Here is a YouTube guide to the newest offensive weapon in the Eagles offense - dynamic wide receive Jeremy Maclin.  I never thought we’d have a chance to get a guy like Maclin without having to give up a lot, but thanks to Al Davis obsession with 40 yard dash times, the Raiders took Darius Hayord-Bey and Maclin was available to us for a cheap cost.

Even McNabb can’t complain a lack of weapons with a guy like this.

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Should the Eagles try to trade for Cutler? Yes. Will they? Nope.

Jay Cutler has told the Broncos that he wants to be traded after the Bronocos management handled trade offers for him about as horribly as they could possibly have. Without getting into the soap opera that is going on in Denver, I asked you SOB Nation, should the Eagles try and trade for Cutler? I’m going to say I think they should.

• Cutler is Only 25. First off, Cutler is only 25 years old and is just entering the prime of his career.  McNabb is seven years older and is reaching the age where he could start declining fast.
• Cutler was better than McNabb in 2008. Cutler’s numbers in 2008 were better than McNabb’s in almost every category except interceptions.  The one major negative with Cutler’s game right now is his turnovers.  He threw 18 interceptions in ‘08 - McNabb’s never thrown nearly that many in any single season in his entire career.  On the other hand, McNabb has never come anywhere close to the 4,526 yards Cutler threw for in 2008 either.  Cutler’s 7.4 yards/completion average looks pretty nice as well considering McNabb has only had two seasons in his career with a higher y/c.
• McNabb doesn’t really want to be here. McNabb hasn’t come out and said it, but his actions this off-season are speaking louder than words.  Donovan is still pissed he was benched against Baltimore - even though he was playing some god-awful football during that stretch.  Even people in the media have hinted that the benching still has McNabb upset that there has to at least be a little fire for all of the smoke.  McNabb’s never truly embraced this city and to be fair, the city has never fully embraced him either.   His relationship with the fans is sort of like those parents who stay together for their kids sake and then get divorced as soon as the kids are all grown up.
• The Eagles window opens up quite a bit with a young QB. The mythical window gets talked about all of the time, but if the Eagles were to trade for Cutler, the entire starting offensive line, QB, TE, and one wide receiver would be under the age of 27.
• We have the cap space to make it happen. With all of the cap space that the Eagles have been busy not using this off-season, the Eagles have the cap room to be able to take on his 6 year, $48 mil deal and still have plenty of cap space left to not use on free agents.
• McNabb actually makes sense for Denver. Denver apparently feels they are a few players away from being a contender with all of their FA signings (I tend to disagree), and acquiring a QB like McNabb with some picks might be enticing for the Broncos.  Not many teams would be able to give the Broncos as established of a QB as the Eagles could.

There are also plenty of reasons not to pursue Cutler - his turnover problems, medical concerns (diabetes), his attitude, etc; but if McNabb isn’t happy and wants out of Philly, is there any better possibilities for the Eagles at QB beside Cutler?   Just for kicks.  If the Eagles could somehow manage to trade for both Cutler and Boldin by using both first rounders, would anyone really be upset?  It’s becoming more and more clear that there won’t be any elite left tackles left when we pick at #21 so why not?

I don’t expect to see the Eagles pursue Cutler or even think about it much.  If word were to leak that the Eagles were interested in Cutler and they ended up not getting him could you imagine the damage it would do to #5’s fragile pyche?

New England needed a washing machine. We really liked our washing machine, but when I heard the deal I hadda do it.

In the movie Semi-Pro, Woody Harleson’s character Ed Monix is traded to the Flint Tropics for a washing machine.  I’m reminded of this today, because the Eagles traded everyone’s favorite wide receiver turned punter returner turned wide receiver Greg Lewis.  I’m reminded of the movie because first off, Greg Lewis is a semi-pro football player. Secondly, who the hell trades for Greg Lewis?  The Patriots, who the Eagles traded with, could have found a wide receiver at any point in this year’s draft capable of what Greg Lewis can do.

The deal itself was actually Greg Lewis and a 7th round pick in 2010 for a 5th round pick in 2009.   Why the Patriots gave up a 5th round pick for Lewis I have no idea.  His two best games of his career have come against the Pats.  Maybe that’s the only time they’ve seen him play.   That would make sense because he’s never on SportsCenter or NFL Network or any of those, you know, “highlight” shows.

The last image I’ll have of Lewis is him streaking down the sidelines, wide open in the NFC Championship game against the Cards and dropping a very, very catchable ball.  That one play pretty much sums up his career in Philly too - he’d always show signs of being a legit wide receiver only before crashing back down to earth.

Enjoy your new washing machine, New England.

Here’s a roundup of some of the stories floating around out there right now.

• The Chargers might be looking to deal cornerback Antonio Cromartie if they can land Dayton Florence.  Would the Eagles be interested in Cromartie to start opposite Asante so they can move Sheldon Brown to safety?  Cromartie had 10 picks in 2007.  Why the Chargers are so eager to deal him?
• Speaking of Sheldon Brown, NBC’s Sports Final had Adam Caplan on last night and Caplan reported that there is a chance they Eagles might try to use Sheldon Brown in any potential deal for Anquan Boldin.  Don’t get your hopes up though.  If the Cards do indeed end up dealing Boldin and the Chargers end up shopping Cromartie, the Eagles would have competition for Boldin.
• According to Caplan, the Eagles don’t think Quentin Demps is ready to start just yet.  He said to look for the Birds to try and find a temportary replacement for Dawkins until Demps is ready.  He also said the Eagles are interested in free agent corner Jabari Greer.  Again, the idea here is that Sheldon could be used in a trade for Boldin or could be moved to free safety to replace Dawkins.
• Cedric Benson could be headed to Houston to backup Texans starting RB Steve Slaton.   If Benson is willing to be a backup, why aren’t the Eagles at least giving him a look as Westbrook’s backup?
• More speculation that the Rams are looking to deal Orlando Pace and Tory Holt.  While WR and OT are both needs for the Eagles, I can’t see the Eagles taking on either aging former star.
• Tra Thomas visited Jacksonville on Monday, but apparently didn’t leave with a contract.  I would have written a full post on this, but I’m pretty damn tired.

And so the exciting 2009 Eagles off-season continues.

Does anyone else hold their breathe every time Westbrook gets tackled?

On the same day that Philly.com reported that Brian Westbrook underwent surgery on his left knee, free agent RB Derrick Ward signed a 4 year, $17 million contract with the Tampa Bay Bucs.   Less than a week into free agency we’ve learned our near 30 year old RB will be coming off of surgery, our backup RB left for Denver, and our options to provide some insurance are fading fast.

First off, let’s talk about Westbrook’s srugery.  Westbrook’s agent claims his client is fine.

Agent Todd France told the Daily News today that Eagles running back Brian Westbrook did indeed have a minor arthroscopic procedure on his left knee, more than a month ago. Asked if Westbrook would be fine for minicamps, France said: “He’s already fine. This was a long time ago. It was basically just a cleanup.”

Continue reading about the Eagles depth issues at RB heading into 2009

The Eagles won’t be “putting it on the board” in free agency this year.  Free agent TJ Houshmandzadeh has reportedly reached a deal with the Seattle Seahawks according to multiple internet reports.  Housh ended up not even being on the Eagles radar after his agent played games with the FO last week by lying to them about how much money they were seeking.

With Housh off the board, the Eagles have fairly limited options at wide receiver via free agency this year.  The only wide receiver left that could be cosidered an upgrade is Laveranues Coles, but so far the Eagles haven’t shown any interest in the former Jets #1 wide receiver.  Most NFL experts have mentioned that the Dolphins lack of interest in Coles (because of his ties to the Tuna) is hurtng Coles value and reduced his market.  So far only the Bills have made an offer to Coles.

Coles recorded just 850 yards receiving last year, but reached the end zone 7 times.  Considering the Eagles lack of production in the red zone last season, adding a receiver that can get open and score near the goal line would be a welcomed addition.

If only we had the cap space…

At the end of last week I posted what I thought a perfect off-season would be.  Well, after a strong start thanks to nailing the signing of Stacy Andrews, my perfect off-season was pretty much shot to hell once the Eagles let Dawkins test the waters and Housh’s agent lied to the Eagles about how much money they were asking for.  It’s ok though because I’m ready to adjust my strategy on the fly.

First off, the offensive line still needs to be addresses with the way NFC East teams are improving their defensive lines.  Washington nabbed Albert Hayneswerth and the Giants, who already had a sick line, added Rocky Bernard AND Chris Canty.  That defensive line in New York is going to be scary good.  It looks like we’ll also need to add a safety via free agency with Dawkins departing.  With all of the defensive improvements within the division, the Eagles are going to have to counteract by improving the offense.

With all that said, here are some free agents still available which should be getting strong consideration from the Eagles FO at this point.

• Derrick Ward (RB) - It doesn’t seem like there is a big market for Ward right now.  He’s visited a couple of teams and hasn’t signed anywhere so he obviously isn’t getting the kind of offers he wants.  If he leaves Tampa without signing a contract, the Eagles need to at least open up talks with Ward.
• Marvel Smith (OT) - Smith, like Stacy Andrews, is coming off of an injury riddled 2008 season, but unlike Andrews he has played at a Pro Bowl level before.  He’ll be 31 when the season starts though.  There’s not a lot of options out there along the offensive line so the Eagles might be forced to take another injury risk player.  In a perfect world, an offensive line of Stacy Andrews, Shawn Andrews, Jamal Jackson, Todd Herremans, and Marvel Smith would look pretty good on paper.  The problem is that offensive line is full of major question marks.
• Khalif Barnes (OT) - Barnes is intriguing as he is only 26 and has started 57 games for the Jaguars over the past four seasons.
• Michael Boulware (FS) - Boulware isn’t a great safety by any means, but he could be a stop gap for the Eagles until Demps is ready to start.

There isn’t really a whole lot left out there in terms of impact free agents.  Ray Lewis still hasn’t signed anywhere, but the odds of Lewis signing in Philly are probably non existent.  With all of the cap space and draft picks the Eagles have, there is no reason for them to stand pat and be conservative.  With the PR disaster they allowed to happen with Dawkins leaving combined with the fact that the Giants and Redskins both significantly improved their defenses, the Eagles need to make a bold move to improve offensively.  Andy Reid should start by picking up the phone and finding out what it would take to pry either Anquan Boldin or Braylon Edwards away from their respective teams.

What once looked like a very promising and exicting off-season is quickly folding as quickly as McNabb in a two minute drill with the game on the line.  It’s still early, but the FO has a lot of work to do to improve the team and prove to the fans that they are indeed committed to building a Super Bowl winner and not just selling jerseys and filling the stadium.

Les Bowen interviewed Brian Dawkins on Sunday.  Dawkins thanked the fans for al of their support over his 13 years as an Eagles.

“For so many years, they’ve allowed me to come into their living rooms, to laugh with them, to party with them, to celebrate with them, to cry with ‘em through tough losses, to bleed with them. I just really appreciate the way they accepted me, a little safety from Clemson.”

Here’s the part of the interview though, that shows that Dawkins is hurting as much as we are about his departure from the City of Brotherly Love.

The day after, it would not be stretching to say Dawk sounded like he had regrets – buyer’s remorse, at the very least.

“In a couple of weeks or a month, I’ll be excited about this team,” Dawkins said. “I’ve got to get used to saying that — I’m a Bronco.” Then he paused. “I’ll tell you one thing — I’ll always be an Eagle.”

Then he paused again, and excused himself.

Dawkins will always be an Eagle to the fans as well.  It is going to be tough to see #20 in the opposing defensive backfield next year when the Broncos visit Lincoln Financial Field, but I think it’s safe to say that no opposing player will have ever gotten the kind of reception Dawkins will get.

I’m still not even close to being over the loss of Brian Dawkins, and it appears as though BDawk is still struggling with the idea as well.  Derrick Gunn interviewed Dawkins on Saturday and after less than two minutes, Dawk breaks down and has to step the interview.

SOB Nation will miss you, Brian.

Brian Dawkins is officially a Denver Bronco.  I don’t want to get into this too much because honestly I’m depressed about the entire situation.  Dawkins wasn’t just my favorite football player of all time, he was my favorite athlete in any sport ever.  I don’t know how I’ll be able to handle seeing Dawkins in a Denver jersey next year, but I would imagine it won’t be well.

In the Eagles defense here, the reported deal was 5 years for 17 mil.  A 5 year contract for a 35 year old safety is just lunacy.  Didn’t the Broncos learn from the John Lynch experiment?  Based on those numbers it’s not tough to see why Dawkins took the deal  and why the Eagles didn’t match.

This doesn’t in any way make up for the Eagles letting Dawkins reach free agency and test the waters.  He would have signed for a lot less than that to stay in Philly if they just would have gotten a deal in place before he could test the waters.  The Eagles though underestimated the market for Dawkins and tried to play hardball.  Well Andy, good job.  You successfully allowed the heart and soul of your team - the only true leader you had - to leave because you couldn’t get a deal in place.  Maybe the time you spent baby sitting and catering to Donovan McNabb would have been better spent negotiating with Dawkins.  At least Donovan got what he wanted.  That’s what’s most important.

Good luck, Brian.  There will never be another one like you in Philadelphia.  Oh… and Andy, you better do something amazing to win the fans back because right now you are public enemy #1 in my mind.