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I think he means the cash he was supposed to make after his second season - the roster bonus, among other bonuses.

"you know what i meant."

I honestly didn't

F-d hit it on the head. This mickey mouse crap has gotta stop. Donte's proven his worth to this team, as opposed to some 3rd string LB outta Dallas.

I seriously think the FO is convinced there's some award to be won for the team that wins the most games:
a. with no-name receivers
b. while acquiring the most free agent extra draft picks

Oh well, Bethel Johnson is better than nothing: How does 20 catches for 375 yards and 2 TDs in '07 sound?

There’s a lot of hatred on this board, and while I’m fairly certain that I’ll only inspire more, I hope it’s OK to ask: What’s the big deal with Stallworth? The guy had thirty-some catches and played consecutive games two or three times, maybe. I would have preferred Curtis in a heartbeat over the guy, and, as a casual fan, I’m explicitly content that the FO did not let his resigning take priority over the extensions they gave out mid-season. I hope people have the patience to read what follows, but I give my take, warranted or unwarranted. I, by no means, claim to know football enough to be an adequate armchair GM, but, as the casual fan that I am, I would be extremely satisfied if the following took place:
1. The Eagles obtain a new running back in the mold of Ricky Watters, Duce Staley, or Correll Buckhalter -- not a huge back, or even a leading back, but someone big enough to physically break a tackle or two – who can also catch and block. To me, the obvious place to find a back like this is on the second day of the draft.
2. The Eagles find their first, starting-quality, strong-side linebacker since Carlos Emmons, preferably someone who can take on a block or two. To me, the defense never recovered from his departure.
3. The Eagles procure the eventual replacements for Considine at strong safety (branding him the heir-apparent to Brian Dawkins) and Jeremiah Trotter at middle linebacker.
4. Last, but most importantly, the coaches remember that running sets up the passing game, and not vice versa.
I could get more detailed, point out things I see on the horizon (i.e. the pending departure of Ryan Moats and the need for another hobbit to back up Westbrook), but why get picky? I’d be happy if the above happened. I believe that the Eagles can win handily with the receiving corps they have right now, provided either Bloom or Bethel Johnson can fill the James Jett/Dante Stallworth role, and please make no mistake, that’s all Stallworth provided. He was the deep burner who actually beat press coverage every once in awhile to free things up underneath. Even that crazy RFA the F.O. traded Wilbur McOvenmitts for last offseason could do that every now and then (can’t remember his name), although, he certainly is slower. Curtis would have been a definite upgrade, IMO.
All suggestions aside, I could see the Eagles going to the Super Bowl as long as #4 happens. I never blamed the receivers for the Eagles failing to reach the Super Bowl in three consecutive NFCC games. I blamed Andy Reid and his reluctance to keep running the ball when it obviously worked. With their mammoth offensive line, plenty of backups, and a virtual Westbrook clone on the roster, there’s no good reason not to maintain the successful formula from the latter half of last season. Furthermore, there’s no reason why it shouldn’t work.

The shill, I mean, Rich Hoffman's take on Stallworth

Az, I read your whole post, and I'm with you on virtually all your points. However, there are several reasons I'm pissy about the whole Stallworth deal:

A. The FO apparently has something against paying anywhere near market price for their players. They could've easily made the same offer to Donte that NE did, but seemingly refuse to do it on principle. Kinda like the guy who walks into an upscale men's store, sees a shirt for $85, then claims he can get a shirt at Wal-Mart for $25. Yes you can, but ain't no chicas gonna be paying attention to you in a Wal-Mart shirt.

B. Donte was a legitimate #1 receiver, and this offense seems to click a lot better when there's someone you can count on to come up with a big play or two during the game. The stats may not directly reflect it, but the momentum shifts that can be provided by something like that are huge.

C. Donte was the best available WR on the market this season, the Eagles had the inside track on keeping him, and just refused to talk reasonably to him. The FO somehow has this notion that you can't sit down at a table and discuss things like men, and that every athlete who hasn't bowed down to them and signed a sub-market deal before testing free agency is instantly considered a traitor.

In general, it's not the Donte deal itself that has my undies in a bundie, it's the consistent arrogance of Reid et al to be mildly flexible on their philosophies.

Sidebar. If we pick up Pozlusziszykwzyny in the draft, I'll be mildly back on the happy side of life. :-)

Sarge, it's not about winning. It's about the Eagles proving they can win their way. This is much bigger than wins or losses or Lombardi trophies. This is about organizational philosophy, and the Eagles are damned determined to prove that their philosophy is the best. Never mind that their philosophy hasn't won dick; it's all about the future and staying competitive for a long time. Dominance is fleeting and those championship parades will soon be forgotten, but sustained success is the most important thing in their eyes.

In their minds, it's a cop-out to load up on free agents to make a championship run. They must prove that they can draft a championship team. I think they are so excited about Brown, Baskett, Avant, and Lewis that they desperately did not want Stallworth to re-sign. Had he taken the cheap offer, it would have probably pissed them off because he would stand in the way of their precious draft picks, Brown and Avant.

I think it's now clear that they always viewed Stallworth as a one-year rental. Originally, they were ready to cast their lot with Brown, Baskett, & Co., but they realized that they needed a year for some of these guys to develop, so they made the Stallworth trade. Now everyone thinks they need Stallworth, but the Eagles love proving you wrong, so they're going their own way. Trust me, they don't want Kevin Curtis either. He's a free agent, a.k.a. another team's garbage. The receivers you see are the receivers you get.

I just hope they taught Reggie Brown how to catch the football.

Dear The Talon and sarge,

I find your lack of faith disurbing. Which means, welcome to the Dark Siders!

Sincerely,

BD

PS- Your pre-approved membership invitations and "Dark Sider in Training" T-shirt will be in the mail shortly.

question: would the eagles still have had to give up their 3rd round pick to the saints if they had signed stallworth as a free-agent as opposed to extending him during the year or before free-agency?

No, they only gave up the 4th

Phrased it wrong: once he became a free agent, they gave up a 4th, no matter what happened after that.

Damn, just as I was getting over my McMartyr dark siding, I'm recruited to the FO dark siding.

Every time I think I'm out.....they pull me back in.

According to reports out there, the Patriots are spending big this season because they feel they have a window of 2-3 years left with Tom Brady and Bellichick together and they want to "load up" for this run.

When the Gold Standard hears this, I'm sure Banner will throw his cheese sandwich to the floor of his cubicle and shake his fist in rage before sending a scathing email to the janitorial staff and demanding they "cut 75% of their staff because the Eagles are KEEPING Bethel Johnson this year".

It is really funny, though. The Patriots front office recognizing windows open and close...trying to take advantage of an opportunity while it's open? Weird.

They still have something in common, though. Both the Eagles and Patriots are going into this off-season trying to win their 4th Super Bowl. The Eagles just forget they had to win the other 3 first.

Heard that as well on the Morning Morons (who took another shot at McNabb, saying that if the Pats feel that Brady is going to enter the downside of his career, what does that make McNabb, who's older and struggling to make it through an entire season without getting hurt?)

Anyway, it makes sense, and they recognize where they're weak at and are improving to win, while the Birds try to make people believe they're stronger at spots and that 'winning' should not include the term 'at all costs'.

They still have something in common, though. Both the Eagles and Patriots are going into this off-season trying to win their 4th Super Bowl. The Eagles just forget they had to win the other 3 first.

I hate to say it but f-d, sadly that IS one of the funniest things I've read in a while...

Anyone else see McNabulous interviewed last nite at some event, and basically take a shot at the F.O. for the revolving door of WRs he has to work with?

Mildly surprised.

He said somethin along the lines of "It's a shame and I wonder why it had to happen (Stallworth walkin')...Other QBs have the same WRs to work with and for me I havent had that, I would like to have a big play WR for more than 2 yrs..."

The Beard he was sportin moves him up to No.22 on the Americas Most Wanted Terrorists list in your local post office, btw.

THE OUT PATTERN
Stallworth says he didn't feel wanted by Birds, so he joined Pats
By LES BOWEN
the Patriots.

Stallworth also spoke for the first time about last week's Inquirer report that said he was in the NFL's substance-abuse program.

"All of that stuff is in the past," Stallworth said. "There was a situation a couple of years ago, but there's nothing that's going on now that will affect me in preparing to help this team win ballgames."

Some people reading the March 5 Inquirer story might have inferred that Stallworth was currently in rehab or recently had been, though the story said that "the circumstances and time frame that led to Stallworth's admittance to the program have not been disclosed."

If, as Stallworth said yesterday, his participation in the program dates back years, that would seem to raise anew the question of why the initial report of it surfaced on the first Monday of free agency, in Philadelphia, with the Eagles obviously inclined to let him leave and knowing they would face fans' displeasure for doing so. The Eagles have denied being the source of the story and the Inquirer has reported the team is not its source. Since status in the treatment program is confidential, any team leaking such information could be fined by the league.

Stallworth's participation could help account for the fact that he didn't get the megadeal with $12 million to $15 million in bonus money that agent Drew Rosenhaus apparently expected; Stallworth could be subject to suspension if he violates the terms of the program. But Stallworth's assertion that his undisclosed difficulty wasn't recent makes it seem less likely that being in the substance program had a big impact on his value. A more likely problem was his injury history, which includes recurring hamstring issues. Stallworth's hamstrings limited him to 38 catches for the Eagles last season; he missed four games and was less than 100 percent in at least a few others.

The Patriots ultimately gave Stallworth a complicated contract that pays him $3.6 million this season, and as much as $11 million in 2008, if New England decides to keep him, for what could be as much as a $33 million, 6-year deal. The way the contract is structured seems to make it more likely that Stallworth will be a free agent again next year.

Though Stallworth spoke of preferring to return to the Eagles in the weeks leading up to free agency, once he was on the market, and particularly once the Inquirer report was published, Stallworth seemed focused on making a deal with the three-time Super Bowl champion Pats.

"The thing that I always tell people is, ever since I've been playing football, back to when I was 11 years old, I've won a championship on every level that I've been on, except for the pros, obviously," Stallworth told reporters in a conference call. "There's no greater feeling in sports than winning a championship. I was talking to Tom Brady the other day and I told him I couldn't even imagine how it feels to win a Super Bowl. I won a national championship in college [at Tennessee], and that was one of the greatest feelings ever. I told him I could only imagine how it feels to win a championship."

Stallworth expressed disappointment that his eagerness to return to the Eagles didn't result in agreement. Team sources have said the Birds pretty much gave up hope of signing Stallworth when they heard Rosenhaus' initial demands. The Eagles would have done a 1-year contract, once Stallworth and Rosenhaus began talking about that last week, but the focus of those talks always seemed to be the Patriots.

Eagles president Joe Banner did not return calls to the Daily News.

"I thought my chances [of staying with the Eagles] were pretty good," said Stallworth, 26, who arrived Aug. 28 in a trade with New Orleans for Mark Simoneau and a fourth-round draft choice. "I had a productive year there and I felt like I could help the team. Before we finished with the season, I was told by pretty much everyone in the organization that they wanted me back and they wanted to get things worked out."

After remarking that he didn't feel he was wanted by the Eagles, Stallworth said: "All in all, I know that I was able to produce on the field, and at the end of the day, this is a business. They have to make the best business decision that they think is best for them, and the same thing with myself."

Stallworth also addressed reports of bad blood with receiver Kelley Washington, who also signed with the Patriots this week. Stallworth and Washington were teammates at Tennessee. Reportedly, they both decided to declare for the draft as underclassmen, but after Stallworth hired an agent and couldn't go back to college, Washington changed his mind, setting himself up as the Vols' top returning receiver. He has been a Cincinnati Bengal for 4 years.

Stallworth said yesterday that he actually advised Washington to stay in school.

"The bottom line was, things got overblown, and there is no rivalry between he and I," he said. "I was hanging out with him a few months ago, down here in Miami... There's definitely no problem. We communicate every so often, and obviously we will be doing a lot more communicating now that we are teammates again."



Hmm. And it looks like I got my answer on the Reid thing:

"An Eagles spokesman said coach Andy Reid has not yet officially returned from the leave of absence he took to deal with family matters relating to the arrests of his two older sons. Reid still is expected to attend the league meetings March 25-29 in Phoenix."

Is it just me, or does anyone else feel like screaming.

The off-season is maddening to an Eagles fan.

Is it just me, or does anyone else feel like screaming.

The off-season is maddening to an Eagles fan.

I'm sorry but did you have a recent bout of amnesia, this seems like the status quo to me... it's why we as Eagles fans are so "spirited"...

Phrase never to be heard at Nova Care:

"We'd really like you back. What will it take to get that done?"

Anyone else see McNabulous interviewed last nite at some event, and basically take a shot at the F.O. for the revolving door of WRs he has to work with?

He'll clean up the quotes and brush it off in the post-draft mini-camp, but if he doesn't for some reason...just watch how fats the Eagles flip it back on him.

Those same fucking snakes who won't hesitate to throw out a comment like "Hey, he's among the very best in the league and a future hall of fame QB, in our opinion" will have something like:

"Hey, we love McNabb but we think we've done a good job with keeping guys around like Reggie and Greg Lewis. With the injuries he's had over the last several years, it's probably a little tougher to build that trust, but we think he can".

And that will happen around the time they have to restructure his contract.

I can read the Spuds column now:

"Do the Eagles want to give McNabb weapons? Of course they do. They have some of those pieces in place already. Most of the pieces.

Reggie Brown has been here for 2 years and will here into the future. He has #1 WR ability. He can do it all- beat you deep, block, move the chains.

The question is...Geez...can McNabb stay on the field with him?

McNabb is the man here. No doubt about it, but...hey, the injuries are mounting. There are questions here. The coaches are REALLY high on (Insert young QB draft pick here) and I'm sure McNabb is feeling the pressure. He should. Competition improves the entire roster.

Heck, I'm not even saying McNabb is gay. No one here is. If he says he's happily married to a "woman", than yeah- I trust in that.

Could he lose weight? I don't know and I'm not his dietician."

It is really a shame. Besides Brady, I cant think of any Elite QB (sorry NEAG) besides Mcnabb who has had to work with such volatility and mediocrity at the Wide Receiver position. Supa 5 made it very clear before FA that he wanted Stallworth back, I am sure he expressed those feelings with the FO. Its clear that he has lost some of his pull with them. How much, I am not sure. But you cant blame the guy for being upset with having to work with such shit.

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