CAN HEAR CLEARWATER CALLING
UPDATED: The Eagles announced three roster moves this afternoon, signing wide receivers Jordan Norwood and Dobson Collins, and center A.Q. Shipley each to three-year contracts. Norwood was active for one game this season for the Birds and was on the practice squad. Collins was signed to the practice squad in late October after being released by the 49ers practice squad. Shipley, who like Norwood is a Penn State product, spent the season on the Steelers' practice squad after being drafted in the seventh round.
EARLIER: Andy Reid was asked again if Donovan McNabb will be his quarterback next season, during Reid's post-mortem Monday, and again he answered that McNabb would.
"I was asked [after the game] if Donovan will be my quarterback next season and I said yes," Reid said today. "That’s what I’m saying now [as well]. Asked if it will be his decision to make, Reid said: "That is my call."
"Donovan is a great player. His work over the last 11 years has proven that. I truly believe it’s a team sport and it’s not all about one guy."
Asked if the questions from fans and observers about McNabb's future are justified, Reid said, "I don’t know what the questions are. I haven’t heard any questions other than what I was asked in here [during press conference]. I’m not out to analyze anything else. I was asked if it was my decision. It’s my decision. That’s what it is."
McNabb would be playing on the final year of a contract that was revised last June.
"I will get on that down the road as we go," Reid said. "He got a nice little kick for the next few years here in salary. I don’t think that will be a problem."
Asked if McNabb would be comfortable playing in the final year of the deal, Reid said, "I don't know that."
Reid said he was glad to be asked about the status of the quarterback position with McNabb, Kevin Kolb and Michael Vick.
"I respect that and feel very fortunate to be in that position. I don’t want to give up any of them. I like them all ...
"Can Kevin Kolb play in the National Football League? Absolutely. Can Kevin Kolb be a starter in National Football League? Absolutely. The other two guys have proven that. They’ve been top quarterbacks in this league for years."
Kolb also goes into the final year of his contract next season.
"We’ll look at all this," Reid siad. "I haven’t gotten to that point where I’m comparing players and contracts. We like Kevin Kolb. We like Michael Vick. We like Donovan McNabb. It’s a pretty good situation to be in as we go into the offseason."
Vick has been clear that he thinks he is ready to start, even if that means going somewhere else. Reid lauded Vick for turning his life around and the way he conducted himself with the Eagles. Reid said he would be surprised if Vick did not want to start.
"I know he wants to start," Reid said, "but I don’t think he would be disappointed [to come back].”
Other subjects:
Overall: "We’re disappointed the way the season ended here. We all thought we’d still be playing and all worked toward that. That again will be the things that drive us through this offseason to become a better football team. We all need to do a better job coaching and playing. The evelaution process started yesterday. I start with myself first and the coaches, and then the roster ... I did appreciate the effort by the team that they put forward. We did some good things. I was proud of some of the guys that stepped in and played when called upon to do so. They gave it their best shot, but again, collectively, all of us, need to do a better job. We’re surely not satisfied with what took place, particularly the last two games."
On matching up with the Cowboys: "It gives us a good measuring stick of where we need to be. The Cowboys were a better team. It's my responsibility that the Eagles get back to that level and even better. That’s what our goal will be this offseason ...You know what the Cowboys are and you see what the changes are with all the teams. You want to make sure you are the best football eam you can possibly be. Not just competing with one team."
On coaching changes: “I’m starting with me and then going through the coaching staff and then the roster. I’ll look at that very closely. After we played the other day, god doggone it …”
On Sean McDermott: “He’s not into excuses. I’m not into excuses. In replacing a legend in Jim Johnson at the time that it took place with a very limited offseason and doing what he wanted to establish his way and with some of the coaching changes with new staff members and then the players with some of the injuries, I thought he handled that whole thing so well.”
On the team's biggest need: “I’m going through all that. I’m not going to sit here and say that. Collectively, we have to get better from a coaching standpoint and a player standpoint, we’ll get that done.”
On Brian Westbrook: "He wants to play." Reid said Westbrook needs to "make sure he gets the health part taken care of, which he'll do." Reid didn't address the issue of paying Westbrook more than $7 million next year, coming off his lowest totals since his rookie season, but he noted that Westbrook looked like a difference-maker again just before he started suffering concussion problems. "There's no reason he can't get back to that level," Reid said.
On young players getting a chance: “Optimistic look for the future. They had the opportunity to play and that can’t do anything but help the team. We not only added young players we added good young players and they can help us win a championship.
On the offensive line: “We’ll see what time deals with. We took a hit when Jamaal went down. That’s a security blanket for the quarterback. Nick [Cole] stepped in and did a decent job. We have the people, we’d like to keep the continuity there. We had more continuity over the last five years than what we had this year. We let Tra and Runyan go and replacing them, we had a challenge there with the injuries. It probably didn’t develop the way I wanted to … The lines are always a priority there. We’ll get that taken care of.”
On Stacy Andrews: “We’ll see how things work out for the future. One thing I know about Stacy is he’s a very hard worker and he wants to be the best. I can work with that. The offseason will be good for him … ”
On GM Tom Heckert’s expected departure to Cleveland: “He’s done a phenomenal job and been my right hand man in the personnel department. If he stays, he will still be my right hand man. If he decides to go, I’ll go from there and go through the interviewing and evaluation process … Youguys know how I feel about Tom. He’s great at what he does. If it works out in Cleveland, he’ll be working with one of my best friends and someone who will allow him to do even more than what he did here. I’m always looking to help my guys out. If that’s the case, he will do a great job.”
On DeSean Jackson’s back and forth with the Cowboys: “There are some things he’d probably like to have back. I’m not even sure what a tweet is, but its wasn’t a good tweet, I guess.”
On DeSean Jackson’s potential contract talks: “I’m not there or worried about that right now.”
On Jamaal Jackson: The surgery went well. Until you really get on that knee and push it … right now he’s on crutches, it’s too early to tell.”
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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