Iggles Blog - Philadelphia Eagles Blog

A Mixed Bag

There are a few things I want to cover today, so rather than splitting them up I'll just cover them all here:

There's more support for the idea that the Eagles are going to be aggressive this offseason.  From Ashley Fox in the Inquirer:

There apparently has been acknowledgment internally, if not yet publicly, that the team needs another prominent wide receiver, another speedy pass rusher to compliment Trent Cole, a pass-catching tight end, and another cornerback who potentially could be a starter.

It wouldn't be surprising at all to see Donté Stallworth come back to Philadelphia after he wins a Super Bowl ring with New England. Stallworth is due a monstrous bonus in February, one the Patriots likely won't pay because they will have to spend money to keep Randy Moss.

Stallworth qualifies as a playmaker and probably one who would be acceptable to the Eagles' high-maintenance quarterback.

Yes, there's the typical snarky crap at the end, but I'd throw this on the pile of reasons to believe the team is going to go hard after playmakers this offseason. 

I wouldn't be too sure about Donte though.  I'm sure the Eagles would love to have him back, but so would about 25 other teams.  Hopefully he doesn't have much of a Super Bowl, because if he puts up a 150-yard, 2 TD day, we can pretty much forget bringing him back.

(Also, "Trent Cole, you're just the best, man.  I sure am glad the Eagles brought me in so I could tell you how great you are.")

I ... kind of like this Giants team.  I'm sticking this one in the middle in hopes that everyone will immediately forget I said it, but the truth is that while I still hate "The Giants," this particular group of guys is growing on me.

I'm sure most of that is due to their upcoming contest against my least favorite team of all time, but there's something to this team.  It's not just the way they play on defense, it's also the maturation of Eli Manning.  During his interview with Pam Oliver yesterday, I was sort of thinking, "Wow, nice kid." 

Look, I feel bad enough about this already, so you don't need to pile on.  But I do respect what these guys are doing.

For two more weeks.  Then they die again.

Harbaugh is screwed in Baltimore.  I love John Harbaugh.  I stopped watching the coordinators' press conferences this year because while Jim Johnson was still great, Marty and the new special teams guy both bored me to tears.  Better to catch the transcripts.

But as much as Harbaugh seems to be a great communicator and a coach guys love to play for, I'm not sure he's in a position to succeed in Baltimore.  The fundamental problem for that franchise is that the mindset is "win right now," despite the fact that the quarterback is over the hill, the heir apparent probably isn't the long-term answer, and the team is getting old fast at a number of key positions.

Anything can happen from year to year in the NFL.  Heck, this year's Giants team proves that.  But to truly fix that franchise over the long-term, Harbaugh would have to be allowed to strip it down and start over.  I don't think that's going to happen.  So what if he does a great job this year turning things around and manages to carve out a 9-7 -- or even a 10-6 -- season?  That's only going to raise the stakes for the following year, when all the structural problems are going to be even worse.

Somehow, Harbaugh is going to have to reshape a roster and figure out the QB issue, all while managing to improve every year to keep his defensive unit (with their massive entitlement complex) happy. 

That's gonna be tough.

The worst part about yesterday's New York win?  It delays by two more weeks Atlanta's chance to hire away Steve Spagnuolo.  I just hope they don't panic and pull the trigger on someone else.

Along the same lines, it took Green Bay too long to learn that you can't screen the Giants' defense.  They've spent too much time working to stop the Eagles' screen game and they're really, really good at recognizing when it's coming.

Worst Case Scenario

I think I'm actually rooting for my wife to go into labor two weeks early so I have an excuse not to watch this match-up.

Of Course Not, Why Would You Ask?

A few days ago I attempted to refute the notion that the newly expanded salary cap meant teams would no longer have to worry about watching the books as closely.  It's a basic economic principle that when money supply increases, prices go up.  (Thank you, Milton.)

In the NFL's case, the fact that the vast majority of players are -- at any given time -- already under contract  means that prices/salaries will be "sticky."  They won't go up right away, but over time it will happen.

Here's your "over time":

January 17, 2008
The Giants and defensive end Justin Tuck have agreed to terms on a five-year, $30-million contract extension through the 2013 season that includes $16 million in guaranteed money, according to two people with knowledge of the contract details.

November 6, 2006
Defensive end Trent Cole signed a five-year contract extension on Monday that could keep him with the Philadelphia Eagles through 2013.  Cole's deal is worth $26.5 million with escalators that could make it worth $30 million, ESPN.com's John Claytons reports. Included in that figure is $12 million of guaranteed money.

Cole got a quicker start to his career than Tuck did, but if you look at their profiles (Cole / Tuck) you'll see two guys who are virtually identical.

One year, $4 million.  Much more to come.

Cowboys YouTube Hits Keep Coming

I don't think I'll ever be tired of these.  This one is really clever:

(via KSK)

Eight-Second Cowboys

Not to go all anti-Dallas all the time here, but this is funny (and only eight seconds long):

(via Deadspin)

No Way

Dad forces son to don Pack jersey
Associated Press

PORTAGE, Wis. - Upset that his 7-year-old son wouldn't wear a Packers jersey during the team's playoff victory Saturday, a man restrained the boy for an hour with tape and taped the jersey onto him.

Mathew Kowald was cited for disorderly conduct in connection with the incident with his son at their home in Pardeeville, said Lt. Wayne Smith, of the Columbia County Sheriff's Department. Pardeeville is about 30 miles north of Madison.

Kowald, 36, was arrested Monday after his wife told authorities about the incident. Kowald was taken to the county jail and held until yesterday, when he pleaded no contest, paid a fine of $186 and was released. Kowald's wife has filed a restraining order.

Great Moments in Sportswriting

From Sam Donellon:

Yesterday, Favre started a conference call with his mouth full of deer sausage, which seemed appropriate.

He'll try anything, right?

"Kind of like a spicy barbecue flavor," he said.

"Tastes like chicken?" he was asked.

"No, I wouldn't say it tastes like chicken, either," he said. "Tastes like sausage to me."

What on Earth?

Anyone out there who can explain what we're seeing in this picture:

JULIE JACOBSON / Associated Press

Here's the official caption: Eli Manning and his Giants teammates practiced outdoors rather than inside their practice bubble yesterday.

Not very descriptive...

Andrew Can Stop Yelling at Me

Trent Cole makes the Pro Bowl after all:

Cole, selected as a first alternate in the voting by fans, players and coaches, will replace Seattle's Patrick Kerney, who has backed out of the game because of an injury. This will be Cole's first Pro Bowl appearance.

Whither the Pass Rush?

No matter how good the NFL playoffs have been so far, I know I am far from alone among Eagles fans in turning at least some of my attention to the upcoming draft and free agency.  This season isn't even over yet and I'm itching to get to the next one.

I hope the players feel the same way.

I'm already on record with the idea that the Eagles are going to look to draft a defensive end in the first round to improve their pass rush.  But since that time I've done a little digging through some old statistics to see if that's really where the problem lies:

And in pretty graph form:

Led by Trent Cole, the defensive ends didn't have their best season in recent years, but they weren't far off.  The real difference was everywhere else.

I've been puzzled the last couple seasons by what I perceive to be -- without supporting statistics -- a decreased frequency of blitz calls by Jim Johnson.  I guess, though, when your defensive ends can only manage eight sacks between them (2003 season), you have no choice but to send the house as often as possible. 

Part of the challenge with blitzing, though, is that it requires guys who are good blitzers.  Gocong, Gaither and TKO v2.0 aren't the quickest guys out there, nor do they have much experience in this system at hiding blitzes.  Hopefully that improves as they stick around. 

However, the biggest difference in the pass rush since 2004 has been the virtual disappearance of the defensive tackles. That group averaged 14.5 sacks from 2001-2004.  The last three years they haven't gotten above eight.  That's a big deal, because it suggests the Eagles aren't getting the kind of "in your face" pressure that quarterbacks most hate.  It also is an indication that simply trolling the leftover bin for guys who can pass rush from the DT spot (Reagor, Jasper, Scott -- even Howard) isn't getting it done.

The thing is, there's no chance the Eagles make a big signing at that position.  They've invested two #1 picks in Patterson and Bunkley.  The thought has to be that these guys will continue to improve as they get further along in their careers -- particularly Bunkley, who came out of college with virtually zero technique and is only now learning how to use his hands.

But this may be a situation where improving pressure at another position (left DE) gives the guys in the middle a bit easier path to the QB.  A rising tide and all that.  So I still think the DE call for the first round is  a good one, but if the team decides to go the free agent route, here's a good list of who's available.  Some particularly intriguing candidates include:

Jared Allen, UFA, Kansas City Chiefs
He’s just 25 years of age, and has shown that he is among the league’s best at his position. He’ll be a high priority for several teams once the signing period opens.

Justin Smith, UFA, Cincinnati Bengals
Smith is an intriguing player. He’s consistent, experienced, and has a powerful motor... He won’t command elite dollars, but he could be valuable to a handful of teams and may find a suitor willing to open the checkbook a little bit.

Terrell Suggs, UFA, Baltimore Ravens
He is still a true talent and will attract some large offers from various teams, but Baltimore will do everything they can to sign him to an extension, especially considering that he recently turned just 25 years of age.