Eagles Begin Setting Up Team For New CBA

The NFL's collective bargaining agreement negotiations are almost as watched as Charlie Sheen, and carry the same baggage as asking your girlfriend (or booty call) to confirm "It's Complicated" on Facebook. We're a few hours from when the CBA expiration, and so far, the players and owners have little to show for it. So here comes the obligatory CBA update: The players and owners were in negotiations today, with Jeff Saturday emerging a little after 5pm. Saturday confirmed rumors that the sides had agreed to a 24-hour extension to bargain with. Many at the negotiations say that this will likely only buy time to agree on a longer extension, of perhaps weeks. At this pace, negotiations on both sides seem to be slowing, and it appears we may be in for a long and ponderous spring. The good thing is that none of this really affects fans until August training camp, though the longer it takes, the less work coaching staffs will be able to get done with their players.

Now, on to things that are making progress.

Michael Vick has signed the franchise tag that the Eagles took their time offering him. This, perhaps, could mean that the team is banking on the franchise tag existing in the new CBA, or it could just mean they don't want anyone poaching their Pro Bowl quarterback. Vick may have been happy to sign his agreement, but David Akers is being much less obliging about his tender offer. Taking into account the kicker's age, the Eagles' hesitancy towards a long-term deal is understandable; however, given Akers' record with the team and ability on the field, his refusal at such a nebulous situation is equally understandable. The Pro Bowl kicker has been with the Eagles for more than a decade, and is the only remaining player from the NFC Championship game loss to the Rams, and even the Super Bowl run that ended against the Patriots. Akers feels he deserves a better deal from the team, and he may be right. It would be unwise for the Eagles to allow Akers to test his worth on the open market, especially with many calling him the best kicker in the league. The Eagles can ill afford to lose talent and experience of Akers' caliber.

Meanwhile, six other players were tendered over the last two days. Yesterday, linebacker Stewart Bradley, guard Max Jean-Gilles, cornerback Dimitri Patterson, and running back Eldra Buckley were given tenders. Patterson's tender could allow another team to pick him up, which would make pursuing Nnamdi Asmougha even more feasible. While Patterson's tender was a no compensation, Bradley's second-round tender and Jean-Gilles' fourth-round tender could be used to improve the offensive or defensive lines. Though the Eagles are set with LeSean McCoy at running back, with Leonard Weaver currently rehabbing the torn ACL he suffered in the playoff loss to Green Bay, it may make sense to help lock Buckley up from other teams at the cost of a 10% raise, a likely reason why he got the exclusive rights tender.

Today, running back Jerome Harrison was given a second-round tender and punter Sav Rocca was given a no compensation tender. Harrison, like Bradley, has a high-pick tender likely to improve the team through the draft, while the no compensation for Rocca is likely to entice him to stay for the 10% increase.

It will be hard to judge the value of these moves until after CBA negotiations are over, until then I'll have fun making my own predictions.

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More Offseason Eagles Defense Analysis

It's been a slow couple of days for the Eagles, and it will likely continue to be until the new CBA is created. Until then, there promises to be a lot of speculation regarding potential moves teams might make when an agreement is finally reached.
One such speculation that continues to thrive is the Eagles' interest in Oakland comeback Nnamdi Asmougha (I'm getting pretty good at spelling his name). Joe Banner's comments on 610 WIP give room for speculation that should the Eagles want to pick up Asmougha, there would be no conflict between his salary and CB Asante Samuel's, a definite good sign for the Eagles'secondary. Giving more room for Asmogha speculation is the announcement that CB Ellis Hobbs will be retiring. Hobbs suffered two neck injuries, with the second being described as "career-ending." Hobbs' departure highlights the ever-present need for an elite CB in the Eagles' secondary to complement Samuel. This would push Dimitri Patterson down in depth, but it would be a good idea to keep him behind Asmougha, since he did have some good games, though these were often overlooked when opposing offenses found ways to get the pass game around him.
One defensive acquisition that won't likely happen is the pick up of the recently released Bob Sanders. After being released by the Colts, there was some talk of the Eagles being interested in the safety, but now team officials are saying they will not try to acquire him, citing his high incident of injuries over the years. This is a smart move, seeing how the Eagles have been affected by injuries over the past eight to nine years. Bringing in a defensive player who's missed about half of the games in his career is not a move this team should be thinking about.
In other offseason news, Eagles safety Nate Allen was honored by his hometown of Fort Meyers, Florida by being named the co-grand marshal of Fort Meyers' Edison Festival of Lights parade. Allen, currently rehabing and training at the NovaCare Complex in Philly after injuries sustained in his 2010 rookie season, was flattered by the invitation and is excited about it. Allen is slated to return to the Eagles in 2011. He was named starting free safety just before the start of the regular season, and performed extremely well until an injury in the second Eagles-Giants game benched him for the remainder of the season, giving Kurt Coleman the starting spot. Allen should be fun to watch next year, and will hopefully be part of a rebuilt and stronger Eagles defensive unit.

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Eagles Sign DE, Kolb (Still) Wants Out

Now that the Eagles' coaching staff is in place, the discussion can begin about the change in play style coming next year. Mike Zordich, recently hired as the Eagles' new secondary/safeties coach told reporters in his introductory press conference that Jim Washburn, the new defensive line coach, will be instituting a more aggressive philosophy to the defensive line, as part of a larger defensive strategy in Philadelphia. This could mean big positive changes, depending on draft decisions by the Eagles and the turnout of the new CBA.

One part of this new defensive strategy could be the addition of Phillip Hunt, a defensive end who has spent the last two years playing in the Canadian Football League. It turns out the Eagles' commitment to a 4-3 defense has worked out, landing them both Hunt and Washburn. Hunt credits Philly's defensive arrangement as part of his decision to suit up in the green and white. As the Eagles address their defensive issues piece by piece, we can only hope that Nnamdi Asomugha's name will eventually show up on the roster, since many agree that the cornerback issue is not something that can be addressed properly in the draft.

Meanwhile, on the offensive side of the ball, Kevin Kolb went on WIP and tacitly reinforced Larry Fitzgerald's comments regarding the Eagles' quarterback, though not everyone agrees that the Eagles should jump at any deals offered for No. 4. And stories continue to plague Philly's starting QB, Michael Vick, as the lead investigator into Vick's dog fighting charges was interviewed regarding his assessment of Vick's rehabilitation. In the article, retired special agent Jim Knorr, of the Department of Agriculture, was very even-handed and guardedly positive about Vick's rehabilitation, though he pointed out that the only one who knows if Vick has changed is the man himself. Regardless, Knorr states that Vick's community outreach is invaluable. I for one hope that the controversy/bad PR train unhooks itself from locomotive No. 7, if not for his sake, for the sports world's.

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Defensive Considerations for the Eagles

Let me start things off by breathing a sigh of relief. After I published Thursday's post, Twitter was suddenly ablaze with reports that an anonymous league source had said that Andy Reid told all DC candidates (who?!) that the job was closed. Immediately, it morphed into the belief that Jeff Fisher was indeed heading back to Philly. Not true. Thankfully, Les Bowen cleared everything thing up:

So with that out of the way, let's talk about the Eagles' needs. I don't think anyone would disagree that there are issues on defense that need to be addressed ASAP. Cornerback is the top position that needs to be addressed the most. For years, the Eagles had high-quality cornerbacks grounding the secondary, allowing them to make big plays. Now Asante Samuel stands alone, with Dimitri Patterson's performance this season being less-than-stellar. Until Nnamdi Asomugha is picked up by the Eagles or another team, there will be a lot of talk about him. The Eagles could use his speed and ability on the field, and the Eagles could draft a later-round pick to add depth to the position.

Depth would definitely be a good thing to have should the Eagles pick up Al Harris instead of Asomugha. Harris is an excellent CB, but has suffered his share of injuries lately. While this likely won't affect his ability to make plays, it is a concern.


Linebackers are also a concern, as their performance this season was underwhelming. There is hope that Jim Washburn can help fix this problem, but either a standout linebacker needs to be drafted, or there needs to be a pickup on the free agent market, coupled with a later-round linebacker. Carolina's James Anderson could shift Moise Fokou to a backup, and adding Minnesota's Chad Greenway or Kansas City's Tamba Hali would beef up the Eagles' linebacker corps immensely. Another good move would be to bring in Takeo Spikes for a year to help get Jamar Cheney up to elite status.

I'll focus on offense in another post. The biggest offensive assets, Mike Vick and DeSean Jackson, will not be going anywhere if the Eagles want a chance to win the NFC East again and go further in the playoffs. There's a way up, Eagles Nation. Let's hope Big Red, Joe Banner, Jeff Lurie and the rest see it.

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Asomugha, Pro Bowlers, and Jeff Fisher

In a shift of discussion from coaching to players, there has been no talk from the Eagles about roster movement, but we can be sure they will (hopefully) move quickly during the slim window between the Super Bowl (Feb. 7) and the date the current collective bargaining agreement expires (Mar. 4). In that time, the Eagles would be wise to browse this top free agents list to pick up talent ahead of the 2011 NFL Draft. One name on it keeps coming up is the Oakland Raiders cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha. If the Eagles can pick him up, he could complement Asante Samuel in the Eagles' secondary, solidifying the backfield and beefing up the defense for any potential DC candidate. With this consideration, hopefully people will back off of the speculation that the Eagles will move to a 3-4 defense, since the Raiders also run a 4-3 defense, and keeping this system intact would provide a better potential transition. Asomugha has already been passed on by the Colts as a poor fit for a Cover 2 defense.

In offensive news, Michael Vick told reporters in Honolulu that he hopes to be back in Philly next year, a rehash of his statement that being the Eagles' quarterback gives him the best chance to win a Super Bowl. All of this is really just pep talk at the moment, since there is no way the Eagles will get rid of Vick. The organization has been contemplating giving him a franchise tag, though it is good to know that the cornerstone to the Eagles' rebuilding is happy in his position.

DeSean Jackson is also in Hawaii, and was prepping for the Pro Bowl until he tweaked his knee at a practice, later ruled to be a sprain. He refused to talk about his contract today, but has stated he believes that the Eagles will offer him an extension over the offseason. With his production this past year, especially in divisional games against the Redskins and Giants, it would be foolish not to extend his contract past the one year he has left. Jackson's spot in the Pro Bowl will be filled by the Dallas Cowboys' Miles Austin. That's kind of like sacrilege.

Finally, because the DC drama won't die, news recently broke that Jeff Fisher has been let go by the Titans. Because nature won't allow a vacuum or silence on speculations, many have immediately jumped into the conversation with the idea that Fisher will return to Philly to reprise his role as defensive coordinator. Much of the speculation comes from the recent hiring of the Titans' Jim Washburn and the fact that Fisher spent four of his first five coaching years on the Eagles' defensive staff, serving as DC from 1988-1990. However, at the moment it's doubtful that Fisher will be a candidate, having been a head coach since 1994, way back when the Titans were still the Houston Oilers. Smart money (barring an evaporated candidate pool) is on Fisher looking for a head coaching job for 2011, or short of that, I see him taking the Jim Mora route, perhaps taking a commentating job and job hunting for the 2012-2013 season.

Sure to add to the fuel of the rumor fire is the news that former Eagles linebacker Seth Joyner is interested in the spot left vacant by the firing of Bill Shuey. Joyner played for the Eagles from 1986-1993 under Buddy Ryan and DC Jeff Fisher.



Long story short, the Eagles have a lot of spots to fill and decisions to make. Unfortunately, the clock is quickly ticking on these decisions.

Birds Continue to Drag Feet on DC Job, Vick Gets Endorsement

And again, it's the same old story: defensive coaching. I'll tell you, I'm going to pop a champagne cork when Joe Banner finally hires a defensive coordinator, if only because I'll have other things to write about. Now that the rant is out of the way, here's the low down.

Last week it was reported that the Eagles were interviewing Dennis Allen of the New Orleans Saints, one of the last of a quickly dwindling pool of DC candidates. For about a day Allen's Wikipedia entry even listed him as the Eagles' defensive coordinator. The entry was corrected, and Allen did not come to Philly. Instead, he has been snatched up by the Denver Broncos.

In addition to this, the defensive staff continues to bleed out of Philly as another coach leaves. Linebackers coach Bill Shuey's contract expired and was not renewed by the Birds. There is still speculation about Eagles management being interested in a coach from one of the two Superbowl teams, but as the end of

the postseason draws nearer, there will be little time to make offers, especially offers that compete with those made by the Superbowl champion and contender. Long story short, the Eagles need to have a game plan, otherwise you can forget next year's defense.

In other news, quarterback Michael Vick just received his first endorsement since being released from prison. The endorsement comes from Unequal Technologies, the maker of the football pads Vick used this past year. This is a major point for the once-highest paid player in the NFL who is now on a very short financial leash.

The Eagles have been losing someone nearly every other week this offseason, the only brightside being that none of the losses are key players. Hopefully on Thursday I'll be bringing all of you some good news regarding Nnamdi Asomugha and/or Al Harris.

Follow on Twitter: @asprice18