Wellness

[Spurt]

On 3/28/2014 teganslaw said:

Ray Rice has been indicted on one count of aggravated assault. Bad news for the Ravens since they will be trying to come back for last year's record. He could face up to five years in prison if found guilty. The organization is backing him, so we'll have to see how this all plays out.

Maurice Jones Drew is now with Oakland. That could be good news for the Colts, since they won't have to face him. Indy usually beat Jacksonville, but sometimes they had a difficult time stopping Jones-Drew.

Seems that Johnny Manziel has impressed the NFL on pro-day. He has been compared to Steve Young (I don't recall who made the comparison, though.) That might change things in the draft. This could prove to be interesting.

Hey Tegan.....how are you....

I can't believe that our governor Rick Perry and former prez George HW Bush and his wife Barbara and Barbara Bush's dogs were at Johnn Manziel's pro day..I wonder if the dogs gave Johnny 4 paws up..

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Desean was released by the Eagles and now some interesting news comes out...

A bad attitude, an inconsistent work ethic, missed meetings and a lack of chemistry with head coach Chip Kelly are the reasons, sources told NJ.com for the release of Jackson. And when the Eagles looked more deeply into why Jackson was missing meetings, they found that his friends were becoming a more powerful — and negative — influence in his life.

Now the Eagles have even more serious concerns — Jackson’s continued association with reputed Los Angeles street gang members who have been connected to two homicides since 2010.As a source within the Eagles organization, who requested anonymity, put it: “They are concerned about having him around the younger players.”

Although DeSean denies his involvement with gang members...

“First I would like to thank the Eagles organization, the Eagles fans and the city of Philadelphia for my time in Philly. I would also like to thank [former Eagles] coach Andy Reed [sic] for bringing me in. Secondly, I would like to address the misleading and unfounded reports that my release has anything to do with any affiliation that has been speculated surrounding the company I keep off of the field. I would like to make it very clear that I am not and never have been part of any gang. I am not a gang member and to speculate and assume that I am involved in such activity off the field is reckless and irresponsible. I work very hard on and off the field and I am a good person with good values. I am proud of the accomplishments that I have made both on and off the field. I have worked tirelessly to give back to my community and have a positive impact on those in need. It is unfortunate that I now have to defend myself and my intentions. These reports are irresponsible and just not true . I look forward to working hard for my new team. God Bless.”

[gardenman]

DeSean also reportedly had a burglary at his house a while back where lots of jewelry and cash were reportedly stolen, but apparently the police are a bit skeptical about that. Surveillance cameras had been moved, there was no sign of forced entry, neighbors reported hearing nothing out of the ordinary, etc. While DeSean adamantly claims not to be in a gang there were lots of reports of associations between people close to him. A local reporter is also saying that several years ago a State Trooper in PA stopped DeSean and found drugs, a gun and cash in his vehicle, but they were unable to arrest or prosecute for some reason.

There are about a million red flags flying around DeSean right now and the Eagles just decided to cut their ties and move on. It'll be interesting to see which team (if any) is willing to take a chance on him now. The kid has all of the talent in the world, but his lack of focus on football is a big issue.

The Eagles also officially signed Mark Sanchez today.

[teganslaw]

DeSean Jackson's release comes as no surprise; I figured this was going to happen several days ago. I read that he had a 10 million dollar contract and was signed through 2016. Since the Eagles released him before his contact was up, would they still have to pay him the balance if he isn't signed by another team? I'm not sure how these things work. The question could apply to other players who are released before the contract is up and don't find another team. Anyway, I wonder if any team is willing to take a risk by signing him. He has talent, but that can only take one so far.

[gardenman]

DeSean had no guaranteed money left on his contract, so all the Eagles lost was the $6 million from his pro-rated signing bonus. There was $2 million a year salary cap hit over the next three years from the signing bonus, so with cutting him they had to account for that all now. They end up coming out ahead financially by cutting him. They'd pay him the $10 million in salary if he'd stayed and he'd also have counted another $2 million (for his pro-rated signing bonus) against the cap this year if they'd kept him. So instead of spending $12 million they've spent $6 million and are done.

The surprising news is how happy the Eagles' players seem to be about it. I haven't heard a single Eagle player say it was a bad move. Jason Kelce (the Eagles' center) seemed thrilled to lose DeSean. He tweeted "We just made an extremely unpopular decision, but I couldn't be more excited and happy with where this organization is going!! Fly Eagles Fly!" None of the players seem heartbroken, or even bothered, over losing DeSean. That tells you a lot about DeSean. I'm thinking general managers around the league are looking at that and are more than a little surprised about it.

DeSean was a Vick guy more than a Foles guy and DeSean has had his share of issues through the years, so you can't be too surprised that he's gone. The Eagles have some decent depth now at wide receiver and I suspect they will be fine without DeSean, but guys with that kind of talent are hard to find. Things are going to be interesting over the next few weeks/months.

[Spurt]

TEGAN AND GARDENMAN....

It will be interesting to see what happens with DeSean......GARDENMAN that sounds very suspicious about that burglary and stop by State Trooper....And it certainly doesnt earn DeSean any points when the Eagles's players seem glad to get rid of him.....

This is one player that teams with a strong locker room like the Pats probably wont take a chance on because they have probably had enough with gangs with their Hernandez incident....so which team would?......I wonder if Vick would put in a good word for DeSean for the Jets to get him.......

TEGAN we picked up former Colt Mike McGlynn Center. We cut Will Montgomery due to his injuries and planned to move Kory L to center but now this at least gives us a stop gap....what do you know about him. They said several teams were courting him Titans, Rams, Packers....in addition to my Redskins.

[gardenman]

SPURT. Mike McGlynn was originally an Eagle and he's a decent center. He's not going to make the Pro Bowl as a center, but he's reasonably solid. He's a good, competent center. Is he the long-term answer? Probably not, but he's a good stopgap until you can get a young guy to fill the role.

Some more stuff about DeSean is coming out. He apparently left the team after the season and skipped his exit interview with the coaches/trainers where they would give him their plans for him for 2014. He apparently left the facility before getting his personalized workout plan for the off-season or knowing anything about his future in Philly. He reportedly refused to listen to his position coach also and got into several very heated arguments with him during the season.

Rumor has it that three teams are very interested in DeSean. Those teams are the Jets, Chiefs, and Raiders. Other teams you hear mentioned are the Panthers, Seahawks, and Niners. It'll be interesting to see if DeSean takes a one year "prove it" deal or gets a multi-year deal.

The good news is there's absolutely no criticism of the move coming from current or recent Eagle players who know DeSean. Reporters have been contacting them and they're all pretty much in agreement that it was just a question of time until DeSean wore out his welcome. Multiple players seem pretty happy to have him gone.

It's a gutsy move by Chip Kelly. You just don't generally cut Pro Bowl players coming off their best season. The players seem solidly behind Chip, so that's good.

[teganslaw]

Gardenman, thanks for answering my question about DeSean Jackson's contract. That explains much.

SPURT, Mike McGlynn struggled as guard when he was with Indy, but did fine as center. He isn't a pro bowler, but will provide depth for the offensive line. As long as Washington uses him as center, he should do OK, as that's his strong point.

[gardenman]

One of the more interesting things about the DeSean Jackson cutting is the absolute silence from the Eagles organization. All they've said is "After careful consideration during this off-season, the Philadelphia Eagles have decided to part ways with DeSean Jackson. The team informed him of his release today." There was no "Thanks for all you've done," or similar platitude that's typically heaped upon a recently cut player.

There's been no comment from Chip Kelly, Jeff Lurie, Howie Roseman, or anyone else in the organization. Reporters with good connections have been told that all of the brass have been told by the team's legal representatives to say nothing else about the issue and to keep quiet. Even Dave Spadaro, an Eagles employee who has a strong web/Twitter presence has gone silent.

Contrast that to the recent release of Jason Avant, another wide receiver, who got kudos from everyone in the organization, including team owner Jeff Lurie and you have to wonder what the Eagles know that we don't. (Jason Avant had a very checkered early life, but had turned his life around in later years and become a very solid citizen.) There's something else going on in this story that we don't know about just yet. The Eagles' official website is all but silent on DeSean's cutting. No team official is commenting in any manner. I'm pretty sure we'll hear something in the next few days/weeks that will make this all a lot clearer.

Drew Rosenhaus was DeSean's former agent and is currently suing DeSean for a $400,000 loan repayment that he's owed by DeSean and I'm thinking something may come out during that trial that will be very unflattering to DeSean. Perhaps DeSean or one of his associates have threatened Drew, maybe Drew knows something about DeSean that he's shared with the Eagles, but there's something there.

Here are the Eagles statements after the release of Jason Avant for comparison.

“In the year I spent with Jason, he was unbelievable in terms of his work ethic and his selfless nature,” said Chip Kelly in a statement. “He was a great teammate. We know he will have a chance to sign with another team and by releasing him now, he will have a full offseason to make the necessary adjustments. I had a chance to speak with him today and he handled himself like the true professional he is.”

"There’s no question that releasing a player like Jason is one of the toughest parts of the job," said Howie Roseman. "It’s a tough day when you have to say goodbye to player who you have so much respect for. I can’t thank him enough for the leadership, the big plays and the positive impression he made on so many of his teammates."

Added Jeffrey Lurie: "There have not been any players who have represented the Philadelphia Eagles with more class and dignity than Jason Avant. Whether it was in the locker room, on the playing field or in the community, he has always been a true professional, a role model and a winner every step of the way. On behalf of the entire organization, I wish Jason and his wife Stacy, and their two daughters, nothing but the best as he continues his fine career."

And then with DeSean you get that very minimal statement above with no further comment from anyone on advice of the team's counsel. There's a smoking gun someplace and the Eagles know what it is, and likely that it's going to become public soon. I'm betting they'll share that information with other clubs and DeSean Jackson will have a very hard time finding a new team. The next few days/weeks are likely to be pretty illuminating.

[Spurt]

Hey TEGAN AND GARDENMAN,

Thanks for the info on Micke McGlynn....he sounds like a decent player, maybe not a pro-bowler, but he should help to improve our OL since Will Montgomery was riddled with injuries and not every effective. We can perhaps draft a young player that can be groomed to be a long term solution in the meantime McGlynn helps fill a definite need.

Everyone keeps pointing to safety safety safety with our second round pick....For an immediate solution, Ryan Clark has not gone away either, I guess the offers aren't poring in for him at this point (although he is getting a lot of gigs with ESPN)....I still say we need to work on that OL and also a WR too....

WOW!!! More and more info seems to come out about DeSean and I think the lawyers got involved and told everyone to keep quiet, because they don't want some sort of discrimination lawsuit. But funny how no one within the Eagles organization has come to his defense.....hmmmm. Not even his position coach, or any teammates.

Yep Andy knows him so that option would make sense as does the Jets now that they have Vick....and we all know the Raiders, although I thought Rallo McKenzie was moving away from the Raiders as a home for wayward players.....It will be interesting to see how this all transpires.....Im glad the Redskins are turning the other way because I want a locker room without controversy this year....

[gardenman]

Spurt. You might want to check out what Ian Rapoport has to say. He's got the Redskins and Bills both also involved in the bidding for DeSean Jackson. The Bills have reportedly decided on a price they're willing to pay and plan to make a "take it or leave it" offer. The Redskins are reportedly trying to figure out a way to free up cap space to make a bid.

I'm not sure how serious any team will be once more information is revealed. I've got a hunch that Drew Rosenhaus (who is suing DeSean for the $400,000 he's owed) may be the source for the information that led the Eagles to cut DeSean. Agents pretty much glue people to their clients while they're a client, and I suspect Rosenhaus has some inside information that he's using now to put a bit of pressure on DeSean. If that suit goes to trial then there could be some interesting testimony coming.