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edit: Whoops, I left off tight end
Last year, the Eagles were a pretty darn good team. Offensively, few could rival them.
At Quarterback, they have one of the best in the business in Donovan McNabb. That is all that needs to be said about him beyond that I expect him to be about 80% week 1 after tearing an ACL less than 10 months ago. He has also had season ending injuries 3 of the last 5 years. Behind him is 2nd round pick Kevin Kolb out of Houston. I like this kid for I think he has a good enough arm and good pocket presence. It will take time to go from a small program like Houstin to a full-speed NFL game. This pick created some tension in the locker room as Donovan McNabb did not like the writing on the wall and seeing his err apparent picked up early in the draft instead of a player who can help him win now. Seems kind of like 2005 in Packer land.
The passing attack this season may start off a little slower due to two factors in my opinion:
1. Kevin Curtis is not a #1 receiver and not nearly as complete/polished of a deep threat as Dante Stallworth (now with New England) is.
2. Donovan McNabb is in the process of recovering from an ACL tear that he suffered towards the end of November. That means week 1 is less than 10 months since he had the surgery. Also, its his third season ending injury in 5 years. Will he be totally recovered and the super-duper-star we are accustomed to playing?
Their receivers are just good enough to win with. Reggie Brown is a good player but he is not a true #1 receiver and wouldn't be in that position for many teams in the league. That said, he has improved tremendously from his rookie campagne two years ago to today, so we'll see how he turns out. I am skeptical, though. As their 1B receiver, they have Kevin Curtis from the Rams. He was the Rams third receiver and home run threat last year because he has incredible speed. I don't think he'll be nearly as effective in this role in Philly because they even though they play on artificial turf at the Vet, they do not play on a fast-track like turf that St. Louis uses in the TWA dome (I believe that is what it is called). Also, without having two future hall-of-famers drawing defensives attention he won't see as many single teams and will be playing against better corners on the line. Can he beat a jam? Time will tell, but I don't like him much as a player and don't think he will fill this role very well. For the third wideout spot, Hank Baskett and Jason Avant are battling it out. I think in time both of these guys will be solid #2s, so this is a good situation for the Eagles to have. Overall, their receiving corps is good enough to compliment a strong running game but they don't have a big-play guy who can create and require a constant double or triple team to open up the running game.
At tight end, the Eagles are solid with starter LJ Smith. He is the type of receiver who can stretch the field and could cause havoc for the Packers safeties and linebackers. He has good speed and is powerful enough to break tackles and block decently. Matt Schobel is a solid back-up. They are in the top 5-6 teams at this position in the league.
The offensive line is pretty solid but unspectacular. They don't have any pro-bowlers or stars but work well as a unit. Andy Reid is a firm believer in keeping both of his trenches solid and consistently does a good job of this. Runyan is a good player but I think he is overrated. He is going to have a tough time with the combination of speed and power of Kampman.
The running game is one of the most exciting in the league with Brian Westbrook in the backfield. Behind him it is a pretty ugly picture not much different from the Packers running backs. Westbrook has never played a full season in the NFL due to his size in my opinion. He is just too small to take 20 carries a game. When he has the ball, he is electric though. Like Reggie Bush or Marshall Faulk, he is quick as a cat and better at avoiding tackles than breaking them using power. Like those other runners, he is also a great receiving threat out of the backfield. As far as runners go, he is probably the best receiver out of the backfield in the league. He is a scary player that the Packers should treat like they treated Michael Vick two years ago. Shadow him every single play and keep a fast linebacker like Nick Barnett in his face and shoving him around at the line of scrimmage whenever they bring him out of the backfield into the slot. Backing up Westbrook is Tony Hunt, a third round choice out of Penn St. Many draft gurus at Packerrats wanted TT to draft Hunt because he has excellent vision and balance and fits the bill of the perfect zone runner. A lot of scouts also labeled him as the surprise of the draft and expected him to be a big-time steal when all was said and done.
On the line, they have an aging Javon Kearse on one side who is not very good against the run and not half the player he once was. He can still beat a tackle and chase down a quarterback for a big loss though if they're not careful. On the other side, to my surprise, they are starting a guy named Trent Cole. I don't really know anything about him to be very honest. Perhaps Harv or someone can shed some light on this. Finally, as a third defensive end, they have Darren Howard, a guy I advocated for TT to bring in to Green Bay. He is not starting as is being paid the big bucks so it will be interesting to see how that plays out for final cut down. He is getting paid far too much to be a situational player and substitute. It will be interesting to see when Victor Abiamiri gets to play, because he is currently listed 5th on the depth chart but is their best run defender by far. He is a guy that I wanted the Packers to draft, and I could see him starting over Kearse as early as next year. He's a good player off the bench.
Up the middle, the Eagles traded Darwin Walker, there best interior defender last year. This guy was very solid and is being replaced by last years first round pick Brodrick Bunkley. Last year, Bunkley was an underachiever and really ticked off the coaching staff and got in the dog house. He was strong as an ox at the combine like our very own Justin Harrell, but he didn't play with leverage and did not see the field much as a rookie. This year, the coaches are pretty happy with how he has improved his game and is ready to take the next step. To his left, Mike Patterson is starting. Patterson was a 2nd round pick a few years back, and has always been a pretty decent player. With that said, this is a line that we should average 4 yards/carry against at the end of the day when all is said and done.
As for the linebacking corps, Philadelphia let go their lone pro-bowler last year Jeramiah Trotter. While I agree it was the right move because he did not deserve to make the pro-bowl roster by any stretch of the imagination, they do not have a very good linebacking corps. This off-season they acquired Takeo Spikes from Buffalo, an often injured linebacker who is a hard hitter and a solid player at all three positions. Before he tore his achielles two years ago, he was a very effective player and a pro bowler. Philadelpia is going to be using him as their weak-side linebacker. Personally, I think this is a mistake and they should be using him in the middle. He will be a solid player that is unspectacular due to losing some speed from age and injury. In the middle, they are starting Omar Gaither who played outside last year. His emergence in camp and his productivity on the inside made the decision to release Trotter that much easier. Gaither has good range but is not as instinctive or as strong of a tackler as Trotter. He is a smaller linebacker at 235. Gaither will be a 3 down player for the Eagles this year, something that Trotter was never very effective as. On the strong side, the Eagles are essentially pulling a green bay last year and starting a converted defensive end who has never played the position. Chris Gocong is a converted end who was injured last year and missed the entire season. Now, in his sophomore season he was essentially handed the starting job and told not to screw it up. In preseason and camp, he hasn't been very impressive. The coaches insist they like his potential and think he'll be a solid player. So far he has shown to ability to be a good blitzer and pass rusher and they have minimized his coverage assignments. The only two defensive starters that are playing in the fourth preseason games are Gocong and Gaither, so that tells you something. The Eagles want to get them as ready as can be and get them as many snaps as they can. To me, this seems like a position we should exploit in week 1 like the Bears did to us last year.
At Safety, the Eagles have the aging but steady Brian Dawkins. He is a true professional, a headhunter, and a very good player. He is completely solid and is always one of the better safeties in the league. Starting opposite him at strong safety, right now is Sean Considine. As I am sure you guys remember, last year he replaced Michael Lewis as the starter because they did not like Lewis' lack of range and poor play in coverage. Considine is the exact opposite player of Lewis in my opinion. He is small, a soft hitter who is afraid to tackle hard, he misses a lot of tackles, and right now has looked anything up solid. Right now, the position is unsettled and there is a very strong chance that back-up Quintin Mikell will take his spot before the end of the season.
Philly has two good cornerbacks. Lito Shepard and Sheldon Brown are both good players with some pro-bowl experience between them. They're also still young and good at man-to-man coverage and solid blitzers. They're not quite as good as Al Harris and Chuck Woodson, but they're the next step down. They're very, very good and Favre had better watch where he is throwing the ball when Philly blitzes rather than give up a big play. As for their nickelback, they're in a very good position because William James (formerly Will Peterson of the New York Giants) looks very good and could start for a lot of teams in the league. Last year he returned to the league after retiring for over a year. He is still young, and one of the better nickelbacks in the league.
As for specialists, David Akers is one of the best in the business at kicking clutch field goals. Their punter Dirk Johnson is solid and in a contract year. I think he'll continue to be a good player as well.
Last year, they ranked as such:
Overall Offense - 2nd (381.4)
Rushing Offense - 11th (124.0)
Passing Offense - 3rd (257.4)
Overall Defense - 15th (328.1)
Rushing Defense - 26th (136.4)
Passing Defense - 9th (191.7)
Statistically they were pretty solid.
So there you have it. thats what I think of the Eagles. What do you guys think? What positions can we exploit and create mismatches? How do we match up? Let me know what you think!
Last year, the Eagles were a pretty darn good team. Offensively, few could rival them.
At Quarterback, they have one of the best in the business in Donovan McNabb. That is all that needs to be said about him beyond that I expect him to be about 80% week 1 after tearing an ACL less than 10 months ago. He has also had season ending injuries 3 of the last 5 years. Behind him is 2nd round pick Kevin Kolb out of Houston. I like this kid for I think he has a good enough arm and good pocket presence. It will take time to go from a small program like Houstin to a full-speed NFL game. This pick created some tension in the locker room as Donovan McNabb did not like the writing on the wall and seeing his err apparent picked up early in the draft instead of a player who can help him win now. Seems kind of like 2005 in Packer land.
The passing attack this season may start off a little slower due to two factors in my opinion:
1. Kevin Curtis is not a #1 receiver and not nearly as complete/polished of a deep threat as Dante Stallworth (now with New England) is.
2. Donovan McNabb is in the process of recovering from an ACL tear that he suffered towards the end of November. That means week 1 is less than 10 months since he had the surgery. Also, its his third season ending injury in 5 years. Will he be totally recovered and the super-duper-star we are accustomed to playing?
Their receivers are just good enough to win with. Reggie Brown is a good player but he is not a true #1 receiver and wouldn't be in that position for many teams in the league. That said, he has improved tremendously from his rookie campagne two years ago to today, so we'll see how he turns out. I am skeptical, though. As their 1B receiver, they have Kevin Curtis from the Rams. He was the Rams third receiver and home run threat last year because he has incredible speed. I don't think he'll be nearly as effective in this role in Philly because they even though they play on artificial turf at the Vet, they do not play on a fast-track like turf that St. Louis uses in the TWA dome (I believe that is what it is called). Also, without having two future hall-of-famers drawing defensives attention he won't see as many single teams and will be playing against better corners on the line. Can he beat a jam? Time will tell, but I don't like him much as a player and don't think he will fill this role very well. For the third wideout spot, Hank Baskett and Jason Avant are battling it out. I think in time both of these guys will be solid #2s, so this is a good situation for the Eagles to have. Overall, their receiving corps is good enough to compliment a strong running game but they don't have a big-play guy who can create and require a constant double or triple team to open up the running game.
At tight end, the Eagles are solid with starter LJ Smith. He is the type of receiver who can stretch the field and could cause havoc for the Packers safeties and linebackers. He has good speed and is powerful enough to break tackles and block decently. Matt Schobel is a solid back-up. They are in the top 5-6 teams at this position in the league.
The offensive line is pretty solid but unspectacular. They don't have any pro-bowlers or stars but work well as a unit. Andy Reid is a firm believer in keeping both of his trenches solid and consistently does a good job of this. Runyan is a good player but I think he is overrated. He is going to have a tough time with the combination of speed and power of Kampman.
The running game is one of the most exciting in the league with Brian Westbrook in the backfield. Behind him it is a pretty ugly picture not much different from the Packers running backs. Westbrook has never played a full season in the NFL due to his size in my opinion. He is just too small to take 20 carries a game. When he has the ball, he is electric though. Like Reggie Bush or Marshall Faulk, he is quick as a cat and better at avoiding tackles than breaking them using power. Like those other runners, he is also a great receiving threat out of the backfield. As far as runners go, he is probably the best receiver out of the backfield in the league. He is a scary player that the Packers should treat like they treated Michael Vick two years ago. Shadow him every single play and keep a fast linebacker like Nick Barnett in his face and shoving him around at the line of scrimmage whenever they bring him out of the backfield into the slot. Backing up Westbrook is Tony Hunt, a third round choice out of Penn St. Many draft gurus at Packerrats wanted TT to draft Hunt because he has excellent vision and balance and fits the bill of the perfect zone runner. A lot of scouts also labeled him as the surprise of the draft and expected him to be a big-time steal when all was said and done.
On the line, they have an aging Javon Kearse on one side who is not very good against the run and not half the player he once was. He can still beat a tackle and chase down a quarterback for a big loss though if they're not careful. On the other side, to my surprise, they are starting a guy named Trent Cole. I don't really know anything about him to be very honest. Perhaps Harv or someone can shed some light on this. Finally, as a third defensive end, they have Darren Howard, a guy I advocated for TT to bring in to Green Bay. He is not starting as is being paid the big bucks so it will be interesting to see how that plays out for final cut down. He is getting paid far too much to be a situational player and substitute. It will be interesting to see when Victor Abiamiri gets to play, because he is currently listed 5th on the depth chart but is their best run defender by far. He is a guy that I wanted the Packers to draft, and I could see him starting over Kearse as early as next year. He's a good player off the bench.
Up the middle, the Eagles traded Darwin Walker, there best interior defender last year. This guy was very solid and is being replaced by last years first round pick Brodrick Bunkley. Last year, Bunkley was an underachiever and really ticked off the coaching staff and got in the dog house. He was strong as an ox at the combine like our very own Justin Harrell, but he didn't play with leverage and did not see the field much as a rookie. This year, the coaches are pretty happy with how he has improved his game and is ready to take the next step. To his left, Mike Patterson is starting. Patterson was a 2nd round pick a few years back, and has always been a pretty decent player. With that said, this is a line that we should average 4 yards/carry against at the end of the day when all is said and done.
As for the linebacking corps, Philadelphia let go their lone pro-bowler last year Jeramiah Trotter. While I agree it was the right move because he did not deserve to make the pro-bowl roster by any stretch of the imagination, they do not have a very good linebacking corps. This off-season they acquired Takeo Spikes from Buffalo, an often injured linebacker who is a hard hitter and a solid player at all three positions. Before he tore his achielles two years ago, he was a very effective player and a pro bowler. Philadelpia is going to be using him as their weak-side linebacker. Personally, I think this is a mistake and they should be using him in the middle. He will be a solid player that is unspectacular due to losing some speed from age and injury. In the middle, they are starting Omar Gaither who played outside last year. His emergence in camp and his productivity on the inside made the decision to release Trotter that much easier. Gaither has good range but is not as instinctive or as strong of a tackler as Trotter. He is a smaller linebacker at 235. Gaither will be a 3 down player for the Eagles this year, something that Trotter was never very effective as. On the strong side, the Eagles are essentially pulling a green bay last year and starting a converted defensive end who has never played the position. Chris Gocong is a converted end who was injured last year and missed the entire season. Now, in his sophomore season he was essentially handed the starting job and told not to screw it up. In preseason and camp, he hasn't been very impressive. The coaches insist they like his potential and think he'll be a solid player. So far he has shown to ability to be a good blitzer and pass rusher and they have minimized his coverage assignments. The only two defensive starters that are playing in the fourth preseason games are Gocong and Gaither, so that tells you something. The Eagles want to get them as ready as can be and get them as many snaps as they can. To me, this seems like a position we should exploit in week 1 like the Bears did to us last year.
At Safety, the Eagles have the aging but steady Brian Dawkins. He is a true professional, a headhunter, and a very good player. He is completely solid and is always one of the better safeties in the league. Starting opposite him at strong safety, right now is Sean Considine. As I am sure you guys remember, last year he replaced Michael Lewis as the starter because they did not like Lewis' lack of range and poor play in coverage. Considine is the exact opposite player of Lewis in my opinion. He is small, a soft hitter who is afraid to tackle hard, he misses a lot of tackles, and right now has looked anything up solid. Right now, the position is unsettled and there is a very strong chance that back-up Quintin Mikell will take his spot before the end of the season.
Philly has two good cornerbacks. Lito Shepard and Sheldon Brown are both good players with some pro-bowl experience between them. They're also still young and good at man-to-man coverage and solid blitzers. They're not quite as good as Al Harris and Chuck Woodson, but they're the next step down. They're very, very good and Favre had better watch where he is throwing the ball when Philly blitzes rather than give up a big play. As for their nickelback, they're in a very good position because William James (formerly Will Peterson of the New York Giants) looks very good and could start for a lot of teams in the league. Last year he returned to the league after retiring for over a year. He is still young, and one of the better nickelbacks in the league.
As for specialists, David Akers is one of the best in the business at kicking clutch field goals. Their punter Dirk Johnson is solid and in a contract year. I think he'll continue to be a good player as well.
Last year, they ranked as such:
Overall Offense - 2nd (381.4)
Rushing Offense - 11th (124.0)
Passing Offense - 3rd (257.4)
Overall Defense - 15th (328.1)
Rushing Defense - 26th (136.4)
Passing Defense - 9th (191.7)
Statistically they were pretty solid.
So there you have it. thats what I think of the Eagles. What do you guys think? What positions can we exploit and create mismatches? How do we match up? Let me know what you think!
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