IS PRACTICING OUR FREE THROWS
Andy Reid says Brian Westbrook will be "out of his mind ready to go" for the 2009 season and I believe that. But he’s still going to be 30 in September, and he’s still got a chronically wounded knee that’s only got so many Pro Bowl-calibre carries left in it.
So, no matter how upbeat the Eagles coach is about Westbrook, I’m here to tell you they absolutely, positively will be taking a running back with one of their two first-round picks next month’s draft.
The only question is, which one? Georgia’s Knowshon Moreno? UConn’s Donald Brown? Ohio State’s Chris "Beanie" Wells? Pitt’s LeSean McCoy?
Moreno is considered the best of the four and probably won’t make it down to the Eagles’ first pick at No. 21. But with 12 draft picks, they have more than enough ammo to move up 6 or 7 spots and get him without losing their other first-round pick.
"I’m intrigued with him just because he’s so tough," NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock said of the 5-10 ½, 198-pound Moreno. "He’ll do whatever they ask him to do. He’s shown me on tape that he’ll block people. He’ll run. He can catch the ball."
A lot of Eagles fans like the 6-1 ½, 237-pound Wells because of his size. He’s easily the biggest of the four first-round-worthy backs. But Reid has made it clear he doesn’t care about size. And their recent signing of fullback Leonard Weaver has made him care about it even less. Plus, the jury’s still out on Wells’ hands.
"He’s big enough to block," Mayock said. "He’s tough enough (to block). But you’re probably looking at him more as a first and second down guy. It’s hard to tell about his hands because they didn’t use him much (as a receiver) except for checkdowns. And that doesn’t tell you much."
McCoy? Probably is the fastest of the group and is a terrific pass-catcher. But there are questions about his willingness to block.
"I put the tape on of LeSean McCoy and he doesn’t want to block on anybody on third down," Mayock said. "Doesn’t mean he can’t, because I’ve seen him a couple of times do it. The question is will he do it consistently."
Then there’s the 5-10 ½, 210-pound Brown. The Eagles like him. He’s fast. He can catch the ball. And he’s a willing, if not accomplished, blocker.
"I like him a lot," Mayock said. "He’s not a real good pass protector today. But I think he’ll try. He’ll cut people. I’ve seen him go after people. With him, it’s just a matter of teaching him how to do it."
My gut feeling right now? Probably not Wells and probably not McCoy. Maybe they trade up for Moreno. Or maybe they stay put and take Brown with one of their two picks. But they will take one of them.
Some other random thoughts from the NFL meetings in Dana Point, Calif.:
* Have I mentioned before how despicable I think it is that the NFL, which has eliminated more than 300 jobs league-wide through layoffs and buyouts and has forced other employees to take unpaid furloughs, is holding these meetings at the $600-a-night St. Regis Resort? I have? Well, the NFL owners are in good company. A few weeks ago, AIG executives slept in the same beds they are sleeping in this week during one of their junkets.
* The league will announce the prime-time games for its Kickoff Weekend Monday.
* The Eagles aren’t expected to be awarded any compensatory draft picks by the league this week for free agent losses last year. They currently have 12 picks in next month’s draft, including two in the first round.
*
To read our earlier post on Eagles cornerback Jack Ikegwuonu and his comeback from knee surgery, click here.
Les
Bowen has covered the Eagles for the Daily News
since 2002.
Before that, he spent nearly 13 years covering the Flyers. It took Les
only a few seasons after the switch to figure out that there was no
penalty box at the Linc, and that the time really wasn't his, despite
what Andy Reid kept saying. Les came to Philadelphia and the Daily News
from Charlotte in 1983. In the intervening years, he has pretty much
lost track of NASCAR, and his accent. He, his wife Barbara, and their
two sons live in Haddon Township, New Jersey.
E-mail Les at bowenl@phillynews.com
and follow
him on Twitter.
Paul
Domowitch has been with the Daily News since 1982.
He has spent most of his nearly 3 decades with the paper covering the
Eagles and pro football. For the last 10 years, he’s been a
selector for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. A native of Wilkes-Barre
and a graduate of Wilkes University, Domo started his career in Texas,
working first for the Midland Reporter-Telegram (1976-78), and then for
the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, where he covered some god-awful Texas
Ranger baseball teams. His first beat at the Daily News actually was
boxing, which he covered just long enough to lose 2 sports coats to
blood spatter before moving on to football. Domo and his wife Shelley,
a University of Oklahoma grad who still hasn’t gotten over
that Fiesta Bowl loss to Boise State 5 years ago, have 2 terrific
daughters -- Allison, 28, who is an attorney in South Jersey, and Amy,
25, who works in administration for a professional baseball team.
E-mail Domo at PDomo@aol.com and follow
him on Twitter.
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