More on McCareins

A reader responded to my earlier McCareins post with the following:

Problem is he can't catch, and he doesn't play as fast as he times out. There have to be better options out there than him.

Posted by: Coatesvillain | February 27, 2008 at 08:44 PM

Two things.  First of all, we have a new leader in the clubhouse for best commenter monikers.  Well done, sir.

Secondly, I want to be very clear that I'm not suggesting McCareins would be the best possible choice for the Eagles this summer.  I just think:  a) they've shown interest in him in the past, b) he fits the organizational history of mid-tier free agent signings, and c) he's not without his good points.

In fact, here's an interesting comparison of two NFL wide receivers.  These are cumulative numbers of the three seasons when each player was aged 24-26:

Player #1 is Justin McCareins, of course.  Player #2?  Our own Downtown Reggie Brown.

Now there's some sleight of hand involved here, because Reggie Brown was two years older when he entered the league, but also became a starter almost immediately when TO blew up.  McCareins didn't play much his first two seasons (at an age when Reggie was still in college), but once he got his chance, he put up basically the same numbers Brown did his first three years.

Of course, in the past two years he hasn't done much.  And as I said, I'm not arguing that they should sign him ahead of some other guys, just that I think there's a chance they will.