Overhaul Not Really Necessary (http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/99-01212007-1097473.html)
Quote"Offensively, depending on what happens with (free agent Correll Buckhalter), we might have to go find a guy, and we have to decide on Jeff (Garcia), and if we don't sign Jeff we have to find a third quarterback," Heckert said. "But all the other positions, we think we're OK. Offensively there's probably not a whole lot we need to go out and get. And defensively, it's a lot less of a big deal than it was last year.
No mention of Stallworth in his opening comments
QuoteQ: Run defense killed you in the middle of the season and in the playoffs. Is it fixable with the guys you have?
A: "We were playing the run very well at the beginning of the year mainly because we were rotating a lot more, and that kept guys fresh. Then we just didn't have that rotation later in the year, whether it was because some of those guys weren't playing enough or whatever. Matt McCoy was getting killed in the media, but he was by far our most productive player on defense the first five games. Then he got hurt (shoulder) and that affected it, too. But obviously, the defensive line has to play better and the linebackers have to play better. That's the bottom line.
"We also need (Brodrick) Bunkley to come through and play for us and that's going to help. But we've got to have some sort of rotation. We think we'll be good at defensive end with Jevon (Kearse) back. We've just got to find the right inside guys to help those guys out."
Q: Have your feelings about Bunkley changed?
A: "Not at all. We thought he was a really good player in college. He's big, he's strong, he's tough — obviously the holdout and him coming in out of shape hurt him. There's no reason to think he can't play. He just hasn't played. I wish he would have. He played maybe 50 plays all year. I don't think you can judge a player off that. To say he's a bust off 50 plays is a little crazy. It's his own fault for holding out and coming in out of shape and missing training camp. That's why we're optimistic. With a full offseason and a full training camp, he'll be fine."
Q: Can Sean Considine physically handle strong safety?
A: "He's a really good tackler. He really is. He's a very good open-field tackler. The last game, he got run over, that's going to happen to everybody. Shoot, even Dawkins misses tackles. A guy misses a tackle, now he's a bad tackler, that's not fair. He started out well, he's just got to keep the weight on. Coming off the shoulder (injury), he couldn't lift as much and he lost some of that strength. Him being healthy, he'll be fine. He knows he has to be stronger.
"In his defense, he's probably a free safety, and we're playing him at strong safety because we like him. But there's no question he can be the guy, and we're happy with him. He's by far our smartest guy back there, and he's got the ability to make plays. He dropped a bunch of interceptions, but he's got great hands. Why that happened I don't know, but he'll be good for us."
QuoteQ: What about Trott? He's also going into his 10th year and wasn't as productive as he hoped.
A: "Trotter knows he probably needs to come in better shape than last year, but he should be fine. He's just got to come in shape and stay that way and he'll be faster and his knees (will feel better). But we think we're fine with Trott."
QuoteQ: You have four defensive backs who are unrestricted— Michael Lewis, Rod Hood, Quintin Mikell and William James. Are you concerned about having to rebuild depth in what has been a very good group?
A: "We're optimistic that we're going to get some of those guys back. If we do that, we'll be fine. If we don't, we'll probably address it in the draft, but we're hoping to get a couple of them back."
It won't be Hood or Lewis, obviously. But I am glad to hear that bringing James and Mikell back are on the list of things to do. Mikell is a solid player and with Hood leaving they need James in there.
QuoteQ: Do you have any idea how much you'll have to spend to re-sign Juqua Thomas, who was your best pass rusher the second half of the season?
A: "You really don't know what he's going to get. It's kind of strange because he was a complete free agent (last year) and nobody even made him an offer. Is it a priority? Probably not, just because if Jevon comes back we think we're OK there. But we'd like to have him back, no question about it. We've got a lot of money tied up in these defensive ends, but Andy has always said if we're going to overload anywhere, we're going to overload on the offensive line and defensive line. Can we get him? I don't know. We certainly want him. It's going to be interesting."
QuoteQ: Dont Stallworth had some huge games but was also hurt a lot. How will that affect his value on the open market?
A: "If he's healthy, he's a really good player. I think that will be kind of a wait-and-see deal because I don't think even he knows what he's worth. Getting him done before free agency, that's probably not going to happen. There's not a whole lot of wide receivers out there. It's tough to gauge. When he's healthy, he's a good player. People are going to say the same thing — if he's injured (often), how much are you going to pay him? But he's young and he's fast. He's really fast. I think he'll probably end up signing a pretty good contract somewhere. If you look at last year, those (2006 free agents) got huge money and they were just OK guys."
Q: If you lose Stallworth, will you have to go out and get another veteran?
A: "We feel the same way as before we traded for him. If we don't get him back, we think we're OK at wide receiver. Not saying we won't draft or sign somebody else, but Reggie (Brown) played really well for us, and I think Hank (Baskett) and Jason (Avant) are going to be really good. I really do. So that affects it, too. If we don't have him, I think we'll be all right."
And here's the Stallworth stuff. Sadly I think he's gone. The fact that Baskett looked good on a few plays has brainwashed them. Jesus Christ...farg! >:(
QuoteQ: Will Chris Gocong get a chance to compete at strong-side linebacker? How far has he come since training camp?
A: "Yeah, he will. I think he's a lot better than when he first came to training camp because he knows a lot now. He couldn't practice, but he's been in meetings with the linebackers. He knows the defense, he knows what he's supposed to do. It's just a matter of seeing him do it. And we think he can. There's no reason he shouldn't be able to do it. He's a super smart guy, he works his butt off. It'll be good to see him."
Since it also looks like Juqua Thomas is a goner they need to scrap this plan of shoe-horning Gocong into SAM and letting him play play DE and get after the QB. Hell even if they bring Thomas back they should still have Gocong play DE. Let him take McDougle's spot on the roster. Go get a goddamn playing making SLB!! >:(
Quotebut Reggie (Brown) played really well for us, and I think Hank (Baskett) and Jason (Avant) are going to be really good. I really do. So that affects it, too. If we don't have him, I think we'll be all right."
Jesus, here we go again.
<igy>
QuoteHe's by far our smartest guy back there
(http://www.philaflava.com/forum/images/smiles/dcracistemo0mp.gif)
</igy>
I don't know what pisses me off more, the fact that he doesn't seem to care about bringing Stallworth back, or his thinking that the Eagles don't need Juqua Thomas because gimpy Jevon Kearse will be back.
This team is infuriating.
GET MOSS!
Matt McCoy was getting killed in the media, but he was by far our most productive player on defense the first five games. Then he got hurt (shoulder) and that affected it, too.
It's just amazing to read that. What does he take us for?
Jesus - you made a mistake, dude. Own up to it and move on. Either that or book yourself onto the next spaceship headed for the Sun.
I just died a little inside reading that article. Actually, I didn't even read the entire interview as I stopped during his comments about Stallworth.
Here's the Cliff's Notes version of that article:
Good bye Jaqua Thomas. Good bye Donte Stallworth.
Welcome back Considine and McCoy.
Pre-order your Marc Boerigter jerseys TODAY!
:puke
I don't like the tone of that interview. Heckert seems to full of himself and delusional in thinking that if they let go of playmakers and elevate guys beyond their level of competency they will be fine. Ridiculous.
I don't like how he dismisses the importance of Stallworth, Thomas, and how he thinks Considine is a good tackler when he CONSISTENTLY gets run over on critical running plays and how McCoy was the best player the first five games for them when he couldn't get off a friggin' block. If McCoy was so 'good', it is hard to fathom that a rookie all of a sudden took his place and made more plays than he did the first 5 games.
McCoy actually was the best defensive player the first 5 games. Went far downhill afterwards.
The only solace one can take from this interview is that perhaps Heckert is savvy enough to realize he is speaking with the press, and is therefore not showing all of his cards. The Eagles have nothing to lose by publicly talking down Stallworth and Thomas.
Quote from: Dillen37 on January 21, 2007, 12:54:32 PM
McCoy actually was the best defensive player the first 5 games. Went far downhill afterwards.
Downhill? I think he went underground.
God help us all.
Heckert's stuff in that interview is far more infuriating than anything Joe Banner's said recently.
Quote from: Dillen37 on January 21, 2007, 12:54:32 PM
McCoy actually was the best defensive player the first 5 games. Went far downhill afterwards.
Being merely average does not equate to excellence. The entire defense was mediocre during the first five games and then fell off the map until the winning streak started.
Injuries played a part in it, sure, but come on. . . he's insinuating that McCoy played great and he clearly didn't.
The arrogance and refusal to accept blame that his superiors exhibit appears to be rubbing off on Tom Heckert.
The bottom line is this regime hasn't won anything yet, yet for some reason, they come off like they've got Lombardi Trophies coming out of their ears. Like rjs said, it's infuriating.
Quote from: QB Eagles on January 21, 2007, 01:11:26 PM
The only solace one can take from this interview is that perhaps Heckert is savvy enough to realize he is speaking with the press, and is therefore not showing all of his cards.
C'mon Dillen, you're sounding like taterskins fans talking about their offense during preseason. Are you having a relapse from the time we spent on ES? Has Heckert been touched by a General Managing Angel?
QuoteThe Eagles have nothing to lose by publicly talking down Stallworth and Thomas.
Except losing Stallworth and Thomas. Athletes, even the likable ones like these 2, are super sensitive ego maniacs who are insulted by comments like Heckert's. I'm sure both of them have already been on the phone with their agents discussing teams that they are interested in playing for next year.
i actually had pegged heckert as the semi sane one in the group....like ff said thio hes as bad or worse than reid banner et al...
its bad enough that i cant stop running the new orleans game thru my head 24/7 now i gotta see shtein like this on top of it
the last question of this interview should have been "so tom where exactly do you need improvement at? are there ANY concerns on this team?"
because apparently
its not mccoy
its not considine
its not trotter
its not at wr (even if stallworth leaves)
its not the secondary
its not bunkley
its not gocong (SAM)
what is it!!
delusion doesnt begin to describe this interview
i wanna know the true story of michael lewis too...its about time we heard it because what happened to him this year is not right...yeah the guy struggled some in pass protection...but the fact is this guy is gonna command really good money on the open market and the guy who replaced him was terrible and yet he still barely played the second half of the year and didnt play at all in the saints game...even tho the run defense was getting torched...
i know dook struggled this year but hes still way better than considine...if considine is on the open market this year with lewis who gets more and better offers around the league?...so in the end was lewis sat down because hes a UFA who maybe turned down a eagle offer in turn insulting them and he got the rod hood treatment?...and does the team have a plan to replace lewis who imo is still a good football player and much better than the plan b (considine) they have in mind now...there were a lot players who were as bad or worse than lewis thus year and didnt get banished from the team...i wanna know why
Igy,
You probably believe that the moon landing was faked, don't you? :D
I think Heckert IS sane. But I believe he is nothing more than a mouthpiece for Reid and Banner.
If anyone actually believes he's the "GM" they are mistaken. That's Reid's position he just doesn't have the cool GM title in front him anymore.
Quote from: Geowhizzer on January 21, 2007, 02:27:54 PM
Igy,
You probably believe that the moon landing was faked, don't you? :D
Are you saying Capricorn One was ficticious?
:paranoid
But I believe he is nothing more than a mouthpiece for Reid and Banner.
If anyone actually believes he's the "GM" they are mistaken. That's Reid's position he just doesn't have the cool GM title in front him anymore.
no doubt...reid is clearly the gm its not even close
because heckert is such a yes man stepford is why he makes so much money and why banner lurie reid love him so much
McCoy made tackles his first few games this year, but he never made any big plays. He wasn't credited with any good passes defensed, he didn't make any INTs, I don't remember him recording a sack, he wasn't credited with many, if any, QB pressures, and I don't remember him making any tackles for losses.
If 'best player' translates in making tackles 5-10 yards down the field then I guess he was the 'best player' the first five games. McCoy could have 7-10 tackles every game, but if those tackles come 10 yards off the line of scrimmage I don't think that is emblematic of a good player.
The whole interview seemed dismissive, even though the Eagles have more UFA this year than any year in recent memory. The Eagles need to make some really crucial decisions, and right now they seem to be taking a 'yeah well' attitude to the frustration of many fans.
QuoteQ: Dont Stallworth had some huge games but was also hurt a lot. How will that affect his value on the open market?
A: "If he's healthy, he's a really good player. I think that will be kind of a wait-and-see deal because I don't think even he knows what he's worth. Getting him done before free agency, that's probably not going to happen. There's not a whole lot of wide receivers out there. It's tough to gauge. When he's healthy, he's a good player. People are going to say the same thing — if he's injured (often), how much are you going to pay him? But he's young and he's fast. He's really fast. I think he'll probably end up signing a pretty good contract somewhere. If you look at last year, those (2006 free agents) got huge money and they were just OK guys."
Q: If you lose Stallworth, will you have to go out and get another veteran?
A: "We feel the same way as before we traded for him. If we don't get him back, we think we're OK at wide receiver. Not saying we won't draft or sign somebody else, but Reggie (Brown) played really well for us, and I think Hank (Baskett) and Jason (Avant) are going to be really good. I really do. So that affects it, too. If we don't have him, I think we'll be all right."
What the farg is he talking about?! :boom
If you know there are not "a lot" of good wide receivers out there in FA... then WHY THE farg DON'T YOU SIGN THE ONE YOU HAVE?!
If Stallworth's so "young and fast"... then WHY THE farg ARE YOU SO CONTENT TO LET HIM WALK?!
For the 1st time in Andy Reid's tenure here... we have the opportunity to have 2 quality starting WR's in this offense and they're going to farg it up! Have they already forgotten the speed dynamic that he brings to this offense? Have they already forgotten who scored a TD in each of their playoff games? Are they really that farging stupid to think that Baskett and Avant and some scrub that won't even make another team's practice squad (Justin Jenkins or somebody) will fill Stallworth's void?
Jesus Christ... I just cannot understand why they seem so farging determined to farg up this offense. It's infuriating.
No farging wonder they signed a guy who's supposed to be able to boom punts.
Quote from: Jerome99RIP on January 21, 2007, 01:34:45 PMBeing merely average does not equate to excellence. The entire defense was mediocre during the first five games and then fell off the map until the winning streak started.
Injuries played a part in it, sure, but come on. . . he's insinuating that McCoy played great and he clearly didn't.
Obviously he didn't play great, but in the first 5 games he had like 2 FF and 4 TFL. Atleast he was showing signs that he could play a bit. I know that he definitely needs to get stronger because he always gets dragged a yard or two before bringing the guy down, and being weak definitely isn't helping when he has attempts arm tackles.
Bottom line with McCoy he is nothing more than a nickel LB and special teamer. When you watch him on film even going back to his college days when he makes a tackle he is usually going backwards. That clearly isn't good for a LB.
I can't believe they're going to let Stallworth go. Unbelievable. This offense is so much better with a speed WR.
Reggie Brown is faster then I thought, but still...he's no Stallworth.
If that's the case next year, I'd rather them start Avant over Baskett, but move Avant inside and put Baskett outside in 3 WR sets. Baskett's two best games came while he was on the outside, and Avant seems like he'd be a good fit in the slot.
If Stallworth's so "young and fast"... then WHY THE farg ARE YOU SO CONTENT TO LET HIM WALK?!
this is what is so maddening...the fact that they act as tho they just dont care if he goes...like its just whatever
Quote from: Munson on January 21, 2007, 07:38:07 PM
If that's the case next year, I'd rather them start Avant over Baskett, but move Avant inside and put Baskett outside in 3 WR sets. Baskett's two best games came while he was on the outside, and Avant seems like he'd be a good fit in the slot.
Your analysis of what-to-do if they stick with Avant/Baskett at the 2/3 makes me want to stab you and then myself.
BUT ONLY BECAUSE YOU FORGOT GREG LEWIS!
lollerskates
Reno goes wide out next season. :yay
I think it's great that these two "really good" WRs you guys are talking about combined for 84 receptions.
More importantly... they also combined for 1,541 yards and 14 TD's.
C'mon, GF... you know better than to harp on receptions in this offense. The RB has 77 for crying out loud.
Quote from: General_Failure on January 21, 2007, 09:19:25 PM
I think it's great that these two "really good" WRs you guys are talking about combined for 84 receptions.
True. But how many did Westbrook have this season? 77? He got a lot of touches through the passing game.
I'm concerned with WRs being productive when the ball is thrown their way. Reggie struggled early with the dropsies but picked it up at the end of the year and the post season. Stallworth is always a big play threat and picked his game up at the end of the year and the post season as well.
Brown
Basket
Avant
Lewis
5th round draft pick dubbed a steal
Score.
The Eagles don't have a lot of cap room this time around from what Ive read. They are setting up for the inevitable, which is that another team offers Stallworth a big deal that they wont be able to match without crippling their cap nonsense.
gotta love the whole "knees" thing with Howard. Here I thought we would actual go a season without the "knees" excuse theory. horrible.
the thing that really drives me bonkers the most is the ROTATION crap with the Dline. They say they were fine when they had a rotation, but then the rotation stopped and they sucked. WHY DID THE ROTATION STOP! Because the players they tried to rotate sucked. Therefor they are not good enough on the DLINE. The way Reid/Heckert play with words about the Dline rotation is SPADARO 101.
Quote from: MDS on January 21, 2007, 10:54:13 PM
Brown
Basket
Avant
Lewis
5th round draft pick dubbed a steal
Score.
Don't forget about the skier!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Spadaro says at the end of his article today that no one should read anything into Heckert's interview and that the Eagles would never tip their hand about free agency.
Therefore, it's 100% certain that we should read into this interview and that Heckert has tipped his hand about free agency.
Quote from: Geowhizzer on January 21, 2007, 09:15:39 PM
Reno goes wide out next season. :yay
reno is our lloyd braun. we can always blame reno. actually the actor who played lloyd Braun on Seinfeld is named Matt McCoy. just something to think about this offseason.
the thing that really drives me bonkers the most is the ROTATION crap with the Dline. They say they were fine when they had a rotation, but then the rotation stopped and they sucked. WHY DID THE ROTATION STOP! Because the players they tried to rotate sucked. Therefor they are not good enough on the DLINE.
completely agree...the rotation thing in general is a load of crap...is it nice to have depth if someopne gets hurt...of course...but if you have a rotation that generally means your starters arent good enough
i said around the middle of the season that the eagles would blame their front seven and/or dline problems on kearses injury...and here we are....the old well the rotation got messed up when jevon went down excuse
I've said it before and I'll say it yet again:
We will NEVER EVER win a Superbowl with this front office.
"we" will NEVER EVER win anything if "you" are a part of "us"
If anyone buys into what he says though then they need their head examined. They said their receivers were ok last year and got Stallworth. Some stuff is true and some stuff isn't. Just like all their crap that they give every year. All lies.
Quote from: King Cole on January 22, 2007, 04:41:10 PM
Just like all their crap that they give every year. All lies.
*ding*
Nothing this FO ever says to the media is ever remotely connected to reality. It does not represent their opinions and it does not represent their plans. They say as little as possible in as flowery words as possible to satisfy their media obligation and nothing more.
The only exception is when they are announcing player / staff changes, and even then the only reality is the change itself. Anything else they have to say about the player/staff member is fiction.
if and if not re signing stallworth means us addressing our dire needs on the defense like LB, lack of depth in the 2ndary (mainly the safety positions), and lack of a RUSH D then and only then will i accept us losing stallworth.
unless they have plans to acquire MOSS! OMG MOSS!
Quote from: Magical_Retard on January 22, 2007, 05:02:03 PM
if and if not re signing stallworth means us addressing our dire needs on the defense like LB, lack of depth in the 2ndary (mainly the safety positions), and lack of a RUSH D then and only then will i accept us losing stallworth.
unless they have plans to acquire MOSS! OMG MOSS!
That's awful. :-D
Quote from: Diomedes on January 22, 2007, 04:32:17 PM
"we" will NEVER EVER win anything if "you" are a part of "us"
Post of the year.
i doesnt got the times to the type son!
Quote from: FFatPatt on January 21, 2007, 08:47:04 PM
Quote from: Munson on January 21, 2007, 07:38:07 PM
If that's the case next year, I'd rather them start Avant over Baskett, but move Avant inside and put Baskett outside in 3 WR sets. Baskett's two best games came while he was on the outside, and Avant seems like he'd be a good fit in the slot.
Your analysis of what-to-do if they stick with Avant/Baskett at the 2/3 makes me want to stab you and then myself.
BUT ONLY BECAUSE YOU FORGOT GREG LEWIS!
lollerskates
Why, because you don't agree with me or because it's what's most likely to happen and you don't like it?
We can sit here and bitch about the FO all we want, but this MB is for more then complaining about how much we all hate Reid/Banner, like actually discussing the Eagles team. I don't like that they're losing Stallworth either...but I'm not gonna sit here and just whine about it all the time. I'm going to actually discuss who will be on the team and what the best options are.
I hope they re-sign Stallworth...but it's not lookin good.
Just because it may end up being true doesn't mean we need to hear the details. Vomit-inducing.
Quote from: FFatPatt on January 22, 2007, 09:18:22 PM
Just because it may end up being true doesn't mean we need to hear the details. Vomit-inducing.
:-D Understandable.
:puke