[shyFX325]

to start talking about the offseason and the draft. I think that this year should not be viewed as a loss or as something we can not come back from. How quickly we forget how bad the patriots looked the year after their first superbowl... look at them since.

I think this offseason is the most important one the eagles have had since they drafted McNabb. What do you think the biggest weaknesses are?? O-Line?? Interior D-Line?? WR?? What should we address through the draft?? Who is gonna be available on the free agent market and exactly how much money has banner got in his piggybank to spend??

A couple of other random questions :

I. Is there a RB who is on the free agent market that we can pair up with westbrook effectively?
1 - Jamal Lewis??
2 - Depending on how poorly things go with the rest of the season could we be in position to go after LenDale White??
A - Too much of a head-case??
B - Stupid to not draft someone on one of the lines??
II. Who is the top free agent WR
1 - Is there anyway we do not aggressively pursue him??
III. None of our key players are FAs... am i correct in making this assumption??


And now just a couple of other random thoughts on our past two drafts.....
- damn those stupid jaguars... matt jones would look real good in green and white right about now
- While i knew nothing about either player at the time i really wish we would have went after brandon jacobs (a thunder to westbrooks lightning) instead of ryan moats (westbrook-lite).
- While i dont know what our offensive line would look like without shawn andrews i will never be able to watch a rams game without thinking about how good westbrook and steven jackson could have been together.

 

[Coatesvillain]

Re: Are you ready...

I really don't think drafting Brandon Jacobs or Steven Jackson would've changed anything, before right now the Eagles just weren't running the ball. I think Lamar Gordon is a good back to compliment Westbrook, and he's here for cheap but if the Eagles think they can upgrade they definitely should. Also while I was upset at the time, I'm happy they decided to draft Shawn Andrews, if he gets his weight under control he'll definitely be a factor for the Eagles for years to come (I just want him to stay at guard instead of moving out to OT when Runyan leaves).

Also if Andrews wasn't here the team's starting OG's would be Artis Hicks and Adrien Clarke, pair those two up with a healthy Hank Fraley and that's the worst runblocking trio in the league.

The positions that the Eagles are going to have to address in the offseason:

OT:
Jon Runyan, and Tra Thomas are up there in years, the Eagles are going to have to start thinking about the future. Todd Herreman's ran most of the preseason with the Eagles first team, and he looked solid for where he was drafted, if he continues his progress he should be one of the ends for this team. The other one will have to be addressed.

DE:
Kearse played like he's worth his contract on Sunday, Trent Cole is playing like a young Derrick Burgess (if he can become the player Burgess is in Oakland, I'm very happy!), but the Eagles have nothing behind that. I'm not willing to depend on Jerome McDougle to come back and play a full season let alone make an impact. ND Kalu is just an average player who doesn't impact the game, and Juqua Thomas is a NFLE level talent. Also Darwin Walker isn't good enough at DE to be constantly moved out there in a pinch. They need a third player here to help provide pressure with the front four, so they have an effective rotation.

OLB:
Keith Adams is a special teamer. Dhani Jones is a little suspect when it comes to pass coverage, but he's proven that he can be more effective in the Eagles system especially when it comes to making plays in the backfield. They need a down and out playmaker outside who can help impact the game, and make plays from sideline to sideline.

FB:
Jon Ritchie isn't an option even though he'll be more than a year removed from his knee injury. Josh Parry isn't an NFL level talent, it's frustrating watching him go into the hole in front of Westbrook and not do anything. If you want to run the ball you need an effective FB. People say the position is going out, but I disagree especially when you consider how much it helps players like LaDanian Tomlinson around the league.

TE:
I'm fine with LJ Smith being the starter, but the team will need someone better than Steven Spach or an old Chad Lewis to be the #2 guy. I really liked what Andy Thorn showed in the last game of the preseason, he was more of a vertical threat in the passing game than any of our TEs, but he had a lean build, so I'm not sure how much of a factor he'd be in two TE sets on running situations.

KR/PR:
I'm tired of seeing Rod Hood, and Reno Mahe return kickoffs and punts respectively. I'm also not holding my breath that JR Reed will be ready to come back next season, with the nerve damage in his knee he'll most likely never play football again. The Eagles obviously underrated the importance of the returnman but it's a position that definitely impacts the game.

WR:
I think the position will be better when Pinkston comes back, as you'll have Brown and Pinkston starting, but you need someone else. Greg Lewis is a fourth receiver at best, and that's a spot where he'd thrive because there's not as much attention on him. Billy McMullen showed promise in spurts but after that play on special teams Sunday, there's a great chance he won't be returning next year. If Billy is in camp next year he's going to be fighting for his football life.

 

[shyFX325]

Re: Are you ready...

I think westbrooks injury makes RB another priority we need to address in the offseason. As i understand it his lisfranc is not as severe as chad lewis' from last year but i still have a hard time beliveing he will be at full speed for the start of the year. Even before the injury i thought we needed a duce staley-esque back to pair with him and the injury just further solidifies that.

I would not feel comfortable coming in only adding rookie WRs next year, but at the same time am not a big fan of any of the FA possibilities. Antwaan Randle El could be a good possibility(and help on special teams) but could not be a #1. I dont think i would give reggie wayne big money. I know the colts dont have the money to give to him either so unless he goes with the hometown discount he is probably on his way out (though coming off a 19-0 season i could see him being sentimental). Brandon Lloyd from SF will also be available though i dont see that happening.I am very interested about whats going on in buffalo with eric moulds. Havent seen buffalo at all this year but i know he has been to hawaii a couple of times. Could we take a WR coming off a CD2T suspension, i had never heard anything of him being a headcase before.

The latest figures i saw expected the cap next year to be 95 and for us to be just a little under 85. How much does the rookie salary cap take out of that, or is that a seperate figure. With 10 million in space how active can they be??

The only other interesting free agent that ive heard about was julian peterson... though i think that is a position you can normally get good value for in the draft.

 

[Coatesvillain]

Re: Are you ready...

With the Eagles' history of drafting LBs under Andy Reid, I'd rather go after Julian Peterson than completely banking on Reid drafting someone who could produce from the position. As scary as it is to say, the best LB Reid drafted was Barry Gardner. Another guy I would love for the Eagles to look at is Andra Davis from the Cleveland Browns.

Here's a bunch of FAs I'd be interested in..

RB
Chester Taylor (Ravens)
Rock Cartwright (Redskins)
Moe Williams (Vikings)
Shawn Bryson (Lions)

FB
Jameel Cook (Buccaneers)

WR
David Givens (Patriots)
Kelley Washington (Bengals)
Reggie Wayne (Colts)
Jabar Gaffney (Texans)
Reche Caldwell (Chargers)
Kevin Curtis (Rams) - RFA

TE
Jerame Tuman (Steelers)
Daniel Wilcox (Ravens) - RFA

DE
Raheem Brock (Colts)
Robert Mathis (Colts) - RFA
Kyle Vanden Bosch (Titans)
Aaron Kampman (Packers)
Darren Howard (Saints)

LB
Andra Davis (Browns)
Cato June (Colts) - RFA
Jamie Winborn (Jaguars)
Julian Peterson (49ers)

KR/PR
Chad Morton (Giants)
Michael Lewis (Saints)
Reggie Swinton (Cardinals)

Not the strongest class, but you don't want to build anything primarily through free agency anyway.

 

[Coatesvillain]

Re: Are you ready...

Lets add Akin Ayodele (Jaguars) to the list as a guy I wouldn't mind getting as a LB.

 

[Coatesvillain]

Re: Are you ready...

Browns just locked up Andra Davis for five years so he's not an option at linebacker.

 

[shyFX325]

Re: Are you ready...

yeah i had just seen that myself... too bad to i was looking forward to tivo-ing the browns game and seeing how much of a player this guy is.

Moving on to RB there are 2 players that could be interesting when/if they become available... you have to imagine that with the imergence of larry holmes, priest holmes would be available (if he plays that is). Holmes would be an injury/TD concern every time he touched the ball. But could be a good spark. The player i think could make a big impact though is Domanick Davis. Ill be honest with you by saying i have never watched a texans game, but, everything i have read about him (mainly fantasy football stuff which could be misleading) makes him sound like the real deal. Is he an inside or outside guy? How is he coming out of the backfield as a rcvr?? With Reggie Bush coming in (after seeing them miss that kick last week i have locked him down to houston) I would be surprised to see them keep DD b/c if i remember correctly they had resigned him to a pretty good deal.

Just as i was typing this though moats went for 59 yards so maybe i am putting too much though in to a position we dont need that much help from so who knows.....

 

[shyFX325]

Re: Are you ready...

Here's a bunch of FAs I'd be interested in..

RB
Rock Cartwright (Redskins)Im from DC and have never really though more of cartwright as more than a backup RB though he has impressed me at times this year. The only available RB that i am aware of that really could be classified as a "bruiser"

WR
Kelley Washington (Bengals)Heard alot of great things about this guys natural talent coming out of the draft but havent heard much since so i dont know what to think. Didnt he have some really scary neck injury (and some character concerns) during his senior year??
Reggie Wayne (Colts)Big play WR and from the U, which in my eyes is a big plus, but does he have the ability to be a true #1 option or is he just peerless price2.0 with manning throwing him the ball?
Kevin Curtis (Rams) - RFAAny chance of getting him though with the restricted free agency?

LB
Cato June (Colts) - RFA BIG PLAY PLAYER... arent the colts gona be 20+ over the cap next year? Could be a definete cap casualty and should be very high on alot of peoples lists
Julian Peterson (49ers)Didnt the niners hit him with the franchise tag just a few years ago?? or was that a different LB?

KR/PR
Dont know what to think here... Morton is well past his prime and i cant remember him making any sort of quality returns since he was in NY. Michael lewis had a great year but whatever he was doing, other teams have figured it out. In between Westbrook/Moats and the draft i dont think we shouldnt tie up any of our available 10 mil here.

 

[Coatesvillain]

Re: Are you ready...

Here's a bunch of FAs I'd be interested in..

RB
Rock Cartwright (Redskins)Im from DC and have never really though more of cartwright as more than a backup RB though he has impressed me at times this year. The only available RB that i am aware of that really could be classified as a "bruiser"

Yeah, I wasn't thinking of Cartwright as anything more than a change of pace guy, and special teamer. He wouldn't be a guy who would put the Eagles over the top, but he's a solid player who would definitely help the team somewhere.

WR
Kelley Washington (Bengals)Heard alot of great things about this guys natural talent coming out of the draft but havent heard much since so i dont know what to think. Didnt he have some really scary neck injury (and some character concerns) during his senior year??

His problem in Cincinatti was the fact that he was stuck behind Chad Johnson, T.J. Houshmanzadeh, and Peter Warrick, and then when Warrick is gone he's beat out by Chris Henry who showed some promise before getting pulled over in West Virginia. Washington definitely has a lot of talent, but he does have character issues in the past (I'm not sure if those have been taken care of). I think he'll be a low risk, high reward type of guy as he won't call for a huge price tag in the offseason, so if it doesn't work out the team could always cut him after camp.

Reggie Wayne (Colts)Big play WR and from the U, which in my eyes is a big plus, but does he have the ability to be a true #1 option or is he just peerless price2.0 with manning throwing him the ball?

The difference between Reggie Wayne and Peerless Price is the overall talent, he can do practically any and everything from the receiver position. Good size, good hands, runs nice routes, isn't a burner but is easily a #1 receiver in this league. It's basically a pipe dream getting him (as I don't see the Eagles dishing out that much money in free agency again on a WR), but he'd be the perfect type of guy for Donovan. He wants the ball, and he'll get angry if he's completely ignored, but he's not a TO in that aspect (hold on.. who is? )

Kevin Curtis (Rams) - RFAAny chance of getting him though with the restricted free agency?

Yeah, this one is a major pipe dream on my behalf. I actually heard that the Rams are talking about having him step up and take over Isaac Bruce's role. With Bruce aging, it wouldn't be a bad move. Curtis is a blazer, and simply a playmaker who's also capable of returning kicks. If he was on the Eagles he would definitely be a starting receiver.

LB
Cato June (Colts) - RFA BIG PLAY PLAYER... arent the colts gona be 20+ over the cap next year? Could be a definete cap casualty and should be very high on alot of peoples lists

I think he'd be an ideal weakside backer on the Eagles defense. The Colts are in a tough situation, because if they don't win the Super Bowl they're going to have to rip everything apart. I do believe that Cato June will be another good defensive player on the Colts who they won't be able to afford to keep.

Julian Peterson (49ers)Didnt the niners hit him with the franchise tag just a few years ago?? or was that a different LB?

Yeah they franchised him this past season. I'm really curious of whether or not they would want him back this season, he's been playing well but he's not an ideal fit for the 3-4 defense.

KR/PR
Dont know what to think here... Morton is well past his prime and i cant remember him making any sort of quality returns since he was in NY. Michael lewis had a great year but whatever he was doing, other teams have figured it out. In between Westbrook/Moats and the draft i dont think we shouldnt tie up any of our available 10 mil here.

[/QUOTE]

Really I just put a few guys down for these spots, KR/PR is usually a spot where you can find a productive player in the second round. Westbrook is too valuable of a player to have returning kicks, and Ryan Moats is too fumble prone to trust back there. I really like the idea of the Eagles drafting a guy like Skylar Green out of LSU to return kicks.

 

[chucho]

Re: Are you ready...

Here's a bunch of FAs I'd be interested in..

WR
Kelley Washington (Bengals)Heard alot of great things about this guys natural talent coming out of the draft but havent heard much since so i dont know what to think. Didnt he have some really scary neck injury (and some character concerns) during his senior year??
Reggie Wayne (Colts)Big play WR and from the U, which in my eyes is a big plus, but does he have the ability to be a true #1 option or is he just peerless price2.0 with manning throwing him the ball?
Kevin Curtis (Rams) - RFAAny chance of getting him though with the restricted free agency?

LB
Cato June (Colts) - RFA BIG PLAY PLAYER... arent the colts gona be 20+ over the cap next year? Could be a definete cap casualty and should be very high on alot of peoples lists
Julian Peterson (49ers)Didnt the niners hit him with the franchise tag just a few years ago?? or was that a different LB?

I would say NO WAY to Julian Peterson. The guy has had some pretty serious injuries the last couple years and still he wants "Ray Lewis" money. THe guy is going to try and ruin someones salary cap, and as you all know the Eagles will NOT spend that much money on the LB position. This is a one in a million chance type acquisition IMO.

Cato June is interesting, another fast aggressive LB that is undersized. Yes he has shown the ability to make the "Big Play", but how has he done that? The Colts have been up 20 points on every team, they are forced to pass and those Indy LBs are able to sit in pass coverage because they have no need to blitz with their dominating front four, so anytime you have that situation you will have LBs making big plays. My question is, can this guy make big plays when your team is in a battle every week, where has to play the run for four quarters and not just get to sit back in soft coverage all day.

Kelly Washington aka "The Future" (btw he actually gave himself that nickname while at Tennessee)
This guy has all the potential in the world physically but has the mind of TO without TOs work ethic.
I'd want him here just to give his physical abilities a try but I wouldn't expect much out of him.

Reggie Wayne is the guy I'd want, BUT, this is going to be his biggest contract of his career and he is going to try to get a LOT of money. Is he the real deal, or is he a guy who benefited from those around him? He seems to be much more polished in his route running and overall game. But he won't have the running game that opens up space for him in Indy, he wouldn't have Marvin or Stokley taking up space here. He would be running routes in a small space with constant double teams here in Philly. Is he worth a big time contract? I don't think I'd take that risk if I was AR.

 

[Coatesvillain]

Re: Are you ready...

I would say NO WAY to Julian Peterson. The guy has had some pretty serious injuries the last couple years and still he wants "Ray Lewis" money. THe guy is going to try and ruin someones salary cap, and as you all know the Eagles will NOT spend that much money on the LB position. This is a one in a million chance type acquisition IMO.

He's still the best strongside linebacker in the game. In the right scheme he could be a better version of Carlos Emmons, during Emmons' time as an Eagle.

Cato June is interesting, another fast aggressive LB that is undersized. Yes he has shown the ability to make the "Big Play", but how has he done that? The Colts have been up 20 points on every team, they are forced to pass and those Indy LBs are able to sit in pass coverage because they have no need to blitz with their dominating front four, so anytime you have that situation you will have LBs making big plays. My question is, can this guy make big plays when your team is in a battle every week, where has to play the run for four quarters and not just get to sit back in soft coverage all day.

What about early in the season when the Colts offense was struggling and Cato June was making plays? It's not just a Colts are up thing, because a lot of their games have been close. Hell he was making plays on opening night so that shoots a ton of holes in your theory. The Eagles right now have LBs who can't make plays in the passing game, so even if June was only able to make plays then (which is false) it'd be a good acquisition.

Kelly Washington aka "The Future" (btw he actually gave himself that nickname while at Tennessee)
This guy has all the potential in the world physically but has the mind of TO without TOs work ethic.
I'd want him here just to give his physical abilities a try but I wouldn't expect much out of him.

I agree he has problems, but I think just having him try for the team would be better than having Greg Lewis coming back for another season. That's even if he doesn't make the team.

Reggie Wayne is the guy I'd want, BUT, this is going to be his biggest contract of his career and he is going to try to get a LOT of money. Is he the real deal, or is he a guy who benefited from those around him? He seems to be much more polished in his route running and overall game. But he won't have the running game that opens up space for him in Indy, he wouldn't have Marvin or Stokley taking up space here. He would be running routes in a small space with constant double teams here in Philly. Is he worth a big time contract? I don't think I'd take that risk if I was AR.

Of course it'd be his biggest contract, he's still working on his rookie deal. Also no offense, but if anything Brandon Stokely benefits from Reggie Wayne. He's one of those guys if people doubt, they'll see how misplaced it was when he's playing well elsewhere.

 

[Lynx]

Re: Are you ready...

Yeah I doubt if Indy will be able to keep all the guys lock on offense. Peyton, Edge and Marvin aren't going anywhere. But we can go after Brandon and Reggie. Either of them, I'll be happy to see in Eagles uniform.

 

[shyFX325]

Re: Are you ready...

I would like to be the first on here to state that brian dawkins was robbed by not being a probowler this year. The defense this year has not been as strong as it has been in previous years but without him it would have been a disaster.

 

[Coatesvillain]

Re: Are you ready...

I don't know about that, Brian Dawkins had a few good games.. but he's had a ton of games where he was really bad out there. He has two years tops left in his career.

 

[Lynx]

I love Dawkins to death. Almost as much as Donovan and Trotter. He did have few bad games but we are talking about one of the leader of our team. I'd really hate to see him go and play for other team. He was a born Eagle and should retire as one.

 

[Coatesvillain]

I'm talking about in his career, he's definitely lost a step from last season. He was terrible in just as many games as he was good this year. I think he lead in the fan vote because of his popularity. When he's at his best he's incredible, the best safety in the league, but he's not consistently at that level.

So many times this season he's missed tackles (including getting ran over at the goal line), games where he made little to no impact.

 

[Lynx]

I know precisely what you mean Coasty. I was :curse: him when he missed the tackle on Gado couple of weeks back. I was like :whofarted, how the hell you missed that, Hawk?

But I still and adore him.

 

[Sixerfanforlife]

Two BIG positions to improve on

Special teams

Reserve Quarterback

Mike Mchmahon is not a starter doesn't deserve to be one, and is not one in my view, Personally I've hated him.

The Special teams, you know what it gotten better, but it wouldn't hurt if we had someone who could give us a legitmately good field for Mcnabb (30) to work with.

Honorable Mention: WR: This position as Coates noted, isn't as bad once Todd Pinkston returns, but you still need another young capable reciever, to help Brown and replace Owens. BTW did you hear Mr T.O wants to model, Let's watch his first show shall we?

 

[Coatesvillain]

I think Special Teams will be fine, Bruce Perry was the best kickoff return man the team had all season. Maybe he'll get a chance to win the job in the offseason.

With WR, I'll be happy when Greg Lewis is gone, cutting him alone would help improve the position.

 

[shyFX325]

Gregg Lewis is just dreadful. Not really much else you can say.

Here in DC lavar arrington is starting alot of comotion talking about how he doesnt think the skins will have him back next year due to his large roster bonus. Ive always seen LA as too much of a freelancer to ever be succesful in a defensive system like Johnsons. After such a poor year on that side of the ball though i am wondering if bringing him in would be the type of playmaking we need. From some of the articles ive read it leads me to believe that trotter and him may still be close from when jeremiah was down here so there is one foot in the door. What would you think of having him move up 95?? He has always said he is ******* for life, doesnt know if he would even play with another team if the skins let him go but i think alot of that is to get the fans on his side and in turn make it harder for managment to sign his walking papers.