Samuel Signs; Other News

    After almost 24 hours of rumors, The Philadelphia Eagles have finally announced the signing of Pro-Bowl cornerback Asante Samuel.  It is believed to be around a 6-year, $54 million deal.  Although Samuel doesn’t have much experience in Jim Johnson’s style of defense, Samuel is the kind of playmaker that is hard to pass up.   Since 2006, Samuel has led the NFL with 16 interceptions total, and has 22 in his career.  This is sorely needed in a defense that struggled to generate turnovers last season.  Although it’s no guarantee Samuel will be the same player he was in New England’s system, but he will definitely be a player to watch.

Tomorrow, former Raiders DE/LB Chris Clemons will visit Philly.  Clemons had 8 sacks as a backup last season and is likely to get signed.  Clemons brings a pass rushing ability coming off the bench and could be a nice role player.

Finally, Fullback Thomas Tapeh signed with the Minnesota Vikings today.  Tapeh was a decent blocker, but lacked versatility.  They will likely look to the draft for his replacement.

Samuel To Visit Today

On the first night of free agency, FOXsports.com is reporting the top free agent will be in Philly. Star New England Patriots cornerback Asante Samuel will visit, presumably to sign a contract. Several news outlets report that the two sides already have a deal in place. At 27, Samuel is just hitting the prime of his career. Samuel is a playmaker, something the defense sorely needs. He picked off 22 passes since being drafted out of the 4th round before the ‘03 season. Samuel rarely misses time with injury. If signed, he would make a good addition to the defense.

Kearse Cut; 2 Re-signed

    As expected, the Eagles announced the release of former star Jevon Kearse today.  This was a case of the salary outweighing the  production.  By the end of last season, Kearse was a backup behind Juqua Thomas and Victor Abiamiri.  He never showed the explosiveness he displayed with Tennesee, where he recorded 36 sacks in his first three years in the league.  The rumor floating around is that he could return to the Titans.

Also,  the team announce that they have re-signed safety J.R. Reed to a one-year contract and tendered restricted-free-agent cornerback Joselio Hanson with a 2nd-round tender.  This means that the Eagles have the right to match any contract offer given to Hanson.  If the team chooses not to match the offer, than the team that signs Hanson must give the Eagles a 2nd-round draft pick as compensation.  Both of these moves adds depth to positions of need, but neither player is guaranteed a spot on the final roster.

Eagles Place Franchise Tag on L.J. Smith

    The Eagles wasted no time to get their offseason underway by solidifying the Tight End position.  On the first day teams were able to do so, the Eagles announced on their website that they have placed the franchise tag on the tight end.  This means that Smith is given a one-year contract worth the average salary of the top 5 highest paid players at his position.  Look for the team to try and work out a long term contract.

This is what McNabb wanted.  He feels comfortable throwing to Smith, and should indicate that the team plans to keep McNabb around next season.  Having a healthy Smith return for next season will add a dimension that his absence last season made disappear.

Eagles Round Out Coaching Staff

    The Eagles announced on their website today that they’ve filled in the holes in their coaching staff.  Linebackers coach Sean McDermott will move back to the secondary, and defensive quality coach Bill Shuey will be promoted to linebackers coach.  Otis Smith will join McDermott as assistant secondary coach, and Mike Caldwell rounds out the defense as the new defensive quality control coach. Finally,  Mark Whipple was added as offensive assistant coach.

I like these moves.  In his previous stint as Safeties coach, McDermott coached Dawkins and Michael Lewis to Pro Bowls.  He also helped Quinten Mikell have the strong year he did this year.  I don’t know much about Shuey, but McDermott will still be around to help him.  Otis Smith was a rookie free agent signing by the Eagles in the nineties.  But it was on the Patriots where he became a favorite of coach Bill Belichek and won a Super Bowl ring in 2001.  He’ll do a good job helping out the young cornerbacks.  Mike Caldwell is another former Eagles, one that I also don’t know much about.  Whipple is an intriguing hire.   He was the Steelers QB coach from 2004-2006 and was responsible for the development of star quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.  The combination of Andy Reid, Mark Whipple, and Pat Shurmur is impressive.  It should be great for Kevin Kolb to have these three coaches, and a pro bowl quarterback in McNabb to learn from.  I’m excited to see the results.

Harbaugh Hired as Ravens Coach

    The 45 year old John Harbaugh finally got that coaching job he wanted so bad. The signing was announced yesterday. He is expected to try to hire Eagles Pat Shurmur as offensive coordinator. I’m excited to see what Harbaugh can do as a head coach. As special teams coordinator, he always seemed to rally his players to work together as a unit, and that ability should translate to a team level. What could hurt the Eagles more is the hiring away of Shurmur at a key time in the development of Kevin Kolb. Expect the Eagles replacements to come from within the organization. Rumor has it that former Patriots cornerback Otis Smith, a former Bill Belichek favorite, will replace Harbaugh as secondary coach. Smith was a coaching intern with the Eagles all season.

Cole Added to Pro Bowl Roster; Harbaugh to Coach Ravens?

    Trent Cole notched career-highs with 70 tackles, 12.5 sacks, and 4 forced fumbles.  Now he’s getting what he deserves. Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News reported today that defensive end Trent Cole will be added to the NFC Pro Bowl roster.  Cole replaces Seahawks star Patrick Kerney, who will be going under the knife instead of playing in the NFL’s version of backyard football.  Cole should have easily been voted into the Bowl in the first place over Osi Umenyiora. 6 of Umenyiora’s 13 sacks came in that disastrous September 30th game against the Eagles.  Cole was a much more consistent force over the season, and should be in the Pro Bowl in years to come.

Also, KFFL among other news sources reports that the front-runner for the Ravens head coaching job, Cowboys offensive coordinator Jason Garrett, has signed a huge contract to remain in Dallas.  Speculation is that Eagles defensive backs coach John Harbaugh will now receive top consideration for the job.  The Ravens are expected to bring Harbaugh and Marty Shottenheimer in for second interviews.  It would be great for Harbaugh to get this job.  While Harbaugh is a fantastic special teams coach, his first year as defensive backs coach has appeared to have left something to be desired.  Harbaugh’s departure would be a great opportunity to bring in some new blood.