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.

Comments

[Colin]

Ummm, it looks like Chad isn't available. In Jason's post, he points to a quote from the Bengals president saying Chad is not going anywhere. It may be that there just isn't a #1 receiver out there this off season. I hope that we don't have to go through an offseason with people saying the Eagles "don't want to win" because they couldn't acquire players that aren't available.

[Jay]

I read Andrew's Post and thought the same thing.
Its yesw it is unlikely but still very posssible. I must admit I'm not much of a fan of Johnson, but I wasn't really a fan of Owens either. That being said it is obvious that we need someone with that kind of talent.
Cincinati is likely bound for a major shake up and if that happens anything is possible.

Everyone who's knows anything about the birds is floating it out there these days that we must get another weapon on offense.
I agree, but who?
There are really no Free Agents out there that fit the bill of what we need (i.e. a guy who commands a double team).
At this point of the top recievers around the league Johnson is still the most realistic possibility but still an outside shot.
So my question is who else could we possibly get in a trade?

[Me]

Colin, yeah, I read that, but the next NFL personnel man who tells the truth will be the first. You think the Bengals would trade Johnson for two #1s? If so, we've established what they are, we're just haggling on price.

With apologies to Winston...

[Me]

As for the point about not liking Johnson, I really don't like him either. I felt like too much of Owens' look-at-me crap rubbed off on his teammates, to the point where third-string linebackers had their own choreographed celebrations any time they made a special teams tackle.

With that said, Johnson needs a fresh start, and after what happened last time, I think Reid would set some ground rules early on to keep that crap in check.

Give me the Kevin Curtis "flip the ball to the official and jog off" celebration any day of the week, though.

[mike]

i'd rather have Larry Fitzgerald.

[JERRY ABARNO]

The need for a "big time" receiver is paramount. Don't know where he is as yet. I'd also like to see another tight end to team up with Celek in a double tight set. Corner back/returner is paramount but the one change I pray for is the offensive coordinator post. I know Reid loves him but he is just too vanilla and predictable and I'd like to see him traded for a draft pick. Thanks.