Birds Won't Play Tag with DRC; Now What?
Philly.com, Inquirer, and Daily News coverage of the Eagles
Birds Won't Play Tag with DRC; Now What?
Les Bowen
A source close to the situation said Monday the Eagles "probably won't" use the franchise tag this year -- today is the first day it's eligible to be applied. This more or less confirms a report by Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com that the Birds won't use the tag, and specifically won't use it on corner Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.
Tagging DRC would give him a one-year, $10.668 million contract for the 2013 season. That's more money than the key figure in the 2011 Kevin Kolb trade with Arizona has proved he is worth, and probably more than he will get per year on the free agent market.
DRC turns 27 in April. That 2009 Pro Bowl berth is no longer so recent. Last season, he started out as the best player on the defense -- big, fast, sharp, confident. As the defense devolved, so did Rodgers-Cromartie, to the extent that former coach Andy Reid sat him down for a "pull yourself together and play" chat toward the end of the season.
Obvious talent aside, that's not the kind of personality you build a defense around, the kind of guy you can depend on when the going gets tough, which is why Arizona made him available three years after drafting him 16th overall. (Things that seem too good to be true often are, the Daily News has learned.)
The problem with not tagging DRC is that the Eagles are expected to part with their other 2012 CB starter, the even more disappointing Nnamdi Asomugha, and they have to play somebody back there in 2013. Given that the safety position is even more of a disaster area, getting rid of DRC could mean a lot of draft and free agency resources expended on the secondary, when there are other needs to be filled, especially with the Eagles expected to transition to a 3-4 defense.
Of course, not tagging Rodgers-Cromartie doesn't mean he's gone. The Eagles can still work out a deal, they just can't be as sure of locking him up as they could be if they used the tag. Hard to say what the market will be; other teams watch tape as well. I don't think anybody is foaming at the mouth to make DRC a gazillionaire off of what he did here, in 2011 as a miscast slot corner or in 2012 as a confused mess.
It's interesting that the Arizona defensive coordinator in 2009, Billy Davis, now runs the Eagles' defense. Even more interesting that Davis was noncommital last week when reporters pressed him on whether he would like to coach DRC again.
Invest FA money in players who want to play and don't mind tackling someone on occasion. No one will miss that guy.— tpizza- It looks like the Birds, are leaning towards drafting Dee Milner, with that 4th. Pick if he's still on the board.— Lb 54 wide 9
- Gutless,Prima Dona,Quitter,he's already been tagged.— greensob
- Can't tackle, can't make the big pick...Birds will draft a CB, maybe even Milliner.— BirdinParadise
Another mark of a horrible, horrible team, they dont even have a player worth using the franchise tag on. They locked up a bunch of too old veterans to inflated deals, and the young guys going to free agency are almost worthless. Not even 1 decent player they want to hold on to and use the franchise tag on. DEMETRESS BELL OFFSEASON MVP.- jabroni — cdedrick05
- Gotta say, most of your posts are brutally rabid about the team, but this one is insightful and actually worthy of an article all on its own. Who on that defense would a team like New England or Pittsburgh actually be interested in starting for their squad?
I find it amusing that since this is the time when Baby Howie has nowhere to hide and no one to blame for bad drafts and bad signings, that suddenly a seasoned talent evaluator is on hand. A shrewd bureaucratic wormy lawyer sure knows how to cover himself, doesn't he?
Good post.
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- adios drc.
week after week i would watch him constantly pretending to be blocked so he wouldnt have to get near the ball carrier.
its gotta get better.
right?— bloodymess - All the teams in Philly are simply going through the motions. No determination anywhere. Philly is just a place to collect a paycheck. They all believe it isn't even necessary to pretend they earn it.— 4thand10
- Sad, but true. Philly is starting to look like Suckertown, USA. The place players go, when no other team wants them, to collect an unearned paycheck. — essell
- DRC and Nnamdi both need to be shown the door. Neither one of them has any pride or work ethic, they were a disgrace to the legacy of Eagles defense. The Eagles don't need guys like that affecting the rest of the locker room. They have got to get some guys with good character for next season.— Jangocat
- There is nothing sadder in sports than a guy like DRC, a man with excellent physical skills who only plays when he feels like it. Nobody should be surprised. He had this exact M.O. in Arizona. Million dollar body and a ten cent head.— Bud Dry
- This article is ridiculous. You write as if it was even a re,mote possibility that he would be tagged. He has been rated as one of the bottom 3 or 4 starting corners gong on 3 seasons in a row. If the Eagles tagged him, he would easily be the worst player to get tagged in NFL history. Why shouldn't the Eagles spend money and picks on the position? Corner is one of the three most important positions on the field. You think they should patch it with dregs so they can get better at weakside LB or even worse, spend a 1st round pick on a Nose tackle? Come on, man. Also, concentration and focus are skills, not a choice. DRC is fast but he isn't able to get in the zone and the game moves to fast for him. It isn't always about lazy, sometimes a guy is just short the whole package.— UncleStosh
- hindsight, learn what the franchise tag means who who can receive it before uttering your BS.— tpizza
- If they tag DRC that would be like the Sixers signing Bynum not to a 5 year max value contract. DRC stinks. I'd rather have Izel Jenkins back there covering than DRC.— CaptainCrunch
- Agreed. Bring back Izel and say goodbye to that turnstile DRC. — Vituperator
- The Eagles defense scared no one in 2012, especially DRC and Non-D! DRC is a 4.35 Forty POS with no heart and Non-D has his declining skills focused on gigs outside of football. Both should be gone!— cooperhawk
- Having the talent DRC has means nothing if you aren't willing to use it consistently & with some effort & passion. I'd rather keep the much less talented Coleman (who can contribute on special teams because he's willing to tackle someone) then DRC, Nnamdi & even Allen.— yobill626
- DRC has the kind of attitude this defense can do without.— p-diddy
- How in the world did DRC and Nnambi make the Pro Bowl? Am I missing something?!— vietnamvet14
- 2-14— Flyerdom
- This guy plus the other were over evaluated by the previous regime . Cut them and move on because they stink .— d1955h
- I said this all season and I will repeat it again. When we traded for DRC, the majority of Eagles fans said that "Reid stole DRC from Arizona."— watsonmr
- Starting corners in the NFL are like NBA starters: way overpriced.— armchairGM
- DRC wasn't worth acquiring to begin with. Send him packing and if he becomes an all-pro elsewhere, so be it.— billtfla
- I would still take him over Namdi
- get rid of both DRC and No-D. Their lazy attitude kills the rest of the defense. If this new DC is worth his salt, he will insist that both be gone. DRC is a cancer with talent. No-D is a cancer with no talent.— chocolatethunder
- pressure the QB and DRC & Am wouldn't look so bad— dwilly
- We're the Redskins of the early 2000s. The apologists on here though think we are one or two players away from being the Patriots.— guyguy4
