IS GLAD SPRING TRAINING IS FINALLY HERE
As I mentioned in the paper today (buy one, it's an incredible value), Jason Avant's agents also handle Marlin Jackson, the Colts CB/safety who will visit NovaCare after stopping by Baltimore today. Jackson didn't sign with the Ravens, and I'm told he'll be at NovaCare by 3 p.m. Updating: The Eagles have announced Jackson will speak to reporters tomorrow at 11 a.m. I wouldn't be at all shocked to see him end up signing here, ACL issues notwithstanding -- as your presumptive starting free safety.
Yes, ACL recovery is tricky, but everyone is not Stacy Andrews. I understand Jackson will be able to go hard by training camp. It would be a gamble, but an interesting one. I am led to believe the Birds have exhibited very strong interest. We'll see, as Andy Reid likes to say.
The first commenter below mentions the Peter King blurb about Jackson this week. Here it is, from si.com, under the heading of three decisions PK thinks should happen soon: " 3. I'm doing a thorough physical on free agent cornerback Marlin Jackson, dumped by the Colts. And unless I think his knee won't allow him to start the season, I'm moving aggressively to sign him. He's now missed much of the past two years with injuries, but he's a smart 26-year-old corner the Colts thought so highly of that they picked him in the first round five years ago. Worth the risk. He'll visit the Eagles and Ravens this week, and I'd be surprised if he were unemployed Friday."
***
Somebody mentioned this last night, but I have no quick and comprehensive way of checking it out -- didn't Jason Avant just become the highest-paid No. 3 receiver in football? My take is, teams yak all the time about team values and leadership, it's nice to see the Eagles actually paying like they really value those things, for once. But I always get nervous when a role player gets a lot of attention and compensation, to the point where expectations exceed the size of the role ... kinda the Aaron McKie Principle, if not the Peter Principle.
Iggles Blog allays those fears a bit. It would be interesting to see what would happen, particularly in the red zone, if they really went to Avant, instead of making him an emergency check-down. I suspect he wouldn't quite get open enough for a QB who really likes his separation. But I wouldn't mind seeing the Eagles give it a shot.
Also, if you're wondering what Avant's contract does to the potential DeSean Jackson renegotiation, I'm thinking nothing. As Drew Rosenhaus well knows, there's a 30 percent rule in effect for renegotiations. DJax can't make more than 30 percent above what he made last season. The commission from that deal would hardly keep Drew in hair gel.
Les
Bowen has covered the Eagles for the Daily News
since 2002.
Before that, he spent nearly 13 years covering the Flyers. It took Les
only a few seasons after the switch to figure out that there was no
penalty box at the Linc, and that the time really wasn't his, despite
what Andy Reid kept saying. Les came to Philadelphia and the Daily News
from Charlotte in 1983. In the intervening years, he has pretty much
lost track of NASCAR, and his accent. He, his wife Barbara, and their
two sons live in Haddon Township, New Jersey.
E-mail Les at bowenl@phillynews.com
and follow
him on Twitter.
Paul
Domowitch has been with the Daily News since 1982.
He has spent most of his nearly 3 decades with the paper covering the
Eagles and pro football. For the last 10 years, he’s been a
selector for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. A native of Wilkes-Barre
and a graduate of Wilkes University, Domo started his career in Texas,
working first for the Midland Reporter-Telegram (1976-78), and then for
the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, where he covered some god-awful Texas
Ranger baseball teams. His first beat at the Daily News actually was
boxing, which he covered just long enough to lose 2 sports coats to
blood spatter before moving on to football. Domo and his wife Shelley,
a University of Oklahoma grad who still hasn’t gotten over
that Fiesta Bowl loss to Boise State 5 years ago, have 2 terrific
daughters -- Allison, 28, who is an attorney in South Jersey, and Amy,
25, who works in administration for a professional baseball team.
E-mail Domo at PDomo@aol.com and follow
him on Twitter.
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