What they're saying about the Eagles
Before I get to the roundup, here's my take on DeSean Jackson from Thursday night, in case you missed it.
What they're saying about the Eagles
Sheil Kapadia, Philly.com
Before I get to the roundup, here's my take on DeSean Jackson from Thursday night, in case you missed it.
Now, on to what the national media are saying about the Eagles this week:
Mike Freeman of CBSSports.com writes that the Eagles aren't sure they can trust Jackson long-term:
Several NFL sources said there is a debate within the Eagles hierarchy about whether or not the team can truly trust Jackson with a long-term deal. The Eagles, one league source explained, are also open to a trade for Jackson. In other words, the Eagles wouldn't mind if some sucker, er, team, took Jackson off their hands for a nice piece of draft compensation.
In his post-combine mock draft, Peter Schrager of FoxSports.com has the Eagles taking Boston College linebacker Luke Kuechly at No. 15:
There were questions about his speed heading into the combine, but he put those questions to rest with a blazing 4.5 40-yard dash. He’s been compared to Sean Lee, without the durability and injury issues. Kuechly’s considered a first-day NFL starter. Slate him into that Philly defense and watch out.
Pro Football Weekly has a list out of the top 100 free agents. Keep in mind this was posted before the Eagles used the franchise tag, but they had DeSean Jackson at No. 9 overall. The only receivers ahead of him were Vincent Jackson and Mike Wallace, who is restricted. They've got Evan Mathis at No. 66 overall.
Speaking of Mathis, he wrote a piece about O-line play for Pro Football Focus:
The offensive line is a unit and an adjustment made by the left tackle can affect the right tackle’s responsibility. Before making an assumption about who was supposed to block the linebacker that came free and leveled the quarterback, try to see what everybody else did during the play.
Clark Judge of CBSSports.com thinks franchising Jackson was the right move:
Of course, it's inside the locker room where some critics worry about the guy. But people close to the Eagles believe that Jackson is not a character risk; that he can be the complete player -- the team player -- he was before 2011. That's because they believe that what happened last year was the inevitable consequence of the Eagles passing out millions to unrestricted free agents from other clubs -- with players who had experience with the Eagles, like Jackson, wondering why they weren't getting a piece of the pie.
Judge also writes that the Eagles should stay away from Plaxico Burress:
I mean, we all saw what happened when the Eagles brought in Terrell Owens -- and he was more of a playmaker than Burress. Plus, he stayed out of trouble with the law. But he was a disruptive influence in the locker room, and I guess what I'm suggesting is that Burress can be one, too. So why take the risk when there's such little reward?
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I love how the Eagles "fans" here are trying to outdo Roseman in fantasy football. First at QB, you wanted them to go all-out to get Tebow; then it was Manning; now it's RG3. Now you want Jackson gone; make up your minds, people. Owens is past history, as is McNabb, Kolb, and who knows how many more. Let's think about the now, shall we?- If this is truly the "all in" year, keep Jackson and sign Randy Moss. Why not. Moss is on record as saying he'll sign a non-guaranteed deal. Personally, I think the dude has something to prove, and if he's willing, bring him in. At best, he stretches the field for Maclin and Jackson underneath. At worst, he stretches the field for Maclin and Jackson underneath.— beegal99
- You are way behind in your news, Sheil. Eagles are trrying to make a three way trade to get the number two pick. (Goodbye McVick) Also, The next three years, jackson will make you look like the dumbest guy in media sports. Oh yeah, I forgot. You already are that.— mario1239
- It still baffles me how everyone can still talk about T.O. and forget that this is a different team. The biggest problem is that while offenses have one QB, defenses actually have two. Those years we made all of those conference games are long ago and far,far away, but they make my point. The free safety and middle LB positions are the qb's of the defense. Those years we had two very strong, players in those positions, Dawkins and Trotter. Since Modrak left, we did not address the positions very well(Mikel was a SS not an FS). Their scouting and personnel people have been proven to be ill equipped to handle that responsibility. They have routinely FAILED as their draft picks in the first three rounds used on defense have proven again and again. Not picking Earl Thomas when they moved up showed a complete lack of focus and ability to evaluate talent and address the needs of the team. At some point, Jeff Lurie has got to look closely at his front office and see it isn't working. They can only draft half a football team. Great job on offense, a DISASTER on defense. The only free agents they should be looking for are scouts from another team.— bbohannon
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