Iggles Blog - Philadelphia Eagles Blog

You Had a Better View that I Did

Still on vacation, which means I "watched" today's game on a seriously low-rez slingbox feed.  As much as I enjoyed the result, trust me, you had a better view of the game today than I did.

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I think It's fitting that the final tackle of the season came from a defensive end (Juqua Thomas) chasing down a wide receiver 20 yards downfield, while the winning touchdown came on a fumble recovery in the end zone by a hustling Kevin Curtis.  Also, the deep pass call on the last clock-killing drive was vintage Andy Reid.  These guys never stopped trying, they never stopped hustling, and they never stopped playing aggressively. 

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I tivoed the last two games while I was gone and I do look forward to re-watching the games to really look hard at the young guys who finally got some snaps.  Not sure when that will come, what with everything winding down, but I'll get on it after I get back home.

After that, things are likely to slow down a fair amount around here.  Maybe not quite as much as last year, but with a new baby on the way and some other things I need to start spending some time on, the blog is going to head to the old back burner. 

As always, thanks to everyone who read, emailed or commented throughout the season.  I think we've got a good thing going here, and I look forward to continuing the conversation through the offseason and again next year. 

Thanks again.

--Derek

I Guess It's Not the Snapping

We had a pretty good feeling long-snapper Jon Dorenbos would be coming back next year as the Eagles did a couple of late-season profile pieces on the moonlighting magician on PE.com.  It would have been strange to then let him go.

And now it's official, Dorenbos has a fresh, five-year contract with terms undisclosed, suggesting the team doesn't blame him for the struggles in the kicking game this season.  If you're scoring at home, that only leaves one more excuse (Rocca's holding) before we get to Akers himself.

While Dorenbos needs only talk to Dirk Johnson about how much the "security" of a long-term contract is worth in the Not For Long league, this is an interesting signing because it means the team will be facing the same roster issues it has the last couple of seasons by keeping a snapper who can't fill in at another position, even in an emergency.

Slightly Intrigued By This Signing

On a scale of one to ten, the news that the Eagles signed CB Tanard Davis off the Panthers' practice squad rated about a negative six.  The odds of any late-season pick-up sticking around for long -- let alone making an impact -- aren't that great. 

Still, I'm mildly intrigued by this signing.  Heading into 2008, the Eagles have a very unsettled secondary.  Sheldon Brown is probably the only guy we can really count on.  Since taking over as the starter for the 2004 season, Sheldon has never missed a game.  He continues to be solid, unspectacular and (now that his shoulder is healed) once again a very good tackler. 

I'm not sure fans totally realize how much Jim Johnson moves Sheldon around.  He plays outside in the base defense, typically slides into the slot in the nickel (although less so when it's Hanson, rather than James outside), and even plays the deep center field position when Johnson goes to his strong look with both safeties walked up tight (the formation out of which Mikell, Considine and Dawkins frequently blitz).  My personal opinion is that Brown is actually better in those other positions than he is matched up on speedsters outside, but the point remains that we know exactly what we're going to get from him next year. 

You can't say the same thing about any of the other secondary positions.  Lito is great, but he's missed 13 games in the last three years.  Everyone's finally gotten around to noticing that Dawk had a pretty crummy year and at his age, we'll see just how well he's able to re-build his body this offseason.  Even for a specimen like Dawk, you never know when it's gonna go.

Then things get really interesting.  Sean Considine is unfairly maligned by those who judge safeties only by how hard they can hit a defenseless receiver, but it's certainly true that the guy hasn't been able to stay healthy and at 6-0, 212 pounds, just may not have an every-down NFL body.  Quintin Mikell is great playing close to the line of scrimmage, but he struggles some in pass coverage down the field.  Erstwhile return man J.R. Reed certainly brings the wood when he plays, but we've seen very little of him so far and there's always the drop foot question with him.

At corner, I think we can safely say that William James is highly overrated, particularly in his own mind.  Joselio Hanson isn't bad, but I'd rather see him at the dime position (where he'd still end up getting plenty of playing time, given Lito's injury history).  Besides, the Eagles really need a faster #3 CB who can line up outside and let Sheldon mix it up in the interior. 

So that's one reason I'm intrigued by this Davis signing.  Not because I think there's much chance he can make an impact as a cornerback (you won't even find his name listed Miami's team statistics his senior year), but because the Eagles have proved that's one position where they're willing to carry a few extra bodies and the cupboard's looking a little bare right now anyway.

The much more interesting reason, however, is that this guy is a former 60-meter NCAA champ and actually outran Devin Hester at the U's "Pro Day" two years ago:

But Hester wasn't the fastest Hurricane working out for the pros on Sunday (by the way, all 32 teams were present, over 100 scouts and four executives). I'm betting you can't guess who was? It was reserve cornerback Tanard Davis, also a UM standout track athlete.  Davis had an excellent workout. He ran a 4.25  40-time, posted a 41 1/2 inch vertical and benched 225 16-times, which is pretty good for a defensive back. I often wonder how well he would have performed if the NCAA allowed him to transfer to Howard last season and keep his scholarship because he's a good athlete.

Now I'm not saying that the Eagles just signed another Devin Hester.  But if the reason they brought this kid in is to see what he can do as a return man, and if the summer mini-camp work proves he's got some potential there, well then this could be exactly the kind of move they need to finally spark the special teams that have languished at the bottom of the league barrel all season.

Or he could get cut next week.

Maaaaaybe Not So Fast

BGN's Jason has a post throwing cold water on the Chad Johnson speculation that one must admit is clear, logical and probably correct.  But I'm not giving up that easily on the case I've been making for a couple months now.

It's certainly true that Johnson would be a risky acquisition.  "Don't bring an egomaniacal wide receiver into the Eagles' locker room" might be up there with "never start a land war in Asia" when it comes to the few hard and fast rules you really want to live by.  And he's not a free agent, he turns 30 in January and he is owed a LOT of money between now and 2011.  So there are some hurdles.

But the Eagles cleared many of the same hurdles when they brought in The Player before the 2004 season, so it can be done.  The biggest issue might be the bonus money the Bengals would have to load into this year's cap if they dumped him, but if the rumors about his locker room antics are true, that might be a small price to pay, assuming the Eagles step up with a decent compensation package.  We have offensive linemen up the wazoo around here these days.  Carson might like one of those.

Assume for a minute that the team chemistry issues are manageable (and after Randy Moss morphed into a choir boy this year, do you want to bet against that?)  The Eagles would be getting not just a solid WCO wide receiver (Reggie Brown), or a dangerous #1.5 guy who can thrive in the right scheme (Kevin Curtis), but a true, bona fide #1.  A guy who on many plays would demand help over the top ... and once you start moving those safeties around, say hello to Mr. Westbrook gashing you underneath. 

Heck, with Johnson the Eagles might spend so much time in three and four-receiver sets that it wouldn't even matter that we don't really have a starting tight end around.   

More importantly -- MUCH more importantly -- acquiring Johnson would be exactly the kind of shot in the arm needed by this ball club, the fans and our quarterback.  Reid/Banner would be telling the team that there aren't going to be any excuses next year for coming up short.  The fans would be jacked up by the proven commitment to doing whatever it takes to win.  And Donovan would have a bright, shiny new toy to play with -- and even better, an assurance that the Eagles are giving him what he needs to succeed.

Look, I'm not saying this trade is going to happen.  If I were a Bengals fan, I wouldn't favor a Johnson trade any more than as an Eagles I would favor ditching McNabb.  If there's one lesson we've learned in Philly over the past two decades, it's that you don't dump the superstars. 

But I stand by that preceding paragraph, which means even if this move doesn't happen, a similar move has to happen.  This is not a time to be standing pat.

Not A Second Round Pick

While I'm not willing to make any kind of firm prediction -- because soap operas are well-known for their twists and turns -- I don't think Donovan McNabb is going anywhere this offseason.  The reason is simple:  the Eagles organization (unlike many fans, broadcasters and writers) understands that quarterbacks with his skills don't just grow on trees. 

I will guarantee, however, that if Donovan McNabb gets traded, it won't be for this supposed market price:

Reports recently circulated that an unnamed team learned before the 2007 trade deadline that Philly wanted a whopping three first-round picks for the No. 2 overall pick in the 1999 draft.

Though that very well might have been a deliberate effort by Philly to get more than the second-round pick that the market might otherwise dictate...

Not to pick on PFT twice in one week, but this is maybe the fifth time I've heard someone suggest McNabb could be had for a #2.

That's mind-bogglingly stupid.

Pretend for just a moment that you were a poor unfortunate sap who happened to be a Chicago Bears fan.  If you learned that your team could have McNabb for the next few years for the PIDDLING price of just a second-round pick, how quickly would you jump on that deal?  Faster than Rex Grossman could throw his next interception, I bet.

I realize those #2 picks are valuable (after all, it's not every day you can get a Matt McCoy, Quintin Caver or Todd Pinkston...), but c'mon.  It's Donnie Freaking McNabb.  Even if you think he's nothing more than the 12th-best QB in the league these days, that's still a ridiculous price.  You'd be furious if the Bears passed that up.

And if you think it's an injury issue, remember that Javon Walker was much closer to his ACL reconstruction surgery when the Broncos traded a second-rounder for him -- with only one year left on his deal.

If the Eagles trade McNabb this year, it's going to be because some other team offered a franchise-changing deal.  We're talking multiple draft picks, with at least one being high up in the first round.  There will be no fire sale as long as Reid and Banner are in charge.

Avoiding the Wrong Lesson

I think if you asked Andy Reid, he would tell you the Eagles' acquisition of Terrell Owens before the 2004 season had nothing to do with the team's horrendous offensive performance in the NFC Championship Game debacle against the Carolina Panthers. 

I also think Reid would be lying.

It's true that Reid's offense works best when there's a spread-it-around approach that keeps opposing defenses off balance.  When defenses can't cover everything, all you have to do is find the weak spot and exploit it.  That's all fine and good.  And it works against bad teams.

The problem is that every now and then you run into a really good defense that doesn't mind spreading itself out, because their guys match up fine against your guys.  We saw that with the Bucs in 2002 and the Panthers in 2003.  In those cases, you need more than just a good gameplan and a great quarterback -- you need weapons.  You need guys who can't be single-covered.  Players who, when their number is called, you know won't be taken out of the play.  And the more, the better.

The Eagles had one of those guys in 2003.  Name of Westbrook.  But then Brian tore his triceps in the last game of the season against Washington and suddenly Reno Mahe was getting extended playing time on offense.  Season over.

My primary concern heading into the offseason is that the Eagles might draw the wrong lesson from the 2007 season.  What if they say, "Ok, look, we were only a couple of bounces away from 10-6, our quarterback is entering the offseason fully healthy (knock wood) for the first time in years, and with nothing to play for we still marched into New Orleans and hung up 38 points on a team many believed was playoff-bound.  Pick up a couple of spare parts to build some depth and we're there."

Wrong.  No.  Uh-huh.  Bad idea.

Right now the Eagles have one truly elite receiver/runner in Brian Westbrook.  That's it.  Kevin Curtis is a very good player, but he's not a game-breaker.  Reggie Brown hasn't progressed in two years. Brent Celek is a complete unknown.

And remember what happened when Westbrook got hurt before the Giants game?  Complete offensive shutdown.  I've said it before and I'll say it again, if Westbrook had missed significant time this season, the Eagles would have been lucky to win more than five games. 

That's way too little margin for error.  Reid, Banner, please don't get seduced by a couple of good performances.  Bring McNabb some help.

And if you plan on trading him anyway?  Well, Kolb won't mind having those guys around either.

More Finger Wagging Crap from PFT

The guys behind ProFootballTalk.com have managed a truly impressive feat.  They have built what is alternately the best -- and worst -- football news source on the Internet. 

The PFT guys really shine in the offseason, when the focus isn't the games on the field, but rather the backroom dealing that determines who ends up playing where and for how much money.  Because they have lines into so many agents, coaches and front office staff, they essentially function as a clearinghouse for all NFL rumors.  The fact that everything they print comes to them from self-serving sources who hope the information they provide will benefit themselves doesn't really matter that much to fans, who just want the scuttlebutt.  (Although it does put them into a somewhat interesting position when they're commenting on the journalism ethics of everyone else on the interweb.)

The problem for PFT is that the NFL offseason -- while it seems endless -- does actually take a short break every year for that period of time when, well, games are played.  These aren't boom times for the kind of rumor-mongering that makes PFT its money, so they end up having to fill the site with other stuff.  Unfortunately, way too much of that "other stuff" comes in the form of finger-wagging pronouncements upon the alleged misbehavior of others, complete with one of two solutions: 

1) For league problems, new rules to govern behavior;
2) For individuals, firing.

In fact, with the possible exception of Bill Belichick (and I'd have to go back and check), there's not a coach in the league that PFT hasn't at some point been firmly convinced should be canned.  The site spent much of the season's first half crusading against Brad Childress up in Minnesota, who in two years has done nothing but reshape an entire locker room, clean up a mess of a franchise recovering from years of no discpline, and get his team on the cusp of a potential playoff berth.  Oh, and as of right now, the team seems to have made the best pick in last year's draft to boot.  (And sure, he's made some mistakes, but he was right about this one, eh?)

Of course, none of that matters to PFT -- although they've piped down a bit as the wins have accumulated -- since the real problem with Childress is how he talks to the press.  And AMAZINGLY that's the exact same problem Reid has .. and also why he should be fired too:

Look, we're not saying that the guy shouldn't be allowed to continue with the team because two of his five children have exhibited chronic behaviors that require more time and attention than an NFL head coach is able to give without compromising performance in his profession. But the fact that Reid permitted this obvious effort to shape his image to occur during the football season makes us wonder whether he truly "gets it."

Why not focus solely and exclusively on getting the Eagles back to the playoffs, and then tell his story in January? Well, if the goal was to ensure that folks in Philly feel good about him during the moments of frustration that arise in the wake of a failed football season, focusing only on the football season would have prevented him from projecting a sympathetic portrait in time to temper the push to get the team to make a change.

The fact that he took even a second away from his work during the regular season to "tell his story" -- and then to edit the telling of his story -- is all we need to know.

It's time for Reid to move on.

Ye gods, that's stupid. 

Reid should be fired because he chose to take a couple hours of his time during the season to tell the story people have been clamoring to hear?  Especially because it was a sympathetic outlet that was more likely to explain rather than attack?  Man, that's dumb.  Hey, PFT guys, here are some things you may want to consider:

1. By not dwelling on the story when it first came out, Reid kept the whole mess from being any more of a distraction than it already was.
2. By dealing with it now, rather than waiting until after the season, Reid ensures this unfortunate season will end cleanly, without spillover into an extremely important offseason for this franchise.
3. By telling the story in a controlled setting, Reid was able to ensure he could do the whole thing short and sweet, nipping any ensuing controversy in the bud -- with the exception of other reporters who got their feelings hurt that they didn't get to be in the room.  Wah.

All of these things are good.  If you're an Eagles fan, you should be happy he handled it this way. 

And look, it's not like Reid took a week off to go visit a monastery or something.  He took a few hours during his week to deal with something that he thought he needed to do for his team.  Even NFL coaches who work 100 hour weeks have a couple of hours when they are doing something else.  As long as he's not shooting up or beating his wife, what do we care how he spends that time?

Stick to regurgitating those "rumors," guys.  You're better at it.

Heck Yeah

It's late, but just finished watching the game.  Damn, that was sweet. 

As long as the Eagles can't be in the playoffs this year, knocking out the team that got us last year is a great way to go out. 

And boy, McNabb.  What a great game.  And that goal line stick by Bradley ... that was sweet.  Nice debut, youngster.

A TiVo Game Today

When we booked our airline tickets to California two months ago, by far the cheapest flight was today ... during the Eagles game.  I figured at the time that the Eagles would either a) be out of the playoff hunt by now or b) otherwise this game would be a great candidate for NBC's flex scheduling and I'd be able to see it at night.  Oh well.

Anyway, I'll be in the air for most of today's game, although I'll be able to catch a lot of it on our layover via pdanet > slingbox > DVR.  But that means there's a good chance no blog post until much later tonight or tomorrow.  Just so y'all didn't think I was leaving ya hangin'.

Merry Christmas, everyone.

We Found That Guy

You know how announcers always say: "you had to be living in a cave to miss this, but..." before re-hashing a tired old story we've all heard a million times?  Well, I think we've finally found the cave guy.

Yes, that's an actual search referral. 

And yes, I still hate Terrell Owens.  But boy, a lot of other stuff has changed since I wrote that post, eh?