Reid’s bluffing hasn’t helped Eagles

By John McMullen  |   Wednesday, July 16, 2008  |  Comments( 6 )

Philadelphia Eagles
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If Andy Reid never chose football as his life's path, the Philadelphia Eagles coach would have made a heck of a poker player.

Reid can look you dead in the eye and tell you, convincingly, that the Birds don't need help at the wide receiver position. It's the kind of bluff Phil Hellmuth would be envious of.

Of course, Reid's claim is pure nonsense.

Looking at Philadelphia's depth chart, one sees names line Kevin Curtis, Reggie Brown, Jason Avant and Hank Baskett. You don't have to be an expert to know that group is not going to scare many defensive coordinators around the league.

Curtis is a really good slot receiver and a bit underrated by the Philly faithful. He made his NFL reputation in St. Louis beating up on single coverage while running mates Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce did the heavy lifting.

As you might imagine, Curtis never saw any kind of consistent double coverage before arriving in Philadelphia, but the Utah State product responded with some big numbers (77 receptions for 1,110 yards and six touchdowns) last year. However, to a town that was spoiled by Terrell Owens in 2004, it was readily apparent that Curtis was not a legitimate No. 1 receiver.

Brown starts opposite Curtis and is the Eagles' most talented receiver but frustratingly inconsistent, while Avant and Baskett both abhor the stopwatch because speed, or lack thereof, is their enemy.

That said, maybe someone would actually buy Reid's bravado at the poker table. In football, his own actions behind the scenes contradict his public front, and his quarterback's well-documented blogging skills often undermine it.

As the team's de facto general manager, Reid has done everything possible to get a legitimate No. 1 receiving threat. He tried to coax the Arizona Cardinals to part with Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin. He pestered Detroit about Roy Williams and even made a late run in free agency at the game's best -- New England's Randy Moss.

Meanwhile, Donovan McNabb has not been shy about expressing his need for more "playmakers" this offseason. Because one of the game's true home run hitters, Brian Westbrook, calls the backfield his own, it's not hard to decipher what McNabb wants improved.

Does any of that sound like a team that doesn't think it needs help at the receiver position?

As training camp approaches, the best Reid could do to help the Eagles' receiving corps was picking Cal wideout DeSean Jackson in the second round of April's draft.

The undersized Jackson has blazing speed, but most NFL scouts feel he doesn't have the frame (6 feet, 178 pounds) to be an every-down receiver. Plus, Reid detests playing rookies and wears the complexity of his offense like a badge of honor. In the coach's mind, no rookie -- no matter how talented or smart -- could possible understand his playbook.

In poker, bluffing is a useful skill. In football, it's a useless one.
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About John McMullen

John is the managing editor of The Phanatic Magazine, the assistant managing editor of The Sports Network and the co-host of the highly rated 'Johns on Sports' radio show on WTBQ in New York. Every Saturday from 6:30-9 p.m. (et) you can hear John along with his co-host, John Gottlieb, talk to the ...
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CommentsComments: 6  |  Sign Up  View all comments
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No.1
Cunningham12		08:15 AM
07/17/2008
The thing is all those players were drafted by their respected teams and both Chad Johnson and Anquan Boldin were second round ...
No.2
02:38 PM
07/17/2008
To be fair, the Eagles have spent recent high draft picks on Reggie Brown and DeSean Jackson. No they have not picked a WR in the ...
No.3
nhartman		04:53 PM
07/17/2008
Maybe they've spent high draft picks, but that doesn't stop them from making a big move for a veteran. They still have a need at ...
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