The Great Eagles Debate: T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Anquan Boldin, or Antonio Bryant?

As a Philadelphia Eagles fan, this phrase has sickened me for the past four seasons. We all know it. "They need to get a big-time receiver."

Who can argue with the fans' logic? The one time the Eagles had a top-notch receiver in this decade, they won the NFC Championship.

With the Eagles now having two true starting wide receivers on the roster now, demand for another stud is heating up. Future free agent, T.J. Houshmandzadeh did nothing to calm the Philly faithfuls with his comments on ESPN, saying, "If the Eagles are interested in me, let's put it like this. If they’ll be interested in me, I’ll be interested in them."

Houshmandzadeh would really give the Eagles another outside threat, which they have lacked in recent seasons. I love his size and physical abilities.

The best part about his game is his hands. Houshmandzadeh arguably has the best hands in the NFL, which is really great about him. The Eagles have been among the league leaders in drops for the past three seasons.

The only negative I have against him would be his age. He will turn 32 years old at the beginning of next season. Do the Eagles really want to get locked into a long-term deal with a player who might not be around halfway through it?

Now, we move to Anquan Boldin.

This is a situation that really annoys me. Don't get me wrong, Boldin is an amazing player. I love the way he plays. He runs like a boulder. Tacklers just bounce off of him as if they were childeren.

The thing that annoys me is that people think that the Cardinals are willing to part ways with Boldin for nothing. He would need to be acquired through a trade. Someone, please tell me, what can the Eagles trade for him?

Do not say Lito Sheppard or Reggie Brown. My left shoe has more trade value than both Brown and Sheppard combined. Neither could find the field much in 2008 and really played poorly when on it.

Unless the Eagles package some draft picks, one being a first-rounder, and maybe a young player like Bryan Smith or Omar Gaither, don't expect Boldin to get anywhere near Philadelphia.

That leads us to Antonio Bryant.

This is a very interesting situation. Bryant came out of nowhere in 2008 to be one of the NFC's top receivers. He is a free agent and I don't believe he will be back in Tampa Bay, despite the Bucs willingness to re-sign him.

He has very good speed, solid hands, and good size, which are all the tools of a star player. It seems as if the guy has been playing for a long time, but he is only 27 years old. The former second-round pick of the Cowboys could be the missing piece to the Eagles puzzle, like Terrell Owens was in 2004.

The only flaw I could see with Bryant would be his off-field troubles. He missed the entire 2007 season following his arrest in 2006 for driving upwards of 100 miles per hour on Highway 101. He was later suspended that year for a failed drug test.

If he keeps his off-field issues in check, he will be a star.

Of these three receivers, who would you rather see in Philadelphia? I would rather have Antonio Bryant.

He may be a "one-year wonder," but he has all the makings of a star. His speed, his size, and his soft hands all make me want to see him in Philly even more.

If not him, then Houshmandzadeh. He is similar to Bryant, but just not as much speed.

As for Boldin. Don't get your hopes up, Philly. It will take a king's ransom to get him out of the desert.