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Feast or famine
By DAN DUNKIN
Burlington County Times
Since Andy Reid became the Eagles' head coach in 1999, the franchise's hierarchy hasn't become the model for clairvoyantly astute drafting, as fans and media remind them. But with five NFC East titles during that span, the club has done a few things right.
One was getting their first pick in '99 right.
A former Eagles scout was in the war room the day the Eagles drafted unpolished but unbelievably gifted quarterback Donovan McNabb. The scout recalls dissenting opinions among his colleagues and the Eagles braintrust.
“You can't believe how close that was,” he said. “We had people in the draft room that wanted (quarterback) Akili Smith.”
Akili Smith is now playing in Canada. Running back Ricky Williams, many Eagle fans' first choice in '99 — as evidenced by the booing McNabb received upon selection — is hoping to return to the NFL from Canada following his one-year suspension for substance abuse.
It just shows you the Eagles did their homework, and while many of their draft picks since have rated Cs, Fs or incompletes, the Eagles have remained the class of a division elsewhere riddled with coaching changes, quarterback carousels and shaky drafting.
“They've had the best quarterback in the division for eight years, and you can go a long way with that,” said Ray Didinger, a senior producer at NFL films, Eagles historian, and Ricky Williams backer on draft day '99. “I give them tremendous credit for that, because it was by no means a consensus.”
That the Eagles won the division last year with Jeff Garcia taking over for an injured McNabb was seen by some fans as an indictment of McNabb. That's really a flimsy argument by a segment with which five-time Pro Bowler McNabb can never win. What the Eagles' late-season rally really underscored was an overall foundation more solid than that of their division rivals, a continuity built partly through drafting.
“Where they've been right, they've been very right,” Didinger said. “Overall their batting average is not terrific. They've wasted a lot of high picks. But they've been better than the rest of the division. The other teams have really botched this thing.”
“With the Eagles it seems like it's been boom or bust,” said Dan Shonka, general manager and national scout for Ourlads Scouting Services.
The Eagles' best top-end draft during the Reid era was 2002, when they selected Lito Sheppard, Sheldon Brown and Brian Westbrook in the first three rounds.
That's two solid cover cornerbacks and one of the NFL's most dynamic running backs.
The Eagles' 2005 draft netted four players currently listed first-string on the depth chart, not including defensive end Trent Cole, who performed well last year in place of injured Jevon Kearse. None appear to be future Pro Bowlers, but they look like dependable players. That draft marked an important comeback, because in the '04 and '03 drafts combined, only four of the 16 players the Eagles selected are still on the roster. Three are starters, with road-grader guard Shawn Andrews a formidable fixture.
“A lot of scouts I talked to didn't project him as a first-rounder,” said Didinger, noting Andrews' prior weight problems and the question of whether he could adapt to pass blocking.
It's too early to call the Eagles' 2006 draft a washout, but when only a fifth-rounder (linebacker Omar Gaither) was a significant contributor to a team coming off a 6-10 season, you worry about the future foundation. The most conspicuous non-factor was first-round pick Brodrick Bunkley, again pointing out the Eagles' problems finding a consistent defensive tackle a year after taking Mike Patterson in the first round.
The salary cap makes it difficult to sustain success, and though the Eagles have had some good fortune with free agents and trades, the draft has never been more crucial toward building for the long haul.
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By DAN DUNKIN
Burlington County Times
Since Andy Reid became the Eagles' head coach in 1999, the franchise's hierarchy hasn't become the model for clairvoyantly astute drafting, as fans and media remind them. But with five NFC East titles during that span, the club has done a few things right.
One was getting their first pick in '99 right.
A former Eagles scout was in the war room the day the Eagles drafted unpolished but unbelievably gifted quarterback Donovan McNabb. The scout recalls dissenting opinions among his colleagues and the Eagles braintrust.
“You can't believe how close that was,” he said. “We had people in the draft room that wanted (quarterback) Akili Smith.”
Akili Smith is now playing in Canada. Running back Ricky Williams, many Eagle fans' first choice in '99 — as evidenced by the booing McNabb received upon selection — is hoping to return to the NFL from Canada following his one-year suspension for substance abuse.
It just shows you the Eagles did their homework, and while many of their draft picks since have rated Cs, Fs or incompletes, the Eagles have remained the class of a division elsewhere riddled with coaching changes, quarterback carousels and shaky drafting.
“They've had the best quarterback in the division for eight years, and you can go a long way with that,” said Ray Didinger, a senior producer at NFL films, Eagles historian, and Ricky Williams backer on draft day '99. “I give them tremendous credit for that, because it was by no means a consensus.”
That the Eagles won the division last year with Jeff Garcia taking over for an injured McNabb was seen by some fans as an indictment of McNabb. That's really a flimsy argument by a segment with which five-time Pro Bowler McNabb can never win. What the Eagles' late-season rally really underscored was an overall foundation more solid than that of their division rivals, a continuity built partly through drafting.
“Where they've been right, they've been very right,” Didinger said. “Overall their batting average is not terrific. They've wasted a lot of high picks. But they've been better than the rest of the division. The other teams have really botched this thing.”
“With the Eagles it seems like it's been boom or bust,” said Dan Shonka, general manager and national scout for Ourlads Scouting Services.
The Eagles' best top-end draft during the Reid era was 2002, when they selected Lito Sheppard, Sheldon Brown and Brian Westbrook in the first three rounds.
That's two solid cover cornerbacks and one of the NFL's most dynamic running backs.
The Eagles' 2005 draft netted four players currently listed first-string on the depth chart, not including defensive end Trent Cole, who performed well last year in place of injured Jevon Kearse. None appear to be future Pro Bowlers, but they look like dependable players. That draft marked an important comeback, because in the '04 and '03 drafts combined, only four of the 16 players the Eagles selected are still on the roster. Three are starters, with road-grader guard Shawn Andrews a formidable fixture.
“A lot of scouts I talked to didn't project him as a first-rounder,” said Didinger, noting Andrews' prior weight problems and the question of whether he could adapt to pass blocking.
It's too early to call the Eagles' 2006 draft a washout, but when only a fifth-rounder (linebacker Omar Gaither) was a significant contributor to a team coming off a 6-10 season, you worry about the future foundation. The most conspicuous non-factor was first-round pick Brodrick Bunkley, again pointing out the Eagles' problems finding a consistent defensive tackle a year after taking Mike Patterson in the first round.
The salary cap makes it difficult to sustain success, and though the Eagles have had some good fortune with free agents and trades, the draft has never been more crucial toward building for the long haul.
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