by Kent Somers – Nov. 13, 2011 10:21 AM
The Arizona Republic | azcentral.com

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PHILADELPHIA (AP)—Two people familiar with the situation said Philadelphia
Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson(notes) is inactive against Arizona on Sunday
because he missed a team meeting.

The people spoke on condition of anonymity Sunday because the team did not
officially announce the punishment. Jackson skipped a meeting on Saturday. It
wasn’t the first time Jackson has been late or missed a meeting, one person
said, calling this the “final straw.” He has 29 catches for 503 yards and two
touchdowns this season.

Jason Avant(notes) replaces Jackson in the starting lineup. Free safety Nate Allen(notes)
(concussion) and left guard Evan Mathis(notes) (toe) also are inactive. Rookie Jaiquawn
Jarrett(notes) takes Allen’s spot and King Dunlap(notes) fills in for Mathis.

For Arizona, quarterback Kevin Kolb(notes) is inactive for the second straight game
because of turf toe. John Skelton(notes) starts in his place. Kolb began last season as
Philadelphia’s No. 1 quarterback, but lost his job to Michael Vick(notes) after
sustaining a concussion in Week 1. He was traded for cornerback Dominique
Rodgers-Cromartie(notes) and a draft pick.

Jackson is in the final year of his rookie contract and held out for 11 days
during training camp.

Jackson had 110 catches for 2,223 yards and 15 TDs as a receiver the last
two years and already owns the franchise record with four punt returns for
scores.

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The Philadelphia Eagles face the Arizona Cardinals in a big game on November 13. Philadelphia has a 3-5 record and this is a game they have to win if they want to keep their playoff hopes alive. But there is some extra drama involving this game. It will mark the return of Kevin Kolb(notes) to Philadelphia. As an Eagles fan, I don’t expect Kolb to get a lot of heat from the Philadelphia crowd. However, it should be interesting for fans to see the man that was once considered the quarterback of the future here.

The Eagles entered the 2010 season ready to begin the Kevin Kolb era. However, an injury in the season opener paved the way for Michael Vick(notes). Vick’s stellar play earned him the starting job and a big contract. That made Kolb expendable. The Eagles dealt him to Arizona shortly after the lockout ended and Kolb signed a new deal with the Cardinals. Just like that, the Kevin Kolb era was over just as soon as it began.

Kolb’s return to Philadelphia is interesting. The quarterback is fired up about playing here. This game clearly means a lot to him. There is a small chance that Kolb might not play. He missed Arizona’s game on November 6 with a turf toe injury. Most assume that Kolb will be ready to play in this game but there is a chance that he could miss it. Obviously, that would kill the drama of his return.

Assuming Kolb does play, I don’t expect Philadelphia fans to care as much as he does. Kolb really wasn’t here long enough to accomplish anything. It’s not like he burned any bridges so I don’t expect fans to be bitter toward him. On top of that, he has really struggled in Arizona. The Cardinals are a bad football team and Kolb is one reason why. For Eagles fans, this game represents a chance to get a much needed win. That is what fans care about. I don’t expect the Kolb drama to be any more than a passing conversation piece. I understand why the game is important to him, but most fans here have little reason to care as much.

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In his first public comments since the Philadelphia Eagles added two new pass defenders — former Cardinals cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie(notes) in a trade for quarterback Kevin Kolb(notes) and former Oakland Raiders cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha(notes) in a last-dash free agent push — established Philly cornerback Asante Samuel(notes) did not sound at all happy about the team’s new acquisitions.

“It’s probably 50-50,” he said when asked if he thought the Eagles still wanted him around. “So we’ll see how it goes.”

“If they’re tired of my big-play-making ability, maybe they’ll ship me out,” Samuel told the media after Monday practice. “Maybe they’ll keep me. I don’t know. Who knows?”

On the surface, it would seem that Samuel is overreacting to moves that make the Eagles’ defense better — they also added pass-rusher Jason Babin(notes) and defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins(notes) — but losing his status as the team’s number-one cornerback (Asomugha takes that role automatically by way of his status as the NFL’s best pass defender over the last decade) obviously rubs him the wrong way, and he has a point.

According to Football Outsiders’ advanced metrics, no cornerback bas been better in specific situations than Samuel — he’s ranked first in the NFL in Stop Rate against the pass in each of the last two seasons, and first in Yards per Play allowed in 2010. He also allowed just 1.9 yards after catch, fourth-best in the league. He also led the NFL with nine picks in 2009, and led the NFC with seven in just 11 games last season.

From the perspective of a player with the desire to be the point man at his position on a team, it would make sense that Samuel would be distressed.

“I want to be where I’m wanted,” Samuel continued. “If I’m wanted here, then here. If I’m not appreciated here, then life goes on, and I move on.”

Eagles general manager Howie Roseman says that Samuel hasn’t asked for a trade, and new defensive coordinator Juan Castillo said Monday that there’s a way to use three top cornerbacks in the same defensive system at the same time.

“Everybody’s trying to get three and really four good corners, the way people throw the football,” Castillo said. “We have three starters. We need three starters. That’s a great deal; we’re excited.”

Well, not everybody’s excited.

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Related: Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Cullen Jenkins, Kevin Kolb, Jason Babin, Asante Samuel, Nnamdi Asomugha, Oakland Raiders, Philadelphia Eagles

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From extra special to extra baggage.

Kevin Kolb’s strange career as a Philadelphia Eagle came to its inevitable end Thursday when the heir to Donovan McNabb was shipped out to Arizona for cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and a 2012 second-round draft pick.

There was never much doubt Kolb would never make it to Lehigh University for training camp — he was too valuable a commodity and the Eagles have too many other holes to fill. It was just a matter of finding the right deal.

“Quite a few teams were interested in the beginning,” Eagles coach Andy Reid said. “When you want to get a quarterback into camp you want to get him in fast so I knew this would happen quickly.”

There can be little doubt Reid and Philadelphia general manager Howie Roseman made a terrific deal. Getting a Pro Bowl-caliber cornerback and a second-round pick (likely to be an early choice in the round) for a player who wasn’t going to start for the Eagles represents tremendous value.

Kolb probably deserved better. Always classy, always team-oriented and always ready for whatever he was called on to do, Kolb never had much of a chance. Reid and Roseman more or less said so.

“We think the world of Kevin Kolb,” Roseman said. “This trade was a win-win situation for both teams.”

“I can’t tell you I won’t miss Kevin as a person and a player,” said Reid with genuine sincerity. “He deserves the opportunity to start. He’s got a great head coach (Ken Whisenhunt) and a great offensive lineman and one of the best wide receivers there is (Larry Fitzgerald). It’s a good, positive situation for Kevin and I am pulling for him.”

Reid may be pulling for Kolb now but didn’t hesitate to ruthlessly dump him last season. Was that fair? Probably not, and deep down one suspects Reid knows that.

Is dealing Kolb now the best move Andy Reid could make? Yes, as long as Vick doesn’t get hurt.

Having Kolb around came in handy last season when Vick went down. Kolb won two of three games in October during Vick’s recovery from a rib injury. Given that Vick’s style of running and taking hits isn’t likely to change, the Eagles’ backup quarterback almost will surely take key snaps this fall.

Right now, that’s second-year man Mike Kafka, who has never thrown a pass in an NFL regular-season game.

“I think the trade is great for Kevin,” Kafka said Wednesday. “But my focus is on my play and preparing the best way I can for games.”

The Eagles may think the best way for Kafka to prepare is to still carry the clipboard as the No. 3 quarterback.

“We’d never have (traded Kolb) if we didn’t have faith in Kafka,” Reid said. “He could be the backup. Mike has a bright future. But we have to have three guys and we’ll see how things go.”

Translation: we’ll get the first veteran backup we can.

If Reid and Roseman struggle to find a backup for Vick and he goes down, the Eagles will be in a deep, deep hole. While very few NFL teams could lose a starting quarterback and not suffer a drop-off, the Eagles are especially vulnerable because so much of their offense springs from Vick’s improvisations.

Watching Vick, and then Kafka, run the offense is like watching a Kia replace a Ferrari at a Formula One race.

Also, of course, Rodgers-Cromartie had better be good as he fills the hole at right cornerback, but that seems safe. His 13 interceptions in three seasons ranks him fourth among NFL cornerbacks during that period behind the Eagles’ Asante Samuel (22) and Green Bay’s Tramon Williams (18) and Charles Woodson (18).

“He’s an explosive guy, can match up with bigger receivers, can press or play off, and can play all the defenses we want,” Roseman said. “And being here with Asante will help him.”

The knock on Rodgers-Cromartie should sound familiar: he, like Samuel, doesn’t tackle brilliantly. Roseman didn’t necessarily deny that but added, “tackling is a little far down the list of what you’re looking for in a cornerback.” Remember that when Rodgers-Cromartie is trampled by Brandon Jacobs en route to the end zone.

The Kolb deal shores up the Eagles’ secondary and allows other needs to be pursued in free agency. The absolute safe play would have been to keep Kolb to back up Vick.

The Eagles may pay the price for that; they may not. Reid obviously is willing to take the chance they won’t — and that meant the departure of the quarterback he chose, he nurtured and he developed to replace McNabb. But once Kolb became extra baggage, Reid got rid of him.

An unsentimental business, pro football.

Brad Wilson can be reached at 800-360-3601 or bwilson@express-times.com. Talk about sports at lehighvalleylive.com/forums.

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Read More: Michael Vick (QB – PHI), Kevin Kolb (QB – PHI), Vince Young (QB – TEN), Philadelphia Eagles, Arizona Cardinals

Albert Breer tweets that quarterback Vince Young is set to join the Philadelphia Eagles.

Vince Young has reached a one-year deal with the Eagles. Will sign it tomorrow.

Young would, of course, be the backup to Michael Vick, and this move would represent a good match of team and player, given that the Eagles just shipped Kevin Kolb to the Cardinals, and Young throws footballs with his arm. And, to be fair, he actually did it pretty well in 2010, averaging eight yards per attempt and only throwing three picks in 156 attempts.

Young won’t be a starter in Philadelphia, obviously, and it’s interesting to see him enter a situation in which he doesn’t control his own destiny in becoming one (short of going all Tonya Harding on Vick, which we obviously don’t advise). But Young has been dogged by questions about his leadership abilities and work ethic, and teams who drafted quarterbacks tended not to be terribly interested in him.

For more on Vince Young and the Eagles, check out Bleeding Green Nation.

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Since it seems pretty clear that the Philadelphia Eagles will send backup quarterback Kevin Kolb(notes) packing once the new CBA is agreed upon, the team will have a spot to fill. Pro Football Weekly reports that 610 WIP sports radio in Philly is saying that the Eagles have some interest in signing Brett Favre(notes) for the position.

Eagles quarterback Michael Vick(notes) tweeted Sunday, “I would be honored to have Brett Favre as a backup,” PFW reports. “That will be amazing learning how to toy with defenses the way he did his whole career.”

Vick’s tweet was removed, however, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. The team and NFL sources tell the paper that such a deal is highly unlikely.

PFW points out that Favre worked with Eagles coach Andy Reid for seven seasons with the Packers when Reid was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

Let the rumors come to you. Follow Scoop du Jour on Twitter or Facebook.

Source: Pro Football WeeklyPhiladelphia Inquirer

Related: Kevin Kolb, Brett Favre, Philadelphia Eagles

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Read More: Michael Vick (QB – PHI), Kevin Kolb (QB – PHI), Brett Favre (QB – MIN), Philadelphia Eagles

We tried to ignore this for as long as we could and sincerely apologize that it’s coming back up again. The Brett Favre comeback talk is back, just in time for the NFL lockout to end and free agency to begin. This time around, however, it’s not just Favre grandstanding. Instead, it’s a team that’s reportedly interested in Favre’s old, indecisive services.

So, who might the lucky fanbase be? Philadelphia Eagles fans, get ready for Favre Fever!

Howard Eskin of WIP radio in Philly reports that the Eagles could quarterback Brett Favre as a backup to Mike Vick, after Kevin Kolb is shipped out of town.

Sources told Eskin, who serves as a sideline reporter for the team’s radio broadcasts, that it’s “possible” the Eagles will sign Favre.

On a positive note, at least we know football is near. There’s no surer sign than the inevitable “will he or won’t he” rumors. Unfortunately, we’re bracing for weeks of this and if history is any indication, it’s going to get worse by the day.

It’s tough to imagine Favre being super excited about playing second fiddle to Michael Vick, but here we are. No word on if he’s interested, but would you expect him to not entertain offers and snatch any publicity available? Didn’t think so.

To check in with Eagles fans, be sure to visit Bleeding Green Nation and SB Nation Philly.

There is the quick update of the day.

Read More: Kevin Kolb (QB – PHI), Kyle Orton (QB – DEN), Tim Tebow (QB – DEN), Philadelphia Eagles, Denver Broncos, Arizona Cardinals, Seattle Seahawks

The Arizona Cardinals have long been connected to Kevin Kolb in NFL rumors designed to give them a competent quarterback after they went best-player-available in the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft, selecting cornerback Patrick Paterson, but another option has been fed into the rumor mill as the price for Kolb, the Philadelphia Eagles’ backup, reportedly remains high—Kyle Orton, currently in a strange situation with Denver Broncos wunderkind Tim Tebow despite a breakout campaign running Josh McDaniels’s offense. 

Orton isn’t as highly touted as Kolb, and has an early career as a distinctly unimpressive passer for the Chicago Bears to live down, but Kolb’s track record isn’t exactly extensive, and Orton is more than competent enough to make an otherwise-talented Cardinals squad contenders in the still-weak NFC West. He averaged 7.1 yards per attempt as in 28 starts for the Broncos, and finished 10th in the NFL in the category in 2010. At 28 he’s two years older than Kolb, though it seems like he’s been around forever. 

It’s all a moot point until the NFL lockout finally ends, but Orton and Kolb are likely to both be in the conversation for would-be NFC West contenders the Cardinals and the Seattle Seahawks, who both find themselves with veteran teams and unsteady quarterback situations. 

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Read More: Philadelphia Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles are expected to be among the team vying for WR Plaxico Burress’ skills once he is released from prison this week, according to a report from Adam Caplan of FOXSports.com. The report says that the Eagles have long been enamored with Burress, especially as he lit them up from the opposing New York Giants sidelines.

From talking to personnel sources recently, one told me that Reid has always been impressed with Burress’ ability to beat coverage with his size and that he expects the Eagles to make a run at him once free agency starts.

The Eagles make sense because they’ve had success with reclamation projects before. You need to look no further than QB Michael Vick for proof of that. Plus, as the report notes, Burress played well against the Eagles while in the NFC East.

If the Eagles trade QB Kevin Kolb then I think it would make sense to continue to add weapons for Vick to ensure his success. Burress will be 34 years old in August so he would have to prove he’s in the physical condition to play. If he can do that, the Eagles make a lot of sense.

Check out Bleeding Green Nation to see what Eagles fans are saying about this possibility. 

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Read More: Kevin Kolb (QB – PHI), Philadelphia Eagles, Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks

Kevin Kolb, Wally Pipped ex-quarterback-of-the-future of the Philadelphia Eagles, hopes to be traded, although he said he was ready to “roll with the punches” in an interview aired recently by ESPN. Kolb has been the subject of trade rumors throughout the NFC West, with the Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks both potentially interested in a young quarterback who’s ready to start. Even the San Francisco 49ers appeared to be interested early, before settling on Alex Smith for another year in 2011. 

Kolb is a perfect fit for teams like the Cardinals and Seahawks, veteran clubs prepared to compete in a weak division in every position except quarterback. The Cardinals ended up with rookie John Skelton under center after a disastrous bet on Derek Anderson over Matt Leinart; the Seahawks have to decide whether they’re willing to commit another year to aging quarterback Matt Hasselbeck. 

Kolb is 194-for-319 with 2082 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions in parts of four seasons after being drafted in the second round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He seemed ready to assume the Eagles’ starting role over the long term before an injury allowed for Michael Vick’s improbable comeback in Week 1. 

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Read More: Kevin Kolb (QB – PHI), John Skelton (QB – ARI), Philadelphia Eagles, Arizona Cardinals

A question for the NFL rumor philosophers out there: Is it possible for a trade conceived in the middle of the NFL lockout to be considered a “slam dunk”? On the subject of the Arizona Cardinals getting together with deposed Philadelphia Eagles quarterback of the future Kevin Kolb, Sal Paolantonio believes so. 

In terms of nearly everything you can quantify and discuss about NFL trade rumors this one makes sense; Kolb has no future in Philadelphia, while the Cardinals have nobody ahead of John Skelton on the depth chart and a good-enough team that it makes sense for them to trade for a competent quarterback and try to win in 2011, in the still-weak NFC West. 

But there are tens of plausible trade rumors out there in every sport at any moment, and what makes them a slam dunk isn’t the seemingly perfect logistics; in the end, it can frustratingly only come down to just how much and how productively the two sides have been talking. With every side not doing much talking over the course of the NFL lockout it’s just hard to see a way to calling this a sure thing just yet, even though it should be. 

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PHILADELPHIA — Michael Vick has signed a one-year contract with the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Pro Bowl quarterback was designated as the team’s franchise player Feb. 15. He signed the franchise tender Wednesday.

Under rules of the collective bargaining agreement that expires at midnight Thursday, a team must pay a franchise player the average of the top five salaries at his position. Vick would make an estimated $20 million under this tag.

Vick led the Eagles to a 10-6 record and the NFC East title after replacing an injured Kevin Kolb in Week 1. Despite missing three games with an injury, Vick had his best season. He set career highs in passing yards (3,018), passing touchdowns (21), rushing touchdowns (9), completion percentage (62.6) and passer rating (100.2).

Vick was voted The Associated Press Comeback Player of the Year after missing two seasons while serving a federal prison sentence for dog fighting and playing sparingly in 2009.

 

There is the quick update of the day.