The Eagles came up very, very small this week.
They had an opportunity to make a move that would have dramatically improved their Super Bowl chances this season. But for reasons I am unable to fathom and can't get an explanation for since General Manager Tom Heckert apparently has lost the ability to use a telephone lately, they passed.
No, I'm not talking about Roy Williams. (You people out there really need to get over this wide-receiver fixation.) With the emergence of DeSean Jackson and the return to health of Kevin Curtis, they're fine at wideout. Honest. Williams actually will be more helpful to the Eagles in Dallas, where his arrival almost certainly will bring out the malignancy in Terrell Owens.
Where the Eagles blew it, where they really, really blew it, was in not getting a deal done with the Kansas City Chiefs earlier this week for nine-time Pro Bowl tight end Tony Gonzalez.
Even without Curtis, even without Reggie Brown for three games, Eagles wide receivers already have caught 83 passes for 1,196 yards. That's 16 more passes and 139 more yards than they had after six games in their '04 Super Bowl season with the aforementioned Owens.
Where they are woefully lacking in production, though - in both the passing and running games - is at tight end. Their three tight ends, L.J. Smith, Brent Celek and Matt Schobel, have combined for just 16 receptions for 132 yards and two touchdowns. Since Week 2, they have just nine catches for 78 yards.
Poor tight-end play, particularly by Smith, is a big reason the Eagles have converted just six of their past 17 red-zone opportunities into touchdowns. It was Smith who ran that lame slant route Sunday against San Francisco that caused an interception in the red zone. The often-ineffective blocking by the tight ends also is a big reason the Eagles' ground game has been so inefficient this season. They are averaging just 3.6 yards per carry.
That the Eagles talked to the Chiefs about Gonzalez and apparently also made inquiries about the Browns' Kellen Winslow is a clear indication that they know they have a problem at tight end. That they didn't offer the Chiefs enough to get a deal done for Gonzalez is unpardonable.
Chiefs President Carl Peterson made it clear that he wanted something in the same neighborhood as what the Saints gave the Giants this spring for Jeremy Shockey, which was secondand fifth-round picks. The Eagles' best offer was a conditional fourth-round pick. Peterson said thanks, but no thanks.
Yes, Gonzalez is 32. Yes, he has indicated he only wants to play one or two more seasons. But he's still one of the best all-around tight ends in the game. Caught more passes for more yards than any tight end in the league last year. Has 21 receptions this season for the league's worst pass offense.
He would have had an immediate impact on the Eagles' passing game, particularly in the all-important red zone. He would have added a big-time blocker to their running game. And the effect he would have had in the locker room would have been off the charts.
"I know he's 32,"
Peterson said. "But I haven't seen any drop-off in this guy. None. He is playing at the same level he was last year and the year before and the year before that."
"He's not just the best receiving tight end in this league. He's also the best blocking tight end I've ever seen. When people talked about us sending three offensive linemen to the Pro Bowl [tackle Willie Roaf and guards Will Shields and Brian Waters], I'd say, 'No, we sent four. Because Tony was as responsible for our running success with Larry [Johnson] and Priest [Holmes] as those other guys.'"
