Andrews wanted out, and is now very, very far away.


According to Adam Schefter, the Eagles have sent offensive lineman Stacy Andrews to the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for a late-round pick in next year's draft.

The trade allows the Eagles to get out of paying any money to Andrews and sticks the Seahawks with paying him at least $5 million this season, unless of course they convinced him to re-work his contract.

Apparently there is some concern from the league office that the trade was actually not completed before the 6:00PM EST deadline, but I don't see that actually affecting anything. At the very worst the league makes both teams do some quick roster shuffling and change a few timestamps.

Either way, Andrews will be on his way to Seattle and newcomer Reggie Wells is likely to take over as the starting right guard since Nick Cole is still not at 100 percent.

This is the best scenario for both sides. Andrews clearly wasn't happy with the move to right guard, but with Winston Justice's emergence there was no need for him at right tackle as they might have thought when they brought him in.

So, for the Eagles, there were really only two choices: either keep him on the roster as a starter or backup and hope he doesn't cause a problem, or trade him. There was no way they were going to cut him and pay him $5 million to either sit at home or play for a different team.

And for the Seahawks, they could be getting a quality right tackle for next to nothing other than Andrews' somewhat bloated contract.

But ask me to feel sorry for Paul Allen having to spend a little extra money and I might laugh until I fall over and literally split my sides.

Getting all they could for Andrews has got to have the Eagles pleased, but it better have them very worried as well. Right now, the only guys they have to step in are Wells and Cole, but Wells is brand new and Cole is dinged up.

Starting Wells might not be an option if he can't at least start grasping the playbook very, very soon, and Cole might not be healthy enough in just over a week to be the man. So even though one problem has been solved, another very big problem has arisen.

UPDATE: According to Chris Mortensen, the league has given both teams the green light and the trade is official.

UPDATE #2: Howie Roseman says Nick Cole is the starting right guard. For now.

UPDATE #3: The team was forced to cut Max Jean-Gilles to get the roster under 53, but say they want to resign him as soon as possible.

UPDATE #4: Eagles receive seventh-round pick for Andrews. Wow.

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Could Sims be the second Seahawk-turned-Eagle?


According to Jason La Canfora of NFL.com, the Eagles are one of three teams in the mix to make a move for Seattle Seahawk's right guard Rob Sims. Sims is currently a restricted free agent, but anyone acquiring him would do so via a trade rather than an offer sheet.

Sims started in 14 games for the Seahawks last season, according to their website, and would address a perceived need for the Eagles.

I would like to see them bring Sims in to challenge Todd Herremans, whom I believe is the weak link on the line, but that would not be the case. If a move is made for Sims, it shows a complete lack of confidence in Stacy Andrews' ability to make an impact next season.

Many writers, nationally and locally, have guard as a need for the Eagles in the upcoming draft, but I'm not so sure.

Even though I'm not exactly a Herremans fan, he is a more than serviceable player. I think he gets tossed around a little too much and may lack the mentality it takes to play on the interior of the line, but there's no arguing that he's a good player.

Andrews didn't contribute a whole lot in 2009, but that was less than a year removed from a torn ACL that sidelined him late in the '08 season. He should come back fully healthy in 2010 and, according to Andrews, is "ready to dominate."

Then behind those guys is Nick Cole and Max Jean-Gilles -- two restricted free agents who have yet to sign their tenders.

Cole is very versatile and can play on either the left or right side of the center (and can even play a little center), so he instantly becomes the backup the Andrews and Herremans. Jean-Gilles was once a guy who had some big expectations because of his size and ability, but injuries and a perceived laziness on the field has him falling out of favor with the coaching staff.

Mike McGlynn and Fenuki Tupou are there as well, but neither has seen any action in the NFL and are nothing more than warm bodies at this point.

The depth isn't great, but it's certainly good enough that the Eagles don't need to address the position in the first round, or even in the first two days.

Andy Reid is very good at making starters and serviceable backups out of guys taken in the later rounds, or as in the case of Cole and Jamaal Jackson, not taken at all.

So there's really no need for Reid to even start thinking offensive line until the fifth or sixth rounds or so. The depth is fine, and there are much more pressing issues on the defensive side of the ball to take a guy like Maurkice Pouncey or Mike Iupati 24th overall.
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Darryl Tapp will compete with Parker to start at LDE.


On Tuesday evening, the Eagles pulled a trade for a defensive end and, they feel, addressed their most pressing need when they sent Chris Clemons and a fourth-round pick to the Seattle Seahawks for Darryl Tapp.

A fourth-round pick and Clemons? I don't say this very often, but the Eagles got royally fleeced on this deal. The only thing that might save it is that Tapp is three years younger than Clemons and has the ability to be a three-down defensive end whereas Clemons was a situational pass-rusher.

However, even as a situational guy, Clemons was able to rack up three sacks compared to Tapp's less-than-impressive two and a half. Not only that, but even a straight-up fourth-round pick might have been a bit steep for a guy who has never lived up to expectations.

He was a second-round pick back in 2006, but since then has never had more than seven sacks and has only started an entire season only once.

In fact, since 2007, he's only been getting worse. He started all 16 games in '07 and racked up seven sacks, only started 11 games in '08 with five and half sacks, and most recently only started five games with a paltry two and half sacks.

Isn't a young guy supposed to get better as the years go on, and not worse?

Usually, I'm willing to give the Eagles the benefit of the doubt. Andy Reid has shown over and over that he simply knows more than the rest of us, but he must really have some insider information to give up so much for Tapp.

The talk is that he should compete with Juqua Parker to start across from Trent Cole, but at this point, barring some sort of coming out party Tapp is not even good enough to be in the conversation.

And not only that, but Tapp is a restricted free agent. That means the Eagles are going to have to work out an extension right away and, since they overpaid to acquire him, will probably wind up overpaying to keep him.

I wanted the Eagles to make a move at defensive end as much as the next guy, but I truly hope they don't believe Tapp fixes the problem and still target one in the first or second round.

Because if they don't, it's going to be another long season for the defense.

UPDATE: Tapp has confirmed that he has signed a contract extension. Details of the deal are not yet available.
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Kolb could be a good fit with Pete Carrol in Seattle.


Earlier today it was reported that the Seattle Seahawks want either Donovan McNabb or Kevin Kolb as their starting quarterback in 2010; But apparently the Seahawks are only eying one of the aforementioned quarterbacks.

Kevin Kolb.

According to CSNPhilly.com (through a source in Seattle), the Seahawks aren't all that interested in McNabb because it would leave the team "in the same position they're in with veteran Matt Hasselbeck."

Hasselbeck turns 35 next season while McNabb will be 34. Kolb will be a still-ripening 26.

Seattle coach Pete Carrol is clearly looking to rebuild and must not either feel Sam Bradford or Jimmy Clausen will be on the board with the sixth overall pick, or that neither is worth such a high pick. Kolb at least has some playing experience and some NFL tape to go off of, rather than only college numbers for Clausen and Bradford.

It will take a lot for Carrol to get the Birds to part ways with Kolb, however. It will probably have to be in the area of a first-round pick or a couple second-round picks to go along with a late-round pick as well.

This report would corroborate the report that the Eagles are not listening to offers for McNabb, as well as Reid's stance that McNabb will be the quarterback in 2010.

I've gone on record as saying I believe the Eagles should take a deal for Kolb and move forward with McNabb and that's not changing now. If the Seahawks are willing to part with a couple picks, the Birds should take them and offer McNabb an extension.
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Could McNabb be heading west to the Seahawks?


According to ESPN's Sal Paolantonio, the Seattle Seahawks and new head coach Pete Carrol want either Donovan McNabb or Kevin Kolb, and they don't seem to really care which one.

Paolantonio says the Seahawks are calling "non-stop" in an effort to pry one of these quarterbacks away, but it doesn't look like the Eagles are budging. Sal Pal says he now firmly believes the Eagles will trade McNabb, but if they wanted to trade him why would the Seahawks have to keep calling?

From where I'm sitting it doesn't look like Reid wants to trade either quarterback barring a blockbuster offer. If the Seahawks were to offer a first round pick for either of these guys, it's probably something the Eagles have to take into consideration, but outside of that it doesn't look like either guy will be moved.

Reid has continuously called his quarterback log-jam the "best situation" in the league, so he's clearly not in a rush to move anyone.

It looks to me like Reid is stuck between a rock and a hard place. He's married to McNabb; He's seen him develop from a rookie to the most successful quarterback in the league (save Tom Brady and Peyton Manning) over the past decade.

McNabb was his first draft pick and really was the guy who got the success in Philadelphia started, so turning his back on him would be very difficult to do. He couldn't even bring himself to tell McNabb he was benched in the Baltimore game a few years ago, much less tell him he's been traded.

But then there's Kolb, who was also a Reid draft pick, and a guy Reid thinks can turn into a franchise player. He clearly believes that he has all the tools necessary to help this team win and that, with all the young talent in place, it could be a team that's highly successful for another 10 years.

Reid will make a tough decision when the time calls for it, but I don't think he's going to make a decision here. I believe he'll keep both quarterbacks and worry about the contracts later, unless a team blows him away with an offer for either quarterback.

And if the Seahawks are willing to part with one of those first-round picks, we could see fireworks in the weeks leading up to the draft.
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Curtis' season may be on the line with knee injury.


It seems like since last season Kevin Curtis has been dealing with injury issues. First it was the sports hernia, then his knees started giving him problems which, for a receiver, is a very big problem. Especially a receiver like Curtis who relies on his speed to make plays.

The way the Eagles players and coaches are talking, it seems like Curtis could miss another game this week nursing his injured knee, which would be his fourth straight.

"The pain is not going away. That's the problem," Reid said. "We've done all the MRIs we can do. MRIs don't tell the whole story."

So instead of just sitting around and waiting for the pain to dissipate, Curtis is going to seek a second opinion on what could be wrong with his knee, and what the timetable for his return may be.

Chronic knee problems could spell disaster for the remainder of Curtis' season, and for his career as an Eagle.


Other notable players on the injury report:

Jason Peters - Expected to play with knee injury
Victor Abimairi - Expected to sit out this Monday
Todd Herremans - Will make his return to the lineup this week


Also, former Eagles fourth-round pick Mike Gibson, who was on the practice squad this season, has been signed by the Seattle Seahawks and will most likely serve a backup role. To take his place, the Eagles signed guard Dallas Reynolds, who was with the team in training camp.

The Eagles also went out and signed wide receiver Dobson Collins (6'2, 178), and released cornerback Stoney Woodson.

Collins was a two-time All-Big South selection at Gardner-Webb. During his time at Gardner-Webb, he caught 143 passes for 1,745 yards and 14 touchdowns.
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Dunn is not only a good player, but also a great teammate.


According to Sam Wyche of NFL.com, the Philadelphia Eagles are one of many teams to make exploratory calls to free agent running back Warrick Dunn. Apparently, talks with the Eagles never got serious because they were so far apart on a dollar amount.

The Seattle Seahawks were the only other confirmed team to have spoken to Dunn, which makes sense considering their running backs are less-than-stellar and Mora, jr. was Dunn's coach in Atlanta, where he spent his time between stints in Tampa Bay.

The 34-year old running back has not been drawing the attention that was first anticipated, and a move to the Eagles doesn't make sense for either party. The Eagles now know that they will be getting Westbrook back for Week 1, and LeSean McCoy is cemented in as the number two running back.

Dunn is clearly better than Eldra Buckley or Lorenzo Booker, but Dunn does not want to return as a third back when there are teams who could use him as a number two change-of-pace back. The Eagles probably wouldn't guarantee him playing time, and tried to give him third-back money. Dunn rejecting that offer isn't exactly a shock.

Dunn is probably going to wait it out for someone to call him after the preseason if a team decides they're not happy with their current stock of running backs, but with a pretty good crop of veteran free agent running backs (Edgerrin James, Shaun Alexander, Deuce McAllister, etc.) Dunn better make sure he's not being too picky. If he won't sign, someone else will.
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