Eagles downward slide continues in choke against Niners

We have a disaster on our hands, Eagles fans.  After making a number of mistakes in the first half and still building a 20-3 lead, the Eagles allowed the Niners to score the final 21 points of the game to win, 24-23.  Here are my thoughts on a brutal loss for the Eagles:

-Were do we place the blame for that loss?  On the defense that still can't stop the run?  On Jeremy Maclin for not protecting the football?  On the rookie kicker who can't make a chip shot?  On the defensive coordinator who is clearly overmatched?  How about on the coach who put this mess together?  I've never been a "fire Andy Reid" guy but something has to give after what happened today.  The pieces are all there but this isn't working.

-I don't have a clue how to fix this defense with the current personnel.  You have to be able to stop the run, which they can't do.  You also can't let Alex Smith throw for 291 yards.  How you can have three of the best corners in the game and let the Niners crop of mediocre receivers be open all game long is a complete mystery.

-One guy who is giving his max effort on defense is Jason Babin.  He was disruptive all game long and picked up three sacks.  The d-line continues to consistently create pressure but the rest of the D is letting them down.

-Another guy I can't blame for this loss is Michael Vick.  He had a few bad throws here and there but at least he was busting his butt on every play.  With the offensive line still barely able to block anyone, Vick made the most out of what he was given.  His career high 416 yards passing and 75 yards rushing only added up to 23 points, though, and that just isn't enough.

-How about giving LeSean McCoy more than 9 carries?

-David Akers must be dying of laughter right now.  Alex Henery is a rookie and games like this will happen but he had two chances to put the game away and couldn't do it.  Akers missed one, too, but a million bucks says he doesn't miss that 4th quarter attempt from 33 yards.

-I almost forgot about Ronnie Brown.  What the heck was he thinking?  That could have been the worst play I've seen a professional football player ever make.  Even high school kids don't do that.

Something has to give with this team, something has to be changed.  Someone needs to get fired or this is all going to keep happening.  I'm not looking forward to the game against a good Bills team next week at all.  At least we have the Phillies!

Eagles free agents: Who stays and who goes?

Now that the lockout is over, the Eagles have some work to do in free agency, starting with what they will do with their own free agents. With the removal of the transition tag on David Akers, the Birds now have 15 players set to be unrestricted free agents:

K David Akers
LB Stewart Bradley
G Nick Cole
LB Omar Gaither
S Antoine Harris
RB Jerome Harrison
CB Ellis Hobbs
G Max Jean-Gillis
LB Akeem Jordan
DE Bobby McCray
S Quintin Mikell
CB Dmitri Patterson
P Sav Rocca
LB Ernie Sims
G Reggie Wells

As for which of these players the Eagles will bring back, I wouldn't be surprised if they signed Rocca and let the rest leave town. The other player with the best chance to sign back is Bradley given how well he knows the system and how effective he has been when healthy. Jerome Harrison would be someone I hope the Eagles sign for another season but I can see him looking elsewhere so he can have a bigger workload. The only other player on the list that has any value to the Birds is likely Dmitri Patterson, who could be a nice depth piece in the secondary.

Given the linemen the Eagles drafted, the three offensive linemen, Cole, Jean-Gillis, and Wells are as good as gone. Akers will also be kicked to the curb with the drafting of Alex Henery. None of the linebackers besides Bradley will have a role with the Eagles, so Gaither, Jordan and Sims better look elsewhere for jobs.

Akers era over: Eagles draft kicker

David Akers has likely played his last game as an Eagle. In the 4th round of the 2011 NFL draft, the Eagles took the best kicker available, Alex Henery from Nebraska. All indications are that Henery has a strong leg and is very accurate from long distance and that he should have good career in the NFL.

What this means for Akers, whose contract is up and hasn't signed the transition tag the Birds offered him, is there is little chance he kicks for the Eagles again. Teams don't use 4th round picks on kickers if they don't intend to keep them on the roster. If the Eagles were planning on signing Akers and they just wanted to have some competition for him in camp, they would have waited until the last round or even picked up a free agent kicker.

Thanks for all of the memories, David Akers. While his last game in an Eagles uniform was one to forget, he was one of the best kickers in the league for the last decade. Now that he is getting up their in years and is starting to lose leg strength, it's probably best to cut bait and move on. The Eagles are pretty good about knowing when their veterans just don't have it anymore so it's pretty safe to trust their judgement on this one.

Vick signs one year deal, Akers won't sign transition tag

A few weeks back, the Eagles slapped a franchise tag on Michael Vick and a transition tag on David Akers and their respective reactions to those taggings couldn't have been any different. Vick, happy to remain with the Birds, signed his franchise tag today and will stay with the Eagles for another season. Akers, who wants to remain with the Eagles but is unhappy with the transition tag, has made it clear he won't be signing his tender that would have been worth around 2.8 million dollars.

For Vick, the franchise tender that he signed will pay him around 16 million dollars, a hefty raise after a solid 2010 season. While there is still the possibility that the new CBA will eliminate franchise tags, you can count on Vick being with the Eagles next season. As for Akers, while he does seem interested in staying with the team, he clearly values himself a little higher than the Eagles front office does. Don't count on the Eagles raising their offer just to keep the veteran kicker.

Eagles franchise tag Vick, transition tag Akers

The Eagles announced a pair of moves today that will help them retain the services of two of their best players: they have placed the franchise tag on Michael Vick and the transition tag on David Akers.

We've known for a while now that the Eagles were going to place the franchise tag on Vick. The franchise tag ensures that Vick isn't going anywhere and will be one of the Top 5 paid quarterbacks next season.

As for Akers, placing the transition tag does not ensure he will be back with the Eagles next season. While the Eagles will be required to offer Akers a contract that pays him amongst the Top 10 kickers in the league, other teams can also make offers that the Eagles have the right to match. If another team gives him a huge deal, don't be surprised if the Eagles let him walk.

If a new CBA is reached, it's possible the Eagles may have to void one or both of these moves. Count on the team still finding a way to franchise Vick but don't count on them bending over backwards to keep Akers.

Akers, Eagles fall short against the Packers

And so another Philly sports season ends with a tough loss.

While David Akers may end up being the goat after missing two field goals, there is plenty of blame to go around for the Eagles in their 21-16 loss to the Packers. We can blame the defense, which couldn't make a stop on third down to save their lives. We can blame Winston Justice, who got eaten alive by Clay Matthews during a key Eagles drive. We can blame Andy Reid for not having the Eagles offense prepared in the first half, when they managed to score only 3 points.

No matter who is to blame, which is really all of the above, the Eagles had their chance at the end and the season ended on a Michael Vick pass to Riley Cooper (of all people) that fell short. While it's hard not to be upset with how it ended, the Eagles had a good season for a team that was supposed to be rebuilding. Very few people expected the Eagles to be back in the playoffs this year, let alone be one of the better teams for a good portion of the season.

With that said, the Eagles have once again been bounced in the first round of the playoffs. With another long offseason ahead, the Birds will need to focus on bringing in some better defensive pieces and of course make sure that Michael Vick isn't allowed to leave town. Despite how this season ended, the Eagles have a bright future and a lot of young players, like LeSean McCoy, DeSean Jackson and Jamar Chaney, that are only get better in the coming years. Time will tell whether they will be the ones to finally lead the Eagles to that elusive Super Bowl victory.
(Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images)

Five Eagles named to the 2011 Pro Bowl

Barring a run to the Super Bowl, the Eagles will be well-represented at the Pro Bowl. The NFL released the Pro Bowl rosters today and five Eagles were named to the team: QB Michael Vick, WR DeSean Jackson, LT Jason Peters, CB Asante Samuel and K David Akers. Jackson was the only one of the five not named as a starter. Each of the five have been named to the Pro Bowl in previous years with Akers leading the way with 5 Pro Bowls under his belt.

Notable Eagles that were left off the Pro Bowl rosters were RB LeSean McCoy and DE Trent Cole. Should the Eagles not make the Super Bowl, expect a few more to be added on after injuries and the players from the NFC representative in the Super Bowl are removed.

Click here for full 2011 Pro Bowl Rosters.