Heard in the Cheap Seats

To be perfectly honest, there isn’t much that can ever be taken from OTA’s in the NFL.  It isn’t until players get into full pads in training camp on a day to day basis and hit the field in preseason that we can tell anything about them.  Usually, the only things to talk about, in my opinion, are who did or didn’t show up and injuries.  So on that note, there were 2 pieces of news that I felt were important.

The first was that Sheldon Brown did not report to the Novacare Center.  This is not at all surprising to anyone.  We all know Brown wants out of Philadelphia.  So far, he has attended anything mandatory, but due to the fact that the current practices are voluntary, the Eagles did not expect Brown to be in attendance.  It seems to be the prevailing thought that once training camp roles around Brown will show up and do his job like a professional, but a lot can happen between now and then.

The other piece of news that I am more concerned with was that Brian Westbrook sat out with an ankle injury.  The Eagles didn’t say much other than that Westbrook was having the ankle “looked at”.  Westbrook had problems with his ankle and knee last season.  While this may turn out to be nothing at all, it doesn’t change the fact that whenever I hear Westbrook’s name and “injury” in the same sentence these days I am worried.  Given his history of injuries, his age, and his position, it is not surprising.  The Eagles offense has been much more potent and successful with a healthy Westbrook.  No matter what, we may be looking at the drafting of Lesean McCoy.

I wanted to take a minute to clarify something I wrote yesterday, soon after the news broke that Sheldon Brown had demanded a trade.  I wrote that I “hoped” the Eagles worked out a contract with Brown.  It was essentially a mistake on my part from typing too fast and not paying attention.  That’s right, I misquoted myself.  Now, I am just like all those athletes, coaches, and GM’s who have claimed what they said was taken out of context.  In all seriousness though, let me explain what I was trying to say.

I am a big fan of Sheldon Brown, and I think he has been a very good player for the Eagles since he was drafted in 2002.  Brown has never been a corner that is going to get a lot of interceptions, with only 14 in 7 NFL seasons.  What Brown has been is a good cover corner, as well as a sure tackler, and strong blitzing cornerback.  He has also been reliable for the Eagles, having never missed a game in the NFL.  Brown has become a leader for the Eagles over the past couple of seasons, and would figure to be the main leader of the defense now that Brian Dawkins is gone.  He has always been an honest, stand up guy. 

What I was trying to say yesterday is that I hoped this situation could be worked out between the Eagles and Brown, but not by just giving him a new contract.  The problem is, I don’t know if that is even possible at this point.  We saw last season when Lito Sheppard did not get his wish for a new deal, how it affected his performance and he ended up basically as an after thought on the Eagles defense.  The Eagles, based on their released statement, obviously have no interest in reworking Brown’s current contract.  I don’t like some of the comments coming from Brown.  Yesterday he said that this situation might affect his play if it is not resolved.  That is not a good sign.

I have to say that I don’t blame Brown for wanting more money, but I am disappointed.  Yesterday’s events were obviously a calculated move by Brown, and one that I am surprised he made.  I just don’t see how he thought this would work.  It hasn’t worked for any Eagles other than maybe Brian Westbrook, but Westbrook didn’t demand a trade.  Has Brown outplayed his contract?  Yeah, he probably has, but no one forced Brown to sign an extension thru 2012.  I don’t blame Brown for wanting to be paid what the market dictates, as any one of us would want the same thing.  I guess we all wish that every once in awhile, a professional athlete will realize that they make way too much money anyway and as long as they are smart can take advantage of their status long after their playing careers are over.

I also don’t blame the Eagles for their position.  They made a long term commitment to Brown and rewarded him with a $7.5 million signing bonus when the contract extension was signed.  I know the Eagles have plenty of money, but a team can’t just redo every contract after a few years when the player decides that they no longer like their deal.  It’s funny how players are more than happy to get their signing bonuses from the Eagles, yet complain down the road that they don’t like how they do business.  They make it sound like they have been taken advantage of.  The Eagles have a sound philosophy of locking players up early that they see as part of their long term core.  It is one of the big reasons why the Eagles can then go out and upgrade by paying top dollar for free agents.  Say what you want about the Eagles front office, but there is almost no denying the fact that they are wizards with the salary cap.  I don’t feel sorry for the players at all.  There are plenty of players that don’t sign those deals and get big contracts down the road.  The Eagles are not forcing players to sign.  It always comes across like spilt milk to me.  The players rarely accept any responsibility for contracts they have signed, they just play the “disrespect” card when they feel they are underpaid.

Like I said, it’s hard to blame a player for wanting their full value, and it’s hard to blame teams for not wanting to give in to all the demands of their players.  Unfortunately, this is the way it will always be in the current NFL system.  With no guaranteed contracts, players know that a team can cut them loose at any time, so the more guaranteed money they can get, the better off they are.  With the changing financial climate in the NFL, players have continued to sign huge free agent contracts, paying them far more money than their teammates next to them in the huddle.  Teams have to find a way to field competitive teams, while staying within the guidelines of the salary cap.  This is how it works, and I don’t know how to change it.  There will always be soap operas between player and organization, even from players like Sheldon Brown, who you least expect it from.  So, you can blame the system, but I still blame the individuals.  In this world, no matter who are or what you do, you have free will.  Everybody signed up for this, but apparently no one wants to take responsibility for their decisions when things don’t go their way.  I don’t mean to “disrespect”, but that’s how I see it.

Just when it looked like the Eagles off season was looking great, news is breaking that Sheldown Brown is requesting a trade. Not exactly what everyone wanted to hear today. The report is according to ESPN and Eagles insider Garry Cobb. I can’t say that is a huge shock because of how the Lito Sheppard situation played out. Brown watched Sheppard receive a big payday from the Jets, and by all accounts, Sheldon Brown has been the Eagles most reliable cover corner and has become one of the vocal leaders of the team. He has seen the Eagles give huge money to Asante Samuel and then trade Sheppard and let Brian Dawkins walk. My hope is that the Eagles are able to work a contract out with Brown. I think he is extremely important to the secondary. What we don’t know yet is whether Brown is willing to stay an Eagle and sign a new deal or if there is more to this story. Either way, it is pretty obvious that this is coming out right before the draft for a reason. Stay tuned.

UPDATE: YOU’VE GOTTA READ THE EAGLES RESPONSE THAT THEY RELEASED!!

Wow! I honestly can’t ever remember that kind of press release from a team during a contract squabble. This was released in a matter of hours and is an obvious PR move by the Eagles. This is going to get real interesting now. Like I said earlier, Stay tuned!