Tuesday Night Update

Posted: July 26th, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 32 Comments »

Quintin Mikell signed with the Rams.  His deal is 4 years, $28M.  Clearly that is a bloated total, but I’m happy for Q.  This is his only big NFL payday.  I want him to get every penny he can.  Some wonder why the Eagles let him go.  It wasn’t just about age.  The Eagles simply weren’t as high on him as outsiders are.  I know some sites have him highly ranked, but Safety is a complicated position and you can’t fully appreciate what he does well or messes up simply by watching a game on TV.  You need to know the full story.  Q was a good player for us overall and I wish him well.

* * * * *

Stewart Bradley told Les Bowen that the Eagles have not ruled out bringing Stew back.  I don’t know who to believe on this one.  The agent wants other teams to think the Eagles are interested.  If the Eagles aren’t, that makes the other 31 teams wonder about Stew and hurts his value a bit.  The flip side is that it seems weird for the Eagles to make a blanket decision not to bring back any free agents.  I don’t think the door is 100% shut on Stew, but my bet is that the Eagles are only willing to offer him a 1-year deal.

* * * * *

So what’s up with the Kolb saga?  Pete Prisco of CBS Sports Line tweeted tonight that he’s hearing the Cardinals are still trying to figure out the compensation for Kolb.  The Eagles have made their desires known.  Now the Cards are either making a counter-offer or trying to decide if they feel the price is right.  I still think this gets done.  Adam Caplan makes a key point in regard to the Cardinals and QB.  They think Kolb solves the situation for years to come.  That’s one reason he’s such an intriguing target.

A lot of people went nuts when Seattle signed Tarvaris Jackson.  Clearly, to them, that signaled that Seattle had pulled out and was done with asking about Kolb.  Maybe.  That doesn’t make full sense, though.  More likely is that Seattle was told that the deal was going to stay between Arizona and the Eagles.  Think about it.  Plan A is Kevin Kolb, a good passing QB.  Plan B is Tarvaris Jackson, a runner who has failed to stand out when given time to start.  Does that sound likely?  Jackson has never thrown for more than 249 yards in a game.  He’s been in the league since 2006.  My take is that Seattle saw Kolb as a legitimate starter.  He was primary target.  When they were told to beat it, the Seahawks didn’t have a true option B so they got a player they were familiar with and saw him as a band-aid.  They’ll have to address QB next March.

* * * * *

Jay Glazer says that MLB Paul Posluszny will sign with the Jaguars.  He’s a good fit for them.  Glazer is almost always accurate with his scoops so I’m betting that’s where Poz ends up.

Plaxico spent most of Tuesday talking to the Giants about returning.  Weird.  I just didn’t see that coming.

Both of the Andrews brothers are now unemployed.  My heart aches for them.

* * * * *

Donovan McNabb may or may not be going to Minnesota.  He would have to agree to a new deal.  This is going to be tricky.  Donnie, like all vet QBs, has an ego.  He won’t want to take less money to babysit Christian Ponder.  And I still think Donnie can be a good starter.  The problem is that he just doesn’t have good options.  I get a bad feeling that things are going to be downhill for him.  Sucks.  I hope he can find some team that will give him a chance to be “the guy” again.  Washington made him the starter, but playing for Team Shanny was unlike anything Donnie ever expected.  Didn’t know how good he had it in Philly.

* * * * *

The Eagles signed UDFA running back Noel Devine from West Virginia.  Real interesting player.  At times in his career he looked like a great player.  Averaged more than 8 yards per carry as a Freshman.  Put up big numbers the following 2 years, totaling 2,754 yards and 17 TDs.  Workhorse back with big play ability.  Had a down Senior season.  Ran for just 936 yards.  Didn’t impress at the Senior Bowl.  Weighed in at only 160 pounds.  That’s kinda like going to a job interview in shorts and an old t-shirt with pudding stains on it.  Devine was up to 179 by his Pro Day.  Ran well there (mid 4.4 range).

Devine can be very elusive.  He makes great cuts on the move and can kill defenders.  He’s small, but proved to be durable at WVA.  Only had 4 games in his final 3 seasons with less than 12 carries.  Finished his career with 861 touches (rushes, receptions, KORs).  Devine is deadly when you get him out in space.  Could be great on screen passes.  He’s got to show he can block at the NFL level.  That is key for him.  Great value as UDFA because he absolutely has NFL ability.  Good fit for the Eagles wide open offense.

I need to write out a full post on what’s happening at RB.  Color me confused.  We’ve got Shady, Buckley, and 3 rookies.  There’s also Stanley Havili, another rookie, who is a RB/FB tweener.  Very odd mix.

* * * * *

Tony Pauline said on Twitter that the Eagles considered taking TE Martell Webb late in the draft.  Interesting to hear.  Do we see him as a blocking TE or someone to convert to OL?

* * * * *

Nnamdi update.  The Jets made contact with him.  Ravens cleared a bunch of cap space and may talk to him.

32 Comments on “Tuesday Night Update”

  1. 1 D3Keith said at 10:09 PM on July 26th, 2011:

    Tommy,
    These were my first two thoughts on Stew too:

    “The agent wants other teams to think the Eagles are interested.” and ” I don’t think the door is 100% shut on Stew, but my bet is that the Eagles are only willing to offer him a 1-year deal.”

    I think that could be the case with a lot of the guys we said we wouldn’t re-sign. Not Mikell or Harrison obviously, but if Stew doesn’t find anything better, or if Dmitri, Akeem and Sav are still out there in a week or two, they could be options. I don’t see any of them having too many suitors, but who knows?

    Didn’t Seattle also get Leinart?

    Aren’t there plenty of FA RBs from which to choose? Including a bunch of ex-starters that might be great fits but want more carries that we can give?

    I’m not that disappointed about today’s news. This is still fairly riveting stuff IMO

  2. 2 Ben said at 10:10 PM on July 26th, 2011:

    Eskin said on Wip today that he heard that tarvaris jackson was goin to sign with seatlle for the last 2 weeks

  3. 3 Cliff said at 10:15 PM on July 26th, 2011:

    As soon as Nnamdi signs somewhere, Eagles Nation is going to ERUPT in anger, despite everyone seeing this coming.

  4. 4 Tom said at 10:16 PM on July 26th, 2011:

    Tommy-

    Any thoughts on the Eagles signing Willis Mcgahee? Seems like he would solve short yardage and red zone issues. Also take some of the beating off Vick and McCoy in those spots…

  5. 5 D3Keith said at 10:20 PM on July 26th, 2011:

    Re: McNabb,
    since he has to renegotiate to get the deal to Minnesota to go through — and that’s about as good a landing spot as he can hope for, as most QB-needy teams are way more disheveled — I wonder who else is showing interest in him.

    Because if he refuses and the Redskins break down and cut him, then he has his pick of landing spots, but I bet the renegotiated money would be better.

    I just wonder how Fletcher approaches this, slow-play-for-the-most-money or hurry-up-and-get-him-out-D.C.-at-any-cost?

    Would be amusing if, as a final piss-off to Shanny, he refused, got released, then signed with Minnesota anyway, leaving the Redskins without compensation.

  6. 6 Tommy Lawlor said at 10:21 PM on July 26th, 2011:

    RE: McGahee

    I’m not a big fan of his. Not the sharpest knife in the drawer. Could be a good role player for us.

    RE: Tamba Hali

    Someone asked me if Hali might be a target. He got the Franchise Tag from KC and isn’t going anywhere.

  7. 7 D3Keith said at 10:26 PM on July 26th, 2011:

    @Cliff,
    You really think so? I think many of us have come around off Nnamdi — depending on the price tag of course — and onto DRC. Others love Joseph or Ike if it helps sign another player.

    It’s always a safe bet that some of us Eagles fans will overreact to any one single move, but with regard to free agency, it’s sort of smart to wait til all the chips fall into place and then judge, and I give Eagles fans in general credit for being smart enough to know that.

  8. 8 netherman said at 10:28 PM on July 26th, 2011:

    @mcud ~continuation of Howie discussion in last thread:

    Wanted to respond to your post as I still feel it is too early to say Howie has been bad. First to your points:

    a. Doesn’t matter how “close” he got to getting Peppers. We didn’t get him. If only wishing made it so. ~I would agree more if we had a shot talking to him and let him leave without a deal. I don’t know there was any way short of throwing stupid money at him that he leaves Chi without signing a deal.

    b. The “Shark In the Water” was a flop. And we all know Howie loved him. ~mmm can’t argue with that, but it was a risk/reward deal and I don’t expect every one of those to work out. That said, it wasn’t like Sims did not already have a reputation for having poor instincts before coming here.

    c. Tapp didn’t set the world on fire by any means, while the guy we traded for him outperformed him. Plus, it also cost us a 4th rounder. ~I chalk this up to Sean’s inability to utilize the strengths of his players, and this problem was not unique to these two individuals. I still like Tapp on our roster so I am not ready to call that a bad trade.

    A couple things I would add:

    d. I don’t know that we can conclusively say it, but it seems like Roseman does not have that same feel for the draft the way Heckert did for when people would come off the table. Seems like we have just missed a few times on players falling to us. However, that is purely my speculation, and something that over time he may develop.

    e. I thought the Schmitt, C. Anderson, and Calvin pickups were decent. Not rock stars but considering when we got them, I felt like we got good production.

    I think the jury is still out on him, but I would say he has had mixed success in his early career.

  9. 9 eagles nut said at 10:35 PM on July 26th, 2011:

    Maybe Seattle is playing this coy. Even though they’ve “agreed to terms” with Jackson, these deals aren’t official until Friday. So maybe right now their offer isn’t to the Eagles liking but maybe they try to slip in under the wire in a couple of days if Kolb still isn’t in Arizona. Then pull that offer to Jackson off the table.

  10. 10 mcud said at 10:40 PM on July 26th, 2011:

    @Eaglesnut

    Man, that would be dirty.

  11. 11 piercit said at 10:40 PM on July 26th, 2011:

    Barret Rudd looks like he may be available. I wouldn’t mind seeing him as a MLB for the Eagles. He can play the deep 2.

  12. 12 Tommy Lawlor said at 10:41 PM on July 26th, 2011:

    Interesting tweet from Brian Mitchell (works in DC radio):

    Had a conversation with McNabb. Contrary to what’s being reported, he’s not holding up the trade, skins are. Won’t be there tomorrow.

  13. 13 Daryl said at 10:54 PM on July 26th, 2011:

    Hey Tommy, do you feel that Charles Johnson is worth the deal he got, or did the Panthers give him an inflated deal because of the salary floor? 6 years 76 million is absolutely crazy for a guy with one good year under his belt.

  14. 14 Sebastian said at 10:57 PM on July 26th, 2011:

    Tommy,
    Was Cliff Arvil tagged or tendered? If not wouldn’t he make a nice target? Maybe too pricey?

  15. 15 Tommy Lawlor said at 11:01 PM on July 26th, 2011:

    Charles Johnson got a huge deal. Hard to say if he’s too overpaid. 2010 was only hear as a starter. He played real well. Before that he was a good backup. Looks like an ascending player who can play at a high level.

    I think they were smart to sign him. CAR needed to convince fans, guys like Steve Smith that they were serious about competing. They aren’t as bad as some fans think. CAR has talent.

  16. 16 Tommy Lawlor said at 11:02 PM on July 26th, 2011:

    RE: Cliff Avril

    UFA I think. Rotational guy. Could be of interest. I’m still thinking Babin, but others are convinced we’ll go after Ray Edwards.

  17. 17 Arby said at 11:06 PM on July 26th, 2011:

    Agreed about Stew – agent and team playing a value game. Same with the Giants and Plax – is the interest really mutual or are they using each other to influence the final deal/destination? Just guessing, of course…

  18. 18 Name said at 11:19 PM on July 26th, 2011:

    Avril is a RFA. 1st and 3rd round tender. Same draft class as Bryan Smith. 2008. We actually took Smith 2 or 3 spots ahead of Avril

  19. 19 eagles nut said at 11:20 PM on July 26th, 2011:

    I’m “Name”above. Forgot to type in my user name.

  20. 20 Tommy Lawlor said at 11:34 PM on July 26th, 2011:

    Report from Phoenix sportscaster Tim Ring on Twitter:

    SOURCE: Eagles tring to squeeze Cards for a 1st round pick plus DRC. Cardinals currently offering DRC and 2nd. Man, that’s a rough call.
    ___________________

    Take DRC and the 2nd. The 1st would be nice, but let’s not be too greedy here.

    Ike Taylor re-signed with PIT.

  21. 21 mcud said at 11:39 PM on July 26th, 2011:

    @Tommy

    Throw in another pick (maybe the extra 4th we have), or a player (Parker).

  22. 22 nzflyer said at 11:47 PM on July 26th, 2011:

    totally agree with mcud.

    Throw in a late round pick to get the first from them!

  23. 23 Tommy Lawlor said at 11:48 PM on July 26th, 2011:

    That’s another way to look at it. Eagles could sweeten the pot a bit. Juqua Parker would be good fit at OLB/DE for them.

  24. 24 Stephen said at 12:18 AM on July 27th, 2011:

    I’m still holding out hope that its Kolb for Peterson strait up.

  25. 25 Dr. Ogrodnick said at 12:22 AM on July 27th, 2011:

    at least the Bucs are using their massive caproom to drive up the price on Free for the Cowboys, or possibly even stealing him away.

  26. 26 Tommy Lawlor said at 12:31 AM on July 27th, 2011:

    Free re-signed with Dallas. Probably cost quite a bit. Good job by the Bucs, as Doc Ogrodnick pointed out.

  27. 27 Baloophi said at 12:37 AM on July 27th, 2011:

    RE: Kolb trade

    To quote about 50 Star Wars quotes… “I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”

    Perhaps it’s the expectations going in but this deal (or lack thereof) is starting to take on a peculiar odor.

    In other news, there should be spirited competition for return jobs. That will push your Chad Halls and Jorrick Calvins in their positional spots.

  28. 28 ATG said at 12:56 AM on July 27th, 2011:

    Okay, I just got done splitting cheesesteaks with Howie and Andy ( I got an entire half to myself.) It turns out the holdup in the Kolb deal is we are overseeing the Peterson contract talks before they send him our way. Additionally, if Jackson doesn’t show for practice tomorrow we are going to add him into the deal in exchange for Fitz and Arizona’s next two first rounders, meaning we would have their top pick from this year and their next two.

    Also, Howie likes Swiss on his cheesesteaks, almost beyond belief, isn’t it?

  29. 29 Steve said at 1:13 AM on July 27th, 2011:

    @ATG

    Good for Howie. Cheesewiz is disgusts me. It doesn’t take like cheese. It just tastes like salty cream. I usually get American cheese on mine.

  30. 30 Tommy Lawlor said at 1:55 AM on July 27th, 2011:

    @ ATG…

    That is beyond belief. Wiz, Wit.

    Thanks for the football update as well.

  31. 31 eagleizeit said at 2:45 AM on July 27th, 2011:

    What if we gave them Kolb and our 3rd rd pick for their 1st, 4th, 5th and DRC. If there’s one rd. we almost always draft terribly in it’s the 3rd anyway.

  32. 32 eagleizeit said at 2:54 AM on July 27th, 2011:

    Actually our 3rd for their 1st, 4th and 7th besides the player swapping.