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http://www.yardbarker.com/nfl/articles/Gap_between_Birds_rest_of_East_looks_that_much_wider/127819
HA says alot!! VOLUMES loud & clear front office!!!!!!
For the Philadelphia Eagles, the mission became a little more clear, and a little more urgent, at just about the time Eli Manning made like another No. 10 from another era of New York Giants quarterbacking -- Fran Tarkenton.
His pocket a rumor, Patriots pass rushers clawing at him, Manning scurried out of trouble as the final seconds of Super Bowl XLII ticked down, then aimed a pass in the general direction of wide receiver David Tyree, who made an impossible catch.
The winning touchdown strike -- an easy play by comparison, and one reminiscent of a throw Manning made to beat the Birds in overtime in 2006 -- came soon after. And maybe it's just me, but the mountain the Eagles have to climb suddenly looks a little steeper, a little more forbidding.
The NFC East's last-place finisher to begin with, they now find themselves in a division featuring not only the team that owned the conference's best record this season (Dallas), but also the Super Bowl champion. (Not to mention a Commanders team that made the playoffs. And if you're scoring at home, the tally board now has the division's other three teams with at least three Super Bowl victories apiece. The Eagles, meanwhile, still have lots of room in their trophy case.)
So the cries for roster renovations, most notably by Donovan McNabb, must be heeded. There is a need to do something dramatic, a need to keep pace in such fast company.
More playmakers? Yeah. Obviously. And not just in the obvious spots, like wide receiver and tight end. Also on defense. Unless, of course, you've forgotten that the Eagles were last in the league in forcing turnovers (19). Or you failed to notice the pass-rush pressure the Giants brought not only Sunday night, but all year.
In the final analysis, Steve Spagnuolo out-Jim Johnsoned his former mentor. And that wasn't so much an X-and-O issue as a personnel issue; the Giants have an all-time pass rusher in Michael Strahan, an up-and-comer in Osi Umenyiora and a gem in Justin Tuck. (And not to be forgotten is the injured Mathias Kiwanuka.)
The Cowboys? Same deal -- playmakers everywhere. Tearful Terrell Owens, Jason Witten and Marion Barber on offense. DeMarcus Ware and Greg Ellis on defense. And, as McNabb likes to say, the list goes on.
Where do the Birds start their rebuilding? Good question, and one that involves rappelling into the chasm between truth and fiction.
Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona's star receiver, said in an interview with a Philadelphia radio station last Tuesday that while he likes playing for the Cardinals, he wouldn't mind suiting up for the Eagles were the two teams to ever talk trade.
A day later, New England receiver Donté Stallworth, likely to become a free agent if the Pats decline to give him a hefty roster bonus, wouldn't rule out a return to the Birds, for whom he played last season. (That prompted the Philadelphia Daily News to go with this overheated headline: ''Catch You Later?'')
And on Sunday, ESPN reported that the Ravens and new coach John Harbaugh, the former Eagles assistant, are ''seriously considering'' pursuing McNabb in a trade.
One at a time, with the last report first. The Eagles have repeatedly said McNabb will be the quarterback in 2008. While it is possible the Ravens can put together an attractive package, starting with the No. 8 pick in the draft, it's going to take a lot to sway the Birds. Figure it's about 80-20 against anything ever happening.
It seems even less likely that Fitzgerald or Stallworth will be donning midnight green next season. Fitzgerald is signed for two more years, at nearly $32 million, making a trade problematic. And while Stallworth has big-play ability, don't the Eagles need a bigger receiver -- like, say, free agent Bryant Johnson, late of the Cards?
At tight end, the best solution might be to re-sign L.J. Smith, seeing as there don't seem to be any attractive options out there. And Bengals free agent Justin Smith wouldn't appear to be a bad fit at defensive end.
Everything remains in flux, really, as does the division. Will Spagnuolo return to the Giants? The Commanders will reportedly interview him for their head coaching vacancy today. Will Strahan retire? And what's up with injured tight end Jeremy Shockey? Team guy that he is, he watched the Super Bowl from a luxury box, not the sideline. And Eli certainly seemed a lot more comfortable without him.
As for Dallas, we can only wonder how Jerry Jones feels about his coach, 'Ade Phillips (no career Ws in the playoffs). Or, for that matter, whether T.O. has wrung out his crying towel yet.
But both those teams are starting at a point superior to that of the Birds. And now it's a matter of whether they can make up ground.
Original Story: http://www.mcall.com:80/sports/all-jones....
HA says alot!! VOLUMES loud & clear front office!!!!!!
For the Philadelphia Eagles, the mission became a little more clear, and a little more urgent, at just about the time Eli Manning made like another No. 10 from another era of New York Giants quarterbacking -- Fran Tarkenton.
His pocket a rumor, Patriots pass rushers clawing at him, Manning scurried out of trouble as the final seconds of Super Bowl XLII ticked down, then aimed a pass in the general direction of wide receiver David Tyree, who made an impossible catch.
The winning touchdown strike -- an easy play by comparison, and one reminiscent of a throw Manning made to beat the Birds in overtime in 2006 -- came soon after. And maybe it's just me, but the mountain the Eagles have to climb suddenly looks a little steeper, a little more forbidding.
The NFC East's last-place finisher to begin with, they now find themselves in a division featuring not only the team that owned the conference's best record this season (Dallas), but also the Super Bowl champion. (Not to mention a Commanders team that made the playoffs. And if you're scoring at home, the tally board now has the division's other three teams with at least three Super Bowl victories apiece. The Eagles, meanwhile, still have lots of room in their trophy case.)
So the cries for roster renovations, most notably by Donovan McNabb, must be heeded. There is a need to do something dramatic, a need to keep pace in such fast company.
More playmakers? Yeah. Obviously. And not just in the obvious spots, like wide receiver and tight end. Also on defense. Unless, of course, you've forgotten that the Eagles were last in the league in forcing turnovers (19). Or you failed to notice the pass-rush pressure the Giants brought not only Sunday night, but all year.
In the final analysis, Steve Spagnuolo out-Jim Johnsoned his former mentor. And that wasn't so much an X-and-O issue as a personnel issue; the Giants have an all-time pass rusher in Michael Strahan, an up-and-comer in Osi Umenyiora and a gem in Justin Tuck. (And not to be forgotten is the injured Mathias Kiwanuka.)
The Cowboys? Same deal -- playmakers everywhere. Tearful Terrell Owens, Jason Witten and Marion Barber on offense. DeMarcus Ware and Greg Ellis on defense. And, as McNabb likes to say, the list goes on.
Where do the Birds start their rebuilding? Good question, and one that involves rappelling into the chasm between truth and fiction.
Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona's star receiver, said in an interview with a Philadelphia radio station last Tuesday that while he likes playing for the Cardinals, he wouldn't mind suiting up for the Eagles were the two teams to ever talk trade.
A day later, New England receiver Donté Stallworth, likely to become a free agent if the Pats decline to give him a hefty roster bonus, wouldn't rule out a return to the Birds, for whom he played last season. (That prompted the Philadelphia Daily News to go with this overheated headline: ''Catch You Later?'')
And on Sunday, ESPN reported that the Ravens and new coach John Harbaugh, the former Eagles assistant, are ''seriously considering'' pursuing McNabb in a trade.
One at a time, with the last report first. The Eagles have repeatedly said McNabb will be the quarterback in 2008. While it is possible the Ravens can put together an attractive package, starting with the No. 8 pick in the draft, it's going to take a lot to sway the Birds. Figure it's about 80-20 against anything ever happening.
It seems even less likely that Fitzgerald or Stallworth will be donning midnight green next season. Fitzgerald is signed for two more years, at nearly $32 million, making a trade problematic. And while Stallworth has big-play ability, don't the Eagles need a bigger receiver -- like, say, free agent Bryant Johnson, late of the Cards?
At tight end, the best solution might be to re-sign L.J. Smith, seeing as there don't seem to be any attractive options out there. And Bengals free agent Justin Smith wouldn't appear to be a bad fit at defensive end.
Everything remains in flux, really, as does the division. Will Spagnuolo return to the Giants? The Commanders will reportedly interview him for their head coaching vacancy today. Will Strahan retire? And what's up with injured tight end Jeremy Shockey? Team guy that he is, he watched the Super Bowl from a luxury box, not the sideline. And Eli certainly seemed a lot more comfortable without him.
As for Dallas, we can only wonder how Jerry Jones feels about his coach, 'Ade Phillips (no career Ws in the playoffs). Or, for that matter, whether T.O. has wrung out his crying towel yet.
But both those teams are starting at a point superior to that of the Birds. And now it's a matter of whether they can make up ground.
Original Story: http://www.mcall.com:80/sports/all-jones....
