L. Fitzgerald, R. Williams, B. Johnson and are in need of defensive line help.
So I'm starting this thread to track what they are doing....
Eagles trades are offensive all right
Sunday, March 09, 2008
BY MARK ECKEL
TIMES COLUMNIST
It was just about a year ago the Eagles made the trade with Buffalo that brought linebacker Takeo Spikes and quarterback Kelly Holcomb to the team in exchange for defensive tackle Darwin Walker and a draft pick.
Let's hope that draft pick worked out for the Bills, because nothing else did. Walker never played a down for Buffalo and was sent to Chicago for another pick.
As far as the Eagles, who were puffing their chests out after getting Spikes, uh, not so good, either.
Holcomb never threw a pass for them and left for Minnesota where he was not very good. Spikes, who has never played in playoff game, missed the postseason again last year and was unceremoniously cut this past week.
Don't you love the stock quote the Eagles pull out when they cut a player who didn't work out.
"We want to thank Takeo. He did a great job for us. We wish him well. Now, just get him the hell out of here."
Spikes followed another big-time Eagles acquisition, Jevon Kearse, through the NovaCare Complex's revolving door. Darren Howard's time will come a year from now, after he fails to become the inside third-down pass rusher the coaches think he is.
Which has to make you wonder just a little bit about cornerback Asante Samuel, doesn't it?
I mean people around the league aren't calling Lincoln Financial Field, "The place where Pro Bowl players go to die" for nothing.
Next up for the Eagles is getting rid of cornerback Lito Sheppard, since they handed his job and a whole bunch of Jeffrey Lurie's money to Samuel.
While the smart move would be to pair Sheppard and Samuel at cornerback and slide Sheldon Brown to safety to fix another hole on the team, nobody, at least nobody in this space, ever said the Eagles do the smart thing.
So they will trade Sheppard. Both head coach Andy Reid and team President Joe Banner told their favorite mouthpieces this week they are getting plenty of offers.
One could only hope those offers are as good as Spikes and Holcomb, or Kearse and Howard.
"I'm not sure what they can get for (Sheppard)," one personnel man, whose team is not interested, said. "He makes plays, but he gambles a lot and he gets hurt a lot. But you never know."
Sheppard has value. It's a matter of trusting the Eagles to know what value is and recent history says that's not easy to do.
Anyone who thought Sheppard and a second-round pick could land Arizona wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald probably thought Spikes was going to be a Pro Bowl player last year and Kearse was going to lead the league in sacks.
If the Eagles really want Fitzgerald (and here's a tip, he's really good and he's really young and he would really help) give the Cards whatever they want: Sheppard, the 19th pick in the draft, next year's No. 1 pick. See if they'll take Howard, too.
Or Jerome McDougle.
Or Winston Justice.
Or Greg Lewis.
If Arizona refuses to budge -- and the Cards would be crazy to move Fitzgerald, then again there's a reason they have been to the postseason once in about the past 100 years -- then what?
A quick look around the league shows that most of the teams that need help at cornerback are in the NFC East, and the Eagles wouldn't, they wouldn't, right? No.
Other teams who might bite include New Orleans, Detroit, Tampa Bay, Atlanta (if it trades DeAngelo Hall), Houston, the Jets and New England. The question remains what the Eagles get in return.
Detroit wide receiver Roy Williams would be the most attractive piece from that lot, but it would take more than Sheppard to land him.
The Eagles best bet is probably to use Sheppard and the 19th pick and move up in the draft.
New Orleans (No. 10), the Jets (No. 6) and New England (No. 7) all own top 10 picks.
Trade Sheppard to New England to replace Samuel and maybe get the Pats to throw in wide receiver Jabar Gaffney. He worked out pretty well for the Eagles in the past.
The Eagles have thrown Reggie Brown into the trade talks, not sure if the 2nd rounder is still on the table.
Philly really hasn't done much the off-season so far when you really look at it