Post Draft Review

Reporting to you live from my desk at work, it's the Eagles post draft coverage. It was surprising to me anyway, that Lito Sheppard was still an Eagle Sunday night. I was pleased with the Eagles draft picks, and moves. So, let's get down and dirty shall we?

Round 1. 19th over all pick was traded to the Panthers in return for their fist round pick next year. Barring any NFL infractions the Birds should have two first round picks in the 2009 NFL Draft. Sounds good to me. Depending on the outcome of the upcoming season this could provide a plethora of options.

Round 2. Traded the 43rd pick to Minnesota, then took Trevor Laws (47th) and Desean Jackson (49th). Adding another defensive tackle to our rotation is a good idea. Even if Laws doesn't make an immediate impact, at least it will keep fresh legs on the field. Picking DeSean Jackson wasn't a bad move. He should make an immediate impact on special teams as a return man. Which is an area that we have needed some help in for some time now, and as far as being a receiver he can be a play maker. According to most analysts Jackson could see some time as a slot receiver. We could still use an outside threat though.

Round 3. We picked up defensive end Bryan Smith out of McNeese State. I don't really know much about him, but his player bio seems promising. He could assume that Joker Position in Jim Johnson's defense that belonged to Kearse previously.

Round 4. We picked up a couple of guys in the fourth round. Offensive tackle Mike McGlynn from Pitt. A possible replacement for Winston Justice? Then we traded the 115th overall pick to Miami for 2nde year running back Lorenzo Booker. Booker is a Westbrook type back out of Florida State. This create some competition in camp for Ryan Moats. The Eagles addressed a the eventual replacement of "Weapon X" by drafting Quentin Demps out of UTEP. I liked Kenny Phillips out of Miami, but Demps appears to be a great competitor. In 2007 he led the NCAA in interceptions with 17. We bolstered our second staff with corner back Jack Ikegwuonufrom Wisconsin. Reading this guys bio, makes wonder what was going through their heads when drafting him.

Round 5. We traded away the 152 pick to Minnesota.

Round 6. Eagles picked up guard Mike Gibson out of Cal. Beefing up the offensive line is always a good decision. You can never have too many hog mollies. Am I wrong? Then we traded the 191st pick, and added linebackers Joe Mays and Andy Studebaker. Mays is consider to be a heavy hitter, and Studebaker a sack machine. Adding guys like always seems to be a good idea.

Round 7. Birds traded 224th pick to Buffalo, and added offensive tackle King Dunlap with the 230th pick.

So, with the draft finally wrapped up, I feel that that Eagles did a solid job, and didn't waste anything. They addressed the secondary, and bolstered the offensive and front seven on defense. Lito Sheppard is still an Eagle for now, but who knows what will happen between now, and camp. I give this draft a B. What are your thoughts?

Going Green

The Kansas City Chiefs company memo for Tuesday 4/22/2008 reads as follows:

As many of you know today is Earth Day. We here at the Kansas City Chiefs care about our planet. To demonstrate this care we are going to trade defensive end Jared Allen to the Philadelphia Eagles!

Regards,
The Front Office.

OK, so I may have embellished a tiny bit, but the Eagles are testing the trade waters for Allen. Although, this is not the move that Eagles fans (myself included) have been calling for, it would be a good move. At 24 he still has his prime ahead of him, and he is a sack machine tallying 43 of them bad boys in 4 seasons in the NFL. I'm sure that Jim Johnson could pencil a guy like Allen into his blitzing scheme.

The Chiefs want picks for Allen, and we have 11 of them. However, It would seem that we are not going to give up that 19th overall pick. The Eagles have offered picks, and Sheppard (No surprise there) according to sources.

What do you guys think? Questions, comments, Chad Johnson=Championship!

There's nothing to be worried about

It appears that defensive tackle Mike Patterson will not be suspended by the NFL after getting busted for Marijuana possession 2 months ago. The possession charges were dropped, and he only received a fine for careless driving.

Breathe easy Eagle fans. That is one less position that the Eagles have an immediate concern at.

This may have been the worst entry ever. I got nothing, but I will return with a vengeance!

The law of the land

The votes are in, and here are the rule changes for 2008! A change in the playoff format is out. A new dot is in. Coin toss takes on a hip new image. It's now actually a force out rule. If you are going to grab my face, you had better make it worth it.

A proposal to change the playoff format so that home field advantage is determined by record was shot down faster than Dick Cheyney's hunting partner. The owner's didn't even vote on the proposal, because it didn't have enough support. Giants co-owner John Mara said , "I was surprised at how little support there was," said Mara, who had championed the idea. "Clearly, opponents of that rule had done their lobbying behind the scenes and were very effective." The Seahawks organization has done their job, and they can rest easy out in the NFC West.

Like the Seattle Seahawks, people who have a fear of, "Dead Air" can rest easy. There's a new dot in town. If you watched a football game (especially on Fox) last season there was no escape from the, "Green Dot." In 2008 a designated defensive player will have a communication device in his helmet too. To avoid confusion, I suggest they use a pink dot to designate this player.

The Another rule change that is going to take place next season is the right to defer. If a teams wins the coin toss, they can defer until the second half. Defer??? Don't you get the same result by choosing to kick, instead of receive? Not going to lie, I'm a little perplexed by this one.

Speaking of receiving, the, "Force Out" rule finally lives up to the title. Receivers must get both feet down in bounds, unless they are forced out of bounds physically by another player. I think that this is a great rule change. To all of the receivers out there, I suggest you invest in some ballet lessons.

Last of the rule changes for 2008 is the elimination of the 5-yard incidental contact with the facemask. It's a 15 yard penalty if there is any, "twisting, grabbing or illegal use". They are going to put more emphasis on offensive players using the facemask to avoid tackles as well. I was never a fan of the incidental contact calls. It's a physical game, and players shouldn't have to shy away from contact, because they might accidentally make contact with the facemask.

So that's it for the rule changes. Overall I think that they are positive changes, and will make for better football. Except that coin toss one... Hope that this helps you get through your Thursday.

In other Football news:
-L.J. Smith signs his one year tender with the Eagles. He's getting a 4.5 million dollar salary for 2008. If he is able to stay healthy and return to form. Lock him up!
-Chris Henry surrenders to police on charges of punching an 18 year old kid in the face, and breaking his car windshield with a beer bottle. Chris, I hope that you have Pacman's phone number on speed dial. Perhaps, he can offer you some suggestion on what do you with yourself while you sit out 16 games..... The Birds can waive goodbye to the possibility of trading for Chad Johnson.
-Roy Williams wants to play in Dallas.... It has to be the Jumbotron that has every player in the NFL wanting to play in Dallas. Off the record...... That stadium is going to be bad ass!

Chicks Man....

We all should have seen this one coming, Matt Leinart caught partying with college chicks. It was inevitable. After winning a national title, and the Heisman, he decided to stay in school. A refreshing, and commendable decision in this era of big money sports. He knew that he was the man. Imagine him strolling around campus ("Staying Alive" blaring in the background). They guy wants to have fun. There's nothing wrong with that. After giving Leinart the company chastising as is standard operating procedure, I bet coach Whisenhunt asked him if, "he tapped that ass?"
Oh, for those of you who are concerned about the fact the that some of those girls weren't 21. don't be! Clearly you must have never gone to or hosted a party in college. It's not his fault. They would be doing that anyway!

The Eagles were awarded three compensatory picks in this year's draft. They resigned Joselio Hanson to a one year deal too.