I was treading the ESPN Insider Rumor Mill and they reported as per the Philadelphia Inquirer that the Phillies have been giving consideration to the Oakland A's Joe Blanton in a potential trade. As it stands right now since they dealt away their No.1 ( Rich Harden) to the Cubs that he would be the next best thing in their rotation. Obviously they're giving up on their season to some extent even though they are only 4.5 games out of the Wild Card Race. I don't know, go figure. Anyway thought this was some more food for thought because anything is better than Eaton every 5th day. Blanton doesn't have the best numbers, however a change of scenery might do the trick and the deadline for trades is quickly approaching... we shall see. Let's go Phils!!!

Original Article- Joe Blanton has struggled this season with a 5-12 record and a 4.96 ERA, however the Philadelphia Phillies have reportedly been taking a look at the Oakland right-hander.

The Phillies apparently hope that Blanton can regain his old form from the previous three seasons where he went 42-34 with a 4.09 ERA, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Okay, so far this offseason we've really seen the Eagles go on the defensive. With the signings of CB/ Asante Samuel, DE/Chris Clemons, LB/ Rocky Boiman the team has made it a point to go out and get what they feel is necessary to make them more complete in order to get to that next level. Aside from the lone offensive signing of the offseason in Dan Klecko we really haven't changed much offensively. Sure, he will compete with Jason Davis at FB and certainly provide more pass protection as well as run blocking for the ball carrier.

Now, the signings all make sense but have to make you wonder about the direction of the team in the coming month or so. The release of Jevon Kearse was defniitely anticipated and was quickly overshadowed by the signing of Clemons. The addition of Boiman fills that void of a veteran LB presence ( Takeo Spikes) in the event that someone goes down or just needs some guidance. He may challenge for a starting spot, most likely against Gocong but more than likely this was a signing with positional depth in mind. Of course Asante is here to help create turnovers and to shut down the other team's No.1 receiver. With all of this being said.. how does this roster look 2 months down the road? Do we all expect some trades to go down? Possibly. Can we expect another under the radar signing or two before draft day? Also possible. I really don't see us adding another starter before draft day but there are some guys still out on the market that can be key role players and provide competition on a roster that doesn't have any glaring holes.

Yes, I understand everyone's "Need" for a WR but I really don't think it's a must have to take this team over the top. It's pretty safe to say that we'll grab a WR in the draft, possibly in the 1st round even, depends on the value of the pick and who is sitting there on the board. We're going to have an abundance of picks come draft day and I don't know how we can possibly keep even 8 of them seeing how we'll have anywhere between 10-12. Our needs in my opinion based on need goes in this order: S, OT, WR, DT, DE, CB - - Obviously in most of these positions they will be players to be groomed and not play right away, especially at Safety and OT. We need more depth behind Bunk and Patterson and we need to find that guy to play opposite of Cole. Our need for a CB will definitely jump forward if we trade Lito. These are just some of my thoughts on a slow day in the NFL, even with the signing of Boiman which I do like because I've read some pretty good things about him. Feel free to leave some feedback in response to my thoughts. Just remember that in the end, no matter what.. LET'S GO BIRDS!!!!

First off, the Eagles will not trade for Larry Fitzgerald or any other big name receiver. The Eagles are going to go after Asante in hopes of having 3 starting caliber cornerbacks on the field when they play teams that spread the field. I've read many articles that have the Eagles signing Andre Davis within the first minute of FA. He is solid No.3 and a very good kick returner that averaged more than 30 yards per kick return with 3 TD's.. definitely a solid pick up and a move that would be typical and more than safe for our beloved eagles. I see them going with either offensive/defensive line with their pick in the first round or possibly moving up a few spots to grab a player that they really like if the value is there in the trade. They're expected to have more than 10 picks going into this draft because of last seasons departures (M. Lewis, Stallworth, Garcia, etc.) so they definitely have some ammunition to move around and I'm sure that there are a couple players currently on the roster that they could package in a deal as well. I don't buy into alot of the rumors out there, especially the one about Lito being traded if they sign Asante. They will make some moves but definitely not like the Patriots of last year who went crazy in FA. A few other names to throw out there that make sense but at the same time don't-- Gibril Wilson, Antwan Odom, Julius Peppers, Jonathon Vilma-- Wilson makes the most sense because he's a young talent and will be relatively inexpensive but then how do you carry 5 safeties on your roster during the season?? Little more than 48 hours will tell the story... lets go birds!!