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BUCKHALTER GETS ONE MORE CHANCE
The Philadelphia Eagles and Correll Buckhalter agreed to terms on a 1-year deal
after the running back missed the entire 2004 season. Buckhalter said, "I'm happy to
get this deal done with the Eagles and know that I am back to be part of a great
franchise. It was important to get this done early so that I can continue to work out
and rehabilitate. I look forward to getting back on the field and helping my teammates.
I'll have my body prepared to do whatever they ask me to do." The Eagles 4th round pick
of 2001 has been injured most of his career with the Birds, but helped bring to fruitition,
the Eagles "3-Headed Monster" in 2003, rushing for 542 yards and scoring 8 TD's. He
accomplished that as a the third-string RB that also featured Duce Staley and Brian
Westbrook. When healthy, Buckhalter has been a force and hopefully in 2005, he will
have another big season as the Eagles try to get back to the Super Bowl.
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HUGH DOUGLAS BACK FOR ONE MORE YEAR
Hugh Douglas is not going anywhere. He signed an 1-year contract and will probaly
retire as an Eagle. Douglas tore his rotator cuff early in the season and was limited
to 3 sacks, 19 tackles and 10 hurries in a non-starting role for the Eagles. "It was a
no-brainer, really, given the situation that I was in," said Douglas. "I think it gives
me an opportunity to get back on the field and be productive. And the fact that I'm in
Philadelphia, in a place where I want to end my career, that's what I wanted more than
anything." He returned to the Eagles after playing a season in Jacksonville where
he only registered 2 sacks. Douglas will probaly see more action this coming season.
But you can bet that defensive coordinator Jim Johnson will have him rotated in and
out even more as the 33-year old defensive end plays in his 10th season.
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EAGLES & TROTS FINALLY GET DEAL DONE
Jeremiah Trotter never really wanted to leave the nest after suffering two really
bad seasons in Washington. While visiting Dick Vermeil and the Chiefs in Kansas City,
Trotter supposedly called Andy Reid very early on Friday March the 4th to try and
get something worked out. Thye both agreed and Jeremiah quickly hurried back to
Philadelphia and signed a 5-year deal worth around 15 million dollars. Trotter won
back his starting spot at middle linebacker after the 27-3 debacle in Pittsburgh.
Trotter immediately shored up the run defense. He recorded a team-leading 57 tackles
in just eight starts and earned a third trip to the Pro Bowl. He added 19 tackles in
the postseason. As a unit, the Eagles defense allowed an average of 80-plus yards per
game with Trotter in the lineup as opposed to 130 yards without him. In the postseason,
Trotter remained a productive force against the run. "It's the best deal because I want
to be here," Trotter said. "It wasn't the best deal as far as money. I obviously turned
down more money somewhere else, but it wasn't enough to get me away from Philly."
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EAGLES SIGN MIKE McMAHON TO BACKUP QB
QB Mike McMahon and the Eagles came to terms on a 2-year contract. After playing for the
Detroit Lions in his first 4 seasons, he will will join Donovan McNabb and Koy Detmer
as the three Eagles QB's. He will challenge Detmer for the second spot behind McNabb.
McMahon played a lot as a rookie in 2001 and entered 2002 as the starter for the Lions,
but then the team turned the controls over to top draft pick Joey Harrington and McMahon
rode the bench. In 2004, he played in one contest, replacing Lions starting quarterback
Harrington in the third quarter and completing 11 of 15 passes for 77 yards against
Indianapolis. "I always said to myself that if was going to be a backup, I wanted to be
one for a team that had a chance to win the Super Bowl and I have that chance here behind
one of the best quarterbacks in the league," McMahon said.
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EAGLES SIGN KEITH ADAMS &
JON RITCHIE TO 1-YEAR DEALS
First on March 18, Keith Adams decided to stay with the Eagles and signed a 1-year
deal. With both Nate Wayne and Ike Reese gone, Adams figures he will get more playing
time at linebacker this coming season. Starting middle linebacker Jeremiah Trotter, who
inked a five-year deal with Philadelphia earlier in March, is glad to have Adams back
in the nest. "I love playing besides a guy like 'Bullet,'" Trotter said of Adams. "He
brings a lot of energy. He makes big plays. For his size, he plays the game big. He's
the kind of guy you want to play with." Though he really wanted a long-term contract,
he said he was happy to be back and remains optimistic that he could get a contract
extension next season. As for Jon Ritchie, it was a much easier choice as he missed
the second half of the season after getting injured against the Lions in week 3.
Ritchie now has some unfinished business to tend to. Ritchie was a part of the 2002
Oakland Raiders team that lost in the Super Bowl to Tampa Bay. Even though he didn't
play, he was a part of last season's NFC Championship squad. One of the reasons Ritchie
wanted to return was his confidence in that the Eagles will return to the Super Bowl
next season in Detroit. "I certainly didn't want to go anywhere," Ritchie said. "This
is the team that I love and the coaches that I love. My family is here and this team is
going to the Super Bowl. It was obvious to me that this was the place to be."
With Ritchie back, the Eagles now have three fullbacks on the roster with Josh Parry -
who took over the starting job when Ritchie was injured - and Thomas Tapeh, who continues
to make progress with the dislocated hip injury he suffered at the end of last season.
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WITH 31st PICK, EAGLES CHOOSE PATTERSON
The Philadelphia Eagles had 13 picks to start with and for the first time in a few years
did not make any trades to move up. They instead stood their ground and drafted USC's
Mike Patterson who is a 292 pound 5-11 DT with the 31st pick of the first round. He was
double-teamed many times as a senior at USC. Despite the attention he received from opposing
offensive lines, he recorded 45 tackles with six sacks, a team-high 16 stops behind the line
of scrimmage, two forced fumbles, a conference-high four fumble recoveries and two pass
deflections while being named an All-American last season. After winning the NCAA National
Championship the last 2 years, he knows what is expected in Philly. Patterson said,
"It's really great to join another program that is up and running. I think that this is
going to be phenomenal."
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