Sportsfrog.com

Geoff Mosher writing an NFL notes column for delawareonline with this among other notes:

* Multiple league sources have told me that they anticipate the Eagles paying Vick’s 1.5 roster bonus and holding onto Vick for as long as possible to get the best available offer. Shelling out $1.5 million is hardly unreasonable if the team gets a third-or fourth-round pick in return.

* League sources familiar with the Eagles’ thinking believe that the team will prioritize business over football in its quarterback decision – meaning they’ll deal McNabb for the offer, even if they believe he’s still a championship-caliber quarterback. One source said the Eagles’ front office is divided about its two QBs.

As for the 1.5 million to stay in the Mike Vick business, hey, it’s not my money. Burn away. It’s the last part that has me Lol’ing. If there is any truth to the Eagles front office being divided between Kolb being the best long-term option for the team and instead thinking Vick is, well, then the vast majority of teams that need quarterbacks should swoop in and try to talk Kolb off the Eagles. And if there is a scenario where the Eagles hitch their wagon for 2010 to Vick over Kolb I would be highly entertained by that decision-making. And then some.

…which would mean the Cardinals (and Ravens) are massively hosed today.

Bengals fall in their re-match. Eagles get thumped in their re-match. Phil Sheridan in the Philly Inquirer not feeling Andy Reid and Donovan McNabb this morning. In Cincinnati, Paul Dagherty in the Enquirer jumping fast into the growing Carson Palmer ain’t all that bus.

As for me? Eh. I’ve said repeatedly that the Bengals’ year far out-stripped any reasonable expectations I had. I would have dearly loved for them to find a way to win yesterday to stop that stupid have-not-won-a-playoff-game-in-19 years thing, but when you play as flatline dumb as they did against a good football team, losses happen.

As for what ails the Bengals offense, it is not Carson Palmer. Start with the offensive coordinator and a receiving corp behind Chad Johnson that is decidedly not good. Both of those things are fixable. Good organizations fix such things. We shall see if the Bengals have decided to finally be a good organization.

(From Ljam3. I couldn’t do a “you know who this is” thing here because we’ve got a bazillion Eagles fans. And remember, you guys can thank me for Jeremy Maclin.)

This was supposed to be a fun preview. I was going to write it in my baby daughter’s voice to get ready for her second season of NFL picks. But NOOOOO. Reality had to show up. The critical element in the Eagles’ success for the last decade loses his battle with cancer. The starting Mike blows his ACL in the second day in training camp. The new LT resembles a sumo who has never played the game before. The first team units looked undisciplined the entire preseason. Hmm. Am I forgetting anything?

Oh yeah. My team signed a convicted member of organized crime.

So instead of a cute preview of a bona fide championship contender who led the NFL in DVOA last year, you’re going to get the classic Eagles-fan best case/worst case scenario that every fan vacillates about 800 times a season.

OFFENSIVE LINE
I was originally excited about the sneaky offseason trade of past Pro Bowler Buffalo Bill Jason Peters to man the blind side. With Peters and the newly-acquired RG Stacey Andrews added to LG Todd Herremans, C Jamal Jackson, and the return past Pro Bowler and all-around mauler RG Shaun Andrews to RT, the line supposedly got better and younger at the same time. Now, after 2 preseason games, Peters looks like a liability in pass coverage, Herremans looks plain mediocre (and likely out Week One), and The Big Kid is talking that by Week One, he might be ready from back surgery, ready to “sell out like a Michael Jackson concert”, or he’ll be playing Xbox 360. (That last line is not a joke).

RUNNING BACKS
Yeah! Brian Westbrook! 1300 yards from scrimmage, 14 TD. Fantasy excellence! Wait a second… his YPC dropped three years in a row? He had a knee scope AND a high ankle sprain in the offseason? He turns 30 before the season starts???!! Well, what about the backups? LeSean McCoy… can’t pass block. Leonard Weaver… good blocker and a good pass catcher for a FB. Maybe we ARE doing the right thing limiting the running plays.

WIDE RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS
For the first time in a while, I am pleased with the pass-catching depth on the Birds. While no receivers or tight ends are in the Fitz/Andre/Calvin/Gonzo/Gates level, they all have their roles. DeSean Jackson works as a raw Steve Smith-type – speedy guys who excel at both deep passes and short hitches and screens – but 16% of the balls thrown his way last year were defensed. Kevin Curtis is healthy again and looks to be the chain mover. Jeremy Maclin is moving up the depth charts and might be starting at the X as Jackson improves. Reggie Brown… wait, we didn’t trade him to Baltimore yet? Hank Baskett is the jump-ball guy with a hot wife. Brent Celek is an upgrade at TE simply because his name isn’t “LJ Smith”.

QUARTERBACK
Now starting his 11th and likely penultimate season with the Eagles is Donovan McNabb. For a QB of his caliber (probably grades out as the 3rd or 4th best QB of the 00s), he is still occasionally susceptible to maddening bouts of inaccuracy. The early scrambler is long gone, but he is still mobile enough to make the occasional first down or two per game. The Eagles are left with a signal caller good enough to go to and win consistently in the playoffs, benefited especially by his surprisingly low INT rate (the lowest of all time for QBs with more than 1500 passes).

But apparently, that’s not good enough, as the Eagles went out and signed the recently-released-from-Federal-incarceration Michael Vick. This is the same Michael Vick who was even more errant with his passes than McNabb, only one with a history of not studying the playbook, flipping off the fans, and not putting the time in to prepare. So apparently, 6 total weeks will be enough time for Michael Vick to learn the basics of the Eagles reputedly-difficult playbook, and the intricacies of the Wild Bird. Kevin Kolb returns as “WIP savior”, known to people outside the Delaware Valley as “the backup QB”.

DEFENSIVE LINE
Here is the hub of the Eagles defense. Broderick Bunkley and Mike Patterson both require blockers to occupy, opening it up for Trent Cole, Darren Howard, Victor Abiamiri and Juqua (Thomas) Parker Sietecinco to rush the passer. I do like they can rotate their pass rushers, and if all four are healthy, will greatly help in second half of games… Funny. If they all stay healthy. Like that’s ever going to happen. We got one quality pass rusher in Trent Cole, and then we got Overpaid, Always Hurt, and Mediocre.

LINEBACKERS
Following up on the prior point, with Bunkley and Patterson occupying at least three blockers every play, space is opened up for the linebackers to simply make tackles. That’s one reason I’m personally not crushed with the ACL injury that KO’d MLB Stewart Bradley. If Joe Mays is competent enough at tackling, that will be enough. Chris Gocong is sound at the Sam and an option in the pass rush. Akeem Jordan takes over the Will over Omar Gaither… What am I talking about? The linebacker units have always been substandard under Reid because he never spent money there. We’re screwed again.

SECONDARY
No Brian Dawkins? Yet again they let good players go once they get too expensive! Typical Andy Reid move! …But come to think about it, the unit is still strong… Asante Samuel and Sheldon Brown are as strong a CB pair as in the game, with Samuel as the INT man and Brown just playing strong coverage. Ellis Hobbs and Joselio Hanson fight it out for 3rd CB. Pro-Bowler Quinton Mikell covers the run support and occasional blitz role, while Quinton Demps attempts to lock up the ball hawk role.

SPECIAL TEAMS
No longer one of the consistently excellent Special Teams (it hasn’t been for several years), the special teams are still at least serviceable, miles better than the abomination last year. David Akers lost the ability to hit 50-yarders, but at least he connects every kick that any kicker should make. Sav Rocca is merely adequate. The coverage units don’t stink, and Demps/Hobbs and Jackson/Maclin won’t kill them in the returning game, considering they actually returned kicks in the past.

COACHING
Andy Reid is a quality coach from Monday to Saturday, and a bad one on Sundays. Rarely have the Eagles been completely outclassed in his era, even when they came into the game outgunned. They have, however, fallen prey to bizarre playcalling too often, mainly hinged on Andy’s reluctance or disdain for the run. With the Vick signing, this simply adds more dynamite to the fire – unless he was signed to simply act like the lightning rod for the criticism, and a scapegoat if things go wrong. Marty Morhinweg received high marks for his playcalling when he first came here, especially in the 2nd half of 2006, but has come under fire lately. And it remains to be seen if Sean McDermott will be able to replicate the success of other Jim Johnson disciples such as Steve Spagnoulo and John Harbaugh.

OUTLOOK
I’m saying they split their NFC East schedule. They beat New Orleans, Tampa, and Atlanta but lose to Carolina in the NFC South. They beat KC, Denver, and Oakland, but lose at San Diego. They lose at Chicago, but they beat San Francisco at home. That puts them at 10-6. Whether that’s enough for them the division, I’m not sure. But it gets them in the tournament for the 8th time this decade. From there, who knows? Over the course of this season, the fanbase is going to switch from “We’re going to Miami!” to “Dump Reid and McNabb!” like the weather. THAT, my friends, is the only likely prediction here.

Awkward. Weird. Forced. Pick your word.

Donovan McNabb cetainly picked a word. That would be: STOP. Per Sal Paolantonio (stalking Vick division of ESPN), McNabb told the Eagles “no more” of their plans to play Vick last night early in the 2nd quarter, stating that the first team offense needed time together to gel. Which may be, but, damn. Isn’t that the Eagles’ call? Andy Reid’s call? McNabb, who recruited Vick to the Eagles, has always been the wild card here. And I am still not sure that he is going to be comfortable with ceding some control of the offense to Vick in order for the Eagles to get any meaningful use out of their high-risk investment. And last night certainly didn’t put those kinds of questions to rest.

So, a planned 12-15 plays for Vick turns out to only be 6, thanks to McNabb. And in those plays, it appears that Vick’s arm is just fine (as has been the reports from Eagles practices) but that his legs are, indeed, “not there”. And, at some point, if Vick is to be truly useful to Philly, he has to regain the speed he had prior to prison. It is an open question whether that is possible.

The front cover of the Daily News: Hide Your Dogs

The back cover of the Daily News: What are they thinking?

Ouch.

Sal Palantonio was just on Mike & Mike, and, given that he has covered Philly sports for 25 years, had a few interesting things to add. He was at the stadium last night when the word hit that the Eagles had signed Vick. He said that as he went to find Eagles GM Joe Banner for the details and a comment, the concourse during the Eagles/Pats game began to flood with fans getting the word via text, twitter, phone call, etc. and that the initial reaction was overwhelmingly negative. He saw familes leaving with people saying they were never coming back. He saw one woman in tears. Bizarre. At this point, based on what he is hearing in Philly this morning, he said the initial reaction is 90% negative.

Which is somewhat surprising to me. Perhaps as days pass and Vick works his way into the community, people will chill. But I am not sure what else Vick can do. I don’t believe that he should never work again. He has served his time. The president of the Humane Society has praised Vick’s efforts since getting out in going to talk to groups, and has said that Philadelphia has a sizable dog-fighting problem, something Vick can help address. There are players in the NFL currently who have caused or been real involved in the death of human beings, and they continue to work without any kind of outcry. Vick deserves a second chance as much as the next guy.

That said, the rundown from the Philly columnists of note:

Paul Domowitch on the football side of it, opines that it is a terriffic move:

Let’s just look at the Eagles’ signing of Michael Vick strictly from a football standpoint. Nothing else. If he can whip his 29-year-old body back into some semblance of football shape, can he be a difference-making offensive weapon for this team? Can he improve their Super Bowl chances? The answers are yes and yes. The Eagles didn’t sign Vick to have him push Donovan McNabb for the starting quarterback job. He wasn’t even really signed to give Kevin Kolb a run for his money as the No. 2 guy. He was signed for one reason, one word: Wildcat. While many NFL coaches don’t view the Wildcat formation, which features a direct snap to a skill-position player other than the quarterback, as much more than a glorified trick play, Eagles coach Andy Reid sees it as much more than that. He understands the problems the Wildcat can give a defense if you have the right weapon.

And he believes Vick is the right weapon. “Michael is an unbelievable athlete, both running the ball and throwing the ball,” Reid said last night after his team’s 27-25 preseason loss to the New England Patriots at the Linc. “He’s a difference-maker in a lot of areas. He can do a lot of different things for you. I’ll think of something for him.”

That’s where I come down on this. He makes Philly a more dangerous football team, assuming he can get somewhere near the football shape he was in two years ago.

Rich Hoffman reminds that the concept of second chances is real personal for Andy Reid:

THE FIRST HINT had come early at training camp, although Andy Reid camouflaged it in enough careful wording to throw everyone off the track. The topic at Lehigh that day was Michael Vick, and whether he should be signed by another team after doing his jail time. Reid said that he knew Vick a little, that he liked him. He said more than once along the way that the Eagles were happy with their quarterback situation, but that he thought Vick deserved another shot. He said, “At this phase in my life, I’m big on second chances.”

It was a reference to the legal issues of his two sons, Garrett and Britt – the drugs, the incarcerations, all well-publicized, all personally wrenching for Reid and his family. It was Reid offering a rare window into his heart. He is a man who does not often do that, who does not tell many personal stories, who does not open himself up to that kind of public introspection.

Yes. That. Had almost forgotten about that. That adds a piece to this puzzle.

Phil Sheridan takes the viewpoint (apparently initially shared by a bunch of Eagles fans if Sal Palantonio is right) that none of this is worth it:

Let’s be clear about this from the very top: Vick did his time for the heinous and despicable dogfighting operation he financed and operated in Virginia. He went to federal prison. He lost millions of dollars. Like anyone else, Vick deserves the chance to return to his chosen profession. Just not here.

Full disclosure: I received the e-mail about Vick’s reinstatement by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell while waiting for my dog to finish his first chemotherapy treatment. I’m sitting in a sterile waiting room, worried sick about a 7-year-old Shih Tzu named Pogue, and a guy who oversaw the torture and murder of dozens of animals is getting cleared to play in the NFL. Let’s just say the news rubbed me the wrong way at that moment.

But I also get that Vick comes from a different background, that there is a surprisingly large subculture that sees dogfighting as acceptable. I believe in people getting second chances in life. I think Goodell was right to reinstate Vick. It would be wrong to ban him for life after he served his criminal sentence. Actually hiring him is a different matter. Reid emphasized the importance of second chances, taking the rare step of mentioning his two sons’ issues with drug addiction and the legal system. That tells you he has given this a lot of thought and is doing it for what he believes are strong reasons. But he is asking the millions of people who follow the Eagles, who spend their money on tickets and sweatshirts and invest their hearts as well, to share his faith in Vick. And that’s asking too much.

The Humane Society, which has endorsed Vick’s return to football, is smart to seize this as an opportunity to reach people it might not. Vick’s fame and infamy both make him uniquely qualified to speak on the subject of his former pastime. Nevertheless, it is going to be very difficult to watch this guy without thinking about those dead and tormented dogs. There will be protests, and there should be. There will be verbal abuse from fans, and there should be. As much as Vick has the right to get on with his life, the rest of us have the right to remind him of what he did.

We’ll see just how important that it is as the days and weeks unfold. At the very least, no one can accuse the Eagles of not doing their due diligence. Whether they misread the temperature of their fanbase is another matter entirely.

The Swamp is kicking this around here. Drop by with a thought or two.

Markedly. No, I am not a Kevin Kolb believer. And while Vick was never a textbook QB, his teams by and large won. Something that I have always thought people were too quick to discount when sizing up his resume as a starting quarterback in the NFL.

Mike Vick has a new team. He will be eligible for the last two pre-season games if what I just heard on ESPN is correct, and then wait and see how long he has to wait to suit up in the regular season. Philly’s last two pre-season games are against the Jags at home and in the Meadowlands against the Jets. Oh,and the Eagles go to Atlanta in December. So there’s that to look forward to/cringe in anticipation of.

Quick reaction? It makes sense. Stable veteran team. Established coach.

Problem spots? Donovan McNabb, if he were to feel threatened in any way by this. And the wild card that is the fanbase, although I am betting they will embrace Vick from the outset.

I have only been following on the periphery the notion that, despite being under contract for next year, McNabb might still try to force his way out of Philly. Or perhaps the Eagles might decide they are done with him. Or something. I don’t fully understand the strained relationship between McNabb and the town/organization given how successful the team has been with him under center. But I am guessing whatever it is, this shot from columnist Bob Ford sheds light on the attitude of many:

McNabb does need more help. He needs a solid offensive line and a reliable running option behind Brian Westbrook, a better tight end, and at least one additional high-level receiver. Maybe he gets it all this off-season. Probably not, but perhaps. What he has definitely gotten is some attention.

He, or somebody close to him, has apparently painted the picture of a quarterback with some swagger and courage, a guy willing to risk his security in order to get the job done, a guy who isn’t going to take this stuff any more. The Eagles don’t recognize the description. They know they met with someone, but the guy in the story doesn’t sound familiar. They’d sure like to meet that quarterback, though.

Oof.

He sure has led a lot of winning teams in his career to be the focus of that kind of broadside. Perhaps a deal would be in the best interest of the parties. God knows the Bears should be in the market. Along with Minnesota. And a bunch of others.

It’s been a weird feeling in the Philly area this week. The Eagles took care of the defending champ Giants and are going to the Super Bowl. At least, that’s the feeling I’ve been getting since Sunday night. Today will be just a formality to the city’s destiny. There’s a certain air of confidence. As if it were finally our turn. Strange what one little — okay, huge, championship can do to a city.

For 25 years, it was assumed that whatever could go wrong would go wrong. Especially with our Eagles. The Fog Bowl. Ben Smith’s fumble recovery for a TD getting (rightly) overturned. Kotite and his infamous wet chart. Rhodes’ profanity-laced pep talks. Then came the four NFC Championship Games.

2001: The first one was considered a team lucky to be there against a dominating Rams team. Hey, we were leading at halftime. That’s not bad. 2002: The following year, entitlement seemed to set in. The Bucs? They don’t win anything. They can’t win in the cold. Super Bowl here we come. Well, I guess they learned they actually have to show up before their ticket is punched. The lovable losers are now champs and Philly’s going home. 2003: Okay, we’re prepared now. No way we lose again. Not to the Panthers. Yes way. The 3 points matched Donovan’s INTs. 2004, #4. Finally, we did it. We got over the hump. Whew. Oh, guess we forgot that the ultimate goal wasn’t to just get there.

How quickly we all forget. Well, I haven’t forgotten. I know how nervous I felt during every one of those aforementioned playoff games and every one of the Phillies playoff games this year until it was finally over. I now know what the release of joy is like. But I know there’s still work to be done, and they must earn it. I can’t wait.

Forget about Arizona’s success over the last two weeks running the football. That era is over. The Cards will need screen passes and other short, creative routes to get them through first down. But only that can take them so far, and so the Cards’ best chance really comes down to how well they manage second / third and longs.

The first time these two played, the Eagles were effective with their zone blitzes. But on a surprisingly high number of plays, they also chose to drop 7 into coverage and rush four. This was presumably done to manage how much ground they were going to give Fitzgerald, but it also showed that the Eagles could get pressure on Warner by just rushing four linemen.

If Philadelphia can do that again, on top of their always effective zone blitz schemes, they should be packing for Tampa by the end of the day.

For the Eagles, they will need to again understand that Arizona’s first down is like everyone else’s third down. To an extent, the Cards’ drives and possessions are dictated by how well they do on first down. Arizona throws a lot there, and the Eagles should run-blitz those downs with a lot of different fronts. After that, the Eagles can go back to what they did in the first game on those second / third and long downs.

When the ball is with the Eagles, we’ll again all be watching how well they perform in the red zone. When Philly converted their first quarter INT of Manning last week into an early touchdown, I knew it was going to be a good day for the Eagles. During the regular season, 63.6% ( 35/55 ) of Cards opponents’ red zone possessions ended up as touchdowns. During the postseason, that number is 62.5% ( 5/8 ). They ranked 28th in that category during the regular season.

The red zone, especially for Philly – a team that has produced top numbers and ratings all season but has been held down by poor conversion of red zone chances and key short yardage plays – is where their road to Tampa runs through.

Eagles -3

I’ve thought about a lot of things this morning. I’ve thought about writing these two picks pieces in latin. I’ve thought about that 22 year old from last night that I should have talked to. I’ve thought about Obama. But inevitably, I can’t stop thinking that before last night, I was probably going to take the Eagles and the Chargers today. And I can’t stop thinking about how so not a good an idea that seems to be this morning.

But in looking back, I think I’d be more devastated this morning if the Ravens had won in the way that they did and Arizona DIDN’T completely destroy the Panthers.

“If Baltimore wins this football game, I will be more stunned than if the Cards beat the Panthers, the Eagles score five red zone touchdowns, and William Wallace shoots fire from his arse. Combined.”

That’s what I wrote yesterday. At least I can sit back this morning and say that I’m still most stunned that the Titans found a way to lose that game. If only I could find video online of Keith Bulluck throwing shit around.

Now before I have to go and watch my Braveheart DVD, I’m going to pick both games today. Laugh all you want.

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