Ernie Sims

 

NFL personnel quote on possible eagles pick

 

OK, Mr. A, could you please give me one sleeper, a guy who's not projected near the top of the board but might slip in?

"Ernie Sims, outside linebacker from Florida State. I see him listed as the fourth- or fifth-best linebacker on some charts. He's a lot better than that. An undersized guy with tremendous athletic ability."

Eagles - Don't Ask, Don't Tell

Thank you Mr. Hofmann for perfectly capturing the fans’ current frustration. You could have added the bizarre Jon Runyan situation to your list of examples.

 

After losing out on LeCharles Bentley, fans thought re-signing Runyan would be a priority. Given the Eagles’ current surplus cap status, you would think that structuring the deal with added bonus money or an extra million in base salary (what’s it matter, they’re so far under the cap they won’t be able to spend it all) just to ensure the continuity on the line and send a message that the Eagles don’t discard team leaders over pennies would be a no brainer.

 

Yet the Eagles let Runyan visit the Jets. Why? Were they letting him test the market so he could see for himself his true value? Did the Eagles not think he was worth what he was seeking? Had the Eagles determined that his skills had deteriorated and he was part of the offensive line’s problems last year? The point is, as you pointed out today, we don’t know. Heck, we still don’t know the answers to some of these questions even after he’s now re-signed.

 

The Eagles have been masterful in managing their salary cap, but sometimes – in cases like Jon Runyan – the Eagles front office gives the impression that they are hardball negotiators whose bottomline is the bottomline. What else are we to think? The Eagles won’t tell us.