Get Back on the Phone, Andy
Mar 04, 2008 in Eagles
With reports hitting the front page of the papers today about the Eagles making a better offer than the Patriots for Randy Moss, one thing is now certain. The Eagles know they need a big time wide receiver. And by big time we mean anyone not named Kevin Curtis, Reggie Brown, Jason Avant, or Hank Baskett. By big time we mean someone like a Randy Moss, a Larry Fitzgerald, or even a Chad Johnson. That cat is out of the bag, and the Eagles have shown their hand.
Gary Cobb, who has been ahead of everyone about what the Eagles are going to do next, reported on this move an hour before it happened yesterday on Daily News Live. Ok, so it didn’t happen, and the Eagles should be applauded for inquiring about Moss; however, the 400 pound gorilla is still in the room and he may be about to take a massive dump on the floor. Logical thinking says you don’t give up after attempting to land one of the best receivers in the NFL. It would be like a guy trying so hard to get a stripper’s phone number for a year, finally landing it and taking her out, and then not going through with murdering her and dumping her body behind an abandoned warehouse on the banks of the Delaware River. You’ve come this far and you have to see it through to the end. The Eagles cannot throw up their collective hands and say ”Oh well, we tried. Now let’s go win a Super Bowl with the same average receivers we had last year.”
Of course, everyone is now saying the exact same thing. If they wanted Randy Moss, then they definitely would be interested in Larry Fitzgerald (as suggested by City of Pain weeks ago before any of this surfaced). Arizona has repeatedly denied any interest in trading Fitzgerald, and this past Friday Fitzgerald told ESPN he wanted to stay in Arizona. Yea, sure you do. You want to stay in Arizona about as much as Mark Chumura wants to take down his Girl Scout posters in his bedroom. If you wanted to stay in Arizona so badly, why were you on WIP three weeks ago saying you’d love to play for the Eagles? If Arizona is unwilling to trade Fitzgerald then why have there been widespread reports that the Eagles had a done deal for him last week, only to have Arizona up the offer at the last minute? None of this makes any sense.
If you believe in the power that is G-COBB, then his report this morning should grab your interest. It is now believed that Arizona is asking for Lito Sheppard and the Eagles first round pick (19th) for Fitzgerald, while the Eagles are only offering Sheppard and their second round pick (#49). If this is truly the case and the Eagles do not make this move, they should move the team across the river and rename the organization the Camden Rape. A little note to the Eagles organization: your first round pick is not a top ten pick, and it’s not even a top 15 pick. Your first round draft picks under Andy Reid have been Donovan McNabb, Corey Simon, Lito Sheppard, Freddie Mitchell, Jerome McDougle, Shawn Andrews, Mike Patterson, Broderick Bunkley and…..oh wait, they valued last year’s first round pick so much that they traded it to Dallas. How they could think that Larry Fitzgerald wouldn’t be worth the 19th pick plus a player who is 100% gone anyway is insane. Get creative and give them Lito and next year’s first round pick, or Lito and two second round picks over the next two years. Something.
Make the move, Eagles. Make it now, and stop wasting time. You’ve come this far and have obviously shown a willingness to spend money. You often get a bad rap for not making off-season moves, but a closer look reveals that you have when the opportunity has presented itself. You now have arguably the most important, long term acquisition that has ever presented itself under the Andy Reid tenure. You need to do what it takes to get Larry Fitzgerald, and you need to do it now. You’ve seen what great receivers have done for this franchise in the last 30 years. Carmichael, Quick, Owens, Fitzgerald. Please.
