Another season came and went for the Eagles and the fans. It seems to be a broken record after every season; we need a big running back, we need a #1 wide receiver. Well I believe that the Eagles do need a #1 wide receiver, and that man is free agent, Antonio Bryant.
Antonio Bryant, along with T.J. Houshmandzadeh, is one of the two best WR free agents out there this offseason. The Eagles still badly need a #1 wide receiver. Kevin Curtis and DeSean Jackson are both good receivers, however, neither has the size it takes to be a #1. If you bring a guy with the size and ability that is a #1 receiver, it instantly makes both Jackson and Curtis better. Jackson can split out wide on the other side, and after a great rookie season, will only get better. Curtis then moves to the slot, where he should be anyways, and will put up great numbers in the slot.
Antonio Bryant is a former Biletnikoff winner in college. This doesn't mean anything for his professional performance, but it does show the guy has the ability and can be an elite wide receiver. After a good rookie season, Antonio Bryant clashed with Bill Parcells and was traded to the Browns. Bryant put up his first 1000 yard season with the Browns, with Charlie Frye throwing him the ball. Then, Bryant got into some legal off-the-field troubles, and struggled, and then was out of the league. However, he made his resurgence with the Buccaneers this season, and was one of the top 10 receivers in the NFL this season. He finished the season with 83 receptions for 1248 yards, and 7 TD's, and was the only threat the Buccaneers had at wide receiver. He had multiple one-handed catches, and a 200-yard game thrown in there. He is also 4 years younger than Houshmandzadeh. He has the size and strength to be a #1 receiver. He can go deep, he can go over the middle, and had among the fewest dropped passes in the NFL this season. Antonio Bryant, assuming he stays in the NFL and stays out of trouble, which I think he will, will be an elite receiver in the NFL for a while. I just hope it with our Philadelphia Eagles.
9 comments:
You are silly.
Andy tried taking on a troublemaker once. He's NEVER doing it again.
Put your hope in getting Housh.
Well, before discounting this idea out of hand, let's take a closer look:
AB is drafted by the Cowgirls in 2002, where he puts up 2 decent seasons before clashing with The Big Tuna and being exiled to Cleveland in '04. Can anyone really be blamed for throwing a sweaty jersey in the face of that overbearing, obnoxious, smug, egomaniacal fat turd? Compared to Parcells, Reid is a witty, likable, social butterfly...
AB does his penance in Cleveland for 2 seasons where, of course, it's impossible to be spectacular given the no-talent dregs they always trot out for QB. Still puts up career high numbers as their go-to receiver!
Moves onto San Fran in '06 where he helps them improve from 4-12 in '05 to 7-9. Possible they would have hit the .500 mark if AB hadn't been railroaded by state cops in November for the minor offense of driving his orange Lamborghini over 100 miles an hour while possibly a little tipsy. Cops arrest him for reckless driving, DUI, and resisting arrest, claiming he became combative and they were forced to put him in leather restraints. Now, frankly, who the hell follows the insanely bogus speed limits anyway, and who hasn't had a few Yuenglings too many while at the wheel? Big deal. And knowing how provoking cops can be, maybe AB had a Big Tuna flashback and couldn't help himself. Anyhow, he ends up suspended for the last 2 games of '06 and is slated to sit out the first 2 games of '07 but...he doesn't quite make it to '07. Has a blow up with 49ers head coach Mike Nolan during the off season and gets released in March. This proves to be a great move for the 9ers coming off a promising season, as they revert to true form without AB, going 5-11 in '07. Again, though, who can blame AB? Nolan was an incompetent NFL coach (and not much better in the college ranks) whose main claim to fame was petitioning the NFL to be allowed to wear a coat and tie on the sidelines like his old man did, rather than the Nike garb he was expected to wear as part of the NFL's contract with that firm. What kind of dweeb WANTS to wear a coat and tie on a football field week after week to "honor" his daddy? AB undoubtedly had good reason to clash with this knucklehead.
Unfortunately, AB couldn't catch on with any team for the '07 season after he reportedly failed a drug test that summer. BUT, in a brilliant move, AB sued the league to stop the testing and invalidate the results, arguing quite cogently that since he wasn't currently employed by any team, he wasn't subject to the NFL drug testing policies! The league gave in without a fight! This is the kind of think-on-your feet guy the Eagles need! Maybe he could give Reid some pointers on how to think under pressure!
Anyhow, the rest is well known: good numbers, spectacular catches, and by far the best receiver for Gruden last year, not to mention a model citizen.
So I say bring AB on to a city that would love to see him repeat the sweaty jersey toss, this time right into Reid's jowly mug if he repeats in '09 some of the dumb coaching crap we saw last year in Cincy, Baltimore, and Washington.
Housh is old, I agree that Bryant is troublemaker, but he did not make any trouble in Tampa, maybe being out of the NFL for a year helped. Neither of them are worth big money, if you can get Bryant cheap, he is worth the rist.
Dr. G writes too much, doesn't he know how blogs work. I read half of his comment and stopped caring.
Thanks for the tip, Kosmo. FU. How's that?
Hoosh would be a god-awful signing. I'm talking like Falcons signing Peerless price awful. The guy is a possession receiver. Truth of the matter is there is nobody out there who would make everyone happy. AB is a far superior player, but do we really wanna deal with a headcase wide receiver again? Especially when we have a potential hothead in Desean Jackson. Do we want Jackson looking up to a guy who doesn't respect authority.
You can make any excuses you want, but a rookie should never be disrespectful to a HOF coach. I dont care how much of a dick we all think the Big Tuna is. There are two questions that I am unsure of: 1. Is he really a number 1 WR and 2. Is he really dedicated to being well behaved.
I say part one because I know he had an amazing year, but still, he is not the kind of player that defensive coordinators model their gameplan around. I would put him behind Owens AND Stallworth on the list of eagles Free Agent WRs of the decade.
Is he really worth the risk? Eagles fans like to whine about having no WR, but it has been proven that that is not needed to win a Super Bowl. I say that we pick up that guy Gross from Carolina, draft Pettigrew and Wells, and look for a WR next offseason.
Oh yeah, and Hollywoods sleeper move of the draft that I am praying for: Rhett Bomar in round 4.
Well done Dr. G, I like the rundown on Bryant, and owning of Kosmo. Also, both Parcells and Nolan have both admitted that they were a lot to blame with how they handled Bryant, and both have said they would take him on their teams anyday, and that he is tremendous player. He's just a guy if you watch him play, he is a beast. I love how Hollywood is making the official Rhett Bomar push this offseason.
Much better. Dr. G.
Dr. G. is the man.
The Eagles have improved their game over the years. It was just lack of fortunes in the previous years. Now they are very competitive and are proving their strength as a team.
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