I've been on top of the first day of free agency from the very moment my eyes opened early this morning, and, needless to say, it has been an exciting day. The Eagles are hosting cornerback Asante Samuel, and here is my blog of how the day has gone so far ...

4:58 p.m.

Done deal. Six-year contract for Asante Samuel!

4:46 p.m.

Eagles Director of Media Relations Derek Boyko popped his head into the auditorium and made the announcement ...

"It's going to be another half hour, guys," said Boyko.

Ugh.

We have to wait. This stinks.

4:41 p.m.

Where is he? It's past the 4:30 p.m. press conference time and Asante Samuel has not yet appeared in the auditorium. My palms are actually sweating at this second. All of the cameras are lined up and waiting for Samuel to appear.

Where is he?

4:15 p.m.

I just can't imagine anything going wrong at this point, but my fingers remain crossed. A quick glance around the wire -- Javon Walker released ... interesting. I have no idea if the Eagles are going to make a play for a wide receiver. All I care about right now is signing Asante Samuel. I feel good about it, but you never, never, never know.

And this is just the start, folks. I love free agency.

The camera count in the auditorium is up to seven. The auditorium has one of its best feelings in a long, long time. The 2007 season seems like it never happened ...

3:53 p.m.

Some of the things you see ... The auditorium is being prepared for a press conference and for hours, and I mean hours, our Corporate Sales department has been ironing the backdrop, the ReMax and PhiladelphiaEagles.com banner that hangs behind the stage. Fascinating stuff, huh?

Samuel is in with Andy Reid and here, there and everywhere. No word on anything official to this point. The media has assembled and I'm counting five cameras so far. Certainly, there is a great sense of anticipation and excitement throughout the building.

2:32 p.m.

I'm officially ready for something official, but nothing yet. All we know is this: Asante Samuel is at the NovaCare Complex and the Eagles want to sign him today. Now. Right now. The Internet is reporting that a deal is done, but the Eagles have not made an official announcement. So I am assuming that we won't get an update until 4:30 p.m. As Tom Petty says, "The waiting is the hardest part." I know I've used that line before ...

Part of this job is waiting ... and waiting ... and waiting ... since I have a camera pointed at me for Eagles Live! there is no such thing as waiting in private for me. But that's OK. This is the way I wanted the first day of free agency to go.

2:12 p.m.

I know the reports are out on the Internet that say the Eagles have come to terms with Asante Samuel, but there is no official comment from the Eagles. I know nottthhhhinng. I say notttthhhhinnng. I am just hopeful.

1:58 p.m.

Good luck to Thomas Tapeh, who signed with Minnesota. The fullback situation here is now this: Jason Davis is the guy. He works hard, he weighs 240 pounds and he is a good prospect. But he has never played in an NFL regular season game and, well, that would be a huge leap forward for the young man.

So would the Eagles bring in another fullback? Absolutely. They have to bring in at least one. I would love to see a reasonably high draft pick or an experienced veteran here. I don't know what the market is for fullbacks. I know that the Eagles need to make the fullback position more of a viable weapon.

1:35 p.m.

I need some reaction. Most of my callers on Eagles Live! are absolutely thrilled that the Eagles have a chance to sign Samuel. Some are telling me that callers on Philadelphia talk radio are complaining that the signing would cause problems in the locker room. Hello?? Are you crazy? That's the way the league is right now. Players understand the landscape, and every team has the same stories in its locker room.

I just want the Eagles to bring good players here. If they get Samuel, they add another ace to their hand of cards. They have another asset here, and they can go in a lot of different directions.

Enough of my theory. You don't care. I'm talking in circles, keeping an eye on the skyrocketing market ($10 milliion of guaranteed money for wide receiver Jerry Porter?) and having patience waiting for the Eagles to get the deal done with Samuel.

The wait is fine with me. I can remember too often the Eagles wading into things slowly in free agency. I love this action.

1:10 p.m.

Is everyone fixated on wide receiver here? Fans love, love, love talking about wide receiver. I want you to take it slowly, OK? The Eagles have the premier unrestricted free agent on the market here today. That is a great start to free agency.

The rest of it will take care of itself. The Eagles know what they need, gang. They'll get to it. Promise. Remember, it's an aggressive approach in the months to come. The Eagles still have draft picks and room under the cap and they have moves to make.

So enjoy the day. The Eagles are the players of players in the NFL today. It's a very good thing.

12:46 p.m.

This is kind of crazy. I'm blogging, doing a show (hi!) and talking about Assante Samuel. I can't wait to see what happens between now and 4:30 p.m. when Samuel is scheduled to meet the media. I'm intrigued by the rumors out there -- are the Eagles really interested in running back Maurice Hicks? -- and I'm waiting for the next move.

A lot of this day will be spent talking to the fans on the show. It's hard to know what is going on when I'm holed up in the auditorium.

12:25 p.m.

Sorry for the delay. We had to set up Eagles Live! and make sure we have no technical difficulties and of course that is never possible. It's pretty fun and pretty frantic here. Saw Samuel. He was in the cafeteria and now he's having lunch. I wish I could report what he eats -- other than opposing quarterback's passes -- but I can't. I am not that much of a nerd.

Everybody in the media says this is a done deal. I've interviewed Adam Caplan, Tony Pauline and Vic Carucci today and all agree that adding Samuels would be huuuuggge for this team.

"He instantly makes this a much better defense," said Carucci, from NFL.com. "I used to think he was a product of that system, but no more. He has great instincts, plays the ball well ... outstanding player. One of the best ball hawks in the league."

Looking for Andy Reid. Looking for Joe Banner. What else is up here?

10:55 a.m.

I just checked out ProFootballTalk.com (which I do about 20 times an hour, anyway) and the suggestion is that the Eagles are chasing linebacker/defensive end Chris Clemons from Oakland and that, in a separate iitem, the team is considering moving Sheldon Brown to safety. I've looked up Clemons, I've talked to people about Clemons and he is said to be a speed-rushing end who could be a huge boost off the edge for this team. We shall see if, in fact, that rumor is true.

I will say that I don't believe the Eagles would move Brown to safety. I could be wrong. It has happened enough times in my life, but on this one I think Brown would stay at cornerback if the Eagles sign Samuel. The Eagles have faith that Brian Dawkins is going to make a full recovery. They like Quintin Mikell a lot, and they think Sean Considine can return from another shoulder injury. I'm not saying the Eagles will ignore the safety spot in either free agency or the draft, but I don't see Brown moving there.

And Larry Fitzgerald? Guys, I can't tell you if the Eagles made or are making a play for him. I don't know. If they are, it indicates to me that the Eagles are very open to the idea of adding a wide receiver. That's exciting. There are some to be had in a variety of ways out there.

But don't get your hopes up about Fitzgerald. The Cardinals won't trade him unless they get the world in return.

Today is about Samuel. He is here, and the goal is to have him here to stay.

10:08 a.m.

So what happens when a player visits? It's kind of fun, and for the first-time employees here, they wonder the same thing. Everybody is buzzing, let me tell you. Everybody is out walking around, chatting, excited. The Eagles bring a player in, show him the facility, introduce him to a bunch of folks, and then take him behind closed doors to talk with coaches, or talk with the financial people, or have him meet with doctors.

It is a very thorough day and a very exhausting one for the player. It's pure adrenaline for everyone else. I think it's a blast.

Having the premier unrestricted free agent on the market here on Day One is clearly a reminder of what happened in 2004 when Jevon Kearse signed with the Eagles. Asante Samuel is an impact player. That's what I want from the offseason: Impact. I don't think every move will be of this caliber -- hoping the Eagles sign Samuel, of course -- because there are going to be moves that fill a niche.

Earlier in the week, Peter King from SI.com strongly suggested the Eagles would sign Samuel. He also wondered if it would be a good move because Samuel needs a pass rush to be effective. Agreed. Every cornerback needs a pass rush. I happen to like what the Eagles are doing with their front seven, and I think they know they need to add to the pass-rush punch in the offseason. There are no star pass rushers in free agency, but there are some good role players. And the draft has some promising pass-rushing prospects.

Having Samuel here today is just the start of what I expect to be an aggressive, exciting free-agency period. I told you all along the Eagles had an aggressive plan. Having Samuel here on Day One is clear evidence that the plan is on course, and tremendously promising.

9:46 a.m.

More on Samuel: Obviously, the Eagles know that they have to get him signed today. They understand the market. It would be absolutely huge if he signs here. The man is one of the best play-makers in the NFL and he would give the Eagles a great picture at cornerback. Obviously, you would wonder if there would be another shoe to drop here. If the Eagles sign Samuel, would they trade ...? We can consider that for another time. Let's get a deal done first.

The climate is not to dip your toe into the water in this free-agency period. You bring a player in and you try to sign him right then and there. If he leaves the building, it's going to be difficult to sign him. So the Eagles know they need to get a deal done today. Now. As soon as possible.

Back to my chat with Adam Caplan, from Sirius NFL Radio. He wants the Eagles to sign a cornerback and a defensive end. Adding a wide receiver will be tough. He says the Cardinals are closing in on a deal with Larry Fitzgerald, one of the names rumored to be a player in whom the Eagles are interested -- and the fan favorite -- and he thinks Bernard Berrian will go to Minnesota. A trade? It could be the only way for the Eagles to add some speed.

"They need a speed receiver," says Caplan.

9:33 am.

I just got off the phone with Caplan from and he is amazed at some of the deals around the league. "The Tommy Kelly deal (with Oakland) was one of the worst deals I have ever seen ..."

I have to stop typing. The official announcement is here: Cornerback Asante Samuel is visiting the Eagles today and will be made available at 4:30 p.m. at the NovaCare Complex. Yes!!!