then knocking out a women..could it be murder?

  95. 95 Avery Greene said at 12:09 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    Not sure, but I wonder if he’s got a 6-game suspension coming.

  96. 96 GEAGLE said at 6:40 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    even the 6 game suspension crap is absurd… you hit a woman, at the very least you should be suspended for 16 games with No pay, and if you are a scumbag enough to hit a woman a 2nd time, lifetime Ban!! not to mention you basically are restricting yourself having to punish a guy 6 games, without even knowing how bad the event was…
    ,,
    if a woman was drunk, hitting her boyfriend and he pushes her off him, and ends up pushing her too hard and she its the wall, he NEEDS TO BE PUNISHED, but there is no way someone else should get the same exact punishment for knocking a woman out cold and dragging her unconscious body out of an elevator… I dont like that they made this rule that now has a set punishment where we are talking about a despicable act that should be judged on a case by case basis… we shouldnt have to make a set punishment for this crime because we cant trust the scumbag commissioner to properly judge and rule on these piece of shit poor excuse for men on an individual case by case basis… Not every man who gets arrested for domestic abuse deserves a 6 game suspension… some pieces of crap should deserve more, and im sure some men should be punished for actions, but their actions maybe arent as serious as those that deserve 6 game suspensions..
    ,,
    we should be able to have a commissioner who isnt such a scumbag that we cant trust to judge such heinous acts on a case by case basis and deliver proper punishments… we now can see situations where maybe a guy abuses his woman worse than Ray Rice did, yet now you will be stuck only punishing them for 6 games, because Goodell cant be trusted, so you had to set certain punishment that might not be enough, or it may be too much of a punishment depending on the extent of the abuse and the facts of the situation

    for what Ray Rice did, 6 game punishment would be a joke… and if Dez Bryant clocked this woman as hard as he can with a closed fist, 6 games shouldnt be enough and it has nothing to do with him being a cowboy, it has to do with being a piece of shit of a man

  97. 97 Avery Greene said at 6:44 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    Not sure what’s crappier, the deed or the guy trying to profit off of the deed.

  98. 98 GEAGLE said at 7:08 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    scumbags all around… whats really sick are the people who knew Dez Bryant cold cocked a woman all this time and have done nothing to try and even ,… im dying to know how long ago this happened, how long human beings have known of this disgusting act and have done NOTHING about it….how can a man know that another man blasted a woman in the face and do absolutely nothing about it? how did walmart workers cover this up? why wasnt police called? how many people were in walmart that witnessed this and havent come forward?

  99. 99 A_T_G said at 12:43 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    The source I read only claimed 5 times as bad. I think we really need to nail down how much worse this is than punching a woman in the face, knocking her out, and then dragging her limp body by the hair.

    Five times would be what? Sneaking into a teen rehab clinic and injecting unsuspecting patients? Waiting at the top of the stairs leading into a retirement home until residents reach the top, then pushing them and their groceries down?

    Ten times would be…dog fighting?

  100. 100 Avery Greene said at 12:46 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    On the Cowboys subreddit, they said it might be him hitting his pregnant girlfriend at the time.

  101. 101 wee2424 said at 1:13 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    I just read a report that he has upwards of 10 bodies in his closet. In all seriousness worse could be that he did it to his mother and not a GF. Maybe he said the word Redskins when talking about his division rivals.

  102. 102 Bert's Bells said at 12:17 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    What fucking fucktard. Fuck that guy.

  103. 103 KAJomo said at 12:42 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    Tha site looks shady. Is it a legit site?

    They are talking aout it on the fanatic

  104. 104 Avery Greene said at 12:45 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    True, but I Googled it and came back with a few news sites. Here’s ABC.

    http://www.ksat.com/content/pns/ksat/sports/2015/02/25/rumors-surface-of-disturbing-dez-bryant-video.html

  105. 105 A_T_G said at 12:46 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    Where is our Iggles Blitz pledge drive to buy the video?

    If we control that tape, we can get Dez to sign with the Eagles on our terms, and then we can blackmail the Eagles to follow our sage advice in managing the rest of the team.

    We should just refer to it as “the Lombardi video” from here on.

  106. 106 Insomniac said at 12:53 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    Maybe we can finally trade for Boldynn if this happened!!

  107. 107 wee2424 said at 1:10 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    No, i still want Urlacker and so does 3/4 of EMB. I think some of them were so wraped in trying to get him that they havent realized he is retired.

  108. 108 Anders said at 12:51 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    If Bryant video is true (sounds too true to be true for me), it just proves why the Eagles shouldnt touch DGB in the draft.

  109. 109 Avery Greene said at 12:56 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    Good point. We generally may not like that approach, but this is about long-term.

  110. 110 GEAGLE said at 1:19 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    Not sure if it’s a recent video or an old video that someone is trying to blackmail Dez with. If Dez even knew this video existed, he should have signed the best extension he could get by now… Then agau. You aren’t to bright if u fire Eugene Parker to sign with Roc nation smh grow up, it was cool when Ricky Williams signed with master P, doubt Roc nation can do better then Parker

  111. 111 GEAGLE said at 1:27 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    Ant if he was dumb enough to do something so terrible in Walmart where everyone knows they have cameras, he should atleast buy the tape off of some Walmart security shmuck immediately. Why are criminals so dumb and lazy?

  112. 112 Avery Greene said at 1:28 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    Why is a millionaire shopping at Walmart anyway? He could go to Target and get basically the same price for better quality.

  113. 113 GEAGLE said at 1:30 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    Lol touche

  114. 114 b3nz0z said at 1:33 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    lol that was my question! if i made decent money i’d never set foot in walmart again

  115. 115 Avery Greene said at 1:27 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    It sounds like an old video that are blackmailing him with.

  116. 116 GEAGLE said at 1:29 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    Yeah that’s my understanding As well. I wish i had the tape, I’d be having a live internet auction to sell it

  117. 117 Javi Echie said at 1:37 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    Its his own friends, well former friends now, that are the ones that have the video and are selling it to the highest bidder. Damn I wish I had money to purchase the video just so I can say I was the one to release it.

  118. 118 BlindChow said at 1:37 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    Eh, so far it’s just “rumors” of a video. Wake me when something is actually released.

  119. 119 GEAGLE said at 1:23 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    I love the Cowboys. I can’t even hate rhem any more. A RB they ran into the ground, a 37 yr old QB who needs back surgery every year, and u stud WR whi knocks out woman in wal mart? How can I even hate them? They are the gift that keeps on giving

  120. 120 Javi Echie said at 1:34 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    What’s gonna be even more amusing in the coming months is if Dez gets suspended for a year how allas fans will still claim they are the favorites to win the NFC East. lol yea because and injury prone RB that had over 400 touches last year and a QB that is soon to be crippled will drive them to the postseason.

  121. 121 botto said at 1:41 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    here we go again just like last year, there is no way dallas can be any good, no defense no qb etc etc, and there they went 12-4 won a playoff game crushed us at home in prime time… lets not write them off this year, lets just beat the crap out of them when we play them instead.

  122. 122 Javi Echie said at 1:48 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    Do they win the division without Dez?..No definitely not which is the point I was making. Don’t give them too much credit for the playoff win that refs gave them.

  123. 123 botto said at 1:51 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    I hear ya and I agree, without Dez they are a lot worse.
    i’m just mad that they had a better record then us out of no where and killed us at home and regardless of the refs they did win the game in the playoffs and almost pulled out the GB game. after all year we tell ourselves they stink, but they were better then the Eagles.

  124. 124 anon said at 1:55 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    they were real close to NFC Championship game, hurt especially after GB crapped all over us.

  125. 125 Javi Echie said at 1:55 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    Me to brother I just hate the cowboys so much that I couldn’t let you give them credit for the playoff win lol.

  126. 126 GEAGLE said at 6:25 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    good man! that is every EAGLES fans Right!! no credit for those bastards

  127. 127 GEAGLE said at 2:41 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    Look with jerry and Snyder in our division, if we don’t win a SB soon, we suck,, these Gms/owner are insane

  128. 128 b3nz0z said at 1:37 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    look, we’ve all wanted to beat someone’s ass in walmart. but you swallow your rage and buy your undershirts and gummy worms and move on with life.

  129. 129 botto said at 1:54 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    I just don’t get it.. Dez Bryant at Wallmart? sounds unrealistic no?

  130. 130 anon said at 1:57 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    almost as bad as a football plyer stealing underwear and cologne?

  131. 131 A_T_G said at 3:15 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    or crab legs.

  132. 132 Bert's Bells said at 5:17 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    Or not tipping.

  133. 133 GEAGLE said at 2:40 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    Dude… Didn’t the Cowboys running back get caught stealing underwear from Walmart this year? Lol

  134. 134 jpate said at 2:00 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    Actually, Schefter talked on ESPN 1000 about the Dez video on Monday. He said he's been working on the story for a long time.— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) February 25, 2015

  135. 135 anon said at 2:05 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    wow, not sure if that makes it more or less likely. No one has a couple mil for the video?

  136. 136 GermanEagle said at 2:42 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    So basically Bradley Fletcher is blackmailing Dez with the video of that second Cowboys vs Eagles game from last season?!? Not sure if Dez needs a lawyer…

  137. 137 Mac said at 3:35 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    Not that I’m advocating a trade up to get Mariota, but if we did I think this may be the most accurate comparison for trade value. Should not be an RG3-esque deal.

    In a comparable trade in 2009, the #Jets traded just a 1st (17) and 2nd (52) in a fairly weak class to move up to 5 & select Mark Sanchez…— Ryan Lownes (@ryanlownes) February 25, 2015

  138. 138 holeplug said at 4:37 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    Wash going full retard in the RG3 trade has warped a lot of ppls perceptions of draft pick value i think.

  139. 139 Mac said at 5:18 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    Agreed, and well stated.

  140. 140 OldDuckMcDoc said at 5:35 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    That trade was equally dumb by Cleveland though. Even by the standard draft value chart they were short of a 2nd and to accept so little from a team targetting a QB is nuts.

  141. 141 bill said at 9:00 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    Using Cleveland’s decisions as a standard for making future decision is … unwise.

  142. 142 Greg Richards said at 4:19 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    If the Dez thing does blow up for the Cowboys, granted, that’s good from the perspective of the Eagles not having to deal with him. However, they’d have the cap room they were going to use on him for other players. Re-signing Murray and maybe going after Maclin.

  143. 143 GermanEagle said at 4:22 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    This Dez thing is probably the most discussed non-story as of lately?! Or has anyone seen the ‘infamous’ video yet???

  144. 144 BlindChow said at 4:24 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    Seriously, the longer we have “rumors” and no video, the more skeptical I am.

  145. 145 A_T_G said at 4:33 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    Got it. I am hearing that the most damning part is not that he is in Walmart, doing something illegal, or that his real name is apparently Taylor, but that he has been training with Winston since the season ended.

    http://youtu.be/uLtWCcuUafU

  146. 146 Greg Richards said at 4:33 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    Schefter chose his words carefully, but he essentially confirmed the video exists. Don’t doubt Schefter!

  147. 147 GEAGLE said at 6:23 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    oh it exists!!!! if the NFL has seen it, they better get in front of this story if they have learned anything from last year

  148. 148 OldDuckMcDoc said at 5:08 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    I think it’s safe to say it exists, only question is whether it comes out or not. Schefter basically confirmed its existence, screenshots have been sent to some media outlets and Dez tweeted about being “betrayed” (then quickly deleted it, presumably when someone pointed out you have to have done something wrong for people to “betray” you by leaking details of the wrong thing). Sounds like the people selling the video are trying to start a bidding war between the media and Dez’s people.

    Put it this way, if someone claimed there was a video of *me* doing something awful in Walmart and rumours started to build then I’d be in front of the nearest camera saying no such tape exists because I know with certainty I’ve never done anything awful in Walmart. The fact that Dez hasn’t done this says a lot.

  149. 149 GENETiC-FREAK said at 4:32 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    Is this the video with Kim Kardashian?

  150. 150 A_T_G said at 4:34 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    i think you misunderstood. The report says that Dez is a big ass in a video.

  151. 151 OldDuckMcDoc said at 5:10 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    It could blow up the wrong amount from our perspective. I mean, if it’s bad enough to warrant a six game suspension and some bad PR but that’s it, all it really does is save the Cowboys some $s in the long-term.

  152. 152 Greg Richards said at 5:20 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    Well, that’d be contrary to the “5 times worse than Ray Rice” commentary.

  153. 153 GermanEagle said at 5:21 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    I would like to see it first before I believe it. In the meantime this is all pure speculation.

  154. 154 OldDuckMcDoc said at 5:30 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    That bit may well be hyperbole. I mean, what’s five time’s worse than that anyway? Hitting five women? One woman five times? Hitting a woman, a puppy, a kitten and a unicorn while wearing an Eli jersey?

  155. 155 D3FB said at 10:48 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    My buddy at work figures to be five times worse it probably has to involve: his mother, sodomy, and gunplay.

  156. 156 anon said at 11:31 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    maybe it’s just the fact that it was in a Walmart.

  157. 157 GEAGLE said at 6:21 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    I hope they give Demarco Murray a MONSTER CONTRACT! I hope they pay him a TON.. with a 37yr old QB who is starting to have back surgery every season they are going to have to keep running Murray into the ground.. I hope they pay him a bigtime 4-5 year deal, even if they get one more amazing year out of him, with the way they are running him, i imagine he wont last much longer either healthy or playing at a high level and it would end up being one of those deals they regret bigtime in a year or two… i would so much rather see them pay Murray after they did their best Dave Wanstead running Ricky williams into the ground impersonation this past season, rather then see them pay a pissed off AP who should be pretty fresh and motivated to run defenses over after not playing this past year…
    ,…
    i fear them signing AP, so im really hoping they back the brinks truck up to Demarcos house. the way they run him, i cant imagine him staying healthy and playing at a high level like last year more than another year or two…

  158. 158 Greg Richards said at 4:34 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    Packers cut ILB A.J. Hawk. Not interested in him personally, but worth noting

    Other cuts today: WR/KR Jacoby Jones, RB Peyton Hillis.

    I’d give Jones a look-see.

  159. 159 GENETiC-FREAK said at 4:38 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    Hawk is he considered a bust with the high pick used on him?

  160. 160 holeplug said at 4:39 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    ya he sucks

  161. 161 Greg Richards said at 4:40 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    Not an out and out bust. A disappointment though.

  162. 162 Bert's Bells said at 5:10 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    Plus he’s got a “STUD WARRIOR” name that just add to the BUST label.

  163. 163 anon said at 5:05 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    JJ is good at what he does but he’s not a receiver – so to me it’s a wasted spot given that we have huff and sproles. He was secretly the MVP of that SB.

  164. 164 Greg Richards said at 5:15 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    Jones dropped out of the receiver rotation last year but that was mainly because Baltimore had a lot of depth there. Marlon Brown and Kamar Aiken are good players and Campanaro was a faster slot option before he was hurt. Before last year, Jones was good for around 35 catches a season as a #3 WR. He’s 6-2, 215 pounds which is pretty much the prototype size-wise for what Kelly wants at the position. He’s 30 years old, will be 31 in July. That’s young enough that he should be quality depth for a season.

  165. 165 wee2424 said at 5:15 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    Suprised Hawk got cut. Yeah if the money is right i would go after Jones. Good ST player, good deep threat. Upgrade over Cooper if the price is right. Doubt they will do it with Maclin having to resign and Coopers contract.

  166. 166 GEAGLE said at 6:13 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    Hawk has been declining last few years, i expected him to be cut, which has partly to do with why i have thought that the Packers wont let Erik Kendricks get out of the end of round 1…
    ..
    if you have to take your top pass rusher and play him at inside LB, good chance you view your ILBs as garbage and changes will be made this offseason… supposedly they really wanted Shazier last year, which is another reason i connect Kendricks with GB

  167. 167 wee2424 said at 10:28 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    Hawk was just simply solid and reliable, and i agree he has been declining. I thought he would be restructured, not released. Packers have ILB problems to the point they are playingvtheir best defensive playmaker out of position. Thats why im shocked he was outright cut. They must have a specific plan in place in FA because it isnt an outright garuntee Kendricks makes it to them. I do agree with you that if he is there when its their turn they will get him. Would be suprised otherwise.

  168. 168 BreakinAnklez said at 10:53 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    Clay moved in due to injuries. Desmond Bishop got hurt early. Brad Jones got hurt late, as did Hawk for a couple games. I agree he’s declining and I don’t think he ever lived up to his draft pick, but he’s been a solid player for them.

  169. 169 BreakinAnklez said at 10:46 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    He is not an upgrade over Cooper from a WR standpoint. Sproles is good enough a return man for now. They have virtually identical stats despite Cooper being in the NFL for 3 less years. Cooper had more receiving yards this year, when he played like crap, than Jacoby has ever had in a season. Jacoby had 9 receptions this year. NINE.

  170. 170 GEAGLE said at 6:15 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    id be more interested in guys like Jacoby and recently cut Ted Ginn junior if we still needed Kick and punt returners,,, but with sproles here, im not really interested… if we were going to add him, i would have done it last year, but who knows..

  171. 171 GermanEagle said at 5:13 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    KeeP the cuts coming!!!

    Reggie Bush out in Detroit. Didn’t see that coming.

  172. 172 Greg Richards said at 5:16 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    No, that has been rumored. They have Theo Riddick and he can fill most of Bush’s role on a rookie contract salary. They need the money to re-sign Suh.

  173. 173 GermanEagle said at 5:16 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    Shall we give him a look though?!

  174. 174 anon said at 5:17 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    I like Bush, but he’s always hurt and we have sproles.

  175. 175 GermanEagle said at 5:17 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    agree. Injuries are certainly a concern.

  176. 176 anon said at 5:19 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    Be interested to see what happens some of the other RBs that are around — lots of good goal line back.

  177. 177 wee2424 said at 6:35 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    He isnt even that young for the RB position, and like you said he is always hurt. While it would be interesting you are right in that we already have Sproles, and then another elusive back in Shady that has a big cap hit. If Shadys cap hit wasnt that high, and he was an injury concern, maybe then he would be more of interest. Who knows though, maybe Chip secretly wants him like he did Sproles. Big play ability and good pass catcher. Does seem a Chip kind of RB minus the injuries.

  178. 178 Greg Richards said at 5:17 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    No, I don’t see any need for a vet like Bush. If they bring in another RB, it will be in the draft. It’s a good year for RBs.

  179. 179 wee2424 said at 6:31 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    Yes it is, although there isnt that WOW back in the draft like there sometimes is. Alot of times they are products of great Olines in college. Seems as though every draft nowadays you can find good RBs in almost any round. Remember when RB was such a valued position that you wanted to shoot for one high? Nowadays it seems almost foolish to take one in the first round unless its late in the first or some truely special talent.

  180. 180 GEAGLE said at 6:10 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    nooo, doubt we have any interest at all… there is no reason to, not to mention his body is breaking down

  181. 181 GermanEagle said at 5:20 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    Some more Eagles cuts on their way I can smell…

  182. 182 Greg Richards said at 5:23 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    We cut Casey early because he wanted a bigger role and wasn’t interested in coming back on a re-worked contract. The other guys we could potentially release are guys that they’d probably like back on re-worked deals and are guys that would be more amenable to that. So, if we do cut anyone else, I don’t think it will be until closer to the beginning of FA.

  183. 183 GEAGLE said at 6:09 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    who else was cut? any eagles? im out of the loop today… not that surprised about Bush tho…

  184. 184 GermanEagle said at 6:24 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    No Eagles so far. But it’s just a matter of time.

  185. 185 GEAGLE said at 6:49 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    even if no eagles get cut(which probably isnt likely), at the very least we should soon start to find out which of our free agents are going to hit the open market because we have no intention of extending…
    ..
    it shouldnt be too much to ask for one of our beat reporters to find out if we even are going to try to negotiate an extension with a guy like Casey Mathews or if we are intent on letting him hit the open market? do we have any interest at all in trying to keep Brad Smith? where all of Elliot Shorr Parks awesome sources?… if we would like to keep these players, they probably arent very complicated negotiations. at the very least our reporters should be able to find out if we are trying to retain some of our non starters or if we are going to let them reach the open market…

  186. 186 wee2424 said at 7:23 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    I think Smith is gone.

  187. 187 GEAGLE said at 8:04 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    wouldnt surprise me… personally I would rather upgrade Maehl before we upgrade Brad Smith, but I sure as hell wouldnt mind seeing both replaced… Cooper will need to be replaced next year… I assume we have 3 WRs of the future on our roster. Mac, the pope and Huff and that we will have to add atleast 2 more WRs the next year or two, especially if Cooper is getting cut after this season.. im pretty indifferent to what they want to do about Brad Smith. I wouldnt be pissed if we kept him for another year or two, and i wouldnt be pissed if we let him walk now..

    but Im not as certain as you are about us letting him walk this offseason. We cut James Casey already, which means by default Brad Smith is now our undisputed emergency QB on game day that allows us to only dress two QBs….. he is now, our undisputed emergency QB as of today, stiill a high quality ST player which we know how important that is to chip, and he is a veteran who can fill in if a starter gets injured for a week or two;..

  188. 188 wee2424 said at 10:24 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    Im high on Huff like you are. I do think Maclin, Mathews and Huff are your future WR. I understand the emergency QB thing, but in.all honesty if he is there at QB then you are just going to be using every wrinkle in your running hame possible. Passing really wouldnt be an option. As far as his receiving talent, it is a deep draft WR again and i think you could find a replacement for him for cheap. He is a good ST player, that is true. He has had barely any touches the past 2 seasons. Matter of fact Maehl may have more then him. Smith is getting there in age, maybe there is a reason as to why he isnt getting touches besides the fact he is 5th on the chart.

  189. 189 anon said at 5:20 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    The bad thing about all the domestic violence stuff is that there’s going to be some good names sitting on the sideline. Apparently Sean Peyton wants to cut Junior Galette (although if he really wanted to he’d be cut instead of just saying that he’s cut).

  190. 190 Greg Richards said at 5:22 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    $12.5M fully guaranteed roster bonus coming up. They’re not cutting him.

  191. 191 A_T_G said at 7:49 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    I disagree that that is the bad part about all the domestic violence.

  192. 192 anon said at 7:55 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    Honestly i think it’s good if Dez’s situation is basically over, b/c younger kids have to know 0 tolerance. I think that message will resonate, because football money is really what’s important to them.

    But it also sucks for those same kids to lose out on an opportunity to change their lives (and their families’ lives) for incidents that may occur before their 21st birthday.

  193. 193 A_T_G said at 9:35 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    I think the public discussion is a positive.

    I think the bad part is insanely powerful men unable to restrain themselves in arguments with women and children. The women getting punched in the face and children getting beaten with switches trumps spoiled brats missing out on being handed millions of dollars for being really good at a game.

  194. 194 sonofdman said at 10:23 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    well said

  195. 195 anon said at 5:22 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora expects the Colts to be “very involved” on free agent OLB Pernell McPhee.

    does that mean Worlids for us?

  196. 196 GermanEagle said at 5:23 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    No. It means both for us! It’s La Canfora, you know?! 😉

  197. 197 anon said at 5:24 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    yeah i almost didn’t post it for that reason.

  198. 198 jpate said at 5:29 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    Seems like colts are bad at FA signings last few years. If they want him then maybe that’s a warning. But since La Canfora is reporting they probably have no interest whatsoever.

  199. 199 GEAGLE said at 6:08 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    the reason laConfora is saying this is he is assuming he would follow Aurther Jones and Corry Redding who went from Ravens to colts, and the fact that Colts just freed up money cutting RJF.,.. its just LaConfora “connecting the dots” I dont think he has actually heard anything significant about Him being A TOP target of the Colts… but its certainly possible since they need a pass rusher
    ,.,
    but if we make THAT assumption, we can also assume that The Titans are going to get Worlids….. Colts are a promising team, as are the Eagles.. make McPhee a good enough offer and i see no reason why he would turn down the Eagles… but yes, good chance the Colts will place a bid on him as well.

  200. 200 anon said at 6:37 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    Considering Mathis is old and bjorn werner doesn’t excite them i’m not surprised.

  201. 201 GEAGLE said at 6:55 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    lol Bjoern werner, first round pick in his 2nd NFL season, after 32 regular season games, they didnt even let him dress for the AFC championshp LOL…that GM is such an over rated Hack… yet he tries to make excuses for Werner to try and save face… How do you draft such a limited athlete in round `1? if you are going to bust in round 1, do it swinging for the fences on a raw super talent…

    Wasted 1st round pick on Werner, wasted 1st round pick on Trent Richardson, who also DIDNT DRESS in the playoffs LOL, made Ricky Jean Francois their well paid free agent splash two offseasons ago, and have already cut him admitting that mistake…. how does one get to keep their job after botching 3 decisions of this magnitute? we are talking about an expensive free agent signing, and wasting two first round picks, and they have NOTHING to show for it, yet GM gets to keep his job? and Im not supposed to assume that owner is on drugs? must be nice to have a last name that you can rest on your fathers laurels and get away with being a hack,…. trent Murphy is easily the better edge rush prospect and trent didnt even go in round 1… i dont know that i would have considered werner if he fell to round 3, no interested in athletic limitations with top 100 picks

  202. 202 wee2424 said at 7:27 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    Agree, if it wasnt for Luck this franchise would be screwed. If you dont have a franchise QB and you waste 2 first round picks you have set your franchise back years. Franchise is still set back even with Luck getting players for first round picks that are worthless.

  203. 203 Insomniac said at 5:23 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    Expecting to see Sconces to get cut soon.

  204. 204 b3nz0z said at 6:39 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    so who else wants to kick the tires on ol reggie bush?

  205. 205 GEAGLE said at 7:00 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    if the eagles were going to be interested in a free agent runningback, CJ spiller I assume would be the more likely target, since Spiller was rumored to be a target of ours before we were able to trade for sproles….we dont even have enough carries to go around for our 3 RBs last year, no way that they would spend money on a veteran RB like Bush when we barely can find carries for Polk and not for a lack of ability.Bush best asset is his pass catching ability, we have sproles who is a better pass catching weapon then Bush, dont see the point
    ..
    hoping we dont lose Polk

  206. 206 anon said at 7:49 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    heard minimum tender. I think Kelly wants to get Polk more involved but he stays injured.

    Hope to hear about a mccoy restructure. can’t pay $12m for a guy getting 60% of carries. In real money terms, who would you prefer Justin Houston, or McCoy, it’s (almost) that much cash.

    Could you imagine a front 7 with Houston, Barwin, the nobodys, and the super twins (Kendricks bros). we could probably start Matty B and still win most games.

  207. 207 Mitchell said at 7:51 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    Perhaps a little Stephone Anthony action if we cant snag Kendricks?

  208. 208 anon said at 7:56 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    to me lots of decent ILB prospects. Very little in terms of DBs or 34 pass rushers.

  209. 209 Mitchell said at 8:10 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    I was thinking the exact opposite! There are a ton of edge rushers in the first and prospects like Mauldin in the 2nd/3rd. Also there are quite of few safeties in the mid rounds which may be worth a look including Harris, Smith, Geathers and Drummond. What ILB’s are you thinking about? I have McKinney, Kendricks, Dawson (?), Perryman, Anthony. Depriest? Certainly not Hayes Pullard or the ILB from Texas. I don’t really care for those two.

  210. 210 anon said at 8:17 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    I like the six you mention, though i like Dawson a little less. For edge rushers seemed to me that everyone that was good going forward were DEs and not great in space, other guys were undersized.

    For ILBs i think there will be good options late in the first and probably late in the second (places that would fit where we draft). For secondary (safeties) those guys are mid-late round guys unless you are picking at the top of the first, i’m not excited by the Cbs that will be around in rounds 1 and 2, but there’s obviously late round guys that could be good.

  211. 211 Mitchell said at 8:20 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    But you must be intrigued by Dupree? I’m starting to like him, Strong or one of the Tackles at 20. No way Waynes is falling so cb is out because I don’t think the other are worth 20 for us.

  212. 212 Media Mike said at 8:32 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    No way? How about this way?

    Round 1 Pick 20: Trae Waynes, CB, Michigan State (B)
    Round 2 Pick 20: Hauoli Kikaha, OLB/DE, Washington (B+)
    Round 3 Pick 20: Derron Smith, FS, Fresno State (A)
    Round 4 Pick 14: Bryce Petty, QB, Baylor (B)
    Round 4 Pick 20: Stephone Anthony, ILB, Clemson (B-)
    Round 5 Pick 20: Robert Myers, OG/OT, Tennessee State (B)
    Round 6 Pick 20: Derrick Lott, DT, Chattanooga (B-)
    Round 7 Pick 20: Titus Davis, WR, Central Michigan (B+)

  213. 213 Mitchell said at 8:36 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    This looks really good! Trade down in the second, pick up and extra third and grab me a better WR!!!!! Or you could scrap Kikaha and grab Devin Smith then trade up from the 3rd and get me Mauldin.

  214. 214 Media Mike said at 8:39 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    Better receiver, ha ha. Titus Davis is the man! And I guess you’re not buying the Mauldin needs to play DE talk.

    http://www.nfl.com/draft/2015/profiles/titus-davis?id=2552426

    6-137-4 in a bowl game vs. the vaunted Western Kentucky Hilltoppers as well!

  215. 215 Mitchell said at 8:43 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    No I don’t buy that talk! I think Devante Davis is more of a “Chip” guy who can be had late. He looks really good on tape. Titus davis with less than 30″ arms and those tiny hands!?!?!? He’s a T-rex!

  216. 216 Media Mike said at 8:53 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    Is this better? (except for Mauldin!)

    Round 1 Pick 20: Trae Waynes, CB, Michigan State (B)
    Round 2 Pick 25 (CAR): Hauoli Kikaha, OLB/DE, Washington (B+)
    Round 3 Pick 20: Derron Smith, FS, Fresno State (A)
    Round 3 Pick 25 (CAR): Breshad Perriman, WR, UCF (A)
    Round 4 Pick 14: Ali Marpet, OG, Hobart & William Smith (B-)
    Round 4 Pick 20: Stephone Anthony, ILB, Clemson (B-)
    Round 5 Pick 20: Clayton Geathers, SS, UCF (A-)
    Round 6 Pick 20: Leterrius Walton, DT, Central Michigan (A-)
    Round 7 Pick 20: Josh Robinson, RB, Mississippi St. (B+)

  217. 217 Mitchell said at 8:55 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    I think that’s it man. I need to watch Kikaha play. I think Derron Smith may be my favorite safety in this draft…. He is about an 1′ shorter and 10lbs less than perfect but that guy flies everywhere!

  218. 218 Media Mike said at 8:56 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    Smith, outside of being a tad short, does everything you want.

  219. 219 Mitchell said at 8:57 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    Exactly. AND he was a highschool qb….. #hesgonnabeaneagle. If he can put on 10 lbs, sign me up!

  220. 220 Mitchell said at 11:59 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    I watched Kikaha play. He has an amazing first step. Like maybe the fastest I have seen in college. Its’ cool how he has a Judo back ground. It would be interesting if he could be a ILB. It seems like he can shed pretty well and his motor would be an asset to the middle. However, he is only 6-2 and I’m just not sure where he fits on our defense, you know? I think I would rather have Dupree, just a sheer physical freak.

  221. 221 Mitchell said at 12:05 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    This is it man, this is the perfect draft…… I finally did it:

    Round 1 Pick 21 (CINN): DeVante Parker, WR, Louisville (A)
    Round 2 Pick 20: Benardrick McKinney, ILB, Mississippi State (A)
    Round 2 Pick 21 (CINN): Jake Fisher, OT, Oregon (B-)
    Round 3 Pick 20: Lorenzo Mauldin, OLB/DE, Louisville (A-)
    Round 4 Pick 14: Durrell Eskridge, FS/SS, Syracuse (B+)
    Round 4 Pick 20: Josh Shaw, CB, Southern California (A)
    Round 5 Pick 20: Byron Jones, CB, Connecticut (A-)
    Round 6 Pick 20: Sean Hickey, OT, Syracuse (C-)
    Round 7 Pick 20: Tre McBride, WR, William & Mary (A)

  222. 222 GEAGLE said at 8:06 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    stop… you will give me a chubby talking like that lol

  223. 223 unhinged said at 9:02 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    If Spiller became an Eagle, I think Shady would become an ex-Eagle. It could make sense if it leads to growing next season’s draft picks. If we expect our guys to become elite, they need to get more picks and land some late round keepers. That is how Seattle did it.

  224. 224 Insomniac said at 9:11 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    Spiller won’t be an Eagle so there’s that.

  225. 225 botto said at 7:28 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    don’t kick em too hard the guy will need surgery

  226. 226 anon said at 7:57 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    Steelers restructuring their whole team — be interested if they can retain Worlids

  227. 227 unhinged said at 8:55 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    Think he’s looking to Tennessee to join the Steeler diaspora.

  228. 228 GEAGLE said at 8:12 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    peace boys… MCW vs. the sixers time!!!

  229. 229 Media Mike said at 8:28 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    Looking at the Eagles roster, who can we realistically expect to step up next season before we go trolling for free agents and/or draft picks at those positions.

    I’ll start with 2014 draft picks. To what extent can we expect improved contributions from Smith II, Huff, Watkins, Hart, Reynolds?

    2013 draft guys who have yet to contribute; Barkley and Wolff.

    Guys who were laying down on the job all year or by the end of last year; Najee Goode, Travis Long, DeMeco, Barbre.

    Dudes hanging out on the roster and not really doing much in terms of non-special teams contributions; Acho (who the F can’t beat out suicide candidate Casey Matthews for playing time??????), all of the backup O-line leftovers who collectively failed to play to the level the coaches hyped them up to last pre-season, Burton, Tucker.

    Guys who don’t belong on the roster. QUACK! – Barner.

    So who out of this mix of guys should we expect to be more useful next year, thus keeping us from having to rely on a free agent and/or draft pick at those positions?

  230. 230 botto said at 8:42 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    HUFF!

  231. 231 Media Mike said at 8:43 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    I’d love to see it. Especially because Maclin is no sure thing to be on the roster.

  232. 232 Mitchell said at 8:43 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    What are you……….. “Huffing?” LOLOLOLOL

  233. 233 Insomniac said at 8:46 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    MSII

  234. 234 Media Mike said at 8:51 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    Getting an 8 sack year out of him in the Brandon Graham role would be “par” for him.

  235. 235 Bleedgreen said at 8:47 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    Great post. Looking at that list, it’s difficult to be confident counting on any of those players. Huff is probably the one player to make the biggest jump, but I can’t count on any of the other guys to make major contributions. I also think Matthews will take a major leap forward.

    I think this is all the more reason to be aggressive in free agency. We’ve developed a good core of players (Cox, Barwin, Jenkins, Maclin, McCoy, Kendricks, Logan, etc…) and now it’s time to bring in players that can help transcend the team. On the defensive side of the ball, we don’t have any rookies from last year to count on. Go get some game changers in free agency.

  236. 236 Media Mike said at 8:51 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    Thank you. I just figured it would be useful to think about what, if any, in house guys we have to step up rather than adding free agents if it can be avoided.

    We need to be somewhere in between Dream Team and Norman Braman in spending.

  237. 237 Bleedgreen said at 9:00 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    I’m not old enough to remember the Norman days. I was too young to remember (I’ve heard a lot about it though). I do think players like Kendricks, Cox and Logan will take the leap to the upper echelon players in their respective positions but last year’s draft class, other than JM, doesn’t inspire much confidence – which is why I think they should fill holes in free agency. No need to go all “Dream Team” but they do need to be players in free agency this year, in my opinion.

    My ideal offseason would be to use the draft on o-line, inside backer, and the future in the secondary. But I would use free agency to fill the immediate holes – ie secondary and OLB.

  238. 238 BreakinAnklez said at 9:44 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    You aren’t confident that anyone will get better…except Huff. But no one else, except also Matthews…make up your mind!

  239. 239 Bleedgreen said at 9:47 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    MediaMike didn’t mention Matthews in his post so that’s why I worded it the way I did. I could have articulated better – my bad.

  240. 240 KAJomo said at 8:48 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    I expect Huff and Matthews to bith make pretty good jumps. I think all of the rookies will imrpove really. Smith will work his way into the rotation as will Hart. I think Wakins is our future nickle corner.

    I really want to see Ertz improve his blocking. If he does he will improve the TE position as a starter.

    I dont think we’ve seen the best of fletcher cox, Lane Johnson, or Kendrick yet either. I think the arrow is pointing up for us. We just need to hope our older veterans dont fall off a cliff before we can find their replacements.

  241. 241 Media Mike said at 8:49 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    I’d love to see that. Especially Ertz being more useful in blocking.

  242. 242 Anders said at 4:35 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    I think Smith, Huff, Watkins and Hart will all be solid rotational players, none of them will be pro bowl type players next year tho.

    I think Barkley might be replaced this year and I think Wolff will be a great 3rd safety for us after he gets fully healthy.

  243. 243 Raul Estrada said at 8:45 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    A.J. Hawk was released by the Packers. What does he have left?

  244. 244 Media Mike said at 8:49 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    A year to play ILB next to Kendricks while we work Anthony from Clemson into the lineup for 2016.

  245. 245 Raul Estrada said at 8:49 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    I’ll take it.

  246. 246 Anders said at 4:33 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    I rather have Goode and Casey Matthews than Hawk

  247. 247 GermanEagle said at 8:52 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    Becoming more and more convinced daily that the Eagles are trading up to #1 prior to the draft. [Jimmy Kempski]

    Please don’t let it become true! Because if the Eagles trade up to #1 we can certainly kiss goodbye to our first and second rounders this and next year which makes watching the Draft basically meaningless for me…

  248. 248 botto said at 8:54 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    #1? that means we get Winston

  249. 249 Media Mike said at 8:55 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    barf

  250. 250 botto said at 8:56 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    he’s better then MM right? better qb I mean

  251. 251 KAJomo said at 8:57 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    For our system probably not. Mariota is built for our offense.

    If you run a classic pro style offense than winston is more pro ready.

  252. 252 botto said at 8:59 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    I forgot! we have a college offense! haha. jk

  253. 253 Media Mike said at 8:58 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    For now, I guess. But he’s still a rapist off the field and a Jay Cutler level dumb INT factory on it.

    I want no parts of Winston.

  254. 254 botto said at 8:59 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    but why number 1 and not number 2 or 3?
    we know tampa takes Winston right?

  255. 255 Media Mike said at 9:01 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    That’s the $64,000 question. There was a great article on MMQB by Greg Bedard talking about how a lot of the Jameis praise by Lovie as nothing even close to a guarantee that Tampa is taking him.

  256. 256 botto said at 9:02 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    but they do have a pro offense, so it makes more sense for sure.
    I can’t wait to see this play out.
    and for foles to go off this year

  257. 257 Greg Richards said at 9:05 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    TB’s new offensive coordinator is Dirk Koetter, who comes from ATL. ATL had a traditional pro style QB in Matt Ryan and that would point to Winston over Mariota. However, Koetter has an extensive coaching history with Oregon HC Mark Heilfrich. The Bucaneers also hired Mike Bajakian as their new QBs coach. Bajakian has a background in the spread offense(along with previously being a quality control coach in Chicago when Lovie was HC there). Those factors might point to Mariota. No one knows.

  258. 258 botto said at 9:12 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    uh oh

  259. 259 KAJomo said at 8:54 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    We would trade foles to recoupe some of that.

    I would be willing to give (2) 1s, a 2nd, a 3rd, and vinny curry. We can then trade foles for a 2nd & 3rd. We’d get Mariota and still have a total of 8 picks this year. Next year we would be down our 1st, but would still have the rest of our draft

  260. 260 botto said at 9:03 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    our first next year would be pick 32 so who cares right?

  261. 261 GermanEagle said at 9:10 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    The Bucs would want Foles in that trade…

  262. 262 KAJomo said at 9:14 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    Then they cant have the 2nd & 3rd.

    I actually like the Jags as a trade up partner. Vinny Curry become Gus’s Michael Bennett. They can draft Eli Harold at 20 to be his Bruce Irvin. Then They have (2) 2nds and (2) 3rds plus (2) 1st next year. They dont need foles, but take a huge step forward with this trade.

  263. 263 Greg Richards said at 9:02 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    A lot more likely IMO that we’d trade up to 3-5 than 1-2. Going up to 1 or 2 from 20 would cost way, way too much. I think the clue to whether they move up or not will be how aggressive they are in trying to re-sign Sanchez. If you’re trading up for Mariota, you want to trade Foles to re-gain draft picks. You’d then need a veteran QB and you’d want some stability. That would point to re-signing Sanchez to a 1 or 2 year deal at around $4-5M a year.

  264. 264 Insomniac said at 9:10 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    Trading up for Trae Waynes!

  265. 265 GermanEagle said at 9:12 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    Puh, I thought for Paul Dawson for a minute…

  266. 266 unhinged said at 8:41 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    Trading up for Dante Fowler!

  267. 267 botto said at 9:13 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    our first rounder would be the number one pick this year and number 32 next year, no biggy

  268. 268 GermanEagle said at 9:18 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    Sorry, my bad. I’d actually watch the Draft for 10 minutes before watching an episode of Orange is the new Black on Netflix. A bunch of lesbian convicts would be more exciting than waiting for the Eagles to be on the clock again…

  269. 269 Anders said at 4:33 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    Well I rather know I get Mariota than watching the Eagles draft Danny Watkins and jaiquawn jarrett

  270. 270 GermanEagle said at 5:52 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    I rather keep Foles and spend my resources elsewhere than roll the dice with an unproven commodity when your secondary looks like ground zero.

  271. 271 Anders said at 6:05 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    So you do not want to upgrade the QB position with an unproven commodity, but you expect the secondary to be fixed by this unproven commodity (of worse talent)?

  272. 272 GermanEagle said at 6:54 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    It all depends on the opportunity costs. If the Eagles can pull a trade similar to what the Jets did when they traded up for Mark Sanchez by only giving up their 1st and 2nd, then I wouldn’t object of course.
    However if Jimmy Bama’s gut feeling turns out to be right then the costs for trading from #20 all the way up to #1 will be exorbitant.
    I can understand Chip’s love for his lost son, but I am not sure if I could understand to mortgage the future for him.
    But as I said: it will come down to cost. Simple as that!

  273. 273 anon said at 8:23 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    if you don’t have a qb you’re cooked. see the rams.

  274. 274 bill said at 8:47 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    And if you always put your all your eggs in one basket while not building up the rest of the team, you can be a laughing stock for a long time. Like the Browns and Potatoes. You can even be right about a QB prospect, but ruin him by putting in bad positions with a lot of pressure. I’ll go this far: If they draft a QB first round or second this year, I bench them if Tobin, Molk, and Gardner are manning the interior for any games. I’d rather start Brad Smith at QB than destroy such a valuable asset’s confidence like that.

  275. 275 GermanEagle said at 9:19 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    I am still not ready to write off Foles.

  276. 276 SteveH said at 9:20 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    I’m going to go on record now and say that if we give Byron Maxwell a big time deal, it’s going to be viewed as a poor decision down the road. I don’t think that he will be a Nnamdi sized disaster, but I think outside of Seattle Maxwell is not going to do well. I think we’ll look back on this one and say we didn’t get what we were looking for from him.

  277. 277 Greg Richards said at 9:23 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    My limit for him is $8M a year. I wouldn’t give him a $10M a year contract.

  278. 278 wee2424 said at 9:48 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    Ill go in between that and say 9m.

  279. 279 A_T_G said at 11:38 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    Free agency isn’t just about what a guy is worth, though. There is a poor planning tax as well. That two million difference may be good value assessment, but it only is the right thing to do if you can spend it in some other way that improves the team more than the player in question. So, over the next 3 years, is there somewhere 6 million can be better spent? I am not sure there is.

  280. 280 wee2424 said at 9:52 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    If you really watch him, and im not just saying his highlights, you see that he acctually is a very good corner. Great at jamming and then really sticks with the WR. Good at run support and good tackler. If he does get beat he will make the tackle. Playing with Sherman doesnt help him. It means the QB will throw at him more then Sherman. Its not like he has 2 safeties behind him. The skill of Sgerman and Maxwell is what allows them to hace Chancellor always be in middle or box.

  281. 281 BreakinAnklez said at 9:53 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    Yea, that and the fact Earl Thomas can cover the entire field behind them in the blink of an eye.

  282. 282 wee2424 said at 9:56 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    Yes Thomas is a great FS with great range. However you do have to give the CBs credit. Do you think Thomas would be as good without them in front? It goes both ways.

  283. 283 BreakinAnklez said at 10:30 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    Yea I do. I think Thomas is key to that secondary. He would be outstanding anywhere. He covers so much field and allows Seattle to keep Kam up near the LOS. It also allows Sherman and Maxwell to be aggressive at the LOS because if they get beat, Thomas is there to clean it up.

  284. 284 wee2424 said at 10:43 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    He is great. I dont disagree that he is amazing. However you cant sit there and tell me that great corners dont help safeties. If that were the case then screw Sherman and his huge deal, just insert an average corner and save money for other positions. Ill say this again. If you watch Maxwell you will see that he is a very good corner. Are you telling me Revis doesnt help Chung and McCourty? In case you missed, with Browner and Revis in front of him Chung had a really good season. The same Chung that bombed with bad CB in front of him. Vincent and Taylor didnt help Dawkins? Brown, Litto and Asante didnt help Dawkins? Having good corners helps a safety, having good safeties helps a corner. Thats undisputable. Put Thomas in back of Fletcher and Williams, bet he doesnt look as great. He has amazing closing range. That doesnt mean he can be two places at once.

  285. 285 unhinged said at 8:37 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    “The hip bone’s connected to he thigh bone…” Undisputable. Even indisputable. A shored up LB core will do wonders for ANYBODY behind them.

  286. 286 A_T_G said at 11:34 PM on February 25th, 2015:

    It is such a shame we never had a chance to get a safety link Thomas. I guess you can only play the hand you are dealt, though.

    (Lalalalalalala I can’t hear you lalalalala)

  287. 287 SteveH said at 12:46 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    Sure, I still think if he signs big money here he will be considered a failure when all is said and done. Not Nnamdi sized (that would be hard to match) but a failure none the less. Just a feeling I have.

  288. 288 wee2424 said at 1:18 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    Can i ask why? Is this based on some type of evidence that you see, or is this just a stomache feeling?

  289. 289 anon said at 1:32 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    Experience based on every other DB that’s been here in the last 5 years. We have a new coach who, hopefully, is good, but it’s almost like Philly is where CBs go to die.

  290. 290 wee2424 said at 9:08 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    Then really its just unbiased fear. We all knew Williams and Fletcher wouldnt be great. DRC and Nnamdi just blew up. Besides that we have had years of great CB play. Saying Maxwell will suck because Nnamdi is just stupid. By all accounts Asante should have sucked then….

  291. 291 GEAGLE said at 12:14 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    Jason Worilds – LB – Steelers
    A league source confirmed to ESPN Steelers reporter Scott Brown that the team plans to let free agent OLB Jason Worilds hit the market.
    Worilds has 15.5 sacks over the last two seasons, but the Steelers will let the open market establish his value. As a 27-year-old pass rusher, Worilds’ market should be strong despite the fact that he wasn’t seen as a core defender in Pittsburgh. Disappointing 2013 first-round pick Jarvis Jones is currently the Steelers’ only outside linebacker signed for 2015.-roto

    ok so far we have recent intel suggesting Worlids, McPhee and Sheard all are said to be reaching the open market, Nice to have some decent options… stay away from Moragan and Orakpo…

  292. 292 Anders said at 4:31 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    I rate them Sheard -> McPhee ———————————–> Worilds

  293. 293 GermanEagle said at 4:50 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    Lol. I rate them the exact opposite. Think you’re over valuing under achiever Sheard big time….

  294. 294 Media Mike said at 5:14 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    If you look at what you can expect to get back for what you pay, Sheard might be the best option. I’m not paying Worilds that much money for 8 sacks a year.

    If I’m breaking the bank at OLB, the guy better be a 16 sack player.

    Sheard would be the more prudent signing. Especially if he comes in for the money (4 years / $24 million) that Graham walked away from.

  295. 295 GEAGLE said at 11:14 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    i think you are seriously under rating sheards price tag… i dont believe that any edge rusher we talk about as an Eagle free agent target will end up signing for less than 20 mil in Guarantees… Id bet the money Sheard will get, will be much closer to what McPhee and Worlids end up getting on the open market… I dont at all view sheard as some option thats 4 million dollars cheaper. He is too good of a player, and his position is naturally one of the most expensive ones so id bet that both Sheard and BG end up wih more than a 4yr 24 mil contract….. more like 4yrs, 32mil, 20 in guarantees for Sheard, which shouldnt be much more then what McPheeand worlids end up getting… I think people are overating what the edge rushers will end up getting. i doubt teams are really going to pay Mcphee 10 mil a year.. Think McPhee,BG,Sheard and Worlids will all be in the 7mil to 8.5mil range per year, with none of them getting less than 20mil guaranteed

  296. 296 Anders said at 5:34 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    and Worilds isnt underarchieving? Sheard is the 3rd guy on his team right now play for disfunctional Browns. Worilds was the main guy playing for Dick Lebeau and did shit.

  297. 297 GermanEagle said at 5:43 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    Rubbish. His stats ain’t shit.

  298. 298 Anders said at 5:45 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    For a guy who played majority of the snaps, only getting 15 sacks in 2 years is shit.

  299. 299 GermanEagle said at 5:53 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    Then your definition of shite is different to mine.

  300. 300 GEAGLE said at 7:47 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    yeah i been a big fan of sheard, but way too much underachieving in his career to view him as #1 target for us,… he has yet to really put together a season i would expect his talent level to produce. he cant be our top pass rush target in such a quality edge rush market… i view them the opposite as well…our backup plan IMO should be sheard

  301. 301 Media Mike said at 5:14 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    I’m with you when we’re talking costs for each guy.

  302. 302 anon said at 12:33 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    Would anyone be interested in a Marques Colston if he were to be released? Great size, route running, red zone, often injured though….

  303. 303 GEAGLE said at 12:40 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    no…. not taking snaps away from the POPE who will make secondaries HIS BITCH in year 2…

  304. 304 Mitchell said at 12:44 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    I’d let him eat crackers in my bed. We need as much RZ help as we can get.

  305. 305 Media Mike said at 5:06 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    I can’t seriously answer any questions about the WR group until I see if Maclin is here or gone.

  306. 306 GEAGLE said at 12:39 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    Jarryd Hayne – WR – Free Agent
    Australian rugby star Jarryd Hayne plans to pursue a career in the NFL.
    Hayne just turned 27 and stands a rocked-up 6-foot-2 and 220 pounds. He’s drawn interest from the Lions, Seahawks, and 49ers and plans to sign with a team by next week. It’s unclear what position he’d play in the NFL, but the expectation is he’ll compete as a return man and special teamer. Hayne was the National Rugby League’s player of the year in 2009 and 2014. There’s an 11-minute highlight clip at the link below that is well worth watching.
    Related: Lions, Seahawks, 49ers
    -roto

    surprised chip isnt interested knowing he leave no stone uncovered in his search for football players..

    Ricky jean francois is said to be visiting the Seahawks

    Jaguars are rumored to try and sign Donkey-Kong Suh, julius Thomas, Randall Cobb(also connected to raiders)

    ozzie newsome reveals that players with domestic abuse history wont be on the ravens draft board, so no DGB for Ravens..

  307. 307 the DONALD said at 8:47 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    jags could use a little Bush in their lives too..

  308. 308 Mitchell said at 12:47 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    Holy cow Drummond had 10 3/8′ hands! He ran a 4.65 but his vert was 39.5, I think he just had an off day on his 40.

  309. 309 GermanEagle said at 7:08 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    With that hand size he should easily be able to play QB of the defense.

  310. 310 GEAGLE said at 12:51 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    we cut james Casey ande we have to think Celeks career is winding down. physical player who has been living in the trenches battling since chip took over. not sure how much longer he can be such a warrior before his body starts breaking down. Celek is an iron man who has a ton of mileage on his tires after not missing many games to injury in his career.
    ..
    im sure the eagles would love to be able to sign a young TE to a not too rich contract who is a perfect fit for a chip team like Virgil Green, but he probably wont reach the open market and i dont see too many other young available who chip would view as a fit like this kid, so where is the 4th TE coming from? is there another free agent possibility, or is that 4th TE coming via the draft? doubt we would only carry 3 TEs with us not having any Fullbacks to play ST, so we need to carry 1 TE more than teams that carry FB’s… dont like going into the draft NEEDING to draft a TE, but there are one or two who wont go in round 1 that i think pretty highly of… .. ..my only hope for Virgil is Kubiaks Obsession with Owen Daniels, bringing him to the broncos but its still a long shot that elway would let a young talent like virgil get away… next on my wish list would be jesse James

  311. 311 Media Mike said at 5:05 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    Hopefully Ertz improves in his blocking. Celek should be able to provide another season of “producing” 32 catches while blocking well. I’m just irked that we’re paying $4.8 mil for that in 2015 and $5 mil for that in 2016. Celek needs a reduction in salary by half. Burton should continue to slap people around on special teams and should be able to contribute more as a blocker this year.

    I’m good with drafting a TE anywhere from 3rd through the end of the draft to add to the mix.

  312. 312 GEAGLE said at 1:09 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    its almost March, by now are teams done poaching coaches or is there still time to possibly lose our assistants? not sure how long we will be able to keep Crazy eyes as our ST coach, and knowing how important chip views ST, i think its safe to assume ST play will be a big consideration in putting together our roster.,..as long as Fipp is here with Chip i expect to see another elite ST unit.. maybe not #1 like last yearm but doubt we would fall past #5 with Fipp still here.,… dont know how much longer we get to keep him, and we should be taking advantage of the last year paying our QB chump change to put together a team we can try to take a run with….. but from the 1st two free agencies, i cant feel to confident that the eagles will be one of the big free agent winners this year, there is no precedent for a big free agency with chip in town,…. i know who i want uys to sign but i cant help worrying that we will see some other bullshit free agent haul, average, nothing special. something underwhelming like:
    1) Davon House CB
    2)Marcus Gilchrist Safety
    3) Brooks Reed OLB/ILB
    ….
    those are 3 solid addittions that will contribute to an improved defense but not a good enough Haul to make enough of a difference for it to matter…. i just dont feel confident that we will pay free agents more than the guys in our locker room are making…. i really really really hope im wrong because not adding any impact free agents would really be horrible… this is year 3, time for results!!! dont feel too confident

  313. 313 anon said at 1:41 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    Draft day needs to get here. Are we moving all the way to 1 or 2? Are sports writers just messing with us? Is it worth all of those picks? Is it less bad if we’re picking 22 or later every year?

  314. 314 Media Mike said at 5:02 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    One or two is only worth whatever the draft points chart says. If we pay more than that, I’ll be upset. I wouldn’t pay $325,000 for a house that appraised at $275,000 just because I liked it.

  315. 315 anon said at 8:18 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    good point

  316. 316 Bert's Bells said at 9:42 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    What if the seller was asking for $350,000 and there were no other houses on the market?

  317. 317 ACViking said at 9:44 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    Some people confuse principle with judgment

  318. 318 A_T_G said at 10:00 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    I think I am going to borrow that line in the future.

  319. 319 RobNE said at 9:49 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    when you refi, appraisals are not worth much. I’ve had them come in quite low and then quite high, neither being reflective of true fair market value.

  320. 320 bill said at 9:56 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    Go watch any court case involving land valuation (condemnation, takings, etc.) and you’ll see just how subjective appraisals are. I was involved in a case where two very respected appraisers were on opposite sides, opining on value of a tract of undeveloped land. One side came in at $75k; the other, $7.5M.

  321. 321 A_T_G said at 12:20 PM on February 26th, 2015:

    This isn’t a metaphor for the draft anymore, is it? You guys are just talking about actual property values, right?

  322. 322 bill said at 12:58 PM on February 26th, 2015:

    🙂 Maybe. The point (if I really have one) is that people underestimate the amount of subjectivity the exists in almost every valuation judgment. That amount of subjectivity is what allows a market to exist in the first place.

  323. 323 A_T_G said at 2:50 PM on February 26th, 2015:

    Whoa! You just brought it full circle, Good Will Hunting-/Dead Poet Society-style. I cede the floor.

  324. 324 A_T_G said at 9:56 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    To extend the metaphor, if the buyer thinks the house fits his family’s needs perfectly, puts them in the right neighborhood, they will live their long enough to make the price difference digestible, AND the house in question is unique in these traits, then yes, you pay what it takes and walk across the threshold carrying the Lombardi trophy. Wait, I lost the metaphor on that last part.

  325. 325 Insomniac said at 1:53 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    I just saw Kevin White mocked to the Giants…oh god no. They’ll have the best WR core in the league if they got him.

  326. 326 GermanEagle said at 4:47 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    Or Skins. White – Desean – garçon would not be fun. That’s why I’ve been preaching for the Eagles’ no 1 goal this off season: pony up in the secondary!!!

  327. 327 Media Mike said at 5:02 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    With nobody to block and nobody to defend. I don’t care if they clone Jerry Rice and draft him with their first pick; they’ll still suck next year.

  328. 328 eagleyankfan said at 8:25 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    predicting DJ wasn’t exactly calling the next apocalypse. There were several signs pointing to that separation. People knew there was some issues with DJ.
    …..
    what exactly is Kempski seeing that’s pointing him towards that move up to number 1? Gut feeling?

  329. 329 Anders said at 8:26 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    Jimmy had sources, while there was problems with Jackson, there was zero indications of a flat out cut.

  330. 330 eagleyankfan said at 9:02 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    separation was far gone conclusion though. Cut/traded didn’t matter…

  331. 331 Anders said at 9:24 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    I remember most people talked about restructure, but in no way was there anything about a separation

  332. 332 unhinged said at 1:47 PM on February 26th, 2015:

    DJ had flat out refused a restructure. He wanted more money. I could believe HR leaking to Jimmy (off the record) that DJ is gone, because months prior to DJ’s departure, HR publicly stated that you cannot build an elite franchise if you sink too much capital into one position, and he added that the Eagles were the number two franchise IN THE NFL in WR contacts as a percentage of total expenditure.

  333. 333 A_T_G said at 9:24 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    I think you are underselling it. People roasted Jimmy for even suggesting that the team was unhappy with a star player that made everything else work.

  334. 334 eagleyankfan said at 10:25 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    true — most of us did — most of us have no clue…lol…

  335. 335 sonofdman said at 10:38 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    This latest tidbit from Jimmy reminds of the Jackson thing last year, in that he says he has a feeling that something will happen, but does not say that he was told this by a source. That’s what was interesting about last year…sometimes it seemed like he was just reading the tea leaves, but his confidence that he was right (and the fact that he turned out to be right) revealed that someone had told him something.

    That is why I think there is something to the trade up. Once again, he says he has a feeling, but I think his feeling is likely based on a tip from some well connected source, even if he is not reporting it as such.

  336. 336 anon said at 8:30 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    hard to tell if he’s trolling us with the post.

  337. 337 eagleyankfan said at 9:04 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    Part of me wants it to be true..lol..part of me doesn’t…being mediocre year in year out is a killer. Something different needs to be done. I still say Chip does something this offseason to shock us…to pull this off though would be monumental.

  338. 338 A_T_G said at 9:22 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    I have these same feelings. The rational side of me says that it is not sound practice, but there is a voice arguing that making smart, well managed decisions has produced predictably slightly above average results, maybe it is time to get a little crazy

  339. 339 RobNE said at 9:48 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    it just all depends on the price. Jumping up that high seems crazy (for Tampa to go that low), so we are all assuming we give up an insane amount.

  340. 340 eagleyankfan said at 10:24 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    I guess it depends … it’s rare they’ll find great value in the draft always picking in the 20’s. IF this Mariota guy is that great — is it worth giving up a couple 1st round picks in the 20’s?

  341. 341 RobNE said at 10:57 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    well Peter King (who granted, doesn’t know anything about anything) says Eagles trade with Redskins and give up their 1st and 2nd in 2015 and first and I think 4th in 2016. I would support that, if Chip wants. I don’t think that is a crazy deal.

  342. 342 GEAGLE said at 11:02 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    crazy for a team like the skins that paid 3 times that to move up a couple spots for RG3… how bad do they look taking less compensation to move down 15 spots to #20 then they paid for moving up a couple spots to #2?

    i dont believe any of this nonsense, but im not doing the silly QB debate anymore, so have at it boys…

  343. 343 eagleyankfan said at 10:32 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    There’s been articles saying the goal of Chip is “greatness”. Now Chip has the steering wheel all to himself. Time to shine….

  344. 344 unhinged said at 1:30 PM on February 26th, 2015:

    I think mediocrity is the calling card of the NFL, but I cannot agree that it fits the Eagles. In two seasons the defense has gone from being a joke to being a couple of pieces away from excellent. We led the league in turnovers but put up points despite that. That is movement and progress that belies a mediocre tag, and if we only take from this off-season the equivalent of what we took last off-season, we will be better than we are now, which is better than75% of the league.

  345. 345 eagleyankfan said at 1:54 PM on February 26th, 2015:

    NFL does breed mediocrity — But this is Chip — who demands excellence. Going to be interesting for sure..

  346. 346 Mitchell said at 9:36 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    It sucks because since he got the Jackson thing right, we have to constantly guess if he is joking or telling the truth.

  347. 347 ACViking said at 9:42 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    He makes his living as a journalist. I’m not sure it’s in his professional interest to act like 12 year-old.

  348. 348 Mitchell said at 9:46 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    Have you seen his illistrations!??!?!

  349. 349 eagleyankfan said at 10:12 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    your kidding right? Unless there is news 100% of the time, which is impossible, journalist(of all levels) troll all the time…

  350. 350 ACViking said at 2:44 PM on February 26th, 2015:

    No.

    I’m not kidding.

    When Kempski jerking people around, he says so.

    As for his drawings, they look like they’re done by a 12 year-old. But they make a point.

  351. 351 BreakinAnklez said at 10:43 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    I’m on the fence as well. If Chip wants his guy, I want to do it…but it’s a lot to give up when thinking about the big picture. This would be so much easier if our oline stayed reasonably healthy and Foles never got hurt.

  352. 352 anon said at 10:47 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    agree, literally the worst situation.

  353. 353 unhinged said at 1:19 PM on February 26th, 2015:

    More than once, Eagles FO and Chip too have mentioned how Seattle is a model for us. If that still holds, we will be trading not up, but back, collecting more draft picks this year and next, and using our new braintrust to snag future starters on days 2 and 3. Do we want a possible franchise QB OR do we want a championship team? Choosing the former will drive way up the odds against achieving the latter.

  354. 354 GEAGLE said at 10:59 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    i assume its just click bait.. Peter King and someone else mocked us moving all the way up for Marriotta in the past few days so now everyone is running with it…. these are the first mocks we are really seeing with trades added in, so basically King made a Mock that had the eagles trading up to 5 that looks very different from all the other mocks which is basically just another Click bait technique….., so now people are taking it and running with it as if they have any real intel whatsoever that would allow them to say that we will moved up to the top 5 to draft Marriotta…. doubt anyone in our media has a piece of concrete info that says we are trying to move up that high…just the typically lazy baseless speculation mostly used as click bait…. just a silly media assumption, no different then the offseason everyone was telling us that Foles would never play for chip and that he would be traded because he couldnt run fast enough smh….

  355. 355 unhinged said at 1:12 PM on February 26th, 2015:

    I know this is all history, but I still believe and always will believe that DJ’s departure was allaboutthemoney. The talk of culture and that BS about gang affiliations were ALL inferred by folks in the press, and the Eagles never confirmed or denied any of it, so they really don’t care what conclusions anybody draws.

  356. 356 D3FB said at 12:24 AM on February 27th, 2015:

    That’s actually what Jimmy’s original article was about.

  357. 357 daveH said at 10:56 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    can someone please put Casey Matthews spider chart up???
    I got a good CUT but couldn’t get a PASTE into the comments to workie

  358. 358 RobNE said at 10:58 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    it’s blank, just the outline of the chart with nothing inside it.

  359. 359 porkrind1 said at 11:35 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    It’s actually just the outline of the chart with *almost* nothing inside it. :^)

    His almost average 40 time is actually hidden by the crazy low attributes on the adjoining categories, so there’s that…

  360. 360 porkrind1 said at 11:37 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    And the image isn’t showing up for me either…
    Here: http://mockdraftable.com/player/481/

  361. 361 porkrind1 said at 11:37 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    It worked! Just pasted the url link into the comment.

  362. 362 GEAGLE said at 11:51 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    is this spider chart a joke, or is it really possible we drafted a kid with this type of spider chart and assumed he could start at middle linebacker day one as a rookie? this cant be his real spider chart lol even for Mathews it cant be THIS bad lol…

  363. 363 anon said at 11:58 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    yeah there are HS athletes that would put up better numbers.

  364. 364 A_T_G said at 12:16 PM on February 26th, 2015:

    To be fair, his chart looks the most like an actual spider.

  365. 365 Bert's Bells said at 12:13 PM on February 26th, 2015:

    Where’s the “Dinner Conversation” measurable?

    Oh it’s not there -because it’s OFF THE CHARTS!

  366. 366 D3FB said at 12:23 AM on February 27th, 2015:

    To be fair, he went into the bench with a minor strain and hurt it during the reps, that’s why his bench was so low, they must be pulling the 40 from the pro day, and it also doesn’t have any other of the drills such as 20 yard shuttle or 3 cone that would he would have performed better in.

  367. 367 porkrind1 said at 3:30 PM on February 26th, 2015:

    Kendricks chart.
    http://mockdraftable.com/player/161/

  368. 368 anon said at 11:11 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    http://www.bleedinggreennation.com/2015/2/26/8113805/nick-foles-autographed-merchandise-sale-eagles-online-store

  369. 369 Mitchell said at 11:48 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    Something’s coming.

  370. 370 A_T_G said at 12:14 PM on February 26th, 2015:

    They probably want to get rid of that stuff before the switch back to Kelly Green.

  371. 371 GEAGLE said at 12:16 PM on February 26th, 2015:

    they have to inform the league of uniform or color changes like two years before it actually happens

  372. 372 bill said at 1:00 PM on February 26th, 2015:

    Maybe. Or maybe they’re trying to clear an overhang in inventory that they accumulated based off of last off-season, when Nick was the hot item. After this past season, I assume there are a lot fewer fans dying to get Nick Foles stuff.

  373. 373 Flyineagle45 said at 11:26 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    If P.willis is released would u get him and see if chips smoothies could help?

  374. 374 Javi Echie said at 11:49 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    Would absolutely go after Willis. When healthy be is still a stud.

  375. 375 Anders said at 11:52 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    Hell I would trade for him

  376. 376 unhinged said at 1:01 PM on February 26th, 2015:

    2 questions: Who would you give up to get him? Would he be our starting predator?

  377. 377 GEAGLE said at 1:13 PM on February 26th, 2015:

    predator? he would play Meco’s position

  378. 378 anon said at 11:56 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    thought he was thinking about retiring

  379. 379 anon said at 11:27 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    Todd Herremans gone.

  380. 380 BreakinAnklez said at 11:41 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    Beat me to it. Just saw that on PFT

  381. 381 GEAGLE said at 11:49 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    crazy that i just wrote a post about this like a day or two lol hope i didnt jinx the todd father…

    wonder how the Eagles are going to address replacing our starting Guard. i would hope they dont go into the draft needing to draft one high, but the problem is Guard is one of the few positions that are plug and play. you can actually draft a guard high and play him as a starter where you cant trust too many other positions to be able to handle that.

    is a starting caliber RG being signed to pair with Lane.. or will we go into the draft desperate for a guard?

  382. 382 Anders said at 11:52 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    We have Babre and Tobin looked good in pre season before that nasty high ankle injury

  383. 383 GEAGLE said at 11:59 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    i thought Tobin looked terrible when he switched to the right side. looked much better on the left, tho i havent put in the time to really watch him closely so i could be wrong.. but i thought there was a big drop off when he moved to the right side….. If im not mistaken I dont think Barbre has played RG for us yet has he? he played on the left side when he got in games in 2013… this past year we had him in Lanes spot for a minute and then he got hurt, dont think we have ever seen him at RG yet… so i would not be comfortable losing a starting RG for tobin and Barbre… will chip be comfortable enough with them to risk going into the draft needing to draft a starting Guard? meaybe… but id rather not see us go that route. if you are going to cut herremans going into an important year i would hope we replace him with a younger starting Guard in free agency…
    ..
    love to see us snatch up Iupat even tho he played in a different system, i think his talent transcends schemes and can play for any offensive line in the nfl

  384. 384 Anders said at 12:00 PM on February 26th, 2015:

    Tobin was forced to play RG on a bum ankle and Babre can easily play RG for us

  385. 385 GEAGLE said at 12:03 PM on February 26th, 2015:

    not my idea of a starting offensive lineman going into a very important season… hoping they trade Foles so i dont even have to care about the offense

  386. 386 Anders said at 12:18 PM on February 26th, 2015:

    Who is there in FA who is better than those two and can play in a zone scheme? Nobody and unless you get one of the top guards in the draft, shouldnt expect the rookie to play in way

  387. 387 GEAGLE said at 12:27 PM on February 26th, 2015:

    Iupati can play in any scheme. the fact that he comes from a different scheme doesnt change that…what did the broncos offense under Peyton run with Olando Franklin? also have to see the unexpected roster cuts…
    ..
    at the end of the day this is like the one starting spot i dont care if we have to fill in the draft, i just dont like having to go into the draft desperate for a certain position. and you become even more desperate if you have to not only find a quality player to fill a need, but a polished one who can handle playing immediately as a rook… if i get my way and Foles is the QB, its too important of a year to friggin short change him on the OL..and if all the crazy people get there way, they might want to have an elite OL if they are batshit crazy enough to want to replace Nick with a Rook

    if you are going to start a rook at guard, it better be Grasu or Fisher who will handle the transition to our tempo easier than most

  388. 388 anon said at 12:35 PM on February 26th, 2015:

    I hope they aren’t targeting a certain player in the draft, we all know how that goes. I wonder if chip was really looking to draft this position early last year and it didn’t happen.

  389. 389 Greg Richards said at 12:39 PM on February 26th, 2015:

    There was an epic run on OL late in the 2nd round an in the 3rd round. Roseman basically said it killed him not to draft one. I think they were targeting Spencer Long in the 3rd round but the Texans nabbed him. If not Long, our targeted guys obviously got taken before we had a chance at them.

  390. 390 GEAGLE said at 12:46 PM on February 26th, 2015:

    very very very true…

  391. 391 Alistair Middlemiss said at 12:19 PM on February 26th, 2015:

    Think we have enough between Tobin/Babre to not splash serious free agency money on a guard. Think they will pick up another Tobin/Mathis type FA (athletic guy who has not achieved in another system) and then look to the draft.

    I am getting to the point where i think we will see 4 offensive players in the first 5 picks, OT, OG, WR and RB.

  392. 392 Anders said at 12:21 PM on February 26th, 2015:

    I had a mock draft where we went

    1st: Hundley
    2nd: Fischer (trade up)
    3rd: Mapert
    4th: Conley

    and I would be perfectly happy about it

  393. 393 GEAGLE said at 12:28 PM on February 26th, 2015:

    id throw up

  394. 394 Anders said at 1:10 PM on February 26th, 2015:

    Outside of Hundley, what is the problem?

  395. 395 GEAGLE said at 1:11 PM on February 26th, 2015:

    defense matters

  396. 396 GEAGLE said at 12:31 PM on February 26th, 2015:

    hope foles gets traded. dont want to see him play with a short changed OL in such a crucial year, but i can def see your scenario playing out…..unfortunately.
    ..
    for me the trenches are everything, and there is no other position you should strive to become dominant at than on the OL or DL outside the QB of course… then again a dominant OL can even make a QB look better, where as you need an elite QB like Peyton to make the OL look better….`
    ..

  397. 397 anon said at 12:37 PM on February 26th, 2015:

    Either we have a plan or we’re going straight rebuild mode.

  398. 398 GermanEagle said at 12:33 PM on February 26th, 2015:

    Well not bragging about it but I called this week’s ago!

  399. 399 anon said at 12:36 PM on February 26th, 2015:

    Every eagles fan/reporter has bemoaned Todd. Question was always whether they’d do it. Be interesting to see what happens with Meco.

  400. 400 GEAGLE said at 12:43 PM on February 26th, 2015:

    they wont dare touch Meco

  401. 401 anon said at 12:48 PM on February 26th, 2015:

    I’m hoping not – he’s one of my favorite players.

  402. 402 GEAGLE said at 12:42 PM on February 26th, 2015:

    good, im glad for you to take the credit…. i dont like being right about this. thats all you lol.. sad sad day even tho i understand why it needed to be done

  403. 403 GermanEagle said at 1:51 PM on February 26th, 2015:

    Agreed. Would rather have been wrong about this move.

  404. 404 Cafone said at 11:54 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    probably gang ties.

  405. 405 doublgee said at 11:58 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    He would’ve gotten away with it…http://bit.ly/1828caB

  406. 406 Bert's Bells said at 12:10 PM on February 26th, 2015:

    Double up vote.

  407. 407 anon said at 11:42 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    eagles clearing out a lot of cap space.

  408. 408 Mitchell said at 11:48 AM on February 26th, 2015:

    And to further the questions, Tommy’s next post is taking longer than usual….. something is up!!!!!!!!!1111

  409. 409 RobNE said at 12:30 PM on February 26th, 2015:

    he’s on the phones working the TRADE.

  410. 410 Alistair Middlemiss said at 12:21 PM on February 26th, 2015:

    Does not look good for Williams/Trent if they are getting rid of Toddfather for 2.8mil relief.

  411. 411 GEAGLE said at 12:34 PM on February 26th, 2015:

    id get rid of Todd for not being able to count on his body holding up with all the acrued mileage and injuries two of the last 3 years…id do the move more for not wanting to ask him to become a back up and sit the bench for us, more than I would do it to clear some cap

  412. 412 Greg Richards said at 12:35 PM on February 26th, 2015:

    Mosher tweeted that people shouldn’t assume that Cole will be released. Both sides want to come to terms on re-worked deal.

  413. 413 GEAGLE said at 12:40 PM on February 26th, 2015:

    with them looking like they wont be spenders in free agency this year, lowballing guys like BG.. think the eagles will definitely keep cole now… because it allows them to not pay elite pass rusher, allowing them to go with a cheaper Brooks reed signing. Boooooooooooo!!!!!!

  414. 414 Greg Richards said at 12:47 PM on February 26th, 2015:

    So, are we Houston North or are they Philly South?

  415. 415 unhinged said at 12:48 PM on February 26th, 2015:

    I think it’s more a righteous gesture of respect if they knew they were looking to replace him, and foregoing a charade that would hurt him much more than the team. Can’t assume that same attitude holds true for anyone else. Cary’s current cost is too high, and his status will be more dependent on the market, and Trent might be willing to restructure, which would be good all around.

  416. 416 RobNE said at 12:01 PM on February 26th, 2015:

    I know a secondary desire is to give the player who is cut the time to find another team, but why cut players prior to replacing them? Do we not want Todd back under any conditions?

    Why make cuts so early, just wondering.

  417. 417 Anders said at 12:03 PM on February 26th, 2015:

    They make em for guys, so they have longer to find a new home.

    We already had replacement for Casey and Todd in Ertz/Burton and Barbre/Tobin

  418. 418 A_T_G said at 2:02 PM on February 26th, 2015:

    Right. It shows respect for the guys you are cutting. That matters when the pool of potential employees is small and all talk to each other.

  419. 419 Greg Richards said at 12:04 PM on February 26th, 2015:

    Barbre is the placeholder at RG but we’ll likely fill that slot in FA or the draft. My initial thought was Orlando Franklin or Clint Boling, but Stefen Wisniewski is an intriguing option. Fixes RG and you also have your backup center.

    He’s struggled the past 2 years in pass pro and I understand letting him go, but mad props to Herremanns for a great Eagles’ career.

  420. 420 GEAGLE said at 12:06 PM on February 26th, 2015:

    more concerned with his injuries two of the last 3 years than his level of play… but hopefully this will be an opportunity to upgrade and get younger on the OL… herremans has been a warrior for us, and put alot of mileage on those tires.. hard to count on his body not breaking down moving forward…hopefully he lands on his feet with andy in KC are baltimore with Juanita

  421. 421 anon said at 12:33 PM on February 26th, 2015:

    Sad that you don’t see players retiring with their teams anymore, that said gotta do what’s right for the eagles.

  422. 422 Greg Richards said at 12:13 PM on February 26th, 2015:

    James Casey has had or will have visits with 7 teams, unless he agrees to sign with a team before he completes all his visits. Cardinals, Broncos, Browns, Titans, Bengals, Redskins, Jaguars. Casey was by no means worth $4.0M, but it would have been nice to keep him for around $1.5-$2M a year. He chose to find a team where he could have a bigger role.

  423. 423 Anders said at 12:17 PM on February 26th, 2015:

    No way the Eagles draft Paul Dawson

    “• On reports of LB Paul Dawson’s “character concerns” that have hurt his NFL stock: “Is he a knucklehead, was he late, one of those guys? I just think that’s his personality. Do I think he’s a bad person, no. Do I think he’s a good player, yes. Do I think he’ll lose a lot of money in the NFL in fines if he doesn’t change a couple of those ways? Yes.” Patterson cited an example of Dawson showing up for a team event before the Peach Bowl in a white polo shirt when the team was supposed to be wearing black polos. “That’s Paul,” Patterson said. “Him and I have a good relationship.””

    http://www.foxsports.com/southwest/story/tcu-qb-boykin-to-undergo-wrist-surgery-022515

  424. 424 BreakinAnklez said at 12:25 PM on February 26th, 2015:

    Talented player…hope he grows up soon. He’s losing $ by the day.

  425. 425 GEAGLE said at 12:38 PM on February 26th, 2015:

    definitely doesnt sound like the type of player chip can ask to use a certain path not stepping on the grass at novacare.
    ..
    plus his 180lb ass doesnt make him an ideal 3 down rb in todays game anyway… someone will still pick him up looking to catch lightning in a bottle with another Burfict..

  426. 426 anon said at 12:39 PM on February 26th, 2015:

    Sounds exactly like a pro-bowler that was kicked off the team. Pass.

  427. 427 humbledicksherman said at 12:18 PM on February 26th, 2015:

    Today is a sad day for all Eagle fans Worldwide, I just read that our Toddfather will be cut. You gotta love his hard work, determination and all the great moments where he bled green for our city. He will be missed. Good Luck Todd.

  428. 428 A_T_G said at 1:58 PM on February 26th, 2015:

    Hopefully he has been squirreling away some of his salary for a rainy day. I would hate to learn he is living in a van down by the river.

  429. 429 anon said at 2:45 PM on February 26th, 2015:

    That’s the best way to save money.

  430. 430 wee2424 said at 8:13 PM on February 26th, 2015:

    I think he is part owners with Celek on a bar/restraunt in Philly. He takes me as the responsible type.

  431. 431 wee2424 said at 8:15 PM on February 26th, 2015:

    Was sad to fiind out the news. He was such a staple on that team, underrated player and i will always have love/respect for him.

  432. 432 Mitchell said at 12:31 PM on February 26th, 2015:

    Daniel Jeramiahs most recent frat has us taking Byron Jones at 20. HIs work out numbers are great and he has a damn good jam but pick 20?!?! Dupree was taken at 27.

  433. 433 GEAGLE said at 12:35 PM on February 26th, 2015:

    fuck THAT!… passing on Dupree at 20 would be insanity