People Need to Slow Down with Eagles

Can Vick Stay Healthy?

Full disclosure, I am somewhat a fan of Andy Reid and the Eagles as it was funny how people always under appreciated both when they went to 4 straight NFC championships along with losing a Super Bowl by 3 points to the team of the decade, the New England Patriots.  This is probably the same reason I have a soft spot for Donovan McNabb as well, who I thought doesn't get enough credit as he is never been a top 3 guy, but he has been a constant winner and good enough.  Anyway, back to the point of this post, which has to do with the Eagles.  I thought they were the only team that could have beat the Packers last year and came a terrible pick away by Vick away from that happening.  That being said, they have added some valuable pieces, but they are not head and shoulders above the rest.  Their offense is pretty much the same and the biggest factor is Vick staying healthy.  He gets beat up fairly often and this offense is pretty average without him as they have Mike Kafka as their backup, who I think could be good but not take them to the next level good.
Defensively,  Jason Babin and Cullen Jenkins will be the true key to their success.  The Eagles have had a tough time stopping the run in the past and this could finally be the answer.  As far as Nnamdi and DRC being added, that really only matters against teams such as the Saints and the Packers.  I don't see any of the three being on the bench so I still think Asante gets traded as they can't keep all 3 of these guys unless they create a new defense.  They will be good, but they didn't do anything that has made them some unstoppable force.  It will be interesting but I don't even think it is a shoe-in for them to get over 10.5 wins, which Vegas has them at.  If you are looking for locks in that regard, I like Houston going over 8.5 wins and Arizona going over 7 wins.  Take those to the bank.

Editor's note:  I know Vince Young is on this team, I would rather see Kafka be the backup than VY.

Say Hello to Nnamdi and Bye Bye to Asante

Just a couple of days ago I had a mentioned that Nnamdi would be paired with Asante and now it seems that I am only half right.   There is no way that the Eagles are keeping three of the top corners in the league and it would seem that Asante will be the odd man out.  He won't be as much of a cap hit as Nnamdi would have been so I think that the Texans and the Jets have been ringing the Eagles for the past couple of hours.  It just makes much more sense to keep Nnamdi and DRC as they are younger and can be kept together for a long time to come to terrorize NFC East receivers.  It is tough for me to swallow as I am an Asante fan and have come to admire the Eagles way, which is much like the Patriots without the Super Bowl wins.  They also picked up Jason Babin to help out the pass rush and now just need to bolster their linebacking corps to become a great all around defense as I don't think they have done enough to solidify their run defense.  Mark my words, in the next few days Asante will be wearing a new uniform and it might not be changing colors if you know what I mean.

The Texans not Cowboys are the Texas Team Ready to Make a Run

People always want to put the Cowboys in the Super Bowl for some reason.  In my opinion, they haven't even had a team that threatened to go deep in the playoffs.  A couple of years ago when they finally got a playoff win and people thought they could threaten, the Cowboys were quickly put to rest by the Vikings in a very one sided loss.
There is a team in Texas that could be a legitimate shot at making the Super Bowl and they have never even made the playoffs in their short time in the NFL.  The Houston Texans, coached by Gary Kubiak, who I am not a big fan of, will have a shot in my opinion.  This will be more relevant when they land Nnamdi Asomugha in the next couple of days.  I don't think there is any chance that Nnamdi goes to the Jets and the Eagles already have DRC, so that leaves the Texans despite the fact that they just picked up Jonathan Joseph.  If Houston picks up Nnamdi, this defense could be a top five defense in this league to go with a very good offense.  Look at the players that already are on the defense, Brian Cushing, Demeco Ryans, Mario Williams, Amobi Okoye, and now JJ and possibly Nnamdi. The defense will be coached by Wade Phillips who is very good, just not as a head coach. Good luck Peyton Manning going against these guys.
Houston is thought of as an offensive team, but they won't be for long with this defense.  Matt Schaub puts up good numbers, but there is no velocity on his throws so I don't like him as much as the rest of the world does, but he is good enough.  I guess when you have Andre Johnson to throw the ball to, it doesn't matter that much how much you put on the ball.  Arian Foster, the league's leading running back is back and he will be enough of a threat that this offense will put up very good numbers, especially considering the defense will be causing more turnovers.  The Texans will win the AFC South and make a run in the playoffs this year.

Win Win for Arizona and Philly

DRC is in the House

Kevin Kolb has been traded to the Arizona Cardinals as was much anticipated.  This was a likely move for the Cardinals as there were not many options out there.  I liked Bulger, but that would have been more likely if they had gone and drafted somebody in which he could have kept the seat warm for.  So Kolb to the Cardinals is the big news, unless your Tony Romo, Eli Manning, or whatever shitbum the Redskins decide to put out there, but let's be honest, it really wouldn't have made much of a difference if the Eagles were not getting a very good cornerback to put opposite a great cornerback in Asante Samuel against the Redskins.  Dominique Rodgers Cromartie, who is Antonio's cousin is a cheap version of Nnamdi Asomugha, which is exactly how the Eagles like it.  There is no need to spend too much money when you can get a very good one at much less of the cost.  Although, most of the buzz will be about Kolb, it is the Eagles who have really made their team much better.  They will have Mike Kafka as the backup for Vick now that Kolb is gone and I think the Eagles don't have a problem with that as they think he could be a very good quarterback at some point.  As long as Vick doesn't get hurt, the Eagles win the NFC East.

NFC North not as Clear Cut as Everybody Thinks

The Vikings made a good move, unlike drafting Christian Ponder, and picked up Donovan McNabb.  Donovan might only be there for the short term, but in my opinion he instantly makes them a playoff contender.  I don't think they will be going to the Super Bowl as Leslie Frazier is not Andy Reid.  The NFC North will be a lot tighter than people expect as all four teams (Vikings, Packers, Bears, Lions) have a shot at the playoffs.  That's right I said it, the Detroit Lions could be a playoff team if they can strengthen their defensive backfield and Matt Stafford can play for a full year.  I love their head coach Jim Schwartz.  He is a defensive minded guy who knows how to get his guys to play full tilt.  Have fun trying to run or pass with Suh and now Nick Fairley (first round draft pick from Auburn) on the defensive line.  Not sure if I see it in the cards for the Lions to land Nnamdi Asomugha, but that would sure up this defense in a second.   The problem is I don't think Nnamdi would ever go to the Lions as he has been with a losing team his whole career.  The Lions are in much better shape than the Raiders simply because they don't have Al Davis in their front office, but I still don't see Nnamdi going there.  It should be a much better division and one to watch as long as the key guys don't get hurt.

Nnamdi to the Jets is Not Good for anybody

Nnamdi won't be going to the Jets

Being from Boston, the idea of Nnamdi Asomugha going to the Jets is a somewhat scary proposition.  Tom Brady trying to throw at combinations of Darrelle Revis, Kyle Wilson, Dwight Lowery and now Asomugha is frightening.  This would go for just about any team that would face the Jets' defense, but the point of this blog is that it doesn't make too much sense for the Jets either.  You already have a very good to great defense and the only way I see them spending this much money on cornerback, as they would have the 2 highest paid in the NFL if they signed Nnamdi, would be strictly based on ego on trying to have the best defense.  The reason the Jets have not been able to get past the AFC championship the past 2 years has not been defense, it has been they have not generated enough offense in key spots.  This is the same reason that I stated last pre-season that Mark Sanchez is the true key to their success.  As long as Rex Ryan is their head coach, they will have a formidable defense especially with Revis on at least one side.
This is the NFL and not major league baseball, so teams can't go spending money like the Yankees do.  I think a more likely landing spot for Nnamdi would be the Texans and if there is a team that will overspend on the cornerback position, I think it would be the Eagles.  It would not make any sense for a team to spend so much on one position when they have to fix other positions.  Maybe the Jets can spend some of that money on shutting Bart Scott up for us.  Shappoww!

Plaxico Should be a Welcome Addition to Most Teams

Plaxico Burress, looking
for a job?

It would seem that a 33 year old wide receiver who has not been on an NFL field since 2008 would be a waste of time to sign, but I will give you a few reasons why this should not be the case.
First and foremost, most guys who come out of the clink are happy to be out despite the fact that it is difficult to find employment and in effect are starting their lives over to some degree.  Plaxico, is one of the lucky few that will be able to get right back into his former profession and make good money at the same time.  He has been dreaming of the moment that he gets to set foot on the field and help out the team smart enough to put their faith in Mr. Burress.  In this view, Plaxico will be indebted to this team at least for the first year and then if he does well, this conversation is out the window and will probably be about the cash money.  He is going to have to work hard for this money though, knowing he needs to have a good season before he makes the big money.
Another reason I think that he will be a welcome addition is that he will be physically back into the swing of things fairly quickly.  As a wide receiver, especially a tall leaper who sticks mostly to outside the hash marks, there will not be a big learning curve adjustment.  Coaches are not going to ask Plaxico to run option routes and think about where he should be vs certain defenses, they are going to say here is a jump ball go and get it for a bit until his feet are wet and then he will start learning the more complicated things.  Unlike running backs, wide receivers stick around the league a bit longer and can excel at advanced ages.  Look at TO, Derrick Mason and Steve Smith, and they don't have the benefit of having 2 years of rest on their body.
Most important to most teams and general managers is that he should be fairly cheap for a guy who scored 10 or more touchdown in his last 2 full seasons and was right around a 1,000 yards or more for the last 3.  That kind of production at value dollars, should be a go ahead for just about any team in this league.
So as long as somebody doesn't give this guy the moon, which would defeat the purpose of this article as he could then become lazy as he does not really have to work that hard to make big money.  I hope a team signs him for a year with an option for the next couple.  That would be smart in my opinion, but as we have seen there are plenty of dumb teams in this league as Plaxico's agent is very aware of.  I am sure his first calls were to Al Davis and Mike Brown.