Burress reportely wants to be an Eagle

Howard Eskin has reported that during a conversation with New York Jets wide receiver Plaxico Burress during Super Bowl week, the oft-troubled received indicated he has a strong desire to play for the Philadelphia Eagles.  Eskin tweeted earlier today on his personal twitter feed (@howardeskin) that “Saw and talked to Plaxico Burress at Super Bowl and told me he wants to play for Eagles.  Badly”.  Several other media outlets have taken this story and run with it, saying that the Eagles are likely to pursue Burress.

This is an interesting situation for Philadelphia, as last offseason, upon his release from prison, Plax had no intention of hiding his desire to play for the Eagles.  Money talks, however, and the New York Jets ultimately outbid Philadelphia and gave Burress a guaranteed $3 million pay day.  For a guy coming out of an extended stay in prison, I don’t think anyone can blame him for seeking the biggest paycheck possible.  Now, amidst a great deal of turmoil inside the Jets locker room, Plaxico is once again attempting to court the Eagles.

Last year in New York, Burress caught 45 passes for 612 yards and 8 touchdowns.  His touchdown reception total was tied for the best on the team, while he ranked third in receptions and yards, despite the fact that his yards per reception were #1 on the squad.  The Jets top receiver last year was their tight end, Dustin Keller, so that is an indication of their propensity to throw the ball to receivers.

The (multi) million dollar question, however, is whether or not Philadelphia feels the same way about Plax as he feels about them.  Do they “like” Burress or do they “LIKE LIKE” him?  Philadelphia is definitely in need of a threat inside the red zone, as the Riley Cooper experiment inside the 20 yard line hasn’t exactly been a smashing success.  It is unlikely that the Eagles will look to Plaxico as a staring receiver if they decide to pursue him, but his physical attributes could certainly be beneficial for a team that has a history of struggling to score touchdowns in the red zone.

If nothing else, it certainly seems as if Philadelphia has become a dream home for free agents.  The team just needs to make sure they bring in the right pieces, not necessarily the ones with the biggest names.

With an entire offseason, teams should have a much better opportunity to fill holes and mesh before the start of the regular season, unlike last year.  A full free agency period may just be what the doctor ordered for some clubs, and for others, they may still be beyond hope.

If you’re unhappy with where your squad stands, you have a whole offseason to vent your frustration and think of clever insults before I upset you again at the beginning of next year.  Enjoy.

1. New York Giants – While it is true you can’t spell “Elite” without “Eli”, apparently you can’t spell “Super Bowl Champions” without “New York Giants”.  A young team that overcame serious injuries on defense should be in contention again next year.
2.  New England Patriots – They had their chances to win the Super Bowl but didn’t execute at key times.  They’re going to need to get better on defense through the draft and free agency if they want to compete again next year.
3.  San Francisco 49ers – A few boneheaded plays by an inexperienced returner cost them a trip to the big game.  They’re going to continue to be ferocious on defense…I expect Alex Smith to remain with the team, but can he keep the mojo going or was he a “1 hit wonder”?
4.  Green Bay Packers – They, too, did not play well on defense this year and all it took to get derailed was one bad game by the league MVP for a team to keep up with them on the scoreboard.  A focus on the defense this offseason should get them back on the right track.
5.  Baltimore Ravens – They made significant strides on offense and Torrey Smith is only going to get better, but how much of their aging team is going to be back?
6.  New Orleans Saints – I don’t see any situation in which Brees isn’t back with New Orleans with a long term deal.  Let him throw for a bajillion yards next year.
7.  Pittsburgh Steelers – A team that is going through a lot of changes but has stability in some key spots.  There’s definitely going to be some turnover on defense…how do they adapt?
8.  Houston Texans – If they can keep Schaub and Andre Johnson healthy, combined with Arian Foster and a top 5 defense they should run away with the AFC South.
9.  Detroit Lions – “Megatron” is probably the most fitting nickname in professional sports.  With Stafford throwing him the ball, they will be tough if they can find some consistency at the running back spot.  Keeping Suh unsuspended is going to be a big task, as well.
10.  Cincinnati Bengals – With an entire offseason together, the Dalton / Green combination is going to be scurrrry (in my best Charles Barkley voice).
11.  Philadelphia Eagles ­– Even though Jeffrey Lurie said to not put too much stock in the last ¼ of the season, It has to give Eagles fan’s some optimism.  We’ll see how much of their poor play was the lack of an offseason and how much wasn’t.
12.  Atlanta Falcons – Their new offensive coordinator should look to air the ball out more, which will help pay dividends on moving up so far to take Julio Jones last year in the draft.
13.  Dallas Cowboys – I’m sure a lot of people will have them even higher than this, but they consistently fail to come through when it counts.
14.  Denver Broncos – Quarterback is going to be an interesting decision for them, considering defensive coordinators are going to have a LOT of time to figure out how to stop the option this offseason.  Who is the starter for Week 1?
15.  Tennessee Titans – Is Chris Johnson going to revert back to CJ2K after his holdout debacle?  Locker’s passer rating is 17 points higher than Hasselbeck, enough said.
16.  San Diego Chargers – The Los Angele….I mean…er…ummm… San Diego Chargers have to make the playoffs for Norv to keep his job.  No epic collapses next year.
17.  New York Jets – A dysfunctional end to the season is going to lead to an interesting off-season.  Someone needs to step up and lead that locker room.
18.  Arizona Cardinals – They need to decide whether or not Kevin Kolb is the answer.  And if he’s not, put pride aside, admit they made a mistake, and start to fix it.
19.  Oakland Raiders – What can new head coach Dennis Allen do with the Raiders?  A healthy Run DMC will go a long way to legitimizing this team, but how likely is it that he will play all 16 games?
20.  Seattle Seahawks – Yet another team in dire need of a quarterback…do they test the free agent market?  After Marshawn Lynch’s beastmode performance this year, what are the chances Century Link Field turns into Skittles Field?
21.  Chicago Bears – Matt Forte has to be their # 1 priority this offseason.  Anyone who accounts for that much of a team’s offense has to be practically indispensible, right?
22.  Miami Dolphins – They’ve been thrown into the “Peyton Manning Sweepstakes” as well.  The emergence of Reggie Bush had to be a nice surprise.
23.  Kansas City Chiefs – Bitten hard by the injury bug early in the year, this team never quite got things going in 2011.  How effective will Charles and Berry be after returning from almost an entire season on IR?
24.  Carolina Panthers – Cam Newton put up ridiculous stats this year, and Steve Smith can thank him for the resurrection of his career.  What moves do they make to fix a lot of holes on defense?
25.  Washington Redskins – As of right now, reportedly the front runner to land Peyton.  They still need to get better in several other places to contend in the NFC East, though.
26.  Buffalo Bills – They must be hoping they didn’t jump the gun on that Fitzpatrick contract.
27.  Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Hopefully former Rutgers coach Greg Schiano can resuscitate Josh Freeman.  They need more consistency out of Mike Williams at receiver.
28.  Jacksonville Jaguars – So is new owner Shahid Khan selling his $112 million luxury yacht so the team can make a “splash” in free agency?  (I know it was a bad pun, but I had to)
29.  Minnesota Vikings – The team had to be pleased with quarterback Christian Ponder’s performance as a rookie.  They might be ok if they get AP ready and add a weapon or two for Ponder, but the NFC North is going to be deep again next year.
30.  Cleveland Browns – The revolving door at quarterback has to stop at some point, but I don’t think it’s going to land on Colt McCoy.
31.  Saint Louis Rams – Imagine what Steven Jackson and Bradford could do if they weren’t the only 2 skill players on offense?
32.  Indianapolis Colts – They desperately need to bring closure to this Manning fiasco so the team can move on with Luck.  They need a TON of help after years of complacency and allowing the organization to focus on Peyton and only Peyton.  At least they can’t get worse, right?

The New England Patriots take an unconventional, progressive approach to the game.  Andy Reid is only similar to coach Bilichick in one capacity:  they both are offensive minded and rely heavily on the pass.  Reid and Bilichick’s approach to scoring points is entirely different.  Andy prefers to stick to his ‘guns’ at all cost.  He like to try to out-think his opponent (and often times himself) by dialing up play calls that are nonsensical.  Coach Reid will more often than not, shoot himself in the proverbial foot, instead of calling a play that demands his players to out execute the opposing team.  As far as player packages, Reid has become stagnate and predictable.  This is where Bill Bilichick exceeds.  Bilichick will maximize his personel’s skill sets to get the most  out of them.

Do not get me wrong, Bilichick, like Reid, will pass the ball 50+ times a game.  Coach Bilichick is just smarter at identifying opposing teams defensive weaknesses and exploiting them.  If that means spreading the field, then so be it.  If that means utilizing two tight ends, then game on.  If that means your Hall of Fame bound quarterback just taking what the defense is giving you, then dink and dunk all day.  Often times, coach Reid presses when his offense does not have immediate success.  Bilichick understands that accumulating first downs is the key.

The New York Giants offense understands balance.  Reid will show you balance one week (and be successful at it), then abandon the thought the next week.  For Andy Reid, having a balance offense comes and goes like a whim.  While Andy Reid is known for great game planning preparation, he is not too flexible during the sixty minutes of action.  Coach Tom Coughlin exceeds at making in-game adjustments.  Many times, it comes down to play calling.  Coughlin often times delivers, while Andy, many times, comes up short.  For the elite coaches, like Billichick and Coughlin, dialing up the right play at the right time is understood as critical.  For Andy Reid, it is the time for the obvious or the off-the-wall, out smart yourself play.

The definition of stubborn is:  having or showing dogged determination not to change one’s attitude or position on something, esp. in spite of good arguments or reasons…Sound familiar?  The question is whether or not Andy Reid learns from his mistakes.  Or, can a coach like Andy Reid watch and learn from two great Super Bowl coaches?

contact:  frank-benditt@comcast.net

Many fans remember Duce Staley for his ruggedness and tenacity.  Staley was a stocky 5’11 242 pounds, quite a load to bring down.  Duce would almost always break the initial tackle, dragging defensive players as he fought for every inch.  The Philly faithful loved Staley’s ‘lunch bucket’ approach to the game.

Duce Staley was not just a blue collar, tough minded running back.  He was extremely productive in his time with the Eagles, not just in the ground game, but through the air as well.  Many forget that Staley was an excellent receiver.

Staley played for the Eagles from 1997-2003.  Duce garnered 4807 rushing yards during this span.  Currently, that is the fourth most in Eagles history.  In his best year, Staley rushed for over 1200 yards in 1999.  During his Eagles career, Staley accumulated 22 rushing touchdowns.

For Eagles quarterbacks, Duce Staley presented an excellent target out of the backfield.  Staley compiled 2498 receiving yards during his Eagles career.  He also added ten receiving touchdowns from 1997-2003.  Duce Staley’s over all production of 7305 total yards from scrimmage ranks him fifth in the Eagles record book.

Duce was a terrific blocker as well.  He liked to do the dirty work that was required when defenses sent free men on blitzes.  Staley instilled the importance of blocking into Brian Westbrook.  Staley influenced Westbrook tremendously.  He helped make Brian Westbrook into a complete back.

Eagles fans are lucky to have the progression of running backs the likes of Duce Staley, Brian Westbrook and, now, LeSean McCoy.  All three knew/know the three phases that make up an excellent every-down running back:  rushing, receiving and blocking.

I was a huge fan of Duce Staley.  I loved in when the crowd roared “DUUUUUUUUCE” everytime he touched the ball.  The cool thing about the DUCE chant was that it happened everywhere Staley played, not just at home.  That is respect.

contact:  frank-benditt@comcast.net

Early in the 2011 campaign, the wide nine technique worked, however, the Eagles run defense was exposed with the large gaps the split defensive ends created.  The linebackers responsibility of filling the gaps became too much for the Eagles young, inexperienced, under-sized linebacking corp.

What is curious to me is that it took awhile, middle-to-end of the season, for the adjustment to be made.  Who was responsible for the lack of tweeking the defensive scheme:  Jim Washburn or defensive coordinator, Juan Castillo?  I believe the answer is pretty clear:  Jim Washburn.

I, and many others, speculate that Jim Washburn wielded more influence over the defense than Juan Castillo at the start of the season.  Castillo was transitioning from his offensive line coaching job to his new title with no hands on experience.  What was frustrating was that it did not take a genius to figure out that the wide nine was crippling the run defense.  Was Washburn stubborn?  Was there an ego play involved?  Who knows?

The end result was shifting the defensive ends in a little, thus eliminating the enormous gaps the weak linebacking group could not effectively plug.  This simple adjustment made an immediate impact.  The Eagles were more stout against their opponents running attack.

Overall, Washburn proved his philosophy was impactful.  Furthermore, he validated that he is a heck of a defensive line coach.  The Eagles led the NFL in total sacks (49) for the 2011 season.  Defensive ends Jason Babin (18 sacks) and Trent Cole (11 sacks) combined for a total of 29 sacks alone.  Both Babin and Cole are players who’s skill set thrives in Washburn’s wide nine technique.

Now, the Eagles need to acquire or draft other defensive ends with similar skill sets.  The rotation of defensive ends not named Babin or Cole combined for a total of eight sacks.  Even though Babin and Cole put up excellent sack numbers, they wore down near the end of the season.

In his first year, Washburn was a definite success.  Could he have been more willing to adapt earlier in the season?  Unless the linebacking corp changes dramatically, let us fans hope that Washburn has embraced flexibility.

contact:  frank-benditt@comcast.net

Jenkins turned in a pretty impressive season for the Eagles, starting all 16 games and collecting 5.5 sacks and 33 tackles.

According to Pro Football Focus, he rated as the fourth best defensive player on the Eagles. He also rated as the seventh best defensive tackle in the NFL, and his 25 quarterback pressures ranked third among DTs.

The 30-year old defensive tackle has four years remaining on a five-year, $25 million deal, but rumors have circulated that the Packers want Jenkins back in 2012. After an extremely disappointing 8-8 season for the Eagles, you’d have to think that Jenkins wouldn’t mind rejoining Green Bay, who won 15 games in 2011 and should remain a legitimate Super Bowl contender for years to come. That can’t be said about the Eagles, who will likely contend for a postseason berth in 2012 but aren’t regarded as one of the NFL’s top teams.

A report from NFLdraftupdate stated that the Eagles would save approximately $7.75 million by cutting Jenkins, who is also due a roster bonus of $5 million on March 13th.

The move would make sense too. Although Jenkins had a good season and is a leader in the clubhouse and respected by teammates and coaches, the Eagles have a lot of depth at defensive tackle.

Mike Patterson started alongside Jenkins last year and has remained a starter since he was selected in the first round in 2005. Antonio Dixon is a great run stopper, but he missed the last 12 games of the 2011 season with a torn triceps. He should return next season in great shape and could start if Jenkins leaves.

Veteran Derek Landri was cut in preseason but was brought back by the Eagles in midseason. He ended the season as the team’s third best defensive player, according to Pro Football Focus, despite playing in about half the snaps. In fact, he rated as the fourth best defensive tackle in the NFL. No NFL player rated as well with as few plays (355) as Landri. Even if his 2011 season was somewhat of a fluke, he should remain a key backup next season, assuming he is re-signed this offseason.

And of course, the Eagles will probably draft a defensive tackle, likely as high as the second or third round. They always do, and it would make sense, especially if Jenkins leaves.

Jenkins had a great season and was a key member of the defense. But the defensive line was one of the strengths of the team, and if cutting Jenkins could clear up some money to sign some free agents, I’d support the decision.

Then again, the Eagles did sign Jenkins to a five-year deal and it wouldn’t make a lot of sense to cut him one year into the deal. After all, he was one of just two successful free agent signings by the Eagles this offseason (the other being Jason Babin).

I predict he will be cut though. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if the Eagles went on another free agent spending spree and they’ll need money to do so.

With their franchise quarterback in place, a load of pro-bowl calibre free agent acquisitions and a talented returning core group, the Eagles, and their fans, felt that 2011 was the year for a championship run.  Well, a lot of things went wrong, including Michael Vick’s play at the quarterback position.

The one constant was Michael Vick’s durability issue.  Vick had played 16 games only once in his eight previous seasons.  After 2011, make that once in his last nine seasons.  The fact that Michael has a tendency to hold onto the ball too long, forced the inevitable injury.  Vick managed to start 13 out of the 16 games in 2011.

Michael’s number were decent for the 2011 season.  Decent.  He compiled 3303 yards, 18 touchdowns and a 59.8 completion percentage.  Vick’s problem was that he, many times, reverted back to his old style of play. The result:  compounded mistakes.

Not only did Michael Vick throw 14 interceptions in 2011, he continually fumbled the football.  During the season, Vick managed to cough up the rock an astonishing ten times.  Not all of them were recovered by opponents (5 total), however, it still showed a lack of fundamental discipline that an elite quarterback needs to have.

The Eagles offense moved the ball at will and put up big points.  The defense finished in the top ten in points allowed.  Yet, the Eagles finished 8-8.  Why?  The bottom line is turnovers, which the Eagles led the NFL in.  It is not all on Michael Vick, but it does start from the top.  The quarterback.  The leader.  The franchise player.

contact:  frank-benditt@comcast.net

McCoy rushed for a league-high 17 touchdowns and added three through the air, breaking a 66-year old franchise record for touchdowns in a single season. He rushed for 1309 yards, the fourth best total in the NFL, and added 4.8 yards per rush. He also led the league with 84 rushes for a first down.

“I want to thank my teammates, fans, and friends. The fans they vote each week and each year for this award. For me to achieve this award is something special to me,” McCoy said. “Over a million fans voted for the FedEx Ground Player of the Year and I just wanted to thank them. Also, I want to thank FedEx because they’re donating $25,000 in my name to Junior Achievement of Delaware Valley. Once again, I appreciate this, and thank you.”

McCoy became the first Eagles quarterback or running back to win the FedEx Air or Ground Player of the Year. New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees won the FedEx Air award, the third time in the last four seasons he has captured the award.

He then went on to discuss the oft-rumored coaching situation and reaffirmed his commitment to defensive coordinator Juan Castillo, despite the fact that he thought the combination of Castillo and Steve Spagnuolo could be “dynamite”.  When asked whether he was open to the idea of hiring a new defensive coordinator when he was talking to Spagnuolo, Reid responded:  “I never really…I just thought the two of them together would be tremendous. They have a great relationship, it’s the same defense, so you have two great coaches; that’s how I felt.”

Speaking about newly hired secondary coach and former interim head coach for the Miami Dolphins, Todd Bowles, Reid said:  “…And the one thing Todd has is he does have experience and he’s a sharp guy. Juan and I were able to put him through an interview process and he did a nice job with that. [And] the recommendations from guys like Bill Parcells and the guys that he’s worked with are phenomenal, the [Tony] Sporano’s, Mike Nolan’s, all of the guys that he’s worked with carry this guy at such a high level”.  It was clear that Philadelphia needed to make some changes on the defensive side of the ball, but just what those changes were going to be, and who was going to be the scapegoat finally took shape with the hiring of Bowles and some of the other under less publicized moves that the Eagles have made so far this offseason.

Reid, who is not known for sharing very much information with the media, was astonishingly open with the throngs of reporters gathered for his “state of the team address”.  One cannot help but wonder if this new, candid Andy Reid is the result of any discussions he may have had with Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie, or if he has decided on his own that changes need to happen and this is one small way he is going about implementing them.

The shifty Eagles running back was nominated for the FedEx Ground Player of the Week award four times, winning twice.  McCoy led the league in overall touchdowns with 20, 17 of which came on the ground (putting him in 1^st the league with respect to rushing touchdowns and 3 ahead of Cam Newton who finished 2nd).  LeSean’s totals for both rushing and overall touchdowns eclipsed the Eagles’ franchise records held by Hall of Famer Steve van Buren, which had held steadfast since 1945.  He also finished fourth in rushing yards from scrimmage with 1,309, averaging 4.8 yards per carry.  Had he not been held out the last week of the season, he would almost certainly have been higher on the rushing yards leader board, as he was only 55 yards behind 2^nd place rusher Ray Rice.  This is the first time since the 2003 inception of the awards that a member of the Philadelphia Eagles has won the yearly honor.

Despite a few games in which his immense talent was mitigated, McCoy had a breakout season, cementing his place in the upper echelon of NFL running backs with the likes of Adrian Peterson, Arian Foster and the like.  A threat as a receiver as well as a running back, LeSean fits perfectly into the Eagles west coast offense and certainly gets to utilize his athletic ability to the fullest.  Fans of the Philadelphia Eagles can only hope that McCoy does not become complacent based upon his success in 2011 and continues to work so that he can build upon this year’s performance and come back even stronger in 2012.