Philadelphia Eagles 2006 Offseason (1 Viewer)

[Death and Taxes]

IMO this is not a major move but does have impact on the team. I will continue to update the post as the off season rolls along.

 

[jeff_eaglz]

Voted "negative".

Childress may not have had final say, but he was at least more of a counterpoint to Reid's decisions than Marty will be.

 

[Jason Wood]

Massive negative in my view. While Childress didn't do much of the play calling, he was responsible for the vast majority of the weekly practices, formation of the game plan and institution of the weekly packages. To think he wasn't a MAJOR reason for the Eagles superb run over the last half decade would be a grave error in judgment.

At best, Morhinweg's taking over means Andy has to take a lot more hands on control during the week, which limits the cycles he can devote to other aspects of the team [i.e., stretching himself too thin].

At worst, he gives Marty the same control that Childress had and it ends up costing the franchise a quick turnaround.

 

[Texasmouth]

I am predicting gloom and doom for the Eagles. Owens completely ripped that locker room apart and it will cost them for years to come.

Doesn't matter which o-coordinator they hired.

Marty Mo isn't a bad hire though. I know he crashed and burned but he is a good coordinator in the WCO.

 

[jeff_eaglz]

Adding the right new group of vets (Givens or Moulds, for example, a solid LB upgrade) and draft picks would breathe new life in that locker room.

Upgrading the line(s) and a solid #2 QB (Garcia?) would show more faith in the 2007 campaign.

Games against NO, SF, HOU, TEN and GB also help.

 

[Deranged Hermit]

I am predicting gloom and doom for the Eagles. Owens completely ripped that locker room apart and it will cost them for years to come.

Jeez, this from a Cowboys fan. Shocking.....

 

[Texasmouth]

I am predicting gloom and doom for the Eagles. Owens completely ripped that locker room apart and it will cost them for years to come.

Jeez, this from a Cowboys fan. Shocking.....

Has nothing to do with being a Cowboys fan. I hate the Redskins and I predict they are going to be a playoff team and probably win the division. I am a Cowboys fan but I am also a football fan and a realist.

 

[MLBrandow]

So, the Eagles have signed Barber now to play WLB.

I'm looking at the team, and they really don't have any needs outside of the DL (specifically DT).

Suppose for a second that Bunkley, Ngata, Hali and Williams are all gone.

Where does Philadelphia go?

Would they take Winston Justice if he is there? It doesn't seem like they would, considering they already have a replacement for Runyan in Calvin Armstrong (provided they feel he is ready)... but I have seen little of him and know that he is a bit on the slow side (in terms of speed, not mental capacity).

Plus they've got Shawn Andrews who would be a solid RT. That of course would then leave a hole at RG though....

Any Eagles homers mind giving an in-depth evaluation of the Eagles' DL and OL?

 

[Jeff Pasquino]

So, the Eagles have signed Barber now to play WLB.

I'm looking at the team, and they really don't have any needs outside of the DL (specifically DT).

Suppose for a second that Bunkley, Ngata, Hali and Williams are all gone.

Where does Philadelphia go?

Would they take Winston Justice if he is there? It doesn't seem like they would, considering they already have a replacement for Runyan in Calvin Armstrong (provided they feel he is ready)... but I have seen little of him and know that he is a bit on the slow side (in terms of speed, not mental capacity).

Plus they've got Shawn Andrews who would be a solid RT. That of course would then leave a hole at RG though....

Any Eagles homers mind giving an in-depth evaluation of the Eagles' DL and OL?

The O-line needs an upgrade - see the Mawae and Bentley threads - predominantly at center.Hopefully the Eagles go DT in the first round with Bunkley still being there at 14.

If not they may go with a LB or O-line, but I'd think a run stopper at DT is the top priority.

 

[MLBrandow]

So, the Eagles have signed Barber now to play WLB.

I'm looking at the team, and they really don't have any needs outside of the DL (specifically DT).

Suppose for a second that Bunkley, Ngata, Hali and Williams are all gone.

Where does Philadelphia go?

Would they take Winston Justice if he is there?  It doesn't seem like they would, considering they already have a replacement for Runyan in Calvin Armstrong (provided they feel he is ready)... but I have seen little of him and know that he is a bit on the slow side (in terms of speed, not mental capacity).

Plus they've got Shawn Andrews who would be a solid RT.  That of course would then leave a hole at RG though....

Any Eagles homers mind giving an in-depth evaluation of the Eagles' DL and OL?

The O-line needs an upgrade - see the Mawae and Bentley threads - predominantly at center.Hopefully the Eagles go DT in the first round with Bunkley still being there at 14.

If not they may go with a LB or O-line, but I'd think a run stopper at DT is the top priority.

Yeah, so what if Bunkley isn't there? Do they reach on a guy?In all honesty, I fully expect the Eagles to trade up or down..... I don't see them picking at 14.

 

[JAA]

Signed Juqua Thomas to 1-Year Deal

 

[Deranged Hermit]

So, the Eagles have signed Barber now to play WLB.

I'm looking at the team, and they really don't have any needs outside of the DL (specifically DT).

Suppose for a second that Bunkley, Ngata, Hali and Williams are all gone.

Where does Philadelphia go?

Would they take Winston Justice if he is there?  It doesn't seem like they would, considering they already have a replacement for Runyan in Calvin Armstrong (provided they feel he is ready)... but I have seen little of him and know that he is a bit on the slow side (in terms of speed, not mental capacity).

Plus they've got Shawn Andrews who would be a solid RT.  That of course would then leave a hole at RG though....

Any Eagles homers mind giving an in-depth evaluation of the Eagles' DL and OL?

The O-line needs an upgrade - see the Mawae and Bentley threads - predominantly at center.Hopefully the Eagles go DT in the first round with Bunkley still being there at 14.

If not they may go with a LB or O-line, but I'd think a run stopper at DT is the top priority.

Yeah, so what if Bunkley isn't there? Do they reach on a guy?In all honesty, I fully expect the Eagles to trade up or down..... I don't see them picking at 14.

If all those guys don't drop, someone will sake loose to them that will help, be it Justice, Greenway (Barber only has a 1 year deal) or whoever. I do agree however that I think the Eagles will trade up to get a DT. If that doesn't happen I think they may go DE since this draft is full of good ones. They badly need a pass rush, their lack of it really exposed their secondary last year.

 

[PhillyStars]

I think they may look to the FA market for the D line. Past efforts in the draft have not exactly worked out on D line players and there are a few O line guys in the draft that they may be able to nail down. DT Rocky Bernard would be on top on my list with DE Darren Howard right behind him.

In the draft, W Justice should be there at 14 and probably still at 15,16,17 so they could slide and probably still get him ahead of Dallas. I would REALLY LOVE them to move up and take Ferguson, of course. If he gets past NYJ at 4 he could slide a few spots and maybe the Birds move up to 7,8,9 area and take him. Either way the Birds will take some type of linemen in the first round as Reid always builds from his lines out ...... my 2 cents

 

[Deranged Hermit]

I think they may look to the FA market for the D line. Past efforts in the draft have not exactly worked out on D line players and there are a few O line guys in the draft that they may be able to nail down. DT Rocky Bernard would be on top on my list with DE Darren Howard right behind him.

In the draft, W Justice should be there at 14 and probably still at 15,16,17 so they could slide and probably still get him ahead of Dallas. I would REALLY LOVE them to move up and take Ferguson, of course. If he gets past NYJ at 4 he could slide a few spots and maybe the Birds move up to 7,8,9 area and take him. Either way the Birds will take some type of linemen in the first round as Reid always builds from his lines out ...... my 2 cents

I thought Patterson was a fine draft pick. McDougal, not so much....

 

[Jason Wood]

I think they may look to the FA market for the D line. Past efforts in the draft have not exactly worked out on D line players and there are a few O line guys in the draft that they may be able to nail down. DT Rocky Bernard would be on top on my list with DE Darren Howard right behind him.

In the draft, W Justice should be there at 14 and probably still at 15,16,17 so they could slide and probably still get him ahead of Dallas. I would REALLY LOVE them to move up and take Ferguson, of course. If he gets past NYJ at 4 he could slide a few spots and maybe the Birds move up to 7,8,9 area and take him. Either way the Birds will take some type of linemen in the first round as Reid always builds from his lines out ...... my 2 cents

I think any Eagles fan would love to land Ferguson. For that matter, I would say the majority of fans on almost every team would love to land him. That's the problem. There's no way on Earth Ferguson falls into the 7,8,9 area. If he doesn't come off the board in the top 4, teams will be falling all over themselves to come up and get him.

 

[cstu]

So, the Eagles have signed Barber now to play WLB.

I'm looking at the team, and they really don't have any needs outside of the DL (specifically DT).

Suppose for a second that Bunkley, Ngata, Hali and Williams are all gone.

Where does Philadelphia go?

Would they take Winston Justice if he is there? It doesn't seem like they would, considering they already have a replacement for Runyan in Calvin Armstrong (provided they feel he is ready)... but I have seen little of him and know that he is a bit on the slow side (in terms of speed, not mental capacity).

Plus they've got Shawn Andrews who would be a solid RT. That of course would then leave a hole at RG though....

Any Eagles homers mind giving an in-depth evaluation of the Eagles' DL and OL?

A bunch of mocks I've seen have them going WR - Holmes is most common and then Jackson. Thoughts?

 

[Jason Wood]

So, the Eagles have signed Barber now to play WLB.

I'm looking at the team, and they really don't have any needs outside of the DL (specifically DT).

Suppose for a second that Bunkley, Ngata, Hali and Williams are all gone.

Where does Philadelphia go?

Would they take Winston Justice if he is there?  It doesn't seem like they would, considering they already have a replacement for Runyan in Calvin Armstrong (provided they feel he is ready)... but I have seen little of him and know that he is a bit on the slow side (in terms of speed, not mental capacity).

Plus they've got Shawn Andrews who would be a solid RT.  That of course would then leave a hole at RG though....

Any Eagles homers mind giving an in-depth evaluation of the Eagles' DL and OL?

A bunch of mocks I've seen have them going WR - Holmes is most common and then Jackson. Thoughts?

I would love for them to draft a WR like Chad Jackson but i just don't see it. The Birds absolutely think Reggie Brown can be a WR1, they have Greg Lewis signed long-term and Todd Pinkston is due back from his injury. I think the Eagles really want to bolster both lines and don't view 2006 as a rebuilding year in any way, shape or form. I say they add a WR, but in the later rounds.

 

[MLBrandow]

I would love for them to draft a WR like Chad Jackson but i just don't see it. The Birds absolutely think Reggie Brown can be a WR1, they have Greg Lewis signed long-term and Todd Pinkston is due back from his injury. I think the Eagles really want to bolster both lines and don't view 2006 as a rebuilding year in any way, shape or form. I say they add a WR, but in the later rounds.

Agree with all of the above.Maurice Stovall has Eagle written all over him in the 2nd round.

Winston Justice, Brodrick Bunkley, Tamba Hali, Mathias Kiwanuka. That's the four I really see them looking at with that first pick.

 

[Deranged Hermit]

I would love for them to draft a WR like Chad Jackson but i just don't see it. The Birds absolutely think Reggie Brown can be a WR1, they have Greg Lewis signed long-term and Todd Pinkston is due back from his injury. I think the Eagles really want to bolster both lines and don't view 2006 as a rebuilding year in any way, shape or form. I say they add a WR, but in the later rounds.

Agree with all of the above.Maurice Stovall has Eagle written all over him in the 2nd round.

Winston Justice, Brodrick Bunkley, Tamba Hali, Mathias Kiwanuka. That's the four I really see them looking at with that first pick.

Stovall was who I thought they'd go after in the 2nd if they took DL with their first pick. If they took OL with their first, I thought they'd go after DL with their second (again, because DL was so deep in this draft).

 

[Jason Wood]

I would love for them to draft a WR like Chad Jackson but i just don't see it. The Birds absolutely think Reggie Brown can be a WR1, they have Greg Lewis signed long-term and Todd Pinkston is due back from his injury. I think the Eagles really want to bolster both lines and don't view 2006 as a rebuilding year in any way, shape or form. I say they add a WR, but in the later rounds.

Agree with all of the above.Maurice Stovall has Eagle written all over him in the 2nd round.

Winston Justice, Brodrick Bunkley, Tamba Hali, Mathias Kiwanuka. That's the four I really see them looking at with that first pick.

We have Maurice Stovall on the team already, we call him Billy McMullen.

 

[Death and Taxes]

Just figured that I would throw out some grades on what has happened in the offseason since the free agent season seems to be cooling down. Grading system as follows:

A..........Move is a significant improvement and will mean more wins

B..........Move is an upgrade and improves the team in some measure

C..........Move plugged a hole and filled or filled a need but no major impact

D...........Move is a downgrade

F............Move makes the team worse

Morningwig replaces Childress......................D (would be an F if Reid did not have so much control over the offense)

Shawn Barber signing ..................................B minus (played well here the first go around and an improvement over what the Eagles have presently)

Matt Schoebel signing ......................................C plus (not really sure what this guy can do, hopefully he can block and provides an upgrade over Spach and decrepted Lewis)

Darren Howard signing..............................B minus (minus because of injury questions, we need the depth at DL and the signing does upgrade the team)

Jeff Garcia signing ......................................B plus (may or may not be a factor but is a significant upgrade over McMahon)

Jabar Gaffney signing ..................................C plus (Not the player I was looking for but cannot be any worse that what we have other than Brown)

Terrel Owens release ....................................B (Upgrade not by skill but because of improvement of team chemistry, did not like the fact that he went to a division rival, hope this post does not turn into a T.O. debate)

Jon Runyan resigning ....................................B minus (Had to have him resign, no choice, did not not really upgrade our line over last year, signing just keep the OL from getting worse, probably should be a C)

Not impressed so far in the Eagles offseason. Feel free to add moves that I have missed.

 

[thayman]

Eagles are rarely impressive in FA. I did not hear that Runyan resigned, so good info. The Eagles are not on the down slide, nor do I think they are going to be as bad as most people are perdicting. As long as they stay healthy, they are going to make a run at the NFC East title.

 

[MLBrandow]

Got a question for PHI homers.

Please enlighten me on why many say the window of opportunity has closed for PHI.

This team went to three straight NFC Championships without TO and won one without TO.

Childress is gone, and I suspect Reid will miss him some, but this offense won't fall apart.

The team is decimated by injuries for one year and suddenly everyone is writing them off? Am I missing some key factor here that dooms the Eagles?

I am starting to sleep on them to pull a wildcard spot over Dallas and NY....

Would just like to open the topic back up and perhaps get to the bottom of what I currently feel to be a collective misunderstanding.

 

[Jason Wood]

Got a question for PHI homers.

Please enlighten me on why many say the window of opportunity has closed for PHI.

This team went to three straight NFC Championships without TO and won one without TO.

Childress is gone, and I suspect Reid will miss him some, but this offense won't fall apart.

The team is decimated by injuries for one year and suddenly everyone is writing them off? Am I missing some key factor here that dooms the Eagles?

I am starting to sleep on them to pull a wildcard spot over Dallas and NY....

Would just like to open the topic back up and perhaps get to the bottom of what I currently feel to be a collective misunderstanding.

I have said to anyone who asked that 7-9 or 11-5 wouldn't surprise me. The NFC East is going to be a battle of attrition. If the Birds can stay healthy (a big if obviously) while the other teams suffer a key injury or two, that can make the difference between another division title and being out of the "offs." In terms of "why are media types writing the Eagles off...?"

1) Because the Eagles finished last in the division a year ago (media types are reactive and myopic as a rule)

2) Because on paper the Eagles lost a big talent (TO) while the Giants (Arrington, Madison), Cowboys (TO, Vanderjagt) and Redskins (Randle El, Lloyd, Archuleta) added talent. Analysts tend to presume that a trend will continue until it doesn't

Just look at last season as the perfect foil...

I had never seen the Eagles so universally touted as they were a season ago and that was in the middle of the TO debacle. I believe 19 of 20 ESPN pundits picked the Eagles to win the NFC East and more than half had them going to the Super Bowl. In Vegas, the Eagles had the 2nd best odds to win the Bowl.

Yet, we finished in 4th place in our division.

The bottom line is the Eagles HAVE to find offensive balance and reignite the defense. Jim Johnson's defense is only effective when the team gets consistent pressure. That's where adding Howard to the mix changes things considerably. If we run the ball more (as we did in pre-TO days) and McNabb is healthy, I like our chances for a playoff spot.

But there's no logical reason the Eagles should be considered favorites to win the division (too close to call) and other NFC teams certainly appear to have a easier road to home field advantage and, in turn, the Super Bowl.

 

[LTsharks]

Got a question for PHI homers.

Please enlighten me on why many say the window of opportunity has closed for PHI.

This team went to three straight NFC Championships without TO and won one without TO.

Childress is gone, and I suspect Reid will miss him some, but this offense won't fall apart.

The team is decimated by injuries for one year and suddenly everyone is writing them off? Am I missing some key factor here that dooms the Eagles?

I am starting to sleep on them to pull a wildcard spot over Dallas and NY....

Would just like to open the topic back up and perhaps get to the bottom of what I currently feel to be a collective misunderstanding.

Wood makes some very good points in his post.I would just like to add that the many that say the window is closing (or has closed) are really missing the big picture. This team has made an attempt to reload both of the lines the last two offseasons. If they have made the right moves (I think they have) and these young lines develop they way Eagles homers hope and think they should, they will be a very good team for the next several years.

They still have a very solid core of young players and a very good coaching staff. No reason to think they won't be contending for quite a while.

That said, I don't think they are contending for the Super Bowl this year. They have a very good chance to get back to the playoffs and get things turned around. Next year they have a great chance to be looked at as a top contender again.

I see 8-8 as a low and 11-5 as being on the high side. Right in wildcard territory, but it really is a crapshoot this year in the NFC East.

 

[MLBrandow]

See, this is what I don't understand about the window closing.

Please list me some key losses from the Championship teams that haven't been replaced with equal value.

The only ones I can think of are Taylor/Vincent, which were replaced by Brown/Shepherd.

I guess Childress would be considered a loss, but Reid should be fine.

It's hard to win any games without half of your starters.

 

[Jason Wood]

See, this is what I don't understand about the window closing.

Please list me some key losses from the Championship teams that haven't been replaced with equal value.

The only ones I can think of are Taylor/Vincent, which were replaced by Brown/Shepherd.

I guess Childress would be considered a loss, but Reid should be fine.

It's hard to win any games without half of your starters.

Well, you're not being entirely fair.Our WR corps was never a strong suit, and still isn't

Our RB depth is suspect, at best...at least in prior years we had Levens to rely on

Our LB depth is really questionable...the Eagles are begging for McCoy and Gocong to beat out Jones and Barber; but neither is a very promising situation

Tra Thomas has a bad back; don't presume he'll be a go this year at 100% until we see him get through camp

C Jamaal Jackson COULD be better than Hank Fraley was a few years ago, but it's not foregone conclusion

DT Mike Patterson MIGHT be as good as Corey Simon but for now logic dictates we say otherwise

Our special teams depth isn't what it used to be

Our backup QB situation is in no better shape

Really the only areas we improved versus a year ago definitively are:

OL Depth

DL Depth

We have plenty of question marks, particularly if a few starters go down to injury.

 

[MLBrandow]

Really the only areas we improved versus a year ago definitively are:

OL Depth

DL Depth

We have plenty of question marks, particularly if a few starters go down to injury.

Those are big .

 

[scratcher]

I agree with most of your points Jason but I disagree about the backup QB situation. I consider Garcia an upgrade over McMahon.

But, I just wanted to write to see if any homers in the area have been to training camp and what their impressions were. Particularly, I'm curious to know how Baskett has looked. He certainly seems to be the fan favorite and I'm wondering if he shows any promise for next year. TIA