Gotta be a running back
It is hard to see the Eagles going another way.
Gotta be a running back
Rich Hofmann, Daily News Sports Columnist
I will not pretend to know Knowshon Moreno's projected ability as an NFL player. There are people in the league who are paid good money to throw that dart and make that guess -- and it is that, an educated guess, nothing more.
But I will repeat what I have been saying since the day the Eagles were eliminated from the playoffs by the Arizona Cardinals: they need to come out of this off-season with a running back who can step in and play immediately.
I know everybody in town wants a wide receiver. But go game-by-game last year and really look at it -- look at the situations where many of the games turned -- and the Eagles' depth at running back was their greatest problem. When Brian Westbrook limped, they were limp. They had Correll Buckhalter last year and they had Tony Hunt for part of last year and it wasn't enough. They weren't good enough all-around backup running backs. They didn't know the plays. They couldn't pick up blitzes. They couldn't be trusted, not enough, when Westbrook was nicked. And now both of them are gone and Westbrook is coming off of what has been described as minor off-season knee surgery. There is no backup plan currently in place that is worth talking about.
They do have until August to find somebody. But given Westbrook's history, the somebody can't just be anybody. I remember they got Dorsey Levens late one summer, and he was decent, but this is a big spot here and waiting that long is an enormous risk. It is not a risk they can afford to take.
So they need a running back, and he needs to be camera-ready. The Eagles cannot afford to get out-maneuvered here and they cannot allow the vagaries of draft day -- "there's a run on running backs!" -- to prevent them from doing this.
History says it won't be a first-round guy. But the Eagles have never faced the current set of imperatives: a crying need and the certainty that the guy is going to have to play immediately. Could a second- or third-round guy play right away? Sure. Could a second- or third-round guy be a better value in the long run? Sure. The league is full of just such guys, including Westbrook.
But the odds get longer the longer they wait, and the Eagles cannot miss on this. Cannot. Because this isn't a rebuilding team, not with Donovan McNabb at quarterback. This is all about now, about right now.
With that, draft away.
Well put. Move up and get Knowshon— mikeyhigs- the rb position needs to be addressed somewhere between rounds 1 & 3 depending on whether or not a trade is made to acquire one of the wr's reportedly on the market...if the eagles keep their picks pettigrew/moreno should be the pick @ 21 if one of them are there...i think the eagles also need to pick up a veteran rb who may be cut or let go as training camp nears if u look at the NFL you need 3 quality rb's...there were a lotta teams in the NFL who went thru their rb's last season.....look at the Steelers,Cowboys and Broncos just to name a few they all had to go to their 3rd string rb's last season— the tru 1
Comment removed.- i smell an offensive lineman, non-descript defensive tackle, or safety with the first selection. That being said, its the correct drafting move. Why people feel they need to draft an RB first is mind boggling. Guess you guys listen to WIP alot.— thingfish
- Comment removed.
- what's this? philly10 wants us to draft moreno and not percy harvin?— ca97
C'mon Rich, Buckhalter deserves better than to be lumped in with Tony Hunt. He "knew the plays" well enough to average over 5yds a carry, and he may not be as good as Westbrook at picking up the blitz, but Westbrook is one of the best I've ever seen. I seem to recall that a typical Buck performance when Westbrook didn't suit up would be something like 15-20 carries for 90-100 yds. His biggest problem was a certain stubborn 400+lb coach who refused to call his number more than twice a game.— tornadoh- Eagles should get Knowshon...that is that! Now to reality with the Eagles org, they will probably not bother to address RB until a later round, go bargain shopping after the draft for a RB waived by another team and start training camp with Westy and three other guys who either don't cut it or can't understand the system enough to start. Then we go into the season riding Westbrook again because they did not make a serious move for RB or a #1 WR and Red Zone Offense will stink, again!...Game Over!— Tom Man
- Moreno would be great, but I don't believe the Eagles should trade up to get him. Brown from UConn will almost certainly be available, if Moreno isn't. Or the kid from Iowa. But I agree, the Eagles need backfield help. I also don't believe there will be a big run on running backs. Most of the teams in front of the Eagles have other big holes to fill. Saturday will be fun, then us fans can start cheering or wringing our hands over the picks made.
- Moreno would be great, but I don't believe the Eagles should trade up to get him. Brown from UConn will almost certainly be available, if Moreno isn't. Or the kid from Iowa. But I agree, the Eagles need backfield help. I also don't believe there will be a big run on running backs. Most of the teams in front of the Eagles have other big holes to fill. Saturday will be fun, then us fans can start cheering or wringing our hands over the picks made.
- I'm a WR guy, but I agree RB is a more pressing need. TE would be nice too. There aren't too many other pressing needs. Why not go for the top guy and add some serious flexibility to how you use your best offensive weapon. #36.— gee1971
- there is obviously a need for a RB - so of course the andy will either trade out of the first round or draft a lineman— FireAndyReid
- Nope, the Eagles will trade their first-round draft pick for a bag of cheeseburgers.— davesju93
GEE PHILLY10 WHAT HAPPENED TO PERCY "BONGWATER" HARVIN THE GUY WHO YOU WERE SO "HIGH" ON 2 WEEKS AGO IF I DIDN'T KNOW BETTER I'D HAVE TO CALL YOU A BANDWAGON JUMPER HUH - (my take on the all-caps, zero punctuation Philly fave, philly10)- Ricky Williams!— allrightknight
