I’m going to be rooting for the Eagles this year, I think. I like when conventional wisdom is shown to be wrong - everyone knows you don’t build your team by going on a free agency spending spree, you go through the draft, right? Well, go Eagles.
It’ll be hard to climb over Avant when he’s standing on top of (Car) Steve Smith’s corpse. Smith seems best suited as a slot guy, I can’t see him being used outside, even if he does get healthy. I’m surprised you think he’d outplay Maclin. I’m not as high on (Any) Steve Smith.
Yeah, those 107 catches his first year as the #1 receiver – lininig up wide – were a fluke.
And yet he still has more TD receptions and only 3 less catches. So will Miles have a few receptions nullified next year because he didn’t get much playing time at WR his first three years? Will some TDs get called back because he’s only started 25 games in 5 seasons? I’m still not sure how his early seasons are affecting him now.
He’s a possession guy, but not a slot receiver. And he’s really, really good - comes down with everything throw to him. Perfect complement to DeSean, given that the Iggles aren’t going to sign any big-bodied guys.
Who cares how many catches he has? It’s a meaningless statistic. 50 yards on one catch is certainly no less helpful (and probably much more helpful) to a team than 50 yards on 4 catches.
Sure, Austin’s got more touchdowns. Good for him. But Jackson has far more yardage. If you think Austin is better because he has 4 more touchdown catches, I guess we’ll have to agree to disagree.
I don’t think Austin is better, but I think they are both in the same league, as it were. I just haven’t seen an good explanation on why the fact that Austin hasn’t gotten to 3000 yards in 5 seasons means that Jackson will blow him away this year.
Who said anything about blowing him away? I’m saying I’d rather have Jackson than him, not that he isn’t any good. The point of the 3,000 yards stat is simply that Jackson has done something hardly anyone else in the league has been able to do.
The irony being that they really aren’t built around free agents any more than most teams. Of the projected starting 22, only 7 were free agents.
Sigh And Baron Batch gets injured. Feel bad for the kid.
Question: Do you guys prefer the long drawn-out draft, or this frenzy? The frenzy is kinda fun, in a way.
7 new free agents? That’s a pretty huge number. What do you think a free agency spending spree would result in, 12 starters?
It’s clear that the Eagles in public perception are this year’s big spenders trying to buy a team, like we often make fun of the Redskins for doing. But I don’t think that there’s anything inherently wrong with being big spenders in free agency - I think most of the teams that try to do it are bad organizations that fuck it up.
The general public perception is that the Eagles are somehow screwing themselves because everyone knows the big FA spenders are always shitty teams, which is why I’d like to see the Eagles prove all the superficial thinkers wrong.
No, that’s including old free agents. Probably only three starters will be from the free agent signings this year: Jenkins, Asomugha, Babin. Even if you include Rodgers Cromartie, who was a trade and who will technically probably not be part of the base defense, but who was part of the big splash and will play a lot, and Steve Smith, who will end up a starter or close enough, it’s not really that dramatic.
Young and Brown get lumped in as big deals because of their names, but they’re backups.
Sure, but Young’s almost sure to see some regular season action with the lumps Vick is going to take. There’s not many teams that have an experienced and relatively successful (if incredibly uneven and probably not hard working enough) QB as a backup.
And add in the fact that the Eagles have had the most draft picks over the last three years (and already have 10 or 11 next year), and this is absolutely a team built through the draft. The reason they were able to do everything in free agency this year is because they had so many cheap rookie contracts on the roster.
If the Eagles don’t win the Super Bowl, they aren’t any worse off next year than they were this year. Only Nnamdi was signed with guaranteed money going beyond this year. None of the other players the Eagles signed would affect their cap if released after this season. So they can technically start all over next year and do this again.
Do you mean the season where helined up in the slot 57% of the time?
Because the Giants played most 3 receiver sets. His point is that Smith can play outside, not the he always plays outside.
As Jimmy said, no – 7 includes Vick, Jason Peters, and Samuel, all acquired via free agency in past years. I’m assuming new starters this year will be Babin, Jenkins, Asomugha, and Ryan Harris.
Agreed. Hopefully it’ll persuade Dallas and Washington to go back to offering huge, guaranteed contracts to fading stars. 
Jason Peters was acquired via trade, so he doesn’t count towards the 7.
Here’s a question that could’ve gone in the fantasy discussion, but I’ll probably get better answers here.
How does the Dallas running game look? Felix Jones had a “meh” season - is he expected to step up? What about Tashard Choice? DeMarco Murray? Is this going to be one of those “start the season with RB by committee, and see what sticks” situations?
Right now, his backup is undrafted free agent rookie Lonyae Miller.
Jones rushed for 800 yards and caught 48 passes last year despite starting fewer than half the Cowboys’ games, having under 200 carries, and having Jon Kitna as his quarterback. In the first half of the season he only had 2 games with more than 10 carries.
He’s 220 pounds, so there’s absolutely no reason he shouldn’t get goal line touches this season.
His average draft position is 55, or midway through the fifth round in a 12 team league. If he’s available in the 4th in any league I’m in, I’m taking him even if I’ve already drafted two backs.
ETA: Murray and Choice are both smaller than Jones, and both figure to be third down backs. Neither is a thread to steal goal line opportunities, IMHO.