I include all of our great Canadian, British, Aussie and New Zealand fans here with the spelling of “labour” in the traditional English. Hey, they work for a living, too!
This is my last getaway weekend for one more fishing trip before returning on Tuesday to get serious about the Eagles’ first game coming up on September 10 against the Washington Redskins.
As I speak on a Friday night, the bloodletting has already progressed—it will be up to you to update me with your comments as the personnel cuts, trades and acquisitions multiply through the weekend.
At the time of this posting, the Philadelphia Eagles have announced 16 roster moves, bringing the current roster to 70 players.
The Eagles placed cornerback Sidney Jones
on the Reserve/Non-Football Injury list, released quarterbackMatt McGloin, and waived wide receiver Paul Turner with an injury settlement. The team also waived the following 13 players:
LB Don Cherry
DT Winston Craig
WR Rashard Davis
TE Anthony Denham
QB Dane Evans
LB Carlos Fields
CB Aaron Grymes
DE Jake Metz
C Tyler Orlosky
T Victor Salako
LB Christian Tago
DT Gabe Wright
TE Adam Zaruba
I feel turrible about the Grymes cut, if only because the organization and most local media had built him up to have a legit shot at making this team as a slot cornerback/special teams guy. Right about now Grymes has got to be thinking what the hell do I have to do to get a chance in this league? I guess he can always go back to the CFL for another all-star stint there, but it’s not the career move Grymes had in mind after all the positive hype he got from the Philly coaching staff and media over the past six months.
“Mr. Simpson” of the PE.com gallery had this to say about the cuts so far:
“There are no real surprises for me on that list. Grymes reportedly played well in OTAs and pre-season practices, but he didn’t really stand out in the 4 PS games. And I don’t think he tackled quite as well as they wanted to see–although I don’t recall Grymes getting beaten on any passes (which is a positive sign). Apart from losing Paul Turner–our “best receiver” last year, who I believe can and will play in the NFL–I was only mildly disappointed about losing Rashard Davis. I thought Davis showed greater speed as a punt/kick off returner than Pumphrey, who didn’t overly impress. In all 4 PS games, I can’t recall Pumphrey making one player miss badly or breaking any tackles (which isn’t a good sign). Though of course if Pumphrey does makes the team, and he probably will, I hope that will change.”
“I also hope Paul Turner finds a team that can appreciate and utilize his special gifts. He’s a quicker, more talented WR than I think the Eagles have realized. Though the competition at WR was especially tough this year (a good thing), and Turner didn’t get a real chance to compete, due to his injury—if Turner isn’t picked up, I hope the Eagles will sign him to the practice squad again, but realize it isn’t likely.”
“As for Adam Zaruba–he caught every ball thrown in his direction (was that two or three passes?), and looked *extremely* difficult to tackle afterwards. The guy’s a truck, and even tougher to bring down than Celek (I suspect). I really liked his superior mindset and energy. Clearly, Zaruba is a great athlete, and that shouldn’t be ignored. If the Eagles were to take him on as a ‘developmental’ project, I think they’d eventually get rewarded with a great NFL tight end (or running back?) in return. But do they have that kind of vision and patience? If no team signs Zaruba (a good possibility), I hope the Eagles will sign him to their practice squad for a year, and watch him grow–because he will.”
Fair enough, Mr. Simpson.
The silver lining in the first round of cuts (which included QB Matt McGloin and QB Dane Evans) is that Nick Foles has declared himself 100% healthy and ready to begin practice in preparation for the upcoming Redskins game.
That should produce a sigh of relief for most of us who were just a little worried about the backup QB situation.
Around the league, it’s notable to observe former Eagles who’ve been cut on Friday: Matt Barkley, Thad Lewis, and Rasheed Bailey. Oh, and much more notably, per Brandon Lee Gowton, the Seahawks made a big trade by acquiring Sheldon Richardson from the Jets. The Eagles have to play Seattle on the road again this year. That matchup didn’t get any easier with this deal. (Check out Richardson trade reaction from Field Gulls and Gang Green Nation.)
Enjoy the rest of the cuts and trades as best you can this weekend. There is crazy talk out there about our possibly trading our starting center. I have a hard time envisioning that, but anything is possible.
Gone fishing!
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