Eagles deal Asante Samuel to the Falcons

After having him on the trade block for almost a year, the Eagles have finally shipped Asante Samuel out of town, trading him to the Falcons for a mere 7th round pick.  Samuel restructured his contract with Atlanta to earn less money as a requirement of the deal.

Why the Eagles traded a still very good cornerback for just a late round pick is somewhat puzzling on the surface.  While the Eagles certainly didn't get much value in return for Samuel, they are freeing up the money needed to sign LeSean McCoy to a huge contract while still allowing themselves plenty of room under the cap to remain flexible.  If you think it sounds like the Eagles are being cheap, you are probably right, but they always like to have extra cap space should they need it.  It's a tough trade to swallow, however, with Samuel still playing at a nearly elite level.

The Eagles "dream secondary" is no more though it will still be one of the best in the league with Nnamdi and DRC and whoever they trot out at the two safety positions.  While it would have been nice for the Eagles to try to restructure Samuel's deal to keep him around, NFL teams don't like to invest too much money into one position and clearly he didn't fit into the teams long term plans.  As long as the Eagles lock up McCoy to a long deal, I'm okay with dumping Samuel's contract.

Eagles falter once again, slip out of division picture

You can forget about all of that NFC East title talk, Birds fans.  The Eagles flaws all came to the forefront once again at they lost to the Bears, 30-24, and fell three games behind the Giants in the division.  Here are my thoughts on another tough loss for the Eagles:

-This game erased nearly all of the good feelings from the Cowboys win.  Bad turnovers, poor defense, dumb penalties and a ton of head-scratching plays.  The way their final drive ended, with Maclin falling down when he appeared to have a first down in his sights, completely sums up the Eagles season.  Despite all of the talent on the roster, they just aren't good enough to overcome their many, many mistakes.

-ZERO sacks by the Eagles vaunted pass rush?  ZERO?  Jay Cutler had all night to find open receivers thanks to the Eagles inability to put any pressure on him.  It's tough to win games when you can't pressure the quarterback and can't stop the run.

-Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie is terrible.  When the Eagles acquired him from the Cardinals, I knew he had flaws but DRC hasn't added anything to the Eagles secondary.  He can't cover anyone, he can't tackle and he never looks like he knows what he's doing.  I'd just assume he take a few weeks off and figure this thing out.  Thank goodness the Eagles also got a second rounder from Arizona for Kevin Kolb.

-Speaking of the Eagles secondary, they sure did a great job making Earl Bennett, who hadn't played since Week 2, look like a Pro Bowler.  Much of the blame goes to DRC but Asante Samuel and Nnamdi Asomugha also had their chances and couldn't slow him down.  Bennett is apparently an Eagles killer as he had two TD's against them last season.

-The one positive on the night was the continuing dominance by LeSean McCoy, who continues to make things happen with the ball in his hand.  It's too bad the rest of the Eagles are wasting his talents.

-Besides the worst punt return I've ever seen and one nice catch along the sidelines, DeSean Jackson was completely invisible tonight.   You have to wonder how much money he has left on the table with his mediocre play this season.

-Asante Samuel had a lacerated groin in the first half.  It hurts just typing that.

The positives and negatives from the Eagles third preseason game

Now that's more like it. A week after looking lackluster, the Eagles bounced back in their third preseason game, beating the Browns 24-14. I don't have time to get too in depth on the game but here are some of the positives and negatives I noticed:

Positives:

Secondary: Yeah, these guys are pretty good. From Asante Samuel's pick to DRC's blocked field goal to Nnamdi covering like glue and drawing a penalty, is there nothing they can't do?

Special Teams: Two fumble recoveries on punts and a blocked field goal, their second of the preseason, means Bobby April has plenty to smile about tonight.

Running backs: This group is stacked. With LeSean McCoy catching everything in sight, Ronnie Brown looking like the best backup in the league and Dion Lewis looking like a dynamic threat, the Eagles have a ton of weapons in the backfield. Heck, even the quarterbacks are good running backs on this team.

Kurt Coleman: A great game and a big hit mean he could be targeted to start at safety in Week 1.

Negatives:

The offensive line: Rookies Danny Watkins and Jason Kelce were a nightmare from the start, letting the Browns D-line have free shots at Michael Vick. They shaped up as the game went on but the Eagles, and Vick specifically, will be in serious trouble if they don't improve quickly. I think its time to give Jamaal Jackson his job back.

Wide Receivers: The running game was working and so were the dump-offs to McCoy so the receivers were a complete non-entity tonight, with none picking up more than 2 catches. This group really just needs to get healthy and the line needs to give Vick more time to look downfield.

The positives and negatives from the Eagles preseason game against the Steelers

What a difference a week makes. Last week, the Eagles first teamers seemed to do everything right as they worked over the Ravens in limited work. This week, the Steelers dominated on both sides of the ball from the start, stomping the Eagles, 24-14. Here are some of the positives and negatives that I noticed from the Eagles second preseason game:

Positives:

LeSean McCoy: The lone bright spot of the first team offense, McCoy picked up 37 total yards on 5 touches. Shady looked to be in regular season form as gashed the Steelers defense. Maybe the Eagles will run the ball more this year? Yeah, maybe not.

Dion Lewis: He had the one big play for the Eagles offense, picking up 40 yards on a catch and run. He almost made up for his earlier fumble with how good he looked on the play.

Mike Kafka: Andy Reid really has a magic touch when it comes to developing quarterbacks. Kafka was easily the best quarterback for the Eagles tonight, slicing up the Steelers 4th defense by completing 14 of 19 passes for 160 yards and 2 touchdowns. He will make some great trade bait down the road.

Vick's tackle of Polamalu: After Troy Polamalu picked him off, Michael Vick made a solid tackle to stop him from returning it for a pick six. If that sounds like a reach for a positive because very little went right for the Eagles, that's because it is.

Negatives:

First team defense: They were overaggressive from the start and Ben Roethlisberger took advantage, slicing them up for 125 yards and two touchdowns on a pair of drives. It's really hard to put much blame on the Eagles d-line as they got to Big Ben a handful of times but he was able to move around and buy himself enough time to find the weak spots in the Eagles secondary. No matter how many Pro Bowlers you have, no secondary in the league can cover everyone forever. There is still plenty of time for things to come together but there is too much talent in this group to accept a performance like that. Juan Castillo has work to do.

Linebackers: Surprise, the one part of the team they didn't bother to upgrade this offseason is the weak link of the defense! With all the great players around them, it might help if this group was occasionally in the right position to make a tackle. Casey Matthews doesn't look like a starting middle linebacker yet and I'm not sure two more weeks of preseason football will be enough to turn him into an effective player. Maybe the shoddy performance by this group will force the Eagles to address a position they don't seem to care about.

First team offense: Things didn't go much better for the offensive starters, who failed to come close to registering a point and looked completely out of sync. The Steelers defense is no joke but there is no bright side to an offense that punts and has three turnovers in their four possessions. Its hard to get too upset about the offense when there clearly is no game plan or strategy to be seen so all we can do is hope that once everyone is healthy and all of the weapons are accounted for, damage will be done.

Michael Vick: Rough, rough night for Vick, who continually threw into coverage and seemed to make bad decisions on every play. His goal early on was simply to get the ball to DeSean Jackson as much as possible but he had trouble finding anyone else open. It's only preseason but three picks is still unacceptable for a supposedly elite quarterback. At least he made that nice tackle on Troy Polamalu!

Asante Samuel: He got burned by a Roethlisberger fake that led to a Steelers touchdown. That won't help his trade value!

Eagles backup offense: While the defense seemed to stiffen at times in the second half, the second team offense was pretty abysmal. Sure, there were decent plays here and there, but an interception by Vince Young pretty much negated any positives. I think it all starts with the offensive line, which is completely in flux due to injuries and new signings.
(Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)

Eagles land Nnamdi Asomugha

Whoa. Seemingly out of nowhere, the Eagles have landed one of the best cornerbacks in football, signing Nnamdi Asomugha to a 5 year, 60 million dollar contract. Widely regarded to be the best available free agent this offseason, the Eagles swooped in seemingly out of nowhere and significantly upgraded their secondary with one of the best cover guys in the league.

With Asomugha joining Asante Samuel and the recently acquired Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie in the secondary, the Eagles suddenly have the best set of corners in the league. With three receiver sets becoming more and more common these days, having three Pro Bowl caliber corners will make things very difficult for opposing teams to move the ball through the air. You could argue that having three corners on that level is overkill but its hard to argue with grabbing a corner that can take half of the field away from the offense.

The Eagles secondary has gone from a big question mark to probably the best around. With the addition of Jason Babin to aid the pass rush and a secondary now filled with playmakers, the Eagles defense as a whole has taken a major step this offseason. First the Kevin Kolb trade and now this; the Eagles have executed an absolutely masterful plan this offseason. To come almost out of nowhere to grab Nnamdi is their second brilliant move. More to come?

Five Eagles named to the 2011 Pro Bowl

Barring a run to the Super Bowl, the Eagles will be well-represented at the Pro Bowl. The NFL released the Pro Bowl rosters today and five Eagles were named to the team: QB Michael Vick, WR DeSean Jackson, LT Jason Peters, CB Asante Samuel and K David Akers. Jackson was the only one of the five not named as a starter. Each of the five have been named to the Pro Bowl in previous years with Akers leading the way with 5 Pro Bowls under his belt.

Notable Eagles that were left off the Pro Bowl rosters were RB LeSean McCoy and DE Trent Cole. Should the Eagles not make the Super Bowl, expect a few more to be added on after injuries and the players from the NFC representative in the Super Bowl are removed.

Click here for full 2011 Pro Bowl Rosters.

Eagles vs. Giants Week 15 inactives: Asante is a go

The Eagles and Giants have announced their inactive players for their huge Week 15 showdown:

Eagles: LB Shawn Bradley, DE Derrick Burgess, LB Keenan Clayton, T Austin Howard, CB Brandon Hughes, OT Winston Justice, QB Mike Kafka, TE Garrett Mills

Giants: TE Jake Ballard, DB Michael Coe, DE Alex Hall, DT Linval Joseph, OT Jamon Meredith, G Mitch Petrus, WR Darius Reynaud, WR Devin Thomas

The best news for the Eagles is that Asante Samuel returns to the field. Let's hope his return is enough to turn around the Eagles defense, which has looked pretty bad the last few weeks. DeSean Jackson is also a go this week after some moderate speculation that he would have to sit out. Winston Justice misses another week, meaning King Dunlap will start at RT against the vaunted Giants pass rush.

HUGE game this week with the NFC East basically on the line. GO BIRDS!

Eagles vs. Cowboys: Week 14 Inactives

The Eagles and Cowboys have announced their inactive players for their Sunday Night Game:

Eagles: LB Omar Gaither, T Austin Howard, CB Brandon Hughes, OT Winston Justice, QB Mike Kafka, TE Garrett Mills, CB Asante Samuel, DE Daniel Te'o-Nesheim

Cowboys: RB Marion Barber, LB Victor Butler, OL Phil Costa, LB Kenwin Cummings, DE Clifton Geathers, T Jermy Parnell, QB Tony Romo, T Sam Young

As we knew, the Eagles will be without Samuel and Justice for the game. Joselio Hanson will once against start in Samuel's place and King Dunlap will get the start at right tackle for Justice. The only surprise inactive is Gaither, who hasn't exactly seen the field much this year, anyway.

With the Cowboys suddenly playing better football under Jason Garrett, we should be in for a good game tonight. GO BIRDS!

No Asante for the Eagles against the Cowboys

Bad news for the Eagles defense: Asante Samuel will once again be on the sidelines. The Eagles have confirmed today that both Samuel and Winston Justice will not be making the trip to Dallas with the team, which means they won't be suiting up on Sunday.

While all the talk during the week was that Samuel didn't need practice to play, clearly his knee just isn't strong enough to let him be effective. Given how terrible the Eagles secondary has looked in recent weeks without Samuel, expect a shootout in Dallas.

Offense carries Eagles past Texans

With an offense like this, who needs defense? Apparently, that's been the motto for the Eagles the last two weeks as their defense has put up little resistance and has been forced to rely on the offense to keep them in the game. Fortunately, the Eagles offense is pretty damn good and it was on full display on Thursday night in a 34-24 win over the Texans.

We'll start with the good things in the game for the Eagles, which begins and ends with the offense. Despite throwing his second interception of the season, Michael Vick was his usual explosive self, throwing for 302 yards and a pair of touchdowns and rushing for 48 yards and another touchdown. While Vick wasn't perfect, his decision-making was mostly solid as he carved up the weak Texans secondary.

As for the rest of the offense, all of the weapons were in full force, led by LeSean McCoy, who had 130 total yards and a pair of touchdowns. McCoy seems to be getting better and better this season and has forced defenses to respect the run which just opens things up even further for the passing game. The weapons in the passing game all contributed as well with DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin combining for 152 yards receiving and even Brent Celek getting in on the act with several big catches. The Eagles embarrassment of riches even trickled down to Owen Schmitt, who had a touchdown reception, and Jerome Harrison, who averaged 6.7 yards per carry on three carries.

The Eagles defense was an entirely different story. While they did force two big turnovers, the defense looked a lot like they did last week against the Bears when they gave up huge chunks of yards on seemingly every play. I'm not sure what magic wand Asante Samuel waves when he's on the field, but the Eagles D looks completely lost without him. While it's understandable that the secondary, which has several rookies still learning their roles, is giving up big plays, it's hard to figure out why the loss of Samuel causes the Eagles to not be able to stop the run or make tackles. You'd think that not having their worst tackler would actually help them wrap guys up.

While we rightly should be disappointed by the defense, the Eagles are still exactly where they want to be coming down the home stretch of the season. At 8-4 and in first place in the NFC East and facing a 10 day layoff until their game against the Cowboys, the Eagles are positioned to close in on a playoff spot and a possible first round bye. While the defense is worrisome, at least Asante Samuel should be back after the long break and hopefully that is the magic fix for all that ails the Birds. With the offense looking unstoppable, it would be a shame if the defense couldn't hold up their end of the bargain.
(Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

Eagles vs. Texans Week 13 Inactives: Samuel, Parker still out

The Eagles and Texans have announced their inactives for their Thursday Night game:

Eagles: WR Riley Cooper, T Austin Howard, CB Brandon Hughes, QB Mike Kafka, TE Garrett Mills, DE Juqua Parker, CB Asante Samuel, G Reggie Wells

Texans: LB Xavier Adibi, TE Owen Daniels, WR Dorin Dickerson, TE Anthony Hill, QB Matt Leinart, DE Jesse Nading, OG Shelley Smith, OG Kasey Studdard

The inactives for the Eagles are all the same as last week with the exception of Chad Hall replacing the injured Riley Cooper. Just like last week, Joselio Hanson will start in place of Asante Samuel and Brandon Graham will start in place of Juqua Parker. Hopefully the Eagles secondary can step up this week after getting repeatedly torched against the Bears.

With the injuries to the defense, this figures to be a high scoring Thursday night showdown. You have to like the Eagles chances against a terrible Texans defense. GO BIRDS!

Eagles defense fails to show up in loss to Bears

Apparently not having Asante Samuel on the field turns the Eagles defense into one of the worst in the league. Despite a late rally by Mike Vick and the offense, the defense put the Birds in too big of a hole as they fell, 31-26, to the Bears. It was a tough loss for the Eagles as it drops them back into a first place tie with the Giants.

The lack of defense was the story of the game for the Eagles as the Bears consistently shredded them for big plays all game long. From huge gains on the ground by Matt Forte to Jay Cutler slicing up the secondary to Devin Hester and Danieal Manning returning kicks for big yardage, the Eagles simply had no clue how to stop Chicago. They couldn't tackle, couldn't keep up and, somehow, couldn't get Jay Cutler, the biggest turnover machine in the league, to turn the ball over. Despite the 4 sacks they racked up, it was a day to forget for the Eagles defense.

The Eagles offense played well but didn't exactly light up the scoreboard. With Michael Vick constantly feeling pressure from the Bears four man rush, he struggled to find anyone open and held on the ball for longer than he has in recent weeks. Vick even threw his first interception of the season, which happened at the worst possible time as the Eagles were closing in on the endzone and looking to take the lead in the second quarter. It took the Eagles until the 4th quarter to realize that the Bears were basically playing prevent defense for the entire game and they finally started going underneath on shorter routes. Unfortunately, it was all too little, too late for a comeback after the Eagles failed to recover an onside kick in the final minutes.

With a quick turnaround to Thursday's game against the Texans, things aren't going to get any easier for the Eagles. While the Eagles certainly aren't in must-win mode yet, if they lose another game and drop to 7-5, they are going to have a hard time earning a playoff spot in the crowded NFC. Of course, if they continue to play defense like they did today, you can forget about the playoffs.

Doom and gloom aside, though, the Eagles are still a good team that is capable of beating anyone in the league. Expect the defense to come out looking for redemption against a Texans team that will probably be without their best offensive player.
(AP Photo)

Eagles vs. Bears: Week 12 inactives

The Eagles and Bears have announced their inactive players for their Week 12 matchup:

Eagles: WR Chad Hall, T Austin Howard, CB Brandon Hughes, QB Mike Kafka, TE Garrett Mills, DE Juqua Parker, CB Asante Samuel, G Reggie Wells

Bears: RB Kahlil Bell, TE Desmond Clark, QB Caleb Hanie, CB Joshua Moore, S Craig Steltz, DE Barry Turner, OL Edwin Williams, DE Corey Wootton

As we found out yesterday, Asante Samuel is out and Joselio Hanson will start in his place at cornerback. With DE Juqua Parker also out, rookie Brandon Graham will get another start. Antonio Dixon was another question mark heading into this game but he is healthy enough to start at defensive tackle.

With the Bears solid defense, expect a tough, low-scoring game in Chicago. If the Bears watched any film from the Giants game, they will be putting pressure on Michael Vick early and often so we will have to see what adjustments Vick will make. That said, I like the Eagles to win this one by a touchdown. GO BIRDS!

No Asante for the Eagles this week

After not practicing all week, it was clear that Asante Samuel wasn't going to play against the Bears on Sunday. The Eagles made it official today, announcing that Samuel won't even make the trip to Chicago after suffering a knee injury against the Giants last week.

Starting in Samuel's place is Joselio Hanson, with Trevard Lindley stepping into a nickel role. With Samuel out for this week and Ellis Hobbs out for the season, the Eagles are getting pretty thin at cornerback. Against a Bears team that has some pretty speedy wideouts, the Eagles front 7 is going to have to create a ton of pressure so the secondary doesn't get burned.

Latest rumor: McNabb to the Raiders in megadeal

Expect a lot more rumors like this to pop up in the coming days. According to Pro Football Talk, the Raiders and Eagles might possibly be discussing a huge trade that would send Donovan McNabb and Asante Samuel to the Raiders for Nnamdi Asomugha and a second round pick. Yep, that would be three Pro Bowl players changing hands.

PFT makes it pretty clear that this is just a rumor but it seems more like a trade you would make in Madden than a real trade in the NFL. While the Eagles would be getting a very, very good cornerback in Asomugha, it's hard to believe they are going to trade two Pro Bowlers for only one in return. From the Eagles standpoint, it makes some sense, since Asomugha would be an upgrade over Samuel and his non-tackling ways and the Birds would also be getting an early second for McNabb. Unfortunately, there is still one huge problem with the deal. As I said yesterday, McNabb is a free agent after 2010, so the Raiders would have to agree to a contract extension with him to make the deal worth it for them. There is absolutely no chance McNabb will stay in Oakland on a team with zero chance to win a title.

I wouldn't put much merit into this rumor. It's fun to chew on and think about the ramifications but, really, how often do huge trades happen in NFL? And, like I've said before, the Eagles like to work in secrecy so the rumors you hear are either completely made up or something the Eagles have already rejected. Despite that fact, expect this to just be one of many more McNabb rumors to be spread around in the coming month.

Eagles to send 6 to 2010 Pro Bowl (maybe)

The initial Pro Bowl rosters were announced today and the Eagles are going to be well-represented in Miami. As of now, six Eagles have made the NFC team: K David Akers, DE Trent Cole, WR/KR DeSean Jackson, T Jason Peters, CB Asante Samuel and FB Leonard Weaver. Each player, with the possible exception of Peters, is very deserving of a spot and was basically a lock to make the team. Jackson was so good that he even made it for two positions, something that has never happened before.

It's hard to argue that the Eagles should have more players in the Pro Bowl, but a case can be made for Sheldon Brown. Brown has had an excellent year and would certainly be the first cornerback to make the team should one of the current NFC CB's get injured. A case could also be made for Brent Celek and even Donovan McNabb, but both were hurt by playing at positions filled with a ton of talent. Many players end up dropping out of the Pro Bowl so I wouldn't be surprised if an Eagle or two gets added in the coming weeks.

Of course, if all goes well, none of the Eagles will play in the Pro Bowl. Remember, the Pro Bowl is being played the weekend before the Super Bowl during the "dead week", so if the Eagles make the Super Bowl none of their players would play for the NFC. I'm sure they wouldn't be too disappointed if they don't get to suit up for the Pro Bowl.

Eagles Preseason Game 3 Thoughts

(AP Photo/Mel Evans)

How many times are you ever going to hear this: Kevin Kolb led the Eagles to a come-from-behind win! It must be the preseason.

The Eagles played their 3rd preseason game, the most important one because the starters play 3 quarters, against the Jaguars on Thursday night. While the mere presence of Michael Vick made all the headlines, there were still some interesting performances by some players who are fighting for a spot on the roster. While the Birds won 33-32, and that is always a good thing, there still seems to be a lot of kinks that need to be worked out. Here is a quick look at some of the positives and negatives for the Eagles in their 3rd preseason game.

Positives:
-The first team defense. Sure, they gave up a lot of points, but it wasn't the fault of the defense. They swarmed the Jaguars all night, with nearly every starting defensive lineman getting a hit on Jaguars quarterback David Garrard. Even DT Mike Patterson got in on the action, recording the lone sack of the night.

-Asante Samuel. He was everywhere on Thursday, getting an interception and a forced fumble. He got a little banged up at one point but Asante looks ready to start the season.

-Jason Babin. He has earned his spot by once again being a difference-maker on the field. Babin didn't record a sack this time but he constantly put pressure on and forced a fumble. Welcome to the team, Jason Babin. Sorry, Bryan Smith, despite your interception, you are a goner.

-Jason Avant. Everyone talks about DeSean Jackson, Kevin Curtis and Jeremy Maclin in the passing game but Jason Avant could have the best year out of all of them. He caught 5 passes for 92 yards and is really emerging.

-Kevin Kolb. He actually looked pretty good out there at times. Don't tell anyone I admitted that.

-David Akers. 4/4 on field goals is a good day. I wish he didn't have to kick so many.

Negatives:
-The first team offense in the first half. I don't know if it was Michael Vick or what but the first team offense looked off. Stop me if you've heard this before but they moved the ball well at times but they were stopped in the red zone and had to settle for field goals twice. The play selection in the first half was incredibly skewed with 3 times as many runs as passes. Most of the problems with the offense are likely related to...

-Donovan McNabb in the first half. McNabb looked out of sync until late in the second quarter when Michael Vick's night was done. After that, McNabb got into a nice rhythm and started hitting the open receivers with regularity. Was it a coincidence that once Vick was done McNabb got into a rhythm?

-Jason Peters. I guess 60 million doesn't buy what it used to. He needs to get it together.

-Discipline. It was better this week but 8 penalties for 62 yards still isn't great. There are too many plays getting called back and drives getting killed because of stupid penalties.
-Special Teams. This is still the least special unit the Eagles have. The Jags had too many long returns.

-The running game. Oh, wait, what running game? They only had 66 yards on the ground but when you have 19 total rushes, I guess you can't expect more. Obviously, when Brian Westbrook plays this will be better.

Eagles acquire CB Ellis Hobbs from Patriots

In a move that may be insurance in case disgruntled cornerback Sheldon Brown holds out, the Eagles acquired cornerback Ellis Hobbs from the Patriots for two 5th round picks, choices 137 and 141 overall. Hobbs has been a starter for the Patriots the last two seasons, picking up 4 interceptions in that time. He is entering the last year of his deal so he will likely be an Eagle for only one season.

While the Patriots secondary was considered pretty awful last season, the acquisition of Hobbs gives the Eagles a crowd of players at the cornerback position. If the Eagles keep Brown, they will have 4 players to fill three spots when you add in Asante Samuel and Joselio Hanson. Hanson recently signed a contract extension, so you can bet the Eagles will want to let him play nickel corner, making Hobbs just a 4th corner should Brown stay in Philly.

In terms of value, Hobbs was a great pickup for the Birds. He provides Sheldon Brown insurance at a very low price. If he doesn't get a lot of time in the secondary, Hobbs also has experience returning kicks, something the Eagles always need help with.

Eagles to send two to Pro Bowl

According to those who vote in the Pro Bowl, the Eagles were only good in the secondary. The NFL announced the Pro Bowl rosters today and two Eagles made the team as reserves: cornerback Asante Samuel and safety Brian Dawkins. Both are deserving of the honor; Samuel has had a solid season and has proven the Eagles were wise to sign him while Dawkins continues his steady play.

As for Eagles players that were snubbed, I have a hard time finding anyone who was left off that you can make a great case for. Donovan McNabb certainly has the numbers to be a Pro Bowler but it would be tough to take Kurt Warner, Drew Brees or Super Bowl Champ Eli Manning off the team. Brian Westbrook also has had a solid season but with his injuries his overall numbers just aren't there. The Eagles don't have anyone from the line that should have made the team and no receiver stands out of the pack.

There is still time for other Eagles to make the team since seemingly half the initial roster seems to drop out before the game. All that really matters is that the players can call themselves Pro Bowlers, no one really watches the game anyway.

Eagles/Cardinals inactives: Westbrook to start, Samuel, Buckhalter out

The Eagles and Cardinals announced their inactive players for tonight's Thanksgiving clash:

Eagles: G Shawn Andrews, RB Correll Buckhalter, QB A.J. Feeley, LB Joe Mays, G Mike McGlynn, CB Asante Samuel, TE Matt Schobel, DE Bryan Smith

Cardinals: DT Alan Branch, WR Early Doucet, LB Clark Haggans, CB Roderick Hood, T Brandon Keith, QB Brian St. Pierre, TE Jerame Tuman

Brian Westbrook is active and playing but Lorenzo Booker will back him up as Buckhalter is out. Asante Samuel is also out which will be a problem against the potent Cardinals aerial attack. Kyle Eckel gets his first playing time with the Eagles today, although it's unknown whether he will be playing fullback or just playing special teams.

The Cardinals will be without Rod Hood which will hurt their already weak secondary.

Hope everyone enjoys tonight's Thanksgiving game, it has to be better than what we've seen so far today. I think we are all interested in seeing how Donovan McNabb bounces back tonight. GO BIRDS!!