Akers Heads to San Fran, Leonard Weaver Released, Vince Young Eyeing Birds?

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The movement on the NFL scene continues into the night on Thursday, with now-former Eagles kicker David Akers leaving Philadelphia after more than a decade of service. Fortunately, he's not fulfilling my nightmare scenario and moving within the division, but we will see him once this season, when the San Francisco 49ers come to the Linc on October 2.

Another fan favorite is also leaving the team tonight. The Birds have released fullback Leonard Weaver, who is still far from returning to football shape, if he does at all. If you haven't already, watch this video. Weave wasn't an Eagle long, but he gained a lot of fans in this town during his stay here, and he'll probably continue to do so. Despite sports fans' occasional tendency for going toward the negative, a guy who radiates this kind of genuine positivity is rare, and everyone seems to love him. And uh, not for nuthin, but Weaver played his ass off as an Eagle. That rare combination of skill and the ability to flatten a defender is hard to come by. Unfortunately, his departure from the Birds appears to have been made more difficult by the possibility that he found out about his release from a reporter, without so much as a call from the team, per Weaver's Twitter account. The team is disputing that claim, telling Reuben Frank that Weaver found out from a team official. 

Finally, a bit of speculation on someone interested in finding his way into Midnight Green—Vince Young.

After Kevin Kolb was dealt on Thursday, the Eagles are left with Mike Kafka as their backup, which is a concern given his lack of experience and the possibility that Michael Vick—like any NFL starter—could miss some games in the coming season. We've been spoiled in the backup quarterback department in recent years, but at present, most fans are waiting to see if the Eagles can land a backup with some experience and the ability to step in and keep a contender on track if need be.

And, earlier on Thursday, the Tennessee Titans released Vince Young, as expected. Also as expected, VY has already been linked to the Eagles. The third overall pick in 2006 had a rocky exit in Tennessee, and despite his winning record (30-17) in the league, even some QB-hungry teams will shy away from him. He's only .500 when it comes to TDs and INTs (42 each), and coaches may not want to deal with the baggage of getting him back on track as a backup. But will the Eagles?

The Birds could use a backup, and if they weren't gun-shy on Michael Vick coming out of Leavenworth, they can probably handle VY's issues. ESPN's Adam Schefter has a source saying Young is "eyeing the Philadelphia Eagles as a potential destination" and that others around the league see the Birds as the favorite to land him. Makes sense. If I'm Young's agent, I'm putting that word out there, just like Drew Rosenhaus did with Plaxico Burress.

And, if I'm the Birds, I'm taking a long look at Young.

CBSSports' Clark Judge tweeted this tonight:

Vince Young going to Eagles as backup to Vick. Now two first-rounders (top 3) at same spot.

While he backed off a bit in his next tweet, clarifying that nothing was official, Judge still things Young's on his way to Philly.

An interesting end to an interesting day for the Eagles.

Photo: Steve Mitchell-US Presswire

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