Alright, after putting in much thought, I have finally put out a real blueprint for the Eagles offseason for 2008.
Offense
Right away when we think about the offense, we think about getting a big time receiver for Donovan to work with. I mean, come one, the last time the Eagles had a REAL receiver, we went to the Superbowl, and had a chance to come home with a championship. What should we do?
1. First thing we need is a big time receiver. Sorry Eagles Front Office, another number 2/3 receiver just wont cut it here. Stallworth is nice and all, but is a huge injury risk, as he is ALWAYS injured. Also, if we had him as a number 2 option, imagine what we could do, so let us move on to what we need in that number 1 slot. As i have stated in my article earlier this week, the potential receivers that seem practical to get, that are NOT named Chad Johnson, are Javon Walker, Randy Moss, Torry Holt, and Larry Fitzgerald. Yes I am shooting down the idea of Chad in midnight green because his team is NOT trading him, and we definitely do not want T.O. junior on our team. Now let's start with Javon walker. Prior to the injuries, he was a dynamic receiver who worked the field really well. He had a great season prior to tearing his knee up, then went to the Broncos and in his first year there, tore it up yet again. The problem is, the injuries to his knees are a little much, and ones I do not think he can really recover from completely. I do not think he is worth the risk for the Eagles to go after, so let us just put him aside. I mean come on, knee reconstruction, and then micro-fracture surgery (which is a potential career ender there because most players don't end up the same after). Now, let us move on to Larry Fitzgerald. He said it himself that he would not mind playing for the Eagles. Great! One problem though....he KINDA said the same thing about a handful of other teams, so we do not know if the REAL desire is there for him to play as an eagle. Number 2, as must as he is a top receiver in this league, I think a lot of his success comes from playing across from Anquan Boldin, who i think is much better because he is a more physical receiver, and is great with yards after the catch. After pointing all these out, I really don't think it is practical to pick up the hefty pricetag that comes with him. The next receiver I have named is Randy Moss. What can I say, he is a true freak of nature...a true TD machine. Someone who could stretch the field, someone with blinding speed, someone who clearly will add TDs to a team in dire need to score. I have a problem with Randy though. Number 1, I have the fear of him reverting back to old Randy, and I don't want anything to do with that. Number 2, he struggles when facing physical corners, and when bumped around, you saw what an elite corner like Lito did to him. Last, I really can't see the Pats letting him go. Brady is lobbying for him to stay, so there is NO way that the Patriots front office will let him go. On to the last number 1 we have listed, Torry Holt. Now here is a real great player. Someone who is great off the field, and on the field. Someone who does not come with the diva attitude that most receivers come with. Someone who is Mr. Consistent, Posting up several 1100+ yard seasons in a row, and being only 33, has a handful more years left to play at an elite level. Now many people have cried out saying that there is no way St. Louis would trade him, or he is too old, or his production will go down. Come on people! First off, he is ONLY 33, and still has a couple of years left in the tank to play at a really high level. Number 2, he is great friends with McNabb, so he would definitely have a desire to play here, on top of him having the greatest chance to win a superbowl again. Number 3, he put up 1180 yards with the crapshack situation the rams had at offensive line. It's truly amazing to think that a receiver could do so much still with Bulger spending most of his time admiring the sky from his green, grassy seat. Lastly, many people believe that there is no way St. Louis would give up an elite player like Holt just like that. This is absolutely wrong. I can give you a situation which would work perfectly:
Offer St. Louis a 2nd round pick, Darren Howard, and Sean Consodine (yes they are in dire need of defensive help) for Torry Holt
2. Now the second thing the eagles need to do on offense is pick up a real number 2 receivers, as i cannot look at Reggie Brown with a straight face anymore when the word starter is put by his name. Possible receivers the Eagles can go after: Donte Stallworth (he knows the offense, and has blinding speed. He can stretch the field as Curtis works the slot and Holt does his thing on the other side), Jerry Porter, D.J. Hackett, or even Javon Walker (as he would be very cheap, and we could sign him to a 1 year deal...he would be very willing to do so because he wants to prove himself to everyone that he can still play after the major injuries that he had)
Defense
1. Get Rid of Mcdougle, and keep Kearse. I know everyone wants to just give up on Kearse, but i really believe that he is coming back with a HUGE chip on his shoulder. We saw signs of what we originally signed up for in the beginning of the '06 season, before he got injured. Then in '07, he started off pretty great, but complications with his knee kept him from finishing off the season at starter. This is alright, as it takes a year and a half to 2 years usually to COMPLETELY recover from a major knee injury like he had. I think he will come out strong in '08, and give Trent Cole the help he really needs. Our starters at defensive would be: Kearse and Cole. Our backups would be: Abiamiri, Jaqua Thomas, and a young player that we can pick up in the draft or someone from free agency.
2. Pick up good depth for defensive tackle. Bunkley will be even more of a beast this year, and Patterson should continue to play at the high level he did all year last year. Monte Reagor was a disappointment, but should be better next year (hopefully). Behind them, we really don't have anyone. Kimo Von Olenhoffen was a HUGE disappointment, and seems like he wont join the Eagles the next season. The draft or free agency should help here (mainly the draft)
3. Pick up Trufant or Asante Samuel in free agency. I think Trufant is the better choice because he doesn't come with the 10 million dollar a year price tag that Samuels does. Also, if he starts along side an elite CB like Lito, he should be even better than last year, where he played great. As for Samuels, I really think he is not as good as everyone says or it seems. His numbers went down, even though they were still good, but I think he only made the pro bowl this year because of his '06 performance rather than his '07 performance. Also, a really good corner with height and speed should be good in the draft to pick up. Move Sheldon Brown to Nickel, as I believe he would excel in that position, and would play even better than in years past.
4. Start Q. Mikell along side B. Dawkins. Pick up a young safety to groom in the draft.
Special Teams
Plain and simple, we should either go after Deshawn Jackson, or go after a defensive back who can also double up as a KR/PR. I'm sorry but Reno Mahe just isn't the spark that we need.
I hope the Eagles have a great off season, and end up in Tampa next season. Please leave comments people, and thank you so much for putting the time in to read my article.
E...A...G...L...E...S...EAGLES!!!!!
Offense
Right away when we think about the offense, we think about getting a big time receiver for Donovan to work with. I mean, come one, the last time the Eagles had a REAL receiver, we went to the Superbowl, and had a chance to come home with a championship. What should we do?
1. First thing we need is a big time receiver. Sorry Eagles Front Office, another number 2/3 receiver just wont cut it here. Stallworth is nice and all, but is a huge injury risk, as he is ALWAYS injured. Also, if we had him as a number 2 option, imagine what we could do, so let us move on to what we need in that number 1 slot. As i have stated in my article earlier this week, the potential receivers that seem practical to get, that are NOT named Chad Johnson, are Javon Walker, Randy Moss, Torry Holt, and Larry Fitzgerald. Yes I am shooting down the idea of Chad in midnight green because his team is NOT trading him, and we definitely do not want T.O. junior on our team. Now let's start with Javon walker. Prior to the injuries, he was a dynamic receiver who worked the field really well. He had a great season prior to tearing his knee up, then went to the Broncos and in his first year there, tore it up yet again. The problem is, the injuries to his knees are a little much, and ones I do not think he can really recover from completely. I do not think he is worth the risk for the Eagles to go after, so let us just put him aside. I mean come on, knee reconstruction, and then micro-fracture surgery (which is a potential career ender there because most players don't end up the same after). Now, let us move on to Larry Fitzgerald. He said it himself that he would not mind playing for the Eagles. Great! One problem though....he KINDA said the same thing about a handful of other teams, so we do not know if the REAL desire is there for him to play as an eagle. Number 2, as must as he is a top receiver in this league, I think a lot of his success comes from playing across from Anquan Boldin, who i think is much better because he is a more physical receiver, and is great with yards after the catch. After pointing all these out, I really don't think it is practical to pick up the hefty pricetag that comes with him. The next receiver I have named is Randy Moss. What can I say, he is a true freak of nature...a true TD machine. Someone who could stretch the field, someone with blinding speed, someone who clearly will add TDs to a team in dire need to score. I have a problem with Randy though. Number 1, I have the fear of him reverting back to old Randy, and I don't want anything to do with that. Number 2, he struggles when facing physical corners, and when bumped around, you saw what an elite corner like Lito did to him. Last, I really can't see the Pats letting him go. Brady is lobbying for him to stay, so there is NO way that the Patriots front office will let him go. On to the last number 1 we have listed, Torry Holt. Now here is a real great player. Someone who is great off the field, and on the field. Someone who does not come with the diva attitude that most receivers come with. Someone who is Mr. Consistent, Posting up several 1100+ yard seasons in a row, and being only 33, has a handful more years left to play at an elite level. Now many people have cried out saying that there is no way St. Louis would trade him, or he is too old, or his production will go down. Come on people! First off, he is ONLY 33, and still has a couple of years left in the tank to play at a really high level. Number 2, he is great friends with McNabb, so he would definitely have a desire to play here, on top of him having the greatest chance to win a superbowl again. Number 3, he put up 1180 yards with the crapshack situation the rams had at offensive line. It's truly amazing to think that a receiver could do so much still with Bulger spending most of his time admiring the sky from his green, grassy seat. Lastly, many people believe that there is no way St. Louis would give up an elite player like Holt just like that. This is absolutely wrong. I can give you a situation which would work perfectly:
Offer St. Louis a 2nd round pick, Darren Howard, and Sean Consodine (yes they are in dire need of defensive help) for Torry Holt
2. Now the second thing the eagles need to do on offense is pick up a real number 2 receivers, as i cannot look at Reggie Brown with a straight face anymore when the word starter is put by his name. Possible receivers the Eagles can go after: Donte Stallworth (he knows the offense, and has blinding speed. He can stretch the field as Curtis works the slot and Holt does his thing on the other side), Jerry Porter, D.J. Hackett, or even Javon Walker (as he would be very cheap, and we could sign him to a 1 year deal...he would be very willing to do so because he wants to prove himself to everyone that he can still play after the major injuries that he had)
Defense
1. Get Rid of Mcdougle, and keep Kearse. I know everyone wants to just give up on Kearse, but i really believe that he is coming back with a HUGE chip on his shoulder. We saw signs of what we originally signed up for in the beginning of the '06 season, before he got injured. Then in '07, he started off pretty great, but complications with his knee kept him from finishing off the season at starter. This is alright, as it takes a year and a half to 2 years usually to COMPLETELY recover from a major knee injury like he had. I think he will come out strong in '08, and give Trent Cole the help he really needs. Our starters at defensive would be: Kearse and Cole. Our backups would be: Abiamiri, Jaqua Thomas, and a young player that we can pick up in the draft or someone from free agency.
2. Pick up good depth for defensive tackle. Bunkley will be even more of a beast this year, and Patterson should continue to play at the high level he did all year last year. Monte Reagor was a disappointment, but should be better next year (hopefully). Behind them, we really don't have anyone. Kimo Von Olenhoffen was a HUGE disappointment, and seems like he wont join the Eagles the next season. The draft or free agency should help here (mainly the draft)
3. Pick up Trufant or Asante Samuel in free agency. I think Trufant is the better choice because he doesn't come with the 10 million dollar a year price tag that Samuels does. Also, if he starts along side an elite CB like Lito, he should be even better than last year, where he played great. As for Samuels, I really think he is not as good as everyone says or it seems. His numbers went down, even though they were still good, but I think he only made the pro bowl this year because of his '06 performance rather than his '07 performance. Also, a really good corner with height and speed should be good in the draft to pick up. Move Sheldon Brown to Nickel, as I believe he would excel in that position, and would play even better than in years past.
4. Start Q. Mikell along side B. Dawkins. Pick up a young safety to groom in the draft.
Special Teams
Plain and simple, we should either go after Deshawn Jackson, or go after a defensive back who can also double up as a KR/PR. I'm sorry but Reno Mahe just isn't the spark that we need.
I hope the Eagles have a great off season, and end up in Tampa next season. Please leave comments people, and thank you so much for putting the time in to read my article.
E...A...G...L...E...S...EAGLES!!!!!
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