Where Will Tim Tebow Play His Next Home Football Game? Don't Be Surprised If It's Philly

Before you burst out laughing, this is something I have thought about for a long time. Tim Tebow, arguably the greatest college football players of the decade, may very well end up an Eagle. And the funny part is, it may just make sense. And Reid damn sure would do it.

However, this early speculation depends on one thing happening. The Eagles let Vick go at the end of this year. Unlike some people around these parts, I have nothing against Vick, but the Eagles are only paying Vick $1.6 million. His contract contains only an option next year and that option, should the Eagles pick it up, is worth $5.2 million. If the Eagles do pick up that option, then the chance of Tebow coming here goes down significantly. But, with the lack of production of Vick and his desire to once again be a starting quarterback in the NFL, something he won't be in Philadelphia, he is going to want to go elsewhere and the Eagles may not be giddy to pay someone $5.2 million for 2 plays per game. I'll wish Vick all the best in his future endeavors assuming, but from a football standpoint, Vick has not necessarily been the unstoppable weapon that I think Reid wanted when he coerced the Eagles into signing him.

So if Vick goes, where will the Eagles go from there? For starters, they will only have two quarterbacks on their roster, Donovan McNabb and Kevin Kolb. Andy Reid may still want a little toy he can play around with.

Who better to fit both billings than Tebow? We all know that Tebow is currently a starting QB at Florida and we also know that the chances of Tebow actually being an everday starting QB in the NFL are quite slim at this point and that his best chances may be playing other positions. It's a perfect fit and a perfect replacement for Vick, and with the Eagles draft position, a real possibility. Look, there is a chance Daniel Snyder or Al Davis trade up to take Tebow in the top 10, undermining everyone, there is no doubt about that. But, if Tebow starts falling to the 20s where a lot of people are expecting him to go at this point, I would really anticipate Andy Reid making a move. I have read no reports that the Eagles are actually interested in such a move, this is all my speculation, but you are absolutely kidding yourselves if you think that this has no chance of happening.

Vick's option is too much for too little on-field production, the Eagles would be without a 3rd string QB, Andy Reid would be without a gadget, and Tebow would be able to do both. And the key word here is Andy Reid. Drafting Tebow is without a doubt something that he would do and if used in the manner that Vick is being used now, I think it might just be stupid enough to work. Just ignore the fact that media constantly develops hard-ones over him and look at what he does, he is a hard-worker, a great person off the field, and is someone who I believe has the capabilities to learn a complicated Eagles offense. If you think this is complete crazy talk, then you may be in for a rude-awakening on draft day.

So the Eagles draft Tebow? I'm not saying it will happen, but you better believe that it is a damn good possibility.

The Eagles Have Finally Signed Jeremy Maclin

Well it's about time! As you may or may not have noted, my Eagles preview was typed late last night so I was unable to give you the news that Jeremy Maclin has reached a deal with the Eagles. It is a 5-year contract. CSN Philly has the details.

Late Monday night the Eagles and first-round pick Jeremy Maclin agreed to a five-year deal reportedly worth $15.5 million, $9.5 million of which is guaranteed.

That deal is worth slightly more than the one received by the 20th overall pick, tight end Brandon Pettigrew, who according to NFL.com signed a five-year, $14.6 million deal that included $9.4 million guaranteed.

Maclin is the 23rd first-round pick to agree to terms. However, the negotiation process cost him the first 13 practices of training camp, valuable time considering how complicated the offense is for rookies to master.

The wide receiver out of Missouri will be trying to earn playing time in a deep group of receivers led by second-year pro DeSean Jackson along with veterans Kevin Curtis and Jason Avant.

The Eagles also hope Maclin can preserve Jackson by handling the punt return duties.

Didn't we initially get DeSean Jackson for punt returning duties? Amazing the difference that one year makes.

I said this before, but I'll say it again. Jeremy Maclin is a good kid and I am proud to have him with the Eagles, now that he is actually signed with the Eagles. And despite missing practices, Maclin is confident that he can make the time up. Once again via CSN Philly

“I pick up things very easily,” Maclin said. “I think I’m smart and I can do things like that. I’m going to take what I learned in minicamp and hopefully translate it out here.”

In addition to the minicamps, Maclin also participated in Donovan McNabb’s annual camp in Arizona.

“I think not only was it connecting on a football level but also on a more personal level,” Maclin said. “It’s kind of off the radar. You’re kind of out there doing your thing, having fun, joking around, talking to each other but at the same time getting work in.”

Suffice to say, I look forward to Jeremy Maclin being in an Eagles uniform! Actually, I just can't wait to see Eagles uniforms. Period.

ESPN Has A Unique System Of Grading Each Team's Draft

Yes, I saw this last night over at AA and was not planning on touching it, but it's a Tuesday, I'm bored out of mind, and hey, it's not like I have finals or anything this week and a paper due, right? More to the point, while initially they had a small problem with using the wrong USA Today grades (2008 instead of 2009), they have fixed it and then they have done something that I don't ever recall seeing before. They have averaged together a bunch of grades and given each team an NFL Draft GPA! So without further ado, this is what ESPN has calculated. The Valedictorians for the Class of 2009 are none other than........THE PHILADELPHIA EAGLES!!! And while ESPN's format is somewhat hard to read without scrolling your lights out, I have simplified all of the GPAs for you underneath (teams ranked from highest to lowest).

1. Philadelphia Eagles: 3.56
2. New England Patriots: 3.44
3. Green Bay Packers: 3.33
3. New York Jets: 3.33
5. New York Giants: 3.30
6. Detroit Lions: 3.19
6. Cincinnati Bengals: 3.19
8. Houston Texans: 3.11
9. Arizona Cardinals: 3.07
10. Chicago Bears: 3.04
10. Baltimore Ravens: 3.04
10. Jacksonville Jaguars: 3.04
13. Atlanta Falcons: 2.96
14. St. Louis Rams: 2.74
14. Cleveland Browns: 2.74
16. Seattle Seahawks: 2.67
16. Tennessee Titans: 2.67
16. Indianapolis Colts: 2.67
19. Minnesota Vikings: 2.59
19. Buffalo Bills: 2.59
21. Pittsburgh Steelers: 2.48
22. Carolina Panthers: 2.41
22. Denver Broncos: 2.41
22. Kansas City Chiefs: 2.41
25. Miami Dolphins: 2.37
26. San Francisco 49ers: 2.33
27. New Orleans Saints: 2.30
28. San Diego Chargers: 2.22
29. Washington Redskins: 2.15
30. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 2.00
31. Dallas Cowboys: 1.67
32. Oakland Raiders: 0.59

Like I said in my personal winners and losers post, the Raiders lost that draft so bad that they do not even deserve to be called losers. And I think that this pretty much proves it.

Consensus NFL Draft Grades (ESPN.com)

The Winners And The Losers Of The NFL Draft

So even though we really do not know what people will be booms and which ones will be busts, I think that it is safe to say that we can look at who on the outsets of things got some good deals and some bang for their buck while others, not so much. And while I could be like USA Today and give every team a grade, this is finals week and frankly, I don't have time for that. But alas, winners and losers

Winners

Philadelphia Eagles - Maclin, Jason Peters, Shady McCoy, Ellis Hobbs, Macho Harris.......I LOVE YOU ANDY REID, TOM HECKERT, JOE BANNER AND EVERYONE ELSE IN THE EAGLES FRONT OFFICE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hell, you can even throw Cornelius Ingram in that list as the receiving tight end that the Eagles need. And for those that think that the Eagles should have gotten Pettigrew instead of Maclin, Pettigrew is more of a run-blocking tight end than a receiving tight end and the Eagles much prefer the receiving type and Ingram more fits that bill than does Pettigrew. My only complaints, and all things considered they're minor ones, but I would have liked to see the Eagles draft a safety in case Sean Jones does not work out, especially seeing as his deal is only a 1-year deal, and I think that now might be time to find David Akers' successor. It is becoming more and more apparent that he is past his prime. Then again, arguably the kicker in the draft, Graham Gano, went undrafted, so there's still hope in that area. Obviously it's hard to judge drafts like this when you have not seen how these players will transition to the NFL, but comparing this draft to the past few drafts the Eagles had at this time, this one is by a mile their best in a few years.

New York Jets: I may take a lot of heat for this one because the Jets did not have a whole lot of picks, but they made the move of the draft, trading up to get Mark Sanchez. And while there are some question marks with Sanchez's experience, I see him having a better pro career and a better rookie year than Matt Stafford. Although a lot of that has to do with that while not an awful draft, the Lions did not hit a home run with their other picks like they had the potential of doing so.

New York Giants: And on the complete opposite side of the coin, there is the team that just sits there and gets lucky and gets the guys they want where they want them and that's what the Giants did. If Hakeem Nicks plays half as good as he did in the Meineke Car Care Bowl, then he is sure to have a great career in the NFL and for good measure meet Plaxico Burress' direct replacement, Ramses Barden, all 6'6" of him.

Seattle Seahawks: See Denver Broncos.

Losers:

Denver Broncos: The problem with the Denver Broncos is that there team is a clusterfuck of players with no real team identity. Is Neckbeard the Pirate really going to be the starting QB for the Broncos? And while Knowshon Moreno is projected to be a good pick, it can be said that it was a reach as a reach to a #12 pick, especiallly seeing as almost everyone projected him to the Eagles at #21. Oh yeah. And the Broncos are fucked next year. They traded a 1st round pick to the Seahawks in the 2nd round so that they could move up and take Alphonso Smith out of Wake Forest. Wait......THEY DID WHAT?!?!?!? A team that was not that good last year and may have done some subtraction through addition over the off-season, if you will (seriously....how many players did they get and yet, it seems like they got no one of worth; other than Dawkins' leadership) with a new coach and a mediocre free agent QB just traded away it's 1st round draft pick in 2010?!?!? Are you kidding me???? Be excited, Seattle fans. Be very excited. Write this down and don't you forget it: You just got yourselves a top 7 pick in the 2010 draft.

Dallas Cowboys: When you're the Dallas Cowboys and you do not pick until the third round and when you finally do pick, you draft some guy from Western Illinois and Trey Wingo's initial reaction is literally to say "Who?", it's not a good draft for you. (Alleged Wingo quote attributed to USA Today article linked to above)

Cincinnati Bengals: Maybe the Bengals know something we don't. They got great talent in the draft in Andre Smith and Ray Maualuga, but there's a reason why Smith was not the 1st offensive tackle taken and Maualuga dropped to the 2nd round and it's because they have character issues. And it would take 6 posts to document all of the character issues of 6th round pick Bernard Scott. I am yet to figure out if this is supposed to be a rehabilitation center of an NFL franchise.

The Team That Lost So Bad That They Don't Even Deserve To Be Called Losers

Oakland Raiders: The Detroit Lions absolutely <3 the Raiders!!!!!!!!!!! Darius Heyward-Bey (WR) at 7.........Michael Mitchell (safety) in the 2nd round........a 2-year old could have done a better job with this draft!!! Mitchell was projected 7th round!! And Heyward-Bay is the master at dropping balls and taking days and games off! But you know what their upside is: They have speed!!! Although Al Davis forgot to overlook one factor.....the speed factor is pretty much nullified if you can't make the catch or the tackle! The Raiders are on the clock for the 1st pick of the 2010 draft as we speak and the Detroit Lions may no longer be the lone team to go 0-16. And unlike the Lions, I am actually rooting for this team to go 0-16. Maybe that'll finally get Al Davis' head out of his own ass....

2009 NFL Draft Day 2 Live Blog

Warning: No trolling will be allowed! I'm looking at you Nathan Brice and "Tyler" (a.k.a. the ubiquitous sports reporter who will surely be in Raido City Music Hall tomorrow).

As long as you're not a troll, feel free to leave comments and join in the fun!

The Eagles Make Up For An Epic Flyers Meltdown

Well, the Flyers may have blown a 3 goal lead to lose 5-3 and be eliminated from the playoffs, but the Eagles had an all right draft day, if I don't say so myself. I think that I was the only one in our live blog that liked the pick of Jeremy Maclin (although Pettigrew would have been a tad better) and the Eagles need a running back and LeSean "Shady" McCoy is not bad at all. I shall avoid discussing the former team mentioned in this post, but shall discuss the Eagles draft picks.

Maclin is a very similar to DeSean Jackson, which may not be such a bad thing for them. Consider the success that Jackson had as a rookie last year. If Jackson improves and Maclin is as good as Jackson, then the Eagles have exactly what they always wanted. You can have the speedsters Jackson and Maclin on the outside and you can put Curtis in the slot, a position where he is probably a little bit more comfortable. With Reggie Brown, Jason Avant and Hank Baskett as the 4th and 5th and 6th receivers, that is not a bad combo at all (although I would not be surprised if Reggie Brown is cut). Wide receiver should no longer be a concern for the Eagles and McNabb has more of what he wants. Maclin has breakaway speed and can be very dangerous with the yards after the catch.

And in the 2nd round, the Eagles went with the PA product, LeSean "Shady" McCoy who went to high school at Bishop McDevitt in Harrisburg, college at Pitt, and now has been drafted by the Eagles. This kid has the potential to be lightning in a bottle if given the opportunity and will definitley fare well by having Brian Westbrook above him. I'd expect to see Shady get a lot of carries this year, assuming he avoids injury. I can see him as a definite upgrade to Correll Buckhalter, who I never saw as anything special (other than his toughness and resilance to battle back from 3 season-ending knee injuries in 4 years and still be playing in the league today).

Join me tomorrow as I hilariously attempt to live blog the 2nd day of the draft. If I'm lucky, my analysis and insight might be slightly better than that of a 3-year old's on this day, but alas, I've always considered myself more of the PbP type anyway (and if you've followed my live blogs closely both using Blogger and CiL, you'll have noticed I always go heavy on the PbP to cover up the spots where I'm not exactly a brillant analyst or strategist).

Meanwhile, to end the day in Phillies sports, the Phils have beaten the Marlins yet again, 6-4 in 10 innings and all of their wins this season have been of the comeback variety, including this one, where they trailed 4-3 in the top of the ninth before tying it in that inning.

Okay, 2 things on the Flyers (I was not planning on doing this), but first of all, while time will tell whether a conference quarterfinal game will qualify as one of those infamous Philly moments, but blowing a 3-goal lead in game 6 to lose the series is definitley one of those Philly moments and it was depressing to see to say the least. But alas, cheering me up a bit in some odd fashion was that I was at arguably one of the greatest, disappointing, heartbreaking, infamous, and memorable games in Flyers history (and no, it was not today). In the 2000 playoffs (yes, the year of the 5 OT game) the Flyers were up 3 games to 1 on the New Jersey Devils in the Eastern Conference Finals with home ice advantage. The Flyers proceeded to lose the next 2 games setting up Game 7 in Philadelphia. And for those that don't know, are too young to know, or just don't remember, this was the game that killed every Flyers fan a little bit. The Devils won the game 2-1, thus completing the choke job, but it was Eric Lindros' last game as a Flyer and this is the moment that is forever embedded into every Flyers fans skull as one, if not, the most infamous moment in their franchise history. And again, I was there that day at the the Wachovia First Union Center.



Stevens' hit on Eric Lindros and subsequently Lindros' last moments as a Flyer. I'm telling you, I'll never forget that day and being at the First Union Center (now known as the Wachovia Center) for that moment. I think I'll end this post with a message to Sidney Crosby in a makeshift Song of the Day, if you will. Titled, appropriately enough, "Fuck You" by Archive.



I'm such a good sport over this, aren't I? ;-)

And With The #1 Pick In The Draft, The Detroit Lions Have Signed.......

........Quarterback Matthew Stafford; University of Georgia. Yep, that's right. The Lions and Stafford have agreed to a 6-year, $41.7 million deal. Via ESPN.com

According to a source, Stafford will receive a six-year, $41.7 million deal that could be worth $78 million if he achieves all of his playing incentives. The source also said he will receive $41.7 million in guarantees. That tops the $41 million in guarantees Albert Haynesworth received from the Washington Redskins.

Stafford would have to make the Pro Bowl each year to get to $78 million, so he has a better chance to make $72 million. In order to receive the full $41.7 million in guarantees, Stafford has to play 35 percent of the downs as a rookie or 45 percent in later years of the contract

Well way to ruin the drama! Although I do not think that there was much doubt that the Lions were going to choose Stafford. The real drama will undoubtally come with where on earth does Mark Sanchez wind up. But as far as Stafford goes, let's see if he can do what all Detroit Lion QBs failed to do last year......win a game!

Eagles Thinking Of Moving Up In The Draft?

Apparently that may just be the case. Seeing as the Eagles got their fullback in Leonard Weaver, there is no longer a great need to settle for Chris "Beanie" Wells, so with a multitude of draft picks and cap room, the Eagles could end up being the big wheelers and dealers at this NFL Draft.

The Eagles' two first-round selections will be the 21st and 28th overall.

"Throw in the 12 picks, and we can do anything we want," Heckert said. "We can probably get up as high as we want or we can sit there and pick who's there, but we have enough ammunition to do anything we want."

Heckert believes the Eagles may be able to forge their way into the top five if that's the direction they want to go, but trade discussions have not heated up.

Speculation that the Eagles will make an attempt to trade for Arizona Cardinals receiver Anquan Boldin does not figure to go away any time soon. A league source said yesterday that the Cardinals plan to have another round of contract negotiations with Boldin's agent, Drew Rosenhaus, in the near future, and if they don't go well, the team may be willing to deal the unhappy wide receiver.

If the Eagles don't make a trade for Boldin or Cleveland's Braylon Edwards, who reportedly is also available for the right deal, they could use their combination of 12 picks to move up on draft day.

We'll see what's in the works come draft day! If the Eagles use Leonard Weaver right, there is no need to take a running back in the first round, but if he is just going to be blocking, then they might need to draft Beanie Wells and NOT Knowshon Moreno. The guy is a good running back no doubt about it, but he is just another Brian Westbrook and he does not have any skill set that Westbrook does not.

Eagles Off-Season Update Du Jour

There were some whispers going around that the Eagles would be interested in acquiring Jordan Gross and/or Julius Peppers from the Carolina Steroid-Users Panthers. Well that won't be the case. Why, you ask? Because the Carolina Panthers have franchised Julius Peppers and signed Jordan Gross to six-year contract.

And while they were both long-shots to be Eagles to begin with, there's a part of me that would really like to have seen Julius Peppers on the other side of Trent Cole. Oh well, defensive-end is not the Eagles primary concern (eh-em, TRADE FOR ANQUAN BOLDIN! or SIGN T.J. HOUSHMANDZADEH and DRAFT BEANIE WELLS!) Aspeaking of the draft, an interesting report came out about the Eagles in today's Philly Inquirer. Now while this could all be a misleading smoke screen and even though the Eagles have 2 1st round drat picks, the Eagles are thinking of potentially thinking to move up in the draft. From the Philadelphia Inquirer Blog Zone

Tucked away in this seemingly innocent story about Donovan McNabb was a very compelling bit of draft news that has yet to become mainstream information. The Eagles may have their eye on an offensive lineman way up the draft board. Jason Smith (6-foot-5, 300 pounds) out of Baylor is considered one of the top offensive linemen in the draft, and there is a strong possibility he'll be selected in the top 10. But apparently that's not stopping the Eagles from taking a look at the converted tight end. A solid pass blocker with experience at both left and right tackle, at least one analyst believes the Eagles could try to use their two [first-round picks] to land the prospect. "He can be a good pass blocker on Day 1," said the NFL Network's Mike Mayock. "I think it's the kind of draft that even in the early 20s and the late 20s, you can get some pretty good football players there depending on what you're looking for. Or, typical of Andy [Reid] and Joe Banner, you can package them and move up if there was somebody there that he really liked. And you know Andy, he'll move up or move down. He rarely stays static." . . . Of course the draft is also about misdirection, so it's possible the Eagles have leaked this because there is in fact another top lineman they hope will fall far enough where they can move up and get him.

I know I've been adament about the Eagles' need for Beanie Wells (DRAFT BEANIE WELLS!), but if the Eagles move up to the Top 10 and pick an offensive linemen, assuming they don't go with one that's a reach (something Andy Reid is famous for), I guess I really can't complain that much. And besides, there is a chance that should the Eagles give up their 21st spot to take an offensive lineman, I would not rule out the possibility that Beanie Wells falls to #28. Running backs are not a big market this draft. But then again, at what point does a team that does not need a running back say to themselves that Wells is just too good to pass up? I'd guess that he won't not make it past New England at #23. That's just my speculation, though, take it for what it's worth.

Panthers franchise Peppers, sign Gross (Comcast.net)