In the off-season, the Philadelphia Eagles had a number of problems that they had to deal with. Star receiver Terrell Owens came out in the media and blasted his teammate Donovan McNabb while he was trying to get a contract extension. The Eagles made it plain and clear that the franchise wouldn’t give him an extension. Owens then went on a slew of talk shows and launched his media tour. A few weeks later, he was sent home from practice and wasn’t allowed to come back until the next week. During that week, he made a very conspicuous visit to an Atlanta Falcons preseason football game. During that time Owens was also asking to be traded if he couldn’t get an extension in Philly.
Some of the moves the Eagles made in the off-season were some of the best and most questioned in the league. They picked up quarterback Mike McMahon to back up McNabb in case he goes down this year. McMahon is an incredible athlete with a very good arm. He got forced out of Detroit since the team invested so much in their highly touted draft pick from a few years back Joey Harrington. McMahon is said to have the same physical skills that McNabb has; the only thing he lacks is the way he executes on the field.
The biggest move the Eagles made wasn’t a pick-up, but rather a subtraction. The team shocked the football world when they straight cut defensive tackle Corey Simon. Simon is two years removed from being a Pro Bowl defensive tackle. The team will hurt some, but it will be the best for the team in the long run. The Eagles have a few up and coming defensive tackles that will create some havoc on NFL offensive lines.
In the draft the Eagles did what they always do; make a bunch of great picks that will help the team down the line. In the first round, they chose USC defensive tackle Mike Patterson who was part of a back-to-back National Championship team. He is one of the main reasons that Simon was so expendible to the Eagles. He’s got a big body that will take up a good amount of room in the trenches. He’s one of those big defensive lineman who are big, strong and fast and he also has a motor that never stops. He has been known to chase down a running back downfield, which is never an easy task for a big defensive lineman.
