The Eagles' offseason got off to a promising start this evening as the Birds announced that they are keeping Tight End LJ Smith for at least another year by placing the franchise tag on him. Since LJ is kind of a controversial figure, we better break this one down to see if this was a good idea.
Reasons To Like The Move:
-As my friend Tommy used to say to me whenever I complained about the Sixers (back when they mattered), "who else you gonna get that's any better?" Seriously, who else is out there that is better than a healthy LJ? There certainly aren't any free agents that will hit the market that could step in and do a better job. Certainly, with the amount of playing time this team gives to rookies, a first year guy isn't going to step in and make a difference. So, in that light, this is definitely the right move.
-When healthy, LJ is pretty productive and he's a go to guy for D Mac in the red zone. In both '05 and '06, LJ had over 50 catches and 600 yards. As a result of his injuries last year, his stats and the Eagles' effectiveness in the red zone both took a nose dive. There is no reason to expect that he won't bounce back to his '06 numbers if healthy.
-He is one of the few deep threats at TE in the entire league.
-The move shows that the Eagles will be proactive and aggressive this offseason. (Ok, maybe I'm being cautiously optimistic there.) At the very least, this move should make Donovan "this team needs more weapons" McNabb happy.
-He went to my alma mater, Rutgers University.
Reasons To Not Like The Move:
-LJ is always nicked up. Last year was the first season that he missed games, but in years past, it always seemed that he was on the injury list every week. I'd like to see someone a little more durable playing a position so important to the ultimate success of our red zone offense.
-LJ's inconsistency is maddening. His laziness with catching the ball and occassional fumble-itis drives pretty much every green blooded Eagles' fan crazy.
-He probably won't be signed long term so it delays the development of Brent Celek (ie, LJ's eventual replacement.)
-He went to Rutgers. Every time he does anything wrong, my friends immediately blame me. If he left, I'd at least be spared those moments.
Overall, I am in favor of the move. I can't see how it could possibly hurt. Does anyone disagree? Time's yours.
Reasons To Like The Move:
-As my friend Tommy used to say to me whenever I complained about the Sixers (back when they mattered), "who else you gonna get that's any better?" Seriously, who else is out there that is better than a healthy LJ? There certainly aren't any free agents that will hit the market that could step in and do a better job. Certainly, with the amount of playing time this team gives to rookies, a first year guy isn't going to step in and make a difference. So, in that light, this is definitely the right move.
-When healthy, LJ is pretty productive and he's a go to guy for D Mac in the red zone. In both '05 and '06, LJ had over 50 catches and 600 yards. As a result of his injuries last year, his stats and the Eagles' effectiveness in the red zone both took a nose dive. There is no reason to expect that he won't bounce back to his '06 numbers if healthy.
-He is one of the few deep threats at TE in the entire league.
-The move shows that the Eagles will be proactive and aggressive this offseason. (Ok, maybe I'm being cautiously optimistic there.) At the very least, this move should make Donovan "this team needs more weapons" McNabb happy.
-He went to my alma mater, Rutgers University.
Reasons To Not Like The Move:
-LJ is always nicked up. Last year was the first season that he missed games, but in years past, it always seemed that he was on the injury list every week. I'd like to see someone a little more durable playing a position so important to the ultimate success of our red zone offense.
-LJ's inconsistency is maddening. His laziness with catching the ball and occassional fumble-itis drives pretty much every green blooded Eagles' fan crazy.
-He probably won't be signed long term so it delays the development of Brent Celek (ie, LJ's eventual replacement.)
-He went to Rutgers. Every time he does anything wrong, my friends immediately blame me. If he left, I'd at least be spared those moments.
Overall, I am in favor of the move. I can't see how it could possibly hurt. Does anyone disagree? Time's yours.
2 comments:
its a good move to tag LJ. if he performs well in 2008 then he gets paid either by us or another. either way we get a top 10 TE who should be motivated to cash in. Could be a bit year for him.
Hail the Redskins, atleast we won't be last.... Dan Snyder just hired his offensive coordinator to be head coach. 15 days ago he was a reach to be a coordinator, today hes the head guy. Gotta love a guy w/ money.
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