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In Asante Samuel, SDan Klecko and now Rocky Boiman, the Eagles have signed three players who have six Super Bowl rings among them. I'm starting to think this isn't a coincidence.
I'm also starting to get a good feeling about next season, based solely on the incontrovertible fact that it's little things like this that end up making a big difference come January.
This is a guy who set the franchise record last season for most catches (93) and yards (1,440) and was still lambasted for the team's 7-9 finish.
In a move intended to bolster the team's special teams, the Eagles today signed free agent linebacker Rocky Boiman, most recently of the Indianapolis Colts. Boiman has bounced around the league for six seasons, typically making his greatest contributions on coverage and return teams, although he has started 19 games in his career.
The Eagles appear to be tired of sucking on special teams. Look for a renewed focus on that phase of the game during offseason practices and the draft. Fifth wide receivers, fourth linebackers and eighth defensive linemen better show up to knock heads on "teams" this year.
The need for an explosive return man has still not been addressed. I hear Pacman Jones might be available in a trade, should hell suddenly freeze over.
This is going to be one of those items that only long-time readers will care about.
Dana Pennett O'Neil is (was?) a writer for the Daily News. Her specialty -- outside women's basketball -- has been keeping alive the idea that the local media sucks by writing completely asinine stories like the one about how Andy Reid's kids are going to die and it will pretty much be his fault because he won't quit his job and the other one about how Penn State's Austin Scott is an angel despite being on trial for rape and isn't it convenient that she interviewed him right before the judge's gag order kicked in so the other side wasn't allowed to say anything in response. Not even a hint of balance in that one.
All of which, of course, led all rational observers to predict that O'Neil would be on the fast-track to stardom, since you don't make it to the top any more by doing solid, sober reporting. No, you make a splash, scream a lot, and get your own tv and radio deals.
I went so far as to predict:
Look, I've never met this person, but we've seen enough of her reporting now to figure out the trend. Call it the Stephen A. track. And I will be shocked if she's not a significant national figure on ESPN within four years.
So of course, I'm clicking around ESPN.com this morning reading about the tournament and guess what I saw. Yep. She's right on track. A quick look at her archives is illuminating. O'Neil has contributed columns to ESPN in the past, but they were always as a special contributor. Starting January of this year, she's now just part of ESPN.com. The timing all matches her staff page on the Daily News website, as well as this item confirming her departure.
(And Dennis from Downingtown, you're an idiot.)
Somewhat lost in the hoopla over the Dan Klecko signing is that the Eagles already have a guy on the roster who knows how to play the position. Former practice squadder Jason Davis gets his say today on PE.com.
In some ways, he certainly seems like a more obvious fit as a west coast offense fullback:
Davis was a two-year starter at Illinois where he finished his college career with 67 receptions for 602 yards and two touchdowns. On the ground, Davis churned out 230 yards on 49 carries for another score...
[L]ast season [Thomas] Tapeh had just eight receptions and five rushes. Davis knows that with his experience at Illinois, he can bring something different to the position.
"I also bring an element which a lot of fullbacks can't bring in which I can run and catch a little bit," said Davis. "If I show it, maybe they'll put a little bit in there for me to use."
He also flashes a nice bit of personality:
"I can handle (getting the first down on 3rd-and-1), but if you want me to take my shirt off and be a Tommy Hilfiger underwear model, that is not going to work," Davis said.
I know it sounds crazy, but I'm still wondering if there isn't a possible role for both these guys. I don't know if Matt Schobel should be feeling too comfortable about his role on the team right now. It's probably not a good sign when you manage to put up six straight seasons of declining production.
If you're an Eagles fan, the news that Deangelo Hall has gotten a new seven-year, $70 million contract from the Oakland Raiders has to make you feel a little better about the money we just threw at Asante Samuel.
On the other hand, if you're Lito Sheppard...
In case you had any doubt where PFT gets all that good information that interested parties have such a vested interest in getting into the public, wonder no more...
I try to run a pretty straitlaced blog around here, but I would be remiss in not mentioning that some of these individuals are not unattractive.
Organization-wide commitment to continual improvement seems to be the order of the day.
According to PFT, the Cardinals haven't quite finished that deal with Larry Fitzgerald yet. Now... I know what you're thinking: "Oh, wow, there's still a chance we could get him!" Sadly, no, that's not happening. This is going to get worked out.
But check out this little detail:
Fitzgerald's contract is not yet official, and that has caused some juggling on the Cardinals' part. The team had to cut receiver Sean Morey to fit long snapper Nathan Hodel's contract under the salary cap. Morey is expected to be re-signed when Fitzgerald's deal is completed and the team gains the cap space that comes with it.
Not to go all special teams, all the time today, but there's an opportunity here. Morey is a fantastic special teams player. From wikipedia:
In 2001 Morey joined the Philadelphia Eagles where he would become 2003 Special Teams MVP. That same year he was nominated for Dr. Z's (Sports Illustrated) All-Pro team as a special teams player.
No, he's not a great wide receiver (his nominal position) but I'm confident he could replace the 13 catches Greg Lewis chipped in last year. And I realize we can't just go around stocking the bottom of the depth chart with special teams aces, but if you want to improve the ST play quickly, here's one way to do it.
Bring Back Morey.
As is their wont, the Eagles have taken a systematic approach to free agency this spring:
Oh wait, no, not yet.
The Eagles clearly need to improve on special teams. And this isn't just about the return man, as this video I put up after the Patriots game shows (basically a lot of whiffed blocks if you don't have time to watch it):
One of the reasons they gave for bringing in Klecko is that he's really good in the game's third phase -- Tapeh never even played on "teams" at all. But the Eagles haven't had a real threat in the return game since the days of Young Westbrook. And while the first 25 yards of a kickoff return might be about scheme and blocking, the next 75 are about the returner.
So as free agency winds to a close, we have a pretty good sense of what might be coming in the draft, because this doesn't seem to be the year the Eagles are going to let issues fester.
I do have one more suggestion, though. I realize Troy Brown doesn't have much tread left on his tires, but you have to ask yourself, as a special teams ace and experienced return man, along with the ability to play both wide receiver and cornerback, might not Brown have a bit more roster value than someone like Greg Lewis?
Well, he's looking for a job. And he's nearby.
May 28, 2008
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