Eagles
Team Needs
Eagles Mock Draft
NFL Mock Draft (2 Rds)
Positional Rankings\Stats 04/21/2005 *Pro Day Updates*
08/05/05
After a Superbowl run and a very good draft, the lot of all Eagle fans was a contract dispute that vacillated between hot and cold but was always humming in the background. Oddly enough, it is T.O. back at work and being hailed by the front office as a player dedicated to winning football games.
Lost in the shuffle were two star players – Westbrook and Simon - who elected not to participate in training camp. Undetected amidst the din of T.O. haters and those breathlessly attempting to deconstruct the T.O. mindset, Westbrook and Simon believe that they see the writing on the wall and they do not like what it says.
All three of these players have one thing in common. They all believe that this is their final year with the Eagles. The choices that were made by these three players to attend or not to attend camp have been influenced by their history. Because of his raucous relationship with the 49ers and the gratuitous backhand that he served McNabb after Super Bowl XXXIX, T.O. could not afford yet another blemish that may negate his marketability next year. He had to be a good soldier and report to camp.
On the other hand, Simon and Westbrook have spotless records of service and stardom. Westbrook doesn’t even celebrate his touchdowns in the Endzone! They decided it was in their interest to minimize their exposure to injury and to skip training camp as long as possible. Although avoiding training camp is not going to help the Eagles become a better team and get back to the Super Bowl. These players looking for a new contract have nothing without their health - so they are decisions that are reasonable and that I can understand.
We heard of an unfortunate, perhaps career ending, accident to promising Strong Safety and Return Specialist JR Reed when he impaled himself upon a backyard fence. The horrific incident in Florida suffered by McDougle in what sounded more like an assassination attempt than a robbery brought back the memories of the sudden tragic death of a previous Eagles Defensive Lineman in his prime - Jerome Brown – along with the recent passing of Reggie White. Thank God that McDougle survived.
Just when Eagle Fans believe that it can’t get any worse than this, the pain keeps coming. Today, Todd Pinkston tore an ankle tendon and is gone for the season. Buckhalter was seen limping to his car with a sore knee. And, T.O. suffered one of those groin pulls that have a tendency of being reaggravated.
I know the cliché that the tempo for the season is set in training camp, but come on!
Save something for when it counts!
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Let McNabb be McNabb 05/21/05
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Eagles Poisoning Nest? 05/13/05
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Eagles Draft Day II 04/25/05
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Eagles Draft Day I 04/24/05
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Owens In Control 04/15/05
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The "Chuck Rule" and Draft Value 02/28/05
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McNabb - Plainly Speaking 02/16/05
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The Morning (Mourning) After 02/07/05
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Super Bowl XXXIX: Trench Warfare 01/25/05
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Football, Attitude, and Leadership 01/16/05
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Eagles Team Needs 12/12/04
mailto:BobGonzalez@Comcast.Net