Washington is a cut the Eagles could live to regret.


Adam Caplan said he was hearing Kelley Washington was going to be the guy on the short-end of the battle for the fifth wide receiver spot, and it turns out he was right. The Eagles are announcing that Washington has been cut, which means Hank Baskett is the guy.

As I've said, Baskett is definitely the better receiver, but is a notch or two behind Washington in terms of special teams play -- something the Eagles desperately need.

So if releasing Washington wasn't enough of a blow to the special teams, the team also announced they've traded linebacker Tracy White to the New England Patriots for a late-round pick in the 2012 draft.

The team is really counting on young guys like Keenan Clayon, Jamar Chaney, Kurt Coleman, and others to step up big time on special teams. All the backups are certainly capable, but it takes a certain mindset to play special teams and I'm not sure a lot of the guys on this team have it -- as evidenced by their poor play during the preseason.

For me, Andy Reid and Howie Roseman are taking a huge gamble. But the fun part is we won't know whether or not it paid off until about midway through the season.
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Yupp, Barnes is the guy who made this infamous tackle.


Quite honestly, I'm not sure why anyone tries to guess how Andy Reid's final roster will look. Just when you think you know what he's thinking, he throws a curveball like this and makes a trade about four hours before the deadline to finalize the roster.

Reid is clearly still chatting it up with his former special teams coordinator Jon Harbaugh, now the head coach of the Baltimore Ravens, as the two teams have swung a trade that will send outside linebacker Antwan Barnes to Philly for an undisclosed 2011 draft pick.

Smart money says the pick is a conditional late-rounder, but the Eagles did just trade away their sixth-round pick next year to the Cardinals for Reggie Wells, so it could be a straight-up seventh-round pick.

Barnes played outside linebacker in the Ravens' 3-4 scheme, but is expected to play a hybrid role of linebacker and defensive end in Sean McDermott's 4-3 defense.

Now, I'm not saying Barnes isn't a good athlete who could help the team out, but hasn't Reid learned his lesson yet?

Alex Hall, Chris Gocong, and Ricky Sapp are all guys Reid has picked up to play either linebacker or defensive end in the team's 4-3 scheme, but are clearly best fit as a 3-4 outside linebacker. I don't quite understand why he still thinks it's easy to transition from a pass-rushing outside linebacker to putting your hand in the ground or vice versa, but he just keeps trying it.

We keep hearing about this "Joker" position, but McDermott doesn't really employ a Joker often enough to swing a trade to specifically fill the aforementioned role.

The move for Barnes will likely push out someone like Tracy White or Moise Fokou, so all in all it seems like more of a lateral move than anything.
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Signing White might be the best move made so far.


Since the 2009 season ended, I've been all but screaming that the Eagles have to go out and re-sign linebacker and special teams ace Tracy White.

It didn't look like they were going to at first, and I had even resigned myself to the fact that it wasn't happening, but I was pleasantly surprised last Saturday when the team announced his return.

I'm not sure if it was feeling a need to replace a special teams player when Joe Mays was traded, or if it's a quiet nervousness about the youth at linebacker, but I don't really care either way. White was a guy the Birds had to resign, and they've done just that.

As I've said of White in previous posts, he's a guy every team needs. He's a hard-working guy who has the intelligence and just enough athletic ability needed to play in this league.

The signing might also mean the team is finally starting to take an interest in their special teams unit. It's a phase of the game that's been largely ignored by Andy Reid during his tenure in Philadelphia, whether it was not having a return man in 2007, or not having anyone for the coverage units in 2008, Reid has largely ignored special teams even recently.

But now with the signing of White, Kelly Washington, and the hiring of Bobby April, it appears as though Reid is finally coming around to the idea of special teams truly be one-third of the game.

If Reid is smart, White will make this team -- even if it means sacrificing one of the draft picks because, when it comes down to it, he's still going to be a more valuable asset.
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Not resigning White would be an incredible mistake.


Perhaps his name got lost in all the moving the Eagles have done this offseason, or maybe he's run off to the Philippines to study the teachings of a crazy sect, but no matter what is going on there is absolutely no reason for Tracy White to still be floating around in free agency.

White is the type of guy every NFL team should have, and the Eagles were lucky enough to have him. He does whatever is asked of him, whether it's playing a nickel-linebacker role or giving it everything he has on special teams, the man does it all.

In a league filled with third-down pass-rushers, third-down running backs, Wildcat players, and all the other specialist roles, White was a guy who did everything short of catch a touchdown pass -- and did it all happily and willingly.

He's slightly reminiscent of Ike Reese earlier in this decade, but he might be a bit more athletic than even Reese was during his time in Philly.

I understand there's really no rush to resign White as special teams players aren't exactly flying off the market, but he's a guy the Eagles cannot afford to undervalue. The special teams has been a weakspot ever since Jon Harbaugh left for Baltimore a few seasons ago, and it's mainly been due to a lack of guys like White.

Every team needs a few guys whose job depends on how they perform on special teams, because it's really the only thing that will keep them going 100 percent. However, the Eagles have been so deep at every position that the guys on special teams didn't fear for their job because they knew they were just the next guy in line.

With Bobby April on board and the prospect of finally having a game-changing special teams unit, now is not the time for the Eagles to undervalue who was arguably the best special teams player in the league last season, as well as a capable backup linebacker.
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Resigning White has to be a top priority this offseason.


Tracy White isn't exactly a guy that you think of when talking about difference-makers on the Eagles roster. However, White is far and away the best special teams player this team has, and even stepped in beautifully in the nickel role at a time when linebackers were dropping like flies.

He's a free agent as of March 5th, regardless of the status of the CBA, and it's imperative that the Eagles don't mess around resigning him.

To find a guy who's able to contribute on special teams and have a role on defense the way he did is quite rare in today's NFL, so he's a guy that the Birds have to go out of their way to keep. Not to mention the fact that he will come incredibly cheap -- something the Eagles are sure to like.

If he's offered a three-year, $4 million deal, he would most likely happily accept. It's a very small price to pay for a guy who had a large role in holding this team together while they figured out the linebacker situation.

He even helped the Birds clinch a victory against the Chicago Bears this season when he tipped a Jay Cutler pass that was eventually intercepted by Asante Samuel. It effectively ended a game that the Eagles could have very easily lost, and helped start a winning streak that would clinch the Eagles a playoff spot a month later.

He brings an attitude to special teams as one of the few guys who actually seems to enjoy it. It has an affect on the guys playing next to him and creates an overall better unit.

If Bobby April is truly the special teams guru he's billed to be, he'll be in Reid's ear about resigning White immediately.
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Trott will be back in Philly, and in his signature #54.


After Jeremiah Trotter signed his one-year deal with the Eagles last week, he said one of his first priorities was to talk to Tracy White about getting the No. 54 jersey that made him a fan-favorite in Philadelphia.

He's got the jersey, but what he gave up for it still isn't exactly known. Trotter won't say, and White is also staying mum saying only that they talked one-on-one in the equipment and eventually came to a deal.

Back in 2004, when Trotter began his second stint with the team, Nate Wayne made him wash his car at one of his charity car washes in order to get the jersey back. We've seen anything from a monetary transaction to something small like washing the other's car, so there's no telling what White and Trotter agreed upon.

If we don't see or hear anything out of Trotter, it just means he bought the number from White. However, if White thinks anything like Nate Wayne, we could have some more light-hearted news for you.

White will now wear the number 52, and Trotter is expected to practice with the team today in about an hour-long 10-10-10.

Also, some more news filed in the "Not Really Worth Pointing Out But I Will Anyway" category, both Wayne and White were Packers before coming to Philly and stealing Trott's number. Worth pointing out? Not really. But, there you go.
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Trotter takes the Eagles back to a more dominate time.


In an interesting development, Adam Schefter of ESPN is reporting that the Eagles have worked out former Eagle Jeremiah Trotter again for the second time this week. Andy Reid has since confirmed the workout on his radio show, and said that Trotter did a "nice job."

With Jeff Garcia almost a lock to get cut in the coming days, Trotter could take over that roster spot and perhaps provide some leadership and a spark to a defense that seems to be lacking a leader at this point.

He's only 32 years old, which isn't all that old as far as the NFL goes, but for the Eagles it's become ancient. The concern about Trotter, even more than his age, are the fact that his knees seemingly gave out on him, causing the Eagles to release him and landing him only a backup role in Tampa Bay.

The potential signing of Trotter could signal a dissatisfaction with backup middle linebacker Joe Mays, or even a dissatisfaction in the current starter, Omar Gaither.

Gaither did play a good game on Sunday, but perhaps the Eagles feel like bringing in Trotter over the bye week could light a fire in the defense and get them to play harder, and faster. Trotter could also be a coach on the field and if he actually is healthy would be a great addition to the lineup in running situations.

Of course, that's if he's healthy.

He may have looked good in the workouts, but it's a lot different when you're actually hitting people and getting hit.

For those of you screaming about Jon Runyan taking Garcia's roster spot, it's more than likely not going to happen. Winston Justice has performed very well and the line is starting to get healthy with the anticipated return of Todd Herremans and Stacy Andrews.

Runyan is most likely going to wind up in Buffalo. He visited western New York a few weeks ago and there was word they may sign him then, and now they've lost their starting right tackle Brad Butler for the year. This makes far too much sense not to happen.

It would seem as though the next matter of business would be for the Eagles to work out a contract, have Trotter sign it, and see what it's going to take for Tracy White to change out of that signature number 54.
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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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