We sit around the lunch table every day and talk about the Eagles, about what might happen down the road with this football team. What plans do the Eagles have? Hey, we don't know. We speculate, as fans speculate. We provide wish lists and we talk about the stories of the day. So that's what I'm going to go here. Consider this The Lunch Table conversation and if it seems like I'm "lunching" through this story, well, you try to fill three months of space without a whole lot happening ...
ITEM: Three Teams Are Reportedly Interested In Quarterback Kevin Kolb
ESPN's Adam Schefter reported this on Monday, and I can't say I'm surprised by the report. I expect the list to grow, and I expect there to be a long line at the door inquiring about Kolb's services. Why wouldn't teams interested in a starting quarterback call the Eagles about Kolb? He is young, rising quarterback who is ready to start and win in the league right now.
Kolb is in a tough spot here. The Eagles have him signed through 2011 at a very favorable number. Having a quality backup quarterback is important given the pounding that Michael Vick absorbed last season. The Eagles aren't automatically going to consider trading Kolb. As a matter of fact, I wouldn't be surprised to see the team keep him as an insurance policy and give Mike Kafka another year of grooming.
But if teams make an offer the Eagles can't refuse? Well, then they can't refuse it.
I would say the opinions are mixed around the table about Kolb's future. A lot depends on how quickly the Collective Bargaining Agreement is reached, of course. But it is clear that there is going to be a major, major market for his services and that the Eagles are going to have tough decisions to make.
ITEM: Brian Westbrook Says He Would Love To Be An Eagle Again
It's really hard to talk about Westbrook on the record since he is still under contract with San Francisco, but it is great to hear that Westbrook feels so strongly about the Eagles. I have mixed feelings about Westbrook even playing the game any longer. I think he is a great player, obviously, one of the best to ever wear an Eagles uniform. I also think Westbrook is a smart, well-balanced man who has a long, productive life in front of him.
Westbrook's concussions are still fresh in my mind, and the concern here is what would happen should he suffer another one. Westbrook performed well in limited duty for the 49ers last year and he looks like he can help in a limited role -- a catch here, some carries there. Would he be a fit for the Eagles? That's a question to be answered in the months ahead.
ITEM: Mock Drafts Are Out, And They Say ...
With the 23rd pick in the 2011 NFL draft, the Eagles select ... The truth is, we laugh about mock drafts. They are absurd at this point, and the Eagles ping-pong around the draft as much as any team. So to suggest that the Eagles will take this player or that player right now is pretty pointless.
But I get it. I understand the "fun" aspect of it. And I generally think that the draft experts work really hard for about 15 picks and then just fill in the blanks after that. I'm sure I'm simplifying things, but the names at this early stage of the game are rather meaningless.
Besides, don't the Eagles trade up every year, anyway?
ITEM: The Owners And Players Are Talking CBA
No matter who is sitting around the table, we have no special insight into the negotiations happening as we speak. The general consensus is that the any conversation is a good thing, so we're taking the positive approach.
Actually, the tone of Monday's table talk was more about how things would play out after the talks are over and a new deal is struck. How much time would teams have before free agency actually started to tidy up their own business? How much validity would the restricted free agent tags applied last week -- and the franchise tag on Michael Vick and the transition tag on David Akers -- have in the new agreement?
Yeah, the tone is optimistic in my circle. We check the headlines every 10 minutes or so just to make sure the talks haven't crumbled, and maybe we are unrealistic, but that's the way we see it.
Part of it that we can't wait for free agency to start. And when it does ...
ITEM: How Will The Eagles Approach The Roster?
I expect them to be aggressive, but that doesn't necessarily mean the team is going to sign four or five veteran free agents. It means the Eagles are going to target specific players and go out and get them. Who those players might be, I have no idea. I, obviously, see a defense that needs some pieces, and I see an offensive line that needs some work and I know from experience that the Eagles are quite capable of throwing a curveball that nobody sees coming.
Between free agency and the draft, the Eagles are going to have an ample opportunity to improve this team and win the Super Bowl. The best offseason on record is the one prior to the 2004 season when the Eagles signed two defensive starters in free agency, defensive end Jevon Kearse and linebacker Dhani Jones, and traded for impact wide receiver Terrell Owens.
Don't forget that the Eagles also added immediate starter Shawn Andrews in the first round of the draft. Andrews, however, was injured in the first game of the regular season and missed the rest of the year.
The point is this: It isn't quantity that matters in the months ahead; it is quality. The Eagles have some depth in place and they surely need more. But bringing in two or three or more immediate-impact players is what is going to get this team to the top.
