I hope there'll be like an account of events where we find out exactly how Philly pulled this one out. Waiting patiently for 4 days without a peep and then becoming an 11th hour suitor is crazy. Also would like to know what happened to the other teams involved and why they dropped out so quickly. It will be hilarious watching John Beck or Grossman try to figure this defense out.
FWIW, Bill Barnwell from Grantland called it... http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/6800194/the-nfl-great-scrambling-act Scroll all the way to the bottom
Aso is a great player, let's face it. One thing I can say is he is not a game-changer. He didn't make Oakland a good team. Only reason they did better last year then the previous year is because they finally had a QB that fit their system. He helped don't get me wrong. Eagles are weak in their safeties and LBs. If you can get your run game going, it'll cause Philly lots of problems. So now the Eagles success lies on the health of Vick and hoping the other team can't run against them.
Hard to say it right because Nnamdi is a game changer. He's just not a playmaker. Compared to a safety, it's hard for a cornerback to earn the ball hawk nickname since the real good ones just stop getting looks, while the not so good ones will just surprise you for a game or a season (Cromartie '07, Deangelo Hall). But he's a game changer because you know a QB is going to be playing differently with him on the field. OC's have to spend the week game planning against him, and fantasy guys bench their WR1 when playing him.
This reader called it perfectly: http://espn.go.com/blog/nfceast/post/_/id/28536/weekend-mailbag-giants-cap-issues Does this make the Eagles better? Of course it does but they still have other needs or questions that need an answer: 1. Linebacker. Can any of you name a linebacker on the Eagles roster without looking it up? Probably not. They need to add a vet here and there are still several viable free agents on the market. I've heard that because of their glut at CB they may play a lot of nickel but I think that is a bad idea. Yes you got ate up Rodgers in that last game but you also allowed an unknown rookie at the time to gain 120+ yards on you too. 2. Offensive line. Yes they drafted Watkins but he is set to play guard and he is not even signed yet. Jackson is coming off two major injuries and nearly 2 years off, Peters hasn't lived up to the hype yet of that huge contract he signed when traded to Philadelphia either and Justice under-performed last year and has knee issues and remember he is the guy supposed to be protecting Vick's blindside. Sorry but this set of players needs an additional piece. 3. Resigning Jackson. Pay the guy. You've bolstered your defense with a few key additions and I am sure seeing the players get paid does not make Jackson any happier about his $500,000 salary this season. 4. Safety. Nate Allen had a good rookie year but they lost a lot when they let Mikell go. Like Cole on the defensive line, a Mikell is a good player who doesn't have the name recognition. Maybe the addition of DRC and Aso will help with this so it is not high on the list. 5. Resigning Vick. Vick seems content now and I don't think this is a major issue. Vick revitalized his career last year and earned a lot of people admiration and a lot of extra money from the endorsements he seems to be getting now. I don't think the negative things he did in the past are the far out of people's minds so he can't afford to put out any negative press. I think they'll be OK here. 6. Special teams. The Eagles let their kicker and punter go. Akers was an All-Decade player and Rocca improved every year he was in the league. Their punt returner is a holdout and they still don't have a kick returner. 7. Back up running back. Not a glaring hole but I don't see McCoy as a 25-30 carry guy every game......you know what, the Eagles rarely run that much any way. They need somebody in there to give him a break like Harrison did last year. They have a couple of undrafted rookies in camp so I think they may settle it there. If the Eagles are able to add one or two more pieces and resign DeSean, then yeah they might be top dogs in the NFC but for now they just one of the better teams.
the packers are still better. jermichael finley and ryan grant were injured last year and didn't play in the playoffs. should have a better running game and one of better TE back. i guess the packers may have to resign james jones if the price is right. even though i think he dropped at least 2 TD passes in the playoffs last year, but he is still pretty good. that keeps the core of jennings, driver, nelson, and jones. they drafted a 2nd round WR just in case jones leave. the packers also have really good coverage too! sam shields, tramon williams, nick collins, and charles woodson. i guess jenkins left and some of the line backs were cut. not sure about the front 7 in the defense this year.
Even if Grant is done, the Packers are fine. There's a chance James Starks emerges big time this year. In the NFC, Philly and Green Bay are neck and neck, head and shoulders above everyone else. The Falcons, Bears, and Saints are the next tier in the conference. It'll be interesting to see the young up and coming teams (Lions, Bucs, and Rams) and how they do. All in all, I think it will be the Eagles and any one of New England, The Jets, Pittsburgh, Houston, or Baltimore in the Super Bowl. Yes, I did just put the Texans in that group. One thing nobody has mentioned about the Texans: think about the motivation of crashing a Super Bowl in Indianapolis.
well, that was last year motivation too, crashing a super bowl in dallas. and didnt look so good. and I think texans fans (especially from houston) would like more to win a superbowl in dallas than in indianapolis.
Yeah Finley is injury prone I wouldnt write off Ryan Grant too quick. He is still 28 and only had one season where we has injured. Its his contract thats the issue not really his health, but he's the best back on their team.
