Schefter: Eagles Sign Steve Smith

[Stash]

The Eagles' receiver situation doesn't look that rosy to me.

1) They have to hope that Smith will be able to contribute this season - maybe by midseason

2) Maclin has left camp while continuing to be plagued by a mysterious illness

3) and most importantly, How does anyone think that the team signing Steve Smith to a $4 million deal will sit with Desean Jackson who's making less than $1 million while playing at a Pro Bowl level?

Yet another example of the Eagles having no problems paying other teams' players while not paying their own. That has to make for a great locker room.

If Jackson doesn't get his deserved new contract before the season starts, I think he walks out.

 

[InmanRoshi]

I would be fairly surprised if Steve Smith plays this year. He didn't have some run of the mill knee injury, he had a microfracture surgery. Further, he had microfracture surgery at the very end of the season last year, meaning at this point he still has a long ways to go. Nobody knows Smith's injury better than the Giants ... their team doctors diagnosed the injury and monitored the surgery when it happened. Obviously they were hesitant to resign Smith.

Also, while I can name some players who came back from microfracture surgery who played linebacker or offensive/defensive line and still remained servicable players, I'm having a hard time coming up with a player who plays a speed based position like WR or CB who has.

Plus, the fact that the Eagles did this at the same time news breaks that Maclin is still having some mysterious health woes that they can't diagnose, it appears this was more of desperate wishful thinking signing than some hard calculated move.

 

[Joe Realist]

When Vick goes down for the season tonight, none of this will matter....

 

[Ren]

Will this guy even be ready to play this year, sounds like from reading about his injury he has the same problem Terry Glenn had in his last season and we all saw how well that turned out.
This is a huge gamble, but meh, it's not my money

 

[burntricersx]

DeSean's really not gonna get his money and now they have a backup plan if he holds out. That's gonna be one angry bird.

 

[Stash]

DeSean's really not gonna get his money and now they have a backup plan if he holds out. That's gonna be one angry bird.

He'll walk. And he should.

It's a joke that they'll pay everyone else but not their own.

He's greatly out-performed his deal at a 'Chris Johnson' level.

They can sign whoever else they'd like but they're not a Super Bowl team without him, and he and Drew Rosenhaus know that.

If he doesn't get his new deal by the end of the month, I'm betting he walks out.

Watch to see if Vick gets his contract extension soon. That will be the prelude to Jackson then getting his.

 

[rkstevens]

A few weeks ago ESPN had an Eagles beat reporter on and he said that Maclin contracted mono in February. It's hard to believe that he's still having issues with it 6 months later. And it seems like reports are calling it a mysterious or undisclosed illness now instead of calling it mono. Anyway, he said that Maclin had lost 20 lbs, which is a significant amount for a guy listed at 198 lbs. If he has had this condition for 6 months, one has to wonder what kind of shape he's in and his overall fitness level since mono includes feelings of fatigue. And if he hasn't been well enough to keep in shape, how sharp are his football skills going to be, especially being unable to practice? I'd be worried if I was an Eagle fan.

Amare Stoudemire had microfracture surgery before the beginning of the basketball season and pretty much missed the whole season. He tried to play a few games but called it quits. He played almost the entire season the following year. So it took him about a year to recover. I know basketball is different with more constant running and jumping on a hard court, but football requires quick bursts, lateral cuts and you get hit by 200+ pound guys wrapping their arms around your legs and dragging you down and hitting your body on grass or turf. It'll be interesting if Smith can recover in time to make a contribution. If I was Jackson and making $555,000 and saw this guy sitting on the bench making 4 times as much, I wouldn't be too happy. He's a free agent after this season unlike Chris Johnson so the Eagles would be smart to give him an extension -- hopefully they don't. He could also do the Vincent Jackson and Logan Mankins thing and sit out until Week 12 and still qualify for free agency next season. It's not like he'd be losing as much money as someone with a bigger contract.

 

[InmanRoshi]

A few weeks ago ESPN had an Eagles beat reporter on and he said that Maclin contracted mono in February. It's hard to believe that he's still having issues with it 6 months later.

Mono is tricky. The Cubs drafted a pitcher in the first round last year who threw in the mid-90s. He contracted mono and lost about 30 lbs. Now, a year, later he can barely get his fastball out of the mid-80s. The stamina and endurance issues have to be particularly hard for WRs, since their jobs is to basically run sprints at full speed repeatedly for 3 hours straight.

 

[dewby]

You've gotttt to ****ing be kidding me ....

 

[Chuck 54]

relax...steve smith didn't have many suitors...microfracture surgery...not sure when he'll be ready, if he'll be ready, likely not practicing.

Nope, we didn't need that....we hope for a good/great year, but we're building for the long haul, which is what everyone has wanted...patience, young padawan.

 

[dewby]

relax...steve smith didn't have many suitors...microfracture surgery...not sure when he'll be ready, if he'll be ready, likely not practicing.

Nope, we didn't need that....we hope for a good/great year, but we're building for the long haul, which is what everyone has wanted...patience, young padawan.

I'd rather have Steve Smith on the bench for half the season than have Roy Williams starting for three, for about $45 million dollars.

 

[dewby]

I'm not saying I wanted to sign him, I'm saying I'd rather it not have been the Eagles.

They will have Steve Smith, DeSean Jackson, and Jeremy Maclin as a solid trio by next year. Who's to say he's not healthy by week 4, contributes, and signs a 3 to 4 year deal in 2012?

 

[DOUBLE WING]

So Jerry gets bashed for sitting on his hands...and gets blasted for drafting a player that is injured...

but its ok to sign Smith and hope he is ready by mid season?

They're not banking much on him. It's a cheap one-year deal. They don't need him, but anything he gives them is gravy.

Much different situation than using a second or third round pick on an injured player. Those are the picks that should be future building blocks of your team.

 

[dewby]

They're not banking much on him. It's a cheap one-year deal. They don't need him, but anything he gives them is gravy.

Much different situation than using a second or third round pick on an injured player. Those are the picks that should be future building blocks of your team.

See above post.

 

[Meat-O-Rama]

I would have loved to have Smith, but there are a number of reasons he doesn't fit here.

A: Coming off microfracture surgery, won't be available until mid season at best.
B: He is not signing somewhere to be a number 3 receiver. If/when healthy he is a starter.

But go ahead, continue to gnash your teeth and bang your head against the wall because Jerry refuses to go out and sign somebody, anybody just so you'll have something to read about.

 

[victoriacowboy]

Ok, well, don't know what to say. Eagles got better, can't deny that.

The game is still played on the field not on paper! I would rather take the wait and see approach. I am not ready to crown the Eagles just yet!

Go COWBOYS!:starspin

 

[dewby]

There's an underlying reason for everything. He was injured all last year, they could sign him cheap this year. Who wouldn't want a healthy Steve Smith? Halfway through the season, he will be back, and.... on their team. Next year, why not sign him to a contract, and have one of the most lethal receiving trios in football?

They've played this offseason like a violin.

 

[dewby]

I would have loved to have Smith, but there are a number of reasons he doesn't fit here.

A: Coming off microfracture surgery, won't be available until mid season at best.
B: He is not signing somewhere to be a number 3 receiver. If/when healthy he is a starter.

But go ahead, continue to gnash your teeth and bang your head against the wall because Jerry refuses to go out and sign somebody, anybody just so you'll have something to read about.

I'm not sure who's complaining about us not signing him, but whoever they are, they're stupid.

I'm more concerned and complaining about the fact that it was the Eagles that did it. With all of the **** they've done this year, then they go out and get Smith from the Giants on a cheap *** contract in which they can let him play out til mid season, then most likely sign him on a solid contract next year.