Two special signings in Philly

By Os Davis  |   Tuesday, May 16, 2006  |  Comments( 0 )

Philadelphia Eagles
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After a couple of refreshed contract signings this week, it appears as though Philadelphia's special teams will be same old, same old -- but that's no humdrum. Retaining Reno Mahe and Quintin Mikell via one-year restricted free agent qualifying offers helps solidify the special teams depth chart going in to serious workouts.

Though the guy Donovan McNabb says is akin to "an old school Tecmo Bowl guy" is technically listed as a running back, the former BYU Cougars standout has accumulated a mere 374 total yards on offense in his three-year career. But who cares? The fact is that Mahe's average per punt return was 12.8 yards last season, making him numero uno in the NFL. In the Seattle game of Week 14 last year, Mahe was the sole player to make a highlight reel in the 42-0 drubbing with seven punt returns for 108 yards, including a 44 yarder.

Mikell, like Mahe, broke into the Philadelphia Eagles squad in 2003 after going undrafted. Reportedly the Philadelphia coaching staff is still attempting to morph Mikell into the shape of a nickel safety, but for the moment he's tackling for special teams. Mikell led the team with twenty-eight special teams tackles and 223 of special teams coordinator Jim Harbaugh's special teams production points in 2005. In three years, the Boise State legend has racked up seventy-three special teams tackles.

Week Seven against San Diego saw Mikell's addition to the team video highlights with a blocked field goal that was returned for a touchdown to seal the win and give the Eagles a 4-2 record. (A tad ironically, this would be one of the last high points of the 2005 season in Philly.)

In his spare time, Mikell sometimes acts as instructor for female footballers(!), having spent quality time with the girls last year teaching the techniques of playing safety. Now there's a great way to meet women...

As goes the business of pro football these days, some have suggested that the extensions were signed in order to juice up their opportunities on the free-agent market come 2007, making 2006 a contract year for both special teamers. This, as modern-day sports fan's know, is the equivalent of the writer's muse in terms of playing level. With these signings, then, at least one aspect of the Philly game has been solidified. And kept dangerous.

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About Os Davis

Os Davis has taken a twisted route to get to RealFootball365.com in his nearly 17 years in professional writing, working in any number of capacities in the sportswriting, news reporting and film criticism worlds. In print media, Os has served as editor at a few publications, including Albuquerque's...
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