RipperEagle presents:
The 2007 News Making Headlines
Okay, so we already know how well Brian Westbrook can do: the man can flat out run with the football in hand and is a vital pass catching weapon (led the team in it for 2006 and 2007) but THIS season was really something even MORE special then 2004 (when he made the pro bowl for 2005) and even 2006 when he set his previous best for rushing yards and receptions. Westbrook again proved his durability after an injury plagued 2005 season, as he has started 30 out of 32 games the past two seasons (missing week four contests both years) and usually still plays through ailments in his knee, so it makes the season that much more special. Westbrook ran the ball 278 times for 1,333 yards rushing and collected seven touchdowns by ground and he caught 90 passes for 771 yards and five touchdowns through the air: his entire venture saw him notch 368 total touches (fourth best in franchise history) for 2,104 yards (not only did he break Wilbert Montgomery’s 2,006 yard mark, he also led the NFL in total yards) and 12 touchdowns. In fact, his reception total broke the record set by Irving Fryar in 1996, and he led all running backs this season too. Now, if you would imagine just how much BETTER he would be if we ran the ball more times then we do like, say, he got about 300 or 310…scary isn’t it? What’s even scarier is trying to prepare for the guy: Minnesota and New England kept his rushing yards in check, but he still scored two touchdowns in both games, and when he lines up at receiver, he becomes a coverage nightmare. And his unselfishness was noted in the week 15 win over Dallas, when, rather then walking into the end zone for a sure touchdown, he knelt down at the 1-yard line to allow the Eagles to run out the clock and defeat the Cowboys.
Red zone defense: Beware of Birds Within the 20-yard Jungle
The defense wasn’t perfect this season, and that is fine as they had a tendency to give up their yards between the 20-yard lines this season, more so in some passing situations (as proof, check the 18th overall ranking against the pass against the 7th overall ranking against the run) but when the opposing offense got inside the “red zone” (the team’s 20-yard line to the end zone) something very weird happened. I cannot explain it, but it’s like the good players suddenly got much better, and if you were lucky, the team sparred you a field goal if not a turnover or a 4th down stand: the defense finished tops in the league in overall red zone defense and also in allowing touchdowns in goal-to-go situations, finishing 2nd in least field goals allowed in goal-to-go situations. One of the most memorable moments came in the second Dallas game where Tony Romo threw a pass which was intercepted by Mikell but then coming out of the end zone he fumbled at our 13-yard line: three plays later, and Dallas was kicking three of their allowed six points in that game. A similar situation happened in the win at Washington which allowed us to win the game, and for the season, only ONE time did someone convert on 4th down against the defense (Romo to Jason Witten in week 15 at Dallas).
Down on the Front Line: D-Line means Domination
The team, dying for an answer to the 28th worst run defense in 2006, kicked Walker in the @$$ all the way to Buffalo, and decided to roll the dice on Bunkley, thinking he was mature enough after a flop of a rookie season that he could play better. At end, Trent Cole, who was the rookie of the month back in November of 2005 and posted eight sacks in bench duty in 2006, was inserted into Darren Howard’s starting spot for the season opener, forcing Howard to be the 2nd man off the bench, and the moves paid off very quickly. Not only did the defensive line get tougher against the run, but it also provided more pressure then in year’s past, as evidenced by the 12.5 sacks that Cole posted, the solo tackles and forced fumbles by Bunkley, and the speed and freak athleticism of Patterson. And when you add in Juqua Thomas, who was promoted to starter mid way through the season, the quarterback hurries couldn’t compensate for the MANY opportunities that these guys had to post even MORE sacks then they got on the stat sheet. Yes, Jevon Kearse, Montae Reagor, and Howard were hardly noticeable when they were interchanged, the chemistry and bond between these four guys was a hard thing NOT to notice, and guess what…IT DOESN’T INCLUDE ANY OVERPAID PLAYERS EITHER!
In the Middle of it all: Linebackers turn from lousy to luxurious
Prior to the start of 2007, the Eagles were going for it all: not only did they have two new starters up front, but they were also starting three all new linebackers. Now granted, Omar Gaither wasn’t new to the starting role because he did play WILL linebacker for six games in 2006, but he wasn’t returning to WILL: that job was given to Takeo Spikes, who the team acquired in March along with Quarterback Kelly Holcomb for Walker. So the team moved Gaither to MIKE to back-up Jeremiah Trotter, and promoted him to starter when the team cut Trotter in July: at SAM, the team decided to allow Gocong to compete with 3rd round pick Bradley for the job, and Gocong won out. So, Spikes-Gaither-Gocong was your starting line-up for 14 games (Spikes missed two due to injury) and the results were, for the most part, really positive. Granted, Spikes wasn’t the Spikes of Bengals or Bills fame (prior to 2004) but he played MUCH better then any WILL linebacker in recent history, Gaither responded well at MIKE, leading the team in tackles and covering the run as well as the pass, and Gocong brought the heat from the SAM spot, and still was able to provide decent coverage on the tight end…unless they wore #82 and the name was Witten, which no one seemed to be able to do.
McNabb: A Late Rise from the Phoenix Provides Hope for 2008
You know something is wrong when Donovan McNabb can not get out of the most simple of sack attempts with his renown speed and agility as a runner: that problem was the ACL he tore back in November of 2006. He was severely limited during training camp and he still held his Arizona training regimen, but again, his time during that and the pre-season was very limited, if at all tested. So, it came as no surprise that he would appear to be rusty for the first game or two in which he threw for only one touchdown pass and didn’t run as much as he used to with the brace on his leg. Once the brace was taken off, McNabb became only the fourth quarterback in league history to throw for a perfect passer rating as he ripped apart the Lions secondary en route to what we thought was the McNabb of 2006 again. But alas, that didn’t stick around long, as he faltered against the Giants, and except for one pass against the Jets, he really didn’t set the world on fire. After a tough loss to the Bears which saw them drive 92-yards on the final drive of the game to beat us, Vintage McNabb returned to beat down the Vikings. But no sooner did he find his touch, he got injured, breaking his big toe and spraining his throwing thumb. After AJ Feeley lost two straight games which virtually took us out of the playoffs, McNabb returned with a mediocre effort against the Giants, but he turned around with a good game against the Cowboys, a stunning mastery of the Saints, and an impeccable performance against the Bills to end the season with three straight wins. The question now becomes, after an end to the 2007 season like we bared witness to, is McNabb back in the saddle again, 100% healthy, and confident?
