Is Jay Cutler the New Brett Favre

When Brett Favre was retiring, then unretiring, then retiring again only to play for the New York Jets he was constantly in the news. ESPN was camped out on his lawn, wearing Wranglers, and hoping that the Ragin' Cajun would give them a glimpse for what they came. Now, Favre is gone to be Brett Favre, at least for the time being, and the sports minds that be must have very little to focus on. In comes Jay Cutler.

Jay Cutler wasn't setting the media world on fire through last season as he was viewed as an up and coming star as the franchise quarterback of the Denver Broncos. But when Mike Shanahan was let go and Josh McDaniels brought in as coach, oh boy, they gave 'em somthing to talk about and the Denver soap opera began.

Reports were coming out that McDaniels didn't want Cutler as his QB, that he wanted his good buddy Matt Cassel. That made Jay cry and want to leave. That made the Broncos say that they like Jay Cutler and that Cutler and McDaniels are BFFs. One text leads to another. Jay Cutler and Josh McDaniels aren't talking 'cause Josh asked Jay's girl to the prom....and so on. And in the meantime, Brett is walkin on crawdaddys wondering where all the cameras are.

Neither McDaniels nor "Big Baby" Cutler are as big a media hound at Favre, but they're both quick growing pups. If Jay wants to save his reputation for being a man, not the man, just a man, he should quit whining and get ready to do his job. If it wasn't for the drama, essentially caused by him, then sports media outlets wouldn't portray him as someone who want to grab his balls and go home because he's not happy. He needs to understand that a coach wants to put in his people if he can but generally has to work with what he's got and if all he's got is an insecure, super-privileged, Brett Favre-like egomaniac at quarterback, then so be it.

The Philadelphia Eagles One Year Deal Wonders

The Eagles have made a smart move signing fullback Leonard Weaver to a contract. This ensures that the Birds will not have to start Dan Klecko in the backfield and can put him back on the defensive line where he can be more effective until the Eagles decide to cut him. The contract to Weaver is a one year deal that has a base salary of 1.75 million, but can get to 2.5 Mil with incentives that are probably so far out of reach Leonard couldn’t get to them in a spaceship.

The Eagles have been very fond of one year deals this offseason. They signed safety Sean Jones for one year, then safety Rashad Baker for one year. They signed restricted free agent linebacker Tank Daniels for one year as well. Add in Weaver’s contract and that makes four contracts out of five, with Stacy Andrews getting the only multi-year deal from the Birds thus far. It’s a bit peculiar and it may call into question their long range plans.
First is the potential for a lockout between owners and players after the 2010 season. The media has been discussing it already and the Eagles may be financially preparing themselves should a standoff occur. This way they don’t have a lot of money tied up in signing bonuses and salaries when everything is settled. And you know what that leads up to….one year deals for next year’s free agents. There’s no good reason to go into each season with the same question marks, but next year the Eagles will go into the 2009 offseason needing to sign a fullback, a safety, a wide receiver, all of the things they needed to pick up this year. This type of consistency is not a good thing.The Birds could be looking at the potential of the players they have on the roster now, or plan to draft this April. Something tells me they’re going to love Quintin Demps more than his own mother just so they can feel justified for letting Dawk go and signing Sean Jones for only one year. Maybe they’ll draft a fullback, or sign a rookie free agent and pay him the minimum. They’ll save money and if they find some guy off the streets that will do it for less, it’s easier to make that move than it would be if you had a guy who could play a little, like Weaver. It doesn’t say much for depth at any position though.

They only other reason that comes to mind is that the Eagles were expecting something better and it didn’t work out. The problem with that statement is that they didn’t go after anything better. Dawkins was probably the best safety for this team and they let him go to Denver. Weaver is a pretty good player and perhaps, like Jones, wants to see how everything plays out for one year before they start talking long term. Unfortunately for the players, they will probably be low-balled to the point they want to leave. I am not saying either side needs to agree to a five year deal, but three for a player with a decent track record isn’t necessarily a bad idea, unless of course, that third year is a lockout year.

Whatever the Eagles due, it will probably warrant criticism. Almost everything that comes out of that camp does nowadays. The administrative branch of Reid, Banner and Lurie has become a focal point of frustration that has eaten away at the average fan and the flow of bad press has left the image of a cheap organization with the mindset of Ebenezer Scrooge. I don’t think they need to worry about the customer base though since there is a waiting list for season tickets and their merchandise sells well. But it’s only a matter of time before their mismanagement of the Philadelphia Eagles will make Norman Braman the Philadelphia patron saint of football.

The Philadelphia Eagles and Free Agency: Two Days In

The first two days of free agency has passed and the Eagles went ahead and screwed up almost as much as they possibly could. Here is a breakdown of what has happened in relation to Philly and how it impacts the upcoming season.

First, we'll start with Sean Considine, backup safety and special teamer. He has agreed to terms with the Jacksonville Jaguars and will make three million over the next two years. The Eagles will really only miss him as a special teams player, as he was exposed way to often to keep him on the field for too many snaps.

Lito Sheppard is no longer an Eagle, and to be honest, he really wasn't an Eagle for the last 3 weeks of the season and the playoffs as recently re-signed Joselio Hanson moved ahead of him on the depth chart and left Lito the odd man out. He is still a good player, when he's a happy camper. The Birds really won't miss him too much and have three solid CB's. He was traded to the New York Jets for a 2009 fifth round pick and a conditional 2010 pick. He then signed a contract extension for four years and 27 million.

Correll Buckhalter was the first player from the Eagles roster to sign with the Denver Broncos. He signed a four year deal and is a contender for the starting job there in the Mile High City. He was totally underused by the Birds and he should be a lot happier lining up behind Jay Cutler and crew. This is a good signing for Denver and it leaves a gaping hole on the running back depth chart, even though the Eagles rarely use the running back to run the ball. I don't know if he ever get 1,000 yards but he'll get closer than he ever did in Philly.

Then there is Brian Dawkins. I am not going to go into too much detail here, but something will be coming. He officially signs with the Denver Broncos for 5 years and 17 million dollars, but more importantly, he will be receiving 7.2 million guaranteed.

So far, four players lost, one true impact (Dawkins).

The one player they picked up was offensive tackle Stacy Andrews, the older brother of Pro-Bowl Guard Shawn Andrews to a six year deal. He will make Jon Runyan's departure from the team official. For my feelings on this signing please read http://www.fannation.com/blogs/post/352117-the-philadelphia-eagles-signing-stacy-andrews-is-a-ploy. Essentially, this signing solidifies two spots on the O-Line.

As far as rumors go.....L.J. Smith was supposedly visiting the Atlanta Falcons. The Eagles haven't been visited by TJ Houshmandzadeh. And there is still no word on whether the Eagles will/can resign blind side Tackle Tre Thomas. The Eagles also showed interest in former Arizona Defensive End Antonio Smith, but he is a new Texan. Anything other than that would be news to me.

Be sure to check out another spot from my blog www.sportsimpleton.blogspot.com. It's free to those who want it to be.

Eagles 4:00 Free Agent Update

The Eagles are reported to have invited Arizona Cardinals' DE Antonio Smith. The 27 year old out of OK State had 3.5 sacks last year and a monstrous post-season and is looking for a sure payday. I'm not sure that he is so much better than Juqua Parker-Thomas but he would fit into Jim Johnson's rotation nicely. He has several teams interested in him so he might not even make it to the Novacare Complex.

Other news indicate that Brian Dawkins, yes, that Brian Dawkins may be visiting the Denver Broncos. This may just be an effort to see how much he is worth on the open market. However, if the Eagles lose Brian Dawkins, there would be no possible way for Andy Reid and Joe Banner to get out of Philly fast enough.

Future Ex-Eagles Looking For Homes

Possibly the best news in free agency that I've heard so far is that the Atlanta Falcons are taking a good look at L.J. Smith. I think that's awesome. What better way to assist in ruining a potentially great quarterback in Matt Ryan, than to give him a player with no heart, questionable hands, and the ability to become invisible in the middle of a football field? As of 2:23, I still haven't heard whether or not Buckhalter is a Bronco. I like the guy and the player and think that would be a good fit for him, as long as he gets more playing time than he got here. I read a rumor that Denver was also looking at J.J. Arrington, but I think they'll lean towards Buck.

On another note...does anybody think that the Eagles will sign Stacy Andrews as insurance that Shawn will want to come back and play next to his brother? I think so.