What they're saying about the Eagles
Philly.com, Inquirer, and Daily News coverage of the Eagles
What they're saying about the Eagles
Sheil Kapadia, Philly.com
Before I get to the roundup, here's a link to my post from Sunday about Michael Vick.
I was somewhat surprised by the reaction. My intention was not to rip Vick. I was simply pointing out that he has all the pieces in place to have success in 2012: a good offensive line, a happy and talented group of receivers, an All-Pro running back and a full offseason to put in work. In other words, there's no reason he shouldn't turn in the best season of his career.
That might not translate to a Super Bowl run. I fully admit that. The Eagles have questions in other areas, specifically on defense. But if Vick can't put it all together with the parts around him next season, it likely is never going to happen for him.
Moving on, here's what the national media are saying about the Eagles:
Clark Judge of CBSSports.com says the Eagles have learned their lesson from last offseason:
If there's a lesson there, it's one that was pounded into the Eagles last season. Yes, they added talent. Yes, they had playmakers on both sides of the ball. But, no, they did not have the cohesion needed to win the division, make the playoffs or produce a winning season. In fact, it took them three quarters of a season before they finally, mercifully, started to look like a reputable team.
Bill Barnwell of Grantland.com thinks the Eagles handled the DeSean Jackson contract situation perfectly:
If you want an example of how a good organization manages risk and procures talent, look at the Eagles and what they did over the past 12 months with DeSean Jackson. When the team neglected to sign Jackson to a long-term deal before the 2011 season, he held out for a week before returning to training camp. He reportedly wanted a deal that was comparable to or in excess of Santonio Holmes's five-year, $45 million contract that allowed for $24 million in guaranteed money. The Eagles were all-in for a 2012 title and could have used a respite from any contractual distractions, but they weren't willing to break the bank and buy high on Jackson because they had both perspective and leverage.
ESPN.com's Dan Graziano applauds the Birds for re-signing Evan Mathis:
The Eagles were wise to pay whatever it took to retain Mathis. Say what you will about their disappointing 2011 season and their decision to bring back more or less the same group to try to redeem themselves in 2012, but the offensive line was an unquestioned strength — one of the very best in the entire league. Mathis, who signed last summer as an insurance or backup plan but won a starting job in training camp, was a huge part of the reason why.
Bill Barnwell of Grantland would probably disagree. He targeted left guard as the Eagles' biggest need in free agency:
After all the hype last year, the Eagles failed because their play at the line of scrimmage wasn't up to snuff. In particular, Philadelphia's offensive line was a patchwork group that never played a single down as the five-man unit the organization expected to use throughout the season. Repairing that line should make Michael Vick healthier, DeSean Jackson more effective, and that dismal goal-line performance a thing of the past.
According to Darren Rovell of CNBC, Michael Vick has paid off his largest creditor agent Andrew Joel, who he owed $6 million.
Good breakdown of Trent Cole's new contract by Brian McIntyre of Mac's Football Blog and Football Outsiders. Cole has some incentives tied to sacks and Pro Bowls.
According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, Jackson actually is scheduled to receive more guaranteed money than Pierre Garcon.
Per Jason La Canfora, Plaxico Burress is in talks with several teams, and the Eagles could be a possibility.
Bovada recently released odds for which athlete will be on the Madden 2012 cover. Tim Tebow was the favorite at 5 to 1, although I'm guessing that could change if Peyton Manning signs with the Broncos. Two Eagles were on the list - Michael Vick and LeSean McCoy came in at 25 to 1.
And finally, Alex's Lemonade Stand is partnering with the Eagles and offering fans the chance to spend a night at the Linc while raising money for kids with cancer. Click here for more details.
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WE GOT A SHOT !!MAYBE THE BEST SHOT SINCE WE WENT TO THE SUPERBOWL.
THE KEY IS VICK.SAY IT 100 TIMES.HE HAS THE TALENT.HE KNOWS HE HAS TO BE MORE DISCIPLINED AND NOT TRY TO FORCE IT SO MUCH.
THE PROBLEM IS IT'S EASY TO SAY AND HARD TO DO.HARNESSING YOUR AGGRESSIVE INSTINCTS IS WHAT SEPARATES THE GOOD FROM THE GREAT QB'S.— mike garman- That Wonderlic was funny I remember Vince Young and McNabb scored
like 7 and 12 on i out of a possible 50???Young was the lower
score. Now I can see why Donovon would throw the ball to the first
level at the Linc on the last play of the half, or run out of
bounce while the team was trying to run the clock down, or not
knowing the NFL had ties in the regular season, talk about
a brick for a brain?— mikey48 - @Gdbig.. I left out the word RECENTLY which changed the entire meaning of the sentence. But it didnt change the point. The point is most of the racist faction of the fan base claims black qbs cant win and only do one or two things well but they are the only sucessful players the Eagles have had since Ron Jaworski. So stop hating.
Jim McMahon didnt take that Eagles team to the playoffs.. so your facts are wrong. He went 10-6 and missed the playoffs with arguably the greatest defense of all time. Geez how lazy does a person have to be to have a person right where you want them and still drop the ball.
And even if you wanted to make a phantom point without anybody checking behind you your math is ridiculous.
If Jim McMahon won 11 games and Randall won 1 that would have made it a 12 game win season in 91. They only won 10 games were not in the playoffs at all.
Ty Detmer won 11 games and Rodney Peete won 5? lol When did the EAgles have this remarkable undefeated 16 win season? You say 1996? lol. I feel you player.— Zeru - Randall Cunningham, Rodney Peete, Donovan Mcnabb and Mike Vick are the only guys to take the EAgles to the playoffs recently within the last 25 years or so. Even when Jaws took the Eagles to the superbowl Philly never appreciated him when he was a player.
We got to get rid of all this race stuff and just hope we get a Superbowl before America is bankrupt. So it really is next year or bust. Hope we finally get one and Reid can breathe easy. We have a talented team on both sides of the ball and hopefully we can get a linebacker that can plug up the middle. Take DT Poe with the 15th pick and grab a guy like Hightower, or Burfict somewhere in the second round. Do those things and we should be tough to deal with.— Zeru - leegles:
And yet for instance in the playoffs one Manning wins and the other doesn't. How can this be?— banned - If the Denver Broncos sign Peyton Manning and look to trade Tim Tebow, the Eagles should think about Tebow as a backup QB. Tebow is a lefty, likes to scramble, and can throw the deep ball. He would be a decent insurance policy for 2012 if Vick were to get hurt. Might not be worth the whole media circus, but it could work out....— TripleOption
- Please, for once, let's stop saying things like ANY QB is 3-2 in the playoffs or anything like that. QB is ONE POSITION and it's a position that doesn't play DEFENSE or SPECIAL TEAMS or BLOCK or CATCH THE BALL or CALL PENALITIES (and review them). UGH.— Leegles
- carmen:
That's pretty optimistic, dontcha think?
Vick has a career 2-3 record in the playoffs, 0-1 as an Eagle. Reid with anybody but McNabb at QB is also 0-1.
Vick may suddenly become a good playoff QB, or Reid may get his magic back, but that's not the way to bet.— banned - If MV learned how to slide and pump fake he'd have the great year everybody is expecting.— NC Eagle Fan
- Eagles will be a better team this season. Vick is a great athlete - and with Desean happy, hopefully Maclin is fully cured, Avant is great in the slot, same OLine coming back, I'm happy with the offense. If we can get a linebacker and if the safeties can tighten up, I have NO worries. I'm so tired of the so-called experts posting. Eagles will win the division next year as we march to New Orleans. I can see us playing really, really well. I hope just for good health of all the key players. Let's get it.— carmendmv
- Manning to Denver.
The best they can hope for is to repeat this year's one playoff victory. The downside risk is very, very, bad, given how many close ones they just barely won this year.
You will get terrific odds now on the Denver Super Bowl prospects. Bet against, and pay off your mortgage!— banned - I hope the klansmen and skinheads leave town when the Eagles win some games. Black QBs like Doug Williams, Warren Moon, Steve McNair, Randle Cunningham and Joe Gilliam all had to face racists but they produced. There have been more "white" QB failures than Black. Go figure and wash your dirty sheets!!— allworld2
- Casey Weldon, Tony Sacca, Brad Goebel, Jim Mcmahon, Jack Kemp, Bobby Hoying, Ty Detmer, Koy Detmer, Mike McMahon, Kevin Kolb,.. They all lead the Eagles into the playoffs right? Nope.. Well there is still Jeff Garcia.. Nah can't have him either.. He's actually Mexican.
Truth is the reason the Eagles keep relying on black qbs as the starting guys because every white guy they try sucks. Only guys that have taken the Eagles to the playoffs is.. drum roll please. Randall Cunningham, Rodney Peete, Donovan Mcnabb, and now Micheal Vick.
Micheal Vick fans afraid of facts and statistics? I think the race bait guys should avoid the facts and keep relying on stereotypes. Its been working for so long why get involved with the truth now?— Zeru - I guess you forgot a guy called Ron Jaworski who took the Eagles to the Superbowl! I guess he played before you were born?
Jim McMahon won 11 games in '91 - Cunningham only 1!
Ty Detmer also won 11 games in '96 - Peete only 5!
Maybe you should look at some facts some time!
Oh, and racism works both ways!
— gdibig - A vocal minority of Eagles "fans" as represented on Philly.com just pretty much suck. They don't deserve any joy should the Eagles win it all next year. And if the Eagles do win it all, they'll say, well, we're not a dynasty like the Steel Curtain etc. They'll say FIRE REID in advance of next year's sure-fire failure to repeat as Super Bowl champs. LOSERS!— Leegles
- Deshort Jerkson & conVicktim...SB GUARANTEED! Be fillin' it!. Yeah, right. Ha.— autolykos
- Vick lovers don't want to hear about things like facts, numbers and stats. Numbers give them headaches and are too hard for them to figure out. Plus reading stats interferes with their binge drinking.— ej610
- I'm sick of hearing about Vick's Wonderlich score. That has NOTHING to do with it; Wonderlich is about comprehension of the English language and grammar. I aced it to get into tech school, it's bloody easy. What does that say about Vick? He obviously didn't make Language Arts class a priority in school, among most of academic subjects. As a player, Vick is one hell of an athlete, though clearly he is on the downside of his career. He's become fragile because of his wide open style of play, and because the Eagles' offensive line could not protect him. What bothers me is the fact he remains an undisciplined student...he gets by with his athletic skills and his ability to improvise on the run, no pun intended. Exciting to watch, yes; productive, not always. Add to it, Vick is all about Vick; he does not care about the welfare of his team unless it means something's in it for him. To be fair, lots of players are like that; if you had a full squad of those kinds of players, you might have a dynasty. Either way, Vick needs weapons to be a success, weapons the team has not given him, apart from McCoy, Jackson and Celek. He needs more than that, plus a dominating defense. Vick is only as good as the sum of the team's parts.— MidStaterUXB
- I don't know what Wonderlic test you took but it is definitely not a language test. In fact, it skews heavily toward conceptual problems that would be considered math(word problems). The real element of the test is the time restraint, 12 minutes to answer 50 questions many of which take calculations. A lot of people take the test and most score between 20-30(a typical chemist scores about 32). If those same people were given a full 30 minutes to take the test, I would guess that they would re-score between 40-50( 50 being perfect). The average score is 20(for the whole population). The average score for an NFL QB is 26. Scoring super high doesn't really mean anything BUT if you look at the list of QB's who have scored below 20, it is a list of busts. If you look at the 15 best QB's over the past 20 years, Brett Farve has the lowest score at 22 with all of the rest above 26. Vick scored 20. — UncleStosh
- @ Leegles - Sorry,,, must disagree with you on that one! MV is not a pass first QB,, never was never will be! that's like asking a Greyhound not to run! won’t happen! and when your first reaction is the opposite of what you should do??? well you end up with "fumbles, INT's and poor game mgmt. believe me,, i would love nothing more than to be wrong. But I’m not! We could have the entire team on the same page,,, but when the general of the field is fighting a different battle,,you’re not going to win!— osi is hurt boohoo
- Also agree with Barnwell. The Eagles had an outstanding run blocking line but for a team that passes so much, the pass blocking was just OK, even as the year went on. Kelce and Watkins in particular have lots of room for improvement. But I think they will get there. Kelce was a tremendous pick, I think. Watkins has the physical tools, hopefully with an offseason of work he will get where he needs to be.
— ICDogg - Vick can win it with help from EVERYONE on defense and his line and skill position players and special teamers and coaches and assistants and supportive fans. Football isn't tennis, folks. Solidify the D. Gell it up. Bring back players and let them bond and get comfortable and play on instincts. They'll definitely be good enough to get to the mid-winter tournament. If the Pack didn't win it all last year or the Pats a few years ago (or the Phils last year in baseball!), it goes to show the season itself is just a warm-up for the playoffs.— Leegles
- Bill Barnwell of Grantland doesn't know what he is talking about, obviously. The goal line problems were because of poor play calling and because the Eagles only have one legit goal line threat - McCoy. If Celek stepped up earlier in the season that would've helped. Also, Vick can scramble on a broken play but you can fault the line for plays when Vick adlibs.— p-diddy
- Agree with Bill Barnwell. I dont see this highly rated offensive line. They cant get the tough yardage on the goal line, McCoy always has someone on him in the backfield and Vick is harrassed on almost every down. That being said, Vick will have to have some miraculous improvement for any kind of a Superbowl run— Abusedeaglesfan
- Still need a LINEBACKER!!— urbnasty
- The Eagles have two people at the most important positions who have proven they can't win the Super Bowl, Reid and Vick.
One last go round, then in 2013 we start over.— banned - Why do Eagles fans on Philly.com so consistently perpetuate stereotypes of football fans . . .— Leegles
- Agreed. Wonder what MV Wonderlick scores were. He doesnt seem to be the sharpest pencil in the box. Physically gifted but Jaws could spend a month with him IF he ever got IT...— Hatfield_ham
- He scored 20 which is considered an average score(for everyone not just NFL players). It equates to an IQ of about 100 which is also considered average. — UncleStosh
- Who said the problem with running QBs is that they run ?— CDR Little
- You know what you're going to get with MV just as we knew what we were going to get with McNabb - there is no "higher ground" MV will elevate his abilities to, there is no ceiling for Vick to reach, as he has already made it there. you'll get the 9 yard scrambles on 2nd and long and then you'll get the badly overthrown pass to a wide open receiver. you'll get someone who can read a D but cant audible to save his life - bottom line is,, MV is a "fun" novelty,, that's about it! we need a Qb who demands production from all involved "manning" we need a Qb who can see a blitz on the weak side and actually know how to counter it... a running Qb is fun to extend a play,,, but that's about it!— osi is hurt boohoo
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