Upon further review...
The Eagles' top secret plan is being revealed and -- hey, it looks pretty good!
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.