PhillyBoy_54

If there's a saying that goes "it ain't over til the fat lady sings", why can't there be one that goes "it ain't over til the fat coach is fired". All kidding aside, the Philadelphia Eagles playoff hopes remain slim at best.

Many fans and experts look to point there fingers at Head coach Andy Reid becuase of his countless mistakes calling the offense and mismanaging in game situations, also rookie defensive coordinator Juan Castillo is a scapegoat for his lackluster defensive schemes and constantly putting players out of position. It was just this offseason when Castillo was named coordinator that he stated he wanted to simplify the defense, the end result? A defense that can't stop a nosebleed.

The Eagles stand at 4-7 through 12 weeks of action and there playoff hopes are all but gone. A team so hyped, so over confident in themselves they lost sight of the ultimate goal, winning games, but is there a glimmer of hope? It was believed that to make the playoffs in a crowded NFC the Eagles would need at least 10 wins to see January. That is an impossibilty at this point after getting blown out by the Patriots. The Eagles do remain alive, but in a coma if you will.

The Eagles are currently tied with the Redskins as the bottom feeders in the NFC East (both 4-7). Than come the New York football Giants at 6-5. The Giants remaining schedule is one of the toughest in the league having to face The Green Bay Packers, the Cowboys(twice), the Redskins, and the New York Jets. The Giants could easily come out of that stretch at 8-8 which would not be enough to take the division.

Next up, The Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys are leading the way in the NFC East with a record of 7-4 and are playing like the team to beat. The Cowboys have a relatively easy remaining schedule facing off against the Arizona Cardinals, NY Giants(twice), Tampa Bay Buc's, and the Eagles of course. For the Eagles to have any hope of making the playoffs they would need Dallas to go 2-5(and lose to the Eagles) at best in that stretch finishing at 9-7, the same record the Eagles would need.

If all goes as presented, the Eagles would need to win all of there remaining games. There remaining schedule starts this Thursday flying out to Seattle to face the Seahawks, a true "must win". Than they face the Dolphins, Jets, Cowboys, and Redskins. All beatable match ups. The Eagles are currently 3-1 in the division which is tops in the division. This could come into play if there is a 3 way tie for 1st.

The Eagles are backed against a wall and are now out of the spotlight. With no expectations the Eagles need to find a spark, wether that's Vick returning from injury, Desean Jackson stepping up, the defense finally gelling, or all of the above.

Late Saturday night there was actually football talk! Unfortunately it was about the myth that is Brett Favre. A report surfaced from WIP radio broadcaster, and sideline Eagles reporter Howard Eskin that it is "possible" the Eagles could pursue Brett Favre as an experienced back-up to Michael Vick siting sources.

Favre has made a career of retiring and un-retireing and retiring and.. well you get it. Rather than being known as a champion and a Legend he is known for.. well.. not his play ON the field..

As an Eagles fan I would only entertain this decision if Favre can shut his mouth, sack-up and give into a back-up role. As for Mike Kafka, Favre has an unprecedented knowledge of the West Coast offense and could possibly, maybe, kind of, if we're lucky, do i dare say, 'help' Mike Kafka develop his understanding of the West Coast offense. With a shortened off-season Kafka could use all the help he can get and so can Vick at this point.

Favre had a dismal season last year, but many people forget about his season prior. The Eagles are not asking Favre to do anything he isn't capable of. Favre can ride out his career as an emergency QB, possibly get another ring, and maybe take a knee or two every now and then.

This is all obviously depending on if (when) Kevin Kolb is dealt. Arizona has always been the favorites to land Kolb, but according to ESPN's Adam Schefter it's a done deal. Schefter gave a "100 percent" chance Kolb is dealt to the Cardinals.

With a season to heal, per-say, Favre has the potential to be the Nate Scarborough and Michael Vick the Paul Crewe (LOL) .. Let's hope the end result is the same Eagles Nation!

.....

Rachel Nichols and Ed Werder are cringing somewhere.

A hot topic that has been circulating the boards and various other sites (as well as this one) are the rumored "aggressive" plans the Philadelphia Eagles have planned once the current NFL Lockout is resolved. Head Coach Andy Reid, GM Howie Roseman, and Owner Jeffrey Lurie have all commented on what the Eagles plan to do once the market is open for business. All three have had something interesting to say, or at the least, intriguing. Reid remained the most quite of the three; however, that can be the result of the timing of the current labor situation regarding any possible tampering claims against the Eagles. Reid has the final say when it comes to player personal transactions so expect Reid to stay tight lipped as there are numerous reports surrounding the Eagles that clamor over a great deal of interest in bringing in former Giants WR Plaxico Burress, and  current, soon-to-be former Redskins DT Albert Hanyesworth (once released by the Deadskins). 

The obvious, and undisputed #1 player on any fans wish list this offseason has to be CB Nnamdi Asmougha. Asmougha has been one of the few "shutdown" CB's in the NFL over the course his career. I'm not going to say anymore about Asmougha because I dont want to bang the same drum as every other Eagles blogger. 

One player whom has not been linked to the Eagles until recently is current (again, soon-to-be former) Saints RB Reggie Bush. With the emergence of LeSean McCoy and the selection of Dion Lewis in this past years draft, I would consider the Eagles as long shots to land Bush, but I'm not ruling it out by any means. Bush would fit into the Eagles offense naturally do to his versatile skill set. As we saw in Duce Staley, Correl Buckhalter, and Brian Westbrook, a 3 head back-field can be very productive in the West Coast offense. With his versatile skill set, Bush would be able to line up as a RB, WR and slot WR. He can also return kicks and give Desean a break while keeping an explosive returnman back returning kicks (or punts).

The Eagles have a few needs still to fill over the course of the next few months and have made it known once the clock strikes midnight on XX/XX/2011 they will be aggressive and push for a title this year and for years to come. 

The Michael Vick Experiment

JOE MICHETTI: @PhillyBoy_54

Let me begin by stating I DO NOT believe this will happen. Michael Vick, according to some, has the ability the be one of the greatest Quarterbacks of All-Time! Vick has shown he is more than capable of being a prototypical pocket passer and has shown he still has the speed and escapability prior to his incarceration; however, Andy Reid's infatuation over Kevin Kolb has me pondering, would the Eagles really consider trading Vick rather than Kolb?

Going into the 2010 season the Eagles were Kevin Kolb's team. Andy Reid went out of his way to trade Donovan Mcnabb, and stated numerous times that Kevin Kolb was "his starting Quarterback". At this time Michael Vick was simply an afterthought after a disappointing 2009. Vick lacked the explosiveness he once had and pocket awareness along with the vision necessary to be an effective wildcat QB option. With an entire off-season under the radar Vick got back into "football shape" and lost nearly 25lbs and put on muscle; however without an open QB competition Vick knew he wasn't going to get his opportunity to start on an NFL team in philly. After a shaky preseason between both Kolb and Vick this past year many Eagle fans were worried if trading Mcnabb was the right move. Kolb was in line to make his first opening day start of his NFL career. Kolb had his hands full playing the Green Bay Packers who were eventually Super Bowl champions. After a porous first half Kevin Kolb would not return to the game after suffering what was called a concussion, and Vick hasn't looked back since.

Vick did a superb job in directing the Eagles offense which resulted in Eagles players, such as Desean Jackson, rallying behind Vick which propelled Vick into the position of a team leader, and later the face of the Eagles franchise. Both Head coach Andy Reid and General Manager Howie Roseman have both made it public that they never could have expected this type of play out of Vick. Over the past few seasons Vick has done everything in his power to restore his image to the fans and non-fans, but who's to say the Eagles would want him to continue to be the "face" of their franchise? I understand the success story Vick is and I want him on this team as bad as any other fan, but going over all possible scenarios is something that intrigues us bloggers.

Value: One possible reason the Eagles could trade Vick is that the Eagles have other holes to fill on defense and having 2 starting caliber QB's gives them the luxury of mulling over various trade options. Many speculate over Kolb's value of a 1st round pick and some change (3rd rounder or veteran player). So I ask, whats Vicks value? If Kolb is worth a 1st round pick plus, Vick has to be worth more, a lot more. One could argue Kolb has potential and doesn't have the milage Vick has which enhances his value, but we are talking about the MVP of the NFL if it wasn't for a certain 3 time super bowl champion QB (Tom Brady). SO, what value does an MVP have? I could not begin to even ponder what teams would offer to acquire Vick. Remember, the only reason the Eagles signed Vick was to rehab his football game and TRADE him for a high draft pick, well here's their shot. Vick had one good (great) season, does this warrant him as the teams franchise Quarterback for the foreseeable future? I could argue it does but for the sake of the argument, it was only one season. Teams now have film on how to control the Eagles offense under Vicks control by designing various cornerback and outside blitzes attacking the weakness of the Eagles on the Offensive line, specifically tackle. Winston Justice and Jason Peters both need to improve following a disappointing season for the most part. Peters picked up his play towards the end of the season but we need consistency on the O-line. Vick, as dazzling as some of his plays were, could have easily been avoided. Kevin Kolb is a prototypical West Coast offense passer excelling in 3 step and 5 step drops which allows him to get the ball out of his hands quickly allowing the Eagles trio of receivers to make a play on the ball and run after the catch. The Eagles ended the season flat under VIck so who's to say things will change?

If I am the Eagles I am trading Kevin Kolb, but what if a team makes an offer they cannot refuse for Vick? A price tag on Vick probably dosen't even exist; however, if a team offers the Eagles a 1st round pick and 2nd round pick this year along with a 1st next year and a veteran probowl player could the Eagles refuse that? I am under the impression the Eagles could pull the trigger on a deal evolving Vick, will they? No. Vick is simply too important to the Eagles team moral and is developing into a top 3 QB in the entire NFL. The holes on the Eagles roster can be filled through pending Free Agency and through this years NFL Draft. The Kevin Kolb and Michael Vick comparison will continue throughout both of they're careers. Keeping Michael Vick seems like the more logical and the most likely option, would I be surprised if Vick got traded? Of course I would, but I also know Kolb is a more than capable starter and will win a Superbowl and at some point in his career.

@PhillyBoy_54: Joe Michetti: NFL DRAFT, NFL LOCKOUT, BOYCOTT

March 15, 2011

In recent developments, Peter King of SI.com has reported there is an agreement currently in discussion, he stresses "in discussion", that player representatives from each NFL team would greet and shake hands with the rookies selected/invited to the Draft on Draft day. He provides an example of what would exactly happen..

"Roger Goodell walks across the stage at Radio City Music Hall at the start of round one, steps to the microphone and says, "Welcome to the 2011 NFL Draft. With the first pick of the draft, the Carolina Panthers select Blaine Gabbert, quarterback, Missouri.'' Less than a mile away, at a Times Square Hotel, Gabbert stands, shakes hands with some of his prospective draftees, and walks up on another stage, where future Panthers teammates Jordan Gross and Steve Smith greet him with hugs. . . Minutes pass. "With the second pick of the 2011 NFL Draft,'' Goodell says, "the Denver Broncos select Marcell Dareus, defensive tackle, Alabama.'' Dareus walks onstage across town, and future mates Elvis Dumervil and Champ Bailey hug him."

If the players are serious about doing this, this is a big and well thought out move in this chess match by the players and owners; however, I do disagree with the entire situation. As intriguing as it would be, the rookies should not get in the middle of the CBA issue. Although once drafted the rookies become part of the issue one must take into account that the rookies have no true motive to do this besides the players whispering in there ears. Rookies haven't had to pay a dime towards Union fee's or anything of that nature. The only real motive the rookies hold is the boycott of the rookie wage scale, a rule that was in major part brought up by complaining veteran players that rookies were getting paid more than a proven commodity. Reports surfaced last week by Adam Caplan of foxsports.com that a rookie wage scale was agreed upon before the players got locked out. The NFL is truly stuck in Limbo as rumors swirl and fingers are pointed. If the rookies decide not tot attend the NFL Draft it would be a little disappointed, but remember the NFL is a business, fans seem to forget that sometimes.

@Phillyboy_54: Joe Michetti: NFL LOCKOUT  March 14, 2011

April 6th it is. The first Wednesday of April starts the preliminary trial between NFL Players (former Players Association) and NFL Owners. The players filed an anti-trust suit to the federal court after the decertification of the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) upon the NFL Owners and the NFLPA failing to agree on a new collective bargaining agreement. When a deal, or another extension was not agreed upon 10 players filed a class-action anti-trust lawsuit against the NFL. Some of these players include Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, and soon-to-be rookie, Von Miller. The most interesting name on this list is no QB, but rather a rookie Linebacker. Von Miller, Outside Linebacker Texas A&M, is one of the most highly regraded NFL draft prospects, and is sure to be a top 10 pick in this April's NFL draft; however, in news that broke earlier today reports have surfaced that current NFL players are advising all incoming rookies invited to attend the NFL Draft to stay away from Radio City Music Hall on Draft day. This is very unsettling news for the NFL because the NFL Draft is the biggest event in the off-season and is the 2nd most watched NFL event all year, only behind the Superbowl. The reason why the players would do this goes beyond doing it just out of spite. The players know how much of a profit the NFL makes selling commercials and allowing multiple networks to cover the event. In lue of the NFL making this profit the current and newly drafted players are locked out and do not see any of this revenue. With all of the uncertainty from top to bottom NFL players warn the fans of impending lies and "false information" teams may try to send to fans. This can be seen all around the NFL if one would only take the players side. Teams and organizations all around the league have sent out memos to fans about the lockout and other things of that nature. In these emails some teams claim there could be a lose of games. Quite frankly I don't know who to believe. All information is speculation at this point until trial begins on April 6th.

Ill sign of with this, be aware of April fools articles claiming A DEAL HAS BEEN REACHED!! THE LOCKOUT IS OVER!!! If it's too good to be true, it probably is.

As more information becomes available I will have analysis.