QUOTE(nathanbalboa @ Feb 24 2006, 10:47 AM)
Wow, looking at the poor group of WR's available this year I think the Eagles are going to struggle in 06. Owens may have single handedly destroyed this franchise.
One guy they may go after is Robert Ferguson. The feeling has always been that he'd be a good fit in Philly. But with Walker and Murphy coming off injury, GB might be hesitant to move him.
I disagree. They are pretty much in the same boat they were pre-Owens. Add a decent WR or two, and you could be threatening again. This is why I think Moulds would be a decent fit...
Prior to Owens arriving, there was great team chemistry and the Eagles were consider a top-rate organization by everyone in the league. Team chemistry is going to be difficult now with the split the Owens-McNabb feud caused in the locker room last year. Also, you know there are players around the league who silently sided with Owens and will look at Philly with a weary eye on the open market. Both of these issues will linger in the future.Prior to Owens arriving, McNabb was the unquestioned leader of the team and everyone looked up to him. Now half the team sided against him (and with Owens) and they'll never look at him the same. Players think McNabb wasn't "tough" enough and shouldn't have sided with management. Even black community leaders have taken (unfair) shots at him. This guy was a perfect team leader and a great guy to build around and Owens has single handedly brought his stock down and Owens is a horrible person for doing so. Regardless, McNabb will need years to recover and might never be looked at the same.
Every team has a window to win with free agency and this window is closing. Talent wise they remind me of the Packers when Ray Rhodes was the coach. A solid team, but no longer an elite team. The organization will have to rebuild for a another run and it's tough to do. All the issues listed above will make it more difficult. As this team ages and drops from that elite level, the media will question Reid and McNabb and both will be on the hotseat...making things even more chaotic.
Owens screwed the Eagles by quitting on the team while their window to win the Super Bowl was closing and the long-term issues he left them with will make it harder to rebuild. The irony was before he arrived, everyone said Philly was such a good organization they could handle Owens. Look what he's done.