Eagles trade for Donte Stallworth

[T_Section224]

I don't know why, but that just made me literally laugh out loud.

i'm with ya, the thought of simoneau sealing the deal is pretty damn funny.

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

This is why I'm saying Greg Lewis might have more trade value than you think.

[General_Failure]

So, Urlacher?

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

So, Urlacher?

Is there any doubt?  We obviously need more white linebackers after trading Simoneau.

[bobbyinlondon]

Eskin's saying New England wanted Stallworth too, but Simoneau was the difference.

The deal-maker was the Eagles upping the pick to a 3rd if they can sign him to an extension.

[PhillyPhreak54]

Eagles made title move

Wednesday, August 30, 2006
BY MARK ECKEL
TIMES STAFF COLUMNIST

In an NFC East that was thisclose to begin with, the Eagles may have gone from the bottom to the top in one bold move.

Desperate for help at wide receiver, despite the insider's words that "everything was fine" and "to think back to 2003," the Eagles finally struck, and struck big time.


Acquiring wide receiver Donte' Stallworth from the New Orleans Saints in exchange for backup linebacker Mark Simoneau and a fourth-round pick, which could turn into a third-round pick, is the move the Eagles needed to make to compete with the Cowboys and Giants for the NFC East title.

It's the kind of move talk-show callers have pleaded for, and the kind of move the Eagles rarely make, especially for a wide receiver who wasn't the favorite of his head coach.

Hey, maybe the team finally is listening.

Stallworth is exactly what the Eagles' offense needed. He's a lot better than Ashley Lelie, who fans have clamored for since the draft, and who Denver traded to Atlanta for a third-round pick.

And he's a better fit for the Eagles than 5-foot-9 Deion Branch, who has been the receiver du jour, since New England said it would let the former Super Bowl MVP seek a trade until Friday.

In The Sporting News' Ultimate Scouting Guide, Stallworth is ranked 28th among all receivers. Lelie is 67th, while Branch is 20th.

The first words written about Stallworth are: "A deep threat with soft hands ... uses his speed and hands well to break the press. Isn't afraid of contact."

Stallworth, at 6-feet and 196 pounds, isn't the perfect build for Andy Reid's West Coast offense, but his size is good enough and his speed is what makes this trade so perfect. The guy can run, he can get deep, and he won't turn 26 until November, when the Eagles plan to be in first place in the division.
If there is a negative to him, it's that he missed eight games his first two years with injuries. But he's played in all 32 the past two years and is coming off his best season as a pro.

Now let's look at what the Eagles gave up for the player who can get them back to the postseason: Simoneau, who probably would have made the team because he's very well-liked and is good on special teams, can and will be replaced. It's just a matter of whether it's by Jason Short or Dedrick Roper. The fourth-round pick is no big deal.

It's not much. Really, it's nothing.

There is one sticking point to the trade, and that's why the fourth-round pick can become a third-round pick: Stallworth is in the final year of his contract.

The Eagles will get him cheap this year -- at $820,000, and that's assuming he reports without a new deal. Stallworth did not talk to the media yesterday, but will have a press conference today.

He is going to want a long-term deal and he's going to want the kind of money a player who caught 70 passes for 945 yards and seven touchdowns deserves. Those numbers mirror Branch's (78, 998, 5), and he's not willing to accept a deal worth $6 million a year from New England.

You know the Eagles don't like to overspend on wide receivers, so they may be renting Stallworth for a year. (If they do re-sign him, the fourth-round pick becomes a third-round pick).

If that's the case, it will have been worth it. Because that year now figures to be a lot better. Like from worst-to-first better.

Eckel gives the acquisition the kiss of death because he likes it.

[PhillyGirl]

Paul Domowitch | Saint's bird-brained move nice for Eagles
by Paul Domowitch

IT'S HARD to quantify stupid, but dealing away a wide receiver the caliber of Donté Stallworth for Mark Simoneau and a conditional fourth-round draft pick is a pretty good place to start.

Yeah, Stallworth still might be on the ninth-grade side of immature. Yeah, he's in the final year of his contract. Yeah, he missed most of the Saints' offseason workouts making a turtle-slow recovery from arthroscopic shoulder surgery. And, yeah, he also missed the early part of training camp with a hamstring injury.

But giving him away for a special-teams player who you think can be your starting middle linebacker and a fourth-round pick? Are you serious?

If you're the Eagles, you're thanking God right now that there are people in the league as incompetent as Saints general manager Mickey Loomis and player personnel director Rick Mueller - people to whom you can turn when you realize, nearly too late, that Todd Pinkston is a wimp.

Throw in the fact that these two bozos also let Darren Howard waltz out of the Big Easy without a fight in the offseason and, well, Andy Reid and Tom Heckert might want to send them a nice thank-you gift if the Eagles make the playoffs, which is a much better possibility today than it was earlier this week.

"They just don't have a clue down there," an NFC personnel chief said. "I know they didn't think they were going to be able to re-sign him. But for crying out loud, you don't just give him away. This is a guy who caught 70 passes last season."

Two pro scouts, including one who works for another team in the NFC South and has seen plenty of Stallworth, both in person and on tape, feel he was a great pickup for the Eagles, even if they don't re-sign him beyond this season.

"I'm a big Reggie Brown fan, but they needed another legitimate guy on the other side who could keep defenses honest," the NFC South scout said. "They've got that now.

"Stallworth can run with anybody. He's a vertical receiver, a good route-runner. His hands have improved since he came in as a rookie. And I still don't think he's reached his peak yet."

Said the other scout: "Stallworth is a great yards-after-the-catch guy. He can take a 5-yard slant and turn it into a 20-yard gain. He can come underneath on a crossing route and just run away from people like they're standing still. Right now, with the exception of [Terry] Glenn and [Terrell] Owens in Dallas, they may have the best [wide receiver] tandem in the division.''

[fansince61]

Paul Domowitch | Saint's bird-brained move nice for Eagles
by Paul Domowitch

Said the other scout: "Stallworth is a great yards-after-the-catch guy. He can take a 5-yard slant and turn it into a 20-yard gain. He can come underneath on a crossing route and just run away from people like they're standing still. Right now, with the exception of [Terry] Glenn and [Terrell] Owens in Dallas, they may have the best [wide receiver] tandem in the division.''

Exactly

[Eaglez]

Hopefully we can resign him. Guessing it won't happen until the deadline where they can count the signing against this year's cap, ala Akers and Westbrook last year.

Also, it works out better since if he underperforms or turns into the Stallworth of his rookie and 2nd year, then we can let the bum walk.

Did anyone claim him yet as their sponsor? If not, I'll take him.

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

Did anyone claim him yet as their sponsor? If not, I'll take him.

Feva.  You lose.

[Eaglez]

Since Gaffney is unemployed, I'll see who the Eagles pick up within the next week to see who I sponsor.

Since nearly half the team is on either the defensive or offenive line, chances are I'll pick one of the young guns, aka rookie FA's.

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

Thanks for the update.

[Eaglez]

Thanks for the update.

All for you, Freddie.

[mussa]

awesome trade

[LBIggle]

resign lewis and stallworth, now.  that is all.