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
The Eagles have used the franchise tag on DeSean Jackson (10). (Ron Cortes/Staff Photographer)
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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Comments (34)
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- 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
- 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
- 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?
- idiots still talking about Mcnabb dont know the game he was one of the most turnover free qb's to ever play the game took us to 4 championship games 1 superbowl what else hv we had before of after him ? oh yeah name one pro bowl wr we had playing with him he utilized his TE and running back ..owens was great for a moment but he was a cancer for every team he ever played on and he didnt get us over the hump (dont say momentum because we sat the starters in the end)he played great in the superbowl but we didnt win yes Mcnabb had 3 turnovers but our interior defense failed again like it has in most of our playoff losses ...see kirkland etc— positive eagle
- Desean was an exciting and productive player with one down season in Phila. It's time the Eagles and DeSean cut ties. DeSean is a talented 25 year old. He's in the prime of his career. The Eagles believe he's not worth his asking price. If DeSean wants a productive stress free career he needs to move on away from the Eagles. Everyone could be happy starting over fresh. The Eagles can bring in another Talent, DeSean can find financial Security some place else.
If DeSean stays in Phila he will eventually end like Terrell Owens and Cory Simons. It's best for both to part ways now the 9 million isn't the Security DeSean and his Agent are seeking.
— Dexter - high motor— brock
- There isn't much evidence Burress was anything but a pro last year with the Jets. At some price hes valuable. There is too much value at DT if the Eagles stay around 15. DT is much more valuable than LB, and there are guys that went nuts at the combine AND apparently looked good on film (according to Tommy Lawlor especially). Can we finally, ever, put to rest the notion the Eagles select undersized linemen? Graham is 6'1 and 3/4, 270 lbs listed on draft day. This is within the range of the average size of the better DEs in the league. But yeah, god forbid the Eagles select a DT that is around 300lb and plays the 2 technique -- the most passionate, knowledgable fan base will go nuts wondering where those 30 lbs this guy should have went?— Murrayman
- Yes, trade Jackson and sign Wallace. Wallace is a more productive player with a much better attitude than Jackson.— MUADDIB
- Plex would help make the offense that much better. If the offensive line continues to improve, the Eagles offense will be humming. Shady is still so young - he will be even better next season!
...It is the defense that needs to be addressed. Castillo will be average at best - takes him about 3-5 games to adjust when it should take nothing more than a half-time - defense simply does not come naturally enough to him - that's one huge problem. And they need at least two new linebackers that have size and speed - a tall order. Coleman is a good hitter and seems to do well against the run - but they need safties that can help in coverage (Coleman clearly is overmatched there). The defense is what should be on everyone's mind this offseason. But there is little reason to expect Reid to soemhow become intelligent in 2012 - he has plenty of upsides, but he's as stubborn as they come - consistently shows that he has little ability to learn from his mistakes.— EagleWatcher - Glad to see pro-T.O. posts from knowledgeable eagles fans. The bias press keeps telling us how he "blew up the team" yeah blew it up right to the super bowl. Then next year mcslab sulked because TO called him out and the whole country knew about the super vomiting. Yeah, TO sulked about his contract but what pro player who is underpaid relative to his peers doesn't? We see now 7 years later how Mcslab stinks and is out of shape (see redskins and vikings) and broccoli rabe reid wouldn't know qb talent if it showed up on his pass happy chart.— dval
- I'd call it sarcasm, Leagles ...— petergou
- They didn't never put the talent like they haver now around McNabb. As long as they had McNabb they never went all in and made a splash for the players we have. They never splashed for a great DT like Cullen and never splashed for an Elite CB in Nnamdi. They never put the talent we have now around McNabb. McNabb would say the same. They only made a splash on a loud mouth receiver.— Titanic
- They didn't never put the talent like they haver now around McNabb. As long as they had McNabb they never went all in and made a splash for the players we have. They never splashed for a great DT like Cullen and never splashed for an Elite CB in Nnamdi. They never put the talent we have now around McNabb. McNabb would say the same. They only made a splash on a loud mouth receiver.— Titanic
- @Zeru.....nothing could be more true! Thanks!— Mark1npt
- Hey Zeru, great post.— watsonmr
- DJax Maclin Avant Burress Celek and McCoy. Vick will be able to get rid of the ball quick and deliver completions to this group and stay healthy all year. A healthy QB helps to win Super Bowls. Sign Burress to a performance based contract and get LB help and DT help and lets watch the parade in Feb— VegasEagleFan
- I see alot of McNabb bashing goin on.. I for one thought he did alot with so little at times. Yeah, T.O. did his thang here for awhile, but as usaul he is a cancer. McNabb by all accounts was the best QB we have had in this city!! Was accurate nope, a leader nope, but he did get us where the following QB's didn't, Bobby Hoying, Doug Pederson, Rodney Peete, oh know one remembers those guys huh? I wonder why? Live or Die I roll with 5!!!— HonestJ
- T.O. was great for the Eagles and those high up in the organization couldn't handle it. T.O. was immature and got greedy, but he made plays and his teammates were behind him, even when he had a broken leg. McNabb was a joke and now where is he? Oh yeah, probably content with sitting on a front porch somewhere sippin' iced tea with that stupid grin of his, sayin' "my bad" over and over. He is too young to not even be a back-up somewhere but because of his poor decision-making or ability, he isn't trusted to save games. At least T.O. has fire, to this day.— sj1926
- I think you're giving Donovan short-shrift a bit, and how's TO doing these days? (Hint: check the roster for the Allen Wranglers of the Indoor Football League). — Zaknafein
- (That's what we call *irony*, folks!)— Leegles
- NM Eagle fan: ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha that's so funny about trading up to pick an undersized lineman ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
— Leegles - Watch the Eagles trade up to get an undersized defensive lineman that other teams have slotted as a 3rd Round flawed project ... oh wait, that was two years ago. Kuechly would be perfect for the long term, which is why the Eagles will never draft him. Free agency is where Andy "I am a genius" Reid tries to cover up his drafting atrocities, which are the result of his philosophy of Leaving No High-Motor Midget Behind.— NM Eagle fan
- Nobody can argue that the Eagles have used some highly questionable draft picks on the dreaded 'undersized defensive lineman with a high motor', but 2 years certainly wasn't one of them. Brandon Graham was widely projected as a top 15 pick, isn't undersized, and came with a stellar pedigree from Michigan. If the Eagles wanted him badly there's no way he'd have been there when they picked later in the 1st round. — Zaknafein
- @Zak-Every one of the major draft services keep the previous years evaluations on their websites. Brandon Graham was not in anyone's Top 15. The highest big board rank I found was 19th. The rest were all in the late 1st round and even a couple of 2nd round picks. The internet kind of ruins the grand revisionist history you lay down. But hey, you sounded like you knew what you were talking about; so you have that. — UncleStosh
- Yeah, 2004 was awesome. T.O. kept his ego in check and played like the talented beast of a receiver he was...until his ego came back and turned him into a raging locker room cancer. Football is a team sport and requires team cohesion. Time after time we've seen what a dysfunctional player can cause. Talent isn't everything.— reb
- @Sillibilli.. you forget T.O's impact over that season. He talked the talk and walked the walk. Not only did he get the Eagles that bye but all year he put pressure on Mcnabb by telling the Media he made Donovan a better Qb.
Mcnabb as usual took it personal and was determined to get the team to the superbowl dispite T.O. If T.O wasnt there it would have been the same thing. An uninspired Mcnabb with nothing to prove going threw the motions. T.O made that 2004 team his own.. he brought his heart to the team and thats why Reid put up with him so long because it finally had a soul. Instead of that stupid grin or smirk Mcnabb had after every loss or the air guitars. Whatout T.O's influence it would have been the same as any other year. He made the difference.
In a violent sport like football.. sometimes all a choir boy does is sing.— Zeru - Interesting take on TO, and you may even be right. Still a shame and entirely baffling how a man (TO) can blow so much goodwill and fan adoration in such a short time. After that superbowl performance he could have owned Philly for the next 50 years. The fans ADORED him. Instead he blew it for marginally more money from Dallas, which he could have EASILY surpassed in endorsement money right here. Shortsighted on a whole new level. — Zaknafein
- TO had a phenomenal regular season and helped them get a bye, but he did miss the 2 playoff games. Freddie Mitchell scored two TD's in the playoff win against the Vikings. The TO effect is a tad overrated. However, Lesean McCoy>Westy. Don't forget what positions really make this team go.— SilliBilli
- Little reward? Some could argue their biggest issue is not scoring TD's in the redzone. I think if Mike Vick made plays with his legs, they run behind Peters & Mathis, and Burress was an option.. problem could be solved.— FABER
Comment removed.- Have your memory checked. T.O. missed the last two regular season games and every playoff game. He only played in the Super bowl so I am not sure how he got the Eagles over-the-hump of the NFC Championship game since he watched it from the sideline. — UncleStosh
- "we all saw what happened when the Eagles brought in Terrell Owens" -- yeah, they almost won a Super Bowl but the Pats cheated and Dawkins and associates gave up three more points than TO helped score on a broken leg.
— Leegles - What I remember is TO did not lead the eagles to the superbowl. That year he missed the playoffs and the eagles had to do it all by themselves. It wasn't a problem of them getting the NFC championship game. I admit he played an outstanding game in the superbowl. But it was the patriots knowing the eagles playbook that cost them the game. People are always trying to credit TO for getting the eagles to the superbowl that year, when he did not even play one playoff gam — gwilli1234
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About this blog
Sheil Kapadia is in his fifth season writing about the Eagles and the NFL for philly.com. His earliest
memories as a sports fan include several trips to Veterans Stadium with
his Dad. He's not a beat writer or an Insider, but is here to
discuss the NFL 365 days a year. E-mail him at skapadia@philly.com or
by clicking here
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