Digesting the Eagles Draft Haul

No grades folks, that is a useless endeavor. This is draft definitely is a mixed bag for Eagles fans, there are some really good highlights and some real puzzlers. Then again, it wouldn't be an Eagles draft is everyone thought it was great or if AR & Co didn't select some guy out of left field that leave us all scratching our heads.

Here are some the implications as I see them
- Plucking Carolina's 1st rounder next year was just awesome. Given the state of the NFC South, this pick will probably range somewhere from 12-21. (yeah thanks, why not just guess 1-32?). I don't think it will be a top 10 pick...it might be...especially if the injury bug bites the Panthers again this year. Giving up the #19 pick is never easy, but having two #1s for 2009 provides the Eagles with some decent ammunition if, as I expect, they continue their pursuit of a veteran WR.

- Getting some guys who should be able to come right in and contribute. I'm talking to you: DT Trevor Laws, WR DeSean Jackson, RB Lorenzo Booker.

First Laws. Ok, beyond the inevitable Berman "I fought the Laws" line we'll hear on ESPN once this dude tallies a sack, I see a guy with a strong wrestling background as a great foundation for a NFL defensive tackle. Moreover, this guy should be in on-time and I can see him working right into the DT rotation. As the DTs stand right now, there is Patterson and Bunkley starting, with some combination of Laws, Montae Reagor and Lajuan Ramsey....those five might be the actual guys...but I actually expect DT/DE Darren Howard to take up one these roster spots, because Howard can play all along the line and if the Eagles cut him, they'll incur a cap hit...something they don't like to do. Howard has been a huge disappointment, but if Laws shows anything in preseason, expect him to be worked into the regular rotation.

Next is DeSean Jackson. First off, anything is better than Reno Mahe. The dependable hard-working Mahe scared nobody, and really he was only on the team last year because they didn't have anybody could field kicks. Jackson's speed provides an instant threat. I am not predicting he'll be the second-coming of Dante Hall, but the man has football talent. They can help him put on some muscle, but like the adage goes, you can't coach speed. I see the Eagles spoon-feeding him some select routes, and running him out there in special packages designed to create mis-matches. Think about it...Flank Westbrook and Curtis on the other side...watch a team try and post a safety on this guy....Jackson flies right by and McNabb hits him in stride...that only needs to happen once my friends, and the threat will be established. I'd also like to see him running some of these reverses they tried with Reggie Brown...While I believe him impact on the offensive side of the ball will be limited, if only because that the Eagles' style with rookies, I do expect him to be able to improve our special teams. If he can provide a 5-10 yard difference in field position on punt returns, that is a tangible contribution. If he can be a threat that forces bad punts and helps tilt field position in the Eagles favor...that is going to pay dividends.
- As for the Roster, an interesting question came up on the forums, with Jackson on board, who goes??? Greg Lewis...seems like every year we wonder if this the year he doesn't make the cut. Hank Baskett...that potential flashed in 2006 seems like good news, from long, long time ago doesn't it? Jason Avant, if he going to get used in this offense or not??? Look I think the 4 roster locks right now are Kevin Curtis, Reggie Brown, Jason Avant and DeSean Jackson. Why am I so gracious to Avant right now - because I think he showed he can be a decent slot possession receiver in this league, the Eagles just don't dial his # very often. Would the Eagles carry 6 WR on the roster? Good question. In the past they have not done so, but then again, none of the WR were PR/KR either...Mahe had those duties for the most part, and he was part of the Backfield.
With Mahe a goner and his slot open, that doesn't necessarily translate into another slot open for running backs on this team.

As for Booker, well I dunno what his addition to the team means. A third-down change of pace kinda guy. Since he can catch out the backfield that is a big, big plus. But the backfield, she be a bit crowded right now. Not exactly brimming with talent behind Westbrook, but crowded. Ever-dependable Correll Buckhalter is the top back-up, with Ryan Moats, Tony Hunt, Jason Davis and Dan Klecko filling out the HB/FB slots...figure 3 RB, 1 FB, unless some really flashes that "you gotta keep me on the roster" skill. I won't even venture a guess what that means for the roster at this point...Just say this: Westbrook and Booker will be two names on the final list, unless Lorenzo comes in and proceeds to take a dump on Andy Reid's desk during training camp/preseason.

Other guys they picked up:
3rd rounder DE Bryan Smith...oh great, another fastball tweener you say. And I am tempted to agree. It seems like every year the Eagles dupe themselves into believing some small-school project is being coveted by a bunch of teams, so they "reach" early....3rd round??? For a guy from McNeese State? AIYA! Anyway, unless this guy is a real, true and honest no-shit surprise play-maker, I fully expect him to get the red-shirt treatment from AR & pals. The DE rotation is fairly set at this stage, with Trent Cole, Juqua Parker, newcomer Chris Clemons, and 2nd year man Victor Abiamiri looking to make that almost traditional, OK-I've-been-around-for-a-season-now-let's-see-if-I-can-play bid for the Birds. I think he will contribute. Smith though? He is Gocong-esque project, unless I miss my guess, so I wouldn't expect to see him swooping into opposing backfields until 2010, if we're lucky.

4th rounders: OG Mike McGlynn. A self-described "lunch-pail" guy. His biggest asset is going to be the fact that's he has played all along the O-Line. Kinda like Nick Cole, who can be a back-up Center and Guard. One potential bonus...he has long-snapped in the past. I don't know of any particular plan in place, but right now the Eagles have a pure long-snapper on the roster in Jon Dorenbos....coughing up a roster slot for LS who does nothing else could turn into a luxury Andy decides he just can't indulge....I know the Eagles signed him to deal last year, and they won't want to upset the critical special teams chemistry between JD and Akers and Sav Rocca. But if McGlynn shows ability and develops a feel for it with those guys...watch out.

Safety Quintin Demps - OK in there a limit on the number of guys in the defensive backfield that can named Quintin?? The guy has a little mouth on him too, but confidence is something to be appreciated in a DB, so long as they can back it up on the field. Is this guy going to replace anyone? Dawkins and Mikell as there...baring injury that is set in stone. I think JR Reed showed he can play, and play well last year and he knows the special teams...if Demps flashes some talent, then erstwhile, can't-seem-to-stay-healthy S Sean Considine could find himself on the outside looking in. As a 4th rounder - I expect him to make the roster.

CB Jack Ikegwuonu - I had the same reaction when I heard about this pick...didn't this mofo jack up his ACL prior to the draft?? Yup same guy, he's an automatic redshirt, er I mean placed on IR. Lots of folks have panned the pick - some because of the guys off-the-field legal troubles. The guy probably would've been one of the top 2 or 3 CB in the draft is he'd stayed healthy. Period. So the talent is/was there. Here is what I think might've been going through the minds of the Eagles' FO folks regarding Ikegwuonu:
1) We know he's injured, but some team could take a flier on this guy before we pick again. He was the Eagles compensatory 4th round pick, #131. The Eagles didn't have another choice on the board until the 6th round, #184. That's 53 selections, so there is a chance that some team, thinking long-term, might take a flier on a guy like Ikegwuonu in the 5th or 6th round.
2) We have a shit-ton picks, and they all can't make the roster. Taking a flier on this guy give us future potential but guarantees that we won't have to worry about cutting a 4th round guy in August.

As for the rest, If OG Mike Gibson, LBRs Mays and Studebaker (both small school guys) or OT King Dunlop make the team, consider that gravy....I expect one the LBR and one of the OL to make the practice squad, but that's about it.

Another Good Day to be a Philly Fan

WOW, folks, by almost any measure Saturday was a damn fine day to be sports fan in Philly.

The Phillies stomped the Pirates to take their road-trip to a 5-1.

The Flyers rebounded strong from a disheartening OT loss in Game 1 to even up their best-of-seven series, beating the Canadiens 4-2 and wresting home-ice advantage for the hometown boys on Broad Street.

And did the Eagles ever make some waves on Day 1 of the NFL Draft. Did they have the best day? No, it hard to make the best impression when some other teams (Carolina, KC, Dallas) came away with multiple first rounds picks. That said, the Eagles scored themselves some DT depth with ND Trevor Laws and go themselves a KR/PR and a potential contributor, match-up nightmare guy in Cal WR DeSean Jackson.

Its not the players themselves that have Eagles fans buzzing, it's how we got there. The Eagles FO swung 3 draft-day trades on Saturday.

First they got a sweet-offer for their first-round pick, #19, from Carolina. You see, Carolina wanted an OT. There were five certifiable blue-chippers this year (Yeah, yeah, yeah, I hear you, two, maybe three of them will pan out and live up to expectations, but all five are considered really good). Well the top 4 prospects were gone by pick 15 (when KC moved up to take Branden Albert), and hell, even Detroit got into the act and picked up a non-Top 5 OT at Pick 17. So Carolina was desperate. They wanted them at OT, and there was NO CHANCE that a guy like Jeff Otah from Pitt (shout out to my old alma mater) was going to linger around until the second round.

So Carolina forks over a #2 and #4 pick this year, and next year's #1 selection to for Philly's #19 this year. Lo' and behold, they select Otah. Just to show how this tumbled even more teams to fall all over themselves. It helped the Washington Redskins too, because then Atlanta panicked, and seeing 6 of the Top 8 OL gone, they traded with Washington for the Redskins pick at #21, and they selected an OT as well.

So they then had two #2, one #3 and three #4 picks (along with 1-5th, 4-6th and a 7th).

Then the Eagles ship their own #4 (not Carolina's, it was higher, and they can't trade the comp pick) to Miami for scatback Lorenzo Booker. Evidently, a guy they wanted to draft last year but didn't get the chance.

However, this left the Eagles without a first round selection, and the fans, well, they were a-howling. We want to see picks! We want to debate the selection and all that fun shit. And here the Eagles are, trading down, amassing more picks in a draft were we already have 11!!

So finally, after HOURS of waiting it the Eagles turn again in round 2, and there are still a TON of quality players out there...they lost out on WR Devin Thomas, who the Redskins snagged with the second rounder they got from Atlanta, but NO wide receivers went in the first round, and Eagles were sitting there at #43 (overall) with their choice of a bevy of Wideouts...

and what do the Eagles do??

THEY TRADE DOWN AGAIN!!!!! Augh, the howls got louder. Dave Spadaro and Merrill Reese on Philadelphia Eagles.com are going looney...

They trade with Minnesota....Minnesota gets the Eagles #43 pick and Eagles lone 5th round pick (#152). The Eagles get Minnesota #47 pick and Minnesota's 4th round (#117).

So, for moving down 4 slots, the Eagles get to move back up into the 4th round (essentially moving a pick "up" 35 slots....) Here is the thinking folks...the next teams on the board following the Eagles were the Bears, Lions and Bengals. They were probably assured by the Viking that they wouldn't take a player the Eagles were targeting....So the Vikings take a safety (T Johnson), the Bears reach for a RB (M. Forte), the Lions reach for a LB (J Dizion) and the Bengals go for a hella-reach and chose some WR few people outside of the draftniks have even of and pluck some dude from Coastal Carolina (yeah, watch this dude rock). So the Eagles, still have their choice of some top-tier WRs.....and now its #47, followed, quickly by #49. THe only team in between - WASHINGTON. And the Redskins already picked a WR.

So I think this was the Eagles thinking - the Reskins need to shore up their OL and DL, so lets chose our DL first, and heck there is no way the Skins can chose all the WRs, so we're still sitting pretty. With #47 - The Eagles select Trevor Laws, DT Notre Dame. Then the Redskins go TE, and the Eagles pluck a guy many suspected they pick (if he was still around) at the #19 position - Cal WR Desean Jackson.

So to summarize: the Eagles got a 3rd down back from Miami, their 3rd DT and some much needed depth at DT, and their KR/PR+potential slot WR threat in Jackson.

I see potential immediate help from both players. Laws should be able to step in and join Bunkley and Patterson in the DT rotation. The DE are pretty much set with Cole, J. Thomas, Clemons and Abiamiri. Jackson can flat out fly. So I'd hope that in addition to return duties, the Eagles O-minds could come up with some personnel packages designed to isolate Jackson on a safety or 4th CB and just see if the young guy can blow by them.

Day 2 - Eagles Get "Nasti"

Ok, the post-QB-selection has begun to wear off, and while I still cannot fathom the logic, I can say this, the Eagles may have mystified the phaithful with their first selection, they did not neglect the team overall.

Day 2 brought four potential players. 2 DBs, 1 TE and 1 FB. With their first pick (5th round) the Eagles selected C.J. Gaddis a CB/S from Clemson. (hmmm, is it too much to ask that the first player we've taken from Clemson since Brian Dawkins could someday be his replacement?). Anyway....

The best news of the day. The Eagles draft Nate Ilaoa, nickname: Nasti, from UH, my former "hometown" school.
Check out these clips.

or this catch and run


If he can translate his game to the NFL, current FB Thomas Tapeh is going to be on the unemployment line....

Simply Indefensible

Try as I might, I simply cannot fathom the reasoning behind the Eagles early draft “Strategy” as I use that term very loosely. What’s all the more frustrating is that I woke up at 0100 to watch the frickin’ draft, waited for hours and hours, only to see the Birds blow the big one.

For those of you are unaware a small recap: The Eagles held the #26 pick overall. I believe that with the top 7 DBs all off the board by the time their pick arose, that they decided to trade down. They found a partner in, of all teams, the Dallas Cowboys.

The trade: Cowboys receive Pick #26 (Rd 1)

Eagles receive, (Browns/Cowboys Pick #36 (Rd 2), Cowboys Pick #87 (Rd 3), Cowboys Pick #15x (Rd 5). In essence receiving the 3 choices for their #1 slot at 26. Not bad. Not a stunner of a deal. About equal value for both teams, with “equal value” being a relative term entirely dependent on the selections made by the respective teams.

Dallas chose Purdue DE Anthony Spencer, delaying the wait for the Phaithful by hours after an already arduous 5-6 hour wait until the pick 26.

Finally the Eagles were on the clock, and nearly all the players we might have targeted at #26 were still on the board (exceptions, LB Posluszny, TE Greg Olsen, DT Alan Branch).

And with the 36^th selection the Eagles select (drum roll Clark): Kevin Kolb (pronounced Cobb) – QB, Houston.

WHAT THE FUCK!!???

We wait for hours and hours and hours, with plenty of depth needs in the secondary and LB corps, and the Eagles draft a goddamn fucking QUARTERBACK???? You’re shittin’ me right? This is the second inexplicable decision in-a-row for the Coaching Staff. The first ended the 2006 season with a lame-ass punt, the next could hamstring the Birds ability to find a valuable secondary help because we chose a guy nobody had ever heard of?

This is another case of the coaching staff outsmarting itself. YES, both the Lions and Dolphins chose a QB shortly after the Eagles. BUT THOSE TEAMS NEED QBs, we DON’T! Moreover, who gives a flying fuck if one of them might’ve chosen “Kernel Kolb”??? Not me that’s for sure.

I have yet to hear an adequate reason why a QB was chosen, and I ain't buying the "best player on the board" bullshit. Unless this guy can cover a WR across the middle, he ain't going to be helping the current group of players win a championship. Moreover, I have yet to hear a good reason why we chose a guy that we could quite easily have chosen in round 3 or even in a move up in round 4. I just have to shake my head about this one fellas. Its a real disappointment.

What about the rest of the draft?
Pick #57 DE – Victor Abiamiri – Notre Dame. Ok, Getting a young DE isn’t a problem for me. I guess the jury will have to decide, cause he’s going to get compared to Spencer from Day 1.

Pick #87 OLB – Steward Bradley – Nebraska. Well I was happy to see the Eagles try and find another LB to develop. Can this guy step right in and play? Maybe. The Eagles are wide open at LB. Again, the Birds passed on Poz and waited to grab this guy. Hope the gamble pays off.

Pick #90 RB – Tony Hunt – Penn State. FINALLY, a pick that I truly cheered. After we lost out on Brian Leonard (which I thought was dumb, btw), I was hoping and hoping we wouldn’t waste another Day 1 pick on some distant future team. I think we all wanted a contributor, and Hunt, Hunt has a chance to be one. This guy runs tough, if he makes the transition, we’re going to have a tough, tough, ground game.

The Draft is here!

Well as Satur-DAY turns to dusk here Japan, the day is just dawning all along the eastern seaboard. And since its the last Saturday of April that can only mean one thing - its the NFL Draft! Don't ask me why I am excited. I mean no one is going to be paying ME anything today. And while teams' fans might salivating at the prospect of having Calvin Johnson or Adrian Peterson on their team, the finance guys (and some veteran players) will be groaning under the weight of the demands on these unproven players.

Boning a top 10 pick has always had consequences. However, never more so than today as the first half-dozen guys will get millions upon millions in guaranteed money without ever having taken a snap. Now, I know, boo-hoo the billionaire owners have to share some of the wealth. I am not saying it wrong, just getting a little out-of-whack. I mean, chances are pretty dang good that two of the top 5-6 players are going to be mediocre at best - for whatever reason. And their teams are going to be saddled with them for years until the cap-hit for cutting them becomes manageable. That's why I like were the Eagles are. Signing a guy in the Top 30 is a whole different story than trying to sign a Top 10 guy.

One final reiteration of my prediction: no names just positions: 2 DB, 1LB, 1DE, 1RB, 1 wildcard (perhaps TE, OL, WR). I also think a few players could be moved, including RB Ryan Moats. The Eagles will try and dump guys like Dhani Jones and Jerome McDougal, but I don't see many buyers for their meager services.....

Well, the good news is AFN is going to carry 8 hours of ESPN draft coverage. The bad news, it starts at 1am local time, so I need to take a nap and have the coffee ready, cause its going to be a long day Sunday. Just as the coverage ends, the phone company guys will be here to install our fiber optic cable.

What Are the Eagles going to do on Draft Day?

Well, with the draft just a few days away, I imagine it high time I start plugging in my .02. My opinions are scattered about various threads on various message boards, but here, I'll inject the finer points.

- I've said this over and over, but it bears repeating. The Eagles' move in FA/trades have sent them up to take the best player available - regardless of position - if they choose to stand pat and use their #26 selection.
- I believe the Eagles will choose a defensive player, unless all their top-tier defenders are gone someone really unexpected is there at #26...(don't ask who that might be....)
- I also believe that not all their top-tier guys will be gone. Why? Because the Eagles could easily use a LB, DB, or a DE and its highly unlikely that every single guy in the top 3 at DE, LB, CB and S will be gone at #26 - someone they like will be there.
- With only 6 picks, I think moving up in the draft is unlikely (so does GM Tom Hecket, btw), unless the other teams accepts players/lower draft pick, rather than the usual #2 pick it takes. (why - I think the Eagles want to come out of Saturday with 3 guys who have a chance to play a role on a team that intends to win it all and wing out some projects and see if they can't score another Trent Cole on day 2.
- Trading down will not be easy, but it'd be easier than moving up. Perhaps if there is an abundance of DB still left on the board when the Eagles come up at #26, they can do a deal with a team that wants leapfrog past a rival (say the Patriots, as folks eye their rapid succession #1 picks in the 20s with envy) and score a player they think Belichick wants (just as an example). Heck, it could be the Colts wanting to make sure they get the LB they want or something. Either way, opportunities exist....
- I think that barring moves, Day 1 will net the Eagles 2 Def/1 Off player(s). What positions? 1 DB, 1 LB and 1 RB. I know that's a safe course to predict. And it might not be right. But I think given the long-term needs, it'd be good. It is also quite possible that the Eagles will not chose a LB at all, and select 2 DBs or 1 DB and 1 DE.
- I think that the above variations are entirely dependent on the status of the draft board. Anyone who has watched prior drafts know that little spurts happen, where teams looking for say, DB help, start seeing a couple of guys go off the board, and think, shit, we better our DB before they're all gone, viola, instant run, and 3-4 of the dudes are gone from choices 15-24....The draft is totally unpredictable. That is why I like it.

Finally since everyone seems confounded unless you actually list some players. I would be more than happy if the Eagles were to draft: DBs: Reggie Nelson, Michael Griffin, Darrelle Revis, Aaron Ross. LBs: Poz, Willis, Timmons. DL: Carriker (simply because he's BIG, and BIG DE are not a bad thing to have), Spencer, maybe even Moss from Miami at #26.

Yeah yeah yeah, no need to leave a message telling me who won't be there at #26. I would be STUNNED if Willis or Revis or Carriker were around. The other I think we have a legit shot at drafting, if the draft falls the right(?) way.

Other random sports thoughts:
- Wouldn't it be cool to have guys like CJ or Okoye on that list...yup...but then again, if the price is having a Redskins-type year of futility, I'll pass
- If the right guys is there (and the other "more" right are all gone) I wouldn't be surprised if the Eagles picked a DE (Andy love him his linemen)
- They couldn't possibly pick a WR? Could they?
- Break out of the 6 picks: 2 DB, 1 DE, 1 LB, 1 RB, 1 wildcard (depends on how day 2 shakes out). - I'd look for the Eagles to add another couple of Undrafted FA OL. They do well picking up undrafted lineman a) {sometimes better than the drafted one}, and b) it'll keep the guys on the roster hungry. Competition is good.

Gratuitous Boob Shot and Other Things

Well, as a vaGiants troll so kindly pointed out, there is an error on the All-Bust Starting Offense.
This photo is NOT Jessica Biel, its Nikki Cox:
What this means, (besides, of course, the chagrin for trusting the label on the download and not my eyes....lousy Internet) is that I've found the captain of my DEFENSE! (oh captain, my captain). Moreover, to keep up the gratuity, I should offer up a replacement shot of the fine Ms. Biel. So here ya go:
So you see troll, Eagles fans adapt and overcome, for the benefit of ALL.

Now, speaking of the Birds. There hasn't been much going on in footballdom lately. NovaCare has been fairly silent. For instance, Spuds's latest article with GM Tom Heckert is about how the Eagles are positioned to take the best player available in the NFL draft.

This is hardly earth-shattering news. I mean, the Birds have address nearly every hole on the team in some way, shape or form. Cog players like Quintin Mikell, Juqua Thomas, Correll Buckhalter and AJ Feeley were resigned. Kevin Curtis was signed to address the departure of Donte Stallworth. The trade with the Bills brought us a needed LB in Takeo Spikes AND a #3 QB in Kelly Holcomb. Montae Reagor gives us another DT and hopefully provides some better veteran leadership (though Bunkley's development is still crucial).

So who are the Eagles going to draft? No mocks here. While an entertaining diversion now and again, mock drafts are hopelessly useless predictors of the actual outcome of the draft. I've posted the gist of the aforementioned article many times on the Philly boards. The Eagles can go multiple ways with the #26 pick. If the top LBs are gone, we can get a top tier safety or CB, its unlikely that all the best DBs will be gone, but on the off-chance that they are, then that means some other position should have a really good players left (LB, DE, RB, TE, whatever).....Next weekend is going to be fun. I wonder what time I have to get up?

So Much for THAT Theory

Well folks, hours after posting a little diddy about Jack and Diane (that's code for the Eagles and their WR situation) about how the Eagles might just look to the draft to supply a WR to address the hole left by Donte' Stallworth's departure (scroll down) the Eagles blew that out of the water by announcing they've reached terms with FA WR Kevin Curtis.

6 years/30 mill (which a couple of escalators that could make it worth $32 mill) - $9.5 of which is guaranteed money.

Not bad. According Profootballtalk.com the salary breaks out thusly: Curtis gets a $7 million in bonus money: $2 million signing bonus and a $5 million roster bonus. The remainder of the guaranteed money comes from a fully-guaranteed base salary of $1 million in 2007 and $1.5 million in guaranteed base salary in 2008. His total 2008 base salary is $2 million, and he's due to receive a $1.5 million roster bonus in March of next year.

Right now I have no clue how this affects the Eagles Cap, but I doubt they'd make a signing would require them to get all shifty with the cap and have to cut players to have any further flexibility (they might go ahead and convert someone else's deal to Create some space)....

My thoughts on this deal
- Do I like the signing? I'm O.K. with it. Personally, I would've spent the same money to keep Donte' but I think the Birds adequately addressed the hole left by his departure. Curtis is NOT a bad player.
- Now that the Eagles have addressed WR, there is no chance they'll draft one
- The signing paves the way for the Eagles to do the following in the draft: Round 1 (#26) - take the best defensive player available (LB, DB) Round 2 - take the best Big Back to compliment Westbrook (Rutgers' Leonard anyone?), Round 3 - address the position you didn't in Round 1 (DB or LB, perhaps even DL)
- This deal shows me the Eagles weren't "afraid" to make a deal, or "cheap" as many of accused them of being. But I don't Super-agent Drew Rosenhaus would've accepted a similar deal for Stallworth. Of course, I also think that based on the substance program stuff, the Eagles probably would've wanted stricter language written in the contract and more protection. Finally Tom Heckert on Sirius' NFL Talk show discussed how the Eagles weren't interested in matching or making a Patriots-type offer that all but guarantees Stallworth will be an unrestricted free agent next year as well (unless they decide to break the bank for him and pay all those bonuses).
- Barring injury (crossed fingers) Curtis and Reggie Brown will be the Starting WRs for the Eagles on Opening Day.
The Rest of the WR corps breaks out like this in my mind:
First WR off the Bench in the 3-WR set: Hank Baskett
Second WR off the Bench for 4-WR sets: Jason Avant
#5 WR/KR: Jeremy Bloom or Bethel Johnson - open competition
Odd-man out right now: Greg Lewis and whichever undrafted camp cuts from last year (Like JJ Outlaw and Gasperson, etc) that held out some hope to make the team.

Is the deal a good one? Well the Eagles willing to spend tells me that they could've kept Donte'. That said, the Eagles paid what the market currently demands for a player like Curtis (just two years ago that price mightve been in the 5yr/low20s range, just goes to show you what a difference a year or two makes).

Curtis' numbers dipped last year after a strong '05 campaign. The reasons are plain: 1) Isaac Bruce was not injured very much in '06 like he was in '05, so Curtis clearly was the #3 behind Bruce and all-world Torry Holt for the Rams last year; 2) New coach Scott Linehan RAN the ball A LOT more last year, which meant fewer 3-WR sets and fewer chances for Curtis.

What will be able to do with the Eagles? Time will tell. The Eagles don't spend money frivolously, but I have to hope this signing works out better than the Darren Howard signing....(who by the way, could be gone after the '07 season with little cap damage if he underachieves again).

Potential Replacement WR in the Draft?

I don't normally jump on whatever player just had his "pro-day" splattered all over NFL Network, primarily because trying to predict the NFL draft is an exercise in futility.

However I started to formulate some alternatives the Eagles might consider to bolster the team. Lets face it, the Eagles let Donte' Stallworth walk away, and apparently are not all that interested in getting into a bidding war for the services of the clear #2/3 wideout like Kevin Curtis - despite his speed.

Perhaps the Eagles might go for a player like Dwayne Bowe of LSU. He's big and fast, 6'2", 218 with the ubiquitous "40 time" ranging from 4.4 to 4.5 seconds. The funny part: as I caught a relatively rare glimpse of NFL Network on TV tonight, the commentator wasn't all that impressed with his speed...is 4.4-4.5 not fast enough anymore...for a guy that size!! You're kidding me right?

Ok, so I still believe that the Eagles have some more pressing needs on defense. BUT if they plug a couple of holes (say a Big back and a DB), I wouldn't be upset at all if they landed a prospect like Bowe with the #26 pick...

Looking Ahead at Some Possibilities

There is a LOT of talk going on in the Nest lately. Names like Corey Dillon (RB), Kevin Curtis (WR), Mike Doss (S) and Ryan Fowler (who? LB) are being bandied about as potential Free Agent acquisitions.

But then again you already know that, cause my Rants page is not exactly stop #1 on the Eagles information train. Nor should it be. It is one of the best for analysis on the Eagles moves if you ask me.

IF some of the players the Eagles are rumored as pursuing wind up signing with the Birds, in the next week or so we could have:
- our WR corps set (either with Curtis or Stallworth, dunno which way this goes, but apparently Andy Reid came in front his family sabbatical to give the pitch to Curtis and called him personally to ask him to make Philly a stop on his FA tour. That counts for A LOT in my opinion. if you asked me right now - Curtis has the inside track).
- a big complimentary back to WB (so Dillon is interest in the Birds, if the price is right, it may happen)
- a new safety (Mike Doss, again, its reported that Big Red himself called Doss to ask him to consider the Eagles. In Bird-land, when the man with all the feathers flaps, things get done)
- potential LB (this RFA Ryan Fowler or perhaps a vet like Donnie Edwards or Ike Reese).

Personally, I would be happy if any TWO of the above occurred...

If so, the outlook for the Eagles Draft Day strategy would change some.
Defense First:
LB - not guaranteed, but I definitely think that if no FA help is signed that the Eagles would look to shore up the LB position with a first day pick. We need another play-maker besides OG.
DE - oddly enough, a late round pick here -- perhaps to see if they can strike some "Cole Gold" again--makes sense. Obviously McDougle is a waste of time, and I just can't see him surviving training camp to make the roster (again). A young DE also could provide the Birds some future flexibility--after the 2007 season-- say to cut a player like Darren Howard (if he has another disappointing year) or even Kearse (should he be unable to recover from his injury).
S/CB - Will James is here for another year and if Doss comes in a DB on Day 1 might NOT be the most obvious choice. However, a DB could make sense, it would let the coaches groom a young guy (in anticipation of James leaving) w/o having to rely on him to play a ton. IF Doss signs then we'll have our 4 safeties for the next couple of years, so a CB would be the way to go. If NOT then a safety would be at least an equal if not greater need for the DBs.
DT - We got two last year, lets see if they can play. Unless by some weird chance a really good one falls into our lap, I just don't see it.

Now for the Offense:
OL - please no more O-Linemen. I know O-Lineman are like crack to AR but could we just have ONE year without drafting a OL? First, we got mega-depth there by scoring with two undrafted guys last year (Pat McCoy and Nick Cole) add in #2 pick Winston Justice and #4 pick Max Jean-Gilles, plus third year man Scott Young....and we've got an entire second offensive line that could probably start for some of the weaker teams in the NFL. Unless something drastic happens I think our 10 OL are set...even if they want to stoke competition, the Front Office has done such a good job digging up undrafted OL gems, why waste a pick?
QB - you know if the right guy comes along, why not spend that second day OL pick on a QB instead. You never know when you might need one.
WR - I think FA will settle this position, and that the Eagles will not expend a pick on a WR unless something unexpected happens.
RB - Depends on FA, but I think the odds of us getting a veteran bruise like Dillon are iffy, at best. Much simpler to use a first day pick to pick up fresh-legged basher like Rugters' Leonard or Penn State's Hunt.

TE - interesting possibilities here. LJ Smith is in the final year of his contract and mediocre dudes like Daniel Graham and Visanthe Shiancoe scoring mega-contracts....You cannot have a roster full of mega-contracts....I think a new TE is a definite possibility in the draft.
K/P - um NO...Akers is here to stay, and I'm pulling for Rocca to knock the ball out da Linc (so to speak)

What about the Draft? - Is it Fair to Judge 2006 as a Waste?

Simply put, judging a NFL draft after one year can be fun, but it is generally short-sighted...

Unfortunately other teams in the league seem to be better than the Eagles at getting an immediate impact from their rookie draft classes, while the Birds players (even the higher round picks) don't seem to make a huge splash. One reason that hits me is our defense - where an immediate impact would be nice, and in fact was necessary this year to solidify our D-Line. It just didn't happen, and the D suffered for it. The thing is, Jim Johnson's D take a while to assimilate...Its a bit of detriment, as other teams seems to be able to bring in players and get an immediate bang; like the Charges (Merriman), Pats (Seymour, Wilfork), Seahawks (Tatupu), and Bears (Anderson, Urlacher, Vasher, et al) while Eagles players usually seem to require patience in an impatient business....

Giving it a moment of deeper though and you realize that players' careers are impacted by all sorts of things, injuries (Jerome the "Bust" McDougle anyone), freak accidents (JR Reed and infamous fence hopping), outside events (like shootings, again McBust sticks in my memory, bit also in the most extreme of cases things like the unfortunate death of Darrent Williams...think the Broncos thought they'd have to address the secondary this off-season, heck no...but they do now, or heck what about Jerome Brown?). Coaching changes can be a huge detour as well (have to outside the Birds for an example of that).

All that being said, you judging a draft usually take a couple of seasons...and they get re-evaluated each year....For the Eagles, 2002 was great...2003 looks pretty much like a wash unless LJ sticks around, 2004 is rounding out on the positive side of the ledger with Andrews, while 2005 - I would rate at still having great potential (even though the Eagles thought well enough to extend a # of those players already) and 2006 - I consider disappointing in the selfish aspect of wanting immediate gratification, but one I still think has the potential to be turn out very well.