@Don Corleone is only a 5th round pick??

7 hours ago, Waiting4Someday said:

I'm capitalist so if the market is $200K so be it, you start messing with that dynamic and it's only a matter of time below the trash piles up and we're sitting in the dark.

These refs think they're the only game in town. Replacement refs sucked, but honestly with another year of experience they would be no worse than the current refs. Their performance doesn't warrant a raise by any stretch of the imagination, and to reject any form accountability means they know how bad they are at their jobs and they don't care

5 hours ago, LeanMeanGM said:

@Don Corleone is only a 5th round pick??

Stock down after leaving the EMB.

On 3/29/2026 at 11:26 AM, BigEFly said:

They have the opportunity to do the funniest thing ever and complete the trade during the joint practice.

9 hours ago, T-1000 said:

Some day we as Phillies fans will look back on this era of Phillies baseball as one gigantic wasted opportunity. Dombrowski is an overrated moron. It was obvious years ago that the lineup was extremely flawed and they needed to make changes and his solution has continued to be to run it back. The outfield/s that he has put together for this team over the last few years just goes to show how clueless he is. We are talking some of the worst collection of outfielders in the league. People can say they are "stuck with" an aging Harper/Turner/Schwarber but the fact of the matter is there were multiple opportunities to make improvements around them which could have made a big difference and instead we are stuck with overpaying a cooked JT on a multi-year deal and counting on the likes of Castellanos, Garcia, Marsh. Kemp, Rojas, and Kepler in the outfield.

JT is the least of their issues. He's not a great offensive catcher anymore. Granted. He's still an excellent defensive catcher, both in terms of controlling the running game and in terms of handling the pitching staff. There's more value in that than people realize.

They really dropped the ball with Bichette and Bader. Bring those two in, trade away Bohm for peanuts and don't sign Garcia. There's a very different lineup and a very different feeling around the team... and that includes bringing back JT.

Turner
Harper
Bichette

Schwarber
Bader
Stott
Marsh
Realmuto
Crawford

That's a much different lineup and one that I think brings way more contact than the current one.

6 minutes ago, Iggles_Phan said:

JT is the least of their issues. He's not a great offensive catcher anymore. Granted. He's still an excellent defensive catcher, both in terms of controlling the running game and in terms of handling the pitching staff. There's more value in that than people realize.

They really dropped the ball with Bichette and Bader. Bring those two in, trade away Bohm for peanuts and don't sign Garcia. There's a very different lineup and a very different feeling around the team... and that includes bringing back JT.

Turner
Harper
Bichette

Schwarber
Bader
Stott
Marsh
Realmuto
Crawford

That's a much different lineup and one that I think brings way more contact than the current one.

I've been saying all offseason they'll miss the playoffs this year. Bichette and Bader get them in the playoffs but do not get them to the WS. So I'm not upset about it.

They cannot scout internationally at all. They don't draft anything but pitchers well. And they cannot bring what talent they have along in a rational, efficient, successful pathway to the majors. When they spend big money and trade prospects for MLB level players, they generally do a good job of that. Given that they are at the absolute payroll ceiling of where they are willing to go with that....it is time to slash salary. They need to buy a new middle of the order in a couple years once they are done slashing payroll. And if there is a cap by then, well, they need to re-direct a ton of resources into not sucking at scouting anymore...because we like to complain about the Dodgers, but the Phillies are a team that sucks at growing talent. The Phillies are not equipped to survive in a salary cap MLB.

On 3/29/2026 at 8:22 PM, Sack that QB said:

I forgot that dude was a first round pick

I didn't even realize until you mentioned it. Now that we have him AND Moore, trading for Campbell makes too much sense.

The rewards of trying to come out of retirement in the middle of the season to help the team just to tear your hamstring off the bone. Classy move, Detroit.

55 minutes ago, BigEFly said:

Athletic article says the average ref’s pay is $350,000.

I think the salary range average is around $200,000. With bonuses, it gets in the $300's. The salary sounds like a lot of money but I think it probably does not eclipse most of what these guys potentially earn in their other professions over time. Also, it's not like they don't train and work on their craft. It is, however, a hard job. Part of the problem is that the NFL likes to change the rules every season and have a new "emphasis" which should not be a thing in a sport has been played professionally for a century.

16 hours ago, eagle45 said:

No one really talks about what AJ Brown leaving costs the Eagles...beyond the cap hit.

I'm not the cap guy. Before June 1, it's 43-44m. After June 1, it's 16-20m deferred over 2 years. @vikas83 can verify or refute those numbers, but everyone gets the point. Basically a lot before June 1 and manageable after.

But here's the real cost. The 2025 offense was not good. If the only change to the 2025 already not good offense is a new OC, another year of age on a falling apart OL, and subtracting AJ Brown...the Eagles essentially can't even pretend to have SB aspirations next year. AJ Brown is a tipping point of sorts. You trade him, you might as well punt on 2026. May sound like an exaggeration, but you try to argue otherwise.

And the cost of punting on a season should be much higher than any other team realistically will give up for AJ.

Trading AJ will lead to a likely decline in production at the WR position. I think the question is whether his production can be replaced by an improved run game and passing offense that is better designed. You hit on the key issue last year. The problem on offense was a 3 part problem: 1) an OC/playcaller that was not capable of fixing problems in the design of the offense, 2) injuries on the O-line that impacted the running game, and 3) QB play that could not elevate the team. Trading AJ or not trading AJ does not impact the running game or the health of the O-line. If one of those three parts was addressed during the season, (e.g. if Hurts started running the ball effectively), they likely would have go That being said, your claim that they might as well punt on the 2026 season is silly.

The Eagles have a top 5 roster in terms of talen even without AJ. Trading him is in no way a concession that they are giving up on the 2026 season. Look at Seattle last offseason. They traded away DK Metcalf. They let Tyler Lockett walk in Free Agency. They won because they had competent QB play, one elite WR and a top RB. The Eagles have better skill players on their roster than Seattle did last season excluding AJ. The Eagles will be a Super Bowl contender again if they can be a top 5 rushing attack and their defense is elite. Losing AJ probably helps the run game more than it hurts it.

On 3/30/2026 at 8:52 AM, paco said:

Tiger being addicted to painkillers is one of golfs worst kept secrets.

Yup, he had hydrocodone pills on him when he got arrested.

Tiger Woods told authorities that he was looking down at his phone and changing the radio station before his rollover crash last week in Florida, according to a probable cause affidavit.

Woods, 50, was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence last Friday after his Land Rover clipped a truck and rolled onto its side near his home on Jupiter Island in Florida.

According to the affidavit, obtained Tuesday by ESPN, Woods told Martin County Sheriff investigators that he didn't realize the truck in front of him had slowed down.

A Martin County Sheriff deputy noticed that Woods had "bloodshot and glassy" eyes and "extremely dilated" pupils, according to the affidavit.

Woods, who agreed to perform field sobriety exercises, also was "sweating profusely" and was "lethargic and slow," the affidavit said.

Two hydrocodone pills were found in Woods' pants pocket, the affidavit said.

The 15-time major champion told authorities that he had had no alcohol that day. Asked if he had taken any prescription medication, Woods replied, "I take a few," according to the affidavit. Woods added that he took that medicine earlier in the morning.

9 minutes ago, LeanMeanGM said:

The rewards of trying to come out of retirement in the middle of the season to help the team just to tear your hamstring off the bone. Classy move, Detroit.

Its not just a message to Ragnow, but also potential FAs that could go there. We're the Detroit Lions and we're cheap AF.

10 minutes ago, NCiggles said:

I think the salary range average is around $200,000. With bonuses, it gets in the $300's. The salary sounds like a lot of money but I think it probably does not eclipse most of what these guys potentially earn in their other professions over time. Also, it's not like they don't train and work on their craft. It is, however, a hard job. Part of the problem is that the NFL likes to change the rules every season and have a new "emphasis" which should not be a thing in a sport has been played professionally for a century.

Trading AJ will lead to a likely decline in production at the WR position. I think the question is whether his production can be replaced by an improved run game and passing offense that is better designed. You hit on the key issue last year. The problem on offense was a 3 part problem: 1) an OC/playcaller that was not capable of fixing problems in the design of the offense, 2) injuries on the O-line that impacted the running game, and 3) QB play that could not elevate the team. Trading AJ or not trading AJ does not impact the running game or the health of the O-line. If one of those three parts was addressed during the season, (e.g. if Hurts started running the ball effectively), they likely would have go That being said, your claim that they might as well punt on the 2026 season is silly.

The Eagles have a top 5 roster in terms of talen even without AJ. Trading him is in no way a concession that they are giving up on the 2026 season. Look at Seattle last offseason. They traded away DK Metcalf. They let Tyler Lockett walk in Free Agency. They won because they had competent QB play, one elite WR and a top RB. The Eagles have better skill players on their roster than Seattle did last season excluding AJ. The Eagles will be a Super Bowl contender again if they can be a top 5 rushing attack and their defense is elite. Losing AJ probably helps the run game more than it hurts it.

Yup. The Seahawks won with a 'meh' QB in Sam Darnold -- 25 TD and 14 INT -- and certainly didn't spread the ball around at an expert level:

JSN -- 163 targets

Cupp -- 70 targets

Barner -- 68 targets

No one else had more than 36 pass targets in their offense. No one other than JSN even had 600 yards receiving. The Eagles can spread it around much better, even without A.J. Brown. Even as currently constructed they have DeVonta Smith, Goedert, Hollywood Brown, Elijah Moore -- plus, very likely a WR drafted in the first 3 rounds.

Howie already knows whether A.J. Brown will be with the Eagles in 2026. If he's gone, Howie will have already instructed Nick and Sean Mannion to scheme up an offense without Brown in it, and that work would be well underway.

Vrabel just nonstop tampering with AJ and never faces consequences from the league for it.

Hawks had a great defense in that SB. Pats couldn't score until garbage time in the 4th

50 minutes ago, NCiggles said:

I think the salary range average is around $200,000. With bonuses, it gets in the $300's. The salary sounds like a lot of money but I think it probably does not eclipse most of what these guys potentially earn in their other professions over time. Also, it's not like they don't train and work on their craft. It is, however, a hard job. Part of the problem is that the NFL likes to change the rules every season and have a new "emphasis" which should not be a thing in a sport has been played professionally for a century.

Trading AJ will lead to a likely decline in production at the WR position. I think the question is whether his production can be replaced by an improved run game and passing offense that is better designed. You hit on the key issue last year. The problem on offense was a 3 part problem: 1) an OC/playcaller that was not capable of fixing problems in the design of the offense, 2) injuries on the O-line that impacted the running game, and 3) QB play that could not elevate the team. Trading AJ or not trading AJ does not impact the running game or the health of the O-line. If one of those three parts was addressed during the season, (e.g. if Hurts started running the ball effectively), they likely would have go That being said, your claim that they might as well punt on the 2026 season is silly.

The Eagles have a top 5 roster in terms of talen even without AJ. Trading him is in no way a concession that they are giving up on the 2026 season. Look at Seattle last offseason. They traded away DK Metcalf. They let Tyler Lockett walk in Free Agency. They won because they had competent QB play, one elite WR and a top RB. The Eagles have better skill players on their roster than Seattle did last season excluding AJ. The Eagles will be a Super Bowl contender again if they can be a top 5 rushing attack and their defense is elite. Losing AJ probably helps the run game more than it hurts it.

Eh, that salary IS a lot of money. You're making 200K-300K for roughly about a month's worth of work, seeing as you typically only work 1 or 2 days a week for 6 months out of the year. Not to mention, they can still do their other jobs at the same time. That's a ton for what's essentially a part time job, lol

1 hour ago, NCiggles said:

I think the salary range average is around $200,000. With bonuses, it gets in the $300's. The salary sounds like a lot of money but I think it probably does not eclipse most of what these guys potentially earn in their other professions over time. Also, it's not like they don't train and work on their craft. It is, however, a hard job. Part of the problem is that the NFL likes to change the rules every season and have a new "emphasis" which should not be a thing in a sport has been played professionally for a century.

Trading AJ will lead to a likely decline in production at the WR position. I think the question is whether his production can be replaced by an improved run game and passing offense that is better designed. You hit on the key issue last year. The problem on offense was a 3 part problem: 1) an OC/playcaller that was not capable of fixing problems in the design of the offense, 2) injuries on the O-line that impacted the running game, and 3) QB play that could not elevate the team. Trading AJ or not trading AJ does not impact the running game or the health of the O-line. If one of those three parts was addressed during the season, (e.g. if Hurts started running the ball effectively), they likely would have go That being said, your claim that they might as well punt on the 2026 season is silly.

The Eagles have a top 5 roster in terms of talen even without AJ. Trading him is in no way a concession that they are giving up on the 2026 season. Look at Seattle last offseason. They traded away DK Metcalf. They let Tyler Lockett walk in Free Agency. They won because they had competent QB play, one elite WR and a top RB. The Eagles have better skill players on their roster than Seattle did last season excluding AJ. The Eagles will be a Super Bowl contender again if they can be a top 5 rushing attack and their defense is elite. Losing AJ probably helps the run game more than it hurts it.

Expecting the offense to be viable after trading AJ is just like saying the Phillies lineup will be fine if Harper reverts to mvp form, Schwarber keeps it going, Turner keeps it going, and Stott/Bohm improve.

44 minutes ago, LeanMeanGM said:

The rewards of trying to come out of retirement in the middle of the season to help the team just to tear your hamstring off the bone. Classy move, Detroit.

I see no problem with this. If Jordan Davis (or the closest Eagles analog, whatever) retired next offseason that’d seem pretty damn annoying from a contract perspective

3 minutes ago, Saltpeter said:

I see no problem with this. If Jordan Davis (or the closest Eagles analog, whatever) retired next offseason that’d seem pretty damn annoying from a contract perspective

Each situation is different. Yea, if he randomly retired out of the blue because he didn't like football anymore, that's one thing. Ragnow retired mostly because of all the injuries sustained in his playing career, which he played with and through frequently. He was willing to come out of retirement last year even though he already retired because of the pain and just got hurt again. So it's pretty crummy to go after a bonus for a guy like that who did his part far and above most.

We aren't talking a whole lot of money here either. He signed an extension in 2021 and the signing bonus was only $6M. They are essentially going after $1M or so because of "policy".

What’s the scoop on Brandon ? Did he have his press conference or what ?

11 minutes ago, MF POON said:

Eh, that salary IS a lot of money. You're making 200K-300K for roughly about a month's worth of work, seeing as you typically only work 1 or 2 days a week for 6 months out of the year. Not to mention, they can still do their other jobs at the same time. That's a ton for what's essentially a part time job, lol

I am not sure I understand the argument. It's not a lot of money given the size of the industry. Refs could get 10 times what they currently get paid without it impacting the NFL's bottom line. A bad referee can and will have a dramatic impact on the game. A bad referee can cost teams and players in the 10's of millions of dollars. Refs are blamed more often by fans for losses rather than their team's bad play. If the NFL wanted more dedicated refs, they could cave on the salary demands in order to have more exacting standards.

36 minutes ago, eagle45 said:

Expecting the offense to be viable after trading AJ is just like saying the Phillies lineup will be fine if Harper reverts to mvp form, Schwarber keeps it going, Turner keeps it going, and Stott/Bohm improve.

I agree trading AJ is a risk. Do you agree the Eagles could have a top 5 rushing offense without AJ?

32 minutes ago, LeanMeanGM said:

Each situation is different. Yea, if he randomly retired out of the blue because he didn't like football anymore, that's one thing. Ragnow retired mostly because of all the injuries sustained in his playing career, which he played with and through frequently. He was willing to come out of retirement last year even though he already retired because of the pain and just got hurt again. So it's pretty crummy to go after a bonus for a guy like that who did his part far and above most.

We aren't talking a whole lot of money here either. He signed an extension in 2021 and the signing bonus was only $6M. They are essentially going after $1M or so because of "policy".

If Jurgy retired tomorrow - would that be a caveat emptor situation where Howie would eat the bonus?

3 minutes ago, Waiting4Someday said:

If Jurgy retired tomorrow - would that be a caveat emptor situation where Howie would eat the bonus?

I don't think Howie would go after it. The organization has been pretty generous with paying guys incentives they didn't even reach almost every season or rewarding guys like Barkley and Brown when they didn't need to. So it would be a little surprising to me if they would make him pay it back.

The only time I remember Howie or Eagles doing something like that was with Jernigan when they removed all his guarantees and then didn't pay his option bonus. But that's also because he did something stupid in the offseason that hurt himself that wasn't football related.

AJ Brown is so irreplaceable that when they started throwing to him more they lost more games. The offense stunk with him. In other words, this isn't close to prime AJ here and maybe falling off the cliff even more next year. Fortunately, we have a Number 1 who is even better and more clutch, in Devanta Smith to not miss a beat, once you get a solid WR2 or WR3 to complement Hollywood, who once was a Number 1 himself, in Baltimore. Hey, it's March 31st. I think Howie will figure this one out. Could be Boutte coming in.