It’s been a good few of days over at the Novacare Complex for a couple of Eagles. Last year was all about bringing in big name guys, and so far this year, it’s been a new approach with the Eagles signing deals to some of their big name players. There is still plenty of time for the FO to pull a rabbit out of their hat, but I have liked what they have done thus far.
Former fourth round draft pick Todd Herremans got the ball rolling, signing a three year deal worth around $21 million through 2016, with $11 million guaranteed. Whether it’s been at guard or protecting Vick’s blindside at right tackle, Herremans has proved to play a huge part for this team’s offensive line and although the Eagles don’t usually pay guys when they get older, this was a very smart move.
Plain and simple, Trent Cole is a beast. The DE who helped lead the defensive line last year in their new wide-nine system inked a four year deal running into 2017 worth around $48 million. Andy Reid is quoted as saying “Trent plays the game with a level of tenacity that’s hard to replicate. He’s one of the premier defensive ends in the league. We have always said that when you 
watch the tape of him, it’s hard to tell the difference between his first play and his last play.” I think a lot of the Philly faithful saw this one coming and look for Cole to have another great season.
No more wondering if DeSean Jackson will be in an Eagles uniform this season as the Eagles made it official today. One of the biggest gamebreakers in the NFL has signed a 5 year deal worth $51 million. Last year obviously wasn’t a great one for either DeSean or the Bird’s but now that he has finally gotten his pay day, I hope to see his numbers climb back up to where they were in 2009 and 2010.
The Eagles still have plenty of needs to address, with the safety and linebacker positions being two of their top priorities this offseason. As I said before, I like the new approach they have taken early on, signing returning players rather than chasing the big names. It’s still just the start of the offseason and they still may grab someone that none of us expect, but for right not, simple is good. In the meantime, I think it’s time to take care of #25.
I dont know what the eagles will do with Shady, honestly I would wait if i were them because his stock is really high right now and could command a ridiculous amount of money.. he would actually set the market for RBs with his deal.. also depending on what Matt Forte gets may determine it as well.. time will tell.. but since im not them I would sign McCoy now because there is a strong strong possibility that Lesean holds out this upcoming camp if he doesnt have a new deal. You heard it here first..
As for the reat of free agency, smart moves all around. I ve been doing the math for all of the salaries and the eagles have saved so much money by doing these deals and cutting salaries.. I knew they would do something to free up space and i dont believe there done yet, both babin and asante are two guys i see who could be goners before the season begins.. both were liabilities last year.. by no means is this team complete and ready to go to battle. They need to add at least two DLinemen and 1 safety.. 1 LB may be another position they add via free agency or thr draft but i wouldnt be surprised if they didnt like ive been saying.. (Curtis Lofton has not signed though reports said that he has, hes still a free agent)..
JH, I’ve been saying for almost a month now that Shady will holdout without a new deal…I don’t think its just a strong possibility. personally i think its a given he will. Esp after seeing Forte almost tearing an ACL last year there is no way Shady plays anymore football without getting paid.
Honestly, I don’t know why the EAgles or anyone for that matter would want to wait longer either…Shady is too good and his stock would only increase. Further, the RB deals are just going to get richer as time comes..Waiting for Forte’s deal will be a mistake since he will get huge money since he is like 60-70 percent of that offense…Shady’s deal should have taken place last summer. That was a mistake by the Eagles since it was a given that guys like Chris J, Peterson, Foster were going to get new contracts…Eagles should have locked this up before those monster deals came out.
Give Shady his damn money. HE is the best player on this team period. I don’t care if you have to overpay for his services either…when it comes to the best player on your team overpaying is justified…Hell the eagles overpay for numerous player annually that don’t do crap for this team. You just saw the Lions overpay for Calvin Johnson…teams do it all the time when it comes to their best player and shady is our best.
I think that alot of the extensions are being done to clear room under the cap.
Hopefully the FO learned something from last years trouble with DJax in the last year of a contract. I am not saying that Shadey would pull any of the stunts that DJax did, but without a doubt it seems to work on these guys and is a distraction…especially with Drew R as his agent.
I read an article that we are bringing back Mike Gibson for our left guard? Apparently he signed a 2 year deal. Played for the Seattle the past 3 years? Anyone hear this or know if he is better than Mathis?
@Deasr….you are correct.
They signed him for the veteran minimum. Back-up for depth after they cut Jackson and traded Justice. I do not believe that there is any belief that he would replace Mathis.
You are correct Deasr. They brought him back for depth purposes though. Not to be the starter. They still want Evan Mathis back.
*Late Night News & Notes*
–So Ive been informed that there will be some signings (1 or 2) made in the next day or two by the eagles, Possibly bringing in a LB, but i dont know what other positions.. Maybe FB and S..
–Desean will have a press conference thursday to discuss the new deal.. things are moving at such a rapid pace, i ll do the best i can to keep everyone up to date during the day with the latest breaking news..
***LB Curtis Lofton & Safety Jim Leonhard, in for interviews in the next two days.*** DOMINOES BABY, DOMINOES.
Its being reported that the Eagles and McCoy are in negotiations and a long term deal will be done very soon.
I like Safety Jim Leonard, he’s a good hard-nosed player who has had injury issues on and off the last 2 seasonsroam the middle and lay the wood , but he can be burned deep and does not have top end speed in pass coverage…
MLB Lofton is an upgrade at MLB , but I would not pay crazy $$$ to sign him..
Jim Leonard is Marlin Jackson all over again. damaged goods who’s best years are behind him. I would love for them to draft Poe (if he’s available) in the 1st Harrison Smith in the 2nd and the best RB available with their second 2. They have to find a good backup to shady. If they could sign Tolbert from SD that would be ideal. If not, they need to draft one.
This just in guys, DT Gerald McCoy from the Bucs just tweeted that LB Curtis Lofton has decided to become an Eagle. Paulman, give me a breakdown on this guy.
andrew – good find. But ha, he just retracted it. Could be true but he got yelled at for leaking it.. or it could just be bogus. But funny how this works with twitter/atheletes…
Andrew – but seriously, with clearly an internet connection, you go to Paulman as a source for information on players? A guy who admittedly just says shit to f with Eagles fans, make himself sounds smart or knowledgeable even if he’s just talking out of his as or his words “joking around”? I just find that funny. You can type a few words into a search engine to find stats, news, videos, articles, analysis, scouting info on a guy and you go to a goofy pseudo-eagles fan who lives in NC?
Schiller — some of these morons buy into what Paulman is selling. There’s nothing wrong with that……but then again, why would you go to self-proclaimed prophets that lives in the carolina mountains for your prospective eagles news? I don’t get it to be honest.
Dcar– another erroneous report. To this point the eagles have no FA visits scheduled. If your gonna report something make sure its at least somewhat accurate.
Gerald McCoy tweeted that yesterday afternoon and it was shot down five minutes later. Dont believe the hype gentleman, its not true.
Curtis Lofton is a 4 Year Veteran drafted by the Falcons in the 2nd Round from the University of Oklahoma.. He’s 6’0 about 250 lbs and is a MLB,
He is not very quick and pass-coverage skills are his weakness and many view him as a 2 Down MLB.. He is physical and he is a good tackler and strong against the Run and he is furable playing in all 64 games as a Falcons since coming into the League..His Stats since his Rookie Season
2008 – 16 GP 94 Tackles 1 Sack 1 Forced Fumble 0 Int’s
2009 – 16 GP 133 Tackles 0 Sacks 2 Forced Fumbls 0 Int’s
2010 – 16 GP 118 Tackles 2 Sacks 3 Forced Fumble 1 Int
2011 – 16 GP 147 Tackles 1 Sack 1 Firced Fumbles 2 Int’s
Totals – 64 GP 492 Tackles 4 Sacks 7 Forced Fumbles 3 Int’s
If you average his Stats about 125 Tackles per Year 1 Sack, 2 FF and 1 Int which for a Run-Stuffing MLB is pretty consistent..I believe he would be taken out in most passign situations as many MLB are in todays NFL as Defenses become more specialized in the various coverages and player packages..
I;m fine with signing their own guys but they could have done this last week. And one of the main guys they need to keep is Mathis. You cannot be mediocre from tackle to tackle. This had always been a problem in our heyday (2000-04). Weak interior line play. You cannot have the whole interior of the line be average. One guy has to stand out. And Mathis is that guy. He holds his own while Kelce and Watkins cover for each other. Who is going to cover another Joe Blow at LG??
For the record guys, I am not selling anything, if someone ask’s me for info or an a opinion on a player, I will do so to the best of my ability .. I do follow the NFL very closely (especially the NFC) and it’s Teams,Players and Coaches so if someone wants an opinion, great, I’ll answer it, what’s wrong with this and this is part of having a Eagle’s Blog..
And Paulie, no specific offense there… just setting the guy straight. Everything you responded to him with was straight from a search he could’ve done on his own. Heck, no need for you to do his homework for him.
Paulman, I actually have no prob with your posts. Sometimes you are very good with stats and such. But please, just stick with football. Your hockey sense is a bit off. I don’t know a lot, however I have been following the Flyers since my grandfather worked for Prism and and he used to take me to the Spectrum for some very sweet games.
I’m fine with signing their own guys but they could have done this last week. And one of the main guys they need to keep is Mathis. You cannot be mediocre from tackle to tackle. This had always been a problem in our heyday (2000-04). Weak interior line play. You cannot have the whole interior of the line be average. One guy has to stand out. And Mathis is that guy. He holds his own while Kelce and Watkins cover for each other. Who is going to cover another Joe Blow at LG??
Paulman just gives his opinion on what he thinks will happen and I find his comments to be very insightful whether they play out or not. That’s the whole reason we all come on this site is to get each other’s opinions on various things going on with the Eagles. I don’t know why some of you are so critical when someone makes a point. A lot of people on here just shoot down people’s opinions without giving one of their own. That doesn’t add any value to the site.
btc- I praise Pman for his stats and for his insight.
I slam Pman when he starts to talk like he KNOWS something.
I am paid by Gcobb to keep him level.
Looks like David Garrard is about to start making visits. Anyone think he would have been a far better backup option than Trent Edwards?
I’m fine with signing their own guys but they could have done this last week. And one of the main guys they need to keep is Mathis. You cannot be mediocre from tackle to tackle. This had always been a problem in our heyday (2000-04). Weak interior line play. You cannot have the whole interior of the line be average. One guy has to stand out. And Mathis is that guy. He holds his own while Kelce and Watkins cover for each other. Who is going to cover another Joe Blow at LG??
I like Edwards. If he had a good team and some weapons he could have had been much better. Very accurate and surprisingly mobile.
btc….yes he would be better but that’s not saying much. One is a D and the other is a C-. Not a whole lot of difference there.
The Eagles are looking at Mike Gibson. Wow! They are really mining the junk yard. Leber and Gibson are not even on some free agent lists. And these lists are extensive.
jbird, they drafted the guy and need OL depth, you don’t trust Mudd? And you are really criticizing them talking a look at guys? that’s their fricking job. You want probowl backups? Come on man
and jbird, did you mean to post the same thing 3 times? Yeah, they have to sign Mathis, and if they don’t, well we’ll see what they do. But there are still some interior llineman out there, and we know Mudd can do some great things with rookie OL, and there are plenty of draft picks to deal with.
Deasr….he’s another interception machine.
Schill….Mathis is not an “oh well” situation. He is a big piece. I’m sure they don’t want to shell out good money for a 30 year old interior lineman with 37 career starts but this guy has always been very good and under the radar. Bringing in an ok replacement doesn’t cut it. Vick is going to have guys coming up the middle again. Do you really think Watkins and Kelce are that good?? You have no idea what they are yet. Last year they were average. No guarantee that they emerge this year. And yes Mudd is very good (brilliant actually), but crap is crap. If they bring in crap, he can only do so much.
I just don’t understand why the Birds wouldn’t at least schedule a visit with Curtis Lofton, London Fletcher, or Stephen Tulloch. I find it hard to believe that all three of these guys wouldn’t want a visit with the Eagles.
btc24…its not the visit. Its the 8 million dollars a year that Cleveland set the bar for. They can get a good SAM in the second round if they draft the consensus guys and not some goofy ass under sized jerk that only they like. But the middle is not going to happen in the draft unless they get lucky. Seattle clearly will take Kuechly now since they let Hawthorne go. And the Eagles are not trading up to the top ten for a LB. Never would they ever.
I would take Trrent Edwards over David Garrard any day as sa Back-up..
I think Edwards will fit in well with the Eagles and he actually is a little more athletic then many think.. he can move around the pocket and has a pretty godo arm.. I am curious to see how QB Guru’s MM & AR can help development him for he’s always had an NFL Arm , Size and Athleticism… I think the Eagles wont’ even use a Draft pick on a QB this Draft (unless someone were to fall to them that they couldn’t pass up)
Paulman…I already struck out on my dark horse prediction for FA. I thought for sure they were going to get Eric Weems as the guy we did not expect since we are all so hyper focused on LBs. So who do you think their LB signing will be? It can’t be as bad as Ben Leber could it? I would settle for Manny Lawson or Rocky McIntosh. I don’t even need Tulloch or Lofton. Just give me one soild starter instead of a bum.
Mario Williams signs deal with the bills. Its a 6 yr deal.. Mario williams watch is over
jbird, I hear you, and please don’t get me wrong, I want mathis back. But nobody said anything about crap. There are other guards out there that are neither Mathis nor crap. I definitely want Mathis and I do not think that him going out and shopping around means he will not come back. He hasn’t signed anywhere yet. And it’s not a timing thing, the Eagles know him and he knows the Eagles. He’s either going to get overpaid elsewhere, or come back to continue his success here. But do you really believe that the only options are Mathis and crap?
And Jbird, as far as SAM goes, I want Hawthorne. Tommy Lawlor said he’s ideal for SAM and I really trust that guy. I would be very happy if they sign Hawthorne and then draft Keuchly or Hightower. I’d also obviously be happy with Lofton or Tulloch – though both are liabilities v. the pass… Fletcher of course would be a nice short term solution too
BTC yes you would think this team would learn from their mistakes…Tulloch was there for the taking last year but they decided to pass because they thought it was a better idea to start a 4th round rookie in a shortened offseason. Reid just doesn’t value the position enough to pay for the best talent in the open market or use a 1st round pick on one..Never has his whole time here and never will in my opinion. Please REid prove me wrong and break the news we just signed Tulloch.
John Hart, I don’t think there was much of a MArio Williams watch to begin with…This is fine tho…Im glad the BIlls made that mistake instead of the EAgles…
MArio Williams= richest defensive contract in NFL history=mistake.
(just the best guy available at his position in FA, and is cashing in because of some desperate team…said the same last year about RAy Edwards who was a bust)
Schill….I agree about Hawthorne. But that brings up the point that Seattle now clearly covets Kuechly at the twelth pick. So he is no longer an option for us I’m afraid. I just hope they are looking at Wagner and Robinson in the second round and not some ridiculous choice like Spence (who weighs around 220). They really cannot get another Caver/Gardner/McCoy here. We have to pick the right person. They have to realize their idea of good LBs are inaccurate and go with the conventional wisdom.
Some guys who are still out there i believe…who could be solid pickups for the EAgles
Tulloch
Landry
Tracey Porter
Tolbert
Fletcher
Steve HUtchinson
o.j. Atogwe
Pat Sims
Ted Ginn
Plax
I think the Eagles should take a look at Ginn. He would really help our returns. HE would also keep Djax healthy from having to take some of those hits
jbird, yeah. I hear you there, but I never like to put too much stock in specifically where a guy will get drafted. I heard that about Seattle, or even some other teams drafting ahead of us wanting him. But how can we possibly know that stuff – the experts are wrong about even the top 10 picks every single year. Plus the Eagles could always trade up. We’ll see. I also don’t think Keuchly is the only answer. I just think that with Lofton and Tulloch reportedly being liabilities v. the pass/2 down LBs, not 3…I’m worried about teams throwing against them on downs 1 and 2… enh we’ll see. They have some options at LB, but I definitely want a good option at SAM – I think a true SAM is more rare than a quality MLB. So I think there’s more options at MLB than SAM. Remember Jim Johnson talking about Emmons being that prototypical SAM LB who he was always trying to find a clone for….rings true in my ears. That’s why my biggest free agency want right now is Hawthorne….
I would love to sign Ted Ginn. We are in dire need of a true kick returner.
Pheag….I like the Ted Ginn idea. We need a return man in the worst way. Do they really believe Gillyard is an answer? If he was he would not be on the scrap heap. Ginn does both jobs. Andy does not like starters doing it. And the Ten Million Dollar Man is not going to be hung out to dry waiting on a punt.
Pheag…on the flipside. Landry is useless. Porter is a starting corner that we don’t need. Tolbert is too expensive and Hutchinson is too old for their taste. Plax they will pretend to show interest even though they are not interested.
They are counting on a lot of the young guys. You see they truly believe (unrealistically) in their heart that ALL of the guys that played their second year last year did not really play their second year last year because of the lockout. So they are expecting that big jump guys get between years one and two not only to occur for last year’s rookies but also the class of 2010. And that is the faultiest aspect of their thinking. They feel like they have 15 rookies coming back for their second year and big things are going to happen. Guys like Chaney, Allen, Coleman, Graham, Cooper and Clayton are really much better than we realize. That is because we are too stupid to see what they see. Because we have not OD’d on the green koolaid that they try to feed us that they all drink in copious quanities.
Schill…I have said many times that SAM is more critical. Chaney is not very good but he’s ok. Fokou on the other hand is dogshit and Jordan is just a back up/STer. SAM is the bigger hole. I like Manny Lawson myself as I have said Manny times not only this year but last year as well. He is big and tall and plays the run extremely well. He is mediocre in coverage but at 6’4″ he at least gets in the way. With his 3-4 OLB experience he also brings some pass rush skills to the table. He was not a great pass rusher which is why he is no longer a 3-4 OLB.
Jbird, I would be all for them signing Ted Gin and PLax and just releasing Gilliard and trading Cooper for anything. I think Porter plays the slot or has experience at it but Im not sure…All we know is that they have plenty of money right now like 20 plus million in cap that they have to spend and it will be over 30 once they trade Samuel, no way they bring that trio back here again.
IM not a big fan of Landry either mainly because he can’t stay healthy, but he would be a significant upgrade here. I’ve been pleading on here for the EAgles to select MArk BArron as their 1st overall pick since I knew the safety position would be disappointing in FA…I think if they simply picked Barron and signed Tulloch this team would be so much better…But your prolly right man, their gonna sell us on Allen, Coleman, and Jarrett being the answer even thoguh we all know there is no way in hell you can win a superbowl with those safeties.