It Was All This Guy's Fault

Some surprise today from the Eagles cutting last year's big off-season prize, LB Takeo Spikes. Philly Fan is of three minds about this.

1) Don't let the door hit you on the way out. Instead, let us throw you through the window.

Spikes made $5 million a year and didn't make enough big plays, especially early in the season, when the team fell too far behind to make the final 4-game winning streak meaningless. His next playoff game will be his first. At least no one is puling for the return of Corey Simon... no, sorry, Darwin Walker. (Boy, when a defensive player leaves this team, it's next stop, Palookaville. Jeremiah Trotter didn't exactly set the world on fire in Tampa Bay, either.)

2) Quick, let's bury Andy Reid!

Even if you like the young LBs, it's crazy to go into the year without any experienced defensive players and leaders in the locker room. Other than the living and limping legend at safety (Brian Dawkins, naturally), there's not much here in the way of Veteran Leadership. Spikes may have been overpriced, but he can play, and the team is now an injury away from looking very skittish -- yet again -- at linebacker. Plus, there's no way that they are going to get a ready-to-play LB in the draft for this year. We're all doomed!

3) Where's that other shoe?

This is all just a precursor to the holy Larry Fitzgerald deal, or Roy Williams from the Lions, or... hell, I don't know, maybe they'll have even more money to have Randy Moss refuse. Maybe they are looking to extend all of the non-Samuel cornerbacks, so that they can have a dominant nickel back defense. Brian Westbrook needs an extension. Heck, maybe they need to lock down Sav Rocca. Or just have a ton of cash under the cap, like always, just to make Eagles fans to tear out their hair.

All that we know tonight, of course, is that Spikes takes his remarkable lack of playoff experience with him, and that every Do Something free agency signing isn't a win. Maybe he can compare notes with Mark Simoneau or Trotter or Dhani Jones on where it all went wrong, or why this franchise just can't seem to get production from the LBs.

Oh, and someone else on the team needs to step up and take the mantle of Bizarre Hat Guy. Once again, the choice is Sav Rocca, who needs to work out something Australian / Aboriginal / Dingo Pelt-ish. The team is counting on you, Sav!