You knew the Eagles weren't going to keep seven wide receivers all season. And you knew something had to give with the health of Shawn Andrews. It certainly didn't take a genius to figure out that with Donovan McNabb hurting, the Eagles needed to add another quarterback, just in case. Michael Vick practicing? Sooner or later, it was happening.
A flurry of moves in the last couple of days has changed quite a few things around this Eagles football team, so let's take a look at the impact of each move for now, and for the future, from this perspective ...
PLACING SHAWN ANDREWS ON INJURED RESERVEThe fact is this: Shawn Andrews has a back injury that won't go away. The Eagles have waited and waited and waited and there seems to be no progress. It absolutely reached the point where the Eagles just didn't think Andrews would return this season. So what is next for Andrews? Obviously, there are no guarantees that he will ever play again. A big man with a bad back is not a recipe for an offensive lineman. Andrews has the rest of the year to get right, but it remains to be seen what the Eagles plan to do with him next year.
Tough to reconcile is the idea that the Eagles invested so much time and opportunity in Andrews. After his miserable 2008 season, during which he played just two games, Andrews was a player to watch in the off-season. Would the Eagles cut ties and move on? How much could they count on him?
Well, the Eagles counted on Andrews. They moved him from right guard to right tackle. They added his brother, Stacy Andrews, in free agency. Many out there theorized that Stacy would aid Shawn in his return from the back injury and from any lingering feelings of depression that Shawn suffered through in 2008.
Now, Shawn Andrews is out of the picture for the year. Winston Justice is the starting right tackle, with Mike McGlynn the backup at the moment. The Eagles are very pleased with Justice's progress, as they should be. Justice did a good job in the opener and he'll have another huge test Sunday against an aggressive Saints pass rush.
SIGNING JEFF GARCIAA no-brainer given Donovan McNabb's fractured rib and his iffy status for Sunday. Garcia was in great spirits on Tuesday, first as he and McNabb shared a table for breakfast at the NovaCare Complex and then through the day as the media requests poured in. Clearly, Garcia loved his time in 2006 as an Eagle and is thrilled to be back.
How long is he here? Could be a short time. Should be a short time, because when McNabb is healthy, Kevin Kolb is healthy and Vick is on the active roster, the Eagles can't afford to carry another quarterback.
Garcia is going to enjoy it as long as it lasts. He is already deep into the game plan and he knows the language the Eagles are speaking. No update yet on McNabb's status for Sunday, and you already understand the scenarios. Garcia will either be the backup to Kolb or the third quarterback with McNabb starting and Kolb No. 2.
There is no cooler cat than Garcia, who fit right back into the scene at the NovaCare Complex on the first day of his second stint as an Eagle.
ACTIVATING MICHAEL VICKHe isn't eligible to play until the third week of the season, when Kansas City comes to town. It makes sense to get Vick into the practice routine and work on his timing and work on the packages the Eagles want to use when Vick is on the field. The Eagles are taking the necessary steps to acclimate Vick to the Eagles' way. He made a road trip on Sunday to Carolina to be part of the travel routine. He has been in all the meetings. He knows how the practice regimen goes.
The goal is to have Vick ready to make an impact as soon as he is eligible to play. It is clear that Vick is a difference-making player as a weapon used in a variety of ways. Will he come in and play quarterback? Sure. Maybe. It seems the best model to use is how the Eagles employed Vick in a 24-point first half against the Jets. Vick took direct snaps, he lined up at receiver and he converted one third down after another with his legs and with his excellent ball skills. He can run the option and he can take a snap in the shotgun and run or pass. He can take the "Wildcat" to a new level.
Now he is OK to practice. Next week when the Chiefs are on the other sideline, Vick is going to be part of the plan for the offense. A big part, I suspect.
RELEASING WR HANK BASKETTSomebody had to go when Vick was activated. The Eagles had seven wide receivers on their 53-man roster. You kind of had the feeling ...
But why Baskett, who signed a one-year tender contract in the off-season and seemed to have a good niche here? Here are a couple of theories: The Eagles knew Baskett would be gone after this season, so they made this move not only for now but for the future. No way were they going to let go of a young player like Brandon Gibson, for example. Baskett's role had actually diminished and he didn't play very much in Carolina, catching one pass for 8 yards. Baskett didn't play much, if any, on special teams, either. He had been a mainstay on those units in recent years.
Baskett is a good football player who will find a job on another team. The truth is that he is what he is -- a football saying -- and what he is is a role player in this league. The Eagles have a bunch of young, fast rising players who are part of Ted Daisher's core on special teams. Where did Baskett fit here? Clearly, the team felt he didn't fit much this year, and that he was going to be gone next year.
But why not Reggie Brown, who was inactive on Sunday against the Panthers? It is a valid question, but there is no doubt that Brown's skills as a receiver are superior. I don't know if Brown's contract is a factor -- reports say that were the Eagles to release Brown, they would get socked by the pro-rated portion of his signing bonus -- but who knows? I do know the Eagles think Brown can help this team and that he could very well be called on to help this team in 2009.
Where the Eagles probably need to most replace Baskett is in the blocking game. A large percentage of the time he was on the field -- and I'm making an educated guess here -- the Eagles ran the football. Baskett blocks very well. Who takes that role?
We'll see. Brown is a good blocker who also gets down the field and is a much more explosive receiver. The Eagles would like to get rookie Jeremy Maclin involved more, too.
Someone had to go and it was Baskett, a good man, a good player and someone who has made quite a career for himself.
It has been a wild couple of days on the roster express. Now the fun part is here: The Saints are next up, an outstanding team coming to Lincoln Financial Field, and the Eagles have to figure out a way to win the home opener on Sunday.
