ESPN.com is reporting that the deal to the Eagles is a done deal. The Ravens will get a 5th round pick while the 49ers will get a defensive player. TO will sign a long term contract with Philly.
I guess that makes Philly the odds on favorite for the NFC title now.
At least some day maybe I'll understand why some day maybe you never can. Or something like that.
Originally posted by The Amazing SalamiESPN.com is reporting that the deal to the Eagles is a done deal. The Ravens will get a 5th round pick while the 49ers will get a defensive player. TO will sign a long term contract with Philly.
I guess that makes Philly the odds on favorite for the NFC title now.
What, because they have Owens? I'm not saying I have a BETTER "odds on favorite" immediately springing to mind but I don't think Owens is the secret ingredient to push you over the top. (DISCLAIMER: I am usually forced to watch the 49ers thanks to the NFL so I like to pretend I know something about them)
How many cornerbacks do the Eagles have? (Quick answer == "zero," unless you count Lito Sheppard, and few do yet.)
How many wide receivers do the Eagles have? (Quick answer == "one, now that they've signed Owens," since Freddie Mitchell's 4th-and-28 catch was his first big reception of his Eagles career, Pinkston MIGHT be a #4 receiver, and Thrash will be lucky if he's not doing kick returns this year.)
What happens if Kearse's injuries recur?
What happens if Owens drops a pass in Week 2, gets booed, mouths off, and the Philly fans respond by burning him in effigy?
Way too many questions around the Eagles to anoint them just yet.
"It looks like it was a larger dog with tighter skin, and then someone grabbed him by the anus and pulled him as hard as they could." -- David St. Hubbins of Spinal Tap, explaining the Shar-Pei
Originally posted by The Amazing SalamiESPN.com is reporting that the deal to the Eagles is a done deal. The Ravens will get a 5th round pick while the 49ers will get a defensive player. TO will sign a long term contract with Philly.
I guess that makes Philly the odds on favorite for the NFC title now.
What, because they have Owens? I'm not saying I have a BETTER "odds on favorite" immediately springing to mind but I don't think Owens is the secret ingredient to push you over the top. (DISCLAIMER: I am usually forced to watch the 49ers thanks to the NFL so I like to pretend I know something about them)
The problem has been that the Eagles WR corps is awful. Thrash, Pinkston, and Mitchell would be #3 WR's at best on any other team and allow themselves to get manhandled at the line of scrimmage. No defensive coordinator is scared of that trio. Add TO to the mix and the Eagles have someone who you have to gameplan against besides McNabb. Now, do you double cover TO and pull a shadow LB off McNabb or single cover TO to focus on McNabb? McNabb becomes a more dangerous QB by having someone like Owens on the field. Thrash will be gone so Pinkston and Mitchell will benefit from the attention focused upon Owens.
Are you a professional halfwit or talented amateur?
There are always too many questions to annoint anyone at this time of year....but the Eagles have been to the NFC title game three years in a row. They have been so close and now they are a little bit better. I always felt like they were one playmaker away. Does that make them a favorite? It does to me.
As far as the defense goes, Philly's defense will always be a top level defense as long as Jim Johnson (or whatever the heck the old defensive coordinators name is) is there. They've lost several good players every season for the last three years and have managed to stay close to the top and get deep into the playoffs.
At least some day maybe I'll understand why some day maybe you never can. Or something like that.
I wonder how long it will take before T.O. throws a bitch fit in Philly ... I am not a Ravens fan at all, but I long for the day Owens has to play in Baltimore ...
I look forward to the first bitch fit. The WR's have dropped a lot of easy passes over the past few years. Having someone get in their faces on the sidelines is a good thing.
Now to quote an Eagles message board:
we have "Weapons of Mass Destruction"
McNabb, Owens, Dawkins, and a Freak.
(edited by evilwaldo on 16.3.04 1433) Are you a professional halfwit or talented amateur?
I'd say that this makes Philly the odds on favorite for....a wildcard slot.
Incidentally, I'm happy that TO is gone(before he got here) but I think that a 5th round choice is not much in compensation considering we watched Marcus Robinson, David Boston, and Darrell Jackson slip away during this debacle.
The only vindication of this will be Captain Sharpie screwing up royally at some point and the criminally evil Philly crowd informing him of what they think of any such lack of effort.
Hey - he's already pissed off and on Baltimore.
Originally posted by GrimisI'd say that this makes Philly the odds on favorite for....a wildcard slot.
Incidentally, I'm happy that TO is gone(before he got here) but I think that a 5th round choice is not much in compensation considering we watched Marcus Robinson, David Boston, and Darrell Jackson slip away during this debacle.
Eh. Seems to me that getting a 5th round pick and giving up nothing in return is a pretty good deal. Call me crazy, but Owens started complaining about this the moment it happened. If the Ravens missed on some open WRs it's their own fault for not making any backup plans.
Originally posted by CajunManAfter all that T.O. got his way. Not setting a good example for the NFL as you could see more players cry like T.O. and get their way.
I don't think so. Here are some excerpts from an article in the Philly Daily News:
"Everyone involved agrees that Owens' contract specified the void date as the last day of the NFL year or March 15, whichever comes first. The last day of the NFL year was March 2 this year. But the league has said that changes to the CBA moved void dates, including Owens', to Feb. 21."
Unless the NFL changed the end of the NFL year than the amendment that everyone is talking about does not apply to him.
"Upshaw said after the proceeding that the CBA changes did not apply to Owens' contract because 'he had negotiated something beyond what anyone else had negotiated.'
Player agents said yesterday that the dispute arises from a change in the CBA a few years ago, when the end date for the NFL year was moved 2 weeks later. Some players had void dates in their contracts that, if moved forward 2 weeks to go along with the change in the year-end date, would then occur after the date for designating franchise players, which was Feb. 24 this year. In order to keep that from happening, the CBA was amended to say that their void dates would remain before that date - and would be Feb. 21 this year."
The way I read it is that if the void date is specified in the contract, like March 2nd, than the NFL is correct in moving those dates forward by two weeks. But, if the contract says last day of the NFL year then that day does not change. The NFL only changed the date by which players may notify their clubs of their intention to void the contract. Big difference there.
Are you a professional halfwit or talented amateur?
Its obviously way to early to be shouting from the rooftops about our greatness, but we are shaping up to be far better than last year when we struggled through a lot of close games.
On offense, TO is likely to attract double coverage on ocassion which should stop teams spying so much on McNabb. It'll also open up space for Pinkston and Mitchell who are both good enough to be no. 2 guys IF they're playing with someone of the calibre of TO.
The deep threat Owens offers will also create space for Lewis and Smith (who will hopefully step up) underneath as well as taking attention away from the running game which was coming along very nicely indeed last year.
Defensively, Kearse's injuries may resurface, but I've enough faith in the coaching staff that they took every precaution to make sure that he was fully recovered. When he plays the guys gonna get double teamed on almost every down which will open up space for Walker and Simon who are 2 of the better young DT's around. Hollis should also be back which will make the line a lot tougher to run through.
I really fail to see how Vincent and Taylor will be such big misses when we spent most of the season playing without at least one of them. Brown and Sheppard both did well when they played and should be ready to step up, though a veteran CB would certainly be nice to have around. Any pass D based around Kearse and Dawkins can't be too shabby.
As for TO doing aything wrong, I don't buy it. The guys should have been a UFA by all accounts and deserved to be treated as such. At least he was man enough to come out and say he wanted to play in Philly, not Baltimore, rather than give some weak wishy washy shit about wanting a shot at free agency to see what was available to him because it was such an important career move. If anything I'm pissed that we gave up a pick (less so pissed about Whiting) for him rather than wait for the verdict. I guess it avoids a prolonged legal battle though which would screw up pre-season and the draft so it was probably worth it.
The Eagles/Ravens game should still be fun though.
Philly's gonna love Owens when he gator-arms a McNabb pass over the middle. I also have seen a lot of 49er games*, and I agree with Zed. I don't think that Owens is the guy that puts them over the top, but he pushes them a lot closer to the cusp.
That said, this move puts Pinkston and Thrash in the roles that they should be in. They should make solid number two and three wideouts. As much as I'm not a fan of Duce Staley, he did a lot of good things for that football team, and his loss is going to have a significant impact. Can Buckhalter and Westbrook fill the void left by him? Maybe, but both of them need to manage to stay healthy all season, something neither of them have been able to manage thus far in their careers.
(Like Zed, I'm often forced to watch the Niners due to the territory I live in. This also forces me to watch Raider games. I can't wait until I can get DirecTV)
(edited by Whitebacon on 16.3.04 1657)
In the context of baseball, the use of drugs hurts only the player. In the context of baseball, the use of alcohol hurts only the player. In the context of baseball, womanizing hurts whom? Maybe the wife of the player? In the context of baseball, felonies are crimes against society, not against baseball. In the context of baseball, gambling is the only crime against baseball.
Gambling, in the context of baseball, is a capital offense and Rose has richly earned-- hell, he agreed to-- his death sentence. Let him hang.
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Originally posted by GrimisI'd say that this makes Philly the odds on favorite for....a wildcard slot.
Incidentally, I'm happy that TO is gone(before he got here) but I think that a 5th round choice is not much in compensation considering we watched Marcus Robinson, David Boston, and Darrell Jackson slip away during this debacle.
What's wrong with that? The wild-card/first round route to the Super Bowl has been traveled before; Carolina played in the first round as a division winner and got to the big game. Hell, I'd almost rather have the Iggles get a wild card...they played with a lot more passion and energy from the wild card spot (beating Tampa Bay and Chicago/then losing to St. Louis), then they did as the No. 1 seed. Maybe starting in the playoffs from that level is the real kick in the pants they need, more so than any star player.
Power flows to the one who knows how -- desire alone is not enough.
The acquisition of T.O. and Kearse give the Eagles a good chance to win the NFC East, only because they've been there before. Of course, I also think that is contingent on them getting at least one cornerback this offseason. There is still some good veterans out there, and when roster cuts come later in the offseason, I'm sure more will surface. They have so much cap room, I wouldn't be surprised if they make a ridiculous trade or overpay a veteran. It's not that I don't trust Brown/Sheppard, but I still think Taylor and Vincent are better than both of them, even at their "advanced" ages. Of course, Jim Johnson made the secondary work with Taylor, Vincent and Dawkins all out at one point, so what do I know?
Gravity is a contributing factor in nearly 73 percent of all accidents involving falling objects.
Did anybody see the press conference? T.O. was surprisingly calm, but I'm not sure I buy the act. The first time he doesn't have a catch in the game, the Philly media will be swarming over him for a quote. And the first time he dogs a route, he's going to hear it. Anybody remember Watters "For Who? For What?" from a few years back?
Gravity is a contributing factor in nearly 73 percent of all accidents involving falling objects.