The 2007 Offseason Thread

[ice grillin you]

solid deal

day two of the draft this year is gonna suck...for viewing purposes if nothing else

[DH]

very solid deal....emb'ers are saying its a 2008 7th rounder. take it for what its worth.

[Don Ho]

holcolmbs name being involved doesnt exactly give me warm fuzzies about mcnabbs rehab

timmy chang?

[Feva]

Nice deal... real nice.

[BigEd76]

Maybe they didn't feel like wasting a draft pick on a 3rd-string QB this year or next...

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

I'm just glad we will no longer have to speculate on the status of Darwin Walker's thigh.

[Feva]

Maybe they didn't feel like wasting a draft pick on a 3rd-string QB this year or next...

Word is that Holcomb has experience as the holder from back in Cleveland as well (Moorman held in Buffalo).... hmmmm.


Could this put one of Diggler's feet out the door if the rugby guy's ready to push out the other?

[phattymatty]

Word is that Holcomb has experience as the holder from back in Cleveland as well (Moorman held in Buffalo).... hmmmm.

you said mormon.  andy is calling him right now.

[PhillyPhanInDC]

Nice farging editing Spew:

March, 2007: A Month To Rember For Eagles 
March 27, 2007
March, 2007. A month to remember. A period of four weeks during which the Eagles' grand blueprint for the off-season unfolded before our very eyes.

A series of weeks during which the Eagles were as active as any team in the NFL, moving and shaking up a roster and believing, as they stand one month away from the NFL draft, that they have taken this team to a new level. Potentially, of course. We are all projecting.

In the course of this month, the Eagles have smashed myths and destroyed the idea that they would dip their toes into the free-agency (and trade) waters. No, the Eagles dived in head first and addressed needs up and down the lineup.

The Eagles made bold moves. They spent a lot of money -- which, to be factually correct, is something they have always done, ranking among the top two or three spenders among NFL teams in the last decade -- and they lured big-ticket free agents to Philadelphia. They made a decisive trade on Monday night, acquiring linebacker Takeo Spikes and quarterback Kelly Holcomb, setting themselves up nicely for next month's draft.

The plan really started when the team made the decision to extend the contract of quarterback A.J. Feeley on February 25. That set into motion a series of events that, despite criticism from the outside, did not alter the course the Eagles knew they had to take.

In extending Feeley, the Eagles essentially said goodbye to Jeff Garcia, who took over down the stretch in 2006 and led the Eagles into the playoffs. At the time, the Eagles took heat in some circles for the decision. In retrospect, the way things worked out, allowing Garcia to leave was the right thing to do, and it helped the Eagles manage the salary cap to execute a number of other deals.

After Feeley, the Eagles went about the business of retaining their own potential free agents. They inked safety Quintin Mikell, a key member of the defense and of the special teams, to a four-year contract just prior to free agency. They locked up valuable defensive end Juqua Thomas to a five-year deal and secured some depth at that position.

Then came the tough part for all the fans: Patience. Nearly a week passed before the Eagles made another signing, and when they did it was not of the $35-million variety. It was a no-risk, high-reward deal, bringing in wide receiver/kick return man Bethel Johnson. No hoopla surrounded the move. The headlines were minimal. But the Eagles wanted some insurance in the return game and they wanted a prospect at wide receiver and they wanted speed, and they got all three in Johnson.

A day later, the Eagles re-signed cornerback William James -- a move to provide depth and competition at the position -- and hosted restricted free agent linebacker Ryan Fowler and, here was a huge surprise, unrestricted free agent Kevin Curtis.

It became clear at this point to those paying attention that the Eagles were moving methodically, with a very strong sense of purpose in the off-season.

Eventually, the interest in Fowler died  when he signed an offer sheet with Tennessee after initially agreeing to a deal with the Eagles, and combined with the loss of wide receiver Donte' Stallworth, morale sagged among Eagles faithful.

More patience and understanding. The Eagles still had irons in the fire.

And what has resulted is two of the best weeks in free-agency history here.

First, Curtis agreed to terms on a six-year contract to give the Eagles another speedy threat in the passing game. Curtis, one of the most chased players in free agency, should be a perfect fit in the offense, and he has the tools to stretch defenses and drive cornerbacks batty in this scheme.

Six days later, the Eagles came out of the blue and signed defensive tackle Montae Reagor, a veteran who has been a good player in this league and who brings the right kind of total package to the defense. But why, some wondered, would the Eagles sign another 285-pound defensive tackle when they had a couple of pretty good ones already?

As it turned out, the Eagles knew exactly what they were doing. They traded one of those pretty good tackles, Darwin Walker, to the Bills, along with a conditional draft pick in 2008, to Buffalo for Spikes and Holcomb.

And now?

Now the Eagles look really, really loaded. There is still a lot of work to be done. Nobody is taking anything for granted. But the Eagles, in this last month, have generated the kind of momentum we haven't seen here since the off-season prior to the 2004 campaign. The Eagles have used their salary-cap room brilliantly, locking up a gaggle of young and talented players to long-term contracts and still having one of the most -- the most, maybe, right there with New England? -- active off-seasons in the NFL.

Remarkable.

"When we signed Montae Reagor, people around the league realized we had some extra depth at defensive tackle, which was a position most teams put a high priority on," said team president Joe Banner. "Teams called us about our defensive tackle situation and there were a few teams we reached out to, and in the instance of Buffalo they had a strong opinion of Darwin so we were able to engage in conversations about compensation.

"Linebacker was one of the areas we were looking to upgrade, so they had a little bit of an abundance there, so it was a good fit. We just had to work out the details exactly who and how many."

As for the scope of the off-season, Banner and the Eagles deserve a lot of credit for doing what they have done. Who thought coming into March that the Eagles would be as active as they have been, or that they would land these high-profile players or that they would shake up the roster as they have?

Raise your hands. Hey, you in the back ...

"It's been satisfying and we've done some moves that we had hoped for," said Banner. "Sometimes you can't do all the things you plan. So far, we've been able to stay really strong at the wide receiver position, at which we were losing a starter (Stallworth) and at the same time we re-signed some of our own guys which gave us real good, quality character guys and some real good depth, so we have some real insulation from injuries.

"Then we added Reagor, who we think is a good player and a high-character guy and that gave us the flexibility to make the trade to get some depth at the quarterback position (Holcomb) and add a linebacker (Spikes) that is capable of making a really big difference. He also fits in to what we do really well. He is a guy who can blitz and run and cover -- all the different things we do are his strengths, so he should be a really good addition."

I admit that during the time since the 2006 season ended, I have taken some of the criticism personally. It bothers me to hear and see the opinions that have been out there. Why couldn't everyone just wait to see where the off-season path would take the Eagles? I guess that isn't the way it works now. Everybody wants to read the end of the book before the first chapter is finished ...

The Eagles have been aggressive, they have spent top dollar, they have gone after what they think are prime-time players at wide receiver and at linebacker.

It remains to be seen, of course, how it is all going to unfold on the field. A lot of pieces have to come together to reach the Super Bowl. A lot of luck is involved. Good bounces are welcome. Great health is necessary.

But the chips are lined up, aren't they? The Eagles are likely to continue to make moves -- they are in an extremely aggressive mode right now -- and they are going to tinker with roster to add depth and talent across the board.

It has been, in retrospect, one of the greatest, on-the-edge-of-your-seats off-seasons ever. Ever. It was agonizing, frustrating, exhilarating, thrilling and, in the end, very, very productive. The Eagles put forth a game plan internally and then went out and executed it.

March, 2007. Mark it down. Remember it for what it ultimately means in the season ahead and in years to come.

Brilliantly vomit inducing.

[ice grillin you]

thanks...my lunch just came up

[phattymatty]

so their interest died when he signed with another team?  what a scoop.

[Diomedes]

hey I know what will be fun, maybe someone can post what spadaro wrote about this, and we can all act horrified and pukey!!

that would be a fresh thing to do..we never do that!

[PhillyPhanInDC]

hey I know what will be fun, maybe someone can post what spadaro wrote about this, and we can all act horrified and pukey!!

that would be a fresh thing to do..we never do that!

Or maybe we could just take the time to post about how stupid it is and how it pisses us off so much, completely ignoring the fact that if it bothers us, we could ignore it! Righteous!

[Sgt PSN]

Nice farging editing Spew:

Eventually, the interest in Fowler died when he signed an offer sheet with Tennessee after initially agreeing to a deal with the Eagles, and combined with the loss of wide receiver Donte' Stallworth, morale sagged among Eagles faithful.

More patience and understanding. The Eagles still had irons in the fire.

And what has resulted is two of the best weeks in free-agency history here.

First, Curtis agreed to terms on a six-year contract .............Six days later, the Eagles came out of the blue and signed defensive tackle Montae Reagor

Kevin Curtis and Montae Reagor constitute the best 2 weeks of free agency in Eagles history?  

Actually, that may very well be true.  

[Diomedes]

Or maybe we could just take the time to post about how stupid it is and how it pisses us off so much, completely ignoring the fact that if it bothers us, we could ignore it! Righteous!

I def. like your idea better. 

If you want to cry over Spadaro's crap, why not do it at TATE??