Eagles Hodgepodge

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If you thought last month was the dead zone on the NFL calendar, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet my friends. OTAs are complete; players, coaches and Joe Banner are vacationing; Brett Favre is all but a member of the Vikings. This time of year stinks.

Here’s what I got for a Tuesday in June.

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Brandon Marshall wants to be traded. He woke up a few days ago and realized Kyle Orton would be his quarterback in ’09. Since Brandon is in a contract year, this doesn’t bode well for his future cash flow. Problem is the dude has a rap sheet comparable to Pacman Jones.

Any conversation of Marshall relocating to eastern Pennsylvania is beyond ridiculous. However, a reunion with Jay Cutler in Chicago is not something anyone in the NFC wants to see. Cutler, Forte, Marshall and Greg Olson would make a fearsome foursome, indeed. (For what’s it worth, I don’t think Marshall will be dealt. Not sure how the Broncos’ already tasked PR machine would spin it if he was.)

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While perusing Ray Didinger’s chat transcript from CSNPhilly.com, I stumbled upon this doozy of a question:

"“Would the Eagles have an interest in Michael Vick and should they? Wouldn’t he be better than Kolb?”"

Ray was much kinder than I would have been:

"“They have no interest, nor should they. McNabb is #1, Kolb is #2 so where does Vick fit? Plus Vick’s style of quarterbacking isn’t a fit for the Eagle offense.”"

Unless you’re running a spread-option, Vick doesn’t fit any offense. The guy is done. Why any legit Birds fan would bring his name up is mind boggling.

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There seems to be a lot of differing opinions out there about why McNabb didn’t receive an extension to go along with his raise. Three scenarios are at play here:

  • The lack of a new CBA agreement.
  • The Front Office leaving their options open, should McNabb flop or get injured.
  • Agent Fletcher Smith banking on no salary cap in the next CBA.

I’d say all three reasons are in the mix. The Eagles wisely awarded McNabb a healthy raise, but since they aren’t in the habit of handing long-term contracts to 32-year-old players, they covered their backsides nicely. On the flip-side.

Understanding that guys in their 30’s like the notion of security, I still believe it’s in the best interest of the agent/client to adopt a wait and see approach until a new CBA is in place. Rather than ink an extension at this stage, it makes more sense to hold off. If the salary cap is done away with (unlikely, but possible), Donny could get himself a huge deal with his next contract. Even if the cap is restored as expected, you can guarantee a significant increase, which will still favor the McNabb camp.

Worst case scenario for McNabb: He under-performs or struggles with injuries, so the Birds dump him and move on. As long as he can still walk, another team will toss a bag full of money at him. A team like say, the Vikings, who will need a quarterback after the Favre fiasco blows up in their faces.

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Anyone else sit through Joe Buck Live on HBO last night? Horrendous. And no, I’m not referring to Artie Lange going off. Uh, maybe Buck and his crack staff should have previewed Lange’s standup routine. He’s what they call in comedy circles a “Cringe Comic.” That means his material is a tad raw. I didn’t think Artie was particularly funny, but he saved an otherwise unwatchable show. Buck should stick to screwing up play-by-play and leave the entertainment to… actual entertainers. (Best part: Phillies fan holding up his “ring” finger during the David Wright interview. Classic!)

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