Eagles' Curtis Out With Sports Hernia, Jackson's Workload Soon to Be Increased

As if the Eagles' shoddy wide receiver corps isn't bad enough already, it just received (no pun intended) it's biggest blow so far this off season with an injury to it's No. 1, Kevin Curtis. Curtis, who sustained the sports hernia in last week's game against the Panthers, tried to play through the rest of that game and may not have felt the effects of his injury until earlier this week.

Curtis is scheduled to have surgery later this week, and Andy Reid said there was no timetable for a return.

"We're trying not to wait and do that whole thing," Reid said. "We're trying to get on it. We've identified (the hernia) and it's problem, and we're trying to get it taken care of."

It is estimated by personnel close to the situation that he could miss up to half a season, depending on the severity of the injury.

While the Eagles' Duce Staley and Sheldon Brown both played through it, L.J. Smith and Donovan McNabb were both seriously affected.

"They're all different and we've found out over the years here that they all tear a little bit more than others and some are less than others. They've got to go in (for surgery)," Reid said.

The news came in the midst of yet another wide receiver buzz in Philly, this time involving Arizona's disgruntled star receiver Anquan Boldin. Whatever the Eagles' actual interest in Boldin is, the case for acquiring him was certainly lent some credibility by Curtis's injury.

But earlier this morning, in response to a question about the Eagles' current wide receiver corps, Reid told reporters that the Eagles are still not actively looking into upgrading the position, either by means of free agency or by trade. However, the Eagles have been known to look into these things nonetheless, as shown earlier in this off season with Randy Moss.

The news and Reggie Brown's hamstring strain leaves the Eagles' wideouts looking like this for Friday's game against the Patriots:

No.1: Greg Lewis, Hank Baskett (Previously fourth and fifth WRs)

No. 2: DeSean Jackson (Drafted, most likely a second WR)

No. 3: Jason Avant (Still a third WR)

However, Donovan McNabb is likelier to throw to his latest favorite receiver if this is how things shape up, his No. 2 guy, DeSean Jackson.

The point is, if Andy Reid's stance on the Eagles' wide receiver don't change soon, this is probably going to be the group of wide receivers entering the regular season (with the exception of Brown, who should be back sometime next week). The mere though of it is depressing.

So either get ready for another mediocre season, or you better be hoping that #10 DeSean Jackson can step up and live up to everything he's hyped up to be.

Anquan Boldin May Be Available, but Will the Eagles Pursue Him? Part Three

To preface this article, I would like to note that certain teams usually have a characteristic way of dealing with potential problems or general business matters in their own ways. I could mention many teams that have gone about potential problems the wrong way, including the Eagles during the 2005 season. The Bengals are also a good example (in my opinion, at least), but these things generally have to do with cap space and who's in charge and not so much with the organization's tendencies.

As for business matters, every team has a unique approach.

The teams that have won the Super Bowls are the teams who have done it right, like the Patriots in recent years -- which obviously means that many teams have done it wrong. This, of course, includes the Eagles, who have never won a Super Bowl.

A particular example would be when they picked up big-play wide receiver Donte Stallworth just two and a half weeks before the start of the regular season. They made the playoffs and finished with a first place 10-6 record that season, and the Eagles had ample opportunity to give the young Stallworth a new, long contract at the beginning of the 2007 free agency.

Instead, they picked up Kevin Curtis and let Stallworth go. In many ways, Curtis showed he was the better wide receiver, showing good speed off the edge and a consistent ability to get open, as he became just the fourth wide receiver in Eagles history to have 75 or more receptions in a single season. Despite this, his measly 6 touchdowns clearly showed that he was not a No. 1 wide receiver and would play far better in the slot, similar to New England's Wes Welker.

In Stallworth, however, they had a legitimate down field threat, as shown by his 19.1 yards-per-catch average. In fact, the only other wide receiver in recent Eagles history who was a serious threat in that category was Terrell Owens the year before. All in all, his ability to stretch the field was a huge boon to Donovan McNabb, who had great season in both years.

Imagine the Eagles now with both Stallworth and Curtis. Add Reggie Brown to the mix as your No. 2 guy, and you got solid one, two, and three guys.

Would I be writing this right now if that was the case? Definitely not. Would the exasperated Eagles fans be calling into the local sports radio stations every day to complain about the Eagles' lack of a No. 1 receiver? Probably not.

But the point is, by adding Curtis and subtracting Stallworth, you're back to where you started from. One step forward, and one step back.

And that's how it's been with the Eagles. Not only over this past decade, but over the long Eagles' history in which they have never won a Super Bowl. Not one. And this is why. This type of management. This type of blank nothing, doing nothing. Going nowhere. Taking no legitimate steps in the right direction. There's no other word to describe it.

I'm sure it's not just the Eagles. It's all the loyal football fan bases whose team always seems to be on the cusp of something great, and then...nothing.

And for the Eagles, it doesn't end with the Curtis-Stallworth example. It hardly even begins. The team's unwillingness to believe that there is something, a piece of something important, missing and go out there and do something about it.

This article was supposed to be about Anquan Boldin, but I'm not even out of the preface yet. So I'll just end here.

Just a shout-out to all the other tortured fans out there, of any sport, anywhere, who might be going through this kind of unnerving craziness. I wish you the best of luck.

And to the Eagles...well, in the grand scope of things, 8-8 isn't so bad compared to, say, a 1-15 record. And besides, I could go on and say a million great things about Anquan Boldin or why the Eagles' need him, but would that really matter? Isn't it just stating the obvious?

Oh well.

Anquan Boldin May Be Available, but Will the Eagles Pursue Him? Part Two

Contrary to popular belief, the Eagles' organization did pursue several prominent wide receivers this off-season, including Randy Moss (reports had him going back to New England for less money), Larry Fitzgerald (the Eagles were interested enough to offer a first rounder and Lito Sheppard), Roy Williams (again involving disgruntled CB Lito Sheppard), and also had them connected to the likes of Chad Johnson (although the Redskins, who reportedly offered an '08 and '09 draft choice, were certainly more serious about pursuing him) and Anquan Boldin.

A lot has happened since then.

Randy Moss, as already indicated, re-signed with the Patriots. Larry Fitzgerald got his deal restructured. It seems that Detroit never really had any interest in moving Williams. A run at Chad Johnson never really seemed legit, even if the Bengals did reconsider moving him. And well... then there's Anquan Boldin.

The fact that Anquan Boldin is available may have an effect on the organization. Or it may not. They might not even pick up the phone to give the Cardinals a call. That's just how the Eagles are.

Remember, earlier in the off-season Head Coach Andy Reid said that he was happy with the team's current wide receivers, much to the ridicule of Eagles fans. On the other hand, that statement does not seem to have been echoed by the organization, not only in light of their highly publicized interest in the wide receivers mentioned above, but also in the fact that this may be both Reid's and McNabb's last year in Philly.

It is worthwhile to note that if the Eagles did use one of their valuable trading chips -- two first round draft picks and an unhappy star corner back -- they would not only have a formidable down field threat and a match up problem for any opposing defense in Anquan Boldin, but their entire wide receiver corps would be better, I believe, for several reasons.

First of all, in 2004, when T.O. was an Eagle, current third Greg Lewis had a breakout year. This was due to the fact that with a true No. 1 receiver that the Eagles were so lacking, it allowed other Eagles wide receivers to be used where they truly perform at their best. Take Kevin Curtis for example. He may very well be one of the most underrated wide receivers in the league as a No. 1, but imagine his explosiveness off the edge if he was used in the slot as a third wide receiver, similar to the Patriots' Wes Welker. No doubt he would excel in that role.

Finally, Boldin would essentially complete the Eagles' wide receiver corps. Imagine Anquan Boldin at No. 1, Reggie Brown at No. 2, and Kevin Curtis at No. 3. That's an excellent wide receiver corps right there.

But their is one more factor in the equation: Donovan McNabb. Imagine Donovan McNabb with that set of wide receivers at his disposal. OK, now go back to 2004 when Donovan McNabb set passing records with T.O. and the Eagles went to the Super Bowl. Get my drift?

For now, all we Eagles fans can do is hope.