Eagles and Patriots make a big deadline day deal

Posted by Darin Gantt on October 29, 2013, 3:52 PM EDT
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The NFL trade deadline is usually devoid of drama, but there has been a deal.

And if the guy involved fell into a pool, it would make a big splash.

The Eagles announced they traded 330-pound nose tackle Isaac Sopoaga and a sixth-round pick to the Patriots in exchange for a fifth-round pick.

Sopoaga has started seven games for the Eagles this season after coming over from the 49ers, but the Patriots had more of a need for him.

They were extremely thin after Vince Wilfork went down for the season, and Sopoaga gives them a serviceable player inside for a relatively small price.

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75 responses to “Eagles and Patriots make a big deadline day deal”

  3. Damn I was hoping they were going to go after Jared Alled.

    Still, any help is good at this point.

  5. I read the headline, clicked on it, read it, read it again to make sure I didn’t miss something, and then thought to myself “Ohhh, how funny. :|”

  9. So they trade their starting NT to New England in order to move from the top of the 6th round down to the end of the 5th round.

    Really tired of the way this organization operates. Howie Roseman is a joke.

  12. Gee. This news is like waking up X-mas morning, running downstairs to the biggest box you can find, and ripping it open, only to find shirts and socks from your old aunt who lives out of town.

    ;o)

  14. As a Patriots fan im ecstatic with this trade. Chris Jones has been a revelation for us with 4.5 sacks in 5 games but he is more suited in third down situations whereas sapoaga is that veteran run suffer that we need to shore up our porous run D

  15. silverhornet says:

    shameful.
    _______________

    WTH are you talking about ? Two teams made a legal trade within the trade deadline that violates no rules. And looking at Sopoaga’s history it seems like a pretty balanced trade.

    How this could be considered “shameful” by anyone is ridiculous.

  17. Hard to understand how this helps the Eagles at all unless they can’t afford to feed the guy any more.

  19. pigbenis69 says:Oct 29, 2013 4:00 PM

    So they trade their starting NT to New England in order to move from the top of the 6th round down to the end of the 5th round.

    Really tired of the way this organization operates. Howie Roseman is a joke.

    ——————————

    Yeah, why would you ever trade an aging free agent to move up in the draft and free up space for a rookie (Bennie Logan) to play more? What a joke!

  21. sapoaga is that veteran run suffer that we need to shore up our porous run D

    ********************************************************

    Good Luck . . he did nothing for us.

  23. This is a good deal for New England . A 330 lb run stuffer as Jones & Vellano have done well , Sopoaga can “help” fill the void from losing Big Vince. Hopefully this will help with teams gashing us with runs up the middle.

    A player who has started 7 games this season & 6th for a 5th round pick?

    Sounds like a good deal for New England.

  25. He’s a 32 year old DT with 7 tackles and 0 sacks on the year for the Eagles. I’m thinking they could do without all his “production”.

    Is this headline referring to it being “big deadline deal” because the guy weighs 330 lbs?

  26. So the Eagles have given up 21pts or less the past 4 weeks with this guy at starting NT and they get rid of him? I mean, he’s not demanding double teams, as they are blitzing ILBs every single play and getting no penetration, but still… if they had someone better on the roster, they’d have had him out there instead of Sopoaga.

  28. An Eagles’ 6th round pick can’t end up being any more than maybe just a few spots later than a Patriots’ 5th rounder, eh?

    So this “relatively small price” is essentially = the extra push the Pats might get from, say, Sopoaga farting to give himself more leverage in the middle of the line attepmting to block a FG ?

  29. This is a very very small move, but these type of moves are why the Pats have stayed competitive every year. Draft picks are like darts, the more you have to throw, the better odds you’ll hit the bullseye.

  32. Given how bad the Eagles and how good the Patriots are, this move could essentially wind up being the Eagles trading a starter to move up from the top 5 of round 6 to the bottom 5 of round 5.

    Why do people continue to ship serviceable players to New England for little or nothing in return?

  34. So the Eagles have given up 21pts or less the past 4 weeks with this guy at starting NT and they get rid of him? I mean, he’s not demanding double teams, as they are blitzing ILBs every single play and getting no penetration, but still… if they had someone better on the roster, they’d have had him out there instead of Sopoaga.

    ———————————-

    He played 39% of the defensive snaps and has 10 tackles in 8 games. I can’t believe they got rid of this guy!

  35. The missing piece! That’s what the media and Pats fans say any time they trade/draft/sign someone via free agency.

    I do like them making a move since it at least shows they grasp the concept of trying to improve by filling a need as a contender. Too bad more teams don’t clue in at the deadline.

  36. So they trade their starting NT to New England in order to move from the top of the 6th round down to the end of the 5th round.

    Really tired of the way this organization operates. Howie Roseman is a joke.
    ———————————

    What a meaningful opinion coming from pigbenis69.

    This was a FA acquisition that did not pan out at all, and we lose nothing by making this trade. Sopoaga would not have been on the team next year anyways. The Eagles are not winning anything this year, the future is all we should be concerned about. I wouldn’t have cared if the Eagles traded Mike Vick, Jason Avant, Riley Cooper, Todd Herremans, Trent Cole, and DeMeco Ryans all for draft picks at the deadline.

  38. jaredo10 says:
    Oct 29, 2013 4:12 PM
    Who wants to bet. Eagles will sign Ratliff..
    —

    Could be this too.

  42. pigbenis69 says:
    Oct 29, 2013 4:00 PM

    This has more to do with how Bennie Logan has played then it does about moving up a dozen spots in the draft. Sopoaga has been horrible this year and has been out played by Logan. Maybe you make him Logan’s back up if all things are equal , but they arent. Sopoaga is making to much money to be used as a backup on running downs. So not only does this allow the Eagles to move up in the draft but also saves the Eagles a bunch of money and allows a rookie who has out played him more chances to get on the field.

  43. If memory serves, Sopoaga was at one time arguably a top-five nose tackle in the NFL. Based on New England’s need alone at NT—not to mention Sopoaga’s versatility at playing defensive end, as well as the minimal price for the trade—this deal makes sense from New England’s perspective. Hopefully, there won’t be too much of a drop off in his “motor” because of his age.

  47. As a 49ers fan, this is actually a pretty even trade. Soap is the type of player who tends to go as the defense goes. You can’t look at his stats because his impact comes from shoving linemen out of their run block assignments and creating holes for the middle linebackers to penetrate and tackle the running back. He’s nothing special but when the whole defense is firing on all cylinders, he’ll step up his game to meet their level.

    He’s not gonna get you double digit sacks every season but he’ll probably shave a few rushing first downs off your team’s stats. Plus, if you line him up on offense, he can catch.

  50. If & when T. Kelley returns, they won’t be quite the sieve against the run they’ve been the last few games.

  54. Never heard of the player in the article. He was a give away to the Patriots considering the compensation. That trade was just shy of the player and a 5th round pick for the other teams 6th round pick.

  57. Trading Isaac Sopoaga and a sixth-round pick to the Patriots in exchange for a fifth-round pick is big???

    Are you sure that you’re not confusing the deal with Sopoaga’s physique.

    Hope they enjoy a NT in his twilight.

  58. LOL at anyone who clicked the headline devoid of big names and then got mad that no big name was hiding inside.

    Welcome to the Internet. It’s gonna be a tricky place for ya.

  59. “Why do teams always help the Pats?”

    “Hard to understand how this helps the Eagles at all unless they can’t afford to feed the guy any more.”

    —————————————–

    the guy wasnt getting on the field with the eagles anyway (probably because he can’t play), so they basically upgraded their draft pick

  60. couldn’t find any takers for Vick for even a 6th could you?

    Oh well back to the Vick hype train where he’s all world and deserves all the money and attention.

  61. You Eagle fans are quite hilarious and bitter…

    A nose tackle that aligns at zero technique isn’t going to have big stats by definition of the position he plays. What he can do is tie up 2 gaps so the LB’s can make a play. And he also has starting experience as a DE. Sop isn’t going to wow you with sacks, or have large upside at his age. But he is a capable starter at multiple positions on the line, and definitely worth more than a handful of draft spots. The Pats made a great under the radar move, the Eagles lost more than they gained.

  63. Much needed move for a big body. Whenever I saw him play in San Fran the past few years I noticed he was hard to move on the line. When Tommy Kelly gets back hopefully after the bye, the Pats may have enough beef upfront to minimize the loss of Wilfork.

    No Mayo is big too, but they are pretty deep at LB and might just be ok there as well. Talib is the key to the entire defense being Super Bowl caliber.

  64. harrisonhits2 says:

    Damn I was hoping they were going to go after Jared Alled.

    Still, any help is good at this point.

    ———-

    Why, though? We don’t need another DE at this point. I’m much happier that he grabbed a DL.

  65. He is prolly hurt. Was not like he was tearing anything up. Good luck with that Pats. All I have seen all season is opposeing qb’s with all day to throw. Even bad qb’s looked good against the Eagle’s pass rush, exspecially from the middle of the d-line.

  68. Eagles get badly needed cap space.

    NE gets strong NT, especially when Kelly comes back. Their 2 rookies have far exceeded expectations on pass plays, but struggle in short yardage. Couple that w/some strong LB’s and Talib coming back [ he dictates their defense],,and next to KC, may have strongest D in AFC,,in spite of what the blowhard jets wish to chirp.

  69. He was a sweet guy, didnt play like a starter, we aint winning a SB this year so in my mind…stock pile picks so we have more chips to MOVE UP FOR A STAR QB.

  70. LOL…Karma is A B1Tch
    NOW Patriots are insecure because they are
    #CHEATERS
    #SPYGATE (0-2 in SB’s since no cameras)
    18-1 CHOKERS
    WELKER made BRADY now BRADY sucks and is among the worst QB’s in the league
    all pats players are made of glass
    They are the worst 6-2 team in NFL history

  74. What’s not being reported is the pats picked up half his signing bonus. As usual its all about the money.

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