Why the Eagles are Struggling: A look back at the offseason
As I noted earlier, Mark Eckel has an uncharacteristically insightful column on the Eagles current woes. His lede: “The Eagles' front office and personnel staff, armed with almost as much arrogance as salary cap room, built a 53-man roster that might be costing them as they go into the bye week at 3-2.”
Some of the Eagles’ problems have to do with coaching and philosophy. These, hopefully, can be fixed. But the Eagles biggest problem this year is simple: talent. They simply are not as talented this year as they were last year. That’s a same since they had an opportunity to not only stay level, but take the next step, a step that would have made them Super Bowl favorites.
The Eagles’ situation as they entered the 2005 offseason:
They had just dominated the NFC and come oh-so-close to beating the Patriots in the Super Bowl.
They had $14 million in cap space.
They had extra (high) 2nd, (mid) 3rd, and (high) 5th round picks.
They had several important UFAs:
Jeremiah Trotter
Keith Adams
Ike Reese
Derrick Burgess
Jermane Mayberry
Correll Buckhalter
Corey Simon (Franchise Tag)
And one important RFA in Brain Westbrook.
(Less important FAs included Ian Allen, Jon Ritchie, Dorsey Levens and Hugh Douglas).
The Eagles also had some obvious holes that, had they been filled, could have changed the complexion of this team: an every-down defensive end opposite Jevon Kearse, a Reggie Wayne type #2 WR opposite Terrell Owens, an athletic, playmaking WIL linebacker, a talented power back to complement Brian Westbrook, and a stud run blocking guard or center to replace Artis Hicks or Hank Fraley.
Retaining Free Agents:
The Eagles concentrated almost solely on their own free agents. Resigning Trotter was their biggest success; losing him would have been a big blow to the defense. Bringing Adams back was also an important move, if only to keep Marc Simoneau out of the starting lineup. By bringing Buckhalter back, however, was a mistake. Counting on the obviously injury prone Buckhalter allowed the Eagles to ignore an obvious need at RB.
As for the ones who got away, letting Burgess sign his $17.5 million dollar deal with the Raiders was the right move, since ND Kalu is capable of filling the same role (which should not be starting). Letting Mayberry collect his $8 million bonus and walk to the New Orleans was also the right move, as Andrews was ready to take his place.
The two big mistakes were Ike Reese and Corey Simon.
The Falcons offered Reese an opportunity to compete for a starting job (something he’s only now getting a chance to do with Ed Hartwell’s injury), something the Eagles couldn’t. Still, Reese was open to staying with the Eagles if the price was right. The Eagles decided that since he was a backup, Reese wasn’t worth the price. They underestimated his importance on special teams and are now paying the price.
Letting Corey Simon walk for nothing was the bigger, and more inexplicable mistake. The Eagles and their apologists offer all sorts of excuses (Mike Patterson is better, Simon wasn’t worth the franchise tender, etc) and point to the team’s track record of letting talented but older players walk. But these excuses don’t hold water. You simply can’t let a commodity like a pro bowl defensive tackle walk away for nothing. Two teams offered the Eagles a 2nd and 3rd round pick for Simon. He obviously had value. Mike Patterson looks great, but that is irrelevant. The Eagles could have had Mike Patterson and Corey Simon or Mike Patterson and two draft picks. Simon might not be worth $5 million, but with $14 million in cap space, the Eagles could afford a one year, no signing bonus deal. Trading Simon would have been the ideal scenario, but failing that, they should have let him sit until he signed the tender.
Acquiring Other Free Agents:
This was the Eagles’ biggest failure. The Eagles had the cap space to add perhaps two, but more likely one, impact players to this team. Not another Terrell Owens, but a good starter who could have improved this team. Here is a list of some free agents who were available:
DE:
Reggie Hayward
Darren Howard (Franchised – trade required)
RB:
Najeh Davenport (RFA – 4th round pick compensation)
OG:
Joe Andruzzi
Rick DeMulling
Marco Rivera
Mike Wahle
WR:
Plaxico Buress
Derrick Mason
LB:
Kendrell Bell
In my opinion, Reggie Hayward or Darren Howard would have been slam dunk additions. Najeh Davenport or Derrick Mason could have changed the face of this offense. Any one of Andruzzi, DeMulling, Rivera or Wahle would have improved the line. Bell would have added a play maker on D.
The Eagles pursued only one of these players: Kendrell Bell, and only as a replacement for Trotter (when Trotter resigned Bell’s scheduled visit was cancelled). The Eagles’ only signing: Mike McMahon.
Instead of adding one or two impact players, the Eagles took $12 million in cap space into the season. $12 million of cap space that remains unused. Hopefully Joe Banner will use that space to resign Brian Westbrook and Mike Lewis to long-term deals, and I’m all for that forward thinking approach. But when you have a team that might be only a player or two away from a Super Bowl championship, you have to seize the opportunity.
The Draft:
The Eagles only real additions to this team came through the draft. The team has always used the draft to build for the future, and that is the right approach, so expecting a huge impact from their draftees in not realistic. Still, because they didn’t add any free agents, this was the Eagles’ only avenue to improvement. Not surprisingly, it hasn’t happened.
Mike Patterson has looked good so far, leading the Birds’ with two sacks. He was a good pick and will hopefully continue to make a difference. After him, there’s not much. Reggie Brown was hyped big time by the Eagles coaching staff during training camp, but he has been nearly invisible as the #3 WR so far. Matt McCoy was simply a wasted pick. He won’t make an impact for this team this year, or in the future. Ryan Moats was the Eagles’ best pick but he has yet to see the field. The Birds need to find a way to get him on the field.
More disappointingly, the Eagles stood pat. Instead of using their excess picks to trade up for a Derrick Johnson or Mark Clayton, they made no real moves.
The Result
As Ellick and I have continually pointed out, the leadership of this team is stubborn and arrogant. They have been generally successful, but that success has led them to believe their own hype and, as a result, they became insular and inflexible. They believed they were smarter than everyone else and, gosh darn, they were going to show everyone just how smart they were.
The Eagles still have a chance to do well this year. But if they don’t look no further than that arrogance for the reason.
Some of the Eagles’ problems have to do with coaching and philosophy. These, hopefully, can be fixed. But the Eagles biggest problem this year is simple: talent. They simply are not as talented this year as they were last year. That’s a same since they had an opportunity to not only stay level, but take the next step, a step that would have made them Super Bowl favorites.
The Eagles’ situation as they entered the 2005 offseason:
They had just dominated the NFC and come oh-so-close to beating the Patriots in the Super Bowl.
They had $14 million in cap space.
They had extra (high) 2nd, (mid) 3rd, and (high) 5th round picks.
They had several important UFAs:
Jeremiah Trotter
Keith Adams
Ike Reese
Derrick Burgess
Jermane Mayberry
Correll Buckhalter
Corey Simon (Franchise Tag)
And one important RFA in Brain Westbrook.
(Less important FAs included Ian Allen, Jon Ritchie, Dorsey Levens and Hugh Douglas).
The Eagles also had some obvious holes that, had they been filled, could have changed the complexion of this team: an every-down defensive end opposite Jevon Kearse, a Reggie Wayne type #2 WR opposite Terrell Owens, an athletic, playmaking WIL linebacker, a talented power back to complement Brian Westbrook, and a stud run blocking guard or center to replace Artis Hicks or Hank Fraley.
Retaining Free Agents:
The Eagles concentrated almost solely on their own free agents. Resigning Trotter was their biggest success; losing him would have been a big blow to the defense. Bringing Adams back was also an important move, if only to keep Marc Simoneau out of the starting lineup. By bringing Buckhalter back, however, was a mistake. Counting on the obviously injury prone Buckhalter allowed the Eagles to ignore an obvious need at RB.
As for the ones who got away, letting Burgess sign his $17.5 million dollar deal with the Raiders was the right move, since ND Kalu is capable of filling the same role (which should not be starting). Letting Mayberry collect his $8 million bonus and walk to the New Orleans was also the right move, as Andrews was ready to take his place.
The two big mistakes were Ike Reese and Corey Simon.
The Falcons offered Reese an opportunity to compete for a starting job (something he’s only now getting a chance to do with Ed Hartwell’s injury), something the Eagles couldn’t. Still, Reese was open to staying with the Eagles if the price was right. The Eagles decided that since he was a backup, Reese wasn’t worth the price. They underestimated his importance on special teams and are now paying the price.
Letting Corey Simon walk for nothing was the bigger, and more inexplicable mistake. The Eagles and their apologists offer all sorts of excuses (Mike Patterson is better, Simon wasn’t worth the franchise tender, etc) and point to the team’s track record of letting talented but older players walk. But these excuses don’t hold water. You simply can’t let a commodity like a pro bowl defensive tackle walk away for nothing. Two teams offered the Eagles a 2nd and 3rd round pick for Simon. He obviously had value. Mike Patterson looks great, but that is irrelevant. The Eagles could have had Mike Patterson and Corey Simon or Mike Patterson and two draft picks. Simon might not be worth $5 million, but with $14 million in cap space, the Eagles could afford a one year, no signing bonus deal. Trading Simon would have been the ideal scenario, but failing that, they should have let him sit until he signed the tender.
Acquiring Other Free Agents:
This was the Eagles’ biggest failure. The Eagles had the cap space to add perhaps two, but more likely one, impact players to this team. Not another Terrell Owens, but a good starter who could have improved this team. Here is a list of some free agents who were available:
DE:
Reggie Hayward
Darren Howard (Franchised – trade required)
RB:
Najeh Davenport (RFA – 4th round pick compensation)
OG:
Joe Andruzzi
Rick DeMulling
Marco Rivera
Mike Wahle
WR:
Plaxico Buress
Derrick Mason
LB:
Kendrell Bell
In my opinion, Reggie Hayward or Darren Howard would have been slam dunk additions. Najeh Davenport or Derrick Mason could have changed the face of this offense. Any one of Andruzzi, DeMulling, Rivera or Wahle would have improved the line. Bell would have added a play maker on D.
The Eagles pursued only one of these players: Kendrell Bell, and only as a replacement for Trotter (when Trotter resigned Bell’s scheduled visit was cancelled). The Eagles’ only signing: Mike McMahon.
Instead of adding one or two impact players, the Eagles took $12 million in cap space into the season. $12 million of cap space that remains unused. Hopefully Joe Banner will use that space to resign Brian Westbrook and Mike Lewis to long-term deals, and I’m all for that forward thinking approach. But when you have a team that might be only a player or two away from a Super Bowl championship, you have to seize the opportunity.
The Draft:
The Eagles only real additions to this team came through the draft. The team has always used the draft to build for the future, and that is the right approach, so expecting a huge impact from their draftees in not realistic. Still, because they didn’t add any free agents, this was the Eagles’ only avenue to improvement. Not surprisingly, it hasn’t happened.
Mike Patterson has looked good so far, leading the Birds’ with two sacks. He was a good pick and will hopefully continue to make a difference. After him, there’s not much. Reggie Brown was hyped big time by the Eagles coaching staff during training camp, but he has been nearly invisible as the #3 WR so far. Matt McCoy was simply a wasted pick. He won’t make an impact for this team this year, or in the future. Ryan Moats was the Eagles’ best pick but he has yet to see the field. The Birds need to find a way to get him on the field.
More disappointingly, the Eagles stood pat. Instead of using their excess picks to trade up for a Derrick Johnson or Mark Clayton, they made no real moves.
The Result
As Ellick and I have continually pointed out, the leadership of this team is stubborn and arrogant. They have been generally successful, but that success has led them to believe their own hype and, as a result, they became insular and inflexible. They believed they were smarter than everyone else and, gosh darn, they were going to show everyone just how smart they were.
The Eagles still have a chance to do well this year. But if they don’t look no further than that arrogance for the reason.
posted by ahb at 11:55 PM
1 Comments:
Stuck on Simon. Thats your new name.
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