Bleeding Green

We've Moved!!!!

2006-09-27T06:52:00.000-07:00

www.BleedingGreenNation.com

Bleeding Green has officially completed it's move to Bleeding Green Nation. Bleeding Green Nation is going to bring us better exposure and give the readers much more power to be involved in the discussions and the community. Literally everything about the new site will be better. The look and feel, the ability for readers to get involved, the feeds are easier... Plus Blogger has been a pain for me lately and I've not been able to get things out as fast as I'd like. The new site fixes all that. It's all in all a huge upgrade and I really hope everyone likes it.

We are now a proud member of the SBNation.com family. I encourage you guys to check them out and see the amazing amount of great coverage they give most every MLB(uncluding the Phils!), college football and NFL team as well as many other sports.

I want to thank everyone that helped this site grow so fast and I hope you all enjoy the home!

PLease come on over and check it out. Bleeding Green Nation

That's more like it...

2006-09-25T07:51:00.002-07:00

Ahh, there's that feeling again. The feeling of a solid, convincing win. The Eagles trounced the 49ers 38-24 in a game that was a big step in healing alot of the wounds from the Giants loss.

I admitted before the game that I just didn't feel "up for this game. I didn't seem to have the same kind of excited anticipation that I usually do as gameday draws closer. Luckily, the Eagles felt none of these effects. They came out like a team mad about what happened last week and looking to prove something. And they did.

The 49ers are not a great team. We know that, but the Eagles handled them as a good team should. The Birds had their way with the Niners and beat them with relative ease. The bottom line is that good teams beat bad teams. The Eagles took care of business.

Now onto some thoughts about the game.

Game Ball to Brian Dawkins - It's funny, all the talk before the season was about what kind of impact guys like Matt McCoy and Broderick Bunkley would have. We all debated whether offseason free agent aquisitions like Darren Howard and Shawn Barber would help solve the ills of this defense from last year. However, somehow lost in that discussion was guys like Brian Dawkins and Jeremiah Trotter. They are now and have always been what the defense comes down to. Dawkins especially imposed his will on the game, he was the guy who stripped Frank Gore at the goalline and caused the Patterson TD. He continually put big shots on guys and generally just refused to allow anyone to pass by him. He gets the game ball in my opinion.

Reggie Brown - I've been a bit dissapointed by Reggie so far this year. He's been a solid red zone threat, but for the most part he's dissapeared in the first 2 games. What we saw yesterday was a bit more encouraging. He had his first career 100 yard game and did the job of the #1 WR with Stallworth being a late scratch from the game. Plus, I can't say enough about his blocking. On several plays Reggie could be seen throwing fantastic downfield blocks that sprung more than big one for the Birds. He is blossimg very quickly into that physical, Heinz Ward tpye of reciever that he was scouted as being. Still, there were things I didn't like from Reggie. Namely, his hands. He had a few drops, including an easy TD pass that McNabb put right on his hands. Those things need to improve, but overall I was pleased by most of what I saw from Reggie.

Is there an Akers issue? - After having a stunningly good preseason where he was routinely banging in 50+ yarders, Akers is struggling so far this year. He banged in a FG off the crossbar in the Texans game on a kick he usually has no trouble with. He missed one off the crossbar against the Giants, albeit that was a 48 yarder. Still, Akers has a repuation that he can make those kicks. I'll excuse a 48 yard miss every once in a while, I won't excuse a miss like he had yesterday. He badly shanked a 38 yarder that is normally a chip shot for Akers. I've heard some people raise the issue of the holder and whether David is comfortable with Dirk Johnson after having Koy Detmer as his holder for his entire Eagles career so far. I might buy this as an escuse had I not seen him making the kind of kicks he was in the preseason. He had no trouble with Dirk then. It's still to early to panic about Akers, but he needs to step up. Kicker has always been a strength here since Akers arrived and eventually we'll need him to make a big kick. Right now, I have to admit I'm not entirely confident in his ability to do so.

Pass Rush without Kearse - All in all I was satisfied with the job the defensive line and the pass rush in general worked. Alex Smith was sacked 3 times and was constantly pressured and forced to move around and throw on the run. Plus, I counted no less than 4 or 5 times that he threw balls away as he was being dragged down. He was flagged for one intentional grounding, but the call was overturned after the refs conferenced. trent Cole registered his leauge leading 5th sack in 3 games and Darren Howard got his first as an Eagle. I'm still looking forward to seeing the defensive line tested against a better offensive line but so far, so good.

McNabb lives up to his promise - After the Giants loss, McNabb said something to the effect of "that will never happen again as long as I'm at QB and have something to do with it." And when the 49ers started their mini comeback, McNabb took the team on his back squashed it. He called a brilliant audible at the line and found Schoebel for 60 yard gain that ended whatever momentum the Niners had.

The Secondary stinks, I know - Rod Hood made what most people felt was a surprise start after being injured in last week's game. He was questionable all week with a bad heel and it was assumed he wouldn't play, but he toughed it out and gave it a go... with less than stellar results. Hood was burned more than once and was clearly limping after every run. He simply didn't have the speed on the bad heel to keep up, and more than once took himself out of the game. Michael Lewis was generally better in pass coverage this week, but made at least one mistake in the second quarter where he got turned around and allowed a big gain after Hood was burned on a play. It's hard to say what we are supposed to expect out of this unit right now. Between Lito Sheppard and Rod Hood the secondary is missing 2 of it's top 3 corners. The fact is that any team reduced to playing 4th or 5th stringers at corner is going to suffer. Until Hood and Lito get healthy, the team is simply going to struggle. Nothing is going to change that. No team in the NFL has 4 or 5 starting caliber corners. So while hear the complaints of Eagles fans about his unit, I have to ask "What did you expect?" and "How can you really lay blame to anyone(except Mike Lewis of course)?"

Alex Smith is lame - Did anyone else find it a bit lame how Smith ran the last drive as if he was trying to tie up or win the game? The team is down over 3 TDs and he's spiking the ball with 6 seconds left so he can get one shot at the end zone to pad his stats agains the Eagles backups. I know that 49er coach Mike Nolan may hae wanted to get the team some real life experience at running a 2 minute drill, but I found it a bit distasteful.

Stats - The Eagles come out of the week still ranked #1 overall in the NFL in passing and #1 yardage on offense, McNabb still leads the NFL in passsing, the team is scoring the 3rd most points in football, they are 5th in the NFL in rushing with 129 yards a game, and they are tied for the leauge lead in sacks.

Eagles vs 49ers - Anyone excited?

2006-09-22T10:46:00.000-07:00

Anyone excited about this weekend yet?

I'm really not.

I just don't know why that Giants loss was so deflating... But combine that with the fact that the Birds play a bad and completely uncompelling team in the 49ers I'm just not feeling the fire for this weekend. Still, come gameday I'll be there watching and hopefully they'll give us something to cheer about. A big win this weekend would go a long way in making me feel better about the direction this team is headed this year.

The 49ers are a team that so far this year has lived off of big plays and pressuring the passer. Last week, they piled up 6 sacks against the Rams and put up touchdown plays of 32 and 72 yards both on the ground and through the air.

Their QB is 2nd year man and former 1st overall pick Alex Smith, who after a brutal rookie year has started to show some flashes of why he was the top player taken in the 05 draft. Still, the book on beating him is no different than beating any other young QB. Throw lots of different defensive looks at him and bring pressure.

So far the Eagles lead the NFL in sacks, but their fearsome pass rush is once again suspect with Kearse out for the season. Fortunately, the 49ers offensive line is less than intimidating especially given that former all pro guard and maybe future hall of famer Larry Allen is out.

Smith does have some weapons though. Highly touted rookie TE Vernon Davis, who has tight end size and wide receiver speed looks like he could blossom into the best TE in football... so far however, he's been off to somewhat of a slow start. He has 5 catches for 37 yard, 1 TD and 1 fumble lost so far this year. Smith's biggest weapon has been offseason acquisition WR Antonio Bryant. He has shown a ton of big play ability averaging 122 yards a game so far this year. He's another guy with decent size (6-2) that could certainly cause problems for the Eagles very beat up secondary. Lito Sheppard is out and Rod Hood is listed as doubtful to play this weekend. That likely means we'll be treated to another week of Joselio Hanson starting at CB.

My hope is Jim Johnson tries to play to the strengths of his team rather than sticking so hard and fast to his system. Typically, the Eagles have not played matchups with opposing WRs. Lito and Sheldon would basically stick to covering a side of the field and take on whatever WR the offense would choose to throw after them. With 2 solid corners and another solid one off the bench that's a fine way to play... However, with the secondary depleted as badly as it is I think it's been proven that the philosophy does not work with any personnel. Last week we saw Sheldon Brown, clearly the best corner on the team with Lito & Hood out(maybe even with them in), sticking to the right side of the field while the Giants sent Plaxico Burress to the left to pick on Joselio Hanson. For some unknown reason Jim Johnson refused to alter his system and let our 4th corner take on the Giants top WR and we all know how we paid for that. Although admittedly, it was Brown who Burress went over the top of for the final TD. That said, Antonio Bryant is not the size of Burress but he's still clearly best WR the 49ers have. I'd like to see Sheldon on him every snap he's on the field. No matter where he lines up, Brown should follow. That's playing our strength against theirs.

Something very encouraging we've seen from the Birds this year has been their ability to stop the run. In week one they held Houston to 70 rushing yards as a team and in week 2 held Tiki Barber to just 51 yards on 21 carries. They face a decent test again this week in Frank Gore who has rushed for 214 yards and 3 TDs so far this season. Like I said earlier though, the loss of starting LG Larry Allen will hurt the 49ers in this department as well...

The Eagles offense comes in to this game ranked #1 in the NFL. McNabb leads the NFL in passing yardage, LJ Smith leads all TEs in catches and yards, Donte Stallworth is 3rd in the NFC in receiving yardage, and surprisingly the team ranks 4th in the NFC in rushing yardage.

The offense, unlike the defense, is relatively healthy. Brian Westbrook was questionable with the same knee inflammation as he had before the Giants game, but he will play this weekend. He appeared to show no ill effects against the Giants.

If the Eagles offense just plays it's game, they should have few problems against the 49ers. Their defense has shown improvement, but still lacks many playmakers if any. Rookie LB Manny Lawson has looked very good so far with 2 sacks last week, but otherwise their linebacking corps is not terribly impressive, especially since Julian Peterson left in free agency this past offseason. This should be yet another game where LJ Smith should play a huge part as he presents a serious matchup problem for the San Fran linebackers.

So far the Eagles have done a great job protecting McNabb, as he's been sacked only twice this year. The pass protection will be tested this week against the 49ers who, as I said earlier, sacked Marc Bulger 6 times last week.

Ashley Fox from the Inky got a very interesting quote from Donte Stallworth about he feels he played so far. Statistically his season has been quite good, but we all saw how he came up short in overtime last week. Refreshingly, he's actually acknowledged this.

Stallworth said, "I don't feel like I've made the plays when it's counted, when the game's on the line, especially in the fourth quarter. I dropped a ball in overtime last week. The week before, I dropped one in the fourth quarter. That game was pretty much in hand, but that doesn't matter. The fourth quarter is when you're supposed to step up and have the best part of your game, and I don't think I've done that so far. But I'm working to correct that, and hopefully I can get better at it.

An NFL WR who takes responsibility for his own play? Weird... I find the attitude very refreshing. That said, don't drop any more balls in overtime Donte...

In the end, this is still a road game which shouldn't be a complete cakewalk. Plus, this is big statement game for the Eagles. Do they come out angry and stomp the 49ers, never letting up regardless of how far ahead they are? Or do they come out flat, still seemingly shocked from last week? I honestly don't know the answer to that question. They all have said they put the Giants' debacle behind them... But I need to see it to believe it. Still, I'm going to go optimistic give their opposition this week.

Eagles 30 49ers 17

Can the Phils help the Eagles?

2006-09-20T21:33:00.000-07:00

Says Eckel

It's not official, but word is if the Phillies make the National League playoffs -- they went into last night one game behind the Dodgers for the wild-card lead -- the Eagles' games with Dallas this year could be switched.

According to someone with knowledge of the situation, the Phillies could have a home game on Sunday, Oct. 8. That's the same day as the Eagles' scheduled home game with the Cowboys. The Eagles are scheduled to play at Dallas on Christmas night.

Even though the teams no longer share the same stadium, it could cause a logistical nightmare to have a playoff game and the Cowboys game the same day.

In the past the NFL has accommodated Major League Baseball by switching home games when it was appropriate.

And the Phils won another game tonight with Brett Myers throwing a complete game with 12ks... They are now 1/2 game back to the Dodgers who are losing as I write this.

When I read this in the story written by the Eagles' beat reporter "according to someone with knowledge of the situation", I immediately assumed that this is something the Eagles have looked into and are clearly hoping will happen. You can bet if the Phils win the wildcard, the Eagles will lobby hard to get the Oct game switched to Dallas so that they can get the Xmas game in Dallas moved here. We've all been dreading that almost unprecendented 3 game divisional road game stretch... I don't think anyone wouldn't trade an early home game to get one more later in the year, especially to break up that brutal 3 game stretch.

Time to look forward

2006-09-20T07:13:00.000-07:00

Since Sunday I've boycotted sports in general. I was so disgusted with the loss this past weekend I avoided ESPN, sports radio, sports on the web in hopes of not being reminded of what happened. I didn't care to hear what the pundits had to say about the game, I didn't want to see highlights. Nothing. I wouldn't even play Madden. In fact, my main connection to the sports world has been all the comments about the game left here and on myspace for me.

It's actually been pretty interesting. I didn't realize how much of my time is taken up by sports. I get up in the morning and throw on sportscenter as I'm getting ready, I'll usually flip to sports radio in the car, check the Eagles website and other sports new sites on the web at work, flip on PTI when I get home... My past few days have been filled with Saved by the Bell reruns in the morning, actual work at work(gasp!), and Batman Begins the video game after work...

However, I came to the inevitable conclusion that I eventually would have to face this game and look forward to this coming weekend. I still won't watch ESPN this week, but I'm ready to get back into it... So here goes.

First, I was really bummed to hear the new that Jevon Kearse was lost for the season. It seemed pretty obvious to me as he was carried off the field in agony that this was going to be the case, but it was still a blow to hear it. I felt really bad watching one of the few guys that never gave up on that game and had continued to give everything he had being carried off. The Phreak started this year on a tear with 3.5 sacks and really seemed on track to have maybe the best year of his career. Defensive line may be the deepest unit on this team which means we shouldn't panic over this loss, but it is a loss nonetheless. Kearse is likely the best all around defensive end on this team and the line will suffer for his loss. I can't foresee anymore 8 sack games without the Kearse. Still, that doesn't mean they can't be effective. We've seen some tremendous play so far out of backups Trent Cole(who also had one tremendously STUPID play!!!!) & Juqua Thomas. Plus Darren Howard, who hasn't gotten a sack yet, has been rather solid.

I'm unsure what they will really do to replace Kearse yet though. They've been very vague on that point. We know they'll activate Jerome McDougle and the former 15th overall pick is going to get his last shot to prove himself. At this point you'd have to guess that Juqua Thomas will start at LDE and McDougle will back him up with Cole/Howard rotating on the other end. I have to wonder though if they'll ever try putting Howard or Cole at LDE so they can get the most talent on the field at once.

**update***

Andy revealed his plans for the line today. Trent Cole will take over as starter at right defensive end, where's he been backing up Howard. Howard will slide over to start at left defensive end. Juqua Thomas will back up LDE and Jerome McDougle will back up Cole at RDE. Darren Howard started his career at LDE and compiled 17 sacks in 2 years there.

Howard on the Eagles website

"It's not anything new," said Howard. "My first two years in the league I played on the left side and my last four I played on the right side. I played a bunch on both sides. I should make the adjustment real quick.

"I haven't played there in a long, long time, so it's a process. That's how we're going to line up for right now and we're going to go ahead with that for right now."

*****

Now, I'd like to make once small statement about the game this past weekend. I've noticed a common thread from the Eagles fans I've talked to and heard from. It appears that a lot of fans are blaming Andy Reid and his playcalling in the 4th quarter for the loss. Now, while I wasn't thrilled with his playcalling I hardly can blame that loss on playcalling. If your starting RB can't hold on to the ball in the 4th quarter, if your receivers can't catch perfectly thrown balls for first downs, if your lineman can't avoid taking stupid penalties... no amount of good playcalling will ever fix that. Blaming this loss on playcalling is far too simplistic to me. This was a team that didn't think they could lose and when things got tight they panicked. Now, I can certainly lay blame on Andy for that as his team needs to be more disciplined. However, just blaming him, luck, or the playcalling excuses an atrocious performance from the players on the field.

I'd also like to address the secondary. I'm not sure exactly what to say about. Clearly it was atrocious and a huge a reason the Eagles blew a 17 point lead in the 4th quarter... but at the same time I fine it hard to figure out where to lay blame for that. Certainly Mike Lewis deserves some for blowing the coverage on the first Toomer TD. I blamed Rod Hood for the Moulds TD in week one, but this was all Lewis. He also couldn't hold on to the fumble that turned into a Giants TD when he was alone and fell right on it... So blame goes to Lewis for sure. But do we also blame Joselio Hanson? Sure, he was picked on all day. However, he is a 4th corner and he was matched up one on one with Plaxico Burress. So while I certainly think he should have done a better job, I find it hard to blame him for struggling. I also find it hard to blame Jim Johnson because the guy was missing his #1 and #3 corner after Hood went down. However, I did scream at the TV several times "Why is Sheldon Brown not on Burress!!!??". Of course, we learned on the last play that it probably wouldn't have mattered anyway as Eli Manning threw a pass up for grabs on his way to the ground and Burress just went right over Sheldon and hauled in the game winning TD...

If Lito and Hood can't get back soon the Eagles are in serious trouble no matter how good the pass rush is.

I'll preview the 49ers game next. Is anyone really even looking forward to that game yet?

Disbelief

2006-09-17T20:08:00.000-07:00

Normally, on Sunday night I write a recap and dissect the game, pick some players that I thought stood out, and the ones I thought could do better... But after the display today what's the point? We all know what happened.

Today's game went from one of the top 5 Eagles wins in the past 5 years to one of the top 5 losses. This is right up the Tampa loss in the NFCCG, the Carolina loss next year, the Dallas loss last year... This is the kind of game that has molded Eagles fans into what they are today. I suffered through those losses and probably became a better fan for it, but this game somehow seemed worse to me than those championship game losses. Those were losses that we thought before the game that the birds were the better team and found out otherwise very soon. This Giants game was different. The Eagles showed they were good enough. They manhandled the Giants and physically dominated them through nearly 3 quarters to a degree I've never seen. 8 sacks? That's unheard of. The offense moved at will. They showed that they were the better team. Then they gave up. They gave it away.

This was a game that saps your passion as a fan. It's hard to look forward to gameday next week. It's a bummer to go to work tommorow. You start to wonder if the team is going to stop caring and quit, should you? Can you?

In the grand scheme of things it was one loss, I know that. The difference is that last year one loss could be blamed on injury. In years' past one loss was just a bump in the road on to a result we all knew was coming. We all knew those Eagles teams for the past 5-6 years were playoff teams. We don't know that about this one. This is one loss that we can't write off due to injury or as a bump in the road. This one loss seemed to say that this team flat out isn't good enough. That's only happened 3 or 4 times in the past few years. This is a feeling usually reserved for a playoff loss.

I'll get into this game early this week. There are some things to look at and discuss and we'll get into that, but for now I'm just going to leave this alone and let it sink in. I wanted badly to sit here at my laptop and start blasting this team and several select players... but what's the point? This was a collapse on all levels, to immediately start pointing fingers one way or another would be to deny the absurdity of the collapse we were all forced to watch today.

Leave me a comment here or on Myspace and just tell me your reaction to what we saw today. Point fingers if you want, talk about it philosophically, curse someone out... do what ever you like. Consider it group therapy.

Eagles vs Giants - Take the division back?

2006-09-14T22:15:00.000-07:00

After holding the NFC East title for 4 straight years, the Eagles surrendered the NFCE to the Giants last year. So it should seem fitting as the Eagles set out on their quest to reclaim the east that they would meet the Giants so early on.

Bottom line for this game is that it's in Philly. The Eagles should win this game. They are not the injury and controversy riddled 6-10 team from last year and if they see themselves as a contender this year they simply must beat their division rivals at home. Despite this only being week 2 this game is important for several reasons. First and foremost being that we all know how important those division and conference records are come years' end. If the Eagles are locked in a race for the NFCE title or a wildcard berth, winning a division game like this at home early on will be invaluable. Plus, it puts the Giants at 0-2 facing a trip to Seattle in week 3.

Key Matchups

Eagles interior offensive line vs Giants DTs. I think a lot is on Andrews/Jackson/Herremans. If they can maintain the pocket and keep the Giants from getting pressure up the middle, the Giant's dangerous edge rushers should be neutralized like they were in the Colts game. Time after time you saw Strahan or Umenyoria come flying off the edge, only to see Peyton Manning step up in the pocket to easily avoid them. Plus, the Giants defensive tackles played well against the run. So in addition to having the success the Colts' did in the pass block, the Eagles interior line has to open some holes for Westbrook & Buckhalter.

Westbrook/LJ vs the Giants LBs. As talented as the Giants LBs are against the run and in the pass rush, they are weak in coverage. Antonio Pierce is a pro bowl caliber run stopper but is weak when he drops back in coverage and Lavar Arrington is just shockingly bad in that dept. Lavar is especially prone to biting on play fakes, which we all know McNabb does very well. The other starting LB for the Giants is former Eagle Carlos Emmons who has lost a step after a few years of injuries, but generally looked pretty good against the Colts. This should be a matchup that the Eagles should exploit with passes to Westbrook out of the backfield, which as anyone who watched the Eagles for even 5 minutes will tell you, is a staple of their offense. Plus, LJ Smith coming off a solid game in Houston should also be in for a big day against the Giants LB corps, let's just hope while he preys on their pass coverage weakness they don't prey on his run blocking weakness...

Dexter Wynn. Although it seems kind of ridiculous to think that a 4th corner will have any impact on the game, Wynn will also likely be returning kicks and possibly punts as well. That does put him in a position to have a big impact on the game. He was cut before the season and just re-signed to the team following Lito's injury. I'm kind of interested to see what Dexter Wynn can do... This is a kid that may be facing his last shot to make it as an NFL player. They already cut him and he has to know that if he doesn't do something big he'll probably be cut again when Lito comes back... So who knows? Maybe the desperation and desire to play pro football will drive Wynn to do good things. In the end, I don't really have a ton of expectations for him... but he could very well be the most motivated player on the field Sunday.

Eagles DBs vs Plaxico Burress and Jeremy Shockey. I'm going to let G Cobb take this one since he did such a good job talking about this matchup on his website.

I can tell you right now that there's going to be a lot of talk about size advantage that 6'5" wide receiver Plaxico Burress and 6'3" Amani Toomer have over the Eagles cornerbacks 5'10" Sheldon Brown and 5'11" Roderick Hood. Rather than getting taller when Hanson comes into the game, you get even shorter at 5'9". Wynn is also 5'9" so they wouldn't be able to put him in to negate the height advantage.

The Giants have got to be thinking about getting these tall receivers isolated on these cornerbacks. They have to figure that if they can't get these guys one on one with the smaller cornerbacks they can throw the ball up high and have a field day. You can believe that on goalline, Brian Dawkins is going to take over at the corner spot because although he's not much taller, he is strong enough to out-physical the taller wideouts for position in order to avoid a completion.

Clearly a lot of emphasis will be on the front four to get pressure on Eli Manning without blitzing so that the corners have safety help.

Finally, Matt McCoy vs Tiki Barber. This may very well be the most crucial matchup of all and it pits one of the top running backs in the league vs a guy starting his 2nd game in the NFL... Scary huh? Saying Tiki Barber is the key to the Giants' offense is an understatement. He is their offense. Tiki is one of only 2 players in NFL history to account for 40% of his team's total offense in back to back years. If last week's game was any indication, he's headed toward his unprecedented 3rd straight year accounting for a huge chunk of the Giants' total offense. Their offense, run and pass, begins and ends with Barber and stopping him is the key to stopping the Giants' offense. Certainly Trotter will figure mightily into the scheme to stop Barber as will the Eagles defensive line, but McCoy is probably the key. He played outstanding against the Texans' run game laying some big hits, filling gaps, and blowing up runs in the backfilled. If he can play like that again, the Eagles are in very good shape. If he gets sealed off on blocks or he overpursues, both things we saw at times in the preseason, the Giants will run Barber at his side all day and he'll give the Eagles nightmares.

Stats to watch

Tiki Barber is riding a string of 5 consecutive 100 yard rushing games in the regular season

McNabb needs 253 yards passing to get to 20,000 in his career.

This is as good as gets, these are the games we watch football for. Division rival coming to Philly for the home opener... This game could vault the Eagles' into a lot of experts' top 5 teams or it could negate their performance against the Texans as them beating up on a bad team.

My prediction(which was perfect last week): Eagles 17 Giants 10.

Injuries and the lacking return game

2006-09-13T09:44:00.000-07:00

On the Eagles side the big injury loss is Lito Sheppard. He has a high ankle sprain and the speculation is that he could miss 4-6 weeks, although I've yet to hear that from the Eagles themselves.

What this means is that Rod Hood will slide into the starting CB role. Not a big deal there as Hood as good a nickel DB as there is in football and performed very well when he started last year after Lito went down with an injury to his other ankle. It gets dicey after Hood. Joselio Hanson moves into the nickel slot and former Eagles 6th round pick Dexter Wynn was resigned this week to fill the 4th CB spot. Hanson had been an undrafted journeyman before this year where he shined in the preseason for the Birds. If he plays to level he did against he 2nd teams in the preseason the Eagles should be fine... however if he shows flashes of why he was an undrafted free agent before this season there could be trouble. That said, worrying to much about the nickel corner is nitpicking a bit. The Giants don't exactly have dangerous WR threats after Burress and Toomer. Tim Carter has one career TD and caught only 10 passes last year.

This injury aslo affects the return game. We all know Jeremy Bloom was to be the team's kickoff amd maybe also punt returner was put on IR before the season. Lito had been slated to return punts in the Houston game, but when he was hurt early Westbrook was forced to handle punt return duties... Despite the fact that Westbrook is the best PR on the team, it doesn't appear that Andy wants him back there. Combine that with fact that Mahe missed the week one game due to injury and that the Eagles cut KR Bruce Perry this week... that leaves the team with no certain returners. Newly re-signed Dexter Wynn has experience returning both kickoffs and punts plus Mahe is apparently going to practice this week but he's still questionable to play. So there could be some solutions coming... but nothing terribly exciting.

On the Giants injury front starting RG Chris Snee is likely out and TE Jeremy Shockey has an ankle injury but is listed as probable. The injury to Snee, who did a good job preventing a push from the Colts' DTs could be very significant if his replacement(presumably Rich Seubert) struggles with the Eagles talented inside pass rushers Mike Patterson(5 sacks last year), Broderick Bunkley, and Darren Howard on passing downs.

Losing games you should win - An NFC East report

2006-09-12T07:01:00.000-07:00

After week one in the NFL we now have our first real picture of how the NFC East looks. Now, I'm not going to use this to make a prediction on how the rest of this season will go but there are some things we learned about teams.

There are games that good teams win in the NFL and there are games that even good teams lose. A good team should win any game they play at home. If you expect to be considered a playoff team and a real contender you have to win your home games regardless of how good your opponents are. Same for your division games. However, going on the road against a playoff caliber team and losing is not something to panic about. You really should lose that game. Winning those tough road games is usually what separates Superbowl teams from ordinary playoff contenders.

So what can we take from what the NFC East did this weekend?

Cowboys - This is not the worst loss in the grand scheme of things for the Cowboys. The Jags are a playoff team from last year that went 12-4, and the Cowboys missed the playoffs. Dallas really had no business winning this game on the road against a quality team like Jacksonville. Now, I have no doubt that they aren't encouraged by the way they lost with Bledsoe throwing 3 picks... but it won't be a game where Dallas looks back on say "that's a game we should have won and it cost us our season." This was a "should lose" for Dallas. The same may not be true for NY & Washington however...

Giants - The Colts are a good team. They had a first round bye and homefield advantage in the playoffs last year. They won their division, however so did the Giants! The Giants had no business dropping a home game to another good team. That's a game that they are going to have win a tough road game that they should lose to make up for. In a division that looks to be competitive as the East is, dropping "should win" games such as this is the first nail in your coffin... Especially when you consider the Giants have 2 "should lose" games in the next weeks.

Redskins- This was probably the worst loss in the NFCE in week one(thanks Brad Childress!). The Skins hosted the Vikings on Monday and lost 19-16. I won't even bother with weaknesses this reveals in the Skins' offense... that much is obvious. All you need to know about this game was that a playoff team from last year in their own house lost to a non playoff team. That's a "should win" game if I ever saw one. Granted, the Vikings are a solid team that looks be in for a solid season, but they still had no business beating Washington at home. This is the kind of game you look back on and regret. This is the kind of game that the Skins now have to make for at some point later in the season. They go on the road to meet NFCE rival Dallas next weekend in a game they really should lose. Like the Giants, they risk going 0-2 to start the season... which in a good division is going to be very difficult to comeback from, even though it's still so early.

Eagles - The Eagles were the one team that was favored to win and had a "should win" game that did win. The Texans were the worst team in the NFL last year, and even though it was on the road the Eagles clearly should have won that game. Next week, the Birds also have a "should win" game at home against the Giants. The Giants are a quality team, but no team has any excuse for losing division games at home. That's a surefire way to ensure you won't be playing in January.

Eagles 24 Texans 10

2006-09-10T19:40:00.000-07:00

Today was just about everything I expected(actually it was exactly as I predicted 24-10... bows). The Eagles thoroughly beat the Texans as they should have.

There were highly touted units that delivered, young players that came up big, new stars emerging, veterans impressing, players injured last year coming back in big ways... The game the Eagles played today was everything you wanted to see from a team in it's first game. Let's get into it...

Positives

The pass rush looked like everything it was advertised to be sacking David Carr 5 times. 2 from Trent Cole.

The offense played very well overall but in particular they did the job on third downs converting 8 of 13. That's an encouraging stat no matter how bad the team we faced was. That shows poise, nerve, and effective playcalling.

Matt McCoy played very very well. This guy has taken a lot of heat the past year and half and a lot of it was for good reason... But he really showed up today. He was around the ball, he led the team in tackles, he wasn't getting sealed off on blocks, he was delivering some hard hits including one that forced a fumble. This team lacked playmaking LBs last year and McCoy made plays today.

McNabb was fantastic. He spread the ball around to 7 different receivers, he completed 24 passes for 314 yds and 3 TDs for about a 69% completion percentage. He ran for first downs when he needed to, he led a perfect hurry drive with :53 seconds left in the half for a TD. McNabb looked every bit the pro bowl, MVP candidate QB we've seen in the past.

I really think a star was born in Philly in the form of Donte Stallworth. Eagles fans have an obsession with WRs and they fall in love quick... After today I think they've fallen for Stallworth. He was every bit the deep threat playmaker he was advertised to be and more. We all knew he was fast and could catch the deep ball, but he ran the Eagles style offense very effectively today. He showed strength catching those quick slants and he looked in perfect synch with McNabb. If they look this good together after less than 2 weeks of practice, it's exciting to think what they can do by season's end

Brian Westbrook proved yet again why he is the key to the Eagles offense. He had 132 yards from scrimmage and absolutely carried the team to a TD on the first drive after the 2nd half. The Texans had absolutely no answer for him in the run game or the pass game.

Negatives

There weren't may of these, but I did note a few key ones.

First was the secondary. They continually let the Texans' receivers catch balls underneath for solid yardage, much like they did in the preseason game vs the Ravens. They have to be more aggressive and not be so worried about giving guys such big cushions. If the Texans had a decent line or QB they could have done a lot more damage underneath.

Rod Hood flat out blew coverage on the Texans first score. He bit bad on a play action fake and let Eric Moulds go free by him.

Sheldon Brown was put on the Texans' #1 Andre Johnson after Lito went down with an ankle injury(x rays negative)... and he was burned bad. There was one specific play where Sheldon lined up facing the QB with no help over top and just let Johnson run by him. Overall, Johnson had 101 yards receiving.

Reggie Brown has to go on my list here. He did catch a TD, but that was only 1 of 2 receptions for him on the day. I think a big part of that was because McNabb lost confidence in him after the interception in the first quarter. Just like he did in the preseason, Reggie again failed to come back to the ball after his cut. He ran a nice out pattern, made his cut... then waited for the ball. Of course DB saw that and just jumped it for the pick. You can't stand still and wait for balls to come to you in the NFL.

Quick pluses/minuses

+Thomas Tapeh for several good blocks, especially where he took out 2 defenders to spring Westbrook for a TD

+ LJ Smith for having a good game making 6 tough catches. He took some big hits, showed good hands and was the reliable target for McNabb that he was for the first half last year.

+ Correll Buckhalter for getting 50 yards on only 8 carries and playing with fire. He ran hard, he had burst and speed and refused to go down when hit. He was the perfect compliment to Westbrook today.

+ Trent Cole for abusing the rookie left tackle Spencer for 2 sacks

Overall, this was a great start to the season. They played a bad team on the road and roughed them up. Combine that with the fact that both Dallas(thanks to their QB's 3 picks) and the Giants(thanks to their QB's pick near the end) both lost... and the Birds are in good shape one game into the year.

Eagles vs Texans - House of Pain 2?

2006-09-08T15:10:00.000-07:00

It's been 15 years since the Eagles last traveled to Houston. The last time was the infamous "house of pain game" in which the Eagles' vaunted defense in the early 90s brutalized the Houston Oilers, physically battering them and holding a good team that nicknamed their stadium "The House of Pain" to 6 points. Jerome Brown's famous quote as he walked off the field, "They brought the house, we brought the pain."

They return to Houston to face a considerably less formidable opponent this time around in the Houston Texans. The worst team in the NFL last year, the Texans selected DE Mario Williams to help bolster their pass rush. Many had assumed that the Texans would pick USC RB Reggie Bush or even OT D'Brickashaw Ferguson to help bolster their poor offensive line. So far in the preseason, Williams has not distinguished himself and their starting RB Domanick Davis is out for the year.

In place of Davis, the Texans will start rookie 6th round pick Wali Lundy at RB. Along their offensive line who has given 208 sacks in David Carr's first 4 years, they will be starting rookie 3rd round pick Charles Spencer. Spencer will have the job of facing Jevon Kearse.

The Texans do boast 2 pretty good WRs in Andre Johnson and Eric Moulds. The question will be whether Carr ever has a chance to get them the ball. Texans coach Gary Kubiak was famous in Denver for his for blocking schemes, but it's hard to see what he will be able to do against the Eagles new sack happy defense which registered over 20 sacks in the preseason. He has a lack of talent and unproven rookies on the offensive line and his starting RB who has twice rushed for over 1,000 yards and could keep pass rushes honest is out. It's hard to see how the Eagles' defense shouldn't dominate the Texans.

The Eagles' offense is still somewhat of an unknown. We've all seen how well McNabb has looked in the preseason and his presence alone should be enough to beat the Texans, but there's a lot for the offense to prove. How will Westbrook look after missing 4 preseason games? Will Buckhalter continue the to show the improvement he did in the preseason? Finally, what will Donte Stallworth do in his first game(real or exhibition) as an Eagle?

The Texans have one good corner in Dunta Robinson, who you would assume will be matched up with Stallworth. While he's a good player, Robinson is not an elite corner and should provide a good but winnable matchup for Stallworth. This should mean lots of opportunities for Reggie Brown.

In addition to rookie Mario Williams, the Eagles should look to exploit rookie MLB Demeco Ryans. It'll be interesting to see how he fares if the Eagles continue to run up the middle as they did in the preseason.

I'll also have a close eye on the special teams. The Eagles coverage teams looked fine in the preseason, but they showed very little in the return game. Bruce Perry will be returning kicks and thanks to an injury to Reno Mahe it looks like Lito Sheppard will be returning punts. Brian Westbrook may also be called on to return a few punts in certain situations. If Lito can show them something returning punts, he may make Mahe expendable...

In the end, the Texans are not a very good team. Gary Kubiak is a smart coach that should steer that franchise in the right direction, but this is just the very start of that. He has a long way to go. The Eagles have no excuses here. Their new look defensive line should dominate the Texans O-Line and harass David Carr all day. I can see 4 sacks. McNabb and the offense should at least score a few TDs against a Texans D that is better than their offense, but still not very good.

My prediction - Eagles 24 Texans 10

Andy is getting nuts.. and other notes

2006-09-07T07:39:00.000-07:00

Andy is getting nuts... and I'm kinda liking it. Some interesting stories developed this week about players playing out of position that I found very intruiging. This is stuff we've never seen from Andy and frankly I like it.

First off, Brian Dawkins will be playing linebacker on certain passing downs. Dawkins talked about it in his press conference this week.

"Putting me closer to the line of scrimmage is great because I believe it's going to allow a lot of other guys to free up, because you can't watch me to see if I'm going to come down and blitz, I'm already down there."

It's a pretty interesting prospect that I think was brought on by a few things. For one, we've all seen out linebackers get eaten alive by tight ends. On passing downs, putting Dawkins in at LB would match up the tight end with a legit cover guy, plus that tight end would likely become responsible for handling Dawkins should he be blitzing on the play, which would neutralize the TE inthe pass game. I also have to assume that ANdy has liked what he's seen from Sean Considine in coverage. More than once this offseason Reid has singled him out for praise, and while he is certainly not hte intimidating hitter Dawkins is... Considine looks to be a very good cover safety, Dawkins is as good as it gets at reading passing lane and getting picks that way but his string suit was never man to man coverage. By having Considine back there on certain passing downs the Eagles may actually be strengthening their pass coverage.

Probably the most bizarre position change is that RB/KR Bruce Perry has been practicing as a DB this week. Perry, who is likely the 5th running back on the roster and is basically here to return kickoffs will serve as the emergency 5th corner. While I highly doubt we'll ever see him take a snap at corner, it's very interesting to see Andy experiment like that.

Combine those odd position switches with the ones we've already seen DE Darren Howard going to DT on passing downs and Center Nick Cole coming on as a fullback in goal line situations... and it should be at least some fun stuff to watch this year.

BTW... The football season officially kicks off tonight with Pittsburgh vs Miami!

Later today or tommorow I'll post my preview of this weekends' Eagles season opener against the Texans.

Will we "Run the Damn Ball?"

2006-09-05T18:17:00.000-07:00

The early signs seem to point yes. Andy has repeatedly re-affirmed his commitment to running the ball in the offseason. We've seen some evidence of that in the preseason as the balance between run and pass has been good. Plus, the naming of Marty Morningwheg seems to have also had a positive effect as far as running the ball goes. As offensive coordinator in San Fran, Marty's offense twice led the NFL in rushing. "Marty brings the attitude that we're going to run the ball" said Brian Westbrook this week.

Speaking of Westbrook, I've been very encouraged by the brashness we've been seeing from him lately in terms of lobbying for more carries and for the run to be featured more. It's a very uncommon thing in the Andy Reid era to see players criticizing the gameplan(aside from TO of course), and demanding more touches(again.. aside from TO). Westbrook had this to say:

"Last year we were definitely trying to get the ball to T.O. a lot," Westbrook said. "And its tough when you're a running back and you dont get into the flow of the game early on. If you go into the second quarter and you still havent really touched the ball very much because you've gone three-and-out, its tough for you to get into the flow of the game. And that kind of affects the rest of the game. "

He went on...

"You have to get in there early and get some work, so you can see what the defense is doing and set them up for later in the game, Westbrook said. Even if you only get one or two yards, maybe you're going outside on one play a couple times and then on the next one, you cut it back inside and surprise them. You don't have the opportunity to do that when you run the ball once or twice a quarter.

Then he flat out said what we've all been screaming to Andy from the stands..

It's going to translate into wins, he said. When coach Reid sees he's having success running the ball, he'll be more in tune to call more running plays.

We've been practicing it a lot. It's going to be tough going out and passing the ball 40 times and winning. You're better off running the ball and keeping the defense off the field so it doesn't get worn down playing 45 minutes a game.

Yes Brian! We couldn't agree with you more. I love this attitude from Westy. He's a veteran on this team now, who is secure here with a long term deal and is an important part of the offense. This is how a leader acts in my opinion. He says what's on his mind and he wants the ball, but he doesn't do it in a negative way. He says that the coach is going to see how well he plays and that he'll prove to the coach why he needs to run the ball. He praised the philosophy of his offensive coordinator. He spoke his mind and he did in a way that was focused on helping the team as a whole.

Plus, it looks like Correll Buckhalter is back and is going to be relied upon with a plentiful workload in game one according to Andy. Reid also said that we should expect to see Buckhalter and Westbrook on the field together occasionally.

One more interesting note on the running game came out of the final preseason game. We saw the mammoth center Nick Cole, who was a bit of a surprise to make the team, work as a fullback on the goal line. Whether he ever plays that role in an actual game remains to be seen, but having a guy the size of Cole plowing a hole is an intruiging idea...

An interesting note not related to the run game is that newly acquired WR Donte Stallworth will start Sunday against the Texans. The word from practice is that he's having no trouble picking up the playbook and is familiar with most of the terminology from his days in New Orleans. It makes you wonder what was wrong with Jabar Gaffney that he couldn't pick up the playbook seemingly at all in an entire offseason and Stallworth is doing it in 2 weeks...

Fraley, Gaffney, Parry, Reed, McCants all gone

2006-09-02T15:35:00.000-07:00

The roster cuts came deep today as the Eagles trimmed their roster to 53... It's been a very interesting week for this team and a lot of veteran Eagles we've been used to seeing. Pinkston and Detmer both long time veterans of this team were cut earlier in the week(as I predicted the Vikings and Brad Childress signed Pinky today). And today Hank Fraley who has started season after season for the Eagles at center(81 games) was traded to the Cleveland Browns.

Oddly enough, the Eagles went hard after free agent center LeCharles Bentley seemingly because they thought Hank Fraley wasn't good enough... However, after an apparent handshake agreement with the Eagles Bentley jumped for Cleveland at the last minute. On his first play of practice, he injured his knee and was out for the ear. So in an odd twist of fate the Browns now have Fraley as their center... The Eagles will get a conditional pick in 2008. Obviously Jamaal Jackson is the team's starting center and Nick Cole will back him up.

Josh Parry, the bird's starting fullback last year was dealt to the Seattle Seahawks for a future pick. Clearly, Thomas Tapeh impressed Andy enough to win the starting FB job.

JR Reed, a great story from the offseason, was flat out cut. He came back from what everyone thought was a career ending knee injury and really fought for a place on this team. I was rooting for as I'm sure all Eagles fans were, but as I've written here several times he's just not the same player he once was. The spark he had in the return game was gone and he struggled in the secondary. Considine and Mikell are your backup safeties.

I was somewhat surprised to see that both Jabar Gaffney and Darnerian McCants were cut. I fully expected Gaffney to be gone, but it had seemed like McCants may have done enough to get himself a roster spot. In the end, it turned out that neither was going to make it because the Eagles chose not to keep 6 WRs. Reggie Brown, Donte Stallworth, Jason Avant, Hank Baskett, and Greg Lewis are your receivers.

I was disappointed to see Chris Gocong placed on injured reserve for the season. However, with him and Jeremy Bloom both being obvious projects meant for next year... maybe a season watching won't be so bad. Still, as a 3rd round pick it would have been nice to see what Gocong could do. Speaking of 3rd round picks, the Eagles 3rd rounder from 04 Matt Ware was also cut.

Some interesting names not on the cut list... RB Bruce Perry, who you would think would be the kick returner now that Reed is gone. CB Joselio Hanson, who was undrafted and didn't play last year but impressed in camp. Jerome McDougle whose injury history is well documented and was hurt again this offseason with a broken rib also made the team.

An interesting note... The Eagles are carrying 6 backs and 5 WRs. Could that mean more running? Westbrook, Buckhalter, Tapeh, Perry, Mahe. & Moats all seem to have made the final roster. Mahe & Perry seem to have both made this team to return punts and kickoffs respectively... That seems odd to me.

Eagles 17, Jets 20: Now let's do it for real!

2006-09-02T09:34:00.000-07:00

I won't bother getting into my normal post game recap here as it really is worthless after a final preseason game like this. I can't think of any reason anyone would care to read about the game as a whole... but there are a few interesting storylines from last night.

While the starters sat, the 2nd team shined. The AJ Feeley(9-12 for 131 yds) led Eagles offense torched the Jets in the 2nd half to the tune of 17 points. Feeley looked better than he has in years. He look ed very comfortable in the offense and to be back in Eagles green. He's got himself a job as the backup QB for here for several years if he wants it...

As for guys that needed to do well and did. Look no further than Darnerian McCants. A guy who was already lauded all preseason for his special teams play, McCants stood out last night
grabbing 4 catches for 61 yards the first of which was a great grab where he went up over the DB and hauled a pass in for 20+ yards. Jabar Gaffney, the Eagles sole free agent WR pickup who has been fighting it out with McCants for the last WR spot, caught 3 balls for only 23 yards. Rookie Jason Avant also played very well and looks like he may very well blossom into a very physical, effective wideout. At this point it's very difficult to see how Jabar Gaffney can make this team. It looks pretty clearly like the WR corps is Brown, Stallworth, Avant, Baskett, & McCants.

Ryan Moats also played well. Picking up 65 yards on 16 carries. He showed a lot of burst, was very quick, sure handed... He probably also cemented his place on the team.

Today at 6pm all teams must trim their rosters to 53. There's always surprises and a flurry of signings to follow so it should be interesting. The first big surprise was that the Lions cut former #2 overall pick in 03 WR Charles Rogers, who may well rank up there with the big busts of all time so far...

It's on tonight!!.... Not really.

2006-09-01T14:00:00.000-07:00

Tonight the Eagles face the Jets in the final preseason game of the year in what should be the one of the most meaningless games you'll ever see. If you're still watching by the second half, you're a better fan than I.

Andy has already stated that most, if not all of the starters will not play at all. Still, there are a select few guys worth watching that have one last chance to earn a roster spot.

Ryan Moats: The team's 3rd round pick last year it's surprising to see that he's on the bubble. However, the re-emergence of Buckhalter has put Moats' job in question especially considering that the Eagles could be in the marke

t for a bigger back if one comes available after the cut down date on Saturday. If Moats shows something tonight he should easily cement his place in the RB rotation as nop team wants to be cutting a 3rd round after only one year.

Jabar Gaffney: Gaffney apparently can't understand why he has slipped so far down the depth chart, but he finally has realized that his job is in serious jeaparody. This is from a Courier Post story

"I guess sometimes I wasn't going the speed he(Andy Reid) would like," Gaffney said, "and some of the younger guys were flying around, I guess, a little bit more faster than I was."
Still, the demotion puzzled him. He didn't think his play had dropped. Not to the point where he ran with the second and third teams.
"I wasn't really sure what was going on," he said. "I was out there playing. I wasn't really feeling a drop in my play or whatnot. When my number was called, I caught the ball."

You better figure out what's going on quick Jabar. With McCants being a solid special teams player and Greg Lewis playing well last game.. you're the odd man out.

JR Reed: His story has been great so far. He came back from a nearly impossible injury and has actaully palyed well at times this preseason. However, he visibly has lost the extra step and spark he had in the return game. To add to that, he also played poorly as a safety against the Steelers ones and twos. Probably the best thing going for Reed at this point is that Matt Ware, who was switched from CB to safety this offseason has not played well at all. Reed may make the team by default if Ware continues to dissapoint. Still, I'd like to see Reed give us some glimmer of hope that he can still be a return threat.

Thomas Tapeh: He's been locked in a battle for the fullback spot with Josh Parry all preseason. Honestly, I have no idea who is ahead at this point. Fullback is a very nuanced position that is hard to evaluate just by watching the regular netwrok feed of the game. You really have to have the positional game tape to see what a fullback does from play to play. Josh Parry has been given the night off, presumably because he started all last year and Andy knows what he can do, so expect Tapeh to get plenty of time tonight and a have a real shot to win the starting FB job.

I'll be back this weekend with some thoughts and observations about this game and hopefully the Eagles final 53 man roster. Teams need to cut their squads to 53 men this saturday, so after the team makes their cuts they may very well go shopping for an extra piece or two that didn't make other teams' rosters.

The End of an Era

2006-08-30T11:12:00.000-07:00

I will remember you...

Will you remember me....?

An era, albeit of mediocrity, ended today as the Eagles announced that they've cut Koy Detmer and Todd Pinkston. They also brought back former backup/3rd string wunderkind AJ Feeley...

Since being drafted in 200 with the Eagles 1st round pick we've marveled at how a man with the body of Nicole Ritchie could last year after year in the NFL... but he has. Through his infamous alligator arms incident in Washington, years of Michael Irvin calling him "Todd Stinkston" on ESPN, being bullied by Ricky Manning Jr in the NFCCG, and through years of jeers from Eagles fans Todd Pinkston has hung around. And to be fair he's given us great moments. Despite his toothpick frame, he'd only missed 2 games in his whole career before last year. Of course, he did as good a job avoiding injury causing contact... Despite all Pinky's shortcomings I'll never forget his catch in the superbowl, and I'll look back fondly on all the pass interference penalties he drew... His career isn't over though, and Im sure we'll see him turn up at some point this season with someone else(probably the Vikings).

Of course, then there was Koy. The man who made field goal holder an actual position in the NFL. I'll admit, Koy has long been one of my favorite Eagles. From his disturbing neckbeard, to his infamous "Spankin' it" celebration, to his heroic performance that Monday night against San Francisco... In fact, I've always told people that my dream job was the one held by Koy Detmer. Get paid a good bit of money as a 10 year vet in the NFL to have front row seats to the Eagles and absolutely no pressure or expectations. Over those 10 years Koys has seen scores of better QBs than him signed and drafted to play on this team and new coaches, yet he always managed to keep himself around.

One of my favorite Koy anecdotes was a personal experience I had with him. I was working at an Eagles charity event where the team showed up in a bus to help build a playground at an inner city school. The whole team got off the bus and immediately starting working, digging holes, pushing wheelbarrows, mixing concrete... Koy however, decided to come over to the tent of the particular business I was working for to hang out and chat. He came off as a totally cool guy, very regular and personable. At one point as we were talking though, he quickly jumped behind me and ducked his head(I'm 6' tall and 220 lbs... and Koy seemingly disappeared). He told me that Andy looked over and he was worried that the coach would see that he wasn't helping... True story. I've been a huge fan of the guy ever since and always found him to funny and having a good time. Everytime I visited training camp, Koy would always be the guy that turn around to acknowledge the fans and wave hi. He's a guy that truly loved his job... and wouldn't we all? The man dubbed as "the best holder in the NFL" is gone. If/when he is enshrined in Canton for his clearly legendary holding abilities, I'll be there.

So I say a fond farewell to Pinky and Koy. Two guys that have been fixtures at this franchise for a very long time. It'll definitely be very odd to see them not on this team. In fact, I'll probably get a little wistful when I see those skinny little legs of Pinky or that hairy neck or Koy in another uniform. Eagles fans will no longer hear me standing up and yelling "goddamn Todd Pinkston!" anymore. In fact, now that I can't yell at Todd during Eagles games or at David Bell during Phillies games... What will I do?

Good luck guys and welcome back to AJ Feeley.

Memories...

A video memory of Pinky...

Eagles get WR Donte Stallworth

2006-08-29T07:43:00.000-07:00

The report on the radio yesterday went like this...

"And in the NFL, Eagles QB Donovan McNabb got another weapon that could change the balance in the NFC. Today the Philadelphia Eagles acquired WR Donte' Stallworth from the Saints for backup MLB Mark Simoneau and a conditional 4th round pick."

And the fans rejoiced. I got 25 new Myspace messages on the Bleeding Green myspace page overnight all people excited over the trade.

You may have noticed that I haven't been the only Eagles fan or football pundit to be screaming for the Birds to add a proven, veteran, deep threat at WR this offseason. Seemingly every post on every message board, every blog entry, every national media "report" on the team all talked about the Eagles' lack of experience and talent at WR. Andy Reid took a major step in addressing that need.

First, for those of you who aren't totally familiar with Donte' Stallworth, here's a quick bio. He was drafted by the Saints in 2002 with the 13th overall pick. He hs always had tremendous speed, boasting a 4.26 40 yard dash making him one of the fastest players in the NFL. He broke out in his rookie year grabbing 8 TDs. He battled some injuries the next year or so, but had a career year last with 70 catches, 945 yards, and 7 TDs.

For those keeping score at home... The Eagles most productive WR last year, Reggie Brown, had 43 catches for 571 yards and 4 TDs. That's a little more than half of the numbers Stallworth put up last year...

So what can we can expect from him this year? It's hard to say. A lot of people seem to assume that he'll immediately step in as the starter next to Reggie Brown and all will be peachy. I don't think that will happen. He needs to start learning this offense, which is well documented as a tough one to learn for WRs, and he needs to get into sync with McNabb. That's going to take more than 2 weeks and one preseason game to do. The good news is that early on, the tem can afford to let him work his way into the offense. There's some tough games early, but most of the early season schedule is against some of the worst teams in the NFL(Houston, San Fran, Green Bay, New Orleans). I still expect him to be in the games early on to stretch the field and catch the deep ball, but I'm not expecting him to really get into the flow of the offense until several weeks into the season. The bottom line is that even if he does take time to learn the offense, he' still a significant upgrade over Hank Baskett.

This trade affects the team overall on a few levels. First and most obviously it gives the Eagles to legit downfield threat that they lack. The flat out burner that can beat guys deep and forces defenses to give help coverage over the top. That's going to free up the likes of Reggie Brown, LJ Smith, and Brian Westbrook to have room to do things over the middle. Stallworth clearly represents one more legit weapon for McNabb to use.

Second, the addition of Stallworth makes the WR depth chart like it should have been from day one. Reggie Brown is no longer going to be expected to replace TO's production on his own. Hank Baskett can be free to develop naturally and learn rather than being an undrafted rookie free agent thrown in as a starter. Same for Jason Avant. Plus, it likely means that Todd Pinkston or Greg Lewis won't make the team...

Finally this trade, much like alot of what Andy does, is not just for this year and is not a terribly high risk for the Eagles. The team gave up Mark Simoneau who is backup LB whose prescence has been made much less important with the emergence of Omar Gaither this preseason. Sim was expendable, and honestly a guy that could have been cut this year. So the Eagles sent an expendable backup LB and a 4th round pick for a former 1st pick. If the Eagles reach a long term deal with Stallworth, that 4th rouner could rise to a 3rd. If Stallworth, who is only making less than 2 mil this year, has a good year this year and the Eagles resign him he's more than worth a 3rd round pick. This kid is only 25 and could be one half of a potent WR tandem with Reggie Brown for years to come... and at most he could cost a 3rd round pick and an older backup linebacker? Who wouldn't make that trade?

Eagles 16, Steelers 7: Can the season start already?

2006-08-25T19:41:00.000-07:00

All in all this was yet another encouraging game from the first team offenses and defenses. The defense had no trouble with the Steelers first team offense and the Eagles offense moved well against the dominating Pittsburgh D. Can we get this season underway already?

Let's get to some game thoughts.

The MNF crew... What can I say? Mike Tirico is among the worst play by play guys I've heard at any level. How did a guy with such a contrived, sing songy delivery get the MNF job? Theisman was annoying as usual, and Kornheiser was decent. Also Stuart Scott is the worst studio host... ever. Of course it was very fun to hear Eagles fans taunting Michael Irvin constantly as the pregame show crew was live from the concourse of the Linc. Stuart Scott even said "We're live from the city of brotherly love, although some of the fans haven't been so loving to you Michael..."

The star of this defense all preseason long and certainly of this game was Darren Howard. He absolutely dominated the vaunted Pittsburgh offensive line. In 2 series he hurried Big Ben on a great inside move, he then beat his man to the outside for a hurry, then he got a hit on the QB from the DT position on a 3rd down, and finally got a sack before left the game. The defense and the defensive line as a whole was very strong. They held the Steelers first team scoreless and while Big Ben was in they hit him 5x, hurried him 4, sacked him once, and forced him to throw a pick on a play where Kearse forced him to the outside. As in past weeks, this pressure came almost exclusively from the front four as the team did very little blitzing

The offense also came out pretty good despite not getting a TD with the first team. McNabb came out firing as hard as I've ever seen him throw, going 7-9 with 79 yards. He appears more than ready for the season to start. The big story on offense however, was Correll Buckhalter(7 rushes for 31 yards). He showed clear improvements over his last game, which is exactly what we all wanted to see. He ran hard, made a good cuts, and showed nice acceleration. Assuming he can stay healthy he looks like he's about ready to be the backup RB this team so desperately needs. Also, it's clear that Andy likes to run behind Shaun Andrews. He was exceptional in run blocking, although he missed a block on a blitz up the middle that led to a sack.

The WRs continued to be disappointing as a group. When McNabb was in the game, several times he sat in the pocket and could find nothing. When Pinkston(who did nothing) came into the game, McNabb was promptly brought down by a "coverage sack". They had real trouble getting open as a group. I've seen nothing in several games now that shows me that Hank Baskett is a starting WR. So far in this preseason he's shown that he can catch a short pass in the flat and get tackled. I need more from a starting WR. Gaffney did almost nothing as usual. Greg Lewis made a nice catch early on, but ruined it by getting a 15 yard taunting penalty(that I'll admit was a lame call). He did burn his man on a TD in the 3rd quarter, but his man was a guy that's competing for the Steelers 3rd DB job...

Reggie Brown was also disappointing as he played with the 1s. The McNabb INT that was overturned looked completely like Reggie's fault. He sat back and let the DB come right in front of him and take the ball. He needs to come back after that ball and not let the DB out muscle him. You could see McNabb telling him he needs to come back for the ball as they walked off the field. In contrast, Jason Avant made a very nice catch on a bullet pass from McNabb where he showed some physicality and kept himself between the DB and the ball. Reggie did some nice things against a soft zone at the very end of the 1st half with Jeff Garcia, but overall I was hoping to see more from him.

I noticed that once again Dirk Johnson was holding for Akers. Akers was excellent again as he has been all preseason. He hit 3 FGs of 40, 49, & 51 yards.

I'd like to go on record as saying that I hope these Duce Staley to the Eagles trade rumors are untrue... Although I suspect if there was any truth to them, the interest is gone after tonight. I love what Duce did when he was here, but he's a shell of himself. He's clearly overweight, out of shape, and running at half speed. Don't forget, like Buckhalter he's been hurt for 2 years. The difference is that Buckhalter looks very much in shape and running fast.

What an odd game for JR Reed. I was all ready to put him as one of my "stock downs" for this game. He got absolutely rocked on a hit during a punt return that was absolutely his fault. He took a huge shot and fumbled a ball that any decent punt returner would have fair caught. He has he not been very impressive returning kicks this preseason, but after that play I'd say he's a liability in the return game. Then he made a very obvious and very poor pass interference penalty. Then he made some plays against the Steeler's scrubs. He made a one sack where he forced a fumble and picked off a pass to end the game.

I don't know how we are supposed to evaluate the WRs when Koy is in. On the majority of plays he doesn't even look at them and goes straight to the dump off to the back.

You have to like what you saw from Jeff Garcia. He did a good job with :53 left in the half driving the team down for an Akers FG. Plus he threw a gem of a TD pass where he hit Greg Lewis deep perfectly in stride.

The Eagles 2nd team defensive line also played well against the run as the Steelers sent Staley over and over up the gut with very few results.

Stock up +/Stock Down -

+ Darren Howard(dominant), Gaither(threw a few bigtime hits), Buckhalter(was very good), Bruce Perry(played well returning and running the ball. It was nice to see him bounce back after a disastrous start to the preseason)

- JR Reed(in the end he deserves to be here), Hank Baskett(he is a nice story and should make the team, but he should not be starting), Dexter Wynn(who was burned badly on a near TD and general didn't look great)

So there's one more game left in the preseason for the Birds. So far there's been no major injuries, and the first team offense and defense have left with leads every game. This was basically the Eagles final preseason game, since in game 5 it'll be unlikely that the starters will play more than a series.

Guess who DIDN'T get Lelie????

2006-08-22T22:39:00.000-07:00

The Eagles!

Sigh...

The Redskins, Falcons, and Broncos completed a 3 way deal that sent disgruntled WR Ashley Lelie to Atlanta, RB TJ Duckett to Washington, and the Skins' 3rd round pick & possibly 4th to Denver.

Some Eagles fans wanted Duckett here... I had no interest in him for the Eagles, backup RBs can be found anywhere and they aren't worth anything close to a 3rd & 4th round pick...

But how could we not have wanted Lelie? People can say all they like about him and it's likely mostly true. He's not lived up to his potential of a 1st round pick, he's probably not much better than a healthy Pinky.... But that's how bad our WR corps has gotten! I'd kill for a Pinky level veteran WR right now! Anything is better than Reggie Brown and a bunch of rookies and undrafted free agents. I think Reggie is legit, but he could use some veteran help. He's a 2nd a year guy and is probably the senior member of the WR corps.

Don't get me wrong, I like what Baskett has done this offseason. I like some of the things I've seen from Avant so far. However, that's a far stretch from me thinking they are starting caliber NFL WRs this year. To put that much pressure on an undrafted rookie free agent and a rookie 2nd day pick seems crazy to me!

Luckily, Lelie went to Atlanta where he can't hurt us(Mike Vick as his QB?) . But still, it would have been nice to have him here.

I have some thoughts on the deal from the perspectives of the teams involved...

OKAY deal for Atl - They needed a WR, but it won't really matter with Vick. Plus Lelie is going to be the 3rd WR(as per Mora), which is what he was already mad about in Denver, so you have to wonder how happy he'll be in ATL. He's gone after this year, but so was Duckett so that's not as much of a concern...

GREAT deal for Denver - Everyone knew Lelie had to be traded, but they get a 3rd round pick and maybe an additional 4th for him? They robbed the Redskins here.

AWFUL deal for Skins - They give up a 3rd round pick for a backup/short yardage back that will likely leave after this year... This is doubly bad considering that they already have so few picks left for the future. It's going to be interesting to watch just how bad the Skins get over the next few years with zero picks and no young talent. But hey, they've got a backup RB!

Basically, it's a disappointment that the Eagles let Lelie slip through their fingers. I do not understand a plan that involves starting rookies and undrafted free agents at WR in a the most pass heavy offense in football. I just don't get that. The scary part is that I really think that Andy Reid and co believe that they have enough. A lot of Eagles fans have been crowing since the offseason about how they think the Eagles are cheap. I don't buy that. They've shelled out tons of money for free agents and to resign their own guys. They aren't cheap, they really believe in what they have. I firmly believe that Andy Reid is more than content to go into the season with Hank Baskett and Jason Avant as his #2&3 WRs. That scares me more than a team being cheap.

I hope Andy proves me wrong. I hope he's been right all along... Because right now, I just don't see it.

Eagles WR Notes: Reggie Brown, Ashley Lelie, Jeremy Bloom

2006-08-20T18:44:00.000-07:00

With the Eagles Wide receivers(or lack thereof) being a such hot topic this offseason & preseason... and honestly nearly every year Reid has been here... I've collected some notes from around the net the Eagles WR situation.

Reggie Brown is due to break out... And I'm not the only one who thinks so!

Scouts Inc had an article in ESPN magazine about how most WRs have their breakout year in their sophomore season as opposed to year 3 as most people assume. They listed 3 specific guys heading into their second year that fantasy football owners should draft. Along with Matt Jones(Jax) & Roddy White(ATL), they included Reggie Brown and had this to say.

His speed and size are nothing special, but he consistently creates separations with his burst and quickness, So what if the Eagles run more in 2006? With a season under his belt and a healthy McNabb, Brown should maintain his rookie 2nd half production (34-463-4) over a full year.

For you stat gurus... his projected stats over 16 games as a starter going by last year's stats as a starter are: 64 catches, 823 yards, & 7 TDs. Playing with a healthy McNabb the whole time and not 7 of 9 games with Mike McMahon could easily push those numbers to the 75 catch, 1,000 yard, 10 TD level.

Lelie situation heating up?

The Denver Post talked about some happenings in the NFL that have heated up interest in disgruntled Broncos WR Ashley Lelie

The Broncos hope of trading holdout receiver Ashley Lelie improved after two major developments in the league.
In Minnesota, top receiver Koren Robinson was arrested on alcohol-related charges and could be suspended for a year by the NFL. The Vikings were light on receivers before the arrest and have an interest in Lelie.
In Philadelphia, coach Andy Reid said receiver Todd Pinkston is not progressing well from Achilles injuries. Like the Vikings, the Eagles are thin at the position. The Eagles have been linked to the Lelie talks several weeks.
Chicago is another team that has talked about Lelie.
The timing may be right, since trade value for Lelie could be lowered as the cut dates approach and receivers become available for no compensation costs.

Bob Grotz of the Delco Times claims to have a team source that says the Eagles would make a deal for Lelie if the price is right.

If Pinkston doesn't show enough progress, the Eagles might reconsider taking a shot at disgruntled Denver Broncos wide receiver Ashley Lelie, providing the price is right, according to a team source.

Lelie, formerly a first-round pick, would be worth probably a fourth-round pick according to sources. The Broncos, on the other hand, would take a solid defensive player or a running back in a deal.

Well, Pinkston has not shown enough progress as evidenced by Andy Reid not playing him in the Ravens game.

Jeremy Bloom to miss entire season?

I've already speculated several times that there was no chance Bloom would make the team this year...Butt the word is now that he could be put on IR for the whole season rather than cut and signed to the practice squad. Putting him on injured reserve would prevent him from playing at any time this year, but it would keep him on the team without using up a roster spot.

Les Bowen agrees

There also was no update on returner-receiver Jeremy Bloom's hamstring "tweak," but it sure seems likely to land the fifth-round rookie on injured reserve...

The Pass Rush is fixed...

I also wanted to pass along this very cool note about the defense... The Eagles defense has 16 sacks since the Hall of Fame Game opener against the Oakland Raiders Aug. 4.

Obviously it's quite early and several of those sacks came by the 2nd and 3rd team against the 2nd and 3rd team... However all you have to do is watch the games to see how well the team is pressuring the passer. The Eagles made a commitment to fixing the pass rush in the offseason and so far it is clearly paying dividends. The great thing is that for the most part they've done it with the front four, only 2 of those 16 sacks has not come from a defensive lineman. The vanilla, "don't show anything" defense the Birds use in the preseason has included very little blitzing. If defense is getting this kind of pressure with only the front four, it's exciting to think what will happen when Jim Johnson unleashes his blitz schemes...

Eagles 10, Ravens 20

2006-08-19T17:57:00.000-07:00

Friday night the Ravens beat the Eagles 20-10... but as usual in the preseason there's alot more important things to come out of the game than the final score.

So here we go with some thoughts on the game.

The big story was the return of Correll Buckhalter. Now, while the reviews have all been good thanks to his impressive 48 yard shuttle pass reception... but in general I was mixed in Buck. He deserves credit for the one big play, he showed vision and he ran well. However, outside of that there was little to see that made me feel like we are set at backup RB. He just flat out didn't have the explosiveness he used to. When he came into the league Buckhalter didn't just run hard, he was fast. He hit holes quick and hard, which is something he didn't do last night. Now, it's only his first game in over a year and I don't expect him to be back to form already... but when a guy has missed multiple seasons due to multiple knee injuries, it's fair to wonder whether his explosiveness will ever come back. I think he should be seeing significant time in the next 2 preseason games. It's not as if the Birds have anything to lose if he gets injured, the guy hasn't been part of the team for a long time now. After a good amount of playing time in 3 games, we should start to see if he can get back to where he was. I will give Buck credit for his blitz pickup, he did a solid job there with several nice blocks.

Continuing with the running backs, Ryan Moats was a disappointment. Fumbles, lack of production... He really did nothing. 7 attempts, 7 yards and a fumble. Like with Buckhalter however, I won't blow this too far out of proportion. Moats only started practicing again recently and this was only his first preseason game. He has to show some things in the last 2 games however.

McNabb showed some encouraging things yet again. The best of which was the way he moved around. It almost became easy to forget last year with his injury what Donovan is capable of with his feet. He was running around, evading would be sackers, buying himself time. If there was any doubt about how much his injury affected his play and ability to play the way he does... that doubt was gone this past game. McNabb was flat out not able to move like that last year it clearly limited him. As far as his passing though, there wasn't much to see. Combine the Eagles extremely vanilla, dumbed down preseason offense that Reid has become famous for since he arrived with the fact that receivers had trouble separating... and McNabb's options were clearly limited. There were lots of designed dump offs and screens, that was obvious. However, on those plays where McNabb was forced to dance around and run the receivers just flat out weren't getting open. He only completed one ball to a wideout and that was a screen to Reggie Brown. It was fun to see McNabb run the no huddle offense however.

One receiver who did get open was LJ Smith. He had 2 catches for 32 yards, including one very nice 21 yard catch and run over the middle. If the Eagles don't get more help at WR before the season, LJ is going to have to continue to build on his breakout year last year and be a big time contributor.

The first team defense was okay. Kearse got a sack, but in general they were pretty vanilla. There were a few blitzes, but for the most part they rushed 4 and hung other guys back. The Ravens has some success moving the ball, but mostly on short dumps and slants. I was a little disappointed with Matt McCoy, who had been impressing me so far this preseason. He got sealed off on a few blocks and let the RB turn the corner.

Brian Dawkins played like an absolute animal. He needs to play a regular season game before he explodes.

It looks like Hank Fraley is going to be the backup guard and center. He played some series at guard for the 2nd game in a row. I suppose you can't argue that he should provide solid veteran depth.

Jeremy Bloom finally got on the field and returned 2 kicks in the 2nd half. While he didn't anything special, he did flash some good speed. More than Reed, Wynn, or Perry for sure... Unfortunately, in those 2 returns Bloom was injured again. Andy says he "tweaked" his hamstring which has held him out of most of camp so far. Again, I don't see any way he makes this roster.

Overall the second teams didn't have alot of highlights. There were a few bright spots though.
Juqua Thomas had 2.5 sacks and played well, as he has all preseason long. It's definitely time to start working him in earlier in these games. He's clearly shown that he's on another level than the 3rd and 4th stringers he's played against so far.
Broderick Bunkley also looks like he's going to be playing himself into the starting lineup very soon, he had 1.5 sacks and was generally pushing his man back on seemingly every play. He also is clearly on another level than the 3rd stringers he's played against.
Jabar Gaffney also had a decent game with 4 catches for 37 yards, however I'm not encouraged by seeing a guy who was a starting WR in this league last year play well against a bunch of guys that may never see an NFL snap.
Omar Gaither continues to look like he was a steal late in the draft. He's been playing tough and aggressive all preseason and continues to make plays. He should provide very solid depth behind Trotter this year.

In the end, the first team offense & defense left at the half with a 10-3 lead. They've left every game with a lead so far and that's encouraging.

Next up are the Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers, which should be an interesting game. Not a good one... it'll just be interesting to see how much the Eagles actually play. Normally a team's biggest preseason game is it's 3rd, that's the game the starters usually play the most. That was the Ravens game for the Eagles. Typically in the 4th and final preseason game the starters get a quick look and get off the field to avoid injury. This is the Eagles' 4th, yet not final preseason game and the Steelers' 3rd. I would imagine that the Eagles starters will see no more than a quarter, while the Steelers' should see a half. I'm actually looking forward to seeing some of the Eagles standout reserves like Bunkley, J Thomas, & Gaither take on the Champs' first team. It'll also be a nice test for Buckhalter and Moats to prove that they are getting back into shape.
ape.

Photos from Training Camp

2006-08-16T17:49:00.000-07:00

Bleeding Green Live at Eagles Training Camp!

2006-08-16T08:18:00.000-07:00

Bleeding Green Live at Eagles Training Camp!

I was able to get up to Lehigh and catch the final day of open practices at Eagles TC yesterday. It was a hot day, but the place was packed and the atmosphere was overall very cool. I know everyone always says it, but if you've never been to training camp you really should go next year. There's nothing like hanging out 6 feet from the players and hearing them joke and talk Xs & Os.

Here's some of my observations.

Pinky and Greg Lewis switched jerseys at TC yesterday. It prompted a bunch of people around me to remark about how well Pinky was moving. I must have had to repeat myself 5 times that it clearly not Pinky wearing the #87 Pinkston jersey.

Also, Marty Johnson was wearing #36, although with no name. That seemed to fool alot of people that Westy was practicing.

I don't see anyway Bloom makes the team. He will get cut and resigned to the practice squad. He's not even the 3rd string KR, he took NO reps returning kicks. How it is that a guy drafted solely to return kicks can't even a rep during a non contact TC drill is beyond me. (I only caught the afternoon practice. If he took reps in the AM let me know). The only drills he was in were as a 3rd or 4th team WR and as a 2nd or 3rd team onside kick coverage.

Dawkins made 2 picks and looks to be in midseason form. Plus he signed my Eagles Insider.... :D

Buckhalter ran well. Obviously it's no indication as to how he'll perform in an actual game, but looks to be moving well in practice.

Gaffney made the grab of the day. It was on a pass from Koy that was maybe a half step overthrown that Jabar grabbed with his fingertips. Hank Baskett has yet to not catch a ball from what I've seen. Reggie Brown looked good, especially on a quick out where he caught a ball and immediately darted past everyone upfield.

Gocong is lining up at the SAM spot. I know some people had said he'd revert back to a DE this year... but he was definetly playing SAM with the 2nd team yesterday.

I also can't see how Timmy Chang makes the team. He was bad yesterday. He threw alot of balls in the dirt and over heads, plus he threw several picks. 2 to Dawkins and one to Gaither if memory serves me. Koy looked alot sharper IMO.

Finally a funny note is what the Eagles have out there for you to buy. Now there's a billion different things in their Merch tent... but the funniest thing is the jerseys. In one afternoon I saw Eagles fans wearing 9 different versions of a McNabb jersey. I saw all 3 regular colors(black, white, & green), 2 versions of pink jerseys(both the all pink and the white with pink accents), a McNabb pro bowl jersey, a white with green pastel and rhinestones McNabb jersey, a McNabb Syracuse jersey(admittedly the Eagles don't sell that), and finally a Red McNabb training camp jersey a guy was wearing.

Later today I'll post a bunch of the pictures I took at camp.

NFC East is falling apart

2006-08-14T07:41:00.000-07:00

The so called "best division in football" is in rough shape. A look around the news stories this morning shows a bunch of bad news for several of the NFC East teams.

First and foremost is the shoulder injury to Redskins RB Clinton Portis. Considering Portis is the Redskins offense(gaining over 1,500 yds on the ground last year), this is bad news for them. He suffered the injury, which was confirmed by an MRI ina preseason game against the Bengals. So far the only word is that he's out "indefinetly." "Right now, it's tough to say," coach Joe Gibbs said. "Obviously, it's going to be a while."

Second is the major problems going on with the New York Giants. Both Lavar Arrington and Carlos Emmons, their two starting outside LBers, have been injured all preseason and are still not healthy. Those injuries and the loss of Strahan for their first preason game led to thier defense getting shredded by Baltimore.

The biggest and most obvious weakness coming into the season on the Giants is the interior of their defensive line. They lost a quality player in Kendrick Clancy and made no major moves moves to replace him. They instead decided to rely on former 1st round pick(and so far bust) William Joseph, who routinely tends to dissapear in games. The tough NY media and fans are starting to turn on the guy heavily... what's worse is that he's refused to address the media since he was drafted in 03. So fans and media alike have been left wondering who he is and if he has any explanation for his poor play.

In response to the general bad play from his defensive line, coach Tom Coughlin unleashed this gem..

"I will never use that – you know, this guy was here, that guy was there," Coughlin said. "I thought we were soft up front, to be honest with you."

That's right, he calls them soft. Now, maybe he thinks this will motivate his team? Not quite, they've already fired back at him. Pro Bowl DE Osi Umenyora came out against Coughlin in an article in the NY Daily news today after a team meeting where Coughlin reportedly blasted the defensive line.

"Obviously, I'm the worst defensive end in all of football after hearing the comments that were made in there," he said. "At this point in my career I feel like I know when I made a mistake. There's nothing a coach can say to me that I haven't said to myself 10 times already. As soon as I mess up, I know. So you don't have to do that to me."

Bad news for all of them... good news for the Eagles.

Eagles 20, Browns 7: Can I get a R-B?

2006-08-11T06:45:00.000-07:00

Last night's game was very interesting. A few of the guys who had a tough time in the HoF game bounced back, and a several of the guys who palyed wel against Oakland continued to play well. Although some didn't, and a few serious concerns at skill positions are emerging.

Quote of the night: by Jaworski "Put the ball in the Baskett". His new plan for the Eagles offense to utilize Hank Baskett.

Stat of the night: On the ETN broadcast, they said that 19 or 20 of the projected starters on the Eagles are homegrown Eagles draft picks. Compare that to the Giants, Redskins, and Cowboys who project to start 12, 10, and 7 former draft picks repectively. The prospect of Dallas only starting 7 former picks is an embrassment, that's not how you build a winning football team.

Let's get to some game thoughts

Reno Mahe is not a starting RB or even suitable backup. The offense did not run the ball nearly as effectively as they did against Oakland and it was obvious to see that Reno simply does not hit holes as quick and decisively as Westbrook or even Moats. Not even close. I have to admit that he has skill catching the ball out of the backfield, but we can never rely on this guy to run the ball with any frequency and expect to win. This team needs another RB. I don't think they need a starter, but they need someone more capable than Mahe.

Did anyone find it odd that the Eagles wore white uniforms at home? I don't remember them doing that very often

Not only is Baskett ahead of Jabar Gaffney and Greg Lewis on the WR depth chart, so is Jason Avant. That's bad news. The fact that Gaffney and Lewis have done so poorly in camp that this team is forced to start a rookie and an undrafted rookie free agent is bad news. It seems obvious to me that we can not rely on Pinkston, Gaffney and Lewis won't cut it, and we can not expect Baskett and Avant to be starting WRs all year. That's alot to ask of a 1st round pick WR, let alone these guys. Going into the season with your top 3 WRs having a grand total of one half year of starting experience is suicide.

Now, it wasn't all bad by any means. McNabb looked crisp again. However, other than the one brilliant 33 yd pass to Baskett on the sideline... #5 wasn't really asked to make many tough throws. Also, his protection from the first team O-Line was very, very good.

I can't ignore Hank Baskett anymore. I'm still not comfortable at all with starting him at WR all year, but no one can say this guy doesn't look like an NFL calibre WR right now. Unlike Blly McMullen, Bskett has size and uses it. He has good hands and clearly gives maximum effort. I honestly think that not getting drafted was the greatest thing that ever happened to this kid. I can't say that he wouldn't have given this effort if he was drafted, but he is clearly playing a like a guy that is desperate to make the team and that's encouraging to see.

Michael Lewis was very active as was Matt McCoy(again). Both of those guys seemed to be around the ball every play. McCoy showed more of his incredibly high motor and Mike Lewis was just playing mean.

The starting defensive line brought pressure constantly. They really seem to be as scary as advertised. So far, the real star of the line is clearly Darren Howard.

LJ Smith was absolutely abused trying to block. He looked good out catching balls and running after the catch, but he was pushed around several times in run blocking.

Spadaro eating ice cream on the sideline was maybe the lamest on air plug I've ever seen. Just cut to an Eagles ice cream commercial and don't force the guy to do stuff like that.

Jeff Garcia deserves praise. He had a tough time in the Raiders game, but really bounced back with a solid performance

Bunkley came in and nearly got a sack on his 3rd play... Not bad. Hopefully he gets in full football shape soon

The Jerome McDougle sack was a great moment. He owned the tackle he was against, lowered his should and ran right around the guy. The crowd gave him a great cheer and the whole team was clearly very excited for the guy. Kearse was on the sidelines with McDougle after the play for several minutes jumping around and congratulating him. It was nice to see guys acting like teammates and being happy that another guy made a good play... Rather then a guy complaing he didn't catch the first down that the QB just threw...

Jeremy Bloom was in commercials during both this game and the last... yet has not been in an actual game yet.

JR Reed again played very well at safety, although no longer looks like he can be an effective returner.

The NFL network did an odd thing at halftime of their game reply. The game started with the Eagles television network coverage of the game, but at halftime swtiched to the local Browns' coverage

My stock up/stock down

Up - Garcia, Mike Lewis, Gaither, Baskett, McDougle, Lajuan Ramsey, Reed

Down - Mahe, William Thomas, LJ, Gaffney, Greg Lewis

Eagles v Browns Tonight

2006-08-10T07:08:00.000-07:00

The Eagles return to the Linc tonight in their "preseason home opener"... or I as I like to call it "the game where the fans pay full price to see Andy Thorn and Timmy Chang play..."

We may see a bit more of the starters in this game, but usually the starters only see significant time in the 2nd and 3rd preseason game. With the extra game this year the Eagles starter will probably see the most time in the 3rd and 4th game. Reid claims that the first teams will play 1 1/2 quarters... however he said they'd play a full quarter last game and they cleary did not.

The big news for this game is that we'll see 1st round pick Broderick Bunkley for the first time. He'll play tonight, less than a week after reporting to camp.

We won't be seeing 4 running backs including Westbrook, Moats(who is back practicing BTW), Perry, and Buckhalter. The Eagles actually had to sign a free agent RB(Marty Johnson = who?) to fill in. Reno Mahe, Thomas Tapeh, Johnson, and UDFA fullback Jason Davis should get some carries. Darwin Walker and Todd Pinkston will both also be out, plus there's still no signs of Jeremy Bloom or Chris Gocong.

It should be interesting to see the Eagles first team offense take on the Browns 3-4 defense. The Eagles have traditionally struggled against 3-4 defenses, something that Hank Fraley has taken alot of blame for. His ability to play with a nosetackle lined up right on top of him has been exploited by teams like Pittsburgh and New England. It should be interesting to see new how the line with Jackson at center performs.

Check back here the day after the game for my notes and thoughts...

Eagles 10, Raiders 16: Encouraging signs

2006-08-07T06:57:00.000-07:00

It's still very early, and we only saw the starters for a series or so... but you have to be encouraged by what you saw from the Eagles last night. If they play nearly as well as they did last night we should be in for very good things things this year.

Also, before we hit the game notes great job by the Eagles in extending Dawkins contract and likely making it so he'll finish his career as an Eagles. He's been one fo the great players and franchise history and has defined that defense for nearly the past decade.

Some Game thoughts:

Darren Howard absolutely dominated Robert Gallery(as did everyone the Eagles sent out against him). Howard was in the backfield stuffing the run or hitting the passer all three plays in the first 3 & out the Eagles forced to open the game. In the second series, he was just as active and when he moved inside for the pass rush he brought tremendous pressure that pushed Aaron Brooks right into Trent Cole's arms. The whole starting defensive line looked fantastic, but Howard clearly stood out.

How about that up the gut running? The Eagles took their opening drive down the field with ease to score the first touchdown of the game. The drive was clearly on the back of Brian Westbrook as Reid sent him right up the middle behind Jackson, Andrews, and Herremans, all of whom seemed to bully the Raiders defensive line around. Andy really seemed to send a message running the ball to start the game. Westbrook looked very crisp as well.

McNabb looked very good in his extremely limited time. He only played one series, but went 3 for 3 and made three accurate bullet passes to Baskett, Brown, and Westbrook.

Winston Justice stood out in the 2nd team offense absolutely pancaking his man on more than one occasion.

Did everyone see JR Reed running witht eh 2nd team defense? He actually seemed to play pretty well at safety.

Akers couldn't have hit that 55 yarder(a HOF game record) more perfectly. He looked in midseason form already

Matt McCoy played alot. He ran with the first team defense and was still in the game in the 3rd quarter. I'm not sure anyone else played that much. Other than one very stupid late hit that an NFL starter shouldn't be taking... He looked fairly good, especially against the run and seemed to have a very high motor.

There wasn't much to see in the 2nd half as both teams deep bench players didn't seem to do much.

Common Threads Emerge

2006-08-05T18:18:00.000-07:00

First off, I wanna say that as I write this I'm watching a Ravens/Redskins intersquad scrimmage on the NFL network. This is either really cool, or the most pointless thing on TV. I haven't decided yet...

Second, the quote of camp so far comes from McNabb. McNabb said, "If it means I have to run more for us to move the chains, then that's what I'll do."

There's a nonstop flow of reports and info coming out of training camp at any given time. Every media outlet in Philly, NJ, & Delaware is there on a daily basis, the Eagles website is live practically all the time from training camp,and the national media have all stopped by to spend time as well. The interesting thing is that in combing through the mountain of info that the media is churning is out, a few "common threads" start to emerge. When multiple sources all seem to start saying the same things they seem more and more true. Let's check out some of the more popular points being made.

1) There's a new mood at camp. Everyone from Pat Kirwan at NFL.com, Peter King of SI, Charles Robinson of yahoo sports, and most every local media source has commented on the positive atmosphere at camp.

Kirwan wrote

Contrary to popular opinion, the team has not fallen apart with the departure of No. 81. In fact, it is safe to say that the 2006 Eagles have moved on. A year ago to the day you could cut the tension with a knife at practice. Now Reid's biggest challenge may be to throttle back the players' enthusiasm so they don't leave their best efforts on the practice field.

Robinson wrote

McNabb turned and took an energetic trot toward the coaches. For a moment, the man who has known little more than pain and controversy for over a year looked genuinely happy. It's a common thread in this training camp, which rolled into full gear this week without major controversy. In other words, nobody showed up in the parking lot rocking army fatigues and headphones and looking like a hybrid of Chuck Norris and Jay-Z. And while the memory of Terrell Owens hasn't exactly been wiped away completely, he's at least been demoted to a second-string topic of conversation.
It sounds absurd, but there is no more dividing up loyalties like a United Nations debate. No more McNabb Bloc. No more Owens Bloc. No more guys stuck in between. The locker room has been devoid of paranoia. The situation got so out of whack last season even a guy like mild-mannered offensive lineman Shawn Andrews began to wonder about the frequent hushed conversations.
"It's really a breath of fresh air," Andrews said. "This year, it's not about what such and such did, or such and such said. This year, guys are playing around. There aren't guys sitting at their lockers whispering. After a while, you'd see guys sitting there whispering, and I'd start to think, 'Are they talking about me?' "

2) LJ Smith is ready to take the next step. I wrote about the quiet breakout season LJ had last year amidst everything else earlier this year. Now, the national media is coming aboard. Peter King(Sports Illustrated) and Len Pasquarelli(ESPN) both raved about him in their columns about Eagles camp. Plus there was my favorite story from camp so far...

During a Tuesday morning "team" drill, tight end L.J. Smith gathered in a pass in the short left flat, turned upfield, and absolutely annihilated backup safety Quintin Mikell with an ear-splitting collision that seemed to echo through the entire Lehigh Valley. The "de-cleater," in which Smith simply mowed down Mikell, certainly brought the throaty Eagles fans to their feet. It was also indicative, said offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg, of the manner in which Smith performed in the offseason.

Peter King wrote

I think I will be extremely surprised if tight end LJ Smith isn't in the Pro Bowl this year. Smith is a man. If I were a safety and he was coming down the middle, I would think Mark Bavaro was heading my way.

Reggie Brown is going to have a microscope on him this year. We already knew this was true about Eagles fans. He supposed to be our savior at WR and make us at least start to forget about TO. It may be too much to ask of the kid, but it seems like he's got the right attitude. He's accepted that he's the #1 guy

The Eagles website quoted Reggie and Reid

"It's always exciting when you're the No. 1 guy for the first time," Brown said. "But I'm trying to really not worry about it ...make plays and do what I do."
"He'll work as hard or harder than anybody on this team at what he does," head coach Andy Reid said. "He's hard to tire out, man. He'll keep going. When (Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach) Jon Gruden had him in the Senior Bowl, that was the thing he told me, 'You can't wear this guy out. He just keeps rolling.'
"He just pushes, pushes and pushes every play. So, with that, I don't think he's too worried about the other things. He's concentrating on his job and doing it the right way. He tries to improve every practice and he seems to do that"

Len Paquarelli dedicated an entire article to Reggie and quoted him as being ready to step up as the #1

"They've put [the No. 1 label] on me and I'm happy to have it," said Brown, who at times wasn't even the lead receiver on his college team. "They don't seem to have a problem with it, so why should I? If they felt like someone else [here] was the top guy, then it would be him. If they felt like there was someone better that they could go get, they'd probably go and get him, because that's the nature of his business. But I feel like it's my place on this team … and I'm definitely ready for it."

Pat Kirwan loves Reggie

The Eagles have to figure out who their wide receivers will be before the summer is over, and after a few practices, here's my take on the situation. Reggie Brown deserves the hype he's been getting as an emerging star. After watching him run precision routes and catch balls with ease, I would say he's headed for a 75-reception, 1,000-yard season. As Reid said about Brown, "He's smooth, runs the short crossing routes we like to feature, and he handles himself like a real pro." Sheppard seconds that evaluation, and Dawkins added that his precision route running makes him difficult to cover off his breaks.

Questions Answered, Questions Remain

2006-07-22T12:04:00.000-07:00

After a vaction during the "down time" in the NFL Bleeding Green is back with the opening of Eagles training camp. It seems like the theme of training camp this year and the party line of the Eagles organization is "we've put last year behind us". Have they though? What burning questions have been answered and which remain?

1. Can McNabb get over the TO debacle?
Donovan sought to answer this question right of the bat in training camp and so far it seems like the answer is yes. Certainly his play in the field will be the ultimate indicator, but his comments at the opening of camp convinced me that he had the right take on the situation. For the first time McNabb didn't seem like he was on the defensive, he didn't seem terribly frustrated with the questions, and he finally showed the kind of swagger that I've wanted to him to show all along. When asked about TO's book #5 responded "It won't sell unless he's talking about me" and joked that it was a "children's book". He didn't sound intimidated and finally seemed like he was on the offensive, which is exactly the kind of attitude you want the leader of your team to have heading into a new season. Plus, the media has been raving about his fitness.

2. Can/will the team run the ball?
This question really needed to be answered from 2 perspectives. Did the team make a personell commitment to run and will they make a playcalling commitment to run? Obviously the latter question we won't know until the team makes the field, although there's been hints from Andy Reid and new offensive coordinator Marty Morningwheg(who has had the #1 rushing attack in the NFL as an offensive coordinator in the past with the 49ers) that the team will have a more balanced offense this year. I believe it when I see it though.
As far as personell, it's hard to answer that question. Most Eagles fans wanted the team to address the rushing attack by signing or drafting a big running back to compliment Westbrook. While the the team didn't do that, it's hard to say that they didn't do some significant things to address the running game from a personell perspective. They resigned Jon Runyan, who was an unrestricted free agent and has always been talented run blocker as well as a vocal proponent of the team running the ball. They invested 2 draft picks in the offensive line, including a 2nd rounder on tackle Winston Justice who opended holes for the most fearsome running attack in college football, USC. Watch any highlight film of Reggie Bush and Lendale White and look at the kind of holes they had to run through that Winston opened up. In the 4th round the Eagles drafted the massive 355 lb mound of a man in Max Jean Gilles, who enters the NFL with a repuation as a road grader in the run game.

3. Was the pass rush fixed?
Without seeing them in action we can't say for absolute certain, but at the outset of camp the answer is a resounding yes. The Eagles spent big bucks on free agent DE Darren Howard, who just 2 years ago compiled 11 sacks. They spent a 1st round pick on pass rushing specialist DT Broderick Bunkley, and they traded up in the 3rd round to draft Chris Gocong, who led the nation in sacks last year playing in division 1AA. Basically we know Jim Johnson is going to call plays to bring pressure, we know that between Kearse, Bunkley, Cole, Patterson, Howard, Gocong, Trotter, and Dawkins/Lewis we have the personell to bring pressure... So there's really no reason this team shouldn't be a nightmare for opposing QBs

4. Was the WR position addressed?
Ummm. Not really. Now there's certainly a lot of new blood at the position. With Gaffney, Avant, Bloom, & Baskett there's at least some new guys to try to infuse last year's weak corps. The problem is that among that group there's no big names and there's a real lack of proven veterans on the squad. The only guys on the team right now that have actually spent a whole year as a starting NFL WR are newcomer Jabar Gaffney and the injured Todd Pinkston. That's scary. Now, anyone who reads my blog regularly knows that I think Reggie Brown is going to be a very good WR and I think Gaffney is an upgrade over what we had... yet you can not say going into this year that the team has definetly answered the WR question.

There's a few other minor questions that have been talked about over the offseason as well.
Who will play center? Judging from the new long term deal Jamaal Jackson signed, it's hard to think he won't win that job.
Will Dawkins be resigned? Recents reports seem to say that offers have been made, taks have been held. Some progress at least been made.
Was the backup situtation solved? Yes
Will all the rookies get into camp on time? No, only Bunkley remains unsigned. Although only one first round pick in the NFL has signed so far, which makes it almost impossible to find out where Bunkley is slotted. Since the Eagles are in camp so early, other 1st round picks should start to get signed soon as other teams start camp and Bunkley should fall into line quickly. The good news is that there has been no indication that he plans on holding out for more money than they offer, he just needs to see where he slots.

I should be at training camp in the next few weeks for a full firsthand report. Hopefully alot of you can make it out. When I find out when I'll be there, I'll be sure to let everyone know.

What I want from this year's draft class

2006-06-09T20:29:00.000-07:00

As the slow part of the offseason continues, I offer some more random thoughts... this time on this year's draft class and what I'd like to see from them all in order for me to consider them a success. We all love the draft on paper, but this is what they need to do on the field to still love it 1-3 years down the road...

Bunkley needs to win a starting job. If not in training camp, at least at some point in his first season. He's a high enough first pick that it's more than reasonable to expect him to start. Gocong needs to get himself on the field at least situationally, it's okay if he doesn't start right away. He's learning a new position and he's from a lower division in college... That said, this guy has a natural knack for getting at the QB and he should be able to step on the field and go after the QB from the SAM spot in certain situations right away. Bloom needs to win the PR or KR job. I don't care if he ever gets a snap at WR in year one, but he should at the very least be returning kicks for this team full time. I'd like to hear Gaither's name a few times on special teams this year, no one is expecting him to start but based on how the Eagles have praised his special teams abilities so far he should be able to at least contribute there very early on. Max Jean Gilles should at least make a strong challenge to start at LG, but if he doesn't this year it's okay. Herremens seems to have the inside track on that position, but MJG should at least put up a good training camp battle and hopefully get in some games on the goalline. If Jason Avant can just get on the field some times I'll be happy, I'm not expecting him to be a huge contributor in his rookie year. I've heard rumblings that maybe Winston Justice could line up to be an extra blocker from the TE position, especially on the goalline. That would be interesting, but overall it doesn't matter to me if he doesn't play alot. Normally you'd want a 2nd round pick to get significant time, but this is a special situation where he is here as the heir apparent to a pro bowler in the left tackle formerly known as Tra Thomas who is in his final year as an Eagle.

If that happens in year 1, I'll be happy with this rookie class.

In year 2, Justice needs to be starting. William(Tra) Thomas' contract is up this year and it almost a given that he will be gone for the 07/08 season. Justice was drafted specifically to be the Left Tackle of this team ideally for the rest of his career starting next year and he needs to do that to be a successful pick. Bunkley needs to be a full time starter from day one. Bloom should be returning everything and maybe be used as a toy occasionaly on offense, I'd like Gilles to start(however if Herremens is good I won't mind if he doesn't), Avant should at least be a #3 and be catching 3o or so balls, which is the bare minimum for a decent #3 WR. Gaither should be a legit solid special teamer. Chris Gocong should be starting at the point. A full year should be plenty for him to learn the position and get into the lineup, plus Dhani Jones in all likelihood should be out of by then. Nothing will be standing in Gocong's way and unless he's a flat out dissapointment he should be able to beat out whatever training camp body the team brings in to challenge for the SAM spot. I suppose I'd like to see 7th pick LaJaun Ramsey at least make the roster, not that a 7th round pick could ever really be considered a bust...

If that's what happens in year 2, I'm happy.

In year #3, I'd like to see Bunkley as a pro bowl calibre defensive tackle. If he's getting 6-8 sacks and is generally a difference maker on the interior of that line, I'll be ecstatic. Justice should good enough to be comfortable with at LT for the next 6+ years. Like I said, he was drafted to be this teams next franchise LT and he if he's become that or shown that he can become it by year three, we should all be happy. Bloom needs to be a legit return threat. He may not be much of a difference maker on offense, but as a guy drafted to be a return specialist he should at least be the type of guy that strikes fear into teams everytime they punt or kick the ball. If he's not that, he's probably not on the team anymore. Gocong should still be starting, Gilles starts at either G spot or sees some time at center maybe? I'd like to see Avant as good #3 or a decent#2 WR that's catching 40-50 balls, plus if the scouting reports on him are true he should at least be developing into a decent red zone threat. Gaither should be a special teams standout who is getting some snaps on defense hopefully showing that he can maybe play MLB...

If that's how the next 3 years play out with this class, I'll be more than satisfied. This scenario would make every pick worthwile. They could do better and be great picks or worse and be busts... but this would make them all solid picks.

Some playoff trends

2006-06-04T12:27:00.000-07:00

So as we continue in the doldrums of the NFL offseason, I decided it would be a nice time to quickly discuss some playoff trends.

Since this is the boring time of year and it's tough for football writers to find things to write about... It not unexpected that they start to roll out their brilliant preason predictions. For the moment I'll ignore how pointless it is to make pics this far before the season in the NFL... If you look at the vast majority of picks out there, the so called experts have really gone out on a limb and picked the NFL to shake out almost exactly like it did last year, which as you may well know is probably less likely to happen than picking all teams that missed the playoffs...

I figured that I'd post a great post someone made on an Eagles message board about this subject. If I remembered who it was I'd give them credit, because it's a great little tidbit

Since 2000, no conference has had more than four playoff teams repeat from one season to the next. Four of these 12 times, two or fewer teams repeated. Three teams repeated five times. Picking even five teams to repeat in a conference's playoffs means you're ignoring every trend from the past six years.

Only one team that made the NFC playoffs in 2004 made them in 2005.

So why have guys like Peter King picked Seattle, Carolina, Dallas, & Tampa Bay in the NFC? 2 of the 4 teams that already made it last year and one 9-7 team? Because it's easy and they need something to write about. I hear alot of Eagles fans freaking out because they don't see the Eagles being picked to make the playoffs this year... No need to panic. These were the same writers that were picking the Eagles to go 12-4 last year and repeat as NFC champs.

Position Battle: Wide Reciever

2006-05-24T17:50:00.000-07:00

This is probably the low point of the year as far as the NFL goes. The draft is over and has been analyzed ad nausea, free agency is over and has been talked to death, the season is still far away… So, in these doldrums I will continue to analyze the major position battles.

So let’s get to WR.

In all the WR position is pretty weak from top to bottom. There’s question marks at literally every position on the depth chart. Anyone who reads me regularly knows how highly I think of Reggie Brown, but the fact is that he’s a 2nd year player that really only saw significant time for 9 games last year. I think he’s going to be a very good player, but he’s got a lot to prove. Jabar Gaffney seems like a solid possession WR that is going to catch 50-60 balls, but he’s never played in the west coast offense which we always here is complicated for wideouts to learn. Then there’s Todd Pinkston, who despite not being the most popular Eagle, has shown more and done more in his career than any of the other guys on this roster. However, he’s coming off a major knee injury and there’s question marks about how ready he’ll be to start the season. Other than Greg Lewis, there’s no one else that has even taken an NFL snap. With the lack of true, experienced veterans the battle for the WR spots is pretty wide open.

Reggie, Gaffney, & Pinky are the clear top 3 coming into camp. If Pinky is healthy, we have a solid albeit not scary (for opponents that is) top of the depth chart. The top 3 receivers will get the lion’s share of the snaps. If Pinky is unable to play, the #3 slot through 6 slots are wide open. Veterans Greg Lewis and Darnerian McCants, rookies Jason Avant & Jeremy Bloom, along with undrafted free agents JJ Outlaw & Hank Baskett (who the Eagles traded the perennially disappointing Billy McMullen to the Vikings for) are left to fight for a roster spot.

Jason Avant, the 4th round pick, is going to make the team. It’s very unlikely that a 4th round pick won’t make the team. Jeremy Bloom is probably the reason that 6 wide receivers will make the roster. He’s here to be a return specialist and is so raw as a WR that he likely see very few if any snaps at WR this year. Assuming he shows any ability as a return man, he should be a lock to make the team.

So assuming that Reggie, Gaffney, Pinky, Avant & Bloom make the roster… that leaves one spot for another guy.

Greg Lewis and Darnerian McCants are the only guys with experience out of the group. In 04 Lewis showed some ability to stretch the field in 3 and 4 WR sets, however when he was installed as a starter last year he struggled mightily. In an offense where Andy Reid was passing over 60% of the time and TO out the lineup for most of the year… Greg managed only 48 catches and 1 TD. On the worst team in the league, playing opposite a good WR, in an offense that passes much less than the Eagles Gaffney managed to get 55 catches for 2 TDs. That shows just how overmatched Greg was last year. McCants’ however, did virtually nothing as WR last year(5 catches). He did manage to distinguish himself as a good special teams player, which is important for WR that’s #4, or 5 on the depth chart. It’s very likely that the only snaps guys so low on the depth chart see (barring injury) are on special teams. So the fact that McCants played so well on special teams last year will certainly help his chances of making the team.

Despite his shortcomings, Greg has at least shown he can do some things on an NFL field. The rest of the competition for the final slot have not shown that. In fact, they didn’t even show enough to get drafted this year. Probably Greg’s greatest threat is Hank Baskett who the Eagles traded former 3rd round pick Billy McMullen for. Baskett was a guy that a lot of draftniks projected as a potential 5th round pick due to his exceptional size(6‘3“ 224lbs), physical play and good hands. That said, every team in football passed on him and the Eagles drafted a LB and a DT instead of him. Considering that they had already signed 2 free agents at those positions and drafted 2 guys on the first day at those positions doesn’t exactly mean a ringing endorsement for Hank. He seems to be a WR with great size, but severely lacking in speed… reminds me of Billy McMullen….

Finally, there’s guys like JJ Outlaw from Villanova & Justin Jenkins who are long shots to make the team.

There’s been some talk about the Eagles having interest in disgruntled Denver Broncos WR Ashley Lelie. Since the Broncos traded for Javon Walker and still have Rod Smith, Lelie wants to go somewhere he has a better chance to play more. It’s been rumored that the Eagles have called about him, but the Broncos are asking too high a price in terms of draft picks. Lelie has never quite lived up to his 1st round pick expectations, but he’s at least a proven NFL WR that has shown an ability to catch the deep ball. So far though, it seems as if we are going to war with what we have….

Position Battle: SAM LB

2006-05-15T18:15:00.001-07:00

Some call it the SAM LB, others the strong side linebacker, or Madden players call it the LOLB... Whatever you call it, Dhani Jones has occupied the position for the past 2 years after Carlos Emmons left. The job of the SAM LB is to support the run, bring pressure on the pass rush, and cover the tight end who he usually lines directly up against.

In 2004, Dhani's shortcomings were masked a bit by the fact that the front four were deep and effective. The team as a whole got 47 sacks and the secondary was full of pro bowlers. In 2005 however, when the secondary was on it's heels due to the lack of pass rush and the defensive line was riddled with injury and losses to free agency (turns out Burgess was a big loss...) Dhani struggled mightily. He had trouble shedding blocks to support the run and rush the passer, hence less guitar strums... He got absolutely abused in coverage as Shockey, Witten, & Cooley(the 3 TEs in our division) all had big games against the Birds. Witten in game one had 7 rec for 80 yds, Cooley had 7 for 87, Shockey had a TD in one game and 10 rec for 107 yds in another. In the NFC East, to be successful these TEs can not be allowed to dominate like they did last year. Now, few if any SAMs in the NFL can consistently cover TEs of that caliber and they'll eventually all need help. Michael Lewis in particular certainly needs to do a better job helping the SAM in coverage, however the TE was primarily Dhani's responsibility and he did a poor job.

Even Andy Reid, who never calls out players in the media, criticizes Dhani in the offseason saying he needs to play better. There were options in Free agency such as Julian Peterson that could have helped to solve the SAM spot, but the Eagles passed on them and chose to look to the draft to fill the hole. In the 3rd round the Eagles traded up to get Chris Gocong, a defensive end from Cal Poly. You can check out the scouting report on him from school here. It's not all uncommon for smaller, fast defensive ends from college to be drafted to play SAM in the NFL. Carlos Emmons was a college DE, rookie standouts from last year Demarcus Ware and Shawne Merriman were both DEs converted to SAMs (both excelled as pass rushers and not in coverage). Terrell Suggs in Baltimore is among the best converted DE to SAMs in the league. Gocong seems to have the speed to play the position, he has rushed the passer from the standup position like he'll have to in the NFL, and he has shown an uncanny ability at the college level to get to the passer and blow up run plays in the backfield. What he has no experience in is pass coverage, which will likely be the biggest learning curve he has in his transition to a new position.

The good news on Gocong is that he's a very smart kid, certainly with the physical attributes & the nonstop motor to play the position. The learning curve is going to be tough, and with the fact that he played against lesser college competition at the 1-AA level and was only a 3rd round pick and it's not at all unlikely that he's going to take a year to learn the position. Merriman excelled in his first year making the transition, but he had played some LB in college and was a top pick.

So while this will be a closely watched battle in camp, don't look for Gocong to beat out Dhani in year one. However, Gocong shouldn't be expected to sit the bench the whole year. A guy with his skills and pedigree as a pass rusher should be able to get on the field in situations where Jim Johnson needs to bring some extra pressure off the edge. In their first year DE-SAM converts has success, Ware had 8 sacks, Merriman had 10 sacks, and Suggs had 12 sacks. Like I said before though, these guys were 1st round picks... Regardless the potential is there for Gocong to share the SAM spot with Dhani for the first year as he learns the position.

Also, there's an undrafted free agent from last year named Greg Richmond who was hurt during the entire 05 campaign. He's another college DE turned SAM who piled up a good amount of sacks at Oklahoma state. It appears that early on in minicamp he's 2nd on the depth chart at SAM, but I'd be surprised to see him there by the time training camp rolls around. He should stick around long enough to work hard and push Jones and Gocong before he gets cut or makes the practice squad.

Coming up later this week, one the most competitive and wide open spots on the roster. Wide Receiver...

Real Live football and the battle for Center

2006-05-10T19:39:00.000-07:00

So the 2 weeks following the draft have been pretty boring. Not much Eagles talk to be had… Most experts and fans seem to really like the draft, the schedule has already been set, almost every big free agent is signed. Now, all that’s left is… to actually play real live football!

Mini camp starts for the Eagles Friday and it opens up one of the most competitive off seasons in recent memory. For the first time in a few years there’s a significant amount of real battles for starting spots. In the next few days we’ll go over the major battles.

Center. In my opinion, this may be the most interesting of all. Ever since taking over the starting spot in 2001, undrafted free agent Hank Fraley has been a mainstay at center. He’s snapped the ball to McNabb in nearly every major game and every major play during the Eagles run of playoff appearances. In 04 however, some of Hank’s weaknesses started to get exposed. In the Eagles first loss of the season at Pittsburgh, McNabb was brutalized by the Steelers’ rush up the middle. They play a 3-4 defense where a nose tackle lines up right in front of Fraley. He struggled mightily with that and the push up the middle that killed the birds in that game. Fast forward to the superbowl and yet another 3-4 defense in the Pats. The same thing happened and the push up the middle disrupted the timing of the offense and put McNabb under major pressure. These games put a spotlight on Hank and more teams started to bring pressure up the middle right at him, with success…

Last year, Hank went down with an injury midway through the season and Jamaal Jackson took over as a starter. Originally he was a guard and expectedly had some trouble snapping and communicating with McNabb early on. However, as the season wore people really started to take note of his play. First off, he’s bigger and stronger(6’4” 330) than Hank(6‘2” 300). He used his size and strength to better handle rushers up the middle and really shined late in the season as the Eagles began to run more after McNabb was gone. He showed some real ability to push defenders around and displayed some of the nastiness that Hank never has been known for.

Now, the way I’ve described it you’d think it was a no brainer that Jackson should win the job. However, it’s really not that simple. First and foremost, Hank has started for this team in every big game they’ve played in the last 5 years and that can’t be discounted. Jackson has started 8 games in his career and they were almost all exclusively in the garbage time second half of last season. Fraley has experience and has been good at calling the blocking schemes for the O-Line and he has good chemistry with #5. Since he was a starter and went down with an injury, this should be his job to lose.

In the end, I loved the raw ability Jackson showed last year and I’d love to see him anchoring the center of that line. I think he has the size, strength, and demeanor to develop into a very nice piece of what should be a dominating line. However, if Fraley takes this challenge from Jackson and uses it to motivate himself to be a better player, I can’t say that I wouldn't be happy for honeybuns (as John Madden called him).

The Draft day 2... More Meat!

2006-05-01T07:57:00.000-07:00

It's said that day 2 of the draft is where the meat of a team is really built. This is where good GMs and personell men really make their money, so I think it's important to take a look at what the Eagles picked up here, since these guys should be important little pieces of the overall machine that Andy Reid is trying to build.

After drafting Broderick Bunkley and Winston Justice, 2 guys over 300 lbs, and another DE you may have thought the Eagles were done building the lines... Not quite. They traded up to take Max Jean Gilles, a mountain of a man that stands 6-3 ^3/4 & weighs in at 355 pounds. He was ranked as either the best or 2nd best guard in the entire draft. He was projected as a day one pick, so for the Eagles to be able to grab him on day 2 made for yet another strong value pick for them. The reports on him are basically that he's a massive man, strong as an ox that just manhandles opponents and is nearly impossible to push around. The knock on him is that he's a bit slow and can be beaten by speed rushers. He started out as a tackle, but was moved to the inside to avoid dealing with speedy edge rushers. He will most certainly be competing for a starting job at LG this year with the trade of Artis Hicks.

An interesting rumor I heard about Gilles is that the Eagles may see him as a future center. His body type and size certainly would fit there. There are football people who believe that you rarely draft a pure center, you draft better talent along the line and develop a guy into a center. The Eagles haven't given much indication if this is their plan, and there certainly is a hole at LG that he could fill... but it's an interesting thought to keep in mind for the future.

With another 4th round pick the Eagles tooke Michigan WR Jason Avant. I wrote up an entire scouting report on him here in my WR preview. A quick look at him is that he's a decent sized, sure handed, strong, polished possession reciever that has been a valuable target in the red zone. He's been called the best route runner in the entire draft and not afraid to go over the middle, which is a skill that Eagles cleary value in the west coast offense. They also value that he's considered a good character guy that gives full effort on every play. He's not overly fast however, and won't burn anyone or present much of a deep threat. He doesn't project as much more than a #2 WR in the NFL. He was projected as first day pick, so again the Eagles made a decent value pick here.

In the 5th round with pick #147 the Eagles selected one of the most interesting stories in the draft in Jeremy Bloom. He was a mogul skier on the us olympic team in Torino. As a skier he won two World Cup championships and went to the Olympics twice. He started his football career at Colorado as a WR/KR/PR and was considered an emerging star there, but was made ineligible for his last 2 years of school because he accepted endorsements so he could continue his professional skiing career.

The scouting report on him? "Extremely fast...A great natural athlete...Has outstanding quickness...Explosive and a terror to try and tackle in the open field...Knows how to train and work hard...An amazing return man who can literally change a game on special teams."

He's not really projected to be a starting NFL WR any day, but he should step in and improve the return game from day one here. We all know that Reno Mahe is perfectly capable of fair catching any punt that comes near him and that Dexter Winn can take a kickoff back 15 yards and get tackled with the best of them... What the team has lacked is a dynamic special teams player that is a legit threat to taking a kick to the house. Bloom appears to be that guy, in the mold of a Tim Dwight. He may be able to be molded into a decent #4 WR one day, but I doubt the Eagles are expecting him to contribute on offense anytime soon. He needs to get his body in "football shape" and will obviously have an adjustment period after not playing football for 2 years... but this guy clearly knows how to train and should be a very exciting addition to this team.

The Eagles final picks of the draft were Omar Gaither LB from Tennesse and DT LaJuan Ramsey out of USC. Gaither is an oustide LB that could play either side, is good in coverage but considered a bit weak against the run. He should be a decent special teamer in kick coverage. Ramsey is a pass rushing defensive tackle that spent most of his career stuck behind, ironically, Mike Patterson at USC. When he finally got to start he showed some real explosiveness and ability to pressure the passer. He needs to bulk up and get stronger against the run. Since Hollis Thomas was traded to the Saints, Ed Jasper is here on a one year deal and Grasmanis may not make the team... Ramsey is here for depth and hopefully to develop into a more complete DT.

All in all the Eagles second day looks promising. As with all second day picks, it's all complete craphoot, but the birds got good value with most of these picks and a potential game changer in Bloom. Also, just in case you were counting... The Eagles added a total of 1,515 lbs to the line of scrimmage or three quarters of a ton.

870 Pounds of meat

2006-04-29T21:13:00.000-07:00

That's what we added today in 3 players. That's the number I have been computing in my head as I sit in a hotel room in Pittsburgh at midnight after watching the Phillies lose their second in a row to maybe the worst team in baseball... Cleary, Andy Reid & Co decided that building the lines for both right now and the future was the most pressing need... and they brought in 870 pounds of meat to fill need.

First off, Broderick Bunkley. We all know how big a need DT was, and while I prefered Haloti Ngata I'm not in the least bit dissapointed with Bunkley. This was a guy projected by many to go top 10 and graded by several experts as one of the top 10 players in the draft. The Eagles stood pat at #14 and thanks to the seemingly most inexplicable pick of the draft by the Bills, they got their man. This defense had 26 sacks last year which is woefully inadequate. Bunkley is a pass rushing specialist. Add him to Kearse, Howard, & Patterson and I think it's pretty safe to say that the Eagles defensive line is going to give opposing QBs nightmares. I'm a bit afraid that they they could be vulnerable to the run, but Bunkley did lead the entire nation in tackles for a loss last year... This guys gets into the backfield and creates havoc.

One draftnik described the pick of Bunkley as the giving the Eagles "one of the better sets of young tackles in the league". I don't think there's any debating that it was a homerun of a pick.

The Eagles' 2nd round pick was probably one of the best value picks in the entire draft. Countless draftniks and scouts had Winston Justice going to the Eagles at #14 overall... So to get him in round 2 at pick #39 after trading up with Tennesee is being called "a tremendous value pick". With 10 total picks, I think we all knew it was just a matter of time before the Eagles got aggressive and moved up. I was sure when it was announced that the Browns had traded their pick, it was the Eagles jumping up 2 to grab Bunkley. Instead, they stayed pat got their man at #14 and moved up in the 2nd to get the guy who was quite possibly their second choice at #14.

How good is Winston Justice? Matt Leinart was barely ever touched in his college career with Winston guarding his backside, Reggie Bush ran wild through defenses rarely ever seeing contact until he was beyond the line of scrimmage, and Lendale White rushed for over 50 TDs. You can't tell me that the dominating right tackle had nothing to do with that... While he played RT in college because Leinart is left handed and they wanted Justice protecting his blind side, all reports say that he could play either side. Clearly, this is Tra Thomas's replacement next year... or maybe this one.

Draftnik reaction :" projected by many to be a top 20 pick and the Eagles stole him at 39."

In the 3rd round, the Eagles picked Chris Gocong a defensive end out of Cal Poly. A quick scouting report on him is that he has an uncanny ability to get to the QB and is always finding his way into the backfield thanks to his nonstop motor and incredibly ferocious work ethic. The knock on him is that he's probably too small to play DE in the pros. He projects as one of those OLB/DE tweener types. My guess is that he'll play OLB almost exclusively and be a pass rushing specialist. He doesn't really have the tools to be an every down OLB. He's racked up 36.5 sacks over the past two seasons, although he did play against inferior competition at division 1-AA. The encouraging news is that he absolutely dominated at the lower level. Lining him up as an OLB to come off the edge on a passing down with the line that the Eagles have built, is potentially devastating. I say this with some caution, because this guy is clearly very raw and has to prove that he can make the jump to the pro level. That is a legitimate question mark. He is considered a guy that should excel on special teams as well...

Draftnik reaction: "A great pass rusher and top sleeper who was dominant in college against inferior competition" Sports Illustrated called him a "Hidden Gem"

The early consensus among the different draft experts grading the first day put the Eagles as one of the top winners so far(and the Giants and Cowboys as some of the big "losers!"). Now in reality, we all know nothing about how this draft will actually turn out in 3-5 years... but it's nice to patted on the back and have something to feel hopeful and positive about after a year of a nothing but negativity and dissapointment. Nice job big red...

WR in the draft

2006-04-24T17:52:00.000-07:00

This town is pretty WR obsessed… to say the least. Since the pass happy west coast offense era began in Philly, which was when Ray Rhodes came here, fans have been clamoring for top flite WRs. Unfortunately, the birds haven’t really had many.

To say the least.

Then came TO, and we all got see what this offense can do with a legit top level WR. We saw a record setting season from McNabb and a trip to the superbowl. We all know what happened next. Now despite drafting Reggie Brown last year (who we know I think can play) and signing a solid slot WR in free agency (Jabar Gaffney) I think it’s quite obvious that the Eagles have a need at WR. With Reggie Brown the being the only promising young wideout on the team, WR looks to be a long term need that should be addressed early in the draft this weekend.

Unfortunately, this is not the greatest year to be in need of a receiver. This draft has been called the weakest for wideouts in years. However, that’s not to say that there aren’t some talented players that will be there on the first day. So after some time watching individual profiles and combine workouts of the WRs on the NFL network on demand, and lots of internet reading… I give you an overview of what’s there.

Chad Jackson(Florida) is a guy who’s rocketed up draft boards since his amazing display at the NFL combine. He posted the fastest 40 time(4.32) of all WRs at the combine. He’s got average size and is a good route runner, which is very important in the timing oriented west coast offense. He‘s also known as a guy who can catch balls underneath and get yards after the catch. Plus, he’s been called “fearless over the middle”. Maybe the most intriguing thing about him is that he’s only 20, which means lots of room for improvement… although it also means he’s really only had one year starting in college. Despite his willingness to take hits, he is not a physical player and could get pushed around by pro corners. It appears now that he will be the 1st WR taken.

Santonio Holmes(Ohio State) is a smaller(5‘11“ 190), home run hitter type with good hands. He racked up and impressive 25 TDs in 3 seasons at Ohio State. He has very good speed and he will force DBs to respect his downfield ability. He isn’t the strongest guy and could have trouble blocking and getting off the jam. He should be the first or second WR taken, probably in the mid 1st round. And may I add... cool name. Santonio just seems badass to me...

Sinorice Moss from “the U” is the tiny speedster type. I may have said Santonio Holmes was small, but not this small. Moss is 5’8” 1*** lbs. He’s drawn lots of comparisons to his brother, Santana Moss. He’s a guy who makes things happen when he gets the ball and can stretch the D with his speed. He ran an impressive 4.38 40 at the combine. He’s going to have to learn to get off the jam in the NFL and deal with taller, faster DBs. He’s projected as a late 1st round pick.Also may be the only man on earth named "Sinorice."

Maurice Stovall out of Notre Dame is a local Philly kid, who the Eagles have brought in to the NovaCare complex already. He’s a big(6'4" 220) physical type WR that has been likened to Plaxico Burress type. He’s made for a good deep threat due to his tall frame and long arms and he can go up and get the ball over anyone. He’s a strong guy that has shown that he can push off press coverage. He had been considered a disappointment for most of his college career, until he blossomed last year in Charlie Weiss’ pro style offense. He’s not terribly fast however, and won’t burn anyone. His ability to outrun guys and get yards after the catch has also been questioned. I like that he’s a smart guy from a tough academic school that has shown that he can grasp a pro offense, that’s important with the very complex offense Reid runs. He should be an early 2nd round pick.

Derek Hagan out of Arizona St is an average sized guy that has been called “one of the most polished WRs in the draft.” He knows how to get open and has been very consistent throughout his college career. The thing about Hagan is that he doesn’t do any one thing spectacularly. He doesn’t have the deep play ability of a Holmes or Jackson or the physicality and size of a Stovall or great hands. He is a solid all around player though, that should be a decent #2 WR in “the league”, I wouldn’t expect a lot more.

Jason Avant(Michigan) is a decent sized(6"1 210), reliable, possession WR. He’s a gritty player that has been compared to Heinz Ward in the way that he works hard and squeezes everything he has out of his talent. He has a great double move and his ability to set up defenders makes him a great red zone threat. Considered the best route runner in the draft, but isn’t known as a very fast guy. 2nd-3rd rounder.

Those guys are probably the top 5 WRs in the draft. There’s other names that will probably be called on the first day like the speedy Demetrius Williams, the big Martin Nance, and maybe even the Penn St QB Michael Robinson who will likely play wideout in the pros. The Eagles will almost certainly address WR in the first day, who will be? Hopefully one these 5... we'll see this weekend.

DT & OLB in the draft

2006-04-18T17:32:00.000-07:00

DT, WR, & OLB (specifically strong side). Those are the top 3 needs that most any expert or fan would tell you the Eagles have. The order of the needs, well… that’s still up for debate. The Eagles are making their highest draft pick since 2000, so they are in a position to draft a player that can make an impact right away. I’ve already written on the subject of what’s out there at defensive tackle, so I’ll quickly touch on that and then move on to LB. Later this week, we’ll do the WR category.

At DT, this team needs a big 2 gap player. A 2 gap DT is one whose primary job is to run stuff. He’ll often take on 2 blockers in the middle, which frees up the LBs to attack gaps or react more. A one gap DT is one who uses quickness to rush the passer, and who is usually smaller. His main job is to rush the passer beating a guard. This is why he’s called a one gap player, he’s usually going to fill one gap as he tries to beat his man and create pressure up the middle. Patterson is a pass rushing DT that uses explosiveness and speed, so is one of the top DT prospects, Broderick Bunkley. Those guys are one gap players. We need a 2 gap player there, not a clone (albeit better prospect) of Patterson. Bunkley is nice player, but I think Haloti Ngata would fill our needs better. He'll eat up blocks, take on two guys up the middle and let Trotter & co be freed up to make plays. With Ngata, rarely will Trotter have to deal with a center or guard coming to block him. He's also not going to get pushed back and allow the QB the step up to avoid the edge rush like they all were last year. A trade up would probably be needed to draft Ngata, but it doesn’t seem like from the many recent mock drafts that they may not even need to trade up into the top 10. Gabe Watson out of Michigan would also fill this role.

OLB is another easy to see need on this team. Now, while I’m of the opinion that a solid front four will make most LBs look good… that doesn’t mean that upgrading the talent there would be a bad thing. On the weak side the Birds have Shawn Barber here on a one year deal & Matt McCoy, who was drafted in the 2nd round last year. On the strong side, there’s Dhani Jones who by all standards had a bad year last year. Most people are of the opinion that a SAM or strong side LB is needed, but honestly any upgrade in talent on either side would be useful. The top prospect is Ohio State’s AJ Hawk, but he’s probably a top 5 pick so he’s not worth discussing here. Other than that, the Eagles should be in a position to grab whatever LB they want.

The guy that’s rocketed up draft boards is Ernie Sims. He has a ton of speed for a LB and is more suited for a weak side LB, but could possibly play SAM too. He’s not the biggest guy, but he plays very aggressively. A criticism of him is that he plays too aggressive and can over pursue on plays. A lot of people have compared him to Derrick Brooks of the Tampa Bay Bucs, which is a guy I think anyone would take…

Probably the most interesting and well suited prospect that a lot of early mock drafts had the Eagles taking is Chad Greenway. His stock has appeared to fall recently, due to less than great 40 times, however he plays very fast and by all accounts has great instincts. He’s a former safety who is very good in coverage, he’s a film junkie, has great recognition skills, is a sure tackler, and looks like he could even be a good pass rusher. Almost any scouting report on him says he’s ready to step in and start right away at the SAM position. Greenway would not be a risky pick, and though he may be had lower than #14, he is not the type of player that anyone would regret taking. He has superior physical skills to Dhani Jones, and has shown himself to be the kind of smart player that won’t have the kind of trouble Matt McCoy had in picking up Jim Johnsons’ complex defensive scheme.

The other options at OLB that have first round quality would be Bobby Carpenter, who is big and fast but would be a huge stretch at #14. The other prospect would be Demeco Ryans who stock has taken a hit after some poor workouts, but the fact is that he was a great college LB. He’s a very smart, fast player but has not been great in coverage. He may very well slide into the second round and would have great value if the Eagles got him with their pick there.

In the end, my picks are Haloti Ngata and Chad Greenway. These guys are not big risk players and both should certainly be able to step in and start for the Eagles this year at need positions. We’re going to look into the WR class later this week, but it’s not likely that anyone from that class is going to be able to make the kind of immediate impact that these 2 players will at serious need positions.

Schedule Chatter

2006-04-11T18:28:00.000-07:00

So last week the Eagles released their 2006 schedule. I figured that since I had already written 2 lengthy and stat heavy blogs, I’d let it sink in for a week so everyone would draw their own conclusions, make their win/loss picks, and generally freak out.

So unless you live under a rock, here it is…

Sun 9/10 at Houston 1:00 pm
Sun 9/17 NY Giants 1:00 pm
Sun 9/24 at San Francisco 4:15 pm
Mon 10/2 Green Bay 8:30 pm
Sun 10/8 Dallas 4:15 pm
Sun 10/15 at New Orleans 1:00 pm
Sun 10/22 at Tampa Bay 1:00 pm
Sun 10/29 Jacksonville 1:00 pm
bye
Sun 11/12 Washington 1:00 pm
Sun 11/19 Tennessee 1:00 pm
Sun 11/26 at Indianapolis 1:00 pm
Mon 12/4 Carolina 8:30 pm
Sun 12/10 at Washington 1:00 pm
Sun 12/17 at NY Giants 1:00 pm
Mon 12/25 at Dallas 5:00 pm
Sun 12/31 Atlanta 1:00 pm

We all love to go game by game map out the team’s season throughout the playoffs. People on message boards & sports radio have been predicting everything from 4-12 to 12-4. The short answer is… no one is right. Did we all forget that this is the NFL?

The NFL is the most unpredictable sport from season to season. Last year, the only team in the NFC to make the playoffs that also made it in 04 was the Seattle Seahawks. GB, STL, ATL, PHI, & The Vikes all went from playoff teams to .500 or less records. In the AFC, the NY Jets went from a field goal away from the AFC title game to having the 4th pick in the draft this year.

Look at the so called “Superbowl losers' curse”. Since 1998 only one team (the 2000 Titans) followed up a loss in the superbowl with a playoff appearance. Every other team was sub .500 the following year, a thing that Eagles fans know all too well…

However, there are absolutes in the 06 schedule. Regardless of whether the Giants, Skins, or Dallas are the ones bitten with the injury bug or the ones cursed with a 6-10 season that 3 game road stretch in weeks 14-16 is murder. According to sports book makers(or the guys who set the betting lines) the 2nd of two back to back road games in the NFL is one of the surest bets against the road team. You can imagine the odds a team gets in it’s last of three road games… Unfortunately there really are no odds because it pretty much never happens! Only 5 times in the last 11 years has a team played 3 division road games in a row. One of those 5 teams happened to be the Eagles, in Andy Reid’s first year here(1999). The birds lost all 3 of those in a row…

On that same note, another bad spot in the schedule are week 6 & 7. Against NO and Tampa respectively. Tampa is a playoff team and playing them in game two of a back to back road games is a tall order… Of course, Tampa could be awful next year. It’s impossible to tell.

The main point here is that you shouldn’t panic. What team wasn’t scared of playing the Eagles in Philly week 12 before last year? Yet, they stunk. So why worry about playing Indy in the dome? If Peyton Manning is gone like McNabb was by that time, I guarantee no Eagles fan is checking that game off as a loss. The Eagles could have the easiest schedule in the NFL or the hardest. Who knows? This is the NFL...

Eagles sign DT Jasper, and a look at DT in the draft

2006-04-06T20:19:00.000-07:00

This afternoon, the Eagles signed Defensive Tackle Ed Jasper to a one year deal. The Eagles love their one year deals huh? He was with the Oakland Raiders last year, but had spent the previous 6 years with the Atlanta Falcons. His career started right here however, with the Eagles who drafted him in the 6th round(35th overall) in 1997. For a guy picked so late in the draft, Ed Jasper has actually carved out a decent 9 year career for himself. He was known as a solid run stopper with the Falcons, where he played nose tackle in a 3-4, and a very good lockerroom guy.

This is a nice move for what it is, depth. Hollis Thomas is by all reports likely on his way out. He's in the final year of his deal, and is reportedly upset that he has not been given a long term deal. Like John Welbourne, Jeremiah Trotter, & Terrell Owens before him... you can imagine the Eagles will be getting rid of Thomas at some point this offseason.

So where does Jasper fit in? Patterson & Walker are the starters here, and Jasper won't change that. He even said in his press conference today that got worn down playing every snap. He'll be part of the DT rotation that Jim Johnson loves to run, but had trouble doing so with injuries to Walker & Grasmanis. He'll probably mainly get in during short yardage situations. Along with Sam Rayburn, Paul Grasmanis, & Kenyotta Marshall(in NFL Europe right now) he'll fight for a spot on the line. I would imagine that Grasmanis is the odd man out in that group... Plus don't forget that starting DE Darren Howard is likely to play DT in pass situations. So the Eagles realistically could be rotating as many as 5 guys on the interior of the defensive line.

So does this mean the Eagles think the DT hole is filled and will now ignore it? I doubt that, actually I think this move shows quite the opposite. The fact that they didn't go out and sign a guy to a long term deal tells me that they have their eyes on taking a DT high in the draft. Beyond Patterson & Walker there's very little at the position for beyond this year, only those 2 are signed long term. Good news is that it happens to a pretty good year to be looking for a tackle in the draft. There's 2 studs in the draft that are considered by most to go top 10 or top 15. Haloti Ngata the 6-foot-4 and 338 pound monster out of Oregon that regularly broke though triple teams in college & Broderick Bunkley the 6'3" 300+ lb guy out of Florida. He's rocketed up the draft boards since teams saw him at the senior bowl and witnessed his amazing show at the NFL combine. The drawback for Bunkley in my eyes is that before the workouts he was probably not a 1st round pick. The so called "workout warrior" reminds me all too much of Mike Mamula... AHH! Still, this Bunkley has bulked up considerably and seems like he may be the real deal. The problem with these guys is that most mock drafts have them going before the Eagles pick at #14. Luckily, this is a rather deep draft at the DT position.

There’s not another DT that has a lot of value at #14, but there’s lots of guys that would be worth trading down or should be there in the 2nd round. Here’s a quick overview of some names you may be hearing picked by the Eagles on the first day later this month…

Gabe Watson is a massive run stopper(6-3 and 339 pounds) out of Michigan. He’s not going to get to the QB very much, but he won’t get pushed around and swallow up most run plays that come his way. With a smaller pass rushing DT in Patterson drafted last year, I could seem them looking for a big run stopper like Watson. I doubt he’ll make it out the first round, which either means the Eagles will have to stretch for him at 14 or trade down. Orien Harris out of Miami, who was rated higher early but has slipped since the season ended. He’s considered more of a pass rusher. Claude Wroten out of LSU, who several mock drafts I’ve seen have the Eagles looking at him in the 2nd or 3rd round. He might be the best pass rushing DT outside of the top 2, but he’s considered a bit weak against the run. Rodrique Wright from Texas is another name that’s been throw around. He’s 6’5”, which is tall for a DT and sometimes lets OGs use leverage push him around. Of course there’s other guys, but these are some of the names I’ve seen connected to the Birds in mock drafts.

People who know me know I’m obsessed with building a team from the line of scrimmage. If I haven’t made it obvious so far, I will in the future. Other than a franchise QB, there’s nothing more important than dominating the line of scrimmage. All the rumors of the Eagles taking an offensive lineman like Winston Justice or a defensive tackle like Bunkley or Watson or a combination of both gets me rather excited.

How good is… LJ Smith?

2006-04-04T20:48:00.000-07:00

After my piece on Reggie Brown, I decided that from time to time I'll blog about just "how good" some of the Eagles' players are that aren't quite national names by stacking them up against their peers and giving you the facts about their performance. This time, let's give LJ Smith his day in the sun...

The Tight End position has had a resurgence in the NFL over the past few years and a playmaking TE has become an indispensable part of a winning team. There several great TEs in football, but the division most stocked with them is the NFC East. Jeremy Shockey, Jason Witten, & Chris Cooley are all major weapons and top 10 in the NFL at their position. As the eventual replacement for the hard working, but not overly physically talented Chad Lewis, The Eagles drafted LJ Smith out of Rutgers in 2003. LJ, Shockey, Witten, & Cooley were all drafted between 02-04.

Since then LJ has clearly shown that he has talent. Eagles fans have all noticed his speed and ability to run after the catch. However, they’ve also noticed some of his shortcomings…. For one, he’s not the greatest blocker and the criticism I seem to always hear is that he fumbles. First, I would certainly stipulate to the fact that he isn’t the best blocker around. However, very few if any of the top TEs in football are. In fact, the “blocking tight end” as it’s come to be called is almost like an entire other position on it’s own. If LJ delivers the offensive production he’s capable of, the Eagles won’t be terribly interested in his blocking ability. Then, there’s the feeling that he fumbles. Honestly, I had the same feeling. I certainly seemed to remember LJ fumbling in big spots and having a lot more trouble holding onto the football than most TEs. Although a look a the numbers tells otherwise…

LJ has only fumbled twice in his 3 year career according the stats. I found it hard to believe, but I checked multiple sources and it’s true. Only one of those was lost. It's very similar to other TEs who came into the league with LJ. Antonio Gates has fumbled once and lost that fumble in his 3 year career. Jason Witten has fumbled twice and lost one exactly the same as LJ. Shockey has fumbled 5x and lost 3 in 4 years. Chris Cooley fumbled 3 times last year! The great Tony Gonzalez in KC fumbled 5x in his first 3 years, Crumpler has fumbled 4x and lost all of them in his 5 year career including 2 in his first 3 years losing 1 just like LJ. Here’s hoping that it was all in our heads and next year LJ will erase the stigma, right or wrong, from our minds…

In his first year as a starter, LJ had a breakthough year last year. Although with everything else going on, no one really seemed to notice it. He nearly doubled his totals in receptions, yards, & first downs. He tied for the team lead in receptions with 61 & finished 2nd in yards with 682. LJ was also named a pro bowl alternate last year.

He started the year on an incredible pace and seemed really locked in with Donovan McNabb. He had 42 catches until the week McNabb went down for good after 9 games. At the time he was 2nd in the NFL among TEs in catches, behind the great Antonio Gates. He actually went on to have a great game the week after McNabb went down when he caught 7 balls. From that time on however, he only caught 12 balls in the last 6 games, a sharp decline.

With a healthy McNabb next year it’s more than reasonable to expect that LJ can grab 70+ balls. Combine that with the fact that Brian Westbrook has shown that he can easily get to 70 catches when healthy… That’s a lot of completions for McNabb outside of his wide receivers. With the Eagles young WR core, a weapon in the pass game from TE spot like LJ should be one of the most vital parts in the success of this offense next year.

Finally, where does LJ stack up against the top TEs in the NFL? He finished 8th overall in yards & 9th overall in catches. He only had 3 TDs however, which is less than than the 7-10 that the leaders among TEs had. Tight Ends should be most effective in the red zone, so that’s an area he needs to improve on. On the bright side, he did grab 5 TDs in the 04/05 season. Overall, I think it may be safe to say that LJ has made himself one of the top 10 tight ends in the NFL, 4 of which are in the NFC East. I, for one, can't wait to see what else this kid has.

The Pass Rush: This offseason’s #1 priority

2006-04-03T17:54:00.000-07:00

It was quite obvious to me that the lack of a pass rush on the Eagle’s part last year was their downfall defensively last year. In all honesty, had they had the kind of pass rush they had in 04/05 this team with all of it’s injuries still could have been in the playoff hunt. In 04/05 the Eagles had 47 sacks as a team(the same amount as this year’s champs, the Steelers, had) good for 2nd most in the NFL and they go to a superbowl, this year they have 29 and they go 6-10.

Prior to the 05/06 season the Eagles lost 3 keys to their pass rush for various reasons. The often injured Derrick Burgess left in free agency and went on to lead the entire NFL in sacks. The #15 pick in the draft, DE Jerome McDougle(who had also had injury problems) was shot in the chest in a carjacking. He had been penciled in as the team’s starting RE and was a big reason that the team saw less of a need to resign Burgess. Finally, former #6 overall pick and pro bowler DT Corey Simon was cut just before the season after he held out of training camp. Turned out that he was completely out of shape and did absolutely nothing for the Colts(0 sacks) who signed him as a free agent, still he amassed 32 sacks in his time with the Eagles and was very good at creating pressure up the middle. DE Hugh Douglas also retired.

So right off the bat, every legitimate pass rusher on the team not named Kearse(who had a disspointing 7.5 sacks himself) was gone. DT Darwin Walker has had as many as 7.5 sacks in a year but he was only able to play in 13 games and was slowed by nagging injuries all year. As a result, teams picked apart the Eagles pro bowl secondary seemingly with ease. It’s pretty much a given in football that good pass rushes = good secondaries. The Eagles are proof of that. The 04/05 team has 47 sacks and they send 3/4ths of their secondary to the pro bowl. The 05/06 team can’t pressure the passer and only Brian Dawkins makes it, mostly on reputation. Pro Bowlers Michael Lewis & Lito Sheppard were made to look especially bad as WRs had ample time to run their routes and stretch the field.. The problem is that in today’s NFL there are no shut down corners, the rules prevent that. Dbs are forced to cover guys without touching them, so every moment a WR has to run free puts him at distinct advantage. Plus, all too often we saw Jim Johnson have to sneak up Michael Lewis or Brian Dawkins to blitz in an attempt to create the pressure the front 4 wasn’t getting… That left the Cbs with no help over the top, making them susceptible to the big play. Every DB in the pro bowl, except Champ Bailey, came from a team with more sacks than the Eagles. The Eagles were 21st against the pass this past year, and all but 2 of teams ahead of them had less sacks as a team.

The lack of a pass rush hurt the run game as well. Lbs had to blitz more, which all too often meant that the RB ran right by them… An effective pass rush allows your LBs to sit back and react to the run more, something they can’t do if they are always called on to create pressure.

So what did the Eagles do about it? First and foremost they signed defensive end Darren Howard from the Saints for a reported $30 million dollars. In 6 years, he’s totaled 44.5 sacks. Including a pair of 11 sack seasons. Last year he played only 12 games(he claims he was sat the last 4 games due to a spat with management) and had just 3.5 sacks. He was considered the top DE in free agency.

They are also relying on the development of two rookies from last year that showed some decent promise in getting to the QB. Trent Cole, a 5th round pick, had 5 sacks in his rookie year(4th among all rookies) and was named NFC defensive rookie of the month in November. The problem with him was that all 5 of his sacks came in that month. His production declined as the year wore on. However, it is not uncommon for a 1st year guy to hit what is called “the rookie wall”. In college, these guys only play 12 games. So in December and January, NFL rookies are playing more games than they ever have and often wear down. Usually by year 2, this is not an issue.

The other rookie that showed promise was DT Mike Patterson. He was tied for lead among rookie DTs in sacks. He was also tied for 6th in sacks and 6th in tackles in the NFC. He also hit his own rookie wall, as all of his sacks came prior to December.

Many mock drafts also have the Eagles keying in on top DT prospects Haloti Ngata from Oregon & Broderick Bunkley form Florida State.

So, considering how important the pass rush and the moves the Eagles made… Just how good can it be this year? By taking each defensive starters’ sack totals from the last 2 years(and some key backups like Cole) and averaging them to come up with a reasonable idea of what they could do this year… I’ve come to the conclusion that 40-45 sacks is a reasonable expectation for this Eagles’ defense. If everyone stays healthy and plays to form, this should by all accounts make for a devastating pass rush… which is good news because the simple fact is, that teams who pressure the passer make the playoffs.

This year’s NFC playoff teams? Panthers 45 sacks, Bears 41, Giants 41, Bucs 36, Washington 35 and the NFC Champion Seahawks led the NFL with 50.

The NFL Draft: Where the team is really built.... Hopefully

2006-03-30T21:25:00.000-08:00

With the NFL Draft less than a month away and considering that I plan on giving news and insights on it in the next few weeks… I thought we’d take a moment to look back at a few past drafts and illustrate just how important/bad they were for this team.

It’s pretty much standard knowledge that in the NFL good teams build through the draft. The draft is where you replenish talent that’s gotten older or left for free agency, and your depth. A few bad drafts can/will destroy a team, whereas a few good ones build a winner. With the exception of a handful of free agents(Runyan, TO, Kearse) this team's trip to the superbowl was made on the backs of it's draft picks. However, the Eagles were bit bad by the injury bug last year and their lack of depth and other holes were exposed... and their lack of consistency in the draft failed to fill those holes, not their lack of free agents.

We’ll start with the 2001 draft, which is maybe the worst draft this franchise has had under Reid. Not one player from this draft is even on the team still.
1 Freddie Mitchell WR - Do I even need to remind you what we had to do at the WR position to make up for this bust?
2 Quinton Caver LB - To this day we don’t have a decent OLB
3 Derrick Burgess DE - Had 8 sacks in 3 years and rarely was healthy enough to get on the field. Then he goes to Oakland and leads the NFL in sacks… who knew? We sunk about $30 million in Jevon Kearse to make up for this mistake
4 Correll Buckhalter RB - Technically he is on the team for now… He’s missed 2 full seasons to injury and has not once played a full year. You can’t predict injury, but that doesn’t change the fact that this was a bust.
5 Tony Stewart TE - Who?
6 A.J. Feeley QB - on the bright side, he did fetch us the 2nd round pick that turned out to be Reggie Brown…

After the 2001 debacle came 2002, which is considered one of the best drafts in Eagles history with a total 5 starting players(1 on another team now), 3 of which are pro bowlers. Lito Shepperd, Michael Lewis, Sheldon Brown, Brian Westbrook. The first 4 picks all starters to this day, 3 of which made the pro bowl. That’s as good as any team can hope for. They also picked up Raheem Brock in the 7th round, but cut him. He had 6.5 sacks last year and is a solid player for the Colts… This draft with the corners allowed us to replace the two aging free agent CBs, Vincent & Taylor. Taylor left, got a big deal and was a bust. Vincent, a favorite of Eagles fans, went to the Bills and while clearly having lost a step became decent safety. Duce Staley left a year or so later and hasn’t been able to stay healthy for a year in Pittsburgh. Perfect draft to fill needs. Very good players to step right to the holes made when we lost 2 CBs and RB.

Unfortunately things go downhill from there. 2003 was mostly a disaster. Only one player from the class of 03 starts for this team and has made any contribution at all.
1 Jerome McDougle DE - McDougle’s lack of ability to get on the field was in many ways the downfall of the defense last year. The Eagles relied on their #1 pick to fix the past rush since 03. The complete lack of a pass rush last year caused the defense to have to blitz too often, exposing them to the run and the deep ball. It also forced the Eagles to sink $30 million dollars into Darren Howard to solidify the DE spot.
2 L.J. Smith TE - Good pick, quietly his stats made him a top 10 TE last year.
3 Billy McMullen WR - no contribution, and we all know our problems at WR…
4 Jamaal Green DE - no contribution
6 Jeremy Bridges G - Has anyone even heard of this guy?
7 Norman Lejeune DB - again, who?

2004 is a bit interesting, but it doesn’t look great… but there are some bright spots and the jury is still out on others.
1 Shawn Andrews T - Played G this year after missing his rookie year. Was a pro bowl alternate… actually pretty good, we needed help on the interior of the line he provided it.
3 Matt Ware DB - Showed promise in his rookie, didn’t look great last year.
4 J.R. Reed DB - Looked like a very promising return man, but his career may very well be over due to injury
4 Trey Darilek G - very little contribution
5 Thomas Tapeh RB - Looked promising, was injured all of 05
6 Andy Hall QB - cut this year. We’ve signed 2 backup QBs in the meantime.
6 Dexter Wynn DB - See Matt Ware
7 Adrien Clarke G - Actually showed some things at LG last year. Jury is out
7 Bruce Perry RB - Showed some spark at the end of last year. Jury is out, but for a 7th rounder he looks like a nice pick
7 Dominic Furio C - who?

Last year actually seems like a strong draft. This is probably mostly due to the fact that so many of these guys got significant playing time last year. I’ll only post the relevant players here because it’s hard to call anyone a bust as a rookie…

1 Mike Patterson DT - Solid pick. Starter all year.
2 Reggie Brown WR - Great pick IMO. 2nd round pick that out performed all 5 WRs (including Matt Jones) taken in front of him.
Ryan Moats, Todd Herremans,& Trent Cole all made solid contributions last year. A lot is going to be expected of Matt McCoy who was a 2nd pick. He’s supposed to be the pick that helps solidify our LB core.

That really makes 2 solid drafts in the past 5 years. That poor drafting is what left with this team with the lack of depth that we were all treated to last year. You could never afford to sign enough free agents to fill all of those holes. That’s why the draft is so important. So while Eagles fans have been riled up for the past month at what they perceive is a lack of action and cheapness on the part of the front office, and while they’ve been predicting doom & gloom… just remember, the real barometer of this off season happens April 29.

Just how good is Reggie Brown?

2006-03-29T20:00:00.000-08:00

As you may have heard... we lost a certain WR a few weeks ago. This event has only served to escalate possibly the biggest obsession Eagles fans suffer from, the Wide Receiver obsession! Yes, we've had one or two good ones in our time. Harold Carmichael, Mike Quick, ummm... Well maybe not. So when TO came here, he answered the prayers Eagles fans have had for years. A #1 WR!

Now he's gone.

But alas! Through the ashes Reggie Brown comes into the picture last year. He may be the first Andy Reid WR draft pick to actually look like he could be something. He may be the first Eagles WR draft pick in 20+ years to look like he could be something...

So, how good is Reggie Brown?

In the opinion of many NFL experts, Reggie Brown had a very good rookie year. 43 Receptions and 4tds. He led rookie WRs in most every category. Now, 43 catches is very nice for a rookie... but that isn't going to replace TO. That isn't going to stike fear in the heart of opponents and draw double coverages. Or is it? Exactly what did his rookie year tell us about what kind of WR he can become?

He had a rookie year on par with alot of guys who are considered top WRs right now. Reggie had 43 rec and 4TDs. Chad Johnson(who he has drawn comparisons to) had 28 catches and 1 TD in his rookie year. TO had 35 rec & 4Tds. Larry Fitzgerald had 58 catches. Steve Smith caught 10 balls. Santana Moss caught 30 balls in his first full year. Holt got 52. Burress caught 22. Hines Ward caught 15 balls. Reggie Wayne got 27. Chris Chambers got 48. Rod Smith caught 6, Jimmy Smith caught 22. These are the most of the top WRs in football right now and Reggie's rookie year was on par or better than nearly all of them. What's even more impressive is that he did in 9 NFL starts, most of which Mike McMahon was at QB.

I've heard Eagles fans out in full force yelling about the aquisitions the Redskins have made at WR and how all those guys are better than Reggie Brown. People seem to swear these moves will win Washington the Super Bowl and leave the Eagles 0-16. Settle down.

Reggie had a better year than Randle El last year(35 rec, 1 TD) and was only a few catches behind David Givens another FA, who he had more TDs than. The other WR the skins got, Lloyd as the 49ers #1 option had almost identical stats(48 rec, 5 TDs) to Reggie who wasn't even starting all year.

Our rookie WR who didn't even start half the year was better than most of the veteran FA's out there and is on pace in his career with most of the best in the business. I honestly think we are seeing the start of something here with Reggie. With McNabb back healthy this year, I personally can't wait to see what this kid does. Get your #86 jersey now, and strap in.

Mission Statement: I'm an Eagles fan

2006-03-29T19:06:00.000-08:00

I'm an Eagles fan. Now, that usually means I predict that the Eagles will lose every season, everything they do is wrong, I can't understand why the Raiders wouldn't trade us Randy Moss for Hollis Thomas, I can't pronounce the easiest of sports names, and I think being a Cowboy fan is just a notch above being in Al-Qaeda.

None of those things are true. Growing up the Delaware valley and being around Eagles fans my whole life has taught me that they can be... slightly unreasonable. They are the greatest fans in all of sports, but they are also the most bipolar. On one side there's the group that Gary Cobb so brilliantly named "Negadelphia". Clearly the largest segment of fans, the Negadelphians have been formed by years and years of let downs and losses. I can't say I blame these people for the way they are... after all how many Norman Bramans & NFC Champ game vs Tampas can one take before they get cynical. However, these people all often cross the line from skpetical to just plain ridiculous. Our players all suck and every one elses' are great. The Eagles will lose every game. Fire this guy, sign that guy! Blah Blah Blah...

Then there's the normal diluted fan that every team has that worships everything they do. They see their teams' garbage and think everyone wants it.

The Truth lies somewhere between these people.

My quest with this blog is to go out and collect the stories, the stats, and the perspectives on the Eagles and their players so they don't have to. I want to find the truth in the moves the Eagles make. The fact is that not every player on our team sucks or was snubbed for the pro bowl. Not every move the team makes is cheap and not every draft pick will be a future hall of famer. There are truths in football and my job is to bring them to you.

Feel free to call me an idiot.