Upon further review...
The Eagles' top secret plan is being revealed and -- hey, it looks pretty good!
Upon further review...
Phil Sheridan, Inquirer Columnist
OK.
THAT is a plan.
Early Thursday, with rumors swirling all over the NFL about Nnamdi Asomugah’s destination and a hundred other players, some cretin logged onto this here blog and wondered about the Eagles’ much vaunted post-lockout plan.
Was Jason Babin really supposed to get us excited?
Well, a day later, that same cretin can log on and issue a mea culpa. By signing Asomugah, who is by all accounts the top free agent available, the Eagles front office delivered on its promise. And while Andy Reid’s description of Joe Banner and Howie Roseman coming out “like wild men” is bound to elicit chuckles – “wild” is not the first word that springs to mind about either of these guys – there is no getting around it.
The Eagles had a definite plan. They acted on it. They’re probably not finished yet. The team is much, much better.
Asomugah. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. Babin. Donald Lee. Vince Young.
I’m not that big a fan of the Babin signing, based on what we saw of him two seasons back with the Eagles. But if he is really transformed by defensive line coach Jim Washburn, and with this array of talent at corner, the pass rush should be miles better. (And yes, Asante Samuel may well be out of here; but DRC and NA might be the best tandem in the NFL.)
Somewhere, Sean McDermott is calling Larry Bowa and commiserating. His defensive talent was to this group as Bowa’s starting rotation was to Doc, Cliff, Cole and Roy.
Another adjustment: Said in Friday’s column that DeSean Jackson’s contract should be in the $10-12 million range for annual value. That’s about where Asomugah’s is. Might have to tweak D-Jax down a million or two. Sorry, kid. Corners get more than receivers, at least in this corner of the NFL.
One last thought: Asomugah chose the Eagles. While I have never been a huge fan of the Michael Vick signing, and while I can’t get past the bottom line that he basically had an average McNabb season in 2010, you have to think he’s part of the allure here. A lot of players watch the Monday night game, and you can picture Asomugah sitting in front of his flat screen, watching Vick light up FedEx Field, and thinking, “I wanna play with that guy.”
Just a thought.
Comment removed.- Comment removed.
- You're angry. Maybe you think Phil was talking about you. I like the"Aristotle" moniker - good self-deprecating humor.
— Dr Bri - I really wanted them to sign Tulloch bad, but this move is awesome. Here's my guess, they play lots of nickel with Chaney and Fokou as the LBs. Matthews can start as the MIKE on traditional defense. That way he gets some exposure but they primarily play nickel.— Penfold18
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- They'll flip Asante back to NE for fat Albert and a pick— mikeyhigs
- Ok, we're at the top of the league at the CB position. Average defensive line (because our tackles are nondescript). Below average at safety and linebacker. And we have a 31-year-old running QB. Don't book that Super Bowl trip yet.— eagle1971
- The Eagles went out and signed the prized free agent on the block. Noted! Have they really addressed all their needs? Jackson is a stud, but gets double teamed which we saw in the playoffs from the past. We really don't have a stud RB, and a stud WR behind Jackson. IMO, I think DRC and Asante would be a fine tandem. I thought they would take that extra money to sign a prized WR. Babin, a 1 year wonder??? I hope not.— Italia1
- Italia1, you must be crazy if you think McCoy isn't a premier RB in the NFL. His career will by far surpass anything that Brian Westbrook ever did in his best years.— papabear702
- 1.2 Billion Nickles— Warhound
- Some one asked why you would trade Samuel over DRC, so i am going to tell you why. First, Samuel is a zone cover corner who really likes to jump routes. while Nnamdi and DRC are both bump and run cover corners. So those two fit more with what the new defense wants to do. Also and most importantly the eagles IMO are not quite done yet signing players and still have give Jackson 8-11 mill a year and Vick a long term deal (though Vicks Cap hit will be less when they do that, my guess is more like 10-12 mill, and Assante makes almost 10 mil so hes the odd guy out money wise as well.
The thing is if a team like San Fransico really thinks they need high end top 5 corner they may be willing to part with a first round pick or another player that the eagles might need.— andyreidisfat - Asante is making 5.9 mil this coming year. — algebrat
- Well Phil, I'm sure this has been a tough week for you. The Eagles getting NA today had to hurt. Not only did the Eagles make a big splash, but not one philly sports writer was within a 1000 miles of the story. Nice job Phil, glad to see you're still on top of things. Just a hint Phil, stop reading Blogs and get some contacts out there. You can't find contacts on the internet. And yes Phil we are all completely aware that you are NOT a Michael Vick fan. It might be time to get over that.— Craig321
- Get Channing Crowder...LB cut by the Dolphins. He was their top dog at LB.— ceocreates
- Please get this Djack thing done and out the way— albertpa
