Eagles Outlook 2008: Defense

Eagles Defensive Coordinator Jim Johnson must be in heaven. The Eagles managed to land the top defensive Free Agent in Asante Samuel. Then they went out and added DE Chris Clemons. On top of that they signed ST Ace LB Rocky Boiman. This in addition to an already solid defense.

Looking at the Defensive Line, the Eagles don't really have any holes. Trent Cole and Chris Clemons form a solid pass rushing duo. Victor Abriami, Darren Howard and Juqua Parker (Thomas) form a solid power rushing tandem. Add in oft injured Jerome McDougle and the Eagles have it all at DE.

The Eagles drafted Bryan Smith from little McNeese St. He is a speed rusher like Trent Cole. And like Cole he was small coming out of college. But he will add some weight during the offseason programs the Eagles run. And he will be pushing for a role on the team.

The Defensive Tackle Spot is a little easier to figure out. Brodrick Bunkley and Mike Patterson are the starters with rookie Trevor Laws and Monte Reagor and LaJuan Ramsey adding the depth. Don't count Jeremy Clark out though. He could push Reagor or Ramsey out.

The Linebackers are the youngsters of the defense. The addition of Boiman gives this group it's veteran leader, but aside from him, they are only in the league three years or less.

Last year rookie Stuart Bradley filled in at MIKE. And what a game he had. The determination was made he should get a shot at the starters spot at MIKE. To do that, Omar Gaither would have to slide back out to WILL. Chris Gocong again handles the duties at SAM.

Boiman can play all three spots. Akeem Jordan played well after being called up late and will also get playing time at WILL and ST. Pagu Togafau will see reps at MIKE.

The Eagles have four rookie LB's that will try and earn a spot. One of them, Andy Studebaker, gets the most attention due to his recruiting. He posted a video on YouTube. That got him some attention. And being from a small school doesn't help. But the kid has plenty of heart and will power. So he will make it work.

The secondary is the strength of this team. Already solid, they lacked takeaways last year. They didn't give up to many big plays. They just didn't make too many big ones. Enter Asante Samuel. The former Patriot was the coup of Free Agency. He was immediately penciled in at LCB.

Lito Sheppard and Sheldon Brown formed a solid CB tandem. With Samuel in place, Brown and Sheppard will rotate playing RCB and Nickelback. Brown will more than likely be playing the slot. This allows him to blitz or cover, both of which he does well. All three will have plenty of playing time. The NFL has evolved into more of a passing game than it was years ago.

Joselio Hanson rounds out the corners. If the Eagles carry five, look for Nick Graham to be with the team again this year. He was a solid Special Teams player. But he will get pushed by two other players the Eagles signed this year, Tanard Davis and Therrian Fontenot.

Brian Dawkins had a rough season last year. His wife gave birth to premature twins. Dawkins missed most of the OTA's and Training Camp to help deal with the birth. This year he is back. And with a vengeance. People claim he has lost a step. That may be true. But he is still one of the top Safeties in the league.

Quinton Mikell and J.R.Reed both played well last year in Dawkins absence. Sean Considine was injured but returns giving the Eagles a solid four man Safety group. Add in rookie Quinton Demps and the Eagles are looking very solid. Demps will get a shot at making the team primarily as a Special Teams player. But a few jarring hits during preseason may get him on the field earlier than expected.

The Eagles went out and did things to make this defense one of the tops we've had here in a while...... on paper. There is no reason they shouldn't rank in the top 10.....no top 5. They have size up front. Speed on the ends. Good cover corners. Everything a good defense needs. Now all they have to do is execute.

Eagles 2008 Outlook: Offense

Well it will soon be a new season. Free Agency has come and gone, as has the draft. Training Camp is right around the corner. And here is what I think is in store for the Eagles on Offense.

QB: Donovan McNabb, Kevin Kolb, AJ Feeley

McNabb is still the number one QB on this team. He bounced back from his ACL injury in 2006 to have a decent year last year. The last three games of the season he showed why defenses used to fear him. Not only could he throw, but run. I see more of the same this year from McNabb.

Kolb moves up to the number two QB spot. He is being groomed as the heir to McNabb. He has al the physical tools and the mental ones too. All he needs is time to digest the playbook and time to develop a rapport with the WR's.

Feeley moves from number two to number three. He played well in the two games he subbed for McNabb. The only problem was he was throwing more passes that the opposing team caught than his own team. If he isn't cut or traded, he stays at number three.

RB: Westbrook, Booker, Hunt, Buckhalter

I know it doesn't seem reasonable to keep four RB's but for this team it is due to what each one brings.

Westbrook is one of the top all around backs in the league. He can run, catch, block, probably even pass. He is the most important part of our offense.

Booker is the one we wanted last year before the Dolphins drafted him. He is almost a Westbrook clone. He too can do all the things Westbrook can do. Which is the reason the Eagles wanted him so bad.

Buckhalter is one power back. He can get the tough yards, yet break out for the screen. He came back from some serious knee injuries to play well the last two years.

Hunt is the mystery. He's the power back we need to get the tough yards. He can do that. What he couldn't do was pick up the blocking schemes and blitzes. Should he get a handle on that this year he will again make the team easily, and possibly push Buckhalter out the door.

WR: Curtis, Brown, Avant, Baskett, Jackson

This looks like the weak link of the team. But it far from it. It is a solid set of WR's that can get the job done.

Curtis came to the Eagles last year and posted a 1,000 yard season. He can easily duplicate that this year. It would benefit him more to play in the slot, but his speed on the outside makes him dangerous also.

Brown had an off year last year. He started off slowly but came on strong mid season. He could emerge this year as a legitimate number two WR.

Avant is the one I'd like to see more of. He starred at Michigan, known for good WR's. He was injured his rookie year and played sparingly last year. He did post some good numbers for the limited time he played. Once again, like with Baskett, the more time he spends with McNabb developing a bond, the more passes will come his way.

Baskett is the big target we need for the red zone. He's 6'4. He has solid hands. But for whatever reason, he hasn't established himself yet. That should change this year.

Jackson is the speed demon. The second round pick from Cal will be our punt returner. He has excellent hands and speed. He can make defenders miss. Jackson will get a shot at playing this year. Maybe not right away. But by midseason he will find himself on the field.

TE: Smith, Celek, Wilson

A healthy LJ Smith is the key to the red zone offense. He is McNabb's safety blanket. His injury last year couldn't have come at a worse time. He was looking for a big contract, but bring hurt didn't help him. Smith might not be one of the elite TE's in the league, but he is a solid one. Mark him down for 60 catches and a bunch of TD's .

Celek received more playing time than people thought he would. The injury to Smith and Matt Schobel gave Celek an opportunity to play. And he didn't disappoint. He was pretty solid and made some good plays. He will need to work on his blocking a little, but not too much.

Wilson learned the position from playing behind one of the greatest TE's ever in Tony Gonzalez. But he never really got an opportunity to play. He will with the Eagles. They liked what they saw in the kid. He's big and fast with soft hands. He will make an impact here.

OL: Runyan, Herremans, Jackson, Andrews, Thomas, Jean-Gilles, Justice, ??????????

The starters are set IMO for the third year in a row. The problem is who backs them up? Jean-Gilles will push for playing time at OG. Justice will benefit from another season after having a few bad games last year. But they need to move him inside or to RT. The guys we drafted could push out some vets like Stefan Rodgers, Nick Cole and Scott Young. But right now it is any body's guess as to how it will pan out.

This offense will be very explosive. There are so many things Andy Reid and Marty Mornhinwig can do with it. The Eagles have speed and power. They have guys that can punch the ball up the middle or go outside the tackles. There are few holes. Only questions. The main one being can they stay healthy? We shall see.

Booker Learning His Way, Too

He may not be a rookie, but, Lorenzo Booker knows that he too has a lot to learn between now and training camp. That is why the second-year running back has maintained a steady diet of X's and O's since the end of the post-draft mini-camp.

While most rookies spent the last couple weeks back home, Booker remained in Philadelphia, spending much of his time at the NovaCare Complex.

"Come (training) camp I want to be ready," said Booker, who was acquired from Miami in a draft day deal. "You can't play if you're thinking all the time. I should be here learning the offense so that when (training) camp comes its full speed, I'm out there making plays, and then when the regular season comes I might as well have been here last year because I will know it so well.

Known for his mix of speed and elusiveness as well as his pass-catching ability, the 5-foot-10, 191-pound Booker feels that he's a perfect fit for this offense.

Coaches believe Booker, a third-round pick of the Dolphins in the 2007, can step in immediately and complement Pro Bowl running back Brian Westbrook. Like Westbrook, Booker figures to line up all over the formation and be a threat in both the run game and the pass game.

"The offense and the team is exciting itself, but being able to work with a guy like Brian is priceless. That was one of the things that excited me, just being able to see his style of play and the success that he's had in this offense," Booker said. "You can't help but be excited because that's what you do. You know that you're not coming into a situation hoping they use you right, hoping they understand what your strengths are."

Booker said catching the football is definitely a strength he brings to the Eagles. He said he loves catching it out of the backfield as much as he loves running with it. He had success at both last year in Miami, amassing 125 yards on 28 carries and 237 yards on 28 receptions.

"I'm immune to the way I get the ball, I don't care," Booker said. "I'm dying to go on a straight nine route and jump over a defensive back. That gets my blood boiling just like running threw the middle and picking up five or 10 yards and breaking a few tackles. Just give me a chance to help the team and I'll do what I have to do."

As for pass-blocking? Booker says he can do that too.

"I can pull up tape of me blocking Junior Seau and I blocked fine," he said. "Hell, I'm tough too. I don't care how big I am and I don't care how big the other guy is. Blocking is all a state of mind."

It's worth noting here that Booker bench-pressed 225 pounds 25 times at the NFL combine.

As for the mental aspect of the game, certainly the learning curve isn't as large for Booker as it is for the 10 players that make up Philadelphia's draft class. Booker has a year of experience under his belt -- albeit seven games – and that makes a huge difference. He knows he can perform at the NFL level.

"I can pull up film of me playing against the best of people. Asante (Samuel), I played against him twice last year, and Ray Lewis and guys like that, so as far as having to prove that to myself, I don't have to," said Booker. "Now it's just about proving to myself I can play as well as I know I can, and I'm in the perfect situation to do that now."

Bottom line is this: Booker may be more than the third-down specialist many immediately penciled him in to be.

"I think that the more I prove to them that I can get the job done I think the more action I'll end up seeing," he said. "I'm a fast learner."

LINK

Centennil Bulb Still Burning

Hanging about 18 feet high in the engine bay of a Livermore, California firehouse, a humble, low-watt light bulb has been burning almost continuously since 1901. Take that, halogen!

The Los Angeles Times (via Boing Boing) recently ran a story on the remarkably resilient Centennial Bulb—a four-watt, curlicue carbon-filament lightbulb that, give or take a few brief interludes, has been burning for 24 hours a day, seven days a week for more than a century.

The bulb has become something of a lucky charm for Livermore firefighters, who (according to the LA Times story) won't even dust off the bulb for fear of damaging it.

Indeed, when the department moved to a new fire station in 1976, firefighters decided to cut the power cord rather than unscrew the fragile bulb from its socket. A motorcade of fire trucks then accompanied the Centennial Bulb (which, according to Wikipedia, was only off for about 10 minutes during the short journey) to its new home, where it's been burning continuously ever since.

What's the secret to the Centennial Bulb's longevity? As the LA Times story notes, there are many theories. One former firefighter thinks it's because the bulb, made by the long-defunct Shelby Electric Co., shines in a cool-burning vacuum thanks to a perfect seal. Others chalk it up to the fact that the bulb has almost never been turned off.

In any case, the Centennial Bulb has been drawing curiosity-seekers and news stories (including, of course, this one) since 1972, and the bulb even has its own Web site—which, unfortunately, appears to be down for now (probably due to a burst of traffic).

Check out the LA Times Web site for the full story, including many more details on the bulb's storied history.

So, any theories on why the Centennial Bulb has been burning for so long?

LINK

Kolb Progressing Nicely

Draft picks are all the rage around this time of year. While coaches figure out how their new additions can help the team in the near or immediate future, fans are surfing the internet trying to learn more and analyzing their college statistics.

For most rookies, the attention begins to fade as they end their first season and a new class of bright-eyed draft picks walk through the door. The media flock to these fresh faces like a child to a shiny toy, leaving in their wake a trail of second-year players.

At this time, one notable observation is the lack of attention that second-year quarterback Kevin Kolb is receiving relative to last year. The Eagles' first pick in 2007, Kolb took snaps with the second-team offense during the first mini-camp and still, very little has been made of it.

"Obviously you want to progress up the ladder because I want to be a starter in this league," Kolb said. "The reason it really means a lot to me is because it seems that I get more reps. The more reps I get, the better I feel that I'm going to get. I need a lot of them as a young quarterback."

Kolb went about his rookie season with very little fanfare. He did nothing but impress the coaching staff with his work in the preseason, completing 70 of 106 passes for 617 yards (66.0 completion percentage), two touchdowns and an 87.7 passer rating.

He watched, studied and learned the nuances of the pro game, and said all the right things when questions were raised regarding Donovan McNabb's play last season and No. 5's future in Philadelphia.

McNabb has missed parts of the last three seasons but appeared in good health at the post-draft camp. That said, Kolb knows he must continue to wait in the wings for his opportunities.

Kolb says the biggest difference between last year and this year is muscle memory.

"I go back there in a drop, play-action, whatever, and it just feels comfortable. When that happens, then obviously the other things start to slow down and you can start focusing on details. And that's what makes you a better player."

Selected in the second round with the 36th overall pick, Kolb ran a spread offense in Houston. He threw for 3,809 yards and 30 touchdowns in his senior year with the Cougars, earning Conference USA offensive player of the year honors.

In his first NFL season, Kolb proved he was physically and mentally ready to play, but just needed to pick up on the nuances of the game and earn the trust of his teammates.

Right now, Kolb's career is an exercise in patience. At some point, he will get a chance to prove he is an NFL quarterback. Now running the second-team offense, he appears to be one step closer.

He may not be the center of attention as he was at this time last year, but it is worthy to note that he is progressing nicely into his sophomore year

LINK TO ARTICLE

Pat the Bat

For years, Pat Burrell of the Philadelphia Phillies has been a target of the fans anger towards the Phillies. A talented player from Miami, he was MVP of the 1996 College World Series. He also won the Golden Spikes Award in 1998. Burrell was then drafted number 1 overall by the Phillies.

Burrell originally was a 1st baseman. He moved to LF later in the season and finished 4th in Rookie of the Year voting. He had a breakout year the following year with 37 HR's. Buth then he went into a 3 year slump of inconsistency.

To his credit, in recent seasons, Burrell has shown an increasing ability to draw walks; however, his patience at bat also has resulted in his striking out frequently, including leading the Major Leagues in number of called third strikes. He has worked on this issue over the offseason.

As of right now, in his contract year with the Phillies he is batting .303 with 9 HR, 30 RBI, 21 hits but a staggering 29 strikeouts. His On Base % is .440. Great numbers to begin the season. Next to Chase Utley, Burrell has been the strength of the Phillies offense this year.

Prior to 2008 spring training workouts, t-shirts were made displaying a shirtless, bicep-curling Burrell with "Man or Machine?" printed on them. The media speculated that Chase Utley, the Phillies 2nd baseman, was responsible for the shirts although no one actually claimed responsibility.

New Flyers Help Turn Team Around

Winning the Eastern Conference finals would be icing on the cake for the Flyers.

Actually, it would mean another cake.

The Flyers savored a cake on Wednesday, the dessert becoming their tasty good luck tradition before the first game of each playoff series. Coach John Stevens cooked up the idea as a motivational tool in the minor leagues and now he uses it on the Flyers, who - sweet tooth or toothless - want to eat cake and have their Stanley Cup, too.

"It kind of symbolizes that all the ingredients by themselves aren't appealing, but when you mix them together and apply some fire, you come up with a better product," Stevens said.

A better product was all the Flyers wanted this year coming off a season when they were simply the worst team around.

The worst team in the NHL. The worst team in franchise history. The worst team in Philadelphia sports.

"There were times last year when it was hard to come to the ice," forward Mike Knuble said.

And this season?

"I'm having the time of my life right now," center Mike Richards said.

The Flyers' turnaround from the bottom of the league to playing in the East finals against Pittsburgh is one of the more stunning one-year transformations in NHL history. The Flyers are the first team to reach the conference finals a year after posting the worst record since the Red Wings in 1987. They vaulted from 22 wins and 56 points in 2006-07 to 42 wins and 95 points by shuffling the roster.

Danny Briere bolted Buffalo to sign an eight-year contract with the Flyers. Kimmo Timonen, Scott Hartnell, Joffrey Lupul and Jason Smith were all acquired in trades. Going back to last year's trade deadline, Martin Biron, Braydon Coburn and Scottie Upshall all came in deals that showed Philly's stop at the bottom would be a short one.

LINK TO ARTICLE

Lito, Sheldon, Asante...OH MY

Three young corners. All in or near their prime. All three possess great skills. All three play on the same team. Only two can start. Yet the other will get playing time. What a situation for the Eagles to be in. But what a disaster it can be also.

First you have the high priced Asante Samuel who agreed to a mega deal dwarfing what Sheldon Brown and Lito Sheppard make. He wants to win. He knows how good the Eagles can be or else he would nt have come to Philadelphia. Samuel is a playmaker. He can get the INT's the Eagles were lacking last year. He will bring another dimension to the Defense.

Next you have the hard playing but under rated Sheldon Brown. He is a heavy hitter and rarely gets burned. He has good size and skills. People remember his hit on Saints Running Back Reggie Bush and just say "WOW".

Then you have Lito Sheppard. The one who's spot seems to be up in the air. He also is a playmaker when healthy. Ask the Dallas Cowboys. He has 8 career INT's against the Cowboys.

What to do, what to do, what to do.

We could do a few things. Like I mentioned in my last blog, we trade Lito. But that would be detrimental to the team right now. With today's passing game, you need three good quality corners. And right now we have that.

We could rotate all three. That would be the sensible thing. I know all three will want to play every down they can. But that isn't possible. But it would be smart to rotate them to keep them fresh, much like we do the defensive line.

We could move Sheldon Brown to Strong Safety. This frees up both Lito and Asante to play every down. It also gives us a 3rd CB on the field even though he is playing Safety. Brown, as I said earlier, is a big hitter. He can blitz from the safety position, much like he could from the outside or nickel.

We could let Lito play the nickel to keep him fresh. As mentioned previously, he's been injury prone over the past few years. Nothing serious, but nagging injuries that keep him from playing 100%. We need a 100% healthy Lito. Moving him and reducing his playing time may do the trick. It could have a positive effect on his game.

As you can see the Eagles have a problem. Is it a good one? Yes. Much like the LB situation, we have young talented players ready to make this Eagles defense great. And I can't wait to see just how great it can be.

What To Do With Lito

It's been the talk of the town ever since the signing of CB Asante Samuel. What will the Eagles do with Lito Sheppard? There are various rumors flying around about possible trades. There are rumors we will keep him. When it's all said and done who knows what will happen.

Some scenarios I personally would like to see are as follows:

1) Keep him this year. When healthy, we know he is a top CB. He makes plays in the secondary. Against division rival Dallas alone he has 8 career interceptions. But the problem is over the past couple of years he can't stay healthy for 16 games. It's always some nagging injury.

I imagine a secondary of Samuel, Brown and Lito along with Safeties Brian Dawkins and Quinton Mikell and think what a great secondary that would be. Three great CB's and one of the best Safeties ever in Dawkins. These guys will make life tough for WR's and others going downfield. It could be one of the top secondaries in the league.

2) Trade him for a high draft pick next year. Easier said than done I know. He was being shopped around during the draft but the Eagles were asking a high round number two. They didn't pull the trigger on any deals on that day. But once the OTA's begins teams might realize they need a veteran corner and come calling.

3) Trade for a player....namely a WR. We need a big time WR in this offense. The offense isn't bad, but could use the boost. Adding someone like the Lion's Roy Wiliams, Cardinals Anquan Boldin or Bengals Chad Johnson would easily make this offense more dangerous.

We gained an extra number one pick from a trade with Carolina. We could package that in a deal along with Lito for any of these WR's. We could also add another player like WR Reggie Brown if needed.

With these three scenarios we make the team stronger either through keeping Lito, adding a big play WR or adding picks in next years draft. I for one would rather keep Lito than trade him, but if the price is right and the team gains a player like Boldin or Johnson I'm all for it.