FredEx: "somebody is blackballing me"

[BigEd76]

Eckel

Ex-Eagle Mitchell waiting, wondering
Sunday, May 14, 2006
MARK ECKEL


A year ago this week, the Eagles released wide receiver Freddie Mitchell, and the former first-round pick is still waiting to get back in the league.

After a draft not exactly loaded at the wide receiver position, Mitchell hopes he gets a chance to land in a training camp, but feels there are ulterior motives at work against him.

"I don't want to say I'm being blackballed, and I know it's not Andy Reid," Mitchell said, excusing his former head coach. "But somebody is blackballing me. There has to be something going on we don't know about."

Mitchell admits his health was a question last year after he injured his knee in training camp with Kansas City and received an injury settlement from the Chiefs after he was released.

"I guess some people in Philadelphia didn't get the memo I was hurt," he said. "But I'm healthy now, the knee is fine. I'm working out with T.O. in Atlanta just waiting for something to happen. Camps don't open until July, so there is still some time."

With 32 teams in the league, each carrying either five or six receivers, that means there are jobs for between 160 and 196 receivers. Mitchell, the 25th overall pick in the 2001 draft, can't land one of them?

"I can't believe it, either," Mitchell, who once thanked his hands for being so great, said. "I mean, you look at my numbers, and they weren't that great. But you need to look further. Check out the percentage of passes I caught compared to the number thrown to me. I guarantee you I rank with the best in the league."

Mitchell rarely dropped passes. The rap on him from his critics was he rarely got open. Of course, he contends he was open and quarterback Donovan McNabb didn't throw him the ball. He also thinks it was personal between him and McNabb.

"You know how I feel about that," Mitchell said. "I'm not going to say anything else, except that when he threw me the ball, I caught it. And it was never in stride. It was always one of those knuckleballs.

"What pisses me off is that you look around the league and there are a lot of average receivers who are made to look good because of the system they play in and the people around them. I was never given that opportunity -- never."

Mitchell, given the opportunity to start when Owens went out with a broken ankle, had perhaps his best overall game as an Eagle in their conference semifinal win over Minnesota in 2004. He caught five passes for 65 yards, scored two touchdowns and thanked his hands afterwards.

"Even when I did show what I could do, the game plan was never, `Get the ball to Freddie,"' he said. "You can look this up -- 80 percent of the passes I caught, including fourth-and-26, including all those third-down catches, I was the third option."

Mitchell hopes he will be an option for a team in need of a wide receiver not afraid to go over the middle, who can make the tough catch, and is excellent out of the slot on third down.

"I'm getting beat up simply because I voiced my opinion," he said. "I don't think I ever said anything that bad. I never pointed fingers at my teammates (not until after he was cut, anyway). I said that stuff about New England, that was it."

The week before Super Bowl XXXIX, Mitchell, on ESPN, joked that he didn't know the names of the players in the Patriots' secondary, then got their numbers wrong and told Pro Bowl safety Rodney Harrison, "I have something for you."

For that, he's been blackballed?

Mitchell liked to have fun. He understood that sports, despite all the business aspects of it, still is entertainment.

He also could catch the ball.

"You throw me the ball, I'm going to catch it 90 percent of the time," he said.

Is he going to catch any passes in 2006, after missing all of 2005?

"I'm just going to keep working out and see what happens," he said.

Maybe his buddy T.O. can get him a job in Dallas.

"That would be cool," Mitchell said. "I would play for the Cowboys. They're going to be really good this year."

The team Mitchell thinks the Eagles really should fear in the division is one that is not in needs of a wide receiver.

"Look out for Washington," Mitchell said. "The best offseason addition wasn't a player. It was Al Saunders. You watch what he does there this year. That offense is going to be hard to stop."

OK, Freddie

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

reese > Ed ??

[BigEd76]

Not the place I would have looked for it, but whatever...

[SD_Eagle5]

Remember when CF had the 'Ask Freddie Mitchell' section? Now those were the days.

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

Remember when CF had the 'Ask Freddie Mitchell' section? Now those were the days.

Hahahahahahabwwaaahahahaha!   

[Wingspan]

shouldnt this be in the general section?

[Feva]

Sure... somebody's blackballing him.

It can't possibly have anything to do with never living up to his 1st round potential and then calling out a possible HOF'er on a dynasty team and then coming up smaller than shtein pebbles on the game's biggest stage.

This fool needs to get his head straight.

[Tomahawk]

"I don't want to say I'm being blackballed, and I know it's not Andy Reid," Mitchell said, excusing his former head coach. "But somebody is blackballing me. There has to be something going on we don't know about."

Is this like tea-bagging?

[ice grillin you]

"I'm not going to say anything else, except that when he threw me the ball, I caught it. And it was never in stride. It was always one of those knuckleballs

haha

[Drunkmasterflex]

McNabb may not hit his receivers in stride all of the time but one thing he does not throw is knuckle balls.   

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

Plus, he never knew what route Freddie would decide to run.

[Catapult]

So Big Mouth is complaining that no one will hire him.

It can't possibly have anything to do with never living up to his 1st round potential and then calling out a possible HOF'er on a dynasty team and then coming up smaller than shtein pebbles on the game's biggest stage.

Wasn't he also allowed to work out with several teams after that?  I remember him possibly going to the Chefs but he failed to win any receiving job there.

[DH]

Someone needs to inform Fredde that he sucks. Always did. The only reason why anyone was ever interested in him watsoever was because he was and is a mental case. Soundbites.

[henchmanUK]

I'm sure the Soul would give him a tryout.

[SunMo]

Jaworski said yesterday that Freddie never called him back