Donte' Stallworth

[Feva]

Bombay TV

I swear... laugh to keep from crying.

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

Bombay TV

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAAA

[SD_Eagle5]

Bombay TV

Hahaha!!

[SunMo]

Bombay TV

ha, hilarious

the sad look at the end is the best

[bobbyinlondon]

Eagles have a premier QB and his best target is the RB out of the back field.... YAY for the jack asses in charge.

Here's to 1 and 15!! 

1.  "Premier" QB?  No.  If McNabb were a premier, balls-on-accurate QB, he wouldn't need a stud like Donte' at WR that gets ridiculously open.  His arm is strong but not incredibly accurate.

2.  1-15 is akin to the Danny Snyder comment by hbionic.  Don't let your anger lead to absolute stupidity.

I don't consider Curtis an option since he'll probably get a deal similar or better than Stallworth's. That being said, I'd take a chance on a veteran like Moulds who hasn't gotten much interest since his release. He'd probably come on the cheap.

I'm just working with what I know.  I know Stallworth is gone, but I don't know if it was the money, or the hamstring, or the substance "problem", or a personality conflict, or what.  I do know that the Eagles need a better receiver to play #2 or #3.  If it was truly a money thing with Stallworth (ie: they think they couldn't afford his price), then you're right that Curtis is likely not an option.

That said, I would take Moulds or McCardell or Bobby Engram.  None of them have the speed dimension of Stallworth, but all are reliable veteran guys that run good routes and play well under pressure.  Much like the Eagles did with Ed Jasper last year, I'd just like to see them at least get some insurance.

None of us know why they didn't initially offer him a contract. However, Brookover, in his aritcle this morning, says "Stallworth was disappointed that they didn't try to extend him initally after the season, and then Rosenhaus didn't give the team a chance to match the Pats offer."

[BigEd76]

Pats playing catch-up on receivers: Stallworth deal way overdue
By Michael Felger/ Patriots Beat
Boston Herald Patriots Beat Columnist
Monday, March 12, 2007 - Updated: 03:31 AM EST

For all of you who tried to make the claim last year that the receiving situation didn't hurt the Patriots - that Deion Branch and David Givens weren't missed and Tom Brady may have been the problem - you must now realize this:

Bill Belichick disagrees with you.

How else to explain wild events of the past week? First, the Pats overpaid (both in draft pick compensation and salary) for possession receiver Wes Welker. Then, yesterday, they took a chance on a questionable character in Donte' Stallworth.

The signing of Stallworth should be all the evidence you need that the Pats have sought to correct the mistakes of last year. In fact, it was just over six months ago that the Pats declined to pull the trigger on Stallworth when he was traded from New Orleans to Philadelphia for the modest cost of a conditional fourth-round draft pick and a backup linebacker (Mark Simoneau). The Pats could have had Stallworth in 2006 at a reasonable price of $1.9 million (his base salary plus escalators), but they passed. Now they're going to pay him nearly double that amount in 2007.
 
Go figure.

True, the Pats haven't exactly exposed themselves to long-term risk with Stallworth thanks to a nifty six-year, $33 million contract hammered out with Stallworth's agent, Drew Rosenhaus. It's likely the Donte' Stallworth Era, no matter how well he performs, will last all of one year.

According to ESPN.com, Stallworth is due option and roster bonus payments of $8 million to extend the deal beyond 2007. Also in 2008, the Pats would have to pay him a $1.6 million bonus tied to playing time, a salary of $1 million and a work out bonus of $400,000. That's $11 million in payouts for Year 2, meaning he likely will be allowed to kick the can again in free agency next year after earning $3.6 million in bonuses and salary from the Pats in 2007.

Overall, you can't complain about the Pats aggressively pursuing players and spending money to improve the team. Patriots fans should be thrilled with what's gone on the past week. You can quibble with the cost of Welker (second- and seventh-round picks, plus $10 million in guaranteed money), and Stallworth has some issues. But both players categorically improve the team - bottom line, story over. With the additions of linebacker Adalius Thomas and Stallworth, the Pats have now landed the two best players available at their two biggest areas of need. It's been quite a statement, one that was long overdue.

That said, there's a lot not to like about Stallworth, starting with the fact that he's a former high first-round pick (No. 13 overall in 2002) who in the past seven months has been deemed expendable by two different teams. The Eagles, in particular, have been desperate for receivers for a decade, yet they didn't exactly put up a huge fight to get him back. Instead, they signed Bethel Johnson.

In New Orleans, Stallworth was chronically late to meetings and had to be fined repeatedly by then-coach Jim Haslett. When Sean Payton took over last year, he got one look at Stallworth, who overslept for a mini-camp practice in March, and decided to dump him.

Both the Eagles and Saints had to endure Stallworth's steady stream of minor injuries, most of them muscle-related. Stallworth missed four games with a hamstring problem last year and has played all 16 games only twice in his career.

There's also the drug issue to consider. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported last week that Stallworth is in the league's substance-abuse program, meaning he has violated terms of the agreement at least once and could be one more violation away from a suspension. We have to assume the report is true because it's been out for a week and no one has made the effort to deny it - not Stallworth, not Rosenhaus, not the NFL. Rather, an investigation has been opened to discover the leak, another sign of the story's veracity.

As a player, Stallworth has the chance to be devastating. He's young (26), big (6-foot, 196 pounds) and explosive. Scouts still talk about the 40-yard dash he ran at the combine of his draft year (4.28). He is far more talented than anything the Pats currently have on the roster.

And for that the Pats should be applauded for the move.

Just don't tell me it's business as usual. If it was, Stallworth would have been here last August.

[ice grillin you]

Brookover, in his aritcle this morning, says "Stallworth was disappointed that they didn't try to extend him initally after the season, and then Rosenhaus didn't give the team a chance to match the Pats offer."

brookover is a FO lapdog

the team had since last august to resign him and now two weeks into free agency hes gonna try to put blame on the players agent....what a joke

[troyhstewart]

I won't spend a dime on Eagles tickets next year.

Of course, that's not hard from 1,500 miles away...

It's been over two years since I made an Eagles purchase.  The only other thing I got for a present was an Eagles calender.

[Feva]

Bombay TV

Someone else to "get in the mix and compete".

[Diomedes]

It's been over two years since I made an Eagles purchase.  The only other thing I got for a present was an Eagles calender.

In what can only be called a miraculous coincidence, it has been two years since you started smoking crack again.  One bad habit replaces the other.

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

Someone else to "get in the mix and compete".

It shouldn't be that funny, but it is.

[Rome]

An exchange with Spadaro on Donte & the receivers...


HIM:

So .. is Stallworth so good that he can't be replaced?

ME:

Obviously not.

But to suggest that the current crop of receivers on the team as a unit are "good" is a stretch, Dave.

Again - I like what Baskett did in a limited role last year and Avant was a good player in college. Lewis is what he is - a fourth receiver at best.

Obviously the Eagles feel differently but I think letting Stallworth go was a mistake. You've said yourself that you wished the Eagles had re-signed him and I agree with your assessment.

HIM:

I think this is a good group. Not a special group at this point, but good. They will add to it.

If they added a #1 receiver it would be "good" (as it was last year with Donte).     

Teams like the Colts & Bengals have "special" receivers while the Eagles have Reggie Brown and that's about it.

I must be missing something.

[SidFarkus]

The Eagles best offensive games came with Stallworth out of the lineup last year. The offense will be fine without him. He was never the #1 priority this offseason. It was and still is the defense. I'm not really concerned about Stallworth leaving, I am concerned about the defense specifically the run defense not being addressed...

[ice grillin you]

and Avant was a good player in college.

i know you didnt intend it to be funny but i laughed at that

[SunMo]

remember when Dave said that the next few days were going to be crazy?  good times