NFL | Eagles ode to old age anymore a case of ‘Say it ain’t so, Joe’

Eagles all-purpose back Darren Sproles, signed Friday to an extension, averaged just 3.8 yards per carry and 7.1 yards per reception last season, but he did have two punt returns for touchdowns.

by Jack Kerwin  |  [email protected]

Joe Banner would be rolling over in his grave …

You know, if he actually were in one.

Thing is, not sure he’d be in the wrong on this one.

Yo, big believer in loyalty to others and staying true to the cause of a united front, but this re-signing old guy stuff that current Eagles czar of player personnel Howie Roseman seems beholden to is starting to border on creepy.
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Like, unable to move on and let go of a security blanket creepy … no matter the consequences.

It certainly is nothing that was seen when Banner was in charge, which, by the way, happened to be during the most successful extended stretch of pro football in town that any of us shy of retirement age have ever witnessed.

OK, maybe Joe was a bit jumpy, or knee-jerky, with pulling the rip cord on any asset the moment it turned 30, but, geez, am starting to miss the days when the players were more likely to think about high-school reunions than AARP cards.

It started in earnest with left tackle Jason Peters getting a five-year deal, continued with tight end Brent Celek this past January getting a three-year one and then jack-of-all-trades back Darren Sproles on Friday getting an extension to keep him here this season and next.

Heck, might as well throw cornerback Leodis McKelvin, an offseason acquisition, in there, too.

All over 30. All past their prime. Heck, Peters, 34, was in steep decline the day he signed, way back when he was just a 32-year-old kid. Now he’s an overpaid, whiny albatross whose All-Pro past has fans, media members and Eagles coaches forever rationalizing what he was excusing what he is, which is pretty bad.

Celek, 31, has been relegated to “good block, solid locker-room presence” status the last three seasons and that ain’t changing. McKelvin, 30, played his first nine seasons in Buffalo, then was picked up off the scrap heap in March by the Birds and inked to a two-year deal.

Why? Perhaps only the (Eagles defensive coordinator Jim) Schwartz knows.

Sproles, 33, meanwhile, has done just enough the past couple seasons with the Eagles, turning in a highlight-reel play or two, to apparently make people oblivious to the fact that he is just a shadow of his former self with New Orleans and San Diego.

So, sorry … just can’t get excited about the Birds’ latest signing. Seems to me another example of facing reality and fearing change.

By a team that has posted a 39-41 record and just one playoff appearance since 2011?

About the only thing the organization lacks in this regard is an infusion of “old time” into, say, the scouting department.

What’s that, the Eagles took care of that just this morning, too?

Praise be to Brian Dawkins.

Rest in peace, Joe … you know, at some point.

Yo, big believer in loyalty to others and staying true to the cause of a united front, but this re-signing old guy stuff that current Eagles czar of player personnel Howie Roseman seems beholden to is starting to border on creepy. Like, unable to move on and let go of a security blanket creepy … no matter the consequences. It certainly is nothing that was seen when Banner was in charge, which, by the way, happened to be during the most successful stretch of pro football in town that any of us shy of retirement age have ever witnessed. OK, maybe Joe was a bit jumpy, or knee-jerky, with pulling the rip cord on any asset the moment it turned 30, but, geez, am starting to miss the days when the players were more likely to think about high-school reunions than AARP cards.