Free Agent Leftovers
The Philadelphia Daily News - Eagletarian
Free Agent Leftovers
Paul Domowitch, Daily News NFL Columnist
Some quick Tuesday thoughts, along with an updated look at what’s left on the shelves of the NFL free agent market:
* Tra Thomas is about to find out the same thing Hugh Douglas did a few years back: playing pro football in Jacksonville is like doing Shakespeare in Fargo, North Dakota. You aren’t in football-crazy Philadelphia anymore, Tra. The Jags are an afterthought down there, with college football and NASCAR occupying the hearts and minds of the region’s sports fans. Enjoy your newfound privacy. You could change your name again and it would be six months before anybody down there realizes it.
* I still don’t understand why the Eagles had no interest in former Ravens center Jason Brown when he became a free agent. Either they have a plan for the center position that I’m not seeing yet, or they were a lot more impressed with the play of Jamaal Jackson last season than I was.
* With the signing of Stacy Andrews and the likelihood of his brother moving outside, left tackle won’t be the Eagles top priority in the draft. Running back will be. While the Birds insist that they have no concerns about Brian Westbrook’s knee, all they have to do is look at what happened to Shaun Alexander and what is happening with LaDainian Tomlinson to know they’ve got to find a potential successor to the 29-going-on-30 running back, and find him fast. If they have an opportunity to get Georgia’s Knowshon Moreno, UConn’s Donald Brown or Pitt’s LeSean McCoy in the first round, they’ve got to do it.
* The latest outrageous act of cost-cutting by the NFL occurred last week when the Jets announced that they were forcing 60 business-side employees to take 2-week unpaid furloughs this spring. The announcement came less than a week after the Jets signed free agent linebacker Bart Scott to a 6-year, $48 million deal that included $22 million worth of guarantees. What’s wrong with this picture? If NFL teams want to cut costs, how about they consider trimming the obscene size of their coaching staffs or hold the league meetings later this month in a cheaper joint than the $600-a-night St. Regis Resort in Dana Point, California. And, oh yeah. Maybe the owners could cab it from the airport instead of shelling out dough for a limo.
On to the free agency leftovers:
QUARTERBACK
--Byron Leftwich, Steelers
--Jeff Garcia, Bucs
--J.P. Losman, Bills
--Rex Grossman, Bears
--Kyle Boller, Ravens
RUNNING BACK
--Deuce McAllister, Saints
--Michael Pittman, Broncos
--Dominic Rhodes, Colts
--Warrick Dunn, Bucs
--DeShaun Foster, Niners
FULLBACK
--Leonard Weaver, Seahawks
--Terrelle Smith, Cardinals
--Lorenzo Neal, Ravens
--Mike Karney, Saints
--Justin Griffith, Raiders
WIDE RECEIVER
--Marvin Harrison, Colts
--Reggie Williams, Jags
--Miles Austin, Cowboys
--Ronald Curry, Raiders
--Drew Bennett, Rams
TIGHT END
--L.J. Smith, Eagles
--Ben Troupe, Raiders
--Tony Curtis, Cowboys
--Bubba Franks, Jets
--Mark Campbell, Saints
OFFENSIVE TACKLE
--Mark Tauscher, Packers
--Jon Runyan, Eagles
--Khalif Barnes, Jaguars
--John St. Clair, Bears
--George Foster, Lions
GUARD
--Mike Goff, Chargers
--Pete Kendall, Redskins
--Chris Naeole, Jaguars
--Elton Brown, Cardinals
--Floyd Womack, Seahawks
CENTER
--Eric Ghiaciuc, Bengals
--Jeremy Newberry, Chargers
--Cory Procter, Cowboys
--Melvin Fowler, Bills
--Nick Leckey, Rams
DEFENSIVE END
--Bertrand Berry, Cardinals
--Demetric Evans, Redskins
--Kalimba Edwards, Raiders
--Vonnie Holliday, Dolphins
--Anthony Weaver, Texans
DEFENSIVE TACKLE
--Tank Johnson, Cowboys
--Shaun Cody, Lions
--John Thornton, Bengals
--Dewayne Robertson, Broncos
--Ellis Wyms, Vikings
INSIDE LINEBACKER
--Kevin Burnett, Cowboys
--Nate Webster, Broncos
--Napoleon Harris, Vikings
--Paris Lenon, Lions
--Zach Thomas, Cowboys
OUTSIDE LINEBACKER
--Marcus Washington, Redskins
--Cato June, Bucs
--Derrick Brooks, Bucs
--Angelo Crowell, Bills
--Clark Haggans, Cardinals
CORNERBACK
--Leigh Bodden, Lions
--Chris McAlister, Ravens
--Jabari Greer, Bills
--Eric Green, Cardinals
--Deltha O’Neal, Patriots
FREE SAFETY
--Mike Brown, Bears
--Will Demps, Texans
--Josh Bullocks, Saints
--Marlon McCree, Broncos
--Pierson Prioleau, Jaguars
STRONG SAFETY
--Roy Williams, Cowboys
--Darren Sharper, Vikings
--Keith Davis, Cowboys
--Nick Ferguson, Texans
--Tank Williams, Patriots
*
To read our earlier post with Donovan McNabb's comments about the departed Eagles, click here.
no Beanie Wells on your list?— potus
It is being reported that the eagles are having Rashad jenning, RB Liberty in for a workout today.— flyer77- I am hoping the Eagles draft 2 running backs- 1 that looks like Westbrook and 1 with more weight and power. Beanie sould do. Seems like he is dropping.— Chuckle Berry
Comment removed.- Weaver as a fullback would be a nice signing. He's solid. Don't draft Wells. Big 10, aka Slow, Unathletic Conference.— Phils2Repeat
- Jabari Greer signed with the Saints last week.— StopThePanic
- Actually, Jason Brown's agent said the Eagles DID have an interest in Brown. His exact quote was, "They (the Eagles) called us a little past midnight on the first day of free agency, but it was too late by then. I wish we'd have known they were interested sooner." Translation: We wish the Eagles would have done what about 90% of the teams do and contact us before FA--we know it's tampering but we won't tell if you won't tell.— bobbyuk
- From Ray Parillo's 2/28/2009 article on the Stacy Andrews signing: But the Eagles could not duplicate that success when their attempt to talk with center/guard Jason Brown, considered the top offensive lineman on the free-agent market, was cut short. Brown agreed to a contract with the St. Louis Rams last night. His agent, Harold Lewis, said the Eagles were among the first teams to inquirer about his client when free agency started at 12:01 a.m. yesterday. But the Rams called first. "The Eagles showed some really strong interest in Jason, but we had no inkling until midnight passed," Lewis said. "Who knows? Maybe if they'd have called first, they'd have had the first chance to talk. Jason is not the kind of guy who wants to take a tour." Lewis said the Eagles told him they needed work on the offensive line. "And they thought Jason Brown was the premier offensive lineman available out there," Lewis said. ---- Good to see you're on top of things going on with the football team here in town Domo.— mxianieri
- and the eagles continue to do nothing! More money in the pockets of the FO.THIS IS SICKNING!— Leannern
- Comment removed.
- Memo to bobbyuk and mxianieri: Don't believe everything an agent says.— domo
- The Eagles should take a look at Andre Brown, a rb from NC State. 6ft, 228lbs. He had a good senior bowl,had 25 receptions in 8 games his senior year, ran a 4.47 40 at the combine which was 4th fastest among running backs.— dagipe
- Yes, they should draft Moreno/McCoy/Brown in the 1st round. None of them will still be available at their 2nd round pick (#53) and they can't gamble waiting till then or later in the draft to get their RB of the future. I predict their other pick in the 1st round will be Pettigrew (TE) or Nicks (WR), two guys they like a lot who would contribute right away. Yes, that's both 1st round picks at skill positions! I don't buy into the common rant that Reid/Heckert don't value the RB or LB positions enough to use 1st round picks on them. This year the needs at RB and TE are too great to wait till the 3rd round. The Eagles would love to upgrade at C, but I doubt if they would start a rookie there while Jamaal Jackson is healthy. They'll still probably draft a G/C sometime soon after the 1st round. I thought I read that they did try for Jason Brown, but were too late. I wonder if it might have been a case where there was too much on their plate with the Hanson, Dawkins and OT situations. Even if that was so, that doesn't reflect well on the FO.— NEMark
- Add Orlando Pace to the list and go get him.— mikemaddog
- Does anyone really believe that the Gold Standard is going to make two first round picks? The Gold Standard is going to trade one of them to either move up in this year's draft or get somebody's first round pick next year. The Gold Standard is going to draft a position that they already are solid at(Defensive Tackle or Cornerback) because they need depth. We have been through this enough times. The Gold Standard will not draft a running back or tight end in the first round because Joe Banner knows better than his fans what his team needs. My friends, the Gold Standard is on the decline and I think that a 6-10 or 5-11 season will be what we get for 2009.— syddan26
- Can someone please explain me this, "Why is it that the Cardinals can pay, more money to their players and make it tp the SuperBowl with One Superstar Receiver(yes Fitz is out of this world, Anquan is not their #1 receiver) and they're a small market compared with Philly. Andy I hope you can read this WE ARE NOT THE PATRIOTS, WE NEED RECEIVERS WHO CAN CATCH THE BALL. Avant, and DeSean are the only good receivers we got. GET ANOTHER RECEIVER AND A RB TO COMPLEMENT B-WEST.........— tonygreeneagle5
- He's old, remember?— Dawks4Prez
- Orlando Pace is more broken down than Tra Thomas. Come on, the Rams just dumped him! Money wasn't the only reason. The guy is finished. Let some other team like Denver overpay for another aging star.— StopThePanic
- Yea, if they sign McCalister, he and westbrook could enter into a 3 legged race. We need a young, undamaged, stud RB!— brinkmang
