Eagles Gab

From: Pro Football Weekly

The Eagles have done some reshuffling on their offensive line at three of the five spots. Central to that change are brothers Shawn and Stacy Andrews, who will line up at right tackle and right guard, respectively. But both have obstacles to overcome before the offensive line can reach its potential.

Both players are playing foreign positions. Shawn is playing tackle for the first time in the NFL, having last played there at Arkansas. And Stacy, a right tackle predominantly with the Bengals, is playing guard for the first time.

Another condition to watch is their health.

Shawn is coming off back surgery that ended his 2008 season prematurely, but the Eagles were optimistic he had an outside chance of playing in the Super Bowl, having kept a roster spot for him the entire season. He also has admitted to battling depression, and he was missing from last year’s training camp while many speculated where he was and why he was absent.

Head coach Andy Reid said he likes what he has seen from him so far.

“He looked good,” Reid said. “It looks like he’s enjoying it, looks like he has a pretty good understanding of it. That’s what he was in college, and that’s really why we brought him here — to play one of the tackle positions. I think he likes it out there, feels comfortable out there.”

Reid also felt confident that Stacy, who is coming off surgery in January to repair a torn ACL, is on track to play when training camp opens.

“We’re going to keep an eye on him, but I think he’ll be ready to go, yeah,” Reid said. “We’ll ease him into it and see how he does.”

Success for both players is crucial. The Eagles struggled badly to run the ball at times last season, especially in short-yardage and goal-line situations. And with RB Brian Westbrook coming into camp with serious questions about the health of his ankle, it’s imperative that the two linemen help to form a better run-blocking group.

With Tra Thomas and Jon Runyan no longer starting at tackle — Runyan still has a locker at the team’s facility and possibly could return — the line’s cohesion will be very important in camp. There also could be a fourth new starter in a new position if C Jamaal Jackson is pushed by Nick Cole, as Cole might get the chance to do at Lehigh this summer.

Eagles QB Donovan McNabb paid his respects today to Michael Jackson, one day after the “King of Pop” died in Los Angeles at the age of 50. Below is what McNabb had to say about Jackson on his personal blog over on Yardbarker:

“Like most of the rest of the world I am devastated by the news of Michael Jackson’s death. Ironically, I am in Los Angeles for a few days between shooting a commercial and attending a teammate’s wedding this weekend. Those who have followed my career know that I am a huge fan of the King of Pop. After many of my touchdowns, I have moonwalked or mimicked some of his moves – before you get ready to criticize those moves on a post, know that even I understand I couldn’t hold a candle to Michael when it comes to dancing. My dances were a mere tribute to Michael’s unbelievable ability to entertain. Many times we are reminded at someone’s death that ‘there will never be another one like him/her.’ In this case, those words couldn’t be more true. My condolences go out to his children, his immediate family, and his extended family of millions around the world.”

The wedding McNabb made reference to in the blog is that of WR Hank Baskett and former Playboy playmate Kendra Wilkinson.

A key question about the Eagles offense is what type of impact rookie WR Jeremy Maclin will have this season. The back was the topic of a question during a chat with NFL.com’s Gil Brandt on Tuesday, and Brandt thinks that Maclin will get his share of chances to have time catching the ball:

I think the Eagles have a very, very good chance of reaching the Super Bowl. Either the Giants or Philly, whichever wins the NFC East, has the best chance of reaching the Super Bowl. I think Jeremy Maclin is a solid receiver. It’s hard to make a big impact at that position as a rookie, but look for him to catch somewhere in the area of 45 passes.

Head coach Andy Reid thinks offensive lineman Stacy Andrews, who is recovering from January surgery to repair a torn ACL, will be ready to go when training camp opens next month. “We’re going to keep an eye on him, but I think he’ll be ready to go, yeah,” he said. “We’ll ease him into it and see how he does.”

Philly.com reports that Eagles coach Andy Reid is still waiting for the club to talk to him about a contract extension, which so far has yet to happen.

Coach Andy Reid’s agent, Bob LaMonte, said yesterday that no talks have taken place so far, but agreed that it seems unlikely the man who has coached and won more Eagles games than anyone will get into the final year of his contract without an extension. So something definitely could, maybe likely will, happen this summer. “It’s been a fabulous relationship, ongoing with the Eagles, and I’d expect it to continue,” LaMonte said. He said he anticipated that a new deal for Reid would be “one of the easier things to get done.”

The Daily News has the story today of the Eagles dumping assistant secondary coach Otis Smith:

Eagles assistant secondary coach Otis Smith no longer is with the team, an Eagles spokesman confirmed yesterday. No further information was offered. Smith, a 13-year NFL cornerback who played for the Birds early in his career, joined the coaching staff as an intern in 2007 and was promoted in 2008.

He worked under secondary coach Sean McDermott, who currently is running the defense while coordinator Jim Johnson takes a leave of absence during his cancer treatment. The Eagles recently brought in former Dallas defensive coordinator Brian Stewart to assist McDermott, mainly with the secondary. It’s unclear whether that move had anything to do with Smith’s departure.

The rumored raise for QB Donovan McNabb is finally done. McNabb and the Eagles have agreed to restructure the final two years of his contract. McNabb’s new deal is worth $24.5 million over the next two seasons, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press.

The report says that a “significant” portion of McNabb’s base salary for 2010 also is guaranteed. While signing bonuses are guaranteed in NFL contracts, base salaries usually are not. The five-time Pro Bowl quarterback was due to make $19.2 million over the next two seasons.

The team made the official announcement of the deal Thursday night. “The Philadelphia Eagles organization and the entire city of Philadelphia are fortunate to have a quarterback the caliber of Donovan McNabb,” coach Andy Reid said in a statement. “He has proven himself to be a talented player on the field, a caring member of the Philadelphia community, and a winner.”

“We are thrilled that this all worked out,” team president Joe Banner said. “He is a great football player, a great person, and someone who gives back to the community. We are lucky to have him in Philadelphia.”

McNabb, who is entering his 11th season with the Eagles, is the franchise’s all-time leader in several categories, including passing yards (29,320) and touchdown passes (194). He also has led the team to the playoffs seven times, best in team history.

“Donovan has played a large part of this team’s success over the last 10 years,” Eagles chairman Jeffrey Lurie said. “He has been a professional in every sense of the word.”

It appears that guard Max Jean-Gilles may be looking to play hardball with the Eagles, as reports are he has inked a deal with Rosenhaus Sports as his representative. Drew Rosenhaus announced the inking of Jean-Gilles on his Twitter account.

“With the position that I’m in, I just needed someone with more experience,” said Jean-Gilles, who was previously represented by Impact Sports.

Jean-Gilles is in the last year of a four-year contract he signed after the Eagles drafted him in the fourth round out of Georgia. He started 10 games last season in place of the injured Shawn Andrews. He is coming off a broken fibula suffered against the Cardinals in November.

He wants a deal, and now with Rosenhaus doing is dealings, it could get interesting. “As one of the top young offensive linemen in the NFL, this should be a very smooth negotiation process with the Eagles, especially now that he is healthy,” Rosenhaus wrote on Twitter.

There has been a lot of talk as of late about Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb getting a deal restructured, and now CSNPhilly reports that a deal appears to be close to happening. The report states that the club and McNabb are close to getting the final two years of his contract changed.

Under McNabb’s current contract, he is scheduled to earn $9.2 million this season and $10 million in 2010. The sides are working on the last two years of the deal, trying to make sure that McNabb is happy as the Eagles realize that they don’t really have anyone in place to take his spot.

The 11-year-pro had said this offseason that he wouldn’t negotiate a new deal until he saw the moves the team made in the offseason. He must have been happy with the drafting of a WR - Jeremy Maclin in the first round.

Back in 2002, McNabb signed a 12-year, $115 million extension that had him under contract through 2013. The last three years of that extension were voided, though, when McNabb reached certain incentive clauses. He had a good 2008, leading the team to the NFC title game, as he completed 345 of 571 pass attempts for 3,916 yards – all franchise records.

“Some quarterbacks can go on, and it seems like forever. I think he’s right in the middle of his prime,” offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg said last week.