The Free Agency Thread

[PhillyGirl]

Typical.

eat a fleshpop, Banner.

this.

[mussa]

Wow I just noticed the CF banner needs redone. I am thinking since the Eagles are this "gold-standard, than we should put Lurie, Banner, Reid, Marty, wives, farged up children, all the people that make this organization so golden on the banner.

[Seabiscuit36]

Salary Cap Champs

[mussa]

Have the FO on the left sitting on stacks of money or surrounded by money...on the right have coaching staff, illuminated by the presence of Joseph Smith, Jr., cheeseburgers and possibly needles and cocaine for young Reids?

[Tomahawk]

Am I the only one here that likes Eckel?

[hbionic]

Am I the only one here that likes Eckel?

I like Heckle. Is that the same?

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

I'm not worried about missing out on this guy specifically, as long as they actually do something about the position.

Weaver does everything well but block.  That wouldn't seem to help on the 3rd and short situations much.

[mussa]

Umm actually he's a coverted TE who can run and catch but not block, according to IGY

[reese125]

IGY didnt say that did he?

[PhillyPhreak54]

Westbrook mum on team's changes

Philadelphia Daily News

An excerpt from a post by Les Bowen on Eagletarian, the Daily News' Eagles blog, available at www.eagletarian.com:



DELAND, Fla. - At Tra Thomas' charity golf tournament Friday, Brian Westbrook begged off speaking at length to your Eagletarian, but readily agreed to do so on Saturday, at the youth football clinic Tra was conducting in the local high school football stadium.

Long story short, because I don't think the public is all that interested in the trials and tribulations of reporters trying to get stories, BWest unagreed to speak with me on Saturday. He's a quirky, cantankerous interview subject in the best of times, and with all the hubbub surrounding the departures of longtime Eagles franchise icons, including Brian Dawkins and the weekend's host, I think he decided these were not the best of times.

Of course, Westbrook could have just said that on Friday, rather than leading me to believe we would speak, then putting me off over and over on Saturday, and, I believe, working to make me unwelcome at the charity event I had been invited to attend, but that's life covering professional athletes. One is reminded constantly that their time is much more precious than one's own.

Anyhow - and that really is the short version, trust me - I did manage to wedge in a few questions here and there, as Brian was climbing in and out of SUVs, and some puffed-up local dignitary was threatening me with arrest.

The main issue with Westbrook is the arthroscopic left knee cleanout he underwent around the time of the Super Bowl, which the Eagles did not announce. I asked Brian what he wanted fans to know, as he recovers and gets ready for 2009.

"Nothing. I don't have anything I want to say to the fans," he said.

Asked specifically about the surgery, he said: "I didn't have to have it. It was a surgery that'll make things a lot better, so the [week-to-week] soreness won't be there and hopefully I'll be able to participate in practices without so much pain. It was a basic cleanout."

Westbrook, who turns 30 in September, said he'd thought about having something like this done previously, but "I wanted to make sure I was there to help the team win football games."

One of the event officials prevented me from asking a followup there, but I assume Westbrook was talking about not wanting to have anything done during the season, which would have meant missing a stretch of games.

He said he thinks he has several years left, at a position where players seem to age almost overnight. After a career year in 2007, in which Westbrook broke franchise records for receptions (90) and total yards (2,104), his yards per carry in 2008 slipped to 4.0, his lowest since 2005. His 54 receptions for 402 yards were his lowest totals since 2003.

My question about the changes on the team, and his thoughts about the departures, was asked a couple of times and was not answered.

Westbrook, only 6 weeks or so past the surgery, not surprisingly did not participate in Tra's charity basketball game Saturday evening, in which Kevin Kolb and Juqua Parker were the standouts, though BWest watched from the bench.

Wahhhh! Waaaaah! Shut up, Les.

[BigEd76]

Kolb was good at something?

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

Maybe the Sixers should sign him to replace the aging Andre Miller.

[Don Ho]

Have the FO on the left sitting on stacks of money or surrounded by money...on the right have coaching staff, illuminated by the presence of Joseph Smith, Jr., cheeseburgers and possibly needles and cocaine for young Reids?

Winner!   

[PhillyPhreak54]

REPORT: L.J. SMITH NOT HEADING TO ATLANTA
Posted by Mike Florio on March 16, 2009, 3:55 p.m.

At a time when the signs seemed to point to tight end L.J. Smith signing with the Falcons, it appears that the free-agent won't be heading to Atlanta.

D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that the courtship between Smith and the Falcons is over.

Smith reportedly had narrowed his options to Detroit and Atlanta.  With the Falcons out, the Lions might be the only option.

But given this quote from Ledbetter's article, it's unclear why the Falcons were ever in:  "Smith's lack of blocking ability isn't a scheme fit for the run happy Falcons."

Smith has spent his entire career with the Eagles.  In 2008, he was the team's franchise player.

[mussa]

the lions. lol. what a bust