This is what happens when you manage your cap well-

[jiminphilly]

http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/sports/14003995.htm

By Bob Brookover
Inquirer Staff Writer
The Eagles will have to wait a few more days, but it appears as if their first big free-agent signing of the off-season is going to be LeCharles Bentley, the Pro Bowl center from the New Orleans Saints.
According to a source close to the center, Bentley's interest in joining the Eagles is so strong that only the delay in the free-agency period prevented the move from happening today.

Free-agent signings were supposed to start today, but the NFL moved the date back to Monday in the slim hope that it can still negotiate an extension of the collective bargaining agreement with the players' union.
It has been no secret that the Eagles' primary goal this off-season is to improve on both the offensive and defensive lines.
There had been speculation recently that they might try to sign New York Jets center Kevin Mawae if he was released as part of a salary-cap purge.
Mawae, a 12-year veteran, actually was released yesterday, but it makes far more sense for the Eagles to sign Bentley, who is only 26 years old and presumably just moving into the prime of his career.

The Eagles certainly have the salary-cap room needed to make Bentley the kind of offer that would lure him to Philadelphia.
Bentley was a second-round pick by the Saints in 2002. After playing center at Ohio State, he excelled at guard during his first two seasons with the Saints. He was Sports Illustrated's offensive rookie of the year in 2002 and earned a spot on the NFC Pro Bowl roster in his second season. Bentley moved back to center in 2004 and made the Pro Bowl at that position this season.

His impending arrival is likely to be bad news for Hank Fraley, who had been the Eagles' starting center since the 2001 season, when he took over for an injured Bubba Miller. Fraley started all but one game from 2001 through the midway point of last season when he suffered a torn rotator cuff in a loss at Washington.

Fraley, 28, was scheduled to make $650,000 in 2006, which is the final year of his contract.

Jamaal Jackson took over as the starter from Fraley, and he will likely remain with the team in a backup role at center and possibly even as a candidate to compete for a starting job at guard.

It is still not clear what the remainder of the Eagles' offensive line will look like in 2006. Left tackle Tra Thomas, coming off back surgery, will have to prove he is healthy, and last year's starting left guard, Artis Hicks, is not a lock to retain that job.

There are still rumblings that the Eagles will make a run at Seattle's Steve Hutchinson, who is considered by many to be the top guard in the league. The Seahawks placed the transition tag on Hutchinson last week, which means they can match any offer from another team.

On the right side of the offensive line, it seems more than likely that the Eagles will need a replacement for unrestricted free agent Jon Runyan at tackle, with potential candidates being right guard Shawn Andrews or Todd Herremans, who filled in for Thomas at left tackle last season. There has been talk within the organization of moving Herremans to the guard position.

Another name that continues to surface as a potential free-agent addition for the Eagles is quarterback Jeff Garcia, the former Terrell Owens teammate who played in six games for the Detroit Lions last season.
Speaking of Owens, the delayed start to the league's fiscal year has affected him as well. The Eagles now have until March 11 to either trade or release the wide receiver before they will owe him a $5 million roster bonus. The deadline had been Wednesday. The wide receiver, who may be meeting with the Miami Dolphins today, has about as much chance of getting that signing bonus from the Eagles as he does of eating Christmas dinner with Donovan McNabb's family.

Although teams were able to rescind all roster moves they made yesterday because of the decision to delay the start of the free-agency period, several interesting names in addition to Mawae surfaced on the waiver wire before that news.

Among the players cut by teams to create salary-cap space were Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Shawn Barber and Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle La'Roi Glover.

Barber, of course, performed extremely well for the Eagles as their starting weakside linebacker in 2002 before signing a seven-year deal with the Chiefs in 2003.

Injuries have limited Barber to just 11 games in the last two seasons.
Glover, 31, was going into the final year of a deal that would have paid him $6 million this season, including a $1.5 million roster bonus. The move saved the Cowboys $6 million and put them in a position to make some moves of their own in free agency.

When the Eagles talked about failed contract negotiations with former defensive tackle Corey Simon in recent years, Glover's name often arose as a player they considered among the elite defensive tackles. Rocky Bernard, an unrestricted free agent from the Seattle Seahawks, is also a potential target for the Eagles.

Extra points. It appears as if veteran defensive tackle Hollis Thomas may not be back for an 11th season with the Eagles. A team source confirmed a report on profootballtalk.com that the Eagles are trying to trade Thomas, who has not been happy with his contract in the last two seasons... . As expected, the Eagles tendered one-year contracts to their four restricted free agents yesterday. Also as expected, cornerback Rod Hood received the highest-level tender, which means the Eagles would get a first-round draft pick if they decided not to match an offer from another team. Running back Reno Mahe, punter Dirk Johnson and safety Quintin Mikell all received the lowest tender figures, the Eagles said.

[BBMarley]

Both Bentley & Hutchinson protecting #5 is a beautiful thought... but I don't see Banner spending that much money on both. Who knows though? He's surpised us in the past.

[jiminphilly]

Both Bentley & Hutchinson protecting #5 is a beautiful thought... but I don't see Banner spending that much money on both. Who knows though? He's surpised us in the past.

Actually the one thing the Eagles have shown is that they put a lot of stock in the O and D line. They blew away the Titans when they signed Runyan a few years back.. did the same with Kearse. Besides the TO distraction, injuries to those lines created a lot of trouble for a team that throws the ball 70% of the time and relies on the blitz...

[BBMarley]

Jim-

What would you think of them signing Arrington? He has made it clear he prefers to stay in the NFC East and doesn't want to go to the Cowboys. He & Trot are friends and when asked about him coming here- Trot just smiled.

I think he will want too much money- but if they can get him for the right price- I think he would be a good fit. He is a little undiscplined at times- but I think Reid and JJ can tame that down. Trot, Arrington & Jones as our starting LB's... That's a nice thought

[Ken]

Jim-

What would you think of them signing Arrington? He has made it clear he prefers to stay in the NFC East and doesn't want to go to the Cowboys. He & Trot are friends and when asked about him coming here- Trot just smiled.

I think he will want too much money- but if they can get him for the right price- I think he would be a good fit. He is a little undiscplined at times- but I think Reid and JJ can tame that down. Trot, Arrington & Jones as our starting LB's... That's a nice thought

I ain't an Eagle fan, but it would be nice to see Lavar head over there and play with a bit of something to prove... especially vs. Gibbs.

[jiminphilly]

I don't know if Arrington has gotten a bad rap or if he really is just the arrogant bastard he has been made out to be. Perhaps a Skins fan can elaborate more.

Either way he's got talent but has had trouble playing within his position. When the Eagles let Trotter walk to the Skins it was for the same reason. He came back, more disciplined and is now one of the best in the NFL.

I think the Eagles have greater needs along that D line so I'd like to see them concentrate there (along with the O line). If Arrington is prepared to earn his money through incentives I can see the Eagles going after him.

I have to say Dhani Jones is the most overrated piece of crap LB I have ever seen. Dude's all personality (and a strange cat at that) and not much in terms of talent.

[T REX]

Manage cap well?

How were the playoffs?

Oh. Nevermind.

There are MANY factors that go into managing the cap. Nice season.

[Dumbass]

Yes, how bout them playoffs?
Well, you won the division.

[jiminphilly]

There are MANY factors that go into managing the cap.

Yes and the Eagles do it better than almost anyone. Last year was an aberation. The Eagles were decimated by injuries and had the TO headache linger the entire season. With almost $20 mil to spend they will be extremely competitive in the free agent market and landing that center will fill a huge hole in that O line. They also have a decent pick in the draft.

There is no doubt the Eagles have holes but they've put themselves in excellent position to address those needs and benefit even more if the league and the union actually do settle in which case the cap increases.

[T REX]

Yes....we did win the division.

AND we are resigning/restructuring the important pieces of a playoff team. THAT is great cap managment...keeping those players there.

Last year was an aberration? Or was it the beginning of a downturn for your organization?

[jiminphilly]

Yes....we did win the division.

AND we are resigning/restructuring the important pieces of a playoff team. THAT is great cap managment...keeping those players there.

Last year was an aberration? Or was it the beginning of a downturn for your organization?

And signing a pro-bowl center and perhaps even a pro-bowl guard in the same year isn't good cap management? When a team has to restructure a deal they are only delaying the inevitable. That's not good cap management. Ask the 49ers..

When a team has enough cash to go after pro-bowl players at perhaps the 2 most important areas of the team, I'd say that's good cap management.

As for last year, McNabb suffered that hernia injury the first game of the season and was never the same. He probably should have gotten surgery and tried to make a come back. I don't need to rehash the TO affair but there is no doubt it took its toll on the team. He's now gone.

The O and D lines were decimated by injuries starting with McDougle getting shot in the off-season. He was supposed to step up and take over Burgess spot. Trent Cole came on late in the season but he was a rookie and got tired. I can go on and on about the injuries.

If the Eagles finish .500 or worse and miss the playoffs then I might agree that they are on the decline but it takes more than 1 bad year to signal a team is in trouble.

[G.O.]

none of arringtons coaches (marvin lewis, greg williams and now his former LB coach dale lindsay http://extremeskins.com/forums/showthread.php?t=146945 )seem to have anything nice to say about him. his fellow players and most fans seem to love him, though.

[jiminphilly]

none of arringtons coaches (marvin lewis, greg williams and now his former LB coach dale lindsay http://extremeskins.com/forums/showthread.php?t=146945 )seem to have anything nice to say about him. his fellow players and most fans seem to love him, though.

If the coaches praised his work ethic and praised his skills but found his contract demands too high, I'd go after him in a heartbeat.

But it seems pretty clear that Arrington does not want to play within a system. The scary thing is he might excel with a defense like the Eagles because all he'd have to do is blitz but I think Reid is tired of me first players after the TO debacle.

Some team will take a stab at him though.

[Ken]

I don't know if Arrington has gotten a bad rap or if he really is just the arrogant bastard he has been made out to be. Perhaps a Skins fan can elaborate more.

Either way he's got talent but has had trouble playing within his position. When the Eagles let Trotter walk to the Skins it was for the same reason. He came back, more disciplined and is now one of the best in the NFL.

From this PSU fan, I hear what you're saying. Lavar always had a hard time playing within JoePa's system. He roamed a LOT, and Joe wasn't happy about it at times. So, I could entirely understand and wouldn't doubt for a minute that Gibbs was pissed about it at times. I'm of the contention that when you have someone who is on a different athletic level, you gotta let 'im roam a bit. But what do I know.

Nonetheless, I'd like to see Lavar go to a team who's system or philosophy allows for a bit of roaming.

[T REX]

Yes....we did win the division.

AND we are resigning/restructuring the important pieces of a playoff team. THAT is great cap managment...keeping those players there.

Last year was an aberration? Or was it the beginning of a downturn for your organization?

And signing a pro-bowl center and perhaps even a pro-bowl guard in the same year isn't good cap management? When a team has to restructure a deal they are only delaying the inevitable. That's not good cap management. Ask the 49ers..

When a team has enough cash to go after pro-bowl players at perhaps the 2 most important areas of the team, I'd say that's good cap management.

As for last year, McNabb suffered that hernia injury the first game of the season and was never the same. He probably should have gotten surgery and tried to make a come back. I don't need to rehash the TO affair but there is no doubt it took its toll on the team. He's now gone.

The O and D lines were decimated by injuries starting with McDougle getting shot in the off-season. He was supposed to step up and take over Burgess spot. Trent Cole came on late in the season but he was a rookie and got tired. I can go on and on about the injuries.

If the Eagles finish .500 or worse and miss the playoffs then I might agree that they are on the decline but it takes more than 1 bad year to signal a team is in trouble.

HUH? we just signed Hovan and Brooks to multi-year deals. Kept Simms. Our off-season is going a lot better than the original 18 mill over.

I'm not trying to bang on the Eagles but I think your window came and went. Sorry.

[jiminphilly]

HUH? we just signed Hovan and Brooks to multi-year deals. Kept Simms. Our off-season is going a lot better than the original 18 mill over.

Don't you mean restructured?

March 7, 2006
CBS SportsLine.com wire reports

TAMPA, Fla. -- Pro Bowl linebacker Derrick Brooks is staying with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after restructuring his contract to give the NFC South champions some salary cap relief.


The nine-time Pro Bowl selection said Monday he would like to retire as with the Buccaneers and hopes the restructured deal that freed about $5 million in cap space will help make that happen.

"It was a real big key in doing it. Do you want to stay, or do you want to go," Brooks said, adding that he'd like to join Hall of Famer Lee Roy Selmon as the most accomplished players who have worn Tampa Bay uniforms for their entire careers.

Four other players -- defensive tackle Anthony McFarland, running back Michael Pittman, center John Wade and tight end Anthony Becht -- also have restructured their contracts to help Tampa Bay with a tight salary cap situation and position the club to be an active player in free agency.

"To me, it really wasn't about, more or less the terms, as it was about helping the team and putting us in a position to keep a lot of our players here that we currently have," Brooks said.

"At the same time, (restructuring) gives us something to go and get a player out there that we feel can help us win a Super Bowl. ... Hopefully, by me doing this, it really allows us to reward some guys that we have, and at the same time, get a player or two that we feel that can take us back to where we were before."

Brooks, the NFL Defensive Player of the Year when the Bucs won the Super Bowl four seasons ago, had been due to count about $11.7 million against the salary cap in 2006.

"He is a special guy. He wanted to be a Buccaneer. We wanted him to be a Buccaneer, and just in a few days of conversation, we were able to reach an agreement that we think will ensure his future," Bucs general manager Bruce Allen said.

"And it cleared some room so we can sign some of our own players back and go out in free agency because Derrick is interested in getting another ring. ... He said he has two hands and he needs two rings."

Like I said.. when a team has to restructure deals to create cap room, that's not necessarily good cap management. Brooks saw the writing on the wall.. be released or take a pay cut. He weighed his options and probably realized he wouldn't get close to what Tampa was asking him to restructure to in the open market considering other teams are in the same predicament and 33 year old LB's don't normally get long term deals with big signing bonuses which is what he would be after.

I'm not trying to bang on the Eagles but I think your window came and went. Sorry.

Bang away. That's what this forum is for. However based on who the Eagles are pursuing and their excellent cap situation, I don't it happening.

[Cicero]

Manage cap well?

How were the playoffs?

Oh. Nevermind.

There are MANY factors that go into managing the cap. Nice season.

You are a takeless pussy. Seriously. They make the playoffs 6-7 straight years and appear in the NFC Champ game 4 years in a row and go to the Super Bowl. One year they miss the playoffs in which they lost their QB to injury and had their best player blow up the chemistry on the team. I hate the Eagles but I am not not stupid enough to think that they wont fix the problem and be back in the playoffs next year. Their owner is too good at what he does and that organization has its shit together.

The Bucs missed the playoffs two straight years after winning it and were worse off than the Eagles and they made it back.

[T REX]

cicero: You are a first class tard. You fucking follow me around these boards like a fucking kid. Dude, they SIGNED TO....MANAGEMENT DID THAT!!!! Put some responsibility on "their owner that is too good at what he does". Sure. They bring in a player they KNEW was a liability and yet YOU claim they have their shit together????

You are a fucking moron. Which is it? Nevermind. Talk about takeless. You jerk off all over your post but sandwiched in there is signing a player that blew up the team. Way to make zero sense.

[Neely8]

Haven't the Eagles been like 10 million under the cap for like the past 5 years? I remeber a big to do where fans were pissed because they had 10 million to play with and refused to sign 1 or 2 guys to help them get over the hump. If they are 20 million under right now do you really think they will use all that space?

Oh yeah and I had a hernia all year too but I played through it......

Signed,

[jiminphilly]

Haven't the Eagles been like 10 million under the cap for like the past 5 years? I remeber a big to do where fans were pissed because they had 10 million to play with and refused to sign 1 or 2 guys to help them get over the hump. If they are 20 million under right now do you really think they will use all that space?

Oh yeah and I had a hernia all year too but I played through it......

Signed,

Patriots have a better offensive line than the Eagles do so he wasn't sacked as much. (McNabb was on pace to be sacked ~32 times.. Brady only 26.) I don't doubt Brady's toughness on the field but I don't doubt McNabb's either and McNabb was injured week 1.. when was Brady injured again?

Funny how the Patriots didn't disclose that injury till after the season..

Getting back to the Eagles.. typically the Eagles finish with a few mill under the cap which on the surface seems frustrating but it allows them the ability to offer roster bonuses instead of signing bonues when they resign players or go after free agents which lessons the cap hit as the contract years progress. TO's contract is a perfect example of that. The reason they are so far under the cap this year is because TO is set to get a huge roster bonus which he'll never get.

The fans that were complaining when the Eagles were $10mil under the cap were quickly silenced when they traded for TO... I was one of them. Based on the Eagles history of going after Runyan, Kearse, Owens and now Bentley and perhaps Hutchinson and their ability to retain guys like Westbrook, Sheldon Brown, Lito Shepherd and Dawkins leads me to believe they are doing the right thing, especially based on how competitive they've remained in a league ruled by a salary cap with rising salaries.

[Neely8]

Tom Brady was on the injury report every week. Actually he has been on it for like 3 years straight......

[BBMarley]

Tom Brady was on the injury report every week. Actually he has been on it for like 3 years straight......

Yeah- for a shoulder injury. How does a sports hernia affect your shoulder again?

[Neely8]

Tom Brady was on the injury report every week. Actually he has been on it for like 3 years straight......

Yeah- for a shoulder injury. How does a sports hernia affect your shoulder again?

I didn't say it was right. Just that he has been listed as the NFL requires. If you think that Belichick and the Pats are the only team to play with the injury report then you are truly nieve.

Oh and they are both "upper body" injuries......

[jiminphilly]

Tom Brady was on the injury report every week. Actually he has been on it for like 3 years straight......

Going by Belichick's abuse of the injury report and the fact that Brady went under the knife for the hernia, not the shoulder, tells me they were hiding his injury for a good portion of the season. Again I take nothing away from his toughness but I doubt it was to the level of McNabb's.

[Ken]

Oh yeah and I had a hernia all year too but I played through it......

:onebigmotherfuckingrolleyes:
Congrats, I guess, on being the first to question McNabb's toughness.

Way to go, PatriotFan.

[Neely8]

Oh yeah and I had a hernia all year too but I played through it......

:onebigmotherfuckingrolleyes:
Congrats, I guess, on being the first to question McNabb's toughness.

Way to go, PatriotFan.

Actually TO was the first. I was just pointing out that our QB suffered from the same injury most of the year.....

[Ken]

Oh yeah and I had a hernia all year too but I played through it......

:onebigmotherfuckingrolleyes:
Congrats, I guess, on being the first to question McNabb's toughness.

Way to go, PatriotFan.

Actually TO was the first. I was just pointing out that our QB suffered from the same injury most of the year.....

#1. Props for joining the likes of TO.
#2. You're still an idiot for questioning McNabb's 'toughness'.

[BSmack]

:onebigmotherfuckingrolleyes:
Congrats, I guess, on being the first to question McNabb's toughness.

Way to go, PatriotFan.

Actually TO was the first. I was just pointing out that our QB suffered from the same injury most of the year.....

#1. Props for joining the likes of TO.
#2. You're still an idiot for questioning McNabb's 'toughness'.

Speaking of McNabb, looks like he and Trotter are going to be going to court together.

Prosecutor Timothy Chell said Donovan McNabb and Jeremiah Trotter are due in court April 5 to face charges that they parked illegally in spots reserved for the disabled.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06068/667428.stm

[jiminphilly]

Oh yeah and I had a hernia all year too but I played through it......

:onebigmotherfuckingrolleyes:
Congrats, I guess, on being the first to question McNabb's toughness.

Way to go, PatriotFan.

Actually TO was the first. I was just pointing out that our QB suffered from the same injury most of the year.....

Most? Try half. And from what I read, Brady has been evasive as to when he actually suffered the injury (perhaps because his coach filed it under something else ??) Also, when McNabb shut it down, the Eagles season was just about over anyway. It made no sense to keep playing him. The Patriots were in it to the end so it made sense for Brady to continue to play.

I also doubt the severity of Brady's injury compared to McNabb's. You could visibly tell there was something wrong with McNabb. Brady didn't seem as bothered by it and I don't think it's because he is tougher than McNabb.


** I was at the game a few years back where McNabb threw 4 second half td's on a broken leg against the Cardinals. He is, by far, one of the toughest players in the NFL.

[DallasFanatic]

Way to get your man beaglefan.



Eagles step on their own dick

[Guest]

Way to get your man beaglefan.



Eagles step on their own dick

Phillyfag gets punked again.

Couldnt happen to a worse group of fans.

Fuck you James, stop blindly supporting your team and see what is right in front of you for fucks sakes.

[WhatsMyName]

Philly fans deserve it.

I read somewhere that Philly didn't have a doctor to do Bentley's physical and in the meantime he bolted to Cleveland and quickly signed a contract!

LMAO!!!!!!!

[BBMarley]

Philly fans deserve it.

I read somewhere that Philly didn't have a doctor to do Bentley's physical and in the meantime he bolted to Cleveland and quickly signed a contract!

LMAO!!!!!!!

Well you would be wrong. Philly and Bentley's agent agreed on a contract (Prior to the date, so it was not official- plus slightly illegal). When the new CBA went through & Cleveland suddenly had money- they made an offer. They took the offer to Philly and Philly refused to renegotiate their deal b/c they felt that the original deal should have been honored as they had agreed upon it. When they refused to go 6 years on the contract, he signed with Cleveland. (Plus, Bentley is from Cleveland and I think that is where he really wanted to be anyway)

Most of the time I respect Philly for their hard stance when it comes to their business. It has worked very well for them in the past.. They make a deal and will not re-negotiate it. But in a situation like this when every team is suddenly given more money to work with- you need to change your stance. I'm pissed about this- but I'm going to wait to cast final judgement before I see what else they might do. Hutchinson is probably going to be a big target for them now... also with Walker wanting out of Green Bay- they might be able to help their receiving corps some.

[jiminphilly]

Philly fans deserve it.

I read somewhere that Philly didn't have a doctor to do Bentley's physical and in the meantime he bolted to Cleveland and quickly signed a contract!

LMAO!!!!!!!

If you're going to throw nonsense like that out there at least have the link available to back it up. Otherwise you sound like a fucking tool especially if you believe it.

The way I read Bentley situation is that he and Eagles probably had an agreed upon number before the new CBA deal. When the CBA deal went through, Cleveland came hard and did a great job selling the whole ''play in your home town" gig and to their credit it worked. They also pulled the same shit with Jerevicous. Don't believe for 1 second that Bentley's agent wasn't talking to other teams besides the Eagles before the CBA went through.

Bentley and his agent played the free agent game and played it well. The Eagles currently have Darren Howard in and I don't think he's leaving without a contract. If they sign him that'll be a huge lift to their D Line. Rumor out of Denver was that they contacted Mike Anderson and and Mawae has also reportedly been contacted.

Losing out on Bentley does suck but I'm liking the names I see the Eagles targeting.. and in football the no-so-known players that teams sign are also just as important.

[WhatsMyName]

Rumor out of Denver was that they contacted Mike Anderson and and Mawae has also reportedly been contacted.

Mike Anderson is a Raven. Sorry.

Mawae sucks. Hasbeen.

You is phuuuuuuucked.

[BBMarley]

Howard is an Eagle

I like it. Pass rush was one of their weakest points last year. They now have a legitimate starter to play on the other end of Kearse. I still want to see help on the O-line... but that may have to come through the draft as there is not a whole lot left. I still want to see a hard nose grind it out RB and a WR... but I think the Howard signing is a good thing.

[WhatsMyName]

Over $10M guaranteed to a guy coming off 3 1/2 sacks?

I hope it works out for you.

[Cicero]

Looks like Hutchinson is going to be a Viking. Basically pointless for the Hawks to re-sign Alexander, if they are going to keep the guys most responsible for his success.

[jiminphilly]

....and he only played in 12 games last year. He had 11 lacks in 13 games in 04 and 5 sacks in 8 games in 03. Injuries are a concern but his talent is not. I think he'll flourish opposite Kearse and with Trent Cole developing the Eagles will get back that deadly pass rush they were without last year.

[WhatsMyName]

Over $10M guaranteed to a guy coming off 3 1/2 sacks?

I hope it works out for you.

But he played for the Aints. Enough said.

BTW, you're not too bitter about Trevor Pryce bolting to the Ravens are ya?

I am bitter.

Bitter we had no pass rush last year and it killed us.