Hard truths to face before '06 Season

[PhillyGirl]

Yes, I do.  That year's team had some legitimate contenders in the division in the Jets and Miami.  This year, the AFC East is a big-time joke, and the Pats are simply the best of the worst.  They will probably face the Jaguars in Foxboro in the wild-card round, and I think they lose that game.

I don't know, if Leftwich is still out, I don't know they win that game.

[bobbyinlondon]

Well, since January 2006 will be as reflection and evaluation time for this franchise, Lurie MUST DO THE FOLLOWING:

1)Insist to Banner that whatever Reid needs, he gets in the way of players. According to this website http://www.geocities.com/eaglescap, the guy on there estimates the Eagles will be 16.895M UNDER the cap. But that's with Owens' pay included and NOT with the 6.8M that they've written in LTBE incentives this year that will be refunded next year. If the Eagles get Owens' 1.725M back, that, combined with his 795K in fines from his suspension, will offset the 1.9M that he will cost them in dead money. That will give the Eagles right in the neighborhood of 25M under the cap--but again, he bases this on the cap going up to 90.5M--if the owners come to their senses and extend the CBA and include local revenue to the cap, it could raise the cap to 100M--putting the Eagles 35M under the cap. With only Mike Lewis, maybe LJ due extensions, that still leaves plaenty of money to spread around.

2)Insist to Reid a change in this coaching staff. After 7 years, it's become too predictable. JJ maybe needs to retire or given a job in the front office--maybe, "special assistant to the president", but I think a good younger DC is needed. Same with the recievers' coach--Culley has to go. Morenwheig needs to go. He's the one who told Reid he could handle Owens, and he suggested the Eagles sign McMahon.

As far as player moves need to go, I feel this is where they need to upgrade--

QB--no longer should Detmer be the backup here. He just doesn't have the arm nor the mobility. They need at least 2 capable backups.

WR--I think they need 2 WRs here. An experienced No.1 and a younger guy. Brandon Lloyd, who has a 16-17 ypc average with the 49ers, will be a RFA. If the 49ers tender him at the first round level, the Birds should try to make the same kind of deal the Jets did when they got McCareins for a 2nd rounder from the Ttians. There's whispers out of Buffalo that unless Eric Moulds agrees to restructure his deal, he could get swept out the door with the rest of the Buffalo front office; Harrison, we all know, could be out in Indy; Wayne will probably be franchised.

DE--difficult to spend big on this position:Darren Howard would be a good catch, but he'll be what, 29 next season? You have Kyle Van den Bosch who's having a great year in Tennessee; Simeon Rice might be cut in Tampa, but he's what, 31? Aaron Kampman might be a good fit to rotate with Cole.

DT--Chirs Hovan is having a comeback year with the Bucs, a similar situation as Van den Bosch; Rocky Bernard would be a huge upgrade.

LBs--Peterson, who may be too costly; Wil Witherspoon, who is very good; and Angleo Crowell, who's been very good replacing Takeo Spikes in Buffalo. He's a RFA and would require at least a 3rd round pick in exchange.

OL--the only decent OT is Jeff Backus, the Lions' ORT; they could re-sign Runyan for 1 or 2 seasons until either Herremans or Armstrong develop. At guard, Hutchinson is the big name here, but would Reid spend big money on a guard? Jamaal Jackson looks like he's getting comfortable at center, but you got LaCharles Bently and Seth McKinney available.

RB--they already sunk in a lot of money in Westbrook, and whoever they bring in as a big back needs to get more work than Gordon did.


Finally, I read what Big Ed said in that the Buddy Ryan-era Eagles criticized this team. I also read on another board where they criticized this regime as well as the players. My answer to them would be this--"How many BIG GAMES did those teams that Ryan put together show up for? As I recall, with more talent than this squad, they couldn't win any playoff games with Ryan and won only 1 in that 86-92 timeframe when most were with the team. As far as their criticism of the owner, don't tell me they would rather play for Braman than Lurie. I have a hard time believing that.

[PhillyGirl]

If anyone saw the pregame interviews with the players from that era....EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM said that they'd have NEVER left Philadelphia with a front office and owner like the Eagles have now.

[bobbyinlondon]

If anyone saw the pregame interviews with the players from that era....EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM said that they'd have NEVER left Philadelphia with a front office and owner like the Eagles have now.

That's good to hear. I was just repeating what I saw on another board--it was before last night's game. So I guess they got their information from radio interviews or papers. I don't know. I only know that I lived in Philly from 1985-90, and I would have a hard time believing, as I said, those guys would rather play for Braman.

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

If anyone saw the pregame interviews with the players from that era....EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM said that they'd have NEVER left Philadelphia with a front office and owner like the Eagles have now.

This front office might not have re-signed Reggie White either.  He was right around the magic 30-year-old mark.

[PhillyGirl]

Reggie White even said (way after the fact) that had Lurie been his owner, he'd have been an Eagle for life. He loved Lurie.

[hunt]

If anyone saw the pregame interviews with the players from that era....EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM said that they'd have NEVER left Philadelphia with a front office and owner like the Eagles have now.

This front office might not have re-signed Reggie White either.  He was right around the magic 30-year-old mark.

and if they didn't, everybody on here would call him fat. 

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

Then again, because of his Hall-of-Fame level of production, the FO (and the fans) would probably have made an exception and made sure to keep Reggie around past 30 a la Dawkins.

[hunt]

Then again, because of his Hall-of-Fame level of production, the FO (and the fans) would probably have made an exception and made sure to keep Reggie around past 30 a la Dawkins.

dawkins is no hall of famer but i understand your point.

[The BIGSTUD]

Post 'em when you got 'em.  Here are a few:

• Greg Lewis is not a starting-caliber WR.  This team actually misses what Pinkston brings to the field as a #2.  Can Pinkston and Reggie be starters on a Super Bowl team?  Can Lewis take the skirt off and fight for the ball as the slot receiver?
• Brian Westbrook and/or the offensive line must learn how to get the short yards on 3rd/4th down and less than 2 yards.  It's embarassing how often this offense fails to get any push whatsoever.
• This team needs 2 all-around LB's good enough to stop the run and also play the pass in the nickel package.  Having Trotter out there on pass coverage is not going to be a winning strategy.  Going "cheap" at LB doesn't work if...
• The front four generates nothing on their own.  NOTHING.  We've seen flashes from the overpaid Jevon Kearse, we've seen burst from rookies Trent Cole and Mike Patterson, and guys like Walker, Hollis T, and Rayburn have been solid players in the past.  BUT, either their conditioning is awful, or they just aren't that good.  This team once again will have to use an early pick on a defensive lineman, and they should probably ALSO address the line in free agency.
• With all the other issues, the secondary may simply have to just be better.  I happen to think that with an improved front seven, we'd be surprised at how many coverage problems would go away.

Time's yours.

Good post. Basically this team needs to revamp the entire defensive line and linebackers, and add a receiver or two. I'm not that worried about the offensive line because I like Clarke and Herremans. That will probably be upgraded as well most likely.

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

Then again, because of his Hall-of-Fame level of production, the FO (and the fans) would probably have made an exception and made sure to keep Reggie around past 30 a la Dawkins.

dawkins is no hall of famer but i understand your point.

I didn't say that Dawkins was necessarily a Hall-of-Famer (although he has a chance to be), but I'm glad you can understand my point.  The Eagles haven't had a player on defense that changes games like Reggie did since he left for Green Bay.  I don't think any front office with the cap room would let a player like him go, even one like ours that tends to allow "aging" players to find another team.

Speaking of defensive linemen, Jevon Kearse is stealing money as he routinely gets swallowed up by single blocks.

[hunt]

yeah, i know they wouldn't ditch reggie...i just wanted to use my fat joke, dammit.

[PhillyGirl]

upfront would be upset with your use of the word fat.

[rjs246]

Without reading anything beyond the first page I would say the hard truth is that this team doesn't have any leadership or chemistry.

The defense can't get itself up for a game to save its life. That's leadership.
The offensive line has lost all of its meanness and attitude. That's leadership.
Even when the team has won, it has taken them forever to get rolling (49ers game excluded) and clearly was not pumped as the game began. Leadership.

I'm not completely convinced of it yet, but the argument can be made for the first time that letting every aging veteran go has caught up to the team. Yes they've struggled through an inordinate number of injuries to their best players, but injuries in the past have been compensated for by tough play from everyone else. The combination of TO and the loss of key vets over the past several years seems to have torn apart the chemistry that they've always seemed to have especially on defense. And of course, the fact that the D thought they were all God's gift to football heading into the season didn't help anything either. Wind sprints and a healthy dose of Hugh Douglas is a reality check that these iceholes need.

[General_Failure]

The defense can't get itself up for a game to save its life. That's leadership.

That's Trotter and Dawkins.

The offensive line has lost all of its meanness and attitude. That's leadership.

Was this line ever mean? Runyan, sure, but this year you're not even hearing about him being nasty.