Garcia Brought In; Baskett on the Market?

Ex-Eagle Jeff Garcia has just signed a contract with Philadelphia to backup Kevin Kolb for a game or two. The Oakland Raiders recently cut Garcia and no teams were looking at him to be their starting quarterback. Although he stirred up some interest, he decided to come back to the Eagles and play for a winner.

With Donovan McNabb’s status for the next couple of games in question, the Eagles were without a backup quarterback. Michael Vick will not be allowed to return until Week 3, so the only QB on the roster was Kevin Kolb. It was an obvious move to sign another arm, but not an obvious move going with Garcia.

Most people thought A.J. Feeley was packing his bags to rejoin the team that cut him just a week ago. Instead, he signed with the Panthers, and Garcia is back in Philadelphia. Andy Reid talked about the decision:

“We did go with Jeff Garcia,” Reid said . “It was either with Jeff or A.J. (Feeley). A.J. ended up going to Carolina and signed with them, that’s a long-term deal for him. Jeff’s going to come on board with us for who knows how long here.

“We’re lucky that Jeff was available. Someone who knows the offense, has been very, very successful in the offense, and can come in and also be a positive influence for Kevin Kolb and everyone else in the locker room.”

“Just to be able to come back to an organization that I have such memories with and have had a great experience with in the past, and to be a part of a team that seems to have the direction that everybody would want to be a part of, whether it’s for a week or two weeks or an entire season, I’m excited about the opportunity.”

“I think, based upon by tutelage in the West Coast system throughout my career and when I was in Philly three seasons ago, it was very natural for me and very comfortable for me, the entire offensive system is pretty much what I had done when I was in San Francisco and then when I spent the one year in Detroit under (Steve) Mariucci (former head coach), so many similarities between the two offenses. Having been with Marty Mornhinweg when I was in San Francisco, there is definitely some crossover,” said Garcia.

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Hobbs Talks; Baskett Marries; Other News

-Ellis Hobbs stopped by ESPN.com to chat about the move from New England to Philadelphia. He said of his new team, “We’re loaded with talent and all we have to do is put it together.” Asked about whether he will be returning kicks for his new team, “That’s the million-dollar question right there. I would like to, if I can still be successful at it, but we would have to see, depending on the status.” He also joked about his unhappiness paying the $4 dollar toll from New Jersey into Philadephia every day. Hobbs, like many Philly athletes, lives in the southern New Jersey suburbs.

-Wide receiver Hank Baskett married Kendra Wilkinson last weekend. The two are also expecting a baby. I am surprised that she fell for Baskett, but you have to give him credit for that pull.

-Former Eagles safety Sean Considine is now the starting strong safety for the Jacksonville Jaguars. He wanted the opportunity to start, and now he’s got it with the Jaguars.

-Some early training camp schedules have been released, with the rookies set to report July 26th while the veterans will report July 29th.

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Jason Avant: Breakout Candidate in 2009?

Pat Kirwan of NFL.com recently did a piece on 10 wide receivers who are poised to make a Steve Breaston-like leap forward in the upcoming season. He puts Eagles wideout Jason Avant at #3 and has some flattering words for the youngster.

3. Jason Avant, Philadelphia Eagles: Unless you talk with an Eagles coach or Donovan McNabb, you might not realize how much this franchise likes Avant. One Eagles executive called him the best slot receiver in the NFL. With all of the attention focused on DeSean Jackson and rookie Jeremy Maclin, Avant should have a very productive year. He has improved his receptions totals in each of his three NFL seasons, from 7 to 23 to 32 last year.

Certainly seems that Avant will have an opportunity to increase his production out of the slot once again this year. The other Eagle wideouts, Kevin Curtis, DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, Reggie Brown, and Hank Baskett, mostly play on the outside. Not saying that they could not handle a transition into the slot, but it is more likely that they rotate on the outside and leave the bulk of the slot duty to Avant.

Kirwan broke down his rankings by projected receptions in 2009. The first five guys on the list (including Avant at #3) are projected to catch 60-80 balls next year. After hauling in 32 last year and examining the quantity of weapons on this offense, there is just no way that Avant gets near 80 catches this year. I can maybe see him continue his trend upward to the tune of say, 50 catches. Even that may be stretching it a bit.

All things considered though, Avant is a quality player who has solid hands and strong route running ability. He is not afraid to make the tough catch over the middle and is a hard man to cover on third downs. I’m excited to see him continue to improve, and maybe prove the Eagles right in their thinking that he is one of the best slot receivers in the game.

Check out great catches from Avant here and here.

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Hank Baskett and Wife Kendra Wilkinson

What a lucky guy Hank Baskett is. He is married to former Playboy playmate and Hugh Hefner girlfriend Kendra Wilkinson. And he gets to hang out with her in Vegas when he’s not in Philadelphia catching balls from D-Mac. Picture below courtesy of The 700 Level.

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