The Philadelphia Eagles announced Wednesday the tendering of restricted free agent Stewart Bradley and three others. The move to keep Bradley especially was expected, but what wasn't expected was the level at which he was tendered.

Last offseason, the Eagles slapped cornerback Ellis Hobbs with a first-round tender, but decided to only go to the second round with Bradley. Giving him a lower tender could be a message to the rest of the league that they'd like to keep Bradley, but might be open to moving him for the right price.

That price could come in the form of the second-round pick to sign him away, but that's likely too steep a price tag. The more likely option would be to include Bradley in a package for something else -- perhaps with backup quarterback Kevin Kolb to move up in the first round or even gain an additional first-round pick.

That is, of course, assuming there's a CBA in place by the time of draft -- an assumption that might be more wishful thinking than anything else.


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The Philadelphia Eagles announced today that they have tendered four restricted free agents: linebacker Stewart Bradley (2nd round), guard Max Jean-Gillies (4th round), cornerback Dimitri Patterson (right of first refusal), and running back Eldra Buckey (exclusive rights).

Those not tendered are punter Sav Rocca, linebacker Ernie Sims, linebacker Akeem Jordan, guard Nick Cole, guard Reggie Wells, running back Jerome Harrison, linebacker Omar Gaither, cornerback Ellis Hobbs, and safety Antoine Harris.

Of the remaining guys eligible for a RFA tender, Harris has no chance of getting tendered as he was really nothing but a camp body who wound up on Injured Reserve. Hobbs also has little chance of being tendered since he is likely to retire before the season begins.

Another guy unlikely to get tendered is Wells. I was, and still am, of the opinion that Wells should have been the starter at right guard for the entire season, but for whatever reason he was not a favorite of Andy Reid even though the team sent a sixth-round pick to the Arizona Cardinals to acquire him.


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First and foremost, the addition of Jim Washburn to the coaching staff excites me. No more will we have to watch Trent Cole dropping into pass coverage or see the defensive ends pause to read run before going after the quarterback.

This is going to allow Cole to do what he does best -- rush the quarterback. And it will allow whomever is playing the left side to do the same.

Not only that, but it doesn't appear as though the defensive tackles will be asked to play a two-gap technique under Washburn. Granted, I only saw a limited amount of Titans games, but it looked like the guys in the middle were able to shoot a gap and, like the ends, get after the quarterback and create havoc behind the line of scrimmage.

But the positives to that could also expose a glaring weakness -- at least for the time being -- on this defense and come with a whole new set of negatives.


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Could Dixon successfully transition into a noseguard?


With Sean McDermott out as the defensive coordinator and a 3-4 trend hitting the NFL once again, everyone is wondering whether or not the Eagles could, and should, consider a switch in defensive philosophy.

First things first, Andy Reid and the new defensive coordinator (whomever that may turn out to be) would have to decide if they have the talent on the roster to make it work.

When transitioning from a 4-3 to a 3-4, a team must first make sure they have a reliable noseguard. The Buffalo Bills made the switch and found Kyle Williams, the Green Bay Packers made the switch and drafted B.J. Raji, the Washington Redskins made the switch and had absolutely no one.

Williams is a Pro Bowler, the Packers are in the NFC Championship game, and the Redskins are in complete disarray -- so clearly a noseguard is very important.

For the Eagles, they might have one in Antonio Dixon. From what I've seen, I would be cautiously optimistic that he could handle playing the middle and covering both A-gaps. He has a great first step and clearly understands leverage and how to stop an offensive lineman's momentum.

He's also 6'3 and 325 pounds, so that certainly doesn't hurt.

For defensive ends, the only one I'm certain could pull it off is Brodrick Bunkley. He's got a good mix of speed and power to play the end position. If he's asked to control C-gap and squeeze down to B-gap, I believe he could do that.

His pass-rushing ability could be an issue, but that is something that could be worked on and taught over the offseason.

The other end would have to either be Mike Patterson or Trevor Laws, and I find myself leaning toward Laws because of his ability to rush the passer. Of the defensive tackles, he has the best feet but might lack in the running game.

There's a good chance that Laws could get washed out and create a huge hole up the B-gap or lose contain if he tries to take an inside step and gets caught. At 6'1 and 305 pounds, he has a low center of gravity but hasn't shown an ability to play the run consistently.

Patterson could be a guy used in a 4-3 set or as a backup to Dixon. He isn't even as big as Laws at only 300 pounds but has shown an ability to stand his ground and play the run. It would be a real shot in the dark as to whether he could hold up for an entire game, but should Dixon go down having Patterson would be a good safety net.

The linebackers are much easier to choose. In a 3-4, the outside linebackers obviously have to be able to rush the passer and have enough athleticism to drop back into coverage. The two clear-cut favorites on the roster are Trent Cole and Brandon Graham.

Cole spent a lot of the season dropping back into coverage because apparently McDermott thought it would be a good idea to send his best pass-rusher backwards. Even though it was a ridiculous thought to put him in coverage, he did a pretty decent job of it.

Cole would be asked to rush the passer more often than not, and we've seen him do that in a stand-up position before when he played the Joker role for both Jim Johnson and McDermott.

Coming out of college, Graham was considered a 'tweener. In fact, a lot of scouts and draftniks thought he would be better suited as an outside linebacker in a 3-4 and had him going to the Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots -- two teams in need of 3-4 outside linebackers.

And the draftniks aren't the only ones who think Graham would be good in a 3-4.

"Woo, man, I would love that," Graham said Sunday in a conference call with reporters. "Being a stand-up [linebacker] with Trent [Cole] on the other side? That would be nasty. That would be nice. I would be excited about it, I can tell you that much."

I'm also of the thinking that Graham is probably more suited as a stand-up linebacker. That doesn't mean he can't play defensive end in the 4-3 or even that he won't be a very good 4-3 defensive end, but he reminds me a lot of Elvis Dumervil and could probably play just as well.

So far, we have Laws, Dixon, and Bunkley on the line with Cole and Graham playing outside linebacker. All that's left is finding two inside linebackers.

The obvious two choices for that would be Jamar Chaney and Stewart Bradley.

Chaney is tough enough to play MIKE in the 4-3, so he shouldn't have any issue being given half the responsibility as a 3-4 inside linebacker. Then Bradley, who is a natural SAM in the 4-3, should be more than capable of handling the calls and playing half the field in coverage when the outside linebacker next to him blitzes.

The secondary is obviously unchanged by the move and would remain the same.

If the team chose to switch to the 3-4, they would have an entire offseason to pick from free agency and the draft in order to fill their needs, but should they decide to make the 3-4 nothing more than a variation from their normal 4-3 set a handful of times during a game, they could probably run it with some success given the talent currently on the roster.
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Chaney must show he can handle the mental aspect.


New York Giants wide receiver Steve Smith has torn his ACL and will not play this week when the Eagles head up to the new Meadowlands. Mario Manningham also looks highly questionable for the pivotal NFC East showdown.

That's the good news.

The bad news, however, is that the lack of receivers will force the Giants to run the ball more often at a young defense filled with holes and a rookie in Jamar Chaney making his first start at middle linebacker.

Antonio Dixon and the rest of the defensive tackles have stepped up their game to help make up for the sub-par linebacker play, but it might not be enough against the Giants.

Starting center Shaun O'Hara and backup left tackle Shawn Andrews are practicing this week, so Sean McDermott and the Eagles defense will not face the same decimated unit they faced the first time around.

Not only that, but both Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw are running very well -- unlike last time the two teams faced when Jacobs was clearly frustrated with his playing time and not entirely in the game.

If the Eagles hope to sweep the Giants and take a firm hold of the lead in the NFC East, Chaney is going to have to step up and show that he's learned the defense. Physicality isn't a problem as he's shown he's capable of making plays, but if he's caught out of position, a guy like Bradshaw can stick a dagger in a defense by breaking off huge runs at any time.

And all it takes is once. One bad read, one bad call, or even a late read or call could lead to a big play that winds up being the difference.

I'm not a big fan of Stewart Bradley, but at least we don't have to worry about him having the defense out of position because he's familiar with how it's run. Chaney has only been in the scheme since April, so it's likely that he's not as versed in it as he should be in order to start.

My first thought when the announcement was made that he's the starter was curiosity as to whether or not this was an endorsement of Chaney or an indictment of Omar Gaither.

Gaither has run this defense in the past, so it would make sense that if Chaney wasn't ready they would go with Gaither and find a way to make up for his lack of size.

Hopefully that means we can expect the best out of Chaney, but Andy Reid has put his faith in some pretty bad linebackers in the past -- Barry Gardener, for instance, comes to mind.

If he's made the same mistake with Chaney, taking the NFC East from the Giants is going to be something of a daunting task, if it wasn't bad enough already.
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Losing Graham thins out the defensive end rotation.


As if the final weeks of the season weren't going to be difficult enough, the Eagles will now have to do it without two starters on defense as Stewart Bradley and Brandon Graham are expected to miss the rest of the season.

Once Graham hit the turf, there was an immediate cause for concern due to the way he was writhing and clearly in pain. When they showed the replay, I was hoping for some sort of contact to his knee that would imply perhaps a sprain or hyper-extension.

No such luck. He's clearly shown attempt to plant and having his leg give out on him. More often than not, that means a torn ACL.

Those fears were realized Monday as head coach Andy Reid announced Graham had in fact torn his ACL and would be out for the remainder of his rookie season.

Graham had been an off-and-on starter with Juqua Parker, starting six of the first 13 games of the season. Parker will now be expected to start the remaining games and will likely see more snaps than he's used to seeing in a single game.

Rookie defensive end Daniel Te'o-Nesheim, who has been more than disappointing, will likely be active for the rest of the season as the team's fourth end. The problem, however, is that both he and Darryl Tapp are right defensive ends. One of them, likely Te'o-Nesheim, will be asked to play out of position.

Bradley injured his elbow after being cut by one of the Dallas Cowboys running back. When he put his hand down to break his fall, his elbow clearly gave out and created one of the nastier replays you'll see this season.

The elbow bent in, let's say, an unusual fashion. It didn't take years of medical school to know it was dislocated and that the team would likely need to find a replacement for the final weeks of the season and hope he can return for the playoffs.

I'm not a huge fan of Bradley's and losing him doesn't worry me too much, but there's no denying that at this point he's the best option in the middle. Rookie Jamar Chaney did a good job filling in, but there's no guarantee he'll be the guy moving forward.

Veteran Omar Gaither has seen significant time in the middle in past seasons and even started one game in the middle this year when Bradley was forced to miss with a concussion. Gaither, however, has been falling out of favor with the coaching staff for the past couple seasons and would have to really shine to prevent Chaney from starting.

Another option could be Kawika Mitchell, the former Buffalo Bills linebacker the Eagles worked out last week. Mitchell would likely need a week or two to pick up the defense first, but as a veteran he could step in without much of an issue.

If I was a betting man, I would put my money on Chaney getting the first starts of his young career with Gaither as his backup and replacement on the special teams units.

In other injury news...

Rookie linebacker (and part-time safety) Keenan Clayton will miss at least one week with a sprained knee.
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DeSean Jackson had a record-setting Sunday night.


-- This was Michael Vick's worst game of the season, but it was still pretty good. He wound up throwing two interceptions, but only one was on him. The other went right off Jeremy Maclin's hands. Overall Vick did a pretty decent job, but for the first time all season we saw all the hits he was taking actually take a toll on his game.

-- LeSean McCoy continues to be the best player no one is talking about. The guy has incredible vision and, outside of Vick, might be the best athlete on the team. He has to work on going harder through the hole and not dancing so much down field, but that will come. The guy is a Pro Bowler.

-- Owen Schmitt didn't have a great game, and I think that's the first time I've said that. He had a nice catch with a guy draped all over him, but he missed a couple blocks on special teams and in pass protection.

-- For DeSean Jackson, let's start off with the bad: the endzone celebration was ridiculous and unnecessary. The rest, however, was fantastic. Who else in the league can go 210 yards on only four catches? That's not rhetorical. If you'd like a random fact, I present to you the fact that 210 yards is the most in NFL history with only four catches. Tell your friends.

-- I don't know how I feel about Jeremy Maclin for this game. He only had one reception for 11 yards and had another one bounce off his hands that resulted in an interception, but the guy was throwing blocks all game long and was an integral part of some big gains from McCoy and Jackson, so that saved him from having an awful game.

-- Jason Avant, Chad Hall, and Riley Cooper barely did a thing. Between the three of them, they had six receptions for 41 yards. That doesn't deserve an individual reaction.

-- Brent Celek, once again, went without a reception. He was kept in to block several times, but I believe he was targeted only once on Vick's first interception. I understand the targets will go down, but not a single reception?

-- Where are the people who were talking about what a terrible decision it was to trade for Jason Peters? The guy is playing at a Pro Bowl level and shut down one of the best pass-rushers in the game. As it stands, he's at least in the conversation for best left tackle in the game.

-- Todd Herremans got manhandled by Jay Ratliff and blitzing linebackers a couple times. But all was forgiven once he caught the second touchdown of his career.

-- All things considered, Mike McGlynn was very good. He and Max Jean-Gilles did a great job of handling Ratliff for most of the game, but McGlynn did show his inexperience a couple times as Ratliff swam him or simply beat him to the hole. Jean-Gilles, however, continues to be impressive as he's playing with an attitude the line had been lacking since Jon Runyan left.

-- King Dunlap got beat a couple times. He got Vick knocked around too often. But he's proving that he can be a valuable backup for both Peters and Winston Justice. He just needs to work on the quickness of his feet and stop going stiff once he engages the defender.

-- The play-calling was atrocious, as always. They still insist on running play action when they haven't established the run and keep asking Vick to turn his back to the line of scrimmage. Andy Reid needs to let someone else hire the offensive coordinator because he and Marty Mornhinweg combine to make the worst play-calling duo in the league.

-- Trent Cole is continuing his annual late-season disappearing act. The natural ability is unquestioned, but he has to show up in December before I'm comfortable saying he's one of the best defensive ends in the league.

-- Right now, Antonio Dixon is the best defensive lineman on this team. The way he played on the goal-line and the pressure he's up to get up the middle is huge for this defense. He's not a household name yet, but he should be very soon.

-- Mike Patterson, Brodrick Bunkley, and Trevor Laws did their jobs. No more, no less. It was nothing spectacular, but spectacular isn't required every week. The effort they put forth was enough for this week. With that said, more will be needed out of them against the Giants.

-- It seemed like Juqua Parker and Brandon Graham split the snaps evenly up until Graham's knee injury. Neither was too terribly effective, and now it looks like more will be expected of Parker as Graham might have torn something in his knee.

-- Darryl Tapp lucked into a sack. Overall, he remains highly unimpressive. I know one thing, I'd definitely rather have Chris Clemons or Jason Babin. And that fourth-round pick.

-- Ernie Sims is a bum. The guy spends most of his time flat-footed and doesn't seem to have a very high football IQ. He allowed the first touchdown catch by Jason Witten because he was caught flat-footed, and seemed to miss more tackles than he made.

-- Call me crazy, but I'm not worried about losing Stewart Bradley. I think he's been overrated all season long. He's not a play-maker, he's not physical, and I don't think he's a leader on that defense. Jamar Chaney came in and played very well once Bradley went down. He will likely get the call moving forward.

-- Moise Fokou is just a guy. He's a great option to have as a backup and is very good on special teams, but overall he's just a guy. The team must improve at SAM as soon as possible, but Fokou's effort cannot be questioned.

-- Dimitri Patterson, Trevard Lindley, and Joselio Hanson all played very well. Roy Williams, Miles Austin, and Kevin Ogletree had a combined seven receptions for 79 yards, and Patterson was able to steal an interception in the process. Once Asante Samuel is able to return, this secondary could cause a lot of problems for opposing quarterbacks.

-- Like Patterson, Quintin Mikell was able to snag an interception. He made a great effort to dive for the ball and was also a big problem for the Cowboys' deep game.

-- Nate Allen is starting to trail off a bit as the season goes on, but he had a few good plays in the passing game and, like Mikell, did a great job at discouraging the Cowboys from trying anything deep. He still, however, needs to learn how to tackle better.

-- Sean McDermott continues to call too soft of a game. How does he not see the correlation between the soft style of defense he calls and the historic troubles in the red zone?

-- As far as the return game goes, Jorrick Calvin just needs to take over punt returns as well since Jackson is clearly to afraid to go forward. Calvin had a true rookie moment when he lost his called and was flagged 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct, but at least he goes straight ahead when he catches the ball and won't lose yardage like Jackson does willingly.

-- The coverage unit as a whole was good once again, but once guy in particular deserves some recognition not only for his play this week, but for past weeks as well: Colt Anderson. The guy was an afterthought after being snagged off the Minnesota Vikings practice squad, but during his time in Philly he's the clear-cut special teams MVP.

-- The late-season improvement we're seeing will likely end the streak of special teams coordinators fired and Bobby April will be back in 2011.

-- The Eagles improve to 9-4 on the season and remain ahead of the New York Giants. Next week they will travel to New York, and that game will likely wind up determining who wins the NFC East. If Justice and Samuel are able to return for that game, there's no reason why the Eagles can't wrap up the division in the New Meadowlands.
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How much blame does Sean McDermott truly deserve?


Akeem Jordan is definitely not the most talented linebacker in the league, or even the most talented on the Philadelphia Eagles' roster, but he has been the most consistent for Sean McDermott and his defense.

Stewart Bradley is constantly caught in the wash and taken out of the play and Ernie Sims gets bullied whenever a blocker can engage him. Jordan won't be seen making any spectacular plays, but he is capable attacking the play and forcing it back inside for Bradley to get his stats.

Or, as has been the case more recently, for the defensive tackles and Bradley to get completely washed down and watch the running back gouge the defense right up in the middle.

Sure, Jordan gets caught in the wash and bullied as well from time to time, but more often than not he's doing what he needs to be doing, ableit unspectacularly.

But it seems as though Eagles defensive coordinator Sean McDermott would rather point to Jordan as the scapegoat and sit him on the bench in favor of Moise Fokou rather than correcting the things he's doing wrong as the man calling the shots.

Instead of recognizing that he needs to blitz more often when the situation calls for it and, when he does blitz, make sure the call is not completely predictable, he's going to reverse a decision he made in Training Camp to bench Fokou in favor of Jordan.

If he didn't think Fokou could get the job done back in camp, what makes him think he can get the job done now?

It could be that he doesn't, and is just looking for a way to divert the attention away from him and his deficiencies as a coordinator. Or, he could be completely oblivious to the fact that there's not an offensive coordinator or quarterback in the league that can't tell you exactly where his blitz is coming from and make sure they go the opposite direction.

Andy Reid has never been great drafting linebackers (see: Barry Gardener, Matt McCoy, Quinton Caver, Joe Mays, David Bergeron, Andy Studebaker, Tyreo Harrison and Chris Gocong), but the three starters the team has right now is good enough to get the job done.

It's McDermott's job to make the best of what he's got, and it feels like he's not only making the best of what he's been given, but he's holding back the unit as a whole with his predictable blitzes and uninspired schemes.

If this defense doesn't pick it up very soon not only will the team continue to lose games, but McDermott could be on the hot seat. There's a guy very capable of taking over as the defensive coordinator currently coaching the secondary in Dick Jauron.

I believe Jauron was brought in just in case the season started to go this way, and Reid likely wouldn't have to think too long before hiring his buddy to run the defense.
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Cooley has a history of gouging the Eagles' defense.


No matter how many times we see it happen, Sean McDermott refuses to fix it. Tight ends gouge the Eagles' defense play after play, game after game, and he seems to stick his head in the sand and ignore it hoping that the problem will just go away.

But, of course, it doesn't. And at least once or twice per season, a big game by a tight end winds up being the deciding factor in a loss -- usually in an important NFC East matchup.

This season will likely be no different. Chris Cooley is coming to town in Week 4 against the Eagles, and he's due for a big game. He's got a Hall of Fame quarterback in Donovan McNabb throwing to him, and doesn't need much of an excuse to put up big numbers against the Eagles.

So why do the Eagles always give up big games to tight ends? Well, quite simply, it's a flaw in how the Birds defend them coming off the line.

More specifically, they don't defend them coming off the line. The SAM linebacker, whomever that may be from year to year, is always told to play five yards or so off the tight end and just try to catch him in his break. But, as we can see, this doesn't work.

The 'backer has to get up in the tight end's face and hit him as soon as he comes off the line. This will throw the tight end off the route and make it much easier for the SAM to stick with him.

Tight ends are just too athletic, and asking a linebacker to keep up with them out of their break is unrealistic even for the most athletic of linebackers.

And did I mention the Birds handed Cooley -- arguably one of the best tight ends -- a Hall of Fame quarterback to throw to him? I did? Well, yeah, that should make Akeem Jordan's job a lot easier, especially since McNabb understands the defense's weakness covering tight ends better than anyone the team will face.

Don't be surprised if Stewart Bradley is manned up on Cooley all game long, but if someone isn't chipping Cooley off the line expect him to have a huge day and likely be the deciding factor in whether or not McNabb truly enjoys his return to Philadelphia.
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Tapp has been a huge disappointment for the Eagles.


Kevin Kolb and Stewart Bradley are inactive due to injury. But Clay Harbor, Jorrick Calvin, Daniel Te'o-Nesheim, Keenan Clayton, Austin Howard, and Darryl Tapp are all healthy scratches.

Since it's clear why Kolb and Bradley aren't active, lets take a look at what being scratched means for those other six guys today and moving forward into the season.

Clay Harbor

Harbor being inactive could mean a few things. It doesn't necessarily have to be a knock on him as much as it is a compliment to Garrett Mills, a tight end/fullback the Eagles signed off their practice squad this week.

Or, it could mean the Birds don't fully trust Owen Scmitt at fullback quite yet and figure that keeping Mills active would then make more sense than Harbor because Mills can slide back and play a fullback/H-back type of role.

Harbor is still a guy the team really likes, and it seems like he just got caught in a numbers crunch. But, moving forward, he is still very much in their plans and will get his fair share of time as they try to mold him the same way they molded Brent Celek.

Jorrick Calvin

I complained about Calvin being active last week because they did not use him to return kicks or punts and just kept him on the sideline anyway. This just shows that Ellis Hobbs and DeSean Jackson are definitely the returners, so Calvin isn't much help to them.

Daniel Te'o-Nesheim

This is incredibly disappointing. TO, as he's lovingly being called, was a third-round pick expected to take over the "Darren Howard" role right away. But, instead, he's now spent his first two games inactive.

Just watching him in Training Camp and the preseason made me a bit nervous, but there was still the hope that the kid would be able to turn it around and save his rookie season. At this point, however, it's looking like it's going to be a wash.

He wasn't able to get pressure from the edge or up the middle in preseason, so barring an injury he'll stay on the inactive list all year.

Keenan Clayton

Clayton was inactive last week as well, so he's not having a great start to his rookie campaign, either. But one name that was inactive with him last week, Jamar Chaney, is active. So what does that mean for Clayton? Quite simply, it means they trust Chaney more as an emergency backup and like him better on special teams.

Considering Clayton was a fourth-round pick and Chaney was a seventh-round pick, the Birds probably would have liked that to be the other way around.

The Eagles knew Clayton, who played a safety/linebacker hybrid role for Oklahoma, would be a project, so there's no reason to be alarmed yet. They still view him as a guy with a great future once he really learns how to play linebacker.

Austin Howard

As an undrafted free agent, next to nothing was expected out of Howard, anyway. So this is far from a big deal. Every week he stays on the roster is just another win of him.

All this shows is that Andy Reid still trusts King Dunlap just a little bit more should something happen to Jason Peters or Winston Justice. Smart money says that is only going to last through this season at the most.

Darryl Tapp

This is by far the most disappointing guy on the team. Tapp cost the Birds a fourth-round pick and defensive end Chris Clemons, and the guy can't even hit the field. Say what you will about Clemons, but at least he was active on game day.

But like TO, Tapp has not shown that he can consistently get the pressure the team wants and needs out of him. Hopefully he's still just learning the defense and getting his feet under him and will be able to turn things around, but if he can't this is going to go down as one of the worst trades Reid has made.

I wasn't a fan of the trade when it went down as I thought the team gave up way too much, so hopefully Tapp proves me wrong in the long run.
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Kolb's status for Week 2 just got a bit more cloudy.


Anyone hoping quarterback Kevin Kolb or middle linebacker Stewart Bradley would be able to play in the Eagles' Week 2 game against the Detroit Lions won't like the news coming out of the NovaCare Complex.

Kolb and Bradley were both subjected to more testing to see how far along they were in their recovery from concussions both suffered Sunday in the Birds' loss to the Green Bay Packers, and both were unable to get the green light from the team doctors to practice.

It's not unexpected, but it's still bad news for both players. They have now missed Wednesday's practice, which means they've missed the installation of the gameplan. So even if they are cleared to practice on Friday -- the target date head coach Andy Reid gave them -- it's likely both would be kept out of the game anyway.

Reid did say, however, that "Stewart [Bradley] is ahead of Kevin [Kolb] right now as far as how they feel." Bradley has been claiming he's not suffering from headaches, so it would make sense that he's doing just a bit better than Kolb, even though Bradley's looked far worse.

And if we read between the lines of what Reid told the media (which is always necessary with Reid), he does not expect to have Kolb available.

"Right now Kevin is not practicing." Reid said. "Michael Vick is practicing and he’s getting himself ready to play in that game. That’s what I’m focusing in on right now and as far as the football part of it goes. On the medical side of those two players, getting better and going through the rehab that’s available to them."

Reid also said he views Vick as a starting-caliber quarterback, and that he's currently taking all the starting snaps in Kolb's absence.

In other injury news, Reid was noncommittal when asked about keeping Mike McGlynn as the starting center, or whether or not he would consider moving him to guard and sticking Nick Cole in at center.

"I'll leave McGlynn at center right now," Reid said. That's not exactly a vote of confidence for McGlynn, but I think the only way he loses his job is if Reggie Wells gets inserted as the right guard and McGlynn starts making a few mental errors.

Otherwise, I believe McGlynn will be the starter for the rest of the season, Wells will eventually uproot Cole at right guard, and Cole will simply be used as the primary backup at all three of the interior positions.
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Bradley claims he's fine, but will likely miss Week 2.


Early Tuesday, a tweet popped up from Stewart Bradley asking if anyone had any home remedies for headaches. The obvious assumption was that Bradley was suffering headaches related to the concussion he suffered Sunday against the Green Bay Packers.

Well, apparently that wasn't the case. According to Bradley, his publicist jumped the gun.

"This morning my publicist tweeted about headache remedies," Bradley tweeted, "but she didn't need to ask cuz i haven't even had a headache. Seriously."

I'm not sure how much I'm buying that. We all saw him stumble around like a 17-year old senior girl on prom night after making contact with Ernie Sims' leg with his head. For him to truly not have any headaches so soon would be incredible.

The tweet from Bradley's publicist has since been deleted, and the "seriously" at the end of his tweet makes it seem like he's just taking an extra step to convince the league and the Eagles' team doctors that he should be allowed to play against the Lions next Sunday.

Bradley is a gamer and wants to play, so it's tough to fault him. And while I haven't been impressed with his play to this point, he's definitely the best option the Birds have at MIKE.

Andy Reid has ruled Bradley out of practice until at least Friday, so it seems unlikely that he'll see the field in Week 2 no matter how good he claims to be feeling.

The Eagles also announced that Jamaal Jackson had successful surgery on his triceps by team physician Peter DeLuca of the Rothman Institute in Philadelphia. Jackson has already been placed on IR.
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Mike Vick took full advantage of his time on the field.


-- Kevin Kolb looked lost. He looked lost throughout the preseason, and looked lost Sunday against the Packers. He was 5-10 for 24 yards and really could have had three interceptions. He showed no poise, no faith in himself, and in the end cost the Eagles a 1-0 start.

-- Michael Vick looked great. He threw the ball very well, even though he made some questionable decisions and had a couple balls thrown behind his receivers, but his biggest impact was clearly with his legs. He looked like the guy we saw in 2004 as he rushed for over 100 yards and evaded the Packers' defense several times, allowing himself to make big plays.

-- There is no replacing Leonard Weaver, but Mike McGlynn might be a fine replacement for Jamaal Jackson. He looked very good snapping the ball and making the line calls. The Birds will likely activate A.Q. Shipley as insurance, but I feel good about McGlynn as the guy.

-- I would have loved to see LeSean McCoy get more carries. I said in my previews write-up that I thought he'd get nine carries, and he wound up getting even loss. He had seven carries for 35 yards -- a 5-yard average -- and a touchdown. Hopefully he can see some more carries next week and really showcase his talents as a runner.

-- Mike Bell got the ball one time, ran for nine yards, had it called back on a penalty, and didn't see the field for the rest of the game. What in the hell is that about? Why is he on the roster if he's not going to get the ball?

-- Was it just me or did the receivers look uninterested? Jeremy Maclin and DeSean Jackson each had a drop and looked lazy running their routes regardless of who was playing quarterback.

-- Brent Celek had a day to forget. He only had two catches and was absolutely terrible when he was asked to stay in as a blocker. If he would have gotten any push on Clay Matthews on that 4th-and-1 play, Vick probably falls forward for the first and the offense can at least continue their push at the endzone.

-- Special teams was just bad. The coverage team got spanked all day long and consistently gave the Packers a short field. Maybe it's about time Reid take an interest in special teams and keep guys like Kelley Washington and Tracy White around.

-- Why was Jorrick Calvin active? They didn't let him return a thing, and he obviously wasn't going to help on defense as he's only been on the team for a week. If he wasn't going to be the return man, it would have made more sense to activate a guy like Jamar Chaney or Keenan Clayton to help on the coverage team.

-- David Akers is still money. They need to keep him around as long as possible.

-- Overall, I thought the line played well. The sacks were mostly a result of holding onto the ball too long and there were usually good running lanes. The team still needs to find their final five and get some continuity going.

-- Nick Cole's individual play makes me believe Reggie Wells needs to get pushed into the starting lineup right away. He stopped his feet on several occasions and spent most of his time chasing tail — a cardinal sin for a lineman.

-- Ernie Sims was flying around and at least gets an "A" for effort, but Sean McDermott and the defense will still need a lot more out of him. He's got to make the big plays and be the difference-maker they envisioned or he won't be in Philly past this season.

-- Juqua Parker's play has to keep the young kid on the bench for a little longer. Two sacks in one game cannot be ignored. The "old man" has earned more playing time.

-- Brodrick Bunkley was strong against the run and was even able to get a push into the backfield on passing plays, but Mike Patterson was awful. He got stood up almost every play and was disrupting the flow of his linebackers. He must be better or the defense will suffer greatly.

-- Trent Cole is good. Just in case you hadn't noticed.

-- Ellis Hobbs looks very slow. Whether it was on defense or returning kicks. It's time to see what Calvin can do as a return man, but they're stuck with him on defense. Hopefully he will get quicker as he gets more confidence as a starter.

-- Asante Samuel missed his chance for a pick and still can't tackle, but all things considered played a pretty good game.

-- Nate Allen has some learning to do, but his future is definitely very bright.

-- Stewart Bradley has been one hell of a disappointment. He wasn't any good in Training Camp, didn't do nearly enough in the preseason, and wasn't any good against the Packers even before the concussion. He looks slow to the ball and can't shed a blocker to save his life. He might have a future as a SAM (his natural position), but might not be the MIKE the Eagles want.

-- Outside of Vick, Sav Rocca was the best player on the field. A 47.6 average meant the Packers were constantly starting drives deep in their own zone. If he can keep this up throughout an entire season, he could prove to be the Birds' secret weapon.
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Don't worry Brent, we'll be watching you closely.


They say it takes three years to evaluate a draft class, so now with the 2009 season in the rear-view mirror the 2007 class has had their three years. However, it might not be fair to look back on this class just yet.

Kevin Kolb, the first Eagles' selection in '07, has only started two games in those three years while he waited behind Donovan McNabb. Only now is he getting the opportunity to show what he can really do as he will have a full offseason as the team's starter and will have, at least, 16 games to prove his worth.

Stewart Bradley and Brent Celek, taken in the third and fifth rounds respectively, have each shown flashes of superstar ability, but must do it again if they're going to be taken seriously as elite players in this league.

Both did very well in their first seasons as the starters, but anyone can have one good year and then fall off. These two young guys have a lot to prove, but with far different circumstances surrounding them.

While Celek simply has to show that he can replicate his '09 season, Bradley faces a much more difficult challenge in returning from a major knee injury. A year removed from his Pro Bowl-caliber season, he will have to show that the injury hasn't hampered his progress as a player and have an even better season than he did in '08.

Then, there's Victor Abiamiri.

Like Kolb, Abiamiri was a second-round pick, but he's done even less than Kolb has in his three years in Philadelphia.

Abiamiri is constantly hurt, and when he is finally healthy he's all-but nonexistent on the field to the point where I sometimes forget he's on this team. If he can't find a way to stay healthy and meaningfully contribute, he is going to find his way out of town and desperate to find a team that will take him.

The Eagles have shown faith in him over the past couple seasons, but after the trade for Darryl Tapp it looks like the Birds are prepping for life after Abiamiri and view any contribution from him as a plus.

It's got to kill any competitive player when you're being counted on to produce and can't, but it's got to be even worse when nothing is expected of you at all.

The Eagles other picks -- Tony Hunt (third round), C.J. Gaddis (fifth round), Rashad Barksdale (sixth round), and Nate Ilaoa (seventh round) -- are no longer on the team and, as far as I know, are no longer in the NFL.

So, needless to say, not a whole lot will be expected from them -- unless we count their boss at Nationwide or State Farm.

Kolb, Abiamiri, Bradley, and Celek will all play a vital role in the upcoming season, and if they're able to make an impact it would make for a very successful draft class, despite the four other failed picks.

And by the way, Kolb, Bradley, and Celek all came from picks collected when the Eagles traded out of the first round with the Dallas Cowboys -- a move heavily criticized by everyone, including myself.

But if all three of those guys go on to be the stars the Eagles expect them to be, would you really trade any of the three for Anthony Spencer?
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Would Stewart Bradley be more useful elsewhere?


I don't mean I want Stewart Bradley moved to wide receiver or have him take over at corner when Sheldon Brown moves to safety, but should the Eagles consider moving Bradley out of the MIKE position and slide him over to SAM?

Strong-side linebacker has been a problem for this team ever since Carlos Emmons left and headed to New York earlier this decade. The Chris Gocong experiment did not work the way they thought it would, and now the Birds are once again left with no answers at SAM.

However, Bradley is a guy who fits perfectly. He's got a rare combination of size (6'4, 254) and athleticism that would allow him to not only play the run on the strong side, but able to cover even the upper echelon of tight ends.

Let's also not forget that SAM is not uncharted territory for Bradley. In fact, he played SAM linebacker at Nebraska, and it was the move to MIKE that was actually the gamble for Bradley.

But as is usually the case, a solution to one problem only brings up more problems. The obvious one being, who would then move into the middle?

It's not ideal, but if the Birds were to draft Navorro Bowman with their first round pick, they could play him immediately at WILL and move Witherspoon into the MIKE spot again. It's not ideal because Witherspoon isn't quite big enough (6'1, 235) to play middle linebacker, but he's smart and quick enough to make up for it.

Not only that, but even in a down year Brodrick Bunkley and Mike Patterson are still very good at eating up blocks and not allowing the guards to get to the second level.

I would rather see the Birds pick up a guy who can play SAM, or perhaps see Moise Fokou flourish and be able to cover the tight ends, but I just don't see it happening. For next year, the Birds could do very well with a trio of Bowman, Witherspoon, and Bradley.

Even Akeem Jordan at WILL (if the Birds don't draft Bowman) would work out just fine.

I'm drawing the line. I'm personally sick and tired of seeing tight ends gouge this defense and if it means moving Bradley to SAM to make it stop, then I'm all for it.

Will he be able to run as well as he did before the knee injury? I'm not sure, no one is, but it's a risk I would certainly be happy to see them take in an effort to stop the tight ends.
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Taylor Mays is good, but is FS a number one priority?


Right now, Taylor Mays seems to be the guy for which everyone in Philly is clamoring. Everyone wants that "Dawkins clone" and is completely forgetting that free safety is about third on the list of problem areas for the Eagles' defense.

First and foremost, the position of left end must be addressed. I'm not necessarily saying that's where the Eagles should go with the 24th overall pick, but it's definitely a spot that has to be dealt with because Juqua Parker is simply not getting the job done.

Perhaps a rotation of Parker, Victor Abiamiri, and Jason Babin (assuming he's brought back) could do the trick until the Birds draft a guy they're comfortable plugging in, but it's not a spot that can just be ignored any longer. It was the Birds' Achilles heel last season and will continue to kill them if it remains unaddressed.

The next obvious sore spot is linebacker. MIKE and WILL seem to be set with the return of Stewart Bradley and Will Witherspoon under contract for a couple more seasons, but there's a huge void at SAM linebacker that must also be addressed.

Chris Gocong will most likely not be an Eagle next year, so that leaves Moise Fokou as the guy to step in if the roster remains unchanged. He was a seventh round pick last year, and even in his rookie season was able to take snaps and starts away from Gocong.

It's possible that the Eagles feel comfortable starting Fokou, but I just didn't see enough out of him to think that he can cover tight ends and play the run well enough to warrant a starting position just yet.

It's not even a knock on the kid, but he is only going into his second season. I'm certainly not saying that he can't ever start, but I'm just not sure that he's ready -- mentally or physically.

Akeem Jordan is still here, but he's strictly a WILL, so if Witherspoon starts on the weakside it relegates Jordan to a backup spot, although he's a damn fine backup to have.

Personally, I would like to see the Birds draft Penn State's Navorro Bowman with their first pick. I think he is the type of guy who can change the course of a game with his athleticism and can stay on the field for three downs -- a trait that a lot of linebackers have lost throughout the years.

The kid grew up in Maryland and went to Penn State, so the Eagles front office has had a lot of time to take notice of him and be able to scout him better than most teams because of how close he is. He's certainly worthy of the 24th pick, and the Eagles would be making a very big mistake if they pass up the opportunity to draft him.
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A strong showing by Mays would be cause for optimism.


After starting middle linebacker Stewart Bradley went down for the season with a torn ACL, most fans thought it would come down to a battle between Omar Gaither and Joe Mays to see who would be the team's starter for 2009.

It began that way, but when it became obvious that Mays was in over his head and that Gaither could not stand up to the beating that a middle linebacker must take, the job went to Jeremiah Trotter.

Then after Trotter came in and made it evident that his age and injuries had caught up to him, the Eagles decided it was time to swing a trade for Will Witherspoon. Brandon Gibson and a fifth-round pick later, we have the Eagles third starting middle linebacker.

Then, last week, we were forced to suffer through the fourth as Chris Gocong, while his effort was a valiant one, fell on his face in the MIKE position.

He looked out of place, confused, and clearly out of his comfort zone -- as well as his coverage zone.

So with Akeem Jordan still out with a knee injury, the Eagles are looking for other solutions to their middle linebacker troubles. As is the case with most chronic problems, the Eagles went back to square one and started over -- right back at Joe Mays.

Mays has taken the majority of the first-team snaps at MIKE, with Witherspoon and Gocong at WILL and SAM respectively. There have been other sets of linebackers -- most likely with Witherspoon in the middle and Moise Fokou also in the mix -- but the most prevelant has been Witherspoon, Mays, and Gocong.

It could either be a sign that Mays is finally getting acquainted with the defense, or just a sign of desperation from a team trying to deal with a depleted defense thanks in large part to unfortunate injuries.

Mays is from the windy city, so it would be fitting for him to get his first career start back where it all happened.
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Runyan is coming off of knee surgery, while Stewart Bradley just had his.


As reported yesterday, Runyan would be cleared medically today, and he has in fact been cleared.

Well, sorta.

He has been cleared to run and work out, but won't be cleared to hit anyone for about another two weeks. For a guy like Runyan, that's got to be driving him crazy.

It's no secret that Runyan wants to go to a team where he can start. He's not coming back for a 14th season with the intention of riding the pine and playing some sort of player-coach from the sidelines. This is a guy with too much love of the game and too much passion to ever be a backup.

Personally, I think Runyan is a Hall of Fame guy, and I've said that on multiple occasions. I hope the best for him in the rest of his career, whether it's in Philly or not.

Also, in some more semi-good knee surgery news, Stewart Bradley had successful surgery in Alabama with the go-to guy in dealing with sports injuries, Dr. James Andrews. Andrews has been the go-to guy for a while, even operating on Randall Cunningham back in '91 when he tore up his knee.

Still no word from the Eagles whether or not Bradley will head to I.R., but that seems to be his most likely landing spot in the coming days. The Eagles are already cutting it close for numbers, and probably won't spend a roster spot waiting on a guy who has little chance of returning this year.
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If you poke the old bear, don't be surprised when he wakes up.


A lot has been made of Andy Reid's anger with the Philadelphia sports media because of some of the practices used by the guys to gain information regarding Stewart Bradley's recent season-ending injury.

As a member of the Philadelphia sports media (granted, a junior member), I've held my tongue regarding the situation for one reason, and for one reason only: I agree with coach Andy Reid.

I think Reid may have taken it a bit too hard, but still, his reasons for being angry are simple.

1) He has always disclosed injuries to the media, 2) In return, he only asks that his players and other personnel not be bothered, and 3) Members of the media just could not wait the extra hour to find out from Reid.

The problem here is that, with this new era of instant information, journalism has become more about getting a story first, rather than getting it right. Many members of the media are content with posting a story before everyone else that may only be half-true, rather than a story that is completely accurate, regardless of time posted.

For those of you still not in the know, apparently a couple reporters called Bradley's cell phone directly, which of course Reid found out about.

You could argue that these guys were just attempting to do their job, and I understand that to a degree, but knowing that Reid does not like it when you go behind his back, why would you do it? Is it really worth finding out an hour ahead of everyone else?

Had they not called Bradley, Reid would have gotten up on the podium and said something like, "Okay, injuries today. Stewart Bradley looks to have torn his ACL last night and could possibly sit out for the entire season, but we're not sure yet."

Everyone would have had their story, and everyone would have had something to turn in to their editors to put up on the website, or to print and circulate tomorrow morning. Instead, they chose a course of action that they knew would upset Reid. For as little as he will say at times, he's not shy about saying what will piss him off.

Additionally, members of the media are saying that it wasn't a big deal because the story was already out. They're saying that his agent had confirmed the tear in the ACL. Well fine then, post the headline "Bradley's Agent Confirms Linebacker Has Torn ACL" and run with it. However, you've crossed the line when you contact Bradley about it.

It's not a secret that Reid doesn't want his players and personnel bothered about things like that. He's come right out and said it, so it's not like he's making something up as he goes along just to confuse and annoy the media. But then when these guys are caught and given a slight slap on the wrist, they begin calling Reid a control freak, a dictator, and a baby.

It's like when a child is told that they mayn't have cookies until Mom says that they may, but when they get caught with their hand in the cookie jar they want to say, "Well, I'm only a kid. I like cookies, it's what I do. You're a jerk for catching me." Mom has given you the rules, when you break them, expect a consequence.

Some of them will say, "Well, Reid's not our mom, we don't work for him." Fine, but you can't have it both ways. If that's the case, then don't be angry when he won't tell you what you want to know, or won't tell you anything for that matter.

But if it were the other way around, and Reid just flat-out refused to give them an answer about an injury, or anything else, he'd still be an "arrogant, egotistical control freak."

They just can't understand why on earth Reid would be so upset that anyone knew.

Perhaps he was trying to get a deal done with another team to trade for a guy, and Bradley's injury would hurt his leverage in the deal. For instance, if he was trying to trade for a middle linebacker before anyone knew about the injury, he may have been able to get that guy at a decent price.

However, if that other team finds out he's trying to get the deal done because his starting middle linebacker just went down for the year, all of a sudden that guy is a bit more valuable to that other team. They know the Eagles would give up more because the deal has become that much more important, ask for too much, and the deal falls through on a guy who could have helped.

I'm not saying that was the case, but it's a scenario where Reid would want to keep the injury under wraps until it was no longer detrimental to him for everyone to know.

The problem with me saying this is that even though journalism is a competition, it's also a fraternity. Disagreeing with them, or throwing a guy under the bus could have me blackballed to a point that could kill my chances of truly accomplishing anything.

Even knowing that, I write this because there are certain members of the media with whom I'd rather not be associated, anyway. I won't name specific people, but the reader knows who they are. They are the people who write with no real knowledge of the way football is played, and no real knowledge of the Philadelphia Eagles specifically.

Being a sports journalist, a journalist in general, is about more than creating a stir with either half-truths or whole lies. However, some people covering our beloved team will do just that in order for some reads, more subscriptions, or just publicity. The integrity of the job has flown out the window as laptops and Wi-Fi have entered.

Instead of using the new media for good, it has turned once-proud reporters into nothing more than gossiping school girls looking for the juiciest story. Frankly, that's not something I want to be a part of.

I'll offer my opinion as a journalist, a player, and a coach simply observing and giving some insight knowing that the opinion I offer is no more valid than the person standing beside me.
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We now know that this will not be the starting trio Week 1.


Well, it didn't take long for my question of "roadblock or speedbump" to get answered.

The Eagles were doing 80 on the freeway, and something threw a huge brick wall in front of the Ferrari we were cruising in right to Miami.

Stewart Bradley, starting middle linebacker, has torn his ACL and is most likely done for the year.

Just like that, in the blink of an eye, the Eagles season just got that much harder. The defense is now faced with a daunting task of overcoming the loss of their starting middle linebacker, and the man who was supposed to lead this team.

While it's always a huge blow to lose a player like Bradley, it's not something that the Eagles are incapable of rebounding from.

Omar Gaither has played the MIKE position, and has played it well. After the Eagles cut Jeremiah Trotter, Gaither was thrust into the starting role almost immediately, and responded by having a solid season. Gaither is now a guy playing with a chip on his shoulder after losing his spot, and this is just the kind of opportunity that he has been waiting for.

Then of course Akeem Jordan would man the WILL spot and Gocong would stay at SAM, no need to change anything there.

Of course there is the distinct possibility that Joe "Headbuster" Mays could find himself with a starting spot if the Eagles like Gaither better as a role player at the WILL spot.

No one exactly knows what Andy Reid and Sean McDermott are planning at this point, but you can bet that they are in fact planning. McDermott already had a difficult task in front of him replacing a legendary coach like Jim Johnson, but losing a guy that he was banking on to be the team's leader and his starting middle linebacker only makes it more difficult.

Bradley will almost certainly be headed to the IR, so the Eagles will have an open roster spot. The problem they face is what to do with it.

Right now, without Bradley, they have Tank Daniels, Tracy White, and Gocong at SAM, Charleston "Chews" Hughes, Joe Mays, and Gaither at MIKE, and Moise Fukou and Jordan at WILL.

I don't see Hughes making the team, as he was a long-shot to begin with, and before this I didn't see White making the team, either. However that may have just changed. Fukou was a late-round draft pick and will probably make his way to the practice squad as I don't believe they think he's ready to be a primary backup.

So they could be left with the same people at SAM, Mays and Gaither at MIKE, and Jordan alone at WILL. They could perhaps move Daniels or White to backup WILL, but I don't think they want to do that.

Let's not forget that Daniels hasn't even been practicing at linebacker, but instead taking snaps at defensive end. That may have been his only shot at making this team, but with Bradley's injury they'll probably just attempt to move him back to linebacker.

So who's out there? Well, there's one guy who I think could really help the Eagles in terms of having a great backup, and adding leadership to a defense without direction.

Derrick Brooks.

He's the perfect fit for the scheme and for the situation. He's played linebacker in a 4-3, and played it extremely well as a walking Hall of Fame guy. Yes, he's a bit long in the tooth, but they're not asking him to start, only play as a primary backup. He says he has at least one good year left in him, so give him a one-year deal and give it a shot.

It couldn't possibly hurt, could it?

A move like this gives the Eagles the depth that they certainly need, and gives them leadership. On top of that, it also gives these young guys a chance to learn from a guy who most certainly will have a bust in Canton sometime in the near future.

Either way, the Eagles defense will have to step up this year. No Dawkins, no Bradley, and no Jim Johnson certainly puts them in a bind. This will test the will of every young man on this defense, and the young man running the defense from the sidelines.

You can't know the true character of a man until he is faced with adversity. Well, we'll be discovering the character of every man on this team, this year.
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