Saturday, July 30, 2011

Asomugha is an Eagle!

In a wild week of wheeling and dealing, the Eagles saved their best move for last by coming up with enough cash to lane the prized jewel in this year’s free-agent frenzy, All-Pro cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha. Philadelphia came to terms with Asomugha in a deal that is worth a reportedly $60 million over five years.

This move effectively fills any existing holes in a secondary that now boasts a trio of Pro Bowl corners in Asante Samuel, newly acquired Dominque Rodgers-Cromartie via the Kevin Kolb trade, and now Asomugha. If this does not improve a defense that was ranked 15th against the pass and 21st in points allowed nothing will.

It is now the Super Bowl or bust for this team as these moves have rapidly closed the gap between the Birds and the favored Green Bay Packers. For anyone who follows this blog on a regular basis, they would know that I had already picked the Eagles to win the NFC well before any of these recent moves. The events of the past few days just answered my question as to which team will win Super Bowl XLVI between Philadelphia and Baltimore.

Friday, July 29, 2011

Eagles Update-July 29

Are you ready for some football? The Eagles better be as the competition gets geared up for the 2011 season in one of the craziest weeks for player movement in the history of the NFL.

Former Philly QB Donovan McNabb found a new home in Minnesota and Arizona finally pulled the trigger for Kevin Kolb in a trade that brings a much needed cornerback to the defense. The Cardinals will now get a chance to find out if Kolb really is the 'real deal' as their new starter, while our birds will find out if Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie can return to the form that helped lead his old team to the Super Bowl in 2008. As a bonus, the Eagles will also get a second round pick in next year's draft.

The Eagles jumped at a chance to bring back DE Jason Babin, who was with the team up until 2009 before signing with Tennessee as a free agent. Babin had a breakout season with the Titans in 2010 with 12.5 sacks, earning a trip to the Pro Bowl. He was more than happy to be reunited with Philly's new defensive line coach Jim Washburn, with whom Babin credits for his success last year.

They also reportedly have agreed to terms with QB Vince Young, who was recently released by Tennessee. Young will act as an insurance policy for Michael Vick given the fact that Vick has only made it through all 16 regular season games once in his eight-year career.

The only cloud in the sky of an otherwise sunny few days in Philadelphia is WR DeSean Jackson's noticeable absence from the practice fields at Lehigh for the opening of training camp yesterday. Jackson is in the final year of a four-year contract that will pay him an estimated $565,000 this season, which is far below his actual value. The Eagles are no stranger to issues with wide receivers, but this time Jackson may have a point.

The good news is that he is looking for a longterm deal that will keep an Eagle for years to come. The bad news is that Philly's front office has a way of screwing up situations like this and the last thing anyone needs is an extended holdout that runs into the regular season. Maybe in the spirit of the new CBA (collective bargaining agreement) the Eagles' brass will do the right thing and pay the man.

Sunday, July 24, 2011

News & Notes from the NFL-July 24

With the labor unrest in the league finally headed towards a resolution, one of the first things that teams will have to contend with once the NFL reopens for business is the whole issue of free agency and the salary cap.

The next few weeks are shaping up as one of the most craziest periods in the history of the NFL as hundreds of free agents will be searching for a new place to play this season in a feeding frenzy of player signings. Some of these deals could be make or break in terms of deciding a team's fortunes this year as all 32 teams try and plug some of the existing holes in their lineup.

The following is a link to this week's News & Notes in the NFL that takes a closer look at the whole situation. This article was originally posted on Bang the Book.



News and Notes from the NFL – July 24

Thursday, July 21, 2011

NFL 2011 'Games of the Year'

Well it looks like we are going to have a football season after all now that the owners and players have basically agreed upon a plan to carve up the $9 billion they were fighting over.

Now that we do not have to watch videos of Roger Goodell and DeMaurice Smith posturing for the camera, we can turn our attention to the upcoming regular season and the actual games themselves.

I recently took a stroll through the entire 17-week season and while there are some great matchups every week, I zeroed-in on the five key divisional showdowns that should have the biggest impact on the playoff picture.

The following is a link to my complete article as originally posted on Doc's Sports



NFL Odds Released for Top Games of the Year

Friday, July 15, 2011

AFC 2011 Team by Team Analysis

It looks like the NFL owners and the league's Players Association is finally making some real progress in hammering out a new CBA (collective bargaining agreement)so everyone can finally get back to work and start preparing for the 2011 season.

According to the odds makers the battle to win the AFC will be a two-team race between New England and Pittsburgh. The reality is this race remains pretty wide open as there are a handful of teams that have a legitimate shot at getting to the Super Bowl and a few more that have the potential to challenge for the conference title if a couple of the right pieces fall into place.

When considering the posted odds, one of the main things to take into consideration is public perception. The betting public has a huge influence on the odds in the sense that they tend to lean towards past favorites without taking into consideration all the current factors affecting these teams. This in turn will drive the odds down lower than they really should be, thus sapping out most of the value.

The following is a link to a brief look at the conference odds for all 16 teams in the AFC as originally posted on Cappers Picks.


2011 AFC Conference Future Lines – Team by Team Analysis

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

NFC 2011 Team by Team Analysis

While we are still waiting for the NFL owners and Players Association to iron out a new CBA (collective bargaining agreement)it is not to early to take a quick glance at each team in the NFC to assess their chances to win the conference this season.

Of course I am partial to the Eagles' chances heading into the 2011 season as I predict a rematch with the Packers in the playoffs, but this time it will be for a trip to Super Bowl XLVI.

Below is a link to an article that was originally posted on Cappers Picks with the currents odds to win the NFC for all 16 teams


NFC Conference 2011 Team by Team Analysis

Saturday, July 2, 2011

News and Notes from the NFL – July 1st

Here is a link to this week's news and notes from the NFL as originally posted on Bang the Book.


News and Notes from the NFL – July 1st