http://www.yardbarker.com/content/player/1399 Recent articles about Reggie Brown en-us Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook are proven fantasy performers, but who else on the Eagles is worth investing in on draft day? Our fantasy depth chart will help answer that question Sat, 28 Jun 2008 13:53:39 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/283608 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/283608 Hey all eagles fan swoop tied it all up 50%-50% if you havent voted yet get that vote in!!!!! round ends june 24th http://www.sportsline.com/spin/story/10868936 Sun, 22 Jun 2008 16:06:21 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/280838 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/280838 Eagles fans have been borderline obsessed with the notion of a No. 1 wide receiver since about 2000. Charles Johnson was solid, but nothing special. Neither James Thrash nor Todd Pinkston developed into a top player. Freddie Mitchell …I think calling his career a disappointment would be fair. Donté Stallworth showed a lot of potential, but had limited production. Reggie Brown is still a mystery. Kevin Curtis looked very good in his first season as an Eagle. We'll talk more about him. Terrell Owens is the only guy who flat out played like a star receiver in that time span. He was dominant in 2004. His play was much more up and down in the bizarre 2005 season. Unfortunately, T.O. went T.O. and that ended his time in Philly. So exactly what is a No. 1 receiver? There is no definitive answer. There are several factors that I look at. Production is obviously a key. The guy also needs to be a playmaker. Certainly the receiver needs to be a very clutch player. He has to be very good on a consistent basis. It isn't just a case of someone being a star. Not every team has one. In my mind, a No. 1 receiver should be special. Some of the guys around the league that I think do fit in the category are Owens, Plaxico Burress, Steve Smith, Marques Colston, Anquan Boldin, Larry Fitzgerald, Torry Holt, Randy Moss, Chad Johnson, Braylon Edwards, Hines Ward, Andre Johnson, Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne. I left off a few players who might surprise some people. I know some fans will think that Lee Evans, Roy Williams, T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Santana Moss belong on the list. I left them out because they come up short in some area. I do think each of them has a lot of talent and is just a notch below the first group. Young receivers like Greg Jennings, Brandon Marshall and Dwayne Bowe each have the potential to make the list if they continue to play at a high level. Let's go back to my criteria. We'll start with production. There isn't one specific category that is the key. You want a No. 1 receiver to catch plenty of passes. He doesn't necessarily need to have 90 or 100 receptions a year, but you can't have that guy bringing in only 40 to 50 passes. A good target number is 75. Tommy Lawlor, goeagles99 on the Discussion Boards, is an amateur football scout and devoted Eagles fan. He's followed the team for almost 20 years. Tommy has been trained by an NFL scout in the art of scouting and player evaluation and runs www.scoutsnotebook.com. The other two main stats are yards per reception and touchdowns. Those are part of production, but also show how much of a playmaker the guy is. A No. 1 receiver can't just move the chains. He needs to come up with big plays. He also has to catch touchdowns. About 14.0 is a good average for yards per catch. This stat can be complicated. The more passes you catch, the potential for your average to shrink increases. Even a stud receiver can't come up with big gains on every catch. The more passes a player brings in, the more likely he is to have an average down around 11 or 12 yards per catch. In 2006, Stallworth averaged more than 19 yards per catch. The problem is that he only caught 38 passes. That just isn't enough production. As for scoring, ideally you'd like a guy to catch 10 or more touchdowns in a season. It doesn't matter whether the scores came on deep bombs, fade passes, or simple slants. A No. 1 receiver gets to the end zone on a regular basis. I can live with a guy only catching eight or nine touchdowns in some years, but lower than that becomes a concern unless there are extenuating circumstances. Consistency is another factor. You want a receiver to put up good numbers year in and year out, week in and week out. You want him to make plays all year long, not just in a handful of games. Teams need to know they can count on a No. 1 receiver. Good games and big plays are not surprises. They are expected. Earlier I mentioned a No. 1 receiver needing to be a clutch player. When it is 3rd down and it is late in the game, it shouldn't matter that a player is facing a great cornerback or that he's double-teamed or that the opponent knows the ball is coming his way. Big-time receivers come up big when it counts. I also think a No. 1 receiver should be someone that opposing defenses fear. They should need to gameplan to try and contain the player. Some receivers might get the job done with speed. Some are very quick and elusive. Some guys are big and strong. It doesn't matter how they do it. You simply want the defense to be nervous anytime a throw goes that receiver's way. Is this going to be a big gainer? Is this a clutch catch that will move the chains? Is this going to be a touchdown? Kevin Curtis recently talked about being a No. 1 receiver. I do not think he fits the above description. In his defense, he did put up good numbers despite getting very up and down quarterback play from Donovan McNabb and A.J. Feeley. I'm curious to see what Curtis can do in 2008 with McNabb hopefully staying healthy all year long and playing at a high level. I think Curtis could put up 80 catches, 1,100 yards, and 10 touchdowns. The biggest problem he had in 2007 was inconsistency. Curtis looked like a Hall of Fame player against the Lions. He was very quiet in some other games. I'm sure part of that is on the quarterbacks, but the best receivers overcome that and make the players around them better. We'll just have to wait and see what Curtis does in 2008. I think a lot of fans underestimate how good Reggie Brown can be, but I'm not sure that he'll ever play like a true No. 1 receiver. Brown's biggest problem is also a lack of consistency. There are times when he looks really good. He made a terrific adjustment on a deep ball from McNabb in the second Washington game and gave us a 45-yard touchdown. Brown caught a clutch third-down pass late in the Jets game that helped us to keep the ball and run out the clock. There are times when you see him play like a very good receiver. Unfortunately there are also too many drops. He also has gotten off to a very slow start the last couple of seasons. That has to change. The ironic thing about all of this is that teams don't need a No. 1 receiver in order to play at a high level or win a Super Bowl. Since 2000 the Ravens, Buccaneers and Patriots have won titles without having elite receivers. Each team did have very good role players. They also had very good defenses. The Patriots are the most interesting team. They won three Super Bowls in four years with a good group of receivers, but no true stars. Deion Branch, David Givens, David Patten and Troy Brown made up a good receiving corps. They functioned well as a unit and with Tom Brady throwing the passes. The top three all left for big contracts. Patten was a huge bust in Washington. Givens got hurt and did very little for the Titans. Branch cost the Seahawks a first-round pick and has delivered them only eight touchdowns in two years. I'm not sure that is what they were looking for. With this foursome, the Patriots won three titles. They replaced this group with a much more talented bunch in Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Stallworth and Jabar Gaffney. The new guys helped the Patriots set several NFL records in 2007. Despite all the regular season success, that group came up short in the Super Bowl. The better set of receivers delivered the undefeated regular season, but no ring. The ""solid"" group of receivers helped make Tom Brady and Bill Belichick the legends they are today. You don't need star receivers to win. You do need guys who know their roles and play up to their talent. The Eagles foursome of Brown, Curtis, Jason Avant and rookie DeSean Jackson has talent. Soon enough we'll find out just how good those guys are. A big year from the foursome will go a long way to the Eagles getting back to the postseason. I know some fans still hold hope that the team will trade for a stud receiver. Don't count on it. Focus on the guys already here. With a potentially stifling defense and a running back combination of Brian Westbrook and Lorenzo Booker, I don't think that the Eagles will need great receiver play. Irving Fryar was a top-flight receiver back in 1996 and 1997. Terrell Owens was great in 2004. The Eagles will land another No. 1 receiver. Trust me. If NASA can find water on Mars, the Eagles can find a stud receiver. Heck, maybe Curtis will have a huge year. Maybe DeSean Jackson will exceed expectations. Or maybe the Eagles will run the ball so much we'll all just forget about wide receivers. Just making sure you're paying attention with that last one. Sun, 22 Jun 2008 13:02:35 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/280808 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/280808 SWOOP HAS CLOSED THE GAP ON CHEIF ZEE'S LEAD... HE IS NOW ONLY LOSING 47-53 OPPOSED TO THE 40-60 HE WAS LOSING BY... COME ON EAGLES FAN LETS HELP OUR BELOVED MASCOT KICK SOME DEADSKIN A$$!!! P.S. CHEIF ZEE IS REALLY CREEPY LOOKING! Fri, 20 Jun 2008 16:56:36 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/280499 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/280499 Jackson is rediculously fast and was a big time playmaker at University of Cal. I would be surprised if he did not play on special teams as the kick returner and punt returner. But there is still a question that lingers in my head. Will he be placed in the slot at wide receiver from day one? I would love to see him get on the field and make plays from the slot. This is given we do not aquire another receiver, which I still think we pull some type of deal a lot like the Donte Stallworth deal back in 2006. If we were to aquire another receiver the lineup would most likley be that receiver, Reggie Brown, and Kevin Curtis in the slot. But even if we do pick up another receiver does DeSean Jackson see offensive playing time? Sat, 14 Jun 2008 21:37:53 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/278054 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/278054 Just checked out the Player Ratings for Philly in Madden 09 on IGN. I didn't even look at the other NFC East Teams, I was too scared about getting sick. The guys from EA are nothin' but crazy. There are a lot of weird things about the ratings for the Eagles, I will break down the sickest mistakes EA made... Offense: Brian Westbrook with a strength of 68 and a lousy 78 at trucking. What? B-West is a beast! Can you remember him just running over Jonathan Vilma aginst the Jets? Look it up on Youtube, EA! He should have at least a 83 at trucking. That's the way I see it. Kevin Curtis with an 80 at Spectacular Catch...that's a bad Joke! What about the catch against the Vikings? He grabbed crazy balls week in and week out. Look, I don't recommend a 99...but when Reggie Brown has an 85, Curtis should have 85, too. At least 84. Man, even Jason Avant and Hank Baskett have 82! His 85 overall is a bit underrated, too. I liked General Buckhalters Ratings, though. And DeSean Jackson is gonna be a killer on special teams in Madden. Defense: Trent Cole has a 93, which is okay, but his Pover Moves are underrated. How often did he bullrush Linemen? His 78 should be a high 80. Chris Clemons is a guy who primary played on 3rd Downs, and he had 9 Sacks. His 76 overall is a mistake, as Juqua Parker, who only had 5 Sacks, has a 83. WTF?! Mike Patterson is underrated, too, with 81. Should be a 85, as he was a little force in the middle, he slowed down plays and stuffed holes for the RB. EA's Ratings are depending on Stats too much. Another great Example for that is Sheldon Brown's 89. That's not bad for a NB, but he disrupted passes every game, did force the most turnovers of our team, and he's a great tackler for a CB...where he has a 64...the highest tackling-rating of the CB's has Asante Samuel, with 68. Sheldon is the better tackler, so that's weird. Last thing is B-Dawks 80(!) at Awareness. WHAT?! He had a bad season, personal trouble, and was injured. Give him a break! Immediatly drop him to 92 is crazy. When he was healthy, he tackled very well, and was rarely caught outta position. So, don't forget to fix these things first when you buy Madden 09 in August. You don't wanna lose against them Cowgirls, or? Thu, 12 Jun 2008 05:06:20 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/277114 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/277114 YAY! Swoop beat that stupid bucs mascot captain fag! ooops i meant fear! VOTE NOW FOR ROUND 2 PHILADELPHIA'S SWOOP V.S. SEATTLES BLITZ THE SEAHAWK... THAT NAMES REALLY ORIGINAL. COME ON AND LETS HELP SWOOP GUYS! Tue, 10 Jun 2008 16:49:26 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/276565 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/276565 PHILADELPHIA -- It is the expectation of the Eagles that sometime down the road, maybe in the next year or two, third-round pick Bryan Smith will have added some meat to his 230-pound frame and be able to handle the every-down duties of an NFL defensive lineman. For now, though, Smith at least has someone he can pattern himself after. Just a short walk down the locker room is newcomer Chris Clemons, a defensive end signed as a free agent who, like Smith, carried the body mass of a linebacker when he entered the league in 2003. In fact, the Redskins signed Clemons out of Georgia, after he was bypassed in the draft, to play linebacker. Eventually, his speed and burst off the edge facilitated his move to the defensive line. The trick, Clemons said, is playing bigger than your actual size. "You'd have to go through my whole life story to understand playing bigger than what I am," Clemons said. "When you come up the way I came up, you have to learn to go out and get what you want, and that's playing bigger than what you are." Clemons had just dragged his body out of the weight room after another hour-plus minicamp practice and wasn't about to enlighten the crowd on the trials and tribulations of his childhood. But it's clear he doesn't think his eight sacks for Oakland last season came by accident, nor did his transformation from special teams maven to quarterback hitman. Clemons, 6-foot-3 and 240 pounds, played linebacker and end for the Raiders, and was used at end sporadically until Oakland switched its base defense from a 4-3 to a nickel package and asked him to play more snaps. He joined rare company by recording eight sacks despite starting fewer than 10 games. The only others to get at least eight sacks while starting fewer than 10 games last season were the Giants' Justin Tuck, Green Bay's Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila and Tampa Bay's Greg White. The Eagles envision multiple roles for Clemons. Coach Andy Reid has said Clemons was brought in to upgrade a special teams unit that sorely lacked speed and athleticism in crucial areas last year, while also giving defensive coordinator Jim Johnson another pass-rushing option on defense. "Fastballs," Reid likes to call such players. That doesn't bother Clemons in the slightest. "You always can see yourself as an every-down guy, [but] sometimes you really have to sit back and think, 'Is that going to be beneficial to me ...?' "My body is not the type of body, I don't think, to play every single down, especially in the NFC East, playing against big [offensive] tackles and teams that run the ball more." Clemons has incurred enough injuries to learn that lesson the hard way. He missed his rookie season due to a torn anterior cruciate ligament and half of his second season because of a torn labrum he sustained after getting back on the field too soon after having his appendix removed. His 2006 season was marred by a sprained left knee he sustained in the preseason that led to his release by Washington. The Eagles expect incumbent left end Juqua Parker (former Juqua Thomas), a solid run stopper, to start and play mostly on first and second downs before going to Clemons to augment the pass rush. They also have second-year pro Victor Abiamiri, veteran Darren Howard and Smith to keep throwing those fastballs. "It helps, because me playing 60, 70 plays per game, you're going to get tired," Clemons said. "The play you get tired might be the play you get beat on, so you always want to keep fresh guys on the field. "I used to be so energized coming on for third downs in Oakland. I could understand exactly where [Reid] is coming from." Fri, 30 May 2008 06:27:24 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/272379 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/272379 I was born and raised in Philly, but now I Live in Atlanta... I'm looking for an Eagles Bar in the ATL. Not a sports bar that shows the Eagles game on a TV or 2... But a bar that has a bunch of people in Kelly Green or Midnight Green watching the game. There are Eagles Fans all over the country, so if you are like me, and have a Nest in a different city, post it here to help others out. Wed, 28 May 2008 07:04:07 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/271638 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/271638 Best Philly/Jersey Hoagie? For me it's a close toss up between Primos and White House (in Atlantic City). For those of you who ask "what is a hoagie" you should continue on your way. These are not Submarines, Heros, Grinders, Po' Boys, Rockets, Torpedos, Dagwoods, Heros, Zepplins, or Italian Sandwichs. A true Italian Hoagie is made with Italian ham, prosciutto, salami, and provolone cheese, along with all the works. It was declared the "Official Sandwich of Philadelphia" in 1992. Philly/Jersey are two states out of the 50 that can build the hoagie as it should be. Got to have the Amoroso roll, no questions asked. I just want to give a shout out my boyz back in Jersey and Philly. I'm in Miami Beach right now for work and then I head back to Vegas later this week. Every where I go I still cannot find any style of cooking/food that matches that of the Tri-State area. Holla! http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/HoagieSubmarinePoBoy.htm - Hoagie History http://amorosobaking.com/ - Amoroso Site Tue, 20 May 2008 20:48:49 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/269175 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/269175 Offense comes back strong: Donovan McNabb: Finished season healthy on a 3 game win streak and has all offseason to practice and not rehab. Brian Westbrook: Self explanatory, the man is unreal. Wide Receivers: Some say we did not address this position well. I still believe that we will make a trade similar to the Donte Stallworth deal 2 years ago. We have to get someone. If not we will rely on Curtis who has one season of experience with McNabb under his belt, and Reggie Brown to try to break out this year as last year was a disappointment to Eagles fans. Tight Ends: LJ Smith is back off injury and provides a big play spark. Celek looked good when he got the chance and was able to make plays. Schobel's future could be somewhere else next season. Offensive Line: Good as long as they all stay healthy. I think Max Jean-Gilles is ready for the pro's and if someone goes down he can step up. Defense will succeed: Trent Cole: Great pass rusher coming off the edge to put pressure on QB's. Patterson & Bunkley: With another year of experience these two should be a great tandem in 2008-2009. Patterson was 3rd in tackles of all defensive tackles last year behind the 2nd place tackler by 1. As long as he is not suspended he should be a huge factor. Brown & Sheppard: Sheldon will be back on attack again this year! No one knows what will happen to Sheppard but he will either play great on the field or bring us a great player in return, or a pick in next years draft. Linebackers: Jim Johnson thinks he has finally found that young, talented, smart group of guys who will play great next year and mesh through the next 10 years together. I feel confident with Gaither, Bradley, and Gocong starting and Akeem Jordan rotating in to add some speed and energy to the defense. Gocong and Gaither both started last year and can provide leadership for the other 2 young guys. Dawkins & Mikell: Brian Dawkins wasn't in football shape last year because he had to tend to his wife while she gave birth. Dawkins will be working hard this year and get himself ready properly for the season. As for Mikell, well he has to stay motivated throughout camp to keep his job and I believe he will do just that. Now for the new guys: Asante Samuel: Best in the business. Leads the NFL with 16 interceptions over the last two seasons. Who can forget the two interceptions and a touchdown he put up against us last year? Chris Clemons: Tallied a career best 8 sacks for the Oakland Raiders last year. Now he comes to a better defense and has the luxury of playing on the opposite side of Trent Cole, one of the NFL's best pass rushers. Klecko & Wilson: Dan Klecko is switching his position from defensive line to fullback for the Eagles and Kris Wilson is going to provide an athletic talent at the tight end position although he played full back in Kansas City at times. He had a leg injury which set back his career but healthy, this kid can make plays. Lorenzo Booker: Fast. Quick. Playmaker. All words to describe the versatile 2nd year running back out of Florida State. The Eagles had interest in him during last year's draft and after seeing what he could do in the pro's, they traded their 4th round pick aquired from Carolina for him. He should provide matchup problems while on the field with Brian Westbrook. Jackson & Laws: Desean Jackson was a tremendous kick returner at the University of California. He returned 6 kicks in his college career and had a good receiving career too. He provides speed for the offense and is a game breaker on special teams similar to the ability that Devin Hester provides for the Bears. Not to say that Jackson is going to have the impact Hester has but he will do better then Reno Mahe because I'm sure you have all seen his return against Tennessee last year! Trevor Laws had 112 tackles his senior season on a God awful Notre Dame team. He stood out on the defensive line and will provide depth for the Eagles. When he gets in he will be able to make plays and do what is asked of him. With the team healthy and the new additions, the Eagles should soar in 2008! Sat, 10 May 2008 22:30:48 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/265594 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/265594 I think Reggie Brown is going to have a big year this coming up season I think he'll end up leading the team with 80 or more reception. who ya think is going to lead the birds in receptions? Wed, 07 May 2008 15:18:39 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/264399 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/264399 "Brian Westbrook said the conversation he had with Eagles coach Andy Reid about newly acquired backup running back Lorenzo Booker was a quickie. But just the fact it happened is an indication of the scheming the Birds' brains are doing on the second floor of the team's practice facility. ''We talked briefly about using both of us in the passing game,'' Westbrook said. ''I think if you put Reggie [Brown], Kevin [Curtis] and DeSean [Jackson] in the wide receiver positions and me and Lorenzo in the backfield, it would be tough for any team to match up with the speed that we put on the field. I think it's tough for a defense to match up with us. I think that's what Coach Reid was thinking when we added him.''" good article click 4 full read Wed, 07 May 2008 05:53:04 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/264177 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/264177 Hmm and here I thought our offense was having a horrible offseason! Click it...bark it up Mon, 05 May 2008 06:39:31 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/263507 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/263507 L.J. Smith and Reggie Brown say the team is merely hiring from within. As the team concluded its second day of minicamp practices Sunday,Philadelphia's sixth-year tight end and fourth-year wideout said the Eagles have all the playmakers they need at receiver. "You don't need a big-time receiver," Smith said. "People just have to stay healthy, and guys just have to know what they're doing and make plays consistently." Brown insisted the offseason clamor that dominated hours of airtime and hundreds of column inches made no impression on him. He said the Eagles' much-publicized attempts to acquire Randy Moss, Larry Fitzgerald and Roy Williams did not reflect on him, fellow starter Kevin Curtis or any of the team's other receivers. Or, more importantly, onMcNabb's confidence in them as playmakers. "He's going to give us our chances," Brown said of the Eagles' quarterback. "I think he has the utmost confidence in our abilities. Well, I hope he does, because, I mean, we're who we got. We're the guys." CLICK it 4 the rest !!!!!!! Mon, 05 May 2008 04:58:00 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/263496 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/263496