Reports: Patriots cut Greg Lewis
The Patriots have released former Eagles wide receiver Greg Lewis, according to several reports.
We first saw it on the Twitter feed of Scout.com's Adam Caplan.
The Birds traded G-Lew to New England in the offseason, along with a seventh-round pick in exchange for a fifth rounder.
Lewis had three catches for 58 yards in four preseason games. Before the Eagles hosted New England in Philadephia, reporter Christopher L. Gasper of The Boston Globe said on DNL that he thought G-Lew would help the Patriots as much as any other of their offseason additions, so it appeared things were going well for him then.
But things change quickly in the NFL.
Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post reports that Lewis was surprised by the move.
Lewis spent six seasons with the Eagles from 2003-08. He caught 19 balls for 247 yards and a touchdown last season.
From earlier:
Back from the Windy City just in time to catch up on some pretty significant news with the Birds. Here's a roundup and my take on everything that's going on:
** As you've probably read on Eagletarian and/or Birds' Eye View by now, rookie Macho Harris will get the nod as the team's starting safety opposite Quintin Mikell on Sunday against the Panthers. This tells me a couple different things. Number one, this is the first serious stamp Sean McDermott has put on his defense. Throughout the preseason, he talked at length about his mentor, Jim Johnson, and how much he learned from the Eagles' legendary defensive coordinator. The system would remain the same, and the blitzing would still be a staple. But don't forget, McDermott was the secondary coach last year. He's extremely familiar with Quintin Demps, and he felt the second-year player was not deserving of running with the first team on Sunday. Did you notice that Demps played deep into the last preseason game against the Jets? It's clear that McDermott has been trying to reach Demps throughout the preseason, and this move tells us he feels Harris gives the team a better chance to win. Something nobody would have predicted six weeks ago.
** As for Harris, he did play very well on Thursday. He proved to be a sure tackler on multiple occasions against the Jets and has had some success getting to the quarterback as a blitzer throughout the preseason. His performance will be a key story line in Week 1 as the Eagles face a rushing attack that ranked third in the league a season ago, averaging 152.3 yards per game, and a passing attack that features a dangerous playmaker in wide receiver Steve Smith.
** Rumors swirled since the Eagles added Michael Vick that the Birds would deal A.J. Feeley to the Patriots, but a trade never happened. SI.com's Peter King says the reason why is Andy Reid likes Tony Curtis better than any of the tight ends (Alex Smith or David Thomas) New England had to offer. It's tough to know what to make of Curtis. He's had just 11 catches in his career, although he did look good against the Jets, catching four balls for 40 yards and a touchdown.
** The St. Louis Rams have added former Eagles defensive end Bryan Smith to their practice squad. I remember noticing at camp that Smith made multiple plays 5 or 6 yards down the field. At first, I recognized this as a good sign that he wasn't giving up on plays. But later, I realized that it also meant he wasn't really getting anywhere close to the quarterback.
** If you're a college football fan, you know that a growing number of players use their eye black as a form of expression. I joked last year that I should take a photo with "610" eye black for my mug shot on MTC. If my memory serves me correctly, Eagles rookie LeSean McCoy had "717" below his eyes to represent his hometown of Harrisburg while playing at Pitt. Well on Saturday, Ohio State QB Terrelle Pryor used his eye black to support Michael Vick. Here's what he told the Columbus Dispatch about why he wanted to get behind Vick:
"I know what happened with him and, I mean, I don't want to talk much. I'm just going to be very short and sweet with it," Pryor said. "But I just feel he made his mistake and I think he just needs more support.
"Not everybody is the perfect person in the world. Everyone does -- kills people, murders people, steals from you, steals from me. I just feel that people need to give him a chance.
"I always looked up to Mike Vick and I always will, because I still think he is one of the best quarterbacks. I love Mike Vick."
** The Redskins signed former Giants quarterback Andre Woodson to their practice squad. Is it any coincidence that the two teams play each other in Week 1? Tom Coughlin doesn't think so.
"You mean, 'Why is he in Washington right now?' " Coughlin said with a laugh, per NJ.com. "It's pretty obvious why he's in Washington. There's no question that's what's going on. We'll see what transpires. It works both ways a little bit."
As Les Bowen pointed out, the Eagles added linebacker Jeremy Leman, who was cut by the Panthers, to their practice squad.
** And finally, friend, guest blogger and loyal reader MC passed along this link to what he described in the subject line as a must-buy. And I will admit, I do like the idea of MTC T-shirts.