It Speaks! Reid On Dawkins, Free Agency

Since free agency began, the Eagles front office has been more quiet than usual, opting only to release tone-deaf statements regarding the loss of Brian Dawkins, and a short press conference that is about Stacy Andrews AND ONLY STACY ANDREWS, DAMMIT!  It's not altogether surprising they've stayed in their shell while faced with immense criticism from a fanbase that largely believes the team is headed in the wrong direction.

Reid finally stepped out of the shadows this week to deliver a 30-minute exclusive interview, albeit with Eagles Czar of Rainbows and Gumdrops Dave Spadaro, but he spoke plainly about some of the big issues of the last three weeks.  Up first: Dawkins.

DS: What is your account of Brian Dawkins and his departure?
AR: It didn't work out. Those things happen. You see them throughout the league and you've seen them throughout the history of the league. I wish him nothing but the best of luck in Denver. On our side, we feel like we've groomed Quintin Demps to step in and fill that position. If that doesn't work out, we've signed a couple of free agents in Sean Jones and Rashad Baker that we think are good football players. Are any of them Brian Dawkins? Well, no, it's not fair to compare any of them to Brian right now. But they are young guys who have the opportunity to try and strive to be as good Brian has been."

DS: If they aren't as good as Brian, why not keep Brian before he gets into free agency?

AR: "That's a good question. We did make an attempt and it didn't work out. Obviously, he got a phenomenal deal from the Broncos. That is all part of this business and that's what Brian did and that's what we did. Like they say, the sun comes up every day and the NFL season comes around every year. Brian is getting ready to do his thing with the Broncos and we're getting ready to do our thing."

It is what it is, which most people seem to have come to terms with.  It was unfortunate, but essentially the two sides didn't reach an agreement, and Denver was willing to blow Dawkins away.  The bigger question now has been free agency, and how the Eagles could be so far under the cap but not making a bigger splash on the market.

DS: Fans see a team that has enough room under the salary cap to do whatever it wants in terms of acquiring players. The approach seems to be more conservative. Can you explain the approach so far in the off-season?

AR: "You can say it's a conservative approach or you can just say it's smart. People are hesitant to say that, but … Because you have the money, you just don't go blow it on something that you don't think is good enough quality to put on the Eagles uniform. That can be perceived different ways. We're going to try to bring in the right people here and do the right things in free agency that we feel are best for this football team. That's the way we have approached and I think that's the way you have to approach it."

There you have it.  The list of quality prospects was a barren one, and the Eagles weren't prepared to go out and drop a lot of cash just because it was there.  It still raises the question what they will do with the money, but they have some good young players they can and should extend, a possible re-negotiation with McNabb (which Reid also discusses in the interview), and a host of draft picks to sign.  I'm sure the particulars were off the table for this in-house interview, which means we'll just have to wait and see.