Tag: Philadelphia Eagles (Page 10 of 61)

      Eagles franchise Vick, Kolb still unlikely to be traded

      February 15, 2011 /
      Philadelphia Eagles Michael Vick throws a pass in the fourth quarter against the New York Giants at New Meadowlands Stadium in week 15 of the NFL in East Rutherford, New Jersey on December 19, 2010. The Eagles defeated the Giants 38-31. UPI /John Angelillo

      Now that the Eagles have assigned their franchise tag to Michael Vick, one would think that they could begin working on a long-term contract with the quarterback. And once they sign him to a long-term contract, they can trade backup Kevin Kolb for a draft pick or two.

      Or none.

      The Kolb situation is a sticky one in Philadelphia. Even if the Eagles work out a deal to keep Vick long-term, it might not be enough for coach Andy Reid to leave himself exposed at the most important position on the field. Vick’s playing style leaves him open for injury and if the Eagles didn’t have a decent backup to step in, they would likely suffer the consequences.

      The other problem is that even if the Eagles wanted to move him, once the current CBA expires they won’t be able to trade for 2011 draft picks. Instead they would be acquiring picks for the 2012 draft and therefore, selections that wouldn’t be able to help them this year. Would the Eagles be willing to do that?

      The saving grace for Kolb is that time is on his side. He becomes a free agent in 2012 and unless the Eagles plan to franchise him (which is highly doubtful – especially if they sign Vick to a long-term deal), he’ll be able to walk. His hope should be that Vick signs a contract extension and the Eagles find a suitable backup either via free agency or the draft. Then Reid and Co. would feel safe trading him away and acquiring draft picks that won’t make an impact until at least next season.

      Either way, Kolb won’t be an Eagle in 2012. As for 2011, well that’s a different story.

      External Sports, NFL

      Why are Bill Simmons and Peter King talking about the Week 15 Giants/Eagles game?

      February 8, 2011 /
      New York Giants Matt Dodge dives for Philadelphia Eagles DeSean Jackson who returns a punt 65 yards for a touchdown with no time remaining on the clock in the fourth quarter at New Meadowlands Stadium in week 15 of the NFL in East Rutherford, New Jersey on December 19, 2010. The Eagles defeated the Giants 38-31. UPI /John Angelillo

      I just listened to Bill Simmons’ post-Super Bowl podcast and he said that if the Giants had held on to beat the Eagles in Week 15, the Packers wouldn’t have made the playoffs. Peter King also said that the Packers have the Eagles to thank for their playoff berth.

      Green Bay finished 10-6, the last Wild Card team and sixth seed in the NFC, by virtue of winning tiebreakers with the 10-6 Giants and 10-6 Bucs. We all know the Giants story: Up 31-10 over Philly at home with eight minutes left in the game, the Giants gave up 28 points in the last half of the fourth quarter and lost 38-31. The killer was punter Matt Dodge blowing the game and keeping a punt to DeSean Jackson inbounds with 14 seconds left in a 31-all game. Jackson returned it 65 yards for a touchdown. Who knows what would have happened if that game went to overtime, but that’ll stay a mystery.

      Maybe I’m missing something here because, clearly, I’m not in the same league as Bill Simmons and Peter King. It appears that Simmons and King are counting the Giants’ win in Week 15, but aren’t considering the Eagles’ loss. If the Eagles lose that game in Week 15, they don’t win the East. The Giants win it at 11-5. Assuming Philly beats Dallas in Week 17 (a reasonable assumption since they didn’t play many of their starters in a 14-13 loss), the Eagles would have finished 10-6 and would have been tied with Tampa Bay and Green Bay for the 6th and final spot in the NFC. This assumes the Eagles would have still lost to the Vikings in Week 16, which is a fair assumption since they played their starters.

      The first tiebraker between three teams is a head-to-head sweep, which isn’t applicable because the Bucs didn’t play either the Packers or the Eagles. The second tiebraker is conference record. The Bucs and Packers went 8-4 while the Eagles would have gone 7-5 (with a loss against NYG but a win against DAL), so the Eagles would have been eliminated at this point.

      The next tiebraker is record in common games. Both teams were 2-3 in common games. The Packers beat the 49ers and the Lions, and lost to the Lions, Redskins and Falcons. The Bucs beat the 49ers and Redskins, and lost to the Falcons twice and the Lions.

      The next tiebraker is strength of victory. I’m not sure how this is calculated or where I can find it, but acccording to CBSSports.com, that was the tiebraker that gave the Packers the No. 6 seed over the Giants and Bucs:

      Green Bay is the No. 6 seed over the N.Y. Giants and Tampa Bay based on strength of victory (.475 to the Giants’ .400 and the Buccaneers’ .344).

      So the Packers would have gotten the No. 6 seed over the Bucs. They would have played the Giants in the first round of the playoffs. Maybe they would have won or maybe they would have lost, but either way, they would have made the postseason.

      So Bill Simmons and Peter King (and anyone else), please stop talking about the Week 15 Giants/Eagles game with regard to the Packers’ Super Bowl win. Thank you.

      External Sports, Fantasy Football, NFL

      Andy Reid’s job is on the line with Castillo hire

      February 3, 2011 /
      Philadelphia Eagles head coach Andy Reid talks to an assistant during the fourth quarter at Soldier Field in Chicago on November 28, 2010. The Bears won 31-26. UPI/Brian Kersey

      Andy Reid is smarter than you.

      Everyone thought he would finally go with an outside hire when he had to find a new defensive coordinator. And why wouldn’t he? Replacing Jim Johnson with in-house option Sean McDermott backfired, so surely he would go with someone established like Dick Jauron or Jim Mora.

      Only Reid hired his offensive line coach instead. Don’t adjust your monitors, you read that right. In an unprecedented move, Reid hired his offensive line coach to coordinate his defense.

      And you want to be my latex salesman.

      Juan Castillo deserves an opportunity to have success before everyone says he can’t. He did coach linebackers and defensive line to start his career at Texas A&M Kingsville, so it’s not like he’s always been stuck on the offensive side of the ball. From what I’ve read, he’s also gotten this far on hard work and his ability to coach up and motivate players. That sounds like a winning combination for a coach.

      But does he know how to put together a defensive game plan? Does he know how to implement a scheme? Does he even know how to be a playcaller? Considering he has zero experience on the defensive side of the ball in the NFL, it’s hard to fault anyone who thinks this is a horrendous hire. Just because he’s a hard worker doesn’t mean he has what it takes to become a great coordinator. Just because he can relate to his players doesn’t mean he’ll be able to make the personnel adjustments on Sundays in the heat of the moment.

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      External Sports, NFL

      Should Aaron Rodgers be the 2010 NFL MVP?

      February 1, 2011 /
      Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers talks to the media during media day for Super Bowl XLV at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, February 1, 2011. REUTERS/Jeff Haynes (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL)

      Towards the end of the season, the NFL MVP race was seemingly down to two players: Tom Brady and Michael Vick. The Associated Press votes after the regular season and before the playoffs, so postseason play is not taken into account when determining the winner of this award.

      But what really matters at the end of the day? Would you rather have your team go 14-2 and earn a #1-seed only lose at home in the Divisional round of the playoffs or make the playoffs as a spunky #6-seed and win three games on the road to earn a berth in the Super Bowl?

      When the 2010 season is discussed, will this be the year of Tom Brady or Michael Vick? Or will it be the year of Aaron Rodgers?

      Let’s take a look at each player’s year from a statistical point of view:

      Clearly, Rodgers’ numbers are comparable with those of the other two quarterbacks in the MVP discussion. He didn’t have as many passing TDs as Brady, but counting his rushing scores he only accounted for five fewer TDs than Brady, and let’s remember he missed a game and a half due to a concussion that he suffered against the Lions. He also accounted for more total yards (by a wide margin) than either player.

      More importantly, he helped guide the injury-depleted Packers to the playoffs despite losing both Jermichael Finley and Ryan Grant. And most importantly, he has averaged 263 yards and 2.0 TDs in three playoff road wins, resulting in a 109.2 QB rating in the postseason.

      I’d be shocked if Tom Brady doesn’t win this award since it’s currently a regular season award. But it will have the same feel as Dirk Nowitzki’s 2007 MVP ceremony which came on the heels of his Mavericks being upset in the first round of the playoffs by Baron Davis and the Golden State Warriors.

      Since the postseason is what matters the most, shouldn’t it be taken into account when deciding a season-defining award like the AP MVP? Sure, if the Packers go on to win the Super Bowl on Sunday, he’ll almost certainly win Super Bowl MVP, even if he has a mediocre game. But if voters knew that he could win the season-long MVP, they might be more inclined to give the Super Bowl MVP to a receiver or a defensive player who had a huge impact on the game, especially if Rodgers doesn’t have a terrific day.

      This is not so much an indictment of Brady or Vick as it is an examination of how and when the MVP award is decided. If the Packers go on to win the Super Bowl, this will be the year of Aaron Rodgers. And if Rodgers plays well in a Packer loss, one could still argue that he was “The Man” this season. Shouldn’t our awards reflect that?

      External Sports, Fantasy Football, NFL, Super Bowl

      Could Haynesworth wind up in Philadelphia next season?

      January 20, 2011 /
      Washington Redskins Albert Haynesworth (R) and other members of the Redskins wait to take the field prior to the Redskins game against the Dallas Cowboys at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland on September 12, 2010. UPI/Kevin Dietsch

      NFC East beat writer Matt Mosley of ESPN.com threw out an interesting scenario regarding Albert Haynesworth and how he could wind up in Philadelphia next season.

      Here’s why:

      The Washington Redskins have said they’d be open to Albert Haynesworth returning in 2011, but no one really believes them. And that’s why it’s interesting to note that the Philadelphia Eagles just hired Haynesworth’s all-time favorite position coach.

      Haynesworth became one of the best defensive tackles in the league while working with defensive line coach Jim Washburn in Tennessee. The Redskins reportedly tried to unload Haynesworth on the Eagles during the Donovan McNabb negotiation but coach Andy Reid, currently in Antigua, did not have any interest. Perhaps Washburn could change Reid’s mind about Haynesworth.

      Take a look at what Haynesworth told The (Nashville) Tennessean about Washburn:

      “I owe Coach Wash pretty much everything,” said Haynesworth. “If my deal was $100 million or whatever, then Washburn deserves $90 million. I have the talent, but he taught me how to let it loose. As a player, once you can get through the [expletive], get down to the core of what he is saying, the information is more valuable than gold. He’s a great coach, a great teacher. The Titans should have paid a lot of money to keep him from leaving.”

      It’s important to remember that Mosley isn’t reporting news – he’s just speculating based on the relationship that Hanyesworth had with Washburn in Tennessee. But even with that in mind, I doubt the Eagles would take a risk like this.

      Defensive tackle and secondary were positions of strength this year for the Eagles, while linebacker was arguably their weakest link. When opponents attacked Philadelphia on the ground, they would usually test the outside edges as opposed to going up the middle. And Philly’s linebackers had a tough time in coverage this season, particularly in the red zone and when trying to man-up with running backs. Teams also tried to attack the Eagles through the air on first down because they knew their base defense (i.e. the 4-3) would be on the field.

      Would adding a talent like Hayesworth be beneficial to a team like the Eagles? Of course it would, especially if Washburn could keep him focused and motivated. But defensive tackle wasn’t an issue for the team last year and assuming they would have to part with draft picks in order to acquire the troubled DT from Washington, maybe they would be wise to take a pass.

      External Sports, NFL

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