Are your quarterbacks on the market?:

I wouldn’t say they’re on the market. I’d say I’m listening (to offers). I’m not saying I’m doing anything. I’m keeping my ears open. Which we do on every player. This is no different.

Has anything changed since the end of the season when you said you expected McNabb to be your starting quarterback in ’10?

I can say it again. Donovan is our No. 1 quarterback and Kevin is our No. 2 quarterback and Michael is our No. 3 quarterback. That’s how I feel.

Can you say right here, right now, that Donovan won’t be traded?

Donovan is our starter, our starting quarterback.

Today?:

Today he is our starting quarterback, yes.

So you’re saying you can see all three being back?:

I do. I can see that happening. That’s a pretty good situation for a coach.

Has there been varied interest or equal interest in all three of them or what?

There actually is (interest in all 3).

Eagles fans seem to have Donovan fatigue and want him gone and the Kevin Kolb era to begin. Your reaction to that?

I don’t worry about any of that. I know how good he is. That’s the important thing. I’ve got a great situation at that position right now. That’s a good position to have three guys who all can start and win at a championship-calibre level. It doesn’t get any better than that. Kolb’s one play away from playing and Michael’s two plays away. So they’d better be ready to roll. They’ll all go out and play and do what they need to do. They’re all getting paid good money.

How do you know when it’s time to move on?

Normally, when my plate’s empty, I move on.

The offers you’re receiving for your quarterbacks:

People are asking about all of them.

What situation could you see as far as trading Donovan?:

We’re evaluating and taking in the situation.

Ok, so this all starts because when Andy Reid was asked if he could say Donovan won’t be traded, he replied “Donovan is our starter, our starting quarterback.”

What this means to me is that Coach Reid has received an  offer for Donovan that he can’t ignore.  Something that he feels is leaning towards being in the Philadelphia Eagles best interest.   Now I think the plan has been to trade McNabb this off-season all along.  Kolb is Reid’s guy, that doesn’t mean McNabb is not Reid’s guy too.  Like any close, team oriented singular focus, relationships are complicated.

In one hand, he has his young QB, nipping at the heels, gaining support from the team and I am sure in his eye’s, really coming into his own as a NFL caliber QB.  In the other hand he has his proven veteran, carrying his offense to 5 NFC championships and 1 Super Bowl.  McNabb has been the face of the Andy Reid era, which may be better known for it’s nationally televised failures than it’s nearly unmatched statistical success.   That is where the problem is.

Something needs to change.  When Kolb was brought in, I truly feel it was a hedge against another season ending injury for McNabb.  A project for Reid, his interest in Kevin Kolb has only intensified since drafting him with the Eagles first pick (2nd rd, 36 overall) in 2007.   The natural result for any project is to put it to test by fire.  Throw it out there and see if your theories hold water.

With all the success McNabb and Andy Reid have had together, the relationship has not been able to achieve it’s ultimate goal.  They are not in this game to have high winning percentages or nice career statistics, they are here to win a Super Bowl.  At some point they will have to go in different directions.  Here’s the catch…

That doesn’t have to be this year.  If the Eagles do not receive an offer that is heavily weighted in their favor they will pull the plug on the whole thing, sign McNabb to an extension and trade him next year.  Like I said, McNabb is Reid’s guy too.

Report: Oakland Raiders inquire about trading for Eagles QB Donovan McNabb
The Oakland Raiders and Buffalo Bills have both contacted the Philadelphia Eagles abouta trade for quarterback Donovan McNabb, according to a Yahoo! Sports report.  Eagles coach Andy Reid said at the NFL owners meeting in Orlando, Fla., earlier this week that he has been contacted by teams about all three of his quarterbacks, including Kevin Kolb and Michael Vick.

Three teams after McNabb
The Philadelphia Eagles supposedly has three teams that are hot for quarterback Donovan McNabb. A deal is apparently likely to happen “in the near future,” according to NFL.com.

Adam Schefter: Donovan McNabb Trade Talk Just “Rumor Mongering”
Well, folks, it’s official.  There is absolutely nothing going on between the Philadelphia Eagles and St. Louis Rams, according to a source of my own. And my source is much more reliable than that of Mike Missanelli’s or Jeff McLane’s, a source which led them down a road of wild speculation and that ended in a huge hit to their credibility.

Jim Johnson dies at 68 years old.

Donovan McNabb wants to “finish this thing off in Miami“.   He want’s a Superbowl ring but could time be running out for McNabb?

Sheldon Brown shows up with selected veterans despite contract dispute.

Philadelphia Eagles place six players on PUP list.

Photos from training camp 7/29/2009.

The defense started to double team him in 7/7’s so Kolb started winging them high and Ingram jumps over the defenders to make the grab time and again.  McNabb has noticed as well.  I’d like to see how he blocks with full pads.

Check out these stories from around the internet:

Gcobb.com - Ingram Owns Practice With Acrobatic Catches

Dave Spadaro Hopes that Ingram is the “real thing”

Andre D. Williams of The Morning Call - Getting a good look at Ingram

The First Mistake of Camp made by Ingram - by David Weinberg 

The health and status of Kevin Curtis

On McCoy’s first day of camp

On Sean McDermott

McNabb, on the new faces in camp

Westbrook and Maclin status

The return of Todd Pinkston

Maclin a no-show

Andrews reports early

McCoy and Booker will be a focus of this training camp as Westbrook is expected to miss training camp and preseason while recovering from surgery.  This to me is a blessing in disguise.

I don’t feel Westbrook is the type of player that really needs to participate in practice.  With the injuries he has sustained and played through, it has been almost common to see Westbrook sit out practices during the season and still perform well in the game.  The increased reps for both McCoy and Booker should help them get in sinc, McCoy being the rookie, this should help to fast-track his progress.

Booker to me is an interesting case.  Watching last year, it is hard to explain to those only exposed to his play as an Eagle that this guy has talent.  The knock it seems against Booker is as soon as contact is made he drops.

Booker might not of showcased many skills last year but I expect him to compete hard in training camp.  Preseason may show a different Booker than we saw last season.  Below are some videos from his college career.

Reid had this to say about McDermott

“As far as Sean McDermott, we have full confidence he can continue to lead this defense in his new role. He showed great command and presence in the offseason camps and has had an opportunity to learn from the best in the business. He’s very smart, works very hard, and has a good rapport with the players and the assistant coaches. He’s ready for this and I’m confident he’ll do a great job.”

McDermott has some big shoes to fill, Jim Johnson was a master at knowing what to call and when but this can be good for the Eagles. Change doesn’t have to mean bad and I have to imagine Jim Johnson would express nothing but confidence in McDermott.

In 2008 David Akers led the NFC with 144 pts, set an NFL record by connecting on 19 straight post-season feild goal attempts, set a career high for touchbacks with 17 and became the longest tenured kicker in Eagles history.

If you look at his 2008 stats, it really does seem as though David Akers is a solid NFL kicker.  So why do I have doubts?  Maybe it’s not the kicks that he makes but the ones that he doesn’t.

In week 4 2008, the Eagles struggled against a strong Bears defense.  David Akers missed 2 of 4 in this game. The final score 24-20 Bears win.  Simply connecting on these two kicks could have not only won the game but may have contributed to the Eagles having a secured playoff spot coming into week 17.

The next week back at home vs the Redskins, Akers missed on another opportunity in a close game.  A 50 yard kick goes wide right and the Eagles lost another close game 23-17.

One major problem with missing a field goal is not just missing out on the 3 points but also you give the opposition excellent field position and morale for the next drive.  After Akers first miss in the Chicago game, the Bears went nine plays for 60 yards and a touchdown.

After the Akers miss in the Washington game, the Redskins were able to get close enough to put their first points of the day on the board with a 41 yard kick.  A long FG miss is essentially the same as turning the ball over.

From 2005-2007 David Akers was completely unreliable.  It is widely believed that this all started from an injury sustained during the opening kickoff against the Oakland Raiders in 2005.  He came back later that game with a torn hamstring, in his non kicking leg, to win the game with a 28 yard boot but this was the start of his decline.

He missed the next four games due to that injury, ended the season making only 72% of his kicks but still made his third pro-bowl, perhaps from the toughness shown during that Oakland game.  Though this is the beginning of my concern.  Of the 6 FG’s missed that year, four were between 40 and 49 yards.

2006 showed more of the same.  Andy Reid, I have to assume was very concerned behind the scenes as he did not even give David one shot at a kick over 50 yards the entire season.  Maybe this was because he was having so much trouble short as 3 of his 5 missed kicks were less than 40 yards deep.

In 2007 Akers recovered his short game but continued to struggle past 40 yards missing five kicks between 40 and 49 yards and three kicks of 50+

From 2000 through 2004, the Eagles could rely on David Akers.  While the Eagles enjoyed the greatest success under Andy Reid, David Akers was good for an amazing 86% of FG’s attempted (8/12 50+ yards). 2005-2007 saw an inconsistent Akers struggle with injury and what would appear to be rehabilitation.

Though Akers had trouble from 2005 - 2007, 2008 Eagles fans saw a David Akers that had appeared to get his game back. Though still there is cause for concern, missing four kicks between 30 and 49 yards and three of his five chances over 50.

Akers has been training with sports performance coaches during the off-season to improve the explosiveness in his hips and help him retain his power.  The Eagles website has this to say about him.

“Big leg, terrific on kickoffs and with range of 50-plus yards, David Akers remains one of the best place kickers in the league. He worked through some issues last season to end up with a good, strong season, converting 33 of 40 field goal attempts. Akers remains fit as a fiddle and he was booming field goals of 59 yards in the spring. Kicking in the wind and the wintry conditions at Lincoln Financial Field won’t be as easy, but Akers remains an outstanding kicker in this league.”

It’s hard for me to agree.  The fact is since 2005 Akers has missed 13 attempts from distances between 30 and 49 yards and has consistently missed with his power kicks of 50+ making only 4 of his 11 attempts.

2008 still saw much improvement but it truly does feel like this is a concern that Andy Reid and company refuse to address.  Do they not want to shake Akers confidence by bringing in competition?  Could this be the glaring hole in the Eagles bid for NFC dominance in 2009?

Donovan McNabb each year invites team-mates out to his home in Arizona.  They practice, get to know each other, and further develop their football IQ.  I wonder how common this is around the league.

Anyhow, read the whole thing here.

Why the Philadelphia Eagles Will Win the NFC in 2009
b/r writer Josh Stein takes a look a the Eagles Off-Season moves and his top 3 reasons why the Eagles will be the class of the NFC.

Small ball: Short, quick receivers might be key to NFL success
Derek Zetlin at NESN wonders if the Eagles are on to something with the short WR’s.  Personally, I wouldn’t call any of the Eagles WR’s small.  A nice read none the less.

The Curious Case of LeSean McCoy
Inside the Iggles Scott Tunstall takes a look a new Philly Eagle LeSean McCoy’s fantasy value.

2009 Opponents- San Diego Chargers
Dave Schwab at Eagles Lincs takes a look at the Philly Eagles/Chargers game coming up on 11/15.