New El Stop: Broad and Pattison?

[PhillyPhreak54]

New El stop: Broad and Pattison?

Birds said to have eyes on Randle El

By LES BOWEN
bowenl@phillynews.com

INDIANAPOLIS - In the next few weeks, Terrell Owens finally and officially will be leaving the Eagles. If he is on their roster March 8, 5 days into the NFL year, the Birds will owe T.O. $7.5 million in bonus money, which they have no intention of paying.

There won't be a T.O.-level wide receiver talent available this spring, either through free agency or in the draft, but despite their public posturing about being happy with their remaining receivers, the Eagles are expected to try to upgrade at the position.

Antwaan Randle El seems to be their main target, as the free-agent wideout with the biggest upside, assuming the Pittsburgh Steelers, faced with 11 potential free agents, can't keep him. Randle El also would fill a need as an elite punt returner. An alternative might be Buffalo's Eric Moulds, a bigger and stronger receiver (6-2, 210 to Randle El's 5-10, 192) who also is significantly older at 32.

Reggie Wayne, expected to be the top free-agent wideout this spring, returned to the Indianapolis Colts this week for a reported $39.5 million over 6 years. Another attractive veteran, Joe Jurevicius, is said to be looking to return to Seattle rather than test free agency.

Randle El, 26, is coming off an electric Super Bowl performance in which he threw a 43-yard option pass for a touchdown to Hines Ward that sealed the Steelers' victory. Randle El caught just three passes for 22 yards in that game, but Pittsburgh completed only 10 passes.

Randle El, like Donovan McNabb, grew up in the Chicago area, and he is represented by McNabb's agent, Fletcher Smith. Randle El and MacNabb are friends and Randle El has trained with McNabb in Arizona in the offseason. Sources close to the situation believe the Eagles and Randle El's hometown Chicago Bears could be the top contenders for his services.

Smith said yesterday that Randle El is ready to hit the market, assuming the Steelers don't make an unexpected move to lock him up before the March 3 start of free agency, a move that did not seem forthcoming, based on Pittsburgh director of football operations Kevin Colbert's remarks yesterday at the NFL Scouting Combine.

"We don't know the interest level [from other teams]," Colbert said. "We certainly have interest in keeping Antwaan, and Antwaan certainly would like to stay, but he doesn't know what kind of offers he's going to get. He certainly showed up big for us down the stretch, both as a return guy and a receiver... Any time you win a Super Bowl, it enhances your value, maybe artificially, too - you've got to be careful you don't place too much value on being part of a successful organization. We'll see how that all unfolds."

Smith said he doesn't know if the Eagles plan to make a strong push for his client - if they indicated that, they could be accused of tampering, since Randle El is still a Steeler - but Smith said he would think the Birds would be interested in signing the former Indiana quarterback, who has played a supporting role during his 4 years in Pittsburgh. Randle El played behind both Plaxico Burress and Ward before this past season, when Burress went to the Giants and Randle El became a starter. He caught 35 passes for 558 yards in Pittsburgh's ground-based attack.

"He's a playmaker," Smith said. "When he gets the ball in his hands, he makes plays."

Other sources close to the situation indicate the Eagles are very interested in Randle-El, not necessarily as a traditional No. 1 receiver, which he probably isn't, but as a catalyst in a wideout mix that would include a recovered Todd Pinkston and emerging 2005 rookie Reggie Brown, along with Greg Lewis, whom the Eagles think can be effective again in a more limited role. Lewis seemed to wear down last season, when he was elevated by Pinkston's Achilles' tear and Owens' banishment from the team.

Of course, Moulds would be more of a traditional No. 1, with a bigger price tag - he caught 81 passes last season for 816 yards, raising his 10-year totals to 675 catches for 9,096 yards. He is signed through 2007, but he has a $10.85-million cap figure this year and the Bills have made it plain he will need to restructure to stay in Buffalo. Apparently, Moulds, who hasn't tasted the playoffs since 1999, would rather move on if he can land the right deal with a potential contender.

New Buffalo GM Marv Levy said yesterday that he has not been able to contact Moulds - which would seem to be a pretty good hint as to how Moulds might be thinking.

"I think Eric still has a lot left," Levy said. "We want to work something out in a contract restructuring with Eric."

There was surprisingly little buzz about T.O. yesterday in the combine hallways and lobbies through which NFL personnel and reporters trolled. The Denver Broncos, the only team to bring in the All-Pro wideout for a meeting after the Eagles gave agent Drew Rosenhaus permission to seek a trade, are said to have concluded that they probably don't have the salary-cap space to make an Owens move.

Then again, nobody really knows right now what the salary cap will look like, whether there will be one after this season, or exactly how the slow progress toward a collective-bargaining agreement will affect this year's free-agent market.

There has been speculation that the league might seek to delay the start of free agency, to get the CBA resolved. Changing the date at this point seems unlikely. But teams, players and agents are impatient to know the structure they will be operating under, with the market about to open. One source close to the situation said yesterday that if, as has been reported, changes in revenue sharing among the franchises are an important ingredient of a deal, then no deal is imminent

Obviously I wouldn't mind getting ARE. But what scares me about getting him is if they pay him a ton of money and he doesn't live up to that contract once he goes to a new team. What if you pay him $30M and he pulls a Peerless Price or Matthew Hatchette? He's 3rd on my list on WRs to get...

Moulds
Givens
Randle El

[Feva]

Of course, Moulds would be more of a traditional No. 1, with a bigger price tag

I find it hard to believe that Moulds will command more money than Randle-El would in FA.  Now that Wayne is gone... Randle-El's the hottest name out there among FA's.  He'll be the new barometer for pricing WR's.  I'd be far from pissed if we snagged him, but IMO it just seems like a lot of money to give up for a #2 guy (or #3 because of the emergence of Cedrick Wilson) who could be a better punt returner.

I'm with Phreak.  Gimme Moulds or Givens first.

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

This will be interesting.  I think Randle El would be a great addition, but I do think Moulds would actually come cheaper.

[Zanshin]

I'd take a cheaper Moulds in a heartbeat.  If he'd be cheaper.  Take Moulds, put Westy back to return kicks.

[SunMo]

i agree with Moulds being cheaper.  but Randle El has better gamebreaker ability with his punt returns and YAC abilities.

[PhillyPhreak54]

But you could find a KR and PR to do that for cheap too. Draft a guy who does that. Or let Bruce Perry return kicks and find a PR.

[SunMo]

But you could find a KR and PR to do that for cheap too.

Can you?  They tried that last year and it didn't work out too well.  I agree with Perry on KR, but their PR last year was awful.

I'm not set on Randle El by any means, but I love his versatility with running, catching, returning, throwing, etc...

[PhillyGirl]

As if Bowen KNOWS who their main target is?

Come on now. 

[PhillyPhreak54]

But you could find a KR and PR to do that for cheap too.

Can you?  They tried that last year and it didn't work out too well.  I agree with Perry on KR, but their PR last year was awful.

I'm not set on Randle El by any means, but I love his versatility with running, catching, returning, throwing, etc...

Suer they can. They found JR Reed in 2004 to be the KR, right? Now just scope out a PR and get him in here. They tried with Dexter Wynn and failed. But since they hit on Reed that would tell me that they are capable of finding a guy.

[SunMo]

Suer they can. They found JR Reed in 2004 to be the KR, right? Now just scope out a PR and get him in here. They tried with Dexter Wynn and failed. But since they hit on Reed that would tell me that they are capable of finding a guy.

you're probably right.  i still would like it if they signed ARE.

it's nice to be talking about football though, i'll say that much.

[PhillyPhanInDC]

If the outcome of the Super Bowl had been different, or only if he hadn't even thrown that TD pass, I don't think he'd even been in the same breath as Moulds and Givens. Just look at the stats:

Moulds:


Givens:


Randle-El:


EDIT: Fudged Randle-El's stats.

EDIT 2: Added KR return stuff

Randle-El:


Koren Robinson:


Dante Hall:


I couldn't really think of any other full time KR/PR. If you think of any let me know and I'll grab their stats.

[SunMo]

yeah, we all know his stats aren't as good as the other guys, but you have to take into effect that he's been on a team that runs the ball probably 60% of the time, if not more.  Also, he was playing behind a pro bowler (Ward) and another good WR (Burress)

[Rome]

Moulds has had clowns like Kelly Holcomb and J.P. Losman throwing to him for the past two years.

Put him with McNabb and his stats are comparable to T.O.'s.

That said, I'd rather have Randle El because of he's younger and therefore less susceptible to injury. 

[PhillyPhreak54]

The run oriented O is something to take into consideration. But that also plays with my concern about blowing a ton of money on him. Did he look so good because he wasn't exposed to an offense that threw the ball a lot as he would be here? Did he look so good because he generally was going up against the scrub corners most of the time?

That is too mnay questions for my liking when we're talking about a guy who stands to make a killing. If this was a deeper crop of FA WRs then I wouldn't be as apprehensive. But it'll take paying him a lot to get him.

I'd be more comfortable with Moulds because he has been the #1 for so long or Givens because he produced despite NE being an offense that throws it to everyone in the Boston area except Curt Schilling.

[SunMo]

you make good points, that's why i'm not dead set on ARE.  if they bring in one of those 3 that you listed I'd be cool.