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Well off the heals of the Saints game, I must say I feel a LOT better about the D of late, especially the youth and how it's impact is being felt/can impact the future.

Who wasn't impressed w/ Bradley today? 1 game, I realize, but it was impressive down there on the goal line.

Keep thinking that if this team DID wish to appease/keep McNabb next yr, and they traded a PRECIOUS for a Chad Johnson just say- I cant see this team NOT making the Conf. Championship Game again.
Not only does the entire NFC Stink, but with Curtis and Brown now your #2 and #3's respectively, and a deep threat in house to help #5, and 36 back there? Nuttin wrong with that offense.
I do fear Tra Thomas may be at the end of the road, but HOPEFULLY they truly DID get a "Steal" when they moved up to snag Justice.

Runyans got a yr left methinks.

This team DESPERATELY needs a PR/KR and it wouldnt hurt if it came in the form or a high draft pick WR or CB.
They DO need some help in the D Secondary.

Is Dawkins OFFICIALLY done now/yet?

Celek: I like him. As much as I like/liked friggin LJ "Better in my own mind" Smith.

Bye Bye LJ. Also warm wishes on their way out to Kearse and Howard.

McNabb back next yr, spend some F.A. $ and try to go far on the strength of a tough D and HOPEFULLY some DOWN FIELD OFFENSE.

*Anyone here think its worth a mid round pick on a PK if a "Stud's" available come April?

I got to agree with a lot of what you said, except these points:

Bradley looked great against the run, the question is how was he against the pass the hustle for the INT withstanding I can't say I really noticed how he played, here's hoping the game gets replayed on NFLNetwork...

OK I just went back and reread your post and that is the only point I have questions with...

As far as bringin in Johnson no problem here or someone of his ilk, I'd love to see Steve Smith get outta Carolina and have a real shot at a SB I know they won't let him go and he wouldn't be more than a 1-2 year answer but still like the guy and wish he could get a shot on a better team...

NO PROBLEM at all with drafting a kicker, but if you do that pretty much tells Akers you're done. Which could be the fire he needs, I don't have the confidence as I did in the past but still think he's got a couple years left. It's just as well to draft a kicker that doesn't make the team than a WR, LB, OL that doesn't make the team...

As far as the O-Line goes I think both T's could/will play well again next year, and giving credit where do Reid and Castillo do an excellant job getting linemen wether it's draft or Undrafted FA's. so that is one position I just don't worry about IMO it's solid and will be for years to come...

I also agree with much of what you said, Seth. However, I'm still not sold on the defense. Gaither is looking better each week, but I think Gocong and Bradley are weak spots.

The secondary needs an overhaul. The # 1 pick and a trade, depending on who's available, need to be utilized on 2 CBs with "shut down" potential. If that can take place, then move Brown to free safety and make Lito earn a starting position. Maybe that might wake him up a bit and return him to "solid cover corner" status. If not, he's definitely no better than a nickle. (For it not an awful game by Romo last week, Lito would have given up 2 TDs single handedly).

Regarding the offense, it's hard to imagine McNabb coming back with his big cap hit, but he has looked much better the past 2 weeks. However, I, like a lot of others, was excited when I thought the end of the McNabb/Reid era was imminent. I have to admit though, the "O" looked pretty good against a team fighting for it's playoff lives. Maybe N.O. "D" is just THAT BAD? I don't know.

This damn team is just so inconsistent that it's hard to come up with any steadfast thoughts. Four weeks into the season, I wanted Reid, McNabb and Johnson gone. Now....not so sure.

imo


o-line...vets and youth, no real changes needed.

qb....it is what it will be, my guess, dmac is back.

rb....wouldnt mind seeing the same 3 guys. heard this week that hunt has had an attitude and work ethic prblm this yr. that needs to improve. tapeh ?? ehh, whats the difference, wont use whovever they get anyway

TE...need a big play guy here. to me, celek will be john spagnola, not keith jackson. this would open up the offense more than anything


wr...if they get the TE i mentioned, then i'm ok at WR. i think these guys look a lot better with a TE opening up the middle, and causing coverage issues. if celek or schoboat is the TE, then impact WR is a must.

Dline...another pass rushing end to rotate in is crucial. cole and juqua will wear down if overused. DT needs depth, starters are in place.

LB...i think there is enough young talent at this position that they can let them play and develop. if spikes is back, then he is the veteran leader. if not, they need one.

CB...too many injuries to sheldon and lito and mediocre backups make this a priority.

safety...i agree with seth, if dawk is here, its for situations and leadership. he can be the # 4. mikell is a starter, either position. considine is fine for the # 3, as you're not gonna get darren woodson in his prime as your backup, so considine is ok in that role. this has to be either the first pick in the draft or a prime FA.

KR/PR...seth was correct, this has to be one of the 3-4 top priorities of the off-season. proven vet in FA or a 2nd or 3rd round pick on one of the best in college.

Agree w/ EEB, would pick a star TE over a #1 WR. They can dink and dunk people to death.

Defense DEFINITELY needs a Dwight Freeney type player. Can you imagine what that would do for this team?

To help shore up the secondary a "healthy" shutdown corner is needed.

You are all falling into the trap. New Orleans has a shitty defense, especially against the pass. Get #5 the fuck out of here.

I agree with the following:

KR/PR is crucial. This team has never put any kind of emphasis on special teams. Just look what Josh Cribbs has done for Cleveland. Top FA or high draft pick please.

I'm fine with Celek. But i wouldn't mind drafting some depth at TE.

WR!!!!!!!!! Keep dreaming about Chad Johnson. We all need to dream a little.

The DL is better than I expected, but another pass rusher would help.

I disagree with:

Drafting a K. Unless some stud falls to the 6/7 round. I'd rather see a special teams ace later in the draft (not a returner, but special team player).

Considine is a waste. I might be alone here, but I thought J.R. Reed was this team's best safety this year when he played.

Other thoughts:

I have never heard of Hunt being lazy at any point in his career. I think this is just FBs way of saying he drafted a big back and it doesn't work in his system. Forget the fact he never plays him, so we'll never know.

As good as the offense had looked last night, McNabb and FB have to go. When the best offensive weapon in the land publicly claims the right tackle the leader of the offense, a change is necessary.

I might have to back off my opinion of JJ having to go. The D looks energized.

No way Mcnabb gets traded unless it's for a high 1st round pick. Keep Mcnabb another year. Cant take a chance on a rookie when the team is only a few playmakers away. Chances are, with his injury history, he may go down again next year, then insert Kolb and find out if he's the answer. Here's my take in order of importance:
WR--- best free agent available or give up to a 3rd round for one. I hope the FO doesnt get deluded into thinking they're ok based on the saints game. No way they score that much on a decent team that didnt have their best cornerback go down during the game. And we all know how good the eagles are at drafting WR's. Give up a draft pick for one for once. We all know how valuable that Mccoy draft pick was.


Punt Returner. High draft pick or best free agent available. No more round trip tickets to Utah for Mahe please. Appreciate his filling in for FB's incompetence last season but please lose his number next season.

Tight end: bye bye LJ. Never was sold on him. Plays like he doesnt want to get his jersey dirty or something. How many blocks has he missed. Celek is good but need another playmaker in the 1st or 2nd round.

Cornerback or safety in 1st or 2nd round. Asante Samuel will cost a fortune. Not happening.

bring back Howard OR Kearse for another year if they will take a paycut. No need to keep both.

LB looks good--Bring back Spikes for another year and let them all battle it out in training camp.

O line and D line look solid. Keep Tra only if his cap is not too high. If Justice is not the answer, from what i've seen and heard Herremans is a better tackle than guard. Insert Gilles into lineup and draft for depth.

Drafting a good return man is always helpful, but draft too high and you're usually screwed. Granted, there has been a recent resurgence in respect for having a solid returner on your team, but on the other 25-28 teams it is just Joe Somebody. When you draft Joe Somebody with a high pick and he proves to be a good athlete, he almost always finds his way off Special Teams and becomes an average starter at best.

Celek has certainly made the most of his time. If nothing else it makes the team look a tiny bit less desperate in any trade talks at TE.

The secondary may be aging again, but if the Eagles are good at drafting anyone it is decent depth at corner and safety.

LB core looks as reliable as we've seen in at least five years.

I think they will keep McNabb. That leaves me 50/50 on the chances of them grabbing a decent #1 wideout. On one hand, it's obvious to all of us and the press that he needs one. On the other, it's "look at the way Tom Brady makes every WR look like a stud" combined with "look at Donovan's passing stats each game - he finds a dozen different guys to get a catch each game." Like most offseasons, they probably won't do anything with this situation again.

No point in drafting a kicker. It's a dime-a-dozen crap shoot and you should only bother with a roster spot when you're certain that Akers is done. An average Akers still beats a below average rookie or other castoff for a few more years.

Plan on another 14-18 RBs being drafted to fill 0-1 open roster spots.

Is it just me, or does it seem like linemen can be taken just about anywhere in the draft with the same degree of confidence? Maybe outside of the top five or so guys it doesn't seem to matter.

"I have never heard of Hunt being lazy at any point in his career. I think this is just FBs way of saying he drafted a big back and it doesn't work in his system."


slapshot


heard this from gargano the other day. he's pretty connected to the eagles locker room, and when he puts something definitive out there like this, its usually on the money.

eeb,

I guess i can only go by his PSU years. I spoke to one of his teammates of 4 years about that story. He said Hunt was one of the hardest working players on the team. My only doubt from this story is that FB has never used a big back, and most likely never will. Maybe Hunt is frustrated. maybe FB never had any intention of playing him. The few times he touched the ball, he was able to pick up first downs though.

Which brings up another need. FB (full back, not fat boy). I would love to see a Jon Ritchie/Dan Kreider masher of a full back opening holes for Westbrook. But I guess we (as fans) are more likely to see Chad Johnson than a great full back.

Nice post Seth. I sort of touched on some of your points in the Saints game discussion, but they were not nearly as coherent. I would only add that an upgrade at ST coach is probably needed as well.

And whether it is McNabb or Kolb under center next season, the need for a stud WR is still a top priority...as it has been for 7 1/2 years of FB's reign at head coach.

seth,
Since last year, I have heard the rumblings about Chad Johnson. As much as I would love the eagles to get him, I JUST CANT SEE THEM taking on a guy who has been EXTREMELY cankerous (fights w/staff and teammates)this year. That being said, I don't think there is a better WR option available and he only became an asshole when cincy started to stink badly (Shitty, I already feel myself making the "TO" excuses for the guy). Being in the NFC, they should be able to get him for a 3.

The defense looks like it could be a top 5 D for the next 6 years. Trent Cole is a young Hugh D, the LB's are as solid as they have EVER been under the Reid era. I don't see them justifying $5.3 million on spikes...he is gone. Assuming yesterday was not fluke, Bradley is the MLB of the future, with gocong and OG. Does it make sense to have him sit on the bench for another year? Akeem Jordan is not a bad player either, considering he was an Undrafted FA. I think Mikell has proven to be not just a starter, but one of top half safety's in the league. Dawk will be back, but they need to either draft a top corner and move Sheldon to S or draft a FS with their top 2 picks.

They also need another DE, big time. Did anyone see any plays this year of Abiarimi? the guy was 2nd on the depth chart and McDougled the entire year.


Listening to FB conference today, he really put over MJG. Calling him "dominant". IS IT POSSIBLE THEY WANT TO MOVE MJG TO LG AND TRADE HERRIMANS?

I would like to see them extend #36 (grossly underpaid)...

All in all,

If they get a WR like #85, this team is in a position to take over Dallas in the NFC and contend for a SB...

eaglesjoint~


Mcnabb is on the books for between 6.5-8 million next year, less than 7% of their cap....how in the world is that not affordable for a starting QB???


The Mcnabb haters really crack me up. For years they have been waiting for an excuse to run the guy out of town. The guy pops his knee out, struggles for 3/4 of the season and these "fans" think their hatred for the man (and the player) have been somehow vindicated for all these years.

Granted he does not have emotional Teflon and can definitely be a puss, but you guys out there thinking you can flip a switch and get more productivity out of the QB position, are fucking nutz (See Feeley, AJ).

Playing shitty at QB is not the same as being a shitty QB. I cant think of one player who has had an "up year" coming off a blowed up ACL. The guy has earned a year to recover, and I for one think he will come back really, really strong next year.

When you look at it, the eagles are one muffed punt away from being in the playoffs. And looking at the way they played the past 2 weeks, and the overall shitty-ness of the ENTIRE NFC, I would see no reason not to believe they could go to the SB. Do you really think the VIKINGS, GIANTS, REDSKINS, BUCS, SEAHAWKS and PACKERS are better teams with stronger foundations than Philly. I don't.


sorry for the rambling post, but it needed to be said...

No apologies plz. - good read.

I dont know how dominant he was (MJD) but the guy looked ENORMOUS out there, and I did see him plant ol' (Christmas time in) Hollis 2x yesterday.

A true pancaking, on the 1. Hollis is not an easy guy to move Id have to think, let alone, plant on his back.

I have to admit I severely underestimated Curtis.

I mean, the guy is only the 2nd 1000-yd receiver of the Reid Era, so he has to be doing something right.

Yeah, Chad Johnson acted up a bit this season, but being on a losing team probably had a lot to do with it. Not to mention Carson Palmer wasn't anything special this year short of the Week 2 game against the Browns.

Yeah, he'll have 4000 yards when the season is over, but take away that week 2 game and he has 17 TD and 17 INT for the season.

i'll admit, just a few weeks ago, i was ready to throw 5 under the bus.

but looking at his stats, in a year when he was coming off a major injury, missed 2gms, and had no real TE to throw to most of the yr, his stats look to end the yr something like this.


qb rating 89-90
td's / int's 20/6
rushing yards 275-300
and if they beat the bills, his record as a starter will be 8-6 this yr.

now on the downside, he still holds the ball too long, and he will take 40-45 sacks this yr, but if you take away the one giant game, its more like 28-30, and we all know what happened in that game.

take away brady and manning, and every qb has warts. how does mcnabb compare to the other mediocre crap around the league?

If McNabb can maneuver in the pocket, escape pressure, and create a play out of nothing or throw the ball away like he's done the last two games*, with some big runs downfield (fumble aside), AND you think the Eagles can compete in this NFC next year, McNabb MUST be the starter next year. And if he gets hurt, so be it.

*I know he took a few sacks against Dallas but on nearly all of those he had no chance at all.

As for what I think should happen this offseason, upgrading the tight end with a proven veteran is the tonic the offense needs. Drafting a stud still involves waiting at least a year for him to catch on fully. This team needs much bigger production at that position NOW. I like Celek, but he's no playmaker. He's a good #2 option though.

Anyone know what TEs might be available?

I think depth in the secondary and the DL is where they'll likely be looking to draft in the early rounds. Dawkins' replacement is on the way...

As for WR, I think they should seriously consider getting Stallworth back in the fold if there's no bad blood there. He'd be the coveted deep option, with Brown as the #2 and Curtis as a great underneath guy, a la Welker. And I'm not just saying that cause they're both white!

Ideally they draft a young corner in the middle rounds who has also excelled at returning kicks in college. Drafting a guy in the first couple rounds just to field kicks doesn't seem like a move they'd go for.

I thought the kickoff returners improved as the season went on, but I don't know if that's a function of their opponents' special teams units being weak or not. I also missed the Seattle and Giants game so I could be wrong there.

But basically, no matter what transactions go down this spring and summer, if Westbrook isn't healthy for the greater part of 08, it doesn't really matter.

I might be in the minority here, but I think the WRs are good enough to compete right now. IMO, a stud TE is what the offense needs to take it to the next level.

I believe Dallas Clark is a FA? Add him, a LDE and a safety and this team is right back in the hunt in a rediculously weak NFC.

http://cbs.sportsline.com/nfl/story/10538757

I cant see the Colts being able to resign/franchise both Clarke and Sanders....I wouldn't be shocked if the eagles make the one who slips away their top priority...

I agree with everyone that the defense looked solid. In the first part of the Saints game though, it looked to me like not having Takeo Spikes was hurting. Because we need salary space, I'd still be okay with letting Howard, Kearse, and Takeo go. It seemed as though they began using Olhoffer (or however you spell it) more.

I don't know where you find a tall and fast cornerback. Perhaps that plays into kick returner. We need to remember that the draft picks often don't start till the following year.

In spite of the offense starting to come around, I think this is a little like the offense playing well against Detroit. I just don't think we know what we have. Even when McNabb comes back, we still don't know what the answer will be to teams that play a soft cover. Will the answer be McNabb running again?

I agree we need a tight end, but again a draft pick takes a couple of years and the team would probably put more confidence in Celek as he would be going into his second year.

I really think they need to find another Westbrook. Not that that is easy. When Westbrook started, he started on special teams, so if they look for a speed running back with good hands, he could maybe be the kick returner.

I think perhaps a position to upgrade might be Long Snapper. When they brought Dorenbos in, there weren't a lot of choices. And the current long snapper plays only longsnapper, unlike the previous long snapper that used to catch touch downs.

The other thing I would love to see the Eagles do is have some players that can play both offense and defense. That seems to be an excellent way to have extra depth and weather the injuries.

Special teams blocking and tackling needs some upgrading but I am not sure if that is the coaching or the playing.

Although the Eagles were only a few plays from having a much better record this season, I feel that Dallas will be back strong, Spagnuolo with a year to pick some players for the Giants will be a force to contend with, and the Redskins seem to be on an upward path. So I think the Eagles need to get a lot better. Plus all that has to happen to the Eagles is to start off with injuries again and we are right back to where we are at the beginning of this year.

Offense:

QB- I'm fine with McNabb coming back. As much of a headache it seems he causes every Sunday, if we get rid off him it will only get worse.

RB- Nuff said!

I will bunch WR, TE and FB in the same group here...- We need one of the previously mentioned positions filled with an absolute stud. If one of the three get filled then we can easily make due with the other two positions as they are. My preference would be to fill the TE position. TE is more versatile then a WR and opening up the middle of the field helps this offense tremendously.

OL- Doesn't need much improvement, if any.

Defense:

DL- Seems as though the DT's are coming into their own. Get rid of Kearse and Howard on the ends and pick up a role player to rotate in and out with Cole and Thomas.

LB- Seriously lacking in experience, but have good upside with Gocong, Gaither and Bradley. Spikes, obviously isn't going to be the answer, but hopefully he can groom the young guys for the future.

DB- Really need to stop dragging their feet and acquire a Safety. Dawkins may be able to give us another good year, but c'mon we need help to go along with him and very, very soon to replace him. That being said I do like Mikel. We are alright at the corner position, but could use a decent nickle cornerback not just for nickle situations, but also to give Sheppard and Brown a breather or fill in when one gets injured.

Special Teams:

Bye, bye Akers! Thanks for some great years, but we need a new Kicker...NOW.

Sum it all up:

One of these...WR, TE or FB.
One of these...S.
One of these...PK.

This is very do-able with little money, let alone with what the Eagles have shown they are willing to spend. Let's get it done and make another run here in 08-09 season!!!

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