Defensive end Jevon Kearse had a huge season as a rookie in 1999.  To a certain extent, he’s been living off the fumes of that four-month period from nine years ago ever since.

Injuries plagued the rest of his tenure in Tennessee, and the Titans allowed him to walk away to Philly as a free agent in 2003.

After being released by the Eagles earlier this year, Kearse is back in Tennessee.  And he’s already made headlines by being arrested for DUI.

So how has he followed it up?  By claiming that the Eagles will regret cutting him loose.

Kearse recently told Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com that he’ll play so well in 2008 that Philly fans will scratch their heads about the decision that was made.

“They’ll say, ‘Why the hell did we let that dude go?’ ” Kearse said. “‘What were they thinking?’”

Here’s what they were thinking, Jevon:  “This guy is riding on the hype of his rookie season, and he’s no longer worth the money that we pay him.”

Says Kearse, ”Maybe it was a good reason:  So I can get [pissed] off and get more motivated.” 

If Kearse gets “more motivated” and plays well in Tennessee, that’s fine.  The reality is that he wasn’t “more motivated” and wasn’t playing well in Philly. 

So maybe he needed a kick in the butt.  If so, it’s a shame; these guys are supposed to be professionals, and true professionals don’t need external events to make them “more motivated.”  They already are.