The major Philadelphia Eagle news from the last week has been the trade for starting left tackle Jason Peters. While not the sexiest move, or a move to get Eagle fans excited (cough Anquan Boldin), they needed a left tackle and went out and got a good one, which is ok by me.
However, all is not well in Eagle-land. Unbeknownst to me, hard hitting cornerback Sheldon Brown apparently has not been happy with his contract -- to the point where he not only demanded to be traded, but he did it with flair, claiming the Eagles have treated him like a redheaded step child. Any time you can work that into a quote with the media, you get bonus points in my book.
The Eagles did not take kindly to that metaphor and in a rare display of public candor, proceeded to treat him like one. They responded to Mr. Brown's request with a harsh statement that is the verbal equivalent of a drunk father hitting his kid 20 times with his biggest belt. The highlight:
“It’s very unfortunate and counterproductive that Sheldon has chosen to go public with his feelings about his situation," the team said in a statement. "After thorough evaluation by himself and discussions with his family and agents, he chose to accept an extension of his rookie contract early that provided his family financial security for the rest of his life. It removed any concerns about health or performance that all other players in his draft class had to worry about."
It wouldn't be an Eagles off-season if some player wasn't upset with his contract, so at least that base is covered. I've always liked Brown, he's a tough durable player and he hits harder than almost any corner in the league. He doesn't make the spectacular play, but successful teams are full of Sheldon Browns. That being said, he did willingly sign a long-term contract with a team that is famous for not re-doing deals. He should know this first hand as when he arrived in Philly the starting corners were Troy Vincent and Bobby Taylor. Both wanted new deals, neither never got one, and they were subsequently replaced by none other than Lito Sheppard and Sheldon Brown.
How this ends is anyone's guess - I'd hate to see him go, but if he sulks his way through the season that isn't going to help the team or win fans over. Especially since unlike Sheppard last year, there's no one qualified to replace him on the current roster.
So the real question is, when it's all said and done, who will win this stand off? Will Sheldon get a new contract and hit the Eagles as hard as he hit Reggie Bush - or will Sheldon have to change his number to 25 and move to New Orleans? Only time will tell, but its game on in Philly.
3 comments:
Rush,
As I die hard Bills fan, who hasn't missed a game since 1987 I've watched Peters go from an undrafted TE to a starting LT. While he can be good, he is a overrated. These aren't sour grapes. He led the league in sacks given up at the position last year (unofficial stat) and only played in 13 games. Best of luck with him.
AJV
I'm concerned about him, but he is better than anything they could have grabbed with the 28th pick - plus they've got a ton of lower draft picks, so I'm OK with it.
So I guess I agree with you, but I understand the move too.
Still rather have Boldin.
I'm not totally happy with the move from the Bills stand point either. Now we have to worry about filling another hole on our o-line instead of concentrating on grabbing a stud DE or OLB at 11. I wish we could have gotten your 21st instead of the 28th, I love those USC LB's and think we could have gotten one at 21 but not at 28.
The fact that the Bills rewarded Peters with a sweet contract extension after only 1 year as a regular player and then he held out really rubbed people in WNY the wrong way. Hopefully for your sake he won't be such a malcontent in Philly.
Post a Comment