Four-for-Four: The Reality Sucks Edition

EAGLES

EVAN ALMIGHTY

Slightly overshadowed by the DeSean Jackson saga was Evan Mathis’ apparent unhappiness with his current contract with the Eagles and the team reportedly threatening to trade the All-Pro guard. Despite being arguably as valuable a player as Jackson, the nature of his position and the lack of back-and-forth fireworks from both negotiating parties has made Mathis’ situation much more low-key.

During free agency prior to the 2012 season, Mathis took to social media on multiple occasions before announcing he would return to Philadelphia instead of joining the Baltimore Ravens. Even with tense nature that seems to be surrounding the Eagles during the last few weeks of this offseason, Mathis retained his light-heartedness from his Instagram account.

Ultimately, I think Mathis will remain on the team at his current price tag. Nobody wants to shell out top dollar for a 32 year old guard and Mathis holds a lot more value in Philadelphia than he might elsewhere. I hope he does remain with the Eagles, partially due to the personality he brings to an elite offensive line.

CAPTAIN KELCE

One of the most unusual secondary stories running alongside the rapid exit of DeSean Jackson from the Eagles has been how the rest of the team has given almost nothing as far as commentary. A few nights before the release, at Todd Herremans’ charity event, several members of the team had the chance to comment on their now-former teammate and no one stuck their neck on the line to beat the drum for Jackson.

On the day that Jackson was released, rather than the outcry of the very active Eagles social media player pool, only two players had anything to say. One was reserve linebacker Emmanuel Acho, whose matter-of-fact tweet was what one would have probably expected. The other was by center Jason Kelce. Kelce, who just signed on for the prime of his promising career, seemed to deliver a message from the point of view from the locker room and the message of the team.

More and more, it feels like Kelce is the leader of this football team on the field and off. The praise he has garnered from the coaching staff and his fellow teammates highlights the type of qualities teams look for in their leadership group. This type of message from Kelce puts the voice of the team on his shoulders and the young center is clearly not afraid to take on that responsibility.

THE SANCHIZE ARRIVES

Sep 8, 2013; East Rutherford, USA; New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez (6) before the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Perlman/THE STAR-LEDGER via USA TODAY Sports

By adding quarterback Mark Sanchez to the competition for who will back up starter Nick Foles in 2014, the Eagles managed to complete a swap of signal-callers who garner similar attention for completely different reasons. If the Eagles continue to progress as a force in the NFC, Sanchez could end up being a pretty entertaining sideshow. Much like Pat Burrell achieved cult status for some of his…exploits, Sanchez was notorious in New York / New Jersey for similar success in that department.

From the Eagles standpoint, they really couldn’t go wrong with this low-risk signing. Sanchez brings much-needed experience to the position and, for all of his struggles with the Jets, he did show a penchant for winning some big games. One might wonder if he will be able to help bring Foles along and teach the young quarterback how to shut out the noise of playing in a demanding market and win on the biggest stage. I hope there are several stories about Sanchez this season, with almost none of them involving him playing.