Answering your questions and commenting on your comments, here is Tuesdays dip into the mailbag.
Q. Why this year is Eagles management: (1) Signing impact players, (2) Signing players that are at least 30 years old in some cases and (3) Full-court press. These actions tell me they could have done this for the past 10 years and for whatever reason, they did not. My buddy is trying to tell me it has something to do with (Michael) Vick being here and people taking less money to play here. What is your opinion?
-- Chick DeVuono
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A. Clearly, the Eagles are taking a more aggressive approach. The way last season ended with the Eagles losing their last three games at home and seeing a promising ride end up in a ditch left a bad taste in the mouths of Jeff Lurie, Joe Banner and Howie Roseman. It may have been the most frustrating finish to a season since the Super Bowl year because the team was 10-4 after the big comeback win over the Giants and it never won another game. It was a huge letdown and I think management decided it was time to take a bolder approach to get over the hump and win a Super Bowl.
There is no doubt Vick is helping to attract free agents. Both Nnamdi Asomugha and Cullen Jenkins referenced Vick upon signing with the Eagles. Veteran players want to sign with teams where they feel they have a chance to win and Vick is seen as a guy who can lead his team to the top.
Q. Is Braylon Edwards or some other receiver in the cards (for the Eagles)? I dont think Riley Cooper is the answer. Can DeAndre Brown help?
-- Robert Crogan
A. The Eagles arent going to spend that kind of money on a receiver unless they believe DeSean Jacksons holdout will extend into the regular season or Jeremy Maclins illness is more serious than they are letting on. For now, I cant see a scenario that would bring Edwards to the Eagles, but I never thought they had a shot at Asomugha either. I would not be so quick to dismiss Cooper. He did some good things in a limited role as a rookie. I think he can develop into a productive player in this offense. Brown, a 6-6, 230-pound rookie free agent from Southern Mississippi, is a long shot. Best case for him this season is a spot on the practice squad.
Q. I saw your report on Comcast about Jamaal Jackson. How much do you think not having played football for two years will affect him? We kept hearing about writing off Cornelius Ingram because he was away for two years. Jackson, a veteran, seems to be getting talked about like he wont skip a beat.
-- Matt Skomra
A. They are very different situations. Jackson missed last season, but played 15 games in 2009. He wasnt injured until the end of the year. He has not been on the shelf nearly as long as Ingram, who sat out the last two seasons with the Eagles and missed his final year at Florida. Ingram, a tight end, has not played football since 2007. I didnt even realize he still was with the Eagles until I saw him on the practice field at Lehigh. At 26, this figures to be his last shot.
Q. As a 75-year-old who has rooted for Philadelphia sports teams since the (Steve) Van Buren days, I am naturally in sports heaven at this time. But, given the background, there must always be a question or two. How the heck did a first-round draft pick, who started for almost five years, become totally dispensable without any warning by either the Eagles (not surprising) or the Philadelphia media (very, very surprising)?
-- Jack MurphyPlymouth Meeting, Pa.
A. You are referring to Brodrick Bunkley, the defensive tackle who was traded to Denver for a 2013 pick. Actually, there was some warning that his time was running out. The Eagles benched him in favor of Antonio Dixon last season. When a former first-round pick is benched for an undrafted free agent, it is not a vote of confidence by the organization. When the defense improved with Dixon on the field, it sealed Bunkleys fate. For a guy who arrived with so much promisehe was the 14th overall pick in the 2006 draftBunkley was a major disappointment.
Q. Your article about (Donovan) McNabbs chances in Minnesota was very mean-spirited and snippy. Whats your beef with one of the classiest players in Eagles history? Im appalled by the I told you so tone of this article. Really disappointing. Why dont you just kick the guy a little more when he is down?
-- Dennis Phillips
A. I was merely responding to all the people I heardand there were manywho said the trade was a great thing for McNabb and he would flourish in Minnesota. I disagree. The Vikings are a team on the decline, they play in a tough division, they lost their best receiver (Sidney Rice) and they have Christian Ponder, their first-round pick, waiting in the wings. If the team gets off to a slow start, the fans will start calling for head coach Leslie Frazier to bench McNabb and play the rookie. In my view, he is walking into a tough situation, thats all I was trying to say.
Q. Within the scope of this countrys economic woes can this kid (DeSean Jackson) be serious? This team, this city and the fans have always had a blue-collar feel as the fans respect grit and tenacity more than flash. Reading the newspaper about how our troops overseas might have to take a pay cut and a reduction in benefits, I cant see how an individual doesnt show up to work. I hope the Eagles collect 30K from his (butt) for each day not showing up and donate it to the Wounded Warrior Project.
-- Rich SwaimU.S. veteran
A. You have to realize professional athletes, like movie stars and other entertainers, dont live in the same world as the rest of us. They command millions of dollars because they have a unique skill and they hire agents (Drew Rosenhaus in Jacksons case) to maximize their worth. There is nothing blue-collar about it. You cant compare an NFL receiver to a U.S. serviceman or woman. I agree, it would be a travesty if our military was subject to pay cuts, but that really has nothing to do with whether or not Jackson gets more money from the Eagles. He is just doing what other athletes have done for years and that is work the system.
Q. It looks to me that the big losers in the new CBA will be the coaches. The new agreement appears to legislate the terms of practicehow many, pads or no pads, how long? To me, each team is different and may require varying practice schedules, which should be at the coachs discretion. A young team may need longer and more physical practices. A coach may feel his team needs an increase in contact for a short stretch of time.
-- Chris Strings
A. Good points, Chris. The new rules do restrict the amount of work that can be done and you can be sure the coaches arent happy about it. It was a strange sight at Lehigh Sunday when halfway through practice the players shed their shoulder pads and finished working out in shells (helmets, jerseys, pants). It was even stranger to read the schedule and see TuesdayPlayers day off. A day off? In training camp? What would Vince Lombardi say? It is a different world, thats for sure. It will be interesting to see if this lighter load keeps players fresher and thereby reduces injuries when the regular season starts or if it turns out players arent as conditioned to contact and the result is more guys go down.
Q. The hysteria for the Eagles is great and I keep telling my friends I am wary. You dont change defensive coordinators and offensive and defensive line coaches and not have some adjustment period. Had there been no lockout maybe we could have been going full guns, but again, Im skeptical. How much transition should we expect with all the coaching changes?
-- Samuel BeckerPhiladelphia
A. It is a legitimate concern. Juan Castillo is new to the role of defensive coordinator and he is installing a new system. Jim Washburn (defensive line) and Howard Mudd (offensive line) are good coaches but they, too, are teaching new techniques to a bunch of strangers. The Eagles have some nice pieces, especially with the addition of Asomugha, Jenkins and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, but they still have to put it all together and they dont have much time to do it.
Q. I was pleasantly surprised to see A Civil War by John Feinstein on your list of favorite books. Along with my Dad and my son, I witnessed several Army-Navy games at JFK Stadium and the Linc. I found Army-Navy to be the purest and best rivalry of any sport. Roger Staubach was once asked at the height of the Redskins-Cowboys rivalry if that was the best rivalry in sports. He said: Its a good rivalry, but its nothing compared to Army-Navy. The Army-Navy game is one event I always thought the Philadelphia fans overlooked. They have no idea what they missed.
-- Phil Martinicchio
A. The Army-Navy game is a great event. If you have never been to one, you should make it a point to go at least once. Even if youre not a football fan, you will never forget the experience.
E-mail Ray Didinger at viewfromthehall@comcast.net.