Below are five reasons why the Eagles should not sign Ashley Lelie. Perhaps other posters can add more reasons.
1. He isn’t that good. WhileLelie does have a high YPC average, he is inconsistent and his courage has been questioned numerous times. He drops passes at crucial times (Hence, the similarity to Pinky!)
Lelie’s lack of production cannot be blamed on Jake Plummer. Rod Smith caught 85 passes from Plummer last season, when he was 35 years old. Lelie caught 42 passes. Mike Shanahan has stated publicly that Lelie was given every chance to become the number one receiver on the Broncos, and he failed. That is why the Broncos decided to bring in Javon Walker, and place him ahead of Lelie.
2. The Eagles are not going to bring in another player with the potential to self-destruct ala T.O.. Lelie’s refusal to report to camp is a warning sign. It indicates that he places himself above the team, and is willing to hurt himself and his team to make a point about his value. I don’t think we want to go down that road again.
3. We really don’t need him. While our receiver corps may not be top notch, there are plenty of viable targets for McNabb and the offense to be successful. No one is better than Westbrook coming out of the backfield, and our tight ends are not bad. Reggie Brown has the potential to be a star. Baskett and Avant have also demonstrated that they have some playing ability. Gafney and McCants can also contribute. We may, in fact, have the deepest group of wide receivers on the team since McNabb became quarterback. There is no reason for us to sacrifice a draft choice or someone who can actually play.
4. Lelie’s presence may hinder the development of the promising receivers that we already have in Baskett, Avant and Bloom. Lelie has already missed a sizeable portion of training camp. It will take time for him to learn the offense (Even if he has played in a similar offense, it will take some time for him to master the terminology, learn the routes, and become familiar with McNabb’s passing style.). Time and attention devoted to his learning detracts from the training and playing time that could be given to the youngsters we already have on the roster.
5. He has only one year remaining on his contract, and he may be difficult to sign. If he is complaining about his treatment by the Broncos, how is he going to react if the Eagles don’t meet his payroll demands – particularly if he doesn’t produce? The Birds aren’t known for their generosity (Just ask Trotter). It could be one and done.
1. He isn’t that good. WhileLelie does have a high YPC average, he is inconsistent and his courage has been questioned numerous times. He drops passes at crucial times (Hence, the similarity to Pinky!)
Lelie’s lack of production cannot be blamed on Jake Plummer. Rod Smith caught 85 passes from Plummer last season, when he was 35 years old. Lelie caught 42 passes. Mike Shanahan has stated publicly that Lelie was given every chance to become the number one receiver on the Broncos, and he failed. That is why the Broncos decided to bring in Javon Walker, and place him ahead of Lelie.
2. The Eagles are not going to bring in another player with the potential to self-destruct ala T.O.. Lelie’s refusal to report to camp is a warning sign. It indicates that he places himself above the team, and is willing to hurt himself and his team to make a point about his value. I don’t think we want to go down that road again.
3. We really don’t need him. While our receiver corps may not be top notch, there are plenty of viable targets for McNabb and the offense to be successful. No one is better than Westbrook coming out of the backfield, and our tight ends are not bad. Reggie Brown has the potential to be a star. Baskett and Avant have also demonstrated that they have some playing ability. Gafney and McCants can also contribute. We may, in fact, have the deepest group of wide receivers on the team since McNabb became quarterback. There is no reason for us to sacrifice a draft choice or someone who can actually play.
4. Lelie’s presence may hinder the development of the promising receivers that we already have in Baskett, Avant and Bloom. Lelie has already missed a sizeable portion of training camp. It will take time for him to learn the offense (Even if he has played in a similar offense, it will take some time for him to master the terminology, learn the routes, and become familiar with McNabb’s passing style.). Time and attention devoted to his learning detracts from the training and playing time that could be given to the youngsters we already have on the roster.
5. He has only one year remaining on his contract, and he may be difficult to sign. If he is complaining about his treatment by the Broncos, how is he going to react if the Eagles don’t meet his payroll demands – particularly if he doesn’t produce? The Birds aren’t known for their generosity (Just ask Trotter). It could be one and done.
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