Premature Roster Cuts

Edit: This is not the real list of cuts afterall. You can find the actual list here.

Edit: This may be premature, or the list could have been accidently leaked. The link no longer lists the cuts, and says that "Roster Cuts To Be Announced Saturday". Either way I will keep this up until further notice. It is also being reported on WIP that Rocca made the team, and Jeremy Bloom was cut.

Nate Ilaoa (RB) Big back with good hands, needs to develop pass blocking skills
Jason Davis (FB) Good natural runner who worked way back from ACL injury in '06
Jeremy Cain (FB/LS) After playing with the Bears as a linebacker, tried to stick as fullback
Jeremy Bloom (WR) Didn't provide boost in return game as Eagles hoped
J.J. Outlaw (WR) Developed as an outside receiver, but couldn't break numbers crunch
Michael Gasperson (WR) Tall receiver who was practice squad project past two seasons
Zac Collie (WR) Had great touchdown grab vs. Jets and another lost due to penalty
Lee Vickers (TE) Converted defensive end who Eagles took on as project
Jonathan Palmer (T) Too many experienced veterans, even at backup spots
Jasper Harvey © Eagles already have two young, atheltic centers
Jacob Hobbs (G) Small-school product was the lightest O lineman in camp
Pat McCoy (T) Rookie free agent last year, didn't take big enough step in Year 2
Marques Murrell (DE) Great pass-rush ability, but too small to play the run
Mauricio Lopez (DT) Space-eater, but not enough push for what Jim Johnson needs
Ian Scott (DT) Run stuffer whose knee injury hindered his progress
Akeem Jordan (LB) Quick, but undersized for position
Dedrick Roper (LB) Special teams demon, lost time in camp with foot injury
Dustin Fox (CB) Former third-round pick slowed by Achilles injury
Nick Graham (CB) A difficult cut after consistent performance since May
Marcus Paschal (S) Was neck-to-neck with C.J. Gaddis all camp
Erick Harris (S) Seasoned in NFL Europa, couldn't beat out Gaddis for fourth spot
Dirk Johnson (P) A steady force, had some of the best seasons in team history

>>PE.com

My Thoughts:

Rocca wins the punting dual- I am very happy to see this. Even though I am a little nervous about Rocca holding for Akers, I think it is worth it, because he booms 60 yard punts from the end zone, and had a knack for pinning balls inside the 20. He also seems to be getting better at holding, as he got it down, and the laces out properly for Akers successful 43 yard field goal. Akers seemed pleased, and it seems that Rocca will be able to learn this skill.

I feel bad for Dirk, he did have a pretty good camp as well, and it must suck to just have your job taken away from you. That is the reality of the NFL though. I am pretty sure he will get picked up somewhere else in the near future.

Bloom Cut- As I speculated before, Jeremy Bloom was on his way out. Another poor performance against the Jets sealed his fate. He went down at first contact, and tended to run towards the edge, even when the play was not designed to go that way. You might be able to outrun people to that edge in college, but not in the NFL.

Ian Scott- Injuries kept Scott out all of pre season, and most of training camp. His absence gave Jeremy Clark a great opportunity to make the team, which he took full advantage of. In the Jets game he had a sack, a tackle for a loss, and a few stuffs. Scott was considered to be a big pickup for the team, but you can't make the team on the sidelines.

Barksdale in Graham Out- Nick Graham was very solid for the team, but so was Barksdale. Barksdale has more potential, and that was likely the deciding factor. Graham is a great candidate for the practice squad, if he does not get signed anywhere else.

"Bubble Boys"

Jerome McDougle, DE -- The Eagles traded up to select the former University of Miami standout with the 15th overall pick in the 2003 NFL draft, but his pro career seemed doomed from the start. McDougle skipped out on the first week of training camp to get a six-year contract from the Eagles that included $6.122 million in bonuses. McDougle suffered injuries to his ankle, knee and hip in the final preseason game of his rookie year against the Jets at Lincoln Financial Field and missed the first eight games.

In 2004, McDougle first was put on the shelf with an irregular heartbeat, then lost four games to a sprained knee. He missed all of 2005 after being shot in the abdomen during a robbery attempt near his home in Miami on the eve of training camp. He saw his most action last season, but over a most forgettable four-year career in which he has never started a game, McDougle has just 23 solo tackles and three sacks. The Eagles likely will begin the season with 10 defensive linemen.

McDougle is not expected to be one of them.

Ryan Moats, RB -- The Eagles had high hopes that Moats could serve as an apprentice under Brian Westbrook after selecting the former Louisiana Tech running back 77th overall in the 2005 draft.

But Moats has seen far more action on his Internet blog than on the field, where he has been rendered inactive for 19 of a possible 34 games and has rushed for only 347 yards and three touchdowns on 44 carries.

Correll Buckhalter, Penn State rookie Tony Hunt and Thomas Tapeh are virtual locks to make the team.

Matt McCoy, LB -- Unless the Eagles think the former second-round draft pick out of San Diego State can help dramatically on special teams, the undersized McCoy could be history.

Listed at 5-foot-11 and 230 pounds, McCoy played even smaller than that while starting 10 of the first 11 games of 2006 at weakside linebacker. He lost his job to rookie Omar Gaither after the Indianapolis Colts ran up 420 yards of total offense, including 237 on the ground, Nov. 26 at the RCA Dome.

McCoy could stick if the team keeps seven linebackers. If not, it appears he'll have to beat out Tank Daniels as Gaither, Jeremiah Trotter, Takeo Spikes, Chris Gocong and Stewart Bradley are all, barring injury, dialed in.

Kelly Holcomb, QB -- The veteran Holcomb was thrown into the March trade that sent Darwin Walker to the Buffalo Bills in exchange for Spikes. He would have been safe as the team's third-string QB behind Donovan McNabb and A.J. Feeley had the Eagles not drafted Kevin Kolb with the 36th pick in the 2007 draft.
..Read more at the Trenton Times>>

Star from Australia kicks up a storm

Sunday, May 13, 2007
By NICK FIERRO
The Express-Times

http://www.nj.com/eagles/expresstimes/index.ssf?/base/sports-0/1179029401242930.xml&coll=2

PHILADELPHIA Despite the claims of his new head coach, Saverio Rocca's biggest adjustment in switching professional sports at age 33 will be extreme inactivity.

"There is a lot of down time and it's something that I'm going to have to get used to," the aspiring Eagles punter said of his first American football practice at minicamp on Saturday. "... We were standing on the other side (of the practice field), just waiting for our turn to come up. We were over there for an hour.

"It just seems like it's laid-back for the kickers, and all the other guys were busting their bums out there doing their work."

Rocca, a phenomenon in Australian rules football for most of the 1990s and the earlier part of this decade, decided last year that he wanted to give the NFL a try. He worked out for a couple of teams before signing with the Eagles not long after their season-ending playoff defeat in New Orleans.

Saturday, he did nothing to diminish the legend he carved for himself in Australia as one of the most powerful kickers in sports. Not all of his punts were better than incumbent Dirk Johnson's, but a good many were both longer and higher than any the Eagles have seen in a long time.

"I thought he did a nice job," coach Andy Reid said. "He has to be more consistent. This is the first time he had a football helmet on. It is a little different experience, but he sure is a competitor. He was a great player in Australia. We'll just see how he does here."

Rocca has a ways to go before earning a spot on the final roster, though. As Reid pointed out, in addition to wearing a helmet for the first time, Rocca has yet to face a live rush or even strap on pads.

Plus, until he faces game situations requiring directional kicks, nobody knows if he'll be able to master that, either.

Yet his all-around athletic skills remain intriguing, to say the least. Having played the Australian game, which is a tad more brutal than the brand played here, Rocca is a full-contact beast of a man at 6 feet, 4 inches and 255 pounds. He can kick on the run or just run without kicking it and dare tacklers to take him down.

None of those options have been discussed yet, according to Rocca, because he's still just trying to learn the American game.

Back home, he led the Australian Football League in goalkicking 10 times in 15 seasons, although he was dropped in his final season to the North Ballarat Roosters of the Victorian Football League, a minor-league affiliate of the AFL.

As an NFL punter, he could have plenty of prime years left if he proves he can play the game. "That's my aim," he said. "I'm not here just filling time. I want the job and I'm going to do everything I can to get it."

After 15 years of mostly star status in Australia, Rocca wouldn't mind the relative anonymity of being an NFL punter. In fact, he would prefer a lower profile at this stage of his career. It's one of the main reasons he came over.

But his primary motivation was fear of regret.

"There are a couple Aussies over here that are doing it," Rocca said, "and I know that I've got a good leg and can boom it a long way, so I thought I'd give it a go. I didn't want to wake up 20, 30 years from now wondering if I could have done it."

Nick Fierro can be reached at 800-360-3601 or by e-mail at nfierro@express-times.com.

Dirk might be in trouble. I keep hearing great things about Rocca. they say his hang time is rediculous. I'm all for improving the team un any way. Dirk was just below average last year, and having a good punter can be an undervalued weapon. Here is a video of Saverio, and his brother in the AFL. Not the NFL, but just watch Sav boot the football. Dude can kick.