[chilltown]

...rather than trade them (Spikes and Kearse) for draft picks?

I think the birds had plenty of cap space to sign Samuel without releasing those guys.

[Lefty Noob]

Could be that no one was biting on them, counting on their release, and the Eagles ran out of time because they were due roster bonuses?

[Bette]

This is off topic, but I see the Eagles in the same spot the Packers were in a short time ago.
The Eagles, like the Packers, have an aging quarterback who isnt quite ready to give it up and apparently the Eagles arent ready to give up. Their team is aging and they need to seriously start rebuilding. They have their young qb sitting on the bench(like the Packers did) and its maybe time to start seeing what he can do and building around him
They used to terrorize the Cowboys and while division games are always tricky, I am not real worried about them anymore.

[njpsufan]

I must disagree. The Birds are a team that is constantly tinkering and changing the fringe players on the team. The core, McNabb, Westbrook, Runyan, Thomas, etc, is getting older but with the exception of Dawkins at safety, no one else is getting replaced. The Eagles over the years have been one of the better teams to manage the cap. Each year they have the money to pay for new FA or sign someone to a new contract. What they do not do, with one exception, is re-due contracts. That is why the got Samuels and Brown is being traded... because he asked for a new deal. If Westbrook does not get a new deal, no one does. Look for them to try and draft either an OL or a WR in the 1st Rd, followed by a safety in the 2nd rd. McNabb is still the QB and will be for a few more years, Kolb will never be more then a back-up QB. I said it before and I say it again, he will never be an NFL QB, he does not have what it takes.... and neither does Colt Brennen but that is a different issue. The Birds might be aging but they have taken steps to change that on defense... They have 6 LB now on the roster... all under 26 yrs old. Dawkins will be replaced by a younger guy and the draft will bring in some young OL to step in for Runyan and Thomas in a yr or two. Westbrook is only 30 but look for Tony Hunt to get more carries next yr after they let Buckholder go. As far as the Eagles not trading players..... look at the number of trades in the NFL. Not many. The NFL is not like baseball or basketball. Because you can cut a guy and not owe him any more money it makes older guys easier to dispose of. Kearse especially, was done, and I doubt he will be any better in Tenn. His best years are past him, same with Spikes. No team will trade for an aging or guy with injury history who is over 30 in the NFL. It just does not make sense. If Tenn really had wanted Kearse they would have give the Eagles a draft pick and owed him whatever was on his contract. Instead teams releash guys and you can sign them for less. Just good simple business there.

[theduck]

who cares? they win

[Lefty Noob]

Originally Posted by theduck

who cares? they win

Heh, short answer. To the point. I like it!

[Phils20]

They win?? What have they won? The goal is the Lombardi trophy. I hear all the time that "they win". BS. The Patriots win. The rest of the teams for the most part just hang around. The Giants won last year.

Just what, again, have the Eagles won? Nothing. In the end, the Browns have won about the same thing they have. I expect/want my team to win it all, and E-A-G-L-E-S Eagles clearly have not.

They have passed thier window. After winning Four NFC east titles, and getting to the dance, they have fallen off, and will continue to. I hear that they keep the same core players, and the fringe players change.

But you know what??? You need fringe players. Look at what the mid 90's teams of Dallas did after winning three of four titles. They started losing the "fringe players", while counting on an aging core.

And they went right down the tubes.

And that is where the Eagles are heading. What has been thier big pickup this off season???

Exactly. One player. Lido (Lito) would have sufficed, but they feed thier fans Samuels, and they seem happy with that. What about the substandard receiving core?? Linebackers?? A back to spell Westbrook a bit? Defensive end?? Nothing.

[theduck]

just to clarify, when i said they win i meant ball games not superbowls. and to me it seems that they know the right choices to make with players. a prime example would be when they drafted mcnabb over ricky williams. they were criticized against for the move but look how it turned out. mcnabb is a great pro bowl quarterback and ricky williams is a drug addict who quit on his team and is in and out of the league right now. and correct me if i'm wrong but didnt mcnabb lead the eagles to 4 nfc championships in a row? they win

[njpsufan]

While it is true the Eagles do win games, they have not won it all and that does bother me. What bothers me most about the Eagles is Reid. While he has had some bright spots, overall his drafts have sucked, esp recently. Last year not one of the players drafted got much playing time or made a difference. The Giants however played their young guys and look at where it got them. The Pats each year seem to not only draft well but also pick up that fringe veteran who makes a difference. People talk about getting a RB to spell Westbrook.... but they had Tony Hunt sitting on the bench all season. Why didn't he get playing time??? Or the DE kid from ND?? Why was he absent for so long? Winston Justice sat an entire year plus before getting beaten in the Giants game.... but couldn't he have played a little the year before so he was better prepared? Instead he gets thrown agst 2 of the better DE and what happens??? He falls on his face. The Eagles ,and esp Reid, have got to start playing their younger players more.