Eagles Sign Samuel

Asante Samuel has such good hands and terrific instincts that the All-Pro cornerback rarely drops the ball, one reason why he has 16 interceptions the last two years. The Eagles instincts were on the ball, too, that Samuel was the kind of playmaker they desperately needed to strengthen a defense that recorded an NFL-worst 19 takeaways in 2007. Philadelphia got its first one of 2008, signing the free-agent cornerback to a six-year contract on Friday and ending Samuel’s five-year stint in New England.