Hi all,

Eagles fan here. I sent out an earlier post explaining that we're doing a fan mock draft on Bleeding Green Nation, and I am representing the Raiders for their second round pick. In the first round you guys went OL with Bruce Campbell (I know, and trust me I hated the pick also. I would have taken Brian Bulaga, Rolando McClain, or Joe Haden there).

Right now we're on the clock, and some 1st round talent has dropped to us. I had pencilled in Linval Joseph at this pick, but there are some other potentially excellent candidates to choose from:

Brian Price - DT - UCLA - More of a pass-rusher than run-stuffer, but still an exceptional force.

Everson Griffen - DE - USC - Excellent pass-rusher with above human talent, but more of a smaller cannon-ball type DE.

Jermaine Gresham - TE - Oklahoma - Rare play-making talent at TE. Exceptional speed and would completely open up the middle of the field for you guys, taking some heat of the receivers and potentially opening up some lanes in the running game.


I know with OL taken care of in the 1st round (well, somewhat), that defense is the obvious direction to go here, but I get the feeling that in this mock draft with players like Griffen and Price falling, there should be a good-to-great DT candidate (Joseph, Thomas, Atkins) available at your 3rd round pick. I'm personally leaning towards Gresham, but I'd like your take.

I have to get the pick in by this evening, and I'll send you all the link with the write-up once it is posted.

Thanks!

Hello, Raiders fans!  I'm a member of Bleeding Green Nation (SB Nation's resident Philadelphia Eagles blog) and I have the honor of representing your beloved Raiders in our mock draft.  Though I have a superficial sense of your team's remaining offseason needs and wants, I'd appreciate any additional insight you could provide to inform my decision as to your potential draft picks.  Here are some questions to get you guys started, but feel free to add anything else you think might be relevant.

• What positions on the roster are most in need of starter-caliber help?
• What's your philosophy on drafting best player available versus locking in on team needs?
• Assume you went OL with your 1st round pick. Where would you like to see the team go with the 2nd round pick? Are there any players you covet in the 2nd round or hope to see slip out of the first or would trade up a few spots to grab?
• Would you prefer to draft a high-risk/high-reward type player, or would you be satisfied drafting a safer, known-commodity player with a lower upside?

That's really all I've come up with so far, but I'm sure you guys have thought of plenty of things that I haven't yet.  I thank you for your help in advance.

Donovan McNabb (first alternate)

Brent Celek (second alternate)

Sheldon Brown (second alternate)

Quintin Mikell (third alternate)

Todd Herremans (fourth alternate)

Brodrick Bunkley (fourth alternate)

Glad to see Donovan above Romo or Eli, and also glad Celek got the nod above Gonzalez but he really should have been in above Witten (TDs don't even compare). Yes, Sheldon got snubbed. I'm surprised at Herremans considering how many games he missed. And I am really surprised that Bunkley came in and not Patterson. Only other missing possibilities were Jamaal Jackson and Winston Justice.

Post corrected: Celek changed from first to second alternate.

Piggy-backing off the "Bold Predictions for the Season" post, here's a few bold (and not so bold predictions for Week 2):

The Big 5:

Final Score Prediction: Good guys win this 20-16 in a close one.

Douchebag Announcers Prediction: Aikman will be very critical of Kolb but otherwise be reluctantly supportive of the Eagles. Buck will continue to annoy every time he opens his mouth.

Many options exist from the local sports bar (annoying) to NFL Ticket (expensive) to justin.tv (unreliable). But I just discovered a new option, that I'm almost 95% certain I'm going to go with:

NFL Game Rewind from the NFL Network. You pay $50 ($40 if you only want Eagles games) and you have access to HD rewinds of every single game from the 2008 and 2009 seasons. Games are posted on Sunday at midnight after the games are played.

The drawbacks are you don't get to watch the games live and you have to watch them streamed over your computer, but even when I had NFL Ticket last year I ended up DVR'ing half of them to watch later. Plus, it's pretty straight-forward connecting your laptop to your flat screen.

To me this is a dream come true, and allows me to catch every game without any effort or worry on my part.

I've got a flight to catch at 1pm on a Sunday afternoon. No problem. Wife wants to have some husband-wife time right at kick-off. No problem (in fact I probably won't even tell the wife about this and make her think I'm being extra generous by giving up my Eagles for her from time to time).

And if I'm lucky enough that the Eagles game is broadcasted live, then I get to re-watch any game highlights immediately afterwards (although DVR accomplishes the same feat). But with all the 2008 games there too, I'm looking forward to watching 44-6, the two Meadowlands wins, and the Steelers sack feast at some point during the season.

I'm going to have to be disciplined enough to ignore any scores, RSS feeds, emails, text messages, etc... until I watch the game. Also, I pray that NFL Network in all it's glory doesn't post the game rewinds with links like "Philadelphia 38, Carolina 10."

And since I love polls, I'm going to throw one on this post to get an idea how BGN takes their games.

Good article on Moving the Chains where an old hero of ours drops his two cents on Vick.

I honestly haven't thought about Randall Cunningham in some time, and this led me to go read his bio on wikipedia. I found two interesting excerpts I wanted to share.

First off, even Super Bowl champion, 3-time NFL MVP quarterbacks get benched during games when they are not performing:

Cunningham led the league with a 106.0 passer rating while the Vikings posted a then-NFL record 556 points during the 1998 season. Cunningham claimed the Vikings Monday night 37-24 victory over the Green Bay Packers was, "the greatest night of his career". Cunningham threw for 442 yards and 4 touchdowns in a game where Brett Favre, in the prime of his career, was benched at the end of the first half.

I never really thought McNabb's benching last year was a big deal. If your star pitcher is in a slump, you pull him. I think the media blew it out of proportion, but McNabb didn't help either any time he talked about it, you could tell how bitter he was.

And then there was this one. I had completely forgotten about this monumental "Our Past vs Our Future" game until now:

One notable occurrence during his time with the Cowboys was a return to Philadelphia. Cunningham started the game and dueled the new Eagles quarterback, Donovan McNabb. The game was decided in overtime, with an Eagles field goal giving them the 16-13 victory. Cunningham was given a standing ovation by the usually tough Philadelphia crowd.

So to my boy, Randall Cunningham, who was at the helm of the team when I came into my own as an Eagles fan, here's a fisted double chest-pump to you.

via www.checkoutmycards.com

From Deadspin:

And on a football note, Vick has claimed his first victim. Giants rookie RB Andre Brown is done for the year after injuring himself in a let's-learn-to-defend-against-the-Wildcat drill.

/shakes head at misleading headline

I'd like to thank Brett Favre for officially putting an end to the Philadelphia-Vick media circus. Pretty much everything that was needed to be said about Vick's signing, was within 48 hours of the event. After that it was a motley tapestry of regurgitated ideas, conspiracy theories from left field, and random relatives dropping in with their two cents (none of which I will link to).

I did find a few amusing and original points of view after the initial incubation period in the holier than thou stance of the NFL community on Vick and that the Cowboys should be mightily upset that the Eagles signed Vick and they didn't.

So for now, all we can do is hope that things keep quiet here on that front. With the exceptions, of course, when Vick:

Plays his first preseason game.

Plays his first season game.

Scores his first touchdown.

Holds his first post-game interview where he unintentionally questions Reid's judgement and challenges McNabb's leadership.

Fights his first pigeon, etc..., etc..., etc...

Pigeon Fight! (via MondoRetardo)

I gotta say, this all hit me like a tornado. My knee-jerk reaction was "Can I root for the Eagles after this?" I then went searching for every piece of internet fodder I could get my hands on. I began reaching for anything that would tell me this drastic move by my beloved team was alright.

I abhor what Michael Vick did, but I'm no tree-hugging, birkenstock-wearing, hippie-crit. I've had enough pets throughout my life to recognize that animals, especially dogs and cats, have personalities and souls, and what Vick did to torture those poor animals was monstrous. But at the same time, I also eat meat, wear leather, and probably would go hunt deer if given the chance. And it's hypocritical on my part to say killing animals the way Vick did is evil, while killing animals for society-acceptable reasons is not.

Likewise, killing another human being is a far, far greater crime in my mind than taking the life of an animal. There shouldn't even be a comparison. And I don't really care what means caused a human being's death. Momentary lapse of reason, alcohol-influenced accident, or your henchmen got carried away, if someone died and you caused it, you must be severely punished.

Vick was punished for his crime. Some may argue the punishment was too much, some will say too little. Regardless, the state decided on what they deemed was a fair punishment, and Vick served. No need to punish him more.

From all the comments I've read across the NFL, Vick has been forgiven and everyone wants him to get a chance at redemption. Everyone including the man who's job it is to protect the NFL. I was surprised at the support Roger Goodell gave Vick, it was much more than I expected. I've only heard players and coaches across the league endorse Vick. And it seems the only ones that had negative things to say about Vick were the owners and front offices too insecure with their team or their team's status with their fan base to even consider taking a chance on Vick.

Then I watched Andy Reid and Donovan McNabb do their interviews last night.

When the news of the Vick signing came in, my first emotion was "Shame." I was ashamed to be a part of an organization that could accept someone who did something so monstrous. After listening to Reid and McNabb's words, my emotions changed to "Pride." I was proud to be a fan of an organization that was willing to forgive, willing to take a risk and give someone a chance at redemption, strong and confident enough to stand up for something they believe is right against what will be a shitstorm of hate and criticism. The Eagles have provided me with multiple emotions throughout the years: joy, anticipation, desperation, excitement, and pride. But I don't think I've ever been prouder of this team than I am at this moment.

There will always be haters. There will always be those that will take this as an opportunity to mock or attack us. Let them come. They can go rally with the hippie-crits and act righteous.

Our organization did a very good thing yesterday, and regardless of the success or failure that may come of it, both my appreciation of the Philadelphia Eagles and the class it has shown have evolved my Eagles to a higher level of appreciation.

Good for you, Philadelphia. You are a much stronger organization than I understood.

I'm curious to see how fans view Vick as compared to some of the other convicted or accused criminals in sports. I'm focusing on those who were convicted/accused yet were (or will be) forgiven and allowed to return to their sport.

So OJ doesn't count because his troubles began way after his playing days were over, and while I can't recall any names now, I know there were a few athletes formally convicted of murder who got locked in a hole for good. I'm also looking past drugs (for now), or this list would never end.

And by all means let me know if I'm missing someone.

Here's the scenario:

- Knowshon Moreno is selected by the San Diego Chargers with the 14th pick. Apparently the Eagles were trying to trade up to the 13th pick, but the Chargers kept the phone lines busy. Philadelphia then trades down a few spots and selects David Brown and gets an additional 4th round pick.

- Philadelphia is on the clock at #21, the Philly fans are calling for "knowshon, Knowshon, KNOWSHON!!!" from the rafters. Roger Goddell steps up to the podium: "With the 21st pick, the Philadelphia Eagles select TE Brandon Pettigrew, Oklahoma State University"...

What posts can I expect to see on these boards immediately afterwards? I'm very curious to see the responses of Anuj and the Knowshon Cult...

DISCLAIMER: I'm not sold on Knowshon. The lacking speed thing is really giving me doubts, and I wonder if we're better off trading up our 2nd round pick for McCoy.

"Fix the Lines"

As long as Reid has been here, this has been the unofficial mantra of the Philadelphia Eagles. And thanks to Buffalo, we were able to do just that in an off-season that had a risk to revert our O-line back to Rhodes/Kotite/Ryan dark ages.

Again, thank you Buffalo. Thank you for getting so annoyed with the "distractions" created by Jason Peters that you were willing to part ways with arguably the best left tackle in football.

No really, thank you. You guys, rock.

Oh, and good luck with that whole TO thing. As far as distractions go, if Jason Peters is a gentleman jewel thief who leaves a small jade tiger as as his calling card, TO would be the meth addict who storms a bank and just executes everybody.

Hehehe, suckers!

Watch out, Anuj!

http://kissingsuzykolber.uproxx.com/2009/04/the-revenge-of-the-double-j.html

Ya, sorry, I know it's a slow news day. At least until the schedule is released.

I'm still trying to envision Moreno as our RBOTF. He's not a Westbrook. But is he a Duce? Correll? Ricky Watters? Probably none of the above.

I flip from loving the idea to not wanting anything to do with him almost on a daily basis.

The biggest gripe I keep hearing about Knowshon is speed.

Why are Eagles fans so bought into him?

Disclaimer: I know people get sick and tired of any sort of regurgitation of the same discussion held previously in multiple posts, but I find these polls very insightful in understanding the pulse of the fanbase, at least the fans who are internet-savvy.

For this poll, assume the following:

• We are going to trade one of our two first round picks
• We may add some additional picks or players to sweeten up the deal

Please note: I'm planning a future poll on who we draft based on the assumption we do NOT trade either of these picks. And yes, there's always the scenario we trade both picks to move up, but I'm going to ignore that for now.

Thanks for participating, and please share your thoughts or moans about this poll.

                          Anquan Boldin - WR

	Height  6-1 Weight  217 lbs.	Age  28 Experience  7 years

                          3 Pro Bowls (2003, 2006, 2008), 502 Rec, 6496 Yds, 12.9 Y/R, 40 TD, 6.3 R/G, 81.2 Y/G

                          Braylon Edwards - WR 

	Height  6-3 Weight  215 lbs.	Age  26 Experience  5 years

                          1 Pro Bowl (2007), 228 Rec, 3558 Yds, 15.6 Y/R, 28 TD, 3.9 R/G, 61.3 Y/G

                          Jason Peters - OT

	Height  6-4 Weight  340 lbs.	Age  27 Experience  6 years

                           2 Pro Bowls (2007, 2008)

Assume that we have to give up something like the #28 pick, a 5th rounder, and Reggie Brown.

I'm torn because I can't figure out if 2007 was an abberation or a preview for Edwards. Please add your thoughts as my head is about to explode trying to figure this one out.

Also, try to keep the Giants out of this equation, and for a moment, put yourself in those XXXL stretch pants. Do you pick up the phone and call Mangini to make the deal, or do you pick up the "Provi" and eat yourself into a stupor?

According to PFT, the NFL competition comittee are discussing changing the NFL draft rules regarding the draft order of playoff teams.

This is being discussed in large part because the Eagles draft before both:

- the Minnesota Vikings - whom they eliminated from the playoffs

- the New England Patriots - who didn't even make the playoffs

To be perfectly honest, I had always thought that they determined draft order based on how you were eliminated from the post-season.

Hello, Bengals fans!  I'm a member of Bleeding Green Nation (SB Nation's resident Philadelphia Eagles blog) and I have the honor of representing your beloved Benglas in our internal interactive mock draft.  Though I have a superficial sense of your team's remaining offseason needs and wants, I'd appreciate any additional insight you could provide to inform my decision as to your potential draft picks.  Here are some questions to get you guys started, but feel free to add anything else you think might be relevant.

• What positions on the roster are most in need of starter-caliber help?
• What's your philosophy on drafting best player available versus locking in on team needs?
• The #6 pick is a high profile, high money pick that can make or break your salary cap and your coaches reputation. Would you prefer to draft a high-risk/high-reward type player, or would you be satisfied drafting a safer, known-commodity player with a lower upside?
• Is there a chance that you would use your top pick for anything besides an offensive or defensive lineman?
• Is coach Marvin Lewis on the hot seat and does he need to risk turning the team around now via a few key additions, or can he take his time and continue to building on a solid foundation?

That's really all I've come up with so far, but I'm sure you guys have thought of plenty of things that I haven't yet.  I thank you for your help in advance.

Oh, I could mean so many things with that question:

• Has Shawn recovered from his injury?
• Will Shawn be able to make the switch to LT if needed?
• Is Shawn past his depression?

But I'm actually thinking about Stacey here. I've been doing all sorts of research on the Bengals to prep for the upcoming BGN mock draft, and I keep finding articles pre-dating free agency talking about Stacey's nasty knee injury. Many of the articles and blogs question whether he'd be ready for the start of next season:

The reality is that Andrews is working to getting back into NFL form, rehabilitating his knee which could keep him out of the NFL next season. His best best is to sign with the Bengals for a one-year minimum contract to stay in the NFL, and eventually supplant one of the starters when he gets the chance. The problem now is if Andrews can't take over one of the line's starting positions, then 31 other NFL teams see no value in Andrews.

As for re-signing back with the Bengals, we're fairly convinced, not with any "inside knowledge", that the Bengals will offer Andrews a one-year minimum deal (read low-ball). The low offer allows the Bengals to sustain depth, while Andrews gets a prove-it deal. On the other hand, I highly doubt that the Bengals will simply give Andrews his right tackle spot after allowing 9.5 sacks last season, with an overpowering need to rebuilding their line. In order to get playing time so he can get that payday deal again

Speaking of guys who need to go, add Stacy Andrews to the list.

Didn’t happen last year, so they slapped the franchise tag on him.

And it hasn’t happened this year. His torn ACL makes him damaged goods. He needs to be sent packing.

It’s both amusing and disturbing that Andrews had his reconstructive knee surgery performed by Bengals team doctor Angelo Colosimo and the Bengals training staff is conducting and monitoring his rehab.

Crazy to think the Bengals are getting him healthy just so he can go off and play for another team.

I took it for granted that our RT spot was fixed, but now I'm very worried again. Let me play the pessimist here and assume that Stacy's knee is not fully recovered by the regular season. Then what?

In my mind right now we have two major "?" at offensive tackle. For the first time since Reid took over, I'm truly worried. For now, I say screw WR (don't trade for Boldin or Edwards), screw TE (we have Celek, don't draft Pettigrew), and look for a RB in the 2nd or 3rd round.

As much as I would love to see our offense get a new toy RB and TE, we have to use one (or both) of our first round picks to bring in another OT (whether its Jason Peters or draft one). To be honest, I'd be perfectly content if the Eagles draft two offensive lineman (like an OT and G) in the first round or even traded both 1st round picks for Peters (AFC Pro-Bowl LT).

We have to fix the lines! Otherwise it's back to the Kotite/Rhodes/Ryan dark ages.

I know the easy response will be to move our two guards to the outside and promote Coles and MJG, but I am completely uncomfortable with this scenario, and this creates a "?" at every single spot on our line:

• Todd and Shawn playing new positions
• Nick and MJG as full-time starters
• Jamaal coming off a so-so season
• A mix of 2nd years and likely busts in the stable

FIX THE LINES!!!

http://blogs.nfl.com/2009/03/05/eagles-trade-wr-lewis-to-patriots/

Great to hear we are getting something, anything, for G-Lew. My guess is a conditional 6th-round pick.

I hope this opens the door for a new addition to our WR corps. I'm keeping fingers crossed for a Braylon Edwards or Anquin Boldin. It would be a shame I think to sign a Harrison or Holt in favor of Lewis.

I know the Dawkins thing has taken center stage for the last week. I loved the guy and what he did for the team, and I loved what he did for us last season. Those two forced fumbles were things of beauty. And to be honest, I'm more than satisfied that those will be my lasting memories of him in an Eagles uniform, as opposed to some ghost wearing #20 that gradually fades. He's a legend and will always be. Thanks Dawk for being THE Eagle.

But life goes on... we have Demps, we'll sign/draft another CB/S. Our secondary will be fine.

What has me up at night is the giant '?' at LT.

This is arguably one of the (if not THE) most critical positions on the offense. So who's going to protect Donovan's blind side?

Tra is gone. I've pretty much accepted that. What does that leave? Justice? I can't shake the Giants catastrophe two years ago. Dunlap? Not feeling confident about that.

Most likely Herremans moves over to LT and either MJG or Cole starts at LG.

I dunno. I'm not getting a warm fuzzy thinking about it. I think we've taken for granted what having a dominant OL means to this team. Does any remember how bad things were back in the days, well, back in the days before we drafted Tra?

Here's to hoping the man with the plan still has a few pages left in that binder.

...(aside from the good guys heading to Tampa) will be that Carolina's top draft pick (our #1a) will drop 1-2 spots lower because they will have lost to the #2 post-season-ranked NFC team.

The hope obviously is that the Panthers pick will then not drop any further.

 And while we're at it, why do we have to wait until our season is over to begin projecting draft picks?

With the two #1's, I'd like to see us

1. Draft a stud OG/OT
2. Trade the other #1 for a #2 and a 2010 #1

Differing opinions?