Terrell Owens Says He Misses Philadelphia Eagles and Fans

Apparently his time with Dallas has not soured him to the Philadelphia Eagles team, or the team’s fans.

Owens was asked about Philly during an interview with ESPN 950’s Mike Missanelli.

“I do miss you guys (referring to the city of Philadelphia),” Owens said during his talk with Missanelli.

“I had a year and a half of my best career there in Philly. It was short-lived but I did enjoy the fans there. They were fanatics. I know when I came to that stadium and I drove up to that stadium, they got me psyched, they got me ready to play ball. I’m very fortunate to have played for that organization.”

Like most of the malcontents who leave Philly, Owens said that it was not the guys in the locker room, or even coach Andy Reid who caused him to act out, but the front office and the way they do business.

After his awe-inspiring performance in the Super Bowl, Owens requested his seven-year, $49 million deal be re-done to include more guaranteed money, to which the Eagles obviously gave a resounding, “never gonna happen.”

Owens, feeling spited, turned on the team and the city.

Missanelli asked Owens if he would still be an Eagle had they re-worked his deal.

“Of course,” Owens answered. “I work hard for what I do. I put in a lot of hard work into my body to keep my body the way it is during the season, during the offseason. I feel like I jeopardized my career given the injury that I sustained, people just don’t know. Had I injured myself any further…I went against the doctors’ orders.”

“I wouldn’t say they owed it to me,” he continued. “But I thought out of respect and for what I brought to the team and what I did, it would have been considered.”

T.O., in typical T.O. fashion, said he wouldn’t have changed a thing if he could do it all again. However after some pressing from Missanelli, T.O. seemed to come around a little to the idea.

“Looking back on it, there is a few things that I would have done differently, maybe interviews or what not,” he said. “But the things that came from those interviews, trust me, and I have said it time and time again, people overreacted to what was being said, what was being reported.

“Again, not to harp on football too much, and go back to that and relive that, if people were to read the transcript of what happened and what I said, it would be clear to them.”

T.O. was asked if he made Donovan McNabb better because he was there.

“We both made each other better.”

Missanelli then asked Owens the same question on every Eagles fan’s mind after his release from Dallas. Did he ever consider coming back to Philly?

“Honestly when everything happened, it happened so fast,” he said. “I didn’t really have enough time to ponder that situation. It was a matter of 24 to 48 hours before things got to where I am now. We obviously talked about team possibilities, options, what have you.

“I think things ended so badly with myself and management, I never even thought they would even consider it, even though since then Donovan and I, we’ve talked, we’ve hung out and things are very amicable with us right now.”

Sounds like T.O. may have just a bit of regret for the way things when down in Philly. He probably realizes the Eagles gave him his only legitimate chance of winning a Super Bowl, and he may not ever get that back.

Owens only has a one-year deal with the Bills, perhaps a reunion could happen in 2010.

Quotes from Philly.com were used in this report.

Jeremy Maclin, First Round Selection, Inked to Eagles (UPDATE)

The Philadelphia Eagles have just agreed to terms with first round pick Jeremy Maclin.

The deal is believed to be a six-year deal worth $23 million. This all is according to the Twitter page of a Mizzou athletics blog called The Columns.

No one else is reporting the deal, so it may or may not be true. A blog covering where the wide receiver used to play his college ball may not be the best source.

However, if the deal has gone down, it would mean good things for the Eagles, who would then only have LeSean McCoy to worry about.

This also eliminates any possibility of a holdout from Maclin, as we have seen with first round picks in the past.

Stay tuned. If any other source talks about this, an update will be made.

 

UPDATE: The same blog is now reporting that no deal has been agreed to, but the deal should be in the ballpark of the six-year, $23 million area.

Some news is better than no news, right?

 

Also, check out 2 Minutes to Midnight Green for more Breaking News and analysis!

Time Out: Donovan McNabb’s New Deal Isn’t “Financial Apology,” Just Good Faith

The Philly and national media alike are calling the reworking of Donovan McNabb’s deal a “financial apology.”

Apparently a “financial apology” is that the Eagles are giving McNabb more money in order to say that they’re sorry for him being benched Week 12 against Baltimore. This would also explain why he’s not receiving an extension on top of the two years.

Anyone who has been an Eagles fan for more than five minutes knows that this is lunacy at its highest level. I don’t mean that the front office or the Eagles organization is crazy, but anyone who believes that is crazy.

Of any team in the league, the Eagles are probably the least likely to hand out “financial apologies” to a player simply because they feel like they’ve been done wrong.

Yes, McNabb was upset about being benched. No, he did not agree with the benching. But does anyone believe that Andy Reid, Tom Heckert, Jeff Lurie, or Joe Banner really care if McNabb’s feelings were hurt? Of course not.

This new contract is nothing more than showing good faith in McNabb. He only has two years left on his deal, and the bottom line is those last two years underpaid him by about $3 million.

Over the next two years, McNabb was scheduled to make about an average of $10 million a year. Kurt Warner, on the other hand, was just signed to a deal that will pay him about $12.5 million over the next two years.

All McNabb and his agent were looking for was fair market value for a guy who is a top five, perhaps even top three quarterback in the NFL today.

That is exactly what they got.

 

“If they’re showing good faith, why no extension?”

McNabb is 33 years old, and the Eagles believe that he definitely has two years left in him to get the job done and bring a Super Bowl to Philadelphia.

However, they may not have as much faith in him at age 35. As we’ve seen, the Eagles are not fond of players over the age of 30, much less halfway to their 40s.

The plan from the Eagles’ point of view is to sit and wait. They will watch how he performs this season before jumping the gun to give him an extension. If he performs well and has a Pro Bowl-caliber season, then they will most likely give him the extension that he’s looking for in the offseason, probably three years or so.

If he does not play well enough, or they see something that would indicate that he has lost a step, they will allow him to play out his contract and finish his career elsewhere.

A key indicator of what they plan to do will be if Kevin Kolb gets an extension after next year and McNabb does not. That would mean that Kolb is viewed as the heir apparent and that he will simply have to wait out McNabb before the team is his.

If neither McNabb nor Kolb gets an extension, look for the Eagles to go after a quarterback in the 2010 draft and look towards the future.

My gut feeling is that the Eagles are simply being overly cautious and will give McNabb the extension after this coming season (hopefully after he returns from Disney World).

All three quarterbacks’ contracts (A.J. Feeley included) run out in 2010, so the quarterback situation will become a huge focus in the coming years, and what the Eagles do with McNabb/Kolb will really show their hand as to their plans for the future.

Right now, the Eagles are just showing good faith that McNabb will take them to where they need to be within the next two years. He’s got a lot of guaranteed money coming his way with three-fourths of his 2010 season guaranteed. The Eagles are hoping that this show of good faith will pay off for them, hopefully in ’09 rather than ’10.

 

“How will this affect players in the locker room?”

Other players in the locker room looking for new deals, such as Sheldon Brown and Max Jean-Gilles, have not done half of what McNabb has done.

Brown is at least a starter, but he signed a six-year extension only two years ago. He cannot think that throwing a fit about a contract that he agreed to only two years ago is going to get him a new deal.

Jean-Gilles has come out of left field in his search for a new contract. He’s a backup guard and has recently had to switch sides because he lost his right guard backup spot to Nick Cole.

A backup who just lost his spot is in no position to ask for a new contract.

If the players are smart, they will realize that the team needs McNabb and that the front office is simply showing good faith and hoping that he will finally get this team to the promised land.

If they’re not smart and want to chirp up, Reid will have a comfy place for them on the bench. They’ll also get a lovely financial apology.

“Sorry, here’s your pink slip.”

An Army Needs a General: A Closer Look at the NFL’s Quarterback Battles

Of all the positional battles that take place in the offseason, none captivate us more than that of the quarterback battle.

The quarterback may be the most overrated position in all of sports. They get far too much of the blame, and far too much of the credit. Their careers are looked at in terms of Super Bowl victories rather than any other accomplishment, while no other position is looked at in that same light.

How often do you hear, “Yes, he was a great safety. But how many Super Bowls did he win?”

Not often. But, that’s a different discussion for a different day.

Having multiple quarterbacks competing for the position usually means bad things for that franchise. As the old saying goes, “If you have two quarterbacks, you have no quarterback.”

This can also be said for women, but again, a different discussion for a different day.

The battle is on to see who will lead their respective team, and it’s taking place in quite a few teams this offseason. There are more battles now than I can remember taking place before, which shows the shallow talent pool for quarterbacks these days.

Team-by-team, player-by-player, who turns overnight celebrity, and who holds the clipboard?

 

San Francisco: Alex Smith vs. Shaun Hill

Everyone knows Alex Smith as the bust of the 2005 draft, and arguably the biggest bust of this decade.

Even though he’s already been labeled, it looks as though Smith will get the chance to show that the 49ers were right to pass on players like DeMarcus Ware, Shawn Merriman, and Aaron Rodgers to choose him.

It’s no secret that the only reason Smith is even getting this shot is because of all the money invested in him. It will create a bit of a stir for a franchise that has had a hard fall from the mountain peak all the way back to sea level.

Shaun Hill was very productive last year for then-interim head coach Mike Singletary. In only eight starts, Hill completed nearly 63 percent of his passes and threw for more than 2,000 yards with 13 touchdowns, He only threw eight interceptions while posting a 5-3 record.

Smith, on the other hand, hasn’t been half as productive in his 30 career starts.

While Hill is the obvious choice in this battle, Smith may become the starter come Week One simply because of his prior draft status, and because for better or for worse, he has a recognizable name. Most people outside of the San Francisco Bay have never even heard of Hill (an undrafted guy in the same year Smith was taken No. 1 overall).

Smith, however, could see himself get yanked if Week 1 is a disaster. In other words he may get “Charlie-Fryed.”

 

Tampa Bay: Byron Leftwich vs. Josh Freeman vs. Luke McCown

Leftwich was brought in as a free agent, McCown was retained before hitting free agency, and Josh Freeman was the 17th overall pick in the 2009 draft.

I thought Jon Gruden was in the booth now for Monday Night Football?

The McCown signing doesn’t make much sense to me, as he’s really been nothing more than a backup for his career, and the Bucs have plenty of those.

They need a starter, and the only guy ready to step in right now and do that is Leftwich.

I’ve been incredibly shocked at how little attention was paid to Leftwich since the Steelers allowed him to hit the free agent market. Leftwich is a proven guy who has won games in this league, and at the same time is still a young veteran.

For my money, he has the talent to become a franchise quarterback. Whether he will or not is another story.

The plan in Tampa should be to play Leftwich for as long as possible, and allow Freeman to take the reigns in two years. The plan could change if Leftwich plays the way that I believe he can, but the Bucs will have a very hard time not playing their first round draft choice as soon as possible.

I say Leftwich wins this battle easily and holds it down for at least the next year and a half to two years.

 

Minnesota: Sage Rosenfels vs. Tarvaris Jackson

Notice there is not a third name. I do not believe there will be a third quarterback competing for this spot. If I’m wrong, that third quarterback steps in and there is no competition. Make a mental note of that fact.

Rosenfels and Jackson have both had their moments where they looked like they could become decent starters. However, they have also had moments where they looked like they didn’t even belong in the league.

Rosenfels playing helicopter with the Colts defense doesn’t help his cause, and Jackson’s decision-making ability has been nothing but the ability to make bad decisions.

This may be the most confusing quarterback battle in the league, considering how widely inconsistent both quarterbacks are.

If one of these guys can finally play with some consistency, they will pull out the win. However, the odds of that happening aren’t great.

Rosenfels is probably the more polished quarterback, and Vikings fans would rather see a guy who hasn’t already messed up their team, so I’m going out on a limb and saying Rosenfels will be the Week One starter.

That, of course, does not mean he’ll be the starter in Week Two.

 

Detroit: Matthew Stafford vs. Daunte Culpepper

Matthew Stafford is the future of the Lions’ franchise. Really, it’s not a question of if, but when, he will be taking the reins.

Whether he plays or not, the guy has a guaranteed $42 million coming his way, so I’m assuming he’ll be playing as quickly as possible.

That being said, it would be a huge mistake for the Lions to start Stafford right away. That’s not to say that quarterbacks who start their rookie season can’t be successful in that season, or even later in their career (Troy Aikman, Peyton Manning, Ben Roethlisberger, Vince Young, etc.).

However, the difference is the time those quarterbacks came out of college. They all came out after their senior year, whereas Stafford opted out of his senior year to come to the NFL.

Junior quarterbacks have had very little success in the NFL, with the most successful of them being Drew Bledsoe. Bledsoe may have appeared in a Super Bowl, but he never won one, and really never lived up to the hype or the potential.

If Stafford starts Week One, not only will the Lions be throwing him into an awful situation, but they’ll be ensuring that his success in the NFL is limited.

Not only that, but why start a rookie when they have a proven vet ready to step in and play now? Culpepper may not be the same since his knee injury, but he’s a more-than-capable quarterback, especially for a Lions team just looking to make it through a rebuilding year.

If the Lions are smart, and if Shwartz wants to keep his job longer than Cam Cameron, Culpepper will be under center Week One, and hopefully the entire year. Give Stafford a year to sit and learn before you give him the keys.

Denver: Kyle Orton vs. Chris Simms

This time last year, no one would have guessed that Denver would have been on the list of teams with a quarterback competition, but here they are.

Josh McDaniels has come in and gotten rid of the first franchise quarterback that the city had seen since John Elway. He has opened up a competition between two quarterbacks in their first season with this team.

The silver lining is that both of these quarterbacks have been starters on other teams, and have won some games.

Simms looked like he was making strides in Tampa until that horrific hit which caused his spleen to rupture and later be removed. If Jon Gruden ever committed to a quarterback, it was Simms. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out, and he found himself as a backup in Tennessee before signing on this offseason with Denver.

Orton was a starter for the Bears last season before coming to Denver in the trade involving former Broncos’ starter Jay Cutler.

Orton has been involved in quarterback competitions before, namely with former first-round pick Rex Grossman. Orton beat out Grossman last season and played admirably with the Bears. Unfortunately, he’s not a franchise quarterback, so he was deemed expendable in the trade for Cutler.

Orton is certainly the more polished quarterback between the two, but is having a difficult time holding off the son of Phil Simms. Simms will definitely give Orton a run for his money, but in the end, I believe the winner will be Orton because he’s got a much better pocket presence than Simms.

Simms could make a late push to overtake Orton as the starter, but he would have to be phenomenal in the preseason in order for that to occur at this point.

Both quarterbacks must go into this knowing that they’re on a very short leash, and should the team start to lose, their job is anything but secure.

 

Oakland: JaMarcus Russell vs. Jeff Garcia

The Raiders have stockpiled quarterbacks this offseason, but the likes of Andrew Walters, Charlie Frye, and Bruce Gradkowski are not enough to compete with a proven winner in Jeff Garcia, and a former No. 1 pick ready to explode with potential in JaMarcus Russell.

Garcia is in the same unenviable position as Shaun Hill in San Francisco. While Garcia is obviously the better quarterback of the two, he will have to really outshine Russell in order to get the nod.

The Raiders understand that benching Russell at this point would probably ruin him mentally and therefore as a quarterback entirely. However, they also understand that this fanbase wants to win now.

Russell certainly has a higher ceiling than Garcia, but also could fall right through the basement floor at any given moment.

With Garcia under center and having that fantastic running game behind him, the Raiders are guaranteed, in my mind, at least five or six wins, if not more. With Russell under center, no one has any idea what could happen. They could see another 2-14 season, or make the playoffs in a weak division.

No one knows.

I think Russell has to win this, because if he doesn’t, it means that the Raiders no longer see him as the future of the franchise. The Raiders are not ready to give up on him just yet, and it will be his job to lose.

Of course with Russell, he may do just that.

 

Kansas City: Matt Cassel vs. Tyler Thigpen vs. Brodie Croyle

This is a battle that no one outside of Kansas City is talking about, but one that should be mentioned.

Anyone who believes that Todd Haley is simply going to insert Matt Cassel into the starting role just because of what was given up to attain him his dead wrong.

Haley is looking for the best guy to run his offense and if that turns out to be Thigpen or Croyle, then so be it.

Thigpen stepped in and played well for the Chiefs last year. He gave that offense a certain unexpected explosiveness that Brodie Croyle could not.

In 11 starts last season, Thigpen was able to throw for more than 2,500 yards along with 18 touchdowns to 13 interceptions. While those numbers aren’t stellar, they’re certainly better than what most would have expected from a former-seventh round pick on a poor team such as the Chiefs.

With a great team around him, Cassel was able to throw for more than 3,500 yards with 21 touchdowns to 11 interceptions. So in five more games played, Cassel was able to throw for only 1,000 yards more, three more touchdowns, and only two fewer interceptions.

Cassel threw to Wes Welker and Randy Moss. Thigpen threw to Dwayne Bowe and Tony Gonzalez, a tight end.

I’d say the only thing that Cassel has over Thigpen is the hype.

Notice Brodie Croyle hasn’t gotten much of a mention. While he’ll be given a shot, he’s never been able to stay healthy, and this year will probably be no exception.

Don’t expect much from Croyle in the way of giving either of these guys any real competition.

 

Cleveland: Derek Anderson vs. Brady Quinn

To me, this is a pretty obvious choice. Anderson has shown that he can throw for nearly 30 touchdowns and lead this team to the brink of a playoff berth. A berth they may have earned had Charlie Frye not been there to tank Week One.

Quinn, on the other hand, was nothing special during the time he saw last season. He did not show the poise, the leadership, or the decision-making skills that a quarterback must have in order to be successful.

To be fair, Quinn has seen limited time and should not be judged just yet. Anderson has shown what he can do, and he’s shown that he can be quite good.

Anderson was the victim of Braylon Edwards last season. There were several times where had Edwards just caught a perfectly thrown ball, the team may have won, and Anderson may have been able to keep his job. Couple that with an aging Jamal Lewis, and you have a guy in Anderson who took far too much of the blame.

Perhaps with a rejuvenated Edwards, Anderson can regain his Pro-Bowl form and show the team why they paid him the big bucks.

The team is in quite a bind with these two. On one hand, they did give Anderson a lucrative contract after his ’07 season. On the other, they did move up to draft Quinn in the first round.

This could wind up being the closest of the battles, with the decision probably not coming until the fourth week of the preseason.

Mangini should choose wisely. There’s a good chance his job will depend on the selection.

If he’s smart, he’ll choose Anderson. Quinn’s just not ready yet.

 

New York (Jets): Mark Sanchez vs. Kellen Clemens

Rex Ryan certainly will have his hands full with this one.

Unlike in Detroit, the Jets do not have a proven veteran to play while Sanchez holds the clipboard and learns the ropes. They have Kellen Clemens, a guy who has seen limited time and barely qualifies as a veteran.

Sanchez has a lot of potential, but has very limited playing time as well. This was also the situation while he was in college at USC. His 16 college starts amount to one full NFL season, and if that’s all the games the Jets are playing, Sanchez will see a fanbase turning on him very quickly.

While I’m a firm believer in sitting a rookie quarterback, especially a guy who came out as a junior, the Jets may not have a choice with Sanchez. Their best bet may be to throw him in now and see what he can do.

The situations with Stafford and Sanchez are not quite the same, as Sanchez has a much better team around him. The Jets are a .500 team even without a quarterback, so Sanchez should be able to thrive with some talented guys around him.

Thomas Jones, Leon Washington, Jerricho Cotchery, and Dustin Keller to name a few, are guys who can help support Sanchez in his transition to the NFL.

The Jets should hope that Clemens steps up and takes command, because if he doesn’t, the Jets will have a very hit-or-miss type of season while having to deal with a rookie quarterback and their usual roller-coaster progression through the season.

Also, don’t get spoiled by Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco. As far as rookie quarterbacks go, their seasons were an aberration in a league that does not treat rookies, especially rookie quarterbacks, kindly.

Donovan McNabb and the Philadelphia Eagles: Close to Agreeing on Terms?

Derrick Gunn is reporting that the Philadelphia Eagles and Donovan McNabb are very close to agreeing on terms to re-work the final two years of his contract.

Financial terms were not disclosed, but anywhere between $15-$20 million would not surprise me.

McNabb is only making around nine million dollars a year as of now, but with the new deal could and should be making around $12-$14 million.

He’s a top quarterback and certainly deserves to be paid like one.

Gunn is also reporting that the Eagles are talking with LeSean McCoy and should be done with his deal in the next two to three weeks.

McCoy and the Eagles’ first round pick Jeremy Maclin remain the only two rookies of the eight-rookie 2009 class yet to be signed.

Some of the first round picks are being signed now, but I’m assuming the Eagles will probably wait to see what the 18th (Robert Ayers) and the 20th (Brandon Pettigrew) picks will receive from their respective teams before signing Maclin.

Eagles Weekly Wrap-Up: What To Do About Westbrook and Is Asante a Leader?

Right now, all of Philadelphia is holding its breath to find out the true extent of Brian Westbrook’s injury, how the surgery goes, and what the Eagles plan to do about it.

Well, Philly nation, don’t be surprised if the Eagles don’t do a thing.

Would it surprise anyone if head coach Andy Reid told the media that everyone was just fine, would be fine, and that the Eagles would not be making any moves?

Of course it wouldn’t. Reid believes in the players he has, or he wouldn’t have them.

The Present Running Back Situation

The Eagles have a list of guys banking on potential, which is great, but they need a veteran presence to help them along.

With Westbrook out, here are the available backs:

1. LeSean McCoy
2. Lorenzo Booker
3. Kyle Eckel
4. Walter Mendenhall

That’s quite a list. Leonard Weaver can also be thrown into that mix because even though he is a fullback, he can take some carries.

However, even with Weaver, the Eagles would be banking on two rookies and three other guys who barely qualify as veterans.

Not a position the team wants to be in.

The best option right now would be to go out and pick up a veteran guy, just to make sure and cover all their bases, but the pool of backs is small.

There are a few guys worth looking at, but only as short-term solutions, and even those guys might carry a price tag that the Eagles aren’t willing pay.

Their four targets should be:

1. Edgerrin James
2. Deuce McAllister
3. Warrick Dunn
4. Rudi Johnson

Edge is certainly the best bet for this team, but he will carry a hefty price tag. I would mark him off the list because he probably has yet to come to the realization that the NFL no longer looks at him as a feature back, but he wants feature back money.

McAllister is a guy who the Eagles could have had in 2001, but decided to pass on. This would mean that the Eagles have already looked at McAllister in the past and decided he didn’t fit their system, wasn’t good enough, or something else.

So, mark him off as well.

Warrick Dunn is an interesting guy. He’s smart, small, shifty, and can catch. That sounds like a certain running back Philly would know all about. Dunn was the Westbrook of the league before Westbrook was in the league, so he may be a viable option for the Birds in the short-term.

The knock on Dunn is that he is 34 and can’t really run between the tackles anymore. He’s a third down guy, but certainly would help in McCoy’s progression, and take a little bit of the heat off of him.

Rudi Johnson looked, at one point, to be a guy who could be a consistent Pro Bowl player and feature back. However, after injuries and poor production, he fell out of favor in Cincinnati and was forced to the cellar of the NFL, the Detroit Lions.

He’s only 29, but seems to be headed downhill, so I don’t foresee the Eagles even considering Johnson.

That just leaves us with Dunn, who very well may be the Eagles best bet if Westbrook has to start the season on the PUP list.

Best Case/Worst Case Scenario

Best case: Westbrook has the surgery, recovers and is ready for the season.

Even if he is ready, the Eagles will have to slowly work him back into the mix. If Westbrook is ready by the season, I look for him to start, but maybe only work in as a decoy and third down guy with McCoy getting maybe 60 percent of the snaps until he’s 100 percent.

It does seem as though (like I’ve said before) Westbrook’s time as a feature back is over. If it’s not, it is certainly winding down very quickly. McCoy’s job has gotten a bit tougher.

Worst case: Westbrook has the surgery, doesn’t recover quickly enough, is forced onto the PUP list for the first six weeks.

If Westbrook isn’t ready, the weight really shifts to McCoy. There’s not too much of a question if McCoy can play, but can he do the little things?

Blocking especially may turn out to be McCoy’s Achilles heal, leading to more reps for Weaver as a tailback. Weaver understands blitz pickup, so that would not be a problem.

Can the Eagles even carry that many running backs on their roster?

They would probably be forced to carry five (McCoy, Booker, Eckel, Mendenhall, Weaver) for at least the first six weeks until Westbrook is back.

The Eagles certainly would be forced to cut one of those guys to make room for Westbrook, as there’s no way they will carry six running backs.

The other situation then arises of which position suffers a blow? Do they only carry eight or nine linemen? Maybe only four corners? The point being, in order to pick up Westbrook’s slack, another position and possibly some good players, will suffer.

“Let’s just see what happens, and then we’ll take it from there,” Andy Reid said. “We obviously know what’s out there, as far as other running backs; we’ve done our homework there. But we’re not going to do anything here until we see what’s going on with Brian.”

“I’m not that worried about it.”

“We’ll reconvene after the surgery.”

Asante Samuel Filling the Vocal Void?

Samuel has taken it upon himself as of late to step up and become the defense’s vocal leader since its leader for the past 13 years is now playing in the midwest.

Samuel can be heard on the field and from the sidelines jawing playfully at the offense, mostly at the wide receivers, at the defense, or just offering words of wisdom and advice.

“It’s hard to replace a guy and expect for another guy to come in and do what he did,” Samuel said. “Everybody is their own person.”

Samuel seems to recognize that while he is not Weapon X or a guy who will come out like a man possessed, he does have something to offer to a very young defense and a young team overall.

He’s stepping up and becoming a leader, something the Eagles had hoped he would do with Dawkins’ departure to the Mile High city.

Mike Zordich Is Back and On the Coaching Staff

Mike Zordich returned to the Eagles as a coaching intern. He played safety for the Eagles in the late 90s.

He’s returning as a secondary coach intern.

This would seem to just be more bad news on the get-well-soon-JJ front.

Zordich was a good, smart player and should help out, however.

Colts’ Bob Sanders Cannot Lead From the Sidelines

It’s not a secret around Indy that Bob Sanders is the leader of the Colts’ defense.

But does he deserve that title?

Since entering the league in 2004, Sanders has played in 45 games while starting 43 of those games. That’s 45 games played out of a possible 96.

What does this mean?

Well, it means that since entering the league, Sanders has played in less than 50 percent of the games that he should have been playing in. That’s right, less than 50 percent (47%).

Even if we throw out his rookie season in 2004, Sanders has only then played in 39 out of 80 possible games. Even still, it’s less than 50 percent (49%).

So the obvious question becomes, how can a player who can’t stay on the field half the time (literally) become the leader of this defense?

Well, the answer is a very sad one for the Colts’ defense.

They apparently have no leader.

Their supposed leader has never played more than 15 games in a season (six in 2004, 14 in 2005, four in 2006, 15 in 2007, and six again in 2008), has never had more than two interceptions in a season and has 3.5 sacks for his entire career, all of which came in the 2007 season.

This does not sound like a leader to me.

There is no denying that the defense plays better when Sanders is in the game. That was shown when he came back for the 2006 playoff run, which eventually turned into a Super Bowl championship. But even with that, why did it take until Sanders returned for that defense to do anything well?

The defense is certainly not short on talent. Dwight Freeney, Robert Mathis, Raheem Brock, Antoine Bethea, Gary Brackett, and Marlin Jackson amongst others are all players who should be able to provide some sort of leadership role in Sanders’ frequent absences.

Unfortunately for the Colts, they simply don’t provide any sort of real leadership.

This really is the root of the problem for the Colts defensively. The only man on that side of the ball who can lead that defense at all is always hurt and rarely available to them. So when he’s on the sideline, the guys play as individuals rather than a team, which leads to some of the worst defensive showings that the NFL has seen in recent years.

And what happens when the defense can’t get the job done? More pressure is put on Peyton Manning. Peyton (unlike Sanders) has been able to stay healthy, and in fact has not missed a game—ever. However, this will not last forever.

Eventually, that defense will break down to the point that not even Manning can compensate for its shortcomings.

Something must be done if the Colts ever want to get back to the Super Bowl, let alone win another one.

Your defensive leader cannot be the man in street clothes cheering from the sideline. He must be on the field at all times in order to rally those troops and keep them playing at their best.

Unless someone else steps up, or Sanders finally finds a way to stay healthy, this defense and this team are in real trouble.

Bob Cunningham is the Colts writer for NFLtouchdown.com.

Possible Concern Over Jim Johnson: Eagles Add Defensive Coach Brian Stewart

Matt Mosley of ESPN.com has confirmed that the Eagles have indeed brought in former Cowboys’ defensive coordinator Brian Stewart in an “undetermined role.”

As of now, his role with the team is undefined, but this could mean that Jim Johnson’s chemotherapy and attempt to beat his cancer is not going so well.

The Eagles do not have an opening for a coach on their staff, which makes this move all the more puzzling and frightening.

If the Eagles do not believe that Johnson’s recovery is going so well and that he will be out for an extended period of time, they may be bringing in Stewart to help McDermott in his transition into becoming the defensive coordinator for longer than first thought.

Perhaps, for good.

Johnson has been battling cancer for a few months now, and had seemed to be fighting it off pretty well. He was at the NovaCare complex every day, working late, coaching up his players, and just going about his normal day.

Unfortunately, he was forced to take an indefinite leave of absence in order to continue his fight against the cancer.

In his absence, McDermott has been running the defense as the interim defensive coordinator. Even though the leave of absence had no ending date, it was widely assumed that Johnson would be back for the season, if not Training Camp.

Bringing in Stewart shows that the Eagles are at least worried that they will be without the services of Jim Johnson for a good portion, if not all, of the 2009-2010 season. Stewart would serve as a kind of consultant for McDermott, helping him set a schedule for his defense and helping with meetings, among other things.

Stewart was a defensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys for two seasons before being fired this past offseason. Former defensive coordinators are not brought in without reason.

Stewart was scheduled to join the UFL’s San Francisco franchise with Dennis Green until this recent hiring.

If Johnson’s health has taken a turn for the worse, or perhaps has just not shown improvement, the defense could be in for a drastic change. Or, perhaps not.

The point is, no one knows how McDermott will react or run this defense. If Johnson is not on the sidelines, or at least in the coaches’ box, the defense all of a sudden becomes a huge question mark.

Let’s hope this is only a precaution.

Why Do I Bleed Eagle-Green? Thank You, Dad

I remember being very young, about four or five years old, and hating Sundays. Not only was it the last day off before going back to school, but it was the day that the house’s only TV was taken up by a bunch of giant men wrestling around for a ball.

I just didn’t understand it.

All I wanted to do was eat some cereal, sit out on the couch, and watch the Power Rangers. Yes, the Power Rangers. I was four. Leave me alone.

Anyway, that was never the case.

I would always come out to my dad taking up the whole couch and watching football. I didn’t understand why anyone would rather watch something so boring rather than watching the Power Rangers and eating Cap’n Crunch.

However, when I was six years old, I think I made my father happier than I had at any point in his life, and happier than I would ever make him again.

I decided to sign up to play Pee-Wee football.

Why? I don’t really remember anymore but one day it seemed as though the giants wrestling for a ball became extremely interesting. Perhaps it was just seeing it every day and giving in to actually paying attention, who knows.

But I was now a football player, and I don’t think my dad could have been happier.

(By the way, I have no idea who the people are in the picture. It’s not me, nor is it my father. Just to clear that up…moving along!)

My dad never got to play football in school. While he’s a very large, body-building prison guard (yeah, don’t look at him funny) now, he was a very doughy little boy in school.

Poor guy.

But football had become a big part of his life, and I wanted it to be a part of mine as well. So, football entered my life. Little did I know, it would never leave.

Naturally I was an Eagles fan from day one. My dad watched the Eagles, my great-Grandfather watched the Eagles, my uncle watched the Eagles, and so did everyone else.

Really, I had no choice.

For some reason, my favorite player was Hollis Thomas. I guess it was just because I had heard the stories about how he went undrafted but rather than give up on his dreams he sent a tape of himself to all 32 teams, and the Eagles were the only ones who called back.

He was a true rags-to-riches story and even at a young age I took it to heart. So much so that my first number was 78, in honor of Hollis Thomas.

I played football my entire grade-school career, and with each passing year I became more and more interested in the Philadelphia Eagles and just the NFL in general.

Like most people, I became a fan through family preference. However my “fandom” has taken on a life of itself. It’s even to the point that I have the Eagles’ head tattooed on my left shoulder.

Yes, tattooed. And why? Because the Philadelphia Eagles are a huge part of my life.

During the season, they dictate my week. If the Eagles lose, I’m miserable. If they win, the week can progress without a hitch…until next Sunday.

The Philadelphia Eagles, and football in general, have helped me to become a better person. Football will do that to you. Learning to work as a team and overcome hardships is a day-to-day battle for football.

No team exemplifies this trait more than the Philadelphia Eagles.

They are my team. They are my passion. I wasn’t around in ’68, but if I was I’d be the first to pick up that fateful snowball and hurl like Norm Van Brocklin into the body of that awful, awful Santa Clause.

Cut me open, I will bleed green. That is, after I rock you for cutting me open. Don’t mess with a fan of the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Top Seven: Potential Pleasant Surprises of 2009

While there are always disappointments in an NFL season, there are also several pleasant surprises.

Last year there were players like Matt Ryan, Joe Flacco, Steve Slaton, Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald, and DeAngelo Williams.

Teams like the Miami Dolphins, Arizona Cardinals, and Baltimore Ravens were all not expected to contend but all wound up in the playoffs, with the Cardinals getting all the way to the Super Bowl.

Who will surprise the NFL this upcoming season?

Well, let’s take a look.

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