No room for veterans: Eagles cut Curtis, Howard

It looks like the youth movement continues with the Eagles as they have cut two more veterans from the roster: WR Kevin Curtis and DE Darren Howard.

Neither cut was a surprise. With the recent signing of Hank Baskett, it became obvious that the Birds weren't going to keep Curtis and his 4+ million dollar salary. With DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin and Jason Avant all ahead of him on the depth chart, it was no longer feasible for Curtis to make that kind of money in his limited role. He leaves the Eagles after three injury-filled years that started with a bang in 2007 (1100 yards) and ended with a whimper as he only suited up for 12 games in the last two years.

The writing was on the wall for Howard, too. He was also due 4+ million next season and was just going to be another member of the defensive line rotation. With the recent acquisition and contract extension of Darryl Tapp, Howard wasn't going to be given the chance to earn what was basically starter money. As an Eagle, Howard never quite lived up to the expectations the team had when they signed him back in 2006. He spent 4 years with the Birds, starting slow in his first two years (6 sacks) but he eventually turned into a solid pass-rushing threat in '08 and '09 (16.5 sacks).

Despite the fact that there is no salary cap next year, the Eagles are continuing to go about business as usual. They are still identifying young players with upside, signing them to long-term deals and dropping all the veterans with hefty price tags. It makes you wonder what they have in mind with Donovan McNabb. Will he be the exception and remain with the team or will they find a way to jettison him much like they did with Brian Westbrook, Reggie Brown, Curtis and Howard?

Eagles/Niners Inactives: Kevin Curtis is back

The Eagles and Niners announced their inactive players for their Week 15 game:

Eagles: OL Stacy Andrews, QB Kevin Kolb, DT Trevor Laws, WR Jeremy Maclin, OL Mike McGlynn, CB Geoffrey Pope, TE Martin Rucker, RB Brian Westbrook

Niners: DT Baraka Atkins, LB Diyral Briggs, WR Isaac Bruce, CB Nate Clements, QB Nate Davis, OT Chris Patrick, CB Keith Smith, C Cody Wallace

The biggest news for the Eagles is that WR Kevin Curtis is returning to the field for the first time since Week 2. I wouldn't expect him to do too much but it's nice to see their former top receiver back in action. Both Westbrook and Maclin are still nursing injuries so that is why they are out again. The remaining players are all healthy scratches.

With Dallas inexplicably winning yesterday, this game becomes huge for the Eagles. To stay alone atop the NFC East, they must win. They can also clinch a playoff spot with a win, so the Eagles should be plenty motivated. GO BIRDS!

Eagles/Bucs Week 5 Inactives: McNabb and Westbrook are back

The Eagles and Bucs have announced their inactives for their Week 5 matchup:

Eagles: DE Jason Babin, WR Kevin Curtis, DB Quintin Demps, WR Brandon Gibson, OG Todd Herremans, DT Trevor Laws, LB Joe Mays, OL Mike McGlynn

Bucs: OL Marc Dile, T Demar Dotson, C Jeff Faine, RB Earnest Graham, QB Byron Leftwich, S Corey Lynch, DT Dre Moore, DE Kyle Moore

The best news for the Eagles are the two players who aren't on the inactive list: Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook will return to action after missing Week 3. The bye week was just what the two stars needed to get healthy, although it wasn't enough time for Kevin Curtis to get himself back on the field. Rookie Jeremy Maclin will get his first start at wide receiver in place of Curtis. The only other inactive player that is surprising is Trevor Laws. Laws wasn't injured this week but I guess someone had to sit because the Eagles chose to have all 3 quarterbacks active for the game. Brandon Gibson returns to the bench, giving the Eagles only 4 active wide receivers. Also, remember that Jeremiah Trotter will make his Eagles re-debut today. Let's see if the old guy has got it anymore.

For the Bucs, Earnest Graham is the biggest name inactive. Graham wasn't doing much in the offense this season anyway, so the Bucs won't miss him. Byron Leftwich has fallen like a rock from starting QB to emergency QB.

With McNabb and Westbrook returning to the field, this game has all the makings of a blowout. The Bucs are a terrible team and the Eagles look ready to hit their stride. Go Birds!

Eagles/Chiefs Week 3 Inactives: McNabb, Westbrook, Curtis out

The Eagles and Chiefs have announced their inactives for their Week 3 game and offensive stars are sitting out for both teams:

Eagles: DE Jason Babin, WR Kevin Curtis, DB Quintin Demps, OG Todd Herremans, OL Mike McGlynn, QB Donovan McNabb, CB Dmitri Patterson, RB Brian Westbrook

Chiefs: WR Dwayn Bowe, CB Ricardo Colclough, QB Matt Gutierrez, LB Derrick Johnson, WR Quintin Lawrence, TE Jake O'Connell, QB Tyler Thigpen, LB Pierre Walters

In could be a long day for the Eagles as they will be without their best QB and RB for this game. We all expected McNabb to be out but Westbrook is a mildly surprising inactive. He didn't practice all week but that doesn't usually mean much in relation to whether he plays on Sunday. LeSean McCoy will get his first NFL start at RB and it will be interesting to see how he does. Also out for the Eagles is Kevin Curtis but he hasn't been much of a factor this season, anyway. DeSean Jackson was a question mark this week so it's good to see him playing.

The Chiefs also lose their top offensive threat in WR Dwayne Bowe. Without Bowe, the Chiefs passing game takes a major hit. I would expect the Eagles to put 8 in the box all day and dare the Chiefs receivers to make some plays.

A game that should have been a blowout for the Eagles has suddenly become a concern. Can the offense move the ball without Westbrook? Expect the debuting Michael Vick to have a big role in the offense with so many other pieces missing. Go Birds!

Eagles/Falcons inactives: Westbrook, Curtis in, Brown out

The Eagles and Falcons announced their inactives for today's game:

Eagles: G Shawn Andrews, WR Reggie Brown, FB Kyle Eckel, QB A.J. Feeley, LB Joe Mays, G Mike McGlynn, TE Matt Schobel, DE Bryan Smith

Falcons: T Sam Baker, S Thomas DeCoud, DE Simon Fraser, LB Tony Gilbert, CB David Irons, WR Laurent Robinson, QB D.J. Shockley, C Alex Stepanovich

Donovan McNabb gets most of his offensive weapons back as Brian Westbrook returns to the lineup and Kevin Curtis makes his 2008 debut. Reggie Brown is now the only player missing from the offense, although he's more of a 3rd receiver with the emergence of DeSean Jackson. Newly acquired Kyle Eckel is inactive and will presumably watch Dan Klecko play fullback to learn his responsibilities. None of the other inactives are surprises for the Eagles.

For the Falcons, I can't say I've ever heard of most of their inactives, although not having Baker will hurt them as the try to protect Matt Ryan from the Eagles blitz packages.

It's time for the Eagles to get back over .500, GO BIRDS!! (Eagles, not Falcons!)

Kevin Curtis is out, Eagles need recieving help

The Eagles have yet another reason to pursue Anquan Boldin. Kevin Curtis, the Eagles number one wide receiver, will be out for "quite a while" according to head coach Andy Reid. Curtis will undergo surgery on Thursday for a sports hernia and is expected to be out for at least part of the season.

This is a pretty big blow to the already thin Eagles receiving group. Number two wideout Reggie Brown has been out the last week as he deals with a hamstring injury, leaving mostly unproven players and mediocre veterans as the only healthy wide receivers. Brown is expected to be healthy enough for the first game of the season, but he certainly won't be 100%.

Let's hope that the Eagles are doubling their efforts in trying to pry Anquan Boldin away from the Arizona Cardinals, because all of the sudden the wide receivers look really weak. The Eagles never really did have a true number one receiver, but Curtis was effective at stretching the field and making big plays. With this sports hernia injury, even if he comes back sometime during the season, Curtis won't have the same breakaway speed he uses to get open.

The Eagles should now be scouring the league for another receiver. They can't start the season with DeSean Jackson, Greg Lewis and Jason Avant as the only healthy wideouts. Whether it's pulling off the rumored trade for Boldin or signing a veteran like the recently released Joe Horn, the Eagles need to get a dependable, healthy wideout on the team. If they can't, then this team could be closer to an 8-8 team than a playoff team.