Amaro: Brown Still An Untouchable

from Philly.com

Domonic Brown is once again the Phillies’ top minor-league prospect, but you can rest assured he’s in no mood to celebrate that distinction.

Nine weeks after the Phillies promoted Brown to be their starting rightfielder, he is starting over again as a leftfielder at triple-A Lehigh Valley following Friday night’s blockbuster trade that brought two-time all-star Hunter Pence to the Phillies.

Had the Phillies not traded pitcher Jarred Cosart and first baseman Jonathan Singleton to the Astros for Pence, it could be argued that Brown would be the third best minor-league prospect in the organization.

A baseball source said Saturday that the Astros thought they could have had Brown, but they were more interested in the 19-year-old Singleton because they project him as a guy who could one day hit 30-plus home runs with a very high on-base percentage.

Maclin Battling Mysterious Illness

by Jeff Offord on Phillyburbs.com

Now we know why Jeremy Maclin has not been at training camp. And it has nothing to do with money.

Maclin is battling an illness. Head coach Andy Reid wouldn’t say what kind of illness, but he did say he didn’t know when the wide receiver would finally make it to Lehigh University.

With Maclin out, and fellow starter at wide receiver DeSean Jackson holding out in hopes of getting a new contract, the Eagles have spent all their time at training camp without their starting wideouts.

That’s enough to temper the mood a bit around Lehigh. The place has been buzzing since the Birds inked cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, signed defensive end Jason Babin, traded for corner Dominique Rodgers-Croomartie and signed free-agent defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins.

“I really can’t talk about it until he gets up here,’’ Reid said about Maclin’s illness. “And that’s no pressure on him or I’m pushing. I just want what’s best for him and that’s all I care about right now. This is a personal thing and I can’t go any further than that.

“When it’s taken care of, then we’ll talk. But right now, I’m saying you guys, I’ve had a chance to talk to him every day and we all love the kid. He’s nothing but toughness and grit and everything. He loves to play the game, but we just have to get this part taken care of.”

Maclin suffered through a mono-like illness during the offseason and lost about 15 pounds. He did practice briefly during the Eagles informal workouts in Evesham in May.

Eagles Add Cullen Jenkins

By Dan Graziano on ESPN.com

Okay, this is starting to feel a little bit like a joke now.

Two days after adding Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Jason Babin and one day after signing top free-agent cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, the Philadelphia Eagles have added yet another coveted piece to their rapidly improving defense, announcing a five-year contract for free-agent defensive lineman Cullen Jenkins. Adam Schefter reports via Twitter that the deal is worth $25 million.

Jenkins had been connected in pre-free-agency speculation to a couple of NFC East teams, the Redskins and the Cowboys. He was pursued by many teams due to his versatility — he’s played in 4-3 schemes as well as 3-4 schemes during his time in Green Bay. The Eagles’ official release announcing the deal describes Jenkins as a defensive tackle, which may offer some idea of how they plan to use him. But he’s been an end in multiple schemes and is likely to rotate his pass-rushing skills around to multiple line positions under first-year Eagles defensive line coach Jim Washburn. He will provide a lethal interior rush to complement the outside rush they hope to get from Babin and Trent Cole.

Eagles: Talks With Danny Watson Have Hit A Wall

By Jeff McLane and Jonathan Tamari on Philly.com

Negotiations between the Eagles and top draft pick Danny Watkins have hit a wall.

Eagles officials have become frustrated with the pace of talks with agent Eric Metz, while Metz’s group points to their negotiating a deal for No. 9 pick tackle Tyron Smith as evidence that they can get a deal done.

When Joe Panos, who works with Metz, was asked about the slow pace, he pointed out that negotiations for Smith – who was drafted by the Cowboys – “went in a very timely matter, and he was signed and in camp by Thursday.”

Asomugha Wanted To Play For Eagles All Along

by Peter King on SI.com

I was just sitting on some bleachers with Falcons cornerback Dunta Robinson and he was shaking his head in awe about Darrelle Revis and Nnamdi Asomugha playing together at corner in New York. “Unbelievable,” he said. “Do you have any idea how hard it’ll be to throw on them?”

No, and we never will. I just texted Robinson to tell him the stunning news — Asomugha, through his crafty agent Ben Dogra, just agreed to a five-year, $60 million deal with Philadelphia. Not the Jets. Not the Cowboys. The Eagles, who add Asomugha to a stable of corners that already includes Asante Samuel and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. Wouldn’t be surprised to see Samuel dealt, but I was just told by a good source that it’s no gimme the Eagles will deal Samuel.

Hunter Pence-sylvania

by Todd Zolecki on mlb.com

Hunter Pence had heard the speculation he could be traded to Philadelphia, so he approached Roy Halladay earlier this month at the All-Star Game in Phoenix and asked him about everything Philly.

Halladay happily obliged.

“I didn’t think of it as a sales pitch at the time, but I think I did a pretty good job,” Halladay said.

Eagles Nab Prized Free Agent CB Nnamdi Asomugha

by Bo Wulf on philadelphiaeagles.com

In a move that took the entire football world by surprise, the Philadelphia Eagles swooped in out of nowhere to sign the premier target of the free agent market, All-Pro cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha. Asomugha joins newly acquired Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Asante Samuel in what is now a stacked Eagles secondary.

The team also announced they agreed to terms with Pro Bowl defensive end Jason Babin. Both Babin and Asomugha will be inked to five-year deals. Wide receiver Johnnie Lee Higgins and tight end Donald Lee also agreed to terms with Eagles, both on one-year deals. The team issued the following press release.

The Philadelphia Eagles today announced they have agreed to terms with Pro Bowl CB Nnamdi Asomugha and Pro Bowl DE Jason Babin, each to five-year deals. The team also signed WR Johnnie Lee Higgins and TE Donald Lee, each to one-year deals.

A three-time Pro Bowler from 2008-10 and a four-time All Pro selection (2006, 2008-10), Asomugha (6-2, 210) has played in 122 career games (99 starts), and accumulated 310 tackles, 11 interceptions, 62 passes defensed and two sacks. Widely regarded as one of the top cover cornerbacks in the NFL, Asomugha earned his third straight trip to the Pro Bowl in 2010 after contributing 19 tackles and six passes defensed, anchoring a Raiders defense that ranked second in the NFL behind San Diego by allowing just 189.2 passing yards per game.

Stewart Bradley Joins Arizona Cardinals

by Joel Thurman on sbnation.com

It wasn’t a good year to be an unrestricted free agent on the Philadelphia Eagles because they didn’t re-sign any of their own free agents. That meant LB Stewart Bradley was on the open market looking for his next job.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, that job will come in Arizona with the Cardinals. Bradley agreed to terms on a deal with the Cardinals though the length and amount on the contract is unclear.

He can’t officially sign his deal until 6:00 p.m. (ET) Friday night and can’t practice until Aug. 4.

Bradley was the Eagles 2007 third round pick and developed into a solid reserve his first couple of season. In 2009, he suffered an injury that ended his season early but he came in 2010 to start 12 games for the Eagles.

He has a strong shot at earning a starting job in Arizona but it won’t be easy with the shortened offseason caused by the lockout. He now has about five weeks to prepare to start for the Cardinals come Week 1.

Phillies Exploring Three Team Deals To Get Hunter Pence

by Jayson Stark on ESPN.com

There was a flurry of action revolving around the Astros’ 28-year-old energizer (Hunter Pence) Thursday or, at the very least, a whole lot of breaking news stories that told us that flurry was engulfing the Astros as relentlessly as a midsummer Texas mosquito attack.

But by late Thursday night, there was evidence the Red Sox, Reds, Pirates and Indians had peeled off after hearing the price tag, leaving only the Phillies and Braves. And by Friday, indications were the Phillies were essentially the last team standing.

The Braves, according to sources, offered a package that included prospects they weren’t willing to dangle in front of the Mets on Carlos Beltran — but got shut down. One source who spoke with the Braves’ brass Friday came away convinced they were out of it and moving on.

So that leaves the Phillies, who have made Pence far and away their No. 1 target. But because the Phillies and Astros haven’t been able to agree on players beyond the Phillies’ initial offer, other clubs reported Friday they’re now exploring potential three-team deals to put the pieces together.

The reason for that: The Phillies initially offered their two best prospects, pitcher Jarred Cosart and first baseman Jonathan Singleton, and were told that wasn’t enough. The Phillies then offered to include their right fielder, Domonic Brown. But the Astros, according to one team that spoke with them, would prefer to spin Brown elsewhere for multiple prospects than take him themselves.

So both clubs have been contacting other teams, trying to construct a creative enough deal to work for everybody. According to an official of one club that got drawn into those talks, the chances of that happening are “50-50.” But it sure won’t be because they aren’t actively trying.

Michael Vick To Mentor Vince Young

by Reuben Frank on CSNPhilly.com

Michael Vick is something of an expert on being a veteran quarterback with a lot of baggage that most teams don’t want but got a chance with the Eagles.

His signing worked out fairly well. And Vick is confident the Vince Young signing will also work out just fine for the Eagles.

“You’ve got to go out and get the best player, no matter what anybody is saying about them or what happened in their past,” Vick said. “You’ve got to give yourself the best chance of winning. So go out and get the best players and give them a chance to compete each and every Sunday.”

The Eagles plan to sign Young later Friday, and if all goes well, he’ll be on the Lehigh University practice fields as early as Saturday.

Young, twice a Pro Bowl quarterback with the Titans, was released by Tennessee on Thursday and will become Vick’s backup, with second-year pro Mike Kafka retaining his job as the Eagles’ No. 3 quarterback.