The Linc - McCoy wasn't happy with Westbrook release

Somebody also pointed out that of the 11 players on the field… 5 of them are offensive lineman. Makes sense you’d draft more of them…

McNabb is due a roster bonus on May 5th. If the Eagles don’t get an offer they want by that point, they’ll pay that bonus, and McNabb will be the starter… FOR NOW.

If at any point in the first 6 weeks, McNabb begins to struggle, or another team suffers a catastrophic injury, they can still move him before the trade deadline and get more value than they would get in compensation for him leaving in FA. And then Kolb is the starter, and the average Eagles fan is happy. McNabb probably not so happy, because he wouldn’t have a long term deal, but he would at least be starting still, albeit in a new location, and would have a chance to prove himself for future suitors in 2011 (if there is a 2011 season). Granted, I don’t think this is very likely, but I never thought McNabb would be benched by Andy Reid either, and I stood quite corrected in 2008.

Most likely, he starts the entire year. If he does well, the Eagles may just have to let him walk and collect big money elsewhere (which I’m sure his agent wants). I think, more interestingly, is what might happen if he shows obvious decline, and teams no longer view him as a starter by 2011-2012. Maybe the team finds a way to keep McNabb as a backup or some other way for his career to end gracefully as an Eagle. After all, we don’t know how durable Kolb is. If something were to happen to him, wouldn’t it be nice to have someone who not only knows the system but has chemistry with the players? In that situation, you’re not getting a compensatory pick, but if the 2011 season doesn’t happen, then it probably wouldn’t make a big difference.

I can’t even imagine what it would be like, though, if/when he starts for us this year. The fans might boo him even if he does well, just because it means a prolonged wait for Kolb. I hope I’m wrong about this, I really do. The people here are usually really good about support and solidarity when the season begins, but there are going to be some fans out there just begging to get their teeth kicked in.

Correct. It would be a 5th at best.

I honestly don’t know the formula that they use to determine it. I just know what the max is. If the return is less, it is what it is.

The Dolphins and Falcons had the lowest SoV in the league in 2008, and neither made the playoffs this year. The Falcons were at least a .500 team before Vick went to jail, and that was with the incompetent Mora Jr in charge. Those teams had talent on them that were being wasted until the right people came in. I mean, Cleo Lemon was the Dolphins starting QB in 07, and he’s in the CFL now. Cam Cameron drafted Ted Ginn and a 40 year old QB from BYU. At one point, Samkon Gado was in their backfield. And look, no team should have ever given Petrino a chance, that was a mistake from the beginning. And they started Joey Harrington for god’s sake. There’s a difference between a team in shambles and a team derailed. I categorize the Dolphins and Falcons as teams derailed, as both of them were .500 teams over the past decade.

Now, I could have seen the Bills turning things around had they brought in someone like Shanahan, who would commit to Fred Jackson and the running game. I certainly remember the promise they showed in the first 5-6 weeks of both this season and last season. HOWEVER, they passed on coaches and cherry-picked from the bargain bin because their owner is losing touch with reality. Even die-hard Bills fans are selling their season tickets, and fans don’t get much more die-hard than fans of the Bills.

The Rams, on the other hand, don’t have any semblence of building blocks outside of Donnie Avery and Steven Jackson. They have no foundation whatsoever. No offensive line, no defense, nothing to get excited about. Suh or McCoy will be just the first step in a long series of steps for them. They are about in the same position as the Lions were last year. Will the Lions make a big leap this year? Plausible, but they certainly didn’t just miraculously turn it around last year, even though they made smart moves in FA and the draft for the first time in maybe forever.

Why settle for Bulger or Edwards over McNabb? Because if you give up a first round pick (or the #33), that’s a pick that could have gone towards the future face of your franchise. Instead you’re starting someone who at any point could sustain the final injury of his career, with a potential lockout bringing a looming threat of immediate retirement, and you have no one to replace him, and your franchise is set back even longer. The Dolphins had Henne and the Falcons had Matt Ryan. The Rams and Bills don’t have their franchise QB yet, and they NEED those picks to take one.

“At some point you have to start winning”, sure, but it has to be done the right way. You can’t cut corners when your organization is completely rebuilding. The Lions have been in constant rebuilding mode for the last decade because their previous GM tried to skip steps year after year. If the Rams and Bills are thinking long term, then they won’t have a problem with Bulger and Edwards getting the shit beat out of them this year, because they aren’t trying to win the SB this year, they are trying to build a sustainable competitive product and THEN break the bank and make the big push. What makes the Dolphins/Falcons so interesting is the fact that THAT DOESNT HAPPEN. It was unprecedented. Teams generally don’t make that kind of instantaneous turnaround unless they have a once-in-a-lifetime player like a Peyton Manning. What of the Browns, or the Raiders, or the Redskins, or the Chiefs, or the Lions. Where’s their magical turnaround?

I mean, that’s in a perfect world scenario where GMs aren’t stupid, and as evidenced by the Cardinals and Seahawks’ past week of activities, there are some pretty stupid GMs out there. So I suppose we’ll see what happens!