Roster Breakdown: Running Backs
There was not much else that could be asked from #36 last year: Brian Westbrook broke two standing team records in one magnificent season which saw him to go the Pro Bowl yet again. Westbrook broke the club record for most receptions in a season as his 90 catches eclipsed Irving Fryar’s previous record of 88 receptions in a season dating back to 1997, and his 2,108 total yards from scrimmage broke the club mark get by Wilbert Montgomery of 2,004 total yards back in 1979. And yet for all of this, Westbrook is convinced that he is in for a longer and bigger payday, and it remains to be seen if he gets his way or not.
The depth behind him is four strong, but each man comes with their own story to tell. Let’s start with Lorenzo Booker: the Eagles traded a 4th round pick to the Miami Dolphins during this year’s draft and brought him in for the mini camps and also with the rookies and selected veterans on Monday as well. Booker provides us with not only a good solid running back and speed aloft, but he will also give us a clear cut option for kick returns, something we oh so lacked in 2007.
Then there is Correll “General” Buckhalter: the old timer of the group and the 8th year veteran from Nebraska has seemed to have fended off the injuries which ravaged his career up to 2005 with a solid 2006 and 2007 campaign, including a 100-yard effort in a Sunday Night loss week four to the New York Giants. Buck has done everything that the team has asked of him to date and despite all of his injuries early on, the team never gave up on their former 4th round pick in 2001.
One interesting factor will be the role for 2nd year man Tony Hunt, the team’s 2B pick in the third round last year. Many have speculated that it was Booker that the Eagles wanted as opposed to Hunt in 2007, so does trading for the former mean that the latter could be phased off of the team? Let’s face it, his blocking, for being a “bigger” back, didn’t exactly win over any critics either.
That brings us to Ryan Moats, who had an impressive rookie season in 2005 on a team that was totally far from impressive. He tailed off production wise in 2006 but proved a viable kick return man and missed 2007 all together after getting injured in the first pre-season game. For speed running we have Westbrook and Booker, and the latter will also double as a kick return man, so it seems imperative that Moats is likely to be the odd man out of the picture.
What I think happens: Well as I made mention of in the above paragraph, we don’t ever carry five backs, so Moats in my mind is the first cut, but the question is will we carry four backs again like last year while keeping Satokei “Reno” Mahe for kicks and punts? It seems likely, because the team won’t want to give up on Hunt after one bad season, Buck is in the last year of his contract anyway, and Booker and Westbrook are locks assuming the latter doesn’t hold out for any unseen reasons. It then becomes a question of how many carries Westbrook gets, and how much work Booker gets out of the backfield as well.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Position Breakdown: Quarterbacks
For the past decade only one person stands out as the Qb for the Eagles. Donovan McNabb. He may very well be the best QB Philly has ever had. And after three years of turmoil and injuries, he is back and ready to go.
Donovan is the man here. No doubt about that. Ask anyone on the team and they will tell you the same thing. It's his team. He is set to deliver one of his best seasons ever. He is healed from the torn ACL suffered in 2006. He is healed of the hernia in 2005. He is healed of the tendinitis that kept him out of OTA's. And a healthy McNabb is a dangerous one.
Whatwe would like to see is the old McNabb back. The one who kept defenses honest with his legs, then exploiting them with his arm. We want to see the precision passes he throws. We want to see the running ability he's shown throughout his career. We want McNabb at his 100% best.
Kevin Kolb is being groomed as his replacement. A rookie last year, Kolb is now set to take the number two spot. He had plenty of practice at the OTA's when McNabb was kept out. He ran the first team offense and by all accounts looked great. He may not be ready for a ful time position just yet though. But he has a strong arm and great instincts with the ball.
Kolb will be the starter here someday, but not this year. He may get some action if we are in a blowout game. Hopefully he sees some action I should say.
A.J. Feeley played two great games against the Seahawks and Patriots last year. It's just too bad he threw more INT's in two games than McNabb did all year. .....or close to it. He will be the number three guy this year unless for some reason the Eagles get a great offer for him. I don't see it happening though.
McNabb, Kolb, Feeley.
The great one, the next one and ..... well I can't think of anything for Feeley.
Donovan is the man here. No doubt about that. Ask anyone on the team and they will tell you the same thing. It's his team. He is set to deliver one of his best seasons ever. He is healed from the torn ACL suffered in 2006. He is healed of the hernia in 2005. He is healed of the tendinitis that kept him out of OTA's. And a healthy McNabb is a dangerous one.
Whatwe would like to see is the old McNabb back. The one who kept defenses honest with his legs, then exploiting them with his arm. We want to see the precision passes he throws. We want to see the running ability he's shown throughout his career. We want McNabb at his 100% best.
Kevin Kolb is being groomed as his replacement. A rookie last year, Kolb is now set to take the number two spot. He had plenty of practice at the OTA's when McNabb was kept out. He ran the first team offense and by all accounts looked great. He may not be ready for a ful time position just yet though. But he has a strong arm and great instincts with the ball.
Kolb will be the starter here someday, but not this year. He may get some action if we are in a blowout game. Hopefully he sees some action I should say.
A.J. Feeley played two great games against the Seahawks and Patriots last year. It's just too bad he threw more INT's in two games than McNabb did all year. .....or close to it. He will be the number three guy this year unless for some reason the Eagles get a great offer for him. I don't see it happening though.
McNabb, Kolb, Feeley.
The great one, the next one and ..... well I can't think of anything for Feeley.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Realistic Look At Eagles Season
With Training Camp right around the corner in ten days time (from the moment I type this on the 11th of July) and just about every preposterous season preview book throwing around predictions and playing favorites as they always do, I figured that yours truly would take this opportunity to look at the season schedule for the Eagles and offer his two cent piece on what record we are capable of coming up with. Now, keep in mind of course that this is going to be assuming that, if the team does suffer injuries, that they will be minor ones or the transition between the starter and backup is as seamless as possible.
First, the schedule for the Eagles’ 2008 season:
Week 1 - St. Louis Rams (9/7/08)
Week 2 - @ Dallas Cowboys (9/15/08)**
Week 3 - Pittsburgh Steelers (9/21/08)
Week 4 - @ Chicago Bears (9/28/08)*
Week 5 - Washington Redskins (10/5/08)
Week 6 - @ San Francisco 49ers (10/12/08)
Week 7 - Bye Week
Week 8 - Atlanta Falcons (10/26/08)
Week 9 - @ Seattle Seahawks (11/2/08)
Week 10 - New York Giants (11/9/08)*
Week 11 - @ Cincinnati Bengals (11/16/08)+
Week 12 - @ Baltimore Ravens (11/23/08)+
Week 13 - Arizona Cardinals (11/27/08)***
Week 14 - @ New York Giants (12/7/08)+
Week 15 - Cleveland Browns (12/15/08)**
Week 16 - @ Washington Redskins (12/21/08)+
Week 17 - Dallas Cowboys (12/28/08)+
*Denotes Sunday Night game at 8:15 PM on NBC
**Denotes Monday Night game at 8:30 PM on ESPN
***Denotes Thursday Night game at 8:00 PM on NFL Network
+Game subject to being moved to SNF or 4:00 PM slot from a 1:00 PM slot
My take on the schedule is as follows:
Week 1 - St. Louis: A good early test to see how well our secondary has come along since the injured players have returned and we will see Asante Samuel in his first game as an Eagle: the offense can really help its self against a weaker defense.
FINAL: Eagles 34 Rams 17 (1-0)
Week 2 - @ Dallas: Last year in Irving, a Brian Westbrook knee sealed the win and a season split with the Boys, but Tony Romo didn’t play as well as he had in other games prior. He should be back in form and Dallas will deal Philly an early season loss to level our heads.
FINAL: Cowboys 20 Eagles 13 (1-1)
Week 3 - Pittsburgh: If the Eagles want this game, Donovan McNabb needs to bring his A-game because it will be essential. The run defense of the Steelers should keep our backs in check, and the defense will be in a long day against the duel running attack of Rashard Mendenhall and Willie Parker and, of course, Big Ben chucking the ball to Hines Ward and company. But consider this: last year, Pittsburgh was 11-5 but only 4-4 on the road, including a very poor overtime loss to a then ONE WIN Jets team: home field cooking will help.
FINAL: Eagles 24 Steelers 20 (2-1)
Week 4 - @ Chicago: Last year, the Bears embarked on a final drive which ended with their previously dormant offense striking and them winning 19-16, but they are hardly half the offense they were as opposed to last year (if you can believe that) and it will really fall on the Bears defense. If we can even chip in 16 points we can win.
FINAL: Eagles 19 Bears 9 (3-1)
Week 5 -Washington: The Skins are now coached by Jim Zorn after Joe Gibbs retired to go back to his racing team. This game kind of worries me because of their win in Philly last year on prime time none the less, but I really think our offense, which sucked in the first two games last year, will be clicking by this point.
FINAL: Eagles 21 Redskins 13 (4-1)
Week 6 - @ San Francisco: We have no idea who their quarterback is, how much more Frank Gore can handle, and just how much better their secondary is going to be, which makes this game a winnable one.
FINAL: Eagles 28 49ers 14 (5-1)
Week 7 - Bye Week: Oh, we can beat that one right?
Week 8 - Atlanta: The Falcons are a team with little to no direction for now, so it is best to jump on them while they still suck I suppose.
FINAL: Eagles 34 Falcons 10 (6-1)
Week 9 - @ Seattle: This is going to be a tough one for us: we couldn’t win at home against them thanks to FOUR AJ Feeley interceptions last year, and playing at Qwest Field isn’t an easy thing for opponents to do.
FINAL: Seahawks 23 Eagles 17 (6-2)
Week 10 - New York: Believe me when I say that we OWE it to ourselves to beat this team at home…anything less is a freaking disgrace.
FINAL: Eagles 20 Giants 17 (7-2)
Week 11 - @ Cincinnati: This is quite an interesting game: will the secondary withstand “Canon” Carson and the chemical receivers they possess? A better question: will they know how to play defense by then?
FINAL: Eagles 35 Bengals 21 (8-2)
Week 12 - @ Baltimore: This will be the first time former special teams coach John Harabaugh will be coaching against the team that brought him into the NFL, so knowing us could give the Ravens an advantage. Of course, in order to maximize that advantage, they will need a quarterback and an offensive line that will actually play first for that to happen.
FINAL: Eagles 17 Ravens 3 (9-2)
Week 13 - Arizona: Our rendition of the third wheel on Thanksgiving Day, we will welcome back Rod Hood to Philadelphia, but the Cardinals won’t be welcomed: after all, it will be a late November game for a team that is used to the Southwest heat, and by this game, Tim Rattay and Tim Hasselback will be splitting the quarterback duties for the Cards probably.
FINAL: Eagles 31 Cardinals 20 (10-2)
Week 14 - @ New York: Due to us having ten days off between games and the fact that sweeping New York doesn’t seem likely, I will give them the win this time, but we will be waiting for them…IN THE PLAYOFFS!!!
FINAL: Giants 16 Eagles 13 (10-3)
Week 15 - Cleveland: This is quite an intriguing match-up: Cleveland, like their interstate rival, is known for their overpowering offense but could use a brush up on their defense. The Eagles win VIA withstanding a barrage of Browns offensive fury and delivering their own and the uppercut KO punch.
FINAL: Eagles 35 Browns 28 (11-3)
Week 16 - @ Washington: Should I be concerned that we are in Washington this time around? No, because since 2000 we are 7-1 in Washington with our only loss coming during that dismissal 2005 season.
FINAL: Eagles 24 Redskins 17 (12-3)
Week 17 - Dallas: Say, you think the division will STILL be on the line between the Blue N’ Silver and the Green N’ Silver by this time? Yeah, me thinks that is a possibility, and I think, using the late December weather in Philly, we can overcome the Boys to earn a season split between us for 2008.
FINAL: Eagles 23 Cowboys 20 (13-3)
Well there is my prediction: 13-3! Now, I DO see two swings games, those being the Steelers and the Browns games which were hard for me to pick, so AT WORST, I see this team going 11-5 but using my calculations, I see 13-3.
First, the schedule for the Eagles’ 2008 season:
Week 1 - St. Louis Rams (9/7/08)
Week 2 - @ Dallas Cowboys (9/15/08)**
Week 3 - Pittsburgh Steelers (9/21/08)
Week 4 - @ Chicago Bears (9/28/08)*
Week 5 - Washington Redskins (10/5/08)
Week 6 - @ San Francisco 49ers (10/12/08)
Week 7 - Bye Week
Week 8 - Atlanta Falcons (10/26/08)
Week 9 - @ Seattle Seahawks (11/2/08)
Week 10 - New York Giants (11/9/08)*
Week 11 - @ Cincinnati Bengals (11/16/08)+
Week 12 - @ Baltimore Ravens (11/23/08)+
Week 13 - Arizona Cardinals (11/27/08)***
Week 14 - @ New York Giants (12/7/08)+
Week 15 - Cleveland Browns (12/15/08)**
Week 16 - @ Washington Redskins (12/21/08)+
Week 17 - Dallas Cowboys (12/28/08)+
*Denotes Sunday Night game at 8:15 PM on NBC
**Denotes Monday Night game at 8:30 PM on ESPN
***Denotes Thursday Night game at 8:00 PM on NFL Network
+Game subject to being moved to SNF or 4:00 PM slot from a 1:00 PM slot
My take on the schedule is as follows:
Week 1 - St. Louis: A good early test to see how well our secondary has come along since the injured players have returned and we will see Asante Samuel in his first game as an Eagle: the offense can really help its self against a weaker defense.
FINAL: Eagles 34 Rams 17 (1-0)
Week 2 - @ Dallas: Last year in Irving, a Brian Westbrook knee sealed the win and a season split with the Boys, but Tony Romo didn’t play as well as he had in other games prior. He should be back in form and Dallas will deal Philly an early season loss to level our heads.
FINAL: Cowboys 20 Eagles 13 (1-1)
Week 3 - Pittsburgh: If the Eagles want this game, Donovan McNabb needs to bring his A-game because it will be essential. The run defense of the Steelers should keep our backs in check, and the defense will be in a long day against the duel running attack of Rashard Mendenhall and Willie Parker and, of course, Big Ben chucking the ball to Hines Ward and company. But consider this: last year, Pittsburgh was 11-5 but only 4-4 on the road, including a very poor overtime loss to a then ONE WIN Jets team: home field cooking will help.
FINAL: Eagles 24 Steelers 20 (2-1)
Week 4 - @ Chicago: Last year, the Bears embarked on a final drive which ended with their previously dormant offense striking and them winning 19-16, but they are hardly half the offense they were as opposed to last year (if you can believe that) and it will really fall on the Bears defense. If we can even chip in 16 points we can win.
FINAL: Eagles 19 Bears 9 (3-1)
Week 5 -Washington: The Skins are now coached by Jim Zorn after Joe Gibbs retired to go back to his racing team. This game kind of worries me because of their win in Philly last year on prime time none the less, but I really think our offense, which sucked in the first two games last year, will be clicking by this point.
FINAL: Eagles 21 Redskins 13 (4-1)
Week 6 - @ San Francisco: We have no idea who their quarterback is, how much more Frank Gore can handle, and just how much better their secondary is going to be, which makes this game a winnable one.
FINAL: Eagles 28 49ers 14 (5-1)
Week 7 - Bye Week: Oh, we can beat that one right?
Week 8 - Atlanta: The Falcons are a team with little to no direction for now, so it is best to jump on them while they still suck I suppose.
FINAL: Eagles 34 Falcons 10 (6-1)
Week 9 - @ Seattle: This is going to be a tough one for us: we couldn’t win at home against them thanks to FOUR AJ Feeley interceptions last year, and playing at Qwest Field isn’t an easy thing for opponents to do.
FINAL: Seahawks 23 Eagles 17 (6-2)
Week 10 - New York: Believe me when I say that we OWE it to ourselves to beat this team at home…anything less is a freaking disgrace.
FINAL: Eagles 20 Giants 17 (7-2)
Week 11 - @ Cincinnati: This is quite an interesting game: will the secondary withstand “Canon” Carson and the chemical receivers they possess? A better question: will they know how to play defense by then?
FINAL: Eagles 35 Bengals 21 (8-2)
Week 12 - @ Baltimore: This will be the first time former special teams coach John Harabaugh will be coaching against the team that brought him into the NFL, so knowing us could give the Ravens an advantage. Of course, in order to maximize that advantage, they will need a quarterback and an offensive line that will actually play first for that to happen.
FINAL: Eagles 17 Ravens 3 (9-2)
Week 13 - Arizona: Our rendition of the third wheel on Thanksgiving Day, we will welcome back Rod Hood to Philadelphia, but the Cardinals won’t be welcomed: after all, it will be a late November game for a team that is used to the Southwest heat, and by this game, Tim Rattay and Tim Hasselback will be splitting the quarterback duties for the Cards probably.
FINAL: Eagles 31 Cardinals 20 (10-2)
Week 14 - @ New York: Due to us having ten days off between games and the fact that sweeping New York doesn’t seem likely, I will give them the win this time, but we will be waiting for them…IN THE PLAYOFFS!!!
FINAL: Giants 16 Eagles 13 (10-3)
Week 15 - Cleveland: This is quite an intriguing match-up: Cleveland, like their interstate rival, is known for their overpowering offense but could use a brush up on their defense. The Eagles win VIA withstanding a barrage of Browns offensive fury and delivering their own and the uppercut KO punch.
FINAL: Eagles 35 Browns 28 (11-3)
Week 16 - @ Washington: Should I be concerned that we are in Washington this time around? No, because since 2000 we are 7-1 in Washington with our only loss coming during that dismissal 2005 season.
FINAL: Eagles 24 Redskins 17 (12-3)
Week 17 - Dallas: Say, you think the division will STILL be on the line between the Blue N’ Silver and the Green N’ Silver by this time? Yeah, me thinks that is a possibility, and I think, using the late December weather in Philly, we can overcome the Boys to earn a season split between us for 2008.
FINAL: Eagles 23 Cowboys 20 (13-3)
Well there is my prediction: 13-3! Now, I DO see two swings games, those being the Steelers and the Browns games which were hard for me to pick, so AT WORST, I see this team going 11-5 but using my calculations, I see 13-3.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Position Breakdown: Special Teams
Special Teams:
Many people will say that David Akers accuracy is dropping year by year and that 2007 was his worst yet, but still he goes into camp as the man going into his 10th year in the league. Sav Rocca, who beat out Dirk Johnson for the punting job last year, should be better with his accuracy this year, but he must first beat Richmond McGee, a duel kicker and punter rookie free agent from Texas. Long snapper Jon Dorenbos (emphasis on the first two words) will return to do that duty, and the return units have received some much needed upgrades with the drafting of DeSean Jackson, the trade for Miami Dolphins back Lorenzo Booker, and also Correll Buckhalter and even Sheppard can handle the return duties.
What will happen: Akers will kick, Rocca will punt, and Dorenbos will likely hold the same post he did last year even though he doesn’t PLAY another position (something the previous long snapper, Mike Bartrum, had no problem with) while Booker will get kick returns, Jackson will handle punt returns, and since Mikell looks to start fulltime, Boiman will be the captain of special teams.
Many people will say that David Akers accuracy is dropping year by year and that 2007 was his worst yet, but still he goes into camp as the man going into his 10th year in the league. Sav Rocca, who beat out Dirk Johnson for the punting job last year, should be better with his accuracy this year, but he must first beat Richmond McGee, a duel kicker and punter rookie free agent from Texas. Long snapper Jon Dorenbos (emphasis on the first two words) will return to do that duty, and the return units have received some much needed upgrades with the drafting of DeSean Jackson, the trade for Miami Dolphins back Lorenzo Booker, and also Correll Buckhalter and even Sheppard can handle the return duties.
What will happen: Akers will kick, Rocca will punt, and Dorenbos will likely hold the same post he did last year even though he doesn’t PLAY another position (something the previous long snapper, Mike Bartrum, had no problem with) while Booker will get kick returns, Jackson will handle punt returns, and since Mikell looks to start fulltime, Boiman will be the captain of special teams.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Position Breakdown: Secondary
Cornerbacks:
Much has been said and will continue to be said about the surprise signing of Asante Samuel by the front office, and a lot of it has been said by the media (pay them no mind) but we do not know what Lito Sheppard really thinks about the situation. As it sits, we have arguably the best trio in the game with Samuel, Sheppard, and Sheldon Brown on board and another in Joselio Hanson who can step up and man nickel when we need him to and plays as a great dime back. That leaves one spot open and four people competing for it: 2nd year undrafted rookie Nick Graham, free agent Therrian Fontenot, 4th round pick Jack Ikegwunou out of Wisconsin, and rookie free agent Kyle Arrington out of Hofstra.
What will happen: As mentioned, the top four spots are under lock and key, unless the Eagles feel their depth (what, with four guys competing for one spot mind you) is strong enough that they can trade Sheppard, which would make it Samuel-Brown-Hanson then instead of Samuel-Sheppard-Brown-Hanson. Look for Fontenot to win the 5th and final spot, while Graham and Arrington go on the squad and in order to keep Jack, they will put him on the IR.
Free and Strong Safeties:
Injuries piled up last year at safety, and this year, not only are the wounded coming back, but they will flanked by some new blood as well. Brian Dawkins, the longest tenured Eagle on the team, defensive leader, and hard hitting football God, will return for his 13th season at free safety and will more then likely be joined by up and coming Quintin Mikell, the former special teams leader. That is to say, however, that Sean Considine, who was made the starter in week six but has missed large amounts of two seasons with a shoulder injury, doesn’t win it back from him. The team used their 4th round pick on Quintin Demps out of UTEP as someone who is more then likely going to be the future free safety on this team if we figure this right, but don’t forget about JR Reed, who re-joined the team after week one last year, and Marcus Paschal, who spent 2007 on the squad.
What will happen: Other then Dawkins returning to free safety, there is nothing else here that we can take for granted: no doubt Considine will be back to make his case for strong safety against Mikell, and adding Demps further convolutes the depth chart. My call is that on opening day, Dawkins and Mikell will start, Demps and Considine will backup, Paschal will either be released or go back on PS, and since return units are looking stronger now, Reed may be a cut.
Much has been said and will continue to be said about the surprise signing of Asante Samuel by the front office, and a lot of it has been said by the media (pay them no mind) but we do not know what Lito Sheppard really thinks about the situation. As it sits, we have arguably the best trio in the game with Samuel, Sheppard, and Sheldon Brown on board and another in Joselio Hanson who can step up and man nickel when we need him to and plays as a great dime back. That leaves one spot open and four people competing for it: 2nd year undrafted rookie Nick Graham, free agent Therrian Fontenot, 4th round pick Jack Ikegwunou out of Wisconsin, and rookie free agent Kyle Arrington out of Hofstra.
What will happen: As mentioned, the top four spots are under lock and key, unless the Eagles feel their depth (what, with four guys competing for one spot mind you) is strong enough that they can trade Sheppard, which would make it Samuel-Brown-Hanson then instead of Samuel-Sheppard-Brown-Hanson. Look for Fontenot to win the 5th and final spot, while Graham and Arrington go on the squad and in order to keep Jack, they will put him on the IR.
Free and Strong Safeties:
Injuries piled up last year at safety, and this year, not only are the wounded coming back, but they will flanked by some new blood as well. Brian Dawkins, the longest tenured Eagle on the team, defensive leader, and hard hitting football God, will return for his 13th season at free safety and will more then likely be joined by up and coming Quintin Mikell, the former special teams leader. That is to say, however, that Sean Considine, who was made the starter in week six but has missed large amounts of two seasons with a shoulder injury, doesn’t win it back from him. The team used their 4th round pick on Quintin Demps out of UTEP as someone who is more then likely going to be the future free safety on this team if we figure this right, but don’t forget about JR Reed, who re-joined the team after week one last year, and Marcus Paschal, who spent 2007 on the squad.
What will happen: Other then Dawkins returning to free safety, there is nothing else here that we can take for granted: no doubt Considine will be back to make his case for strong safety against Mikell, and adding Demps further convolutes the depth chart. My call is that on opening day, Dawkins and Mikell will start, Demps and Considine will backup, Paschal will either be released or go back on PS, and since return units are looking stronger now, Reed may be a cut.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Just A Hunch
From SixerFan78:
I was talking with my pop a couple days ago about the Birds, and he really gets the sense that they could be gearing up for a serious run in 2009/10......I told him I was little skeptical, but I decided to do a little research on the idea......I came up with these thoughts:
1. The Eagles have 9 picks next year, including 2 first rounders.......With all the talent in next year's draft, I'd be disappointed if the Eagles didn't walk away with atleast a minimum of 2 immediate starters at positions of need.
2. They will have cap space as always......Question is, will they use it in the right spots during FA?......WR, TE, S, OT, PK, P, and FB all COULD be needs after this year, unless a few players step up this year.
3. Quite a few elite receivers will most certainly be available via the trade market......Chad Johnson, Roy Williams, and Anquan Boldin could all be available since they will be closer to FA.....Those teams will look to move them more next offseason than they did this offseason......With a good amount of early picks and available roster players, I will be really pissed if they don't target a legit #1. (Hell, I'm still pissed they haven't gotten a #1 target this offseason)
4. The age factor of the team's core.......I've said this in another thread, but I'll say it again......This could be the last year for Dawkins, Smith, Runyan, Thomas, and even Akers ......If these guys have solid seasons, and they attempt to resign some of these guys, then I think that will show their intentions for the possibility of making a run in 2009/10.
5. Will McNabb stay and will Sheppard be dealt?.....If Mcnabb shows he is healthy and returns to form this season, this is his team, not Kolb's......If Lito proves he can stay healthy, I'd imagine it will increase his trade value or the possibility of the Eagles trying to keep him.
6. Most young players should be ready to take the next step by then:
-(Andrews and Cole are already probowl players)
-(Bunkley and Patterson should also make it to a few in the near future too)
-(Gaither, Gocong, Herremans, J. Jackson, Curtis, and Brown have all proven to be pretty good players, so it would be nice if they can improve their play a bit more)
-(Bradley, Abiamiri, Justice, Hunt, Jean-Gilles, and Celek all have potential to be good to great starters or backups, but time will tell with them.......All 6 of them could likely wind up being a big part of the Eagles core in 09)
-(Clemons, Mikell, Hanson, Avant, Booker, Parker, and Jordan should all be good to great backups this season, and it shouldn't be surprising to see most of these guys take a significant amount of snaps this season)
-(Laws, Jackson, and Demps could all potentially fight for starting spots as early as this year, but most of the other picks from this year shouldn't contribute too much.......Most of these picks will contribute in 09/10......One name to remember is Jack Ikegwuonu.......If he is 100%, he could possibly claim the nickelback spot next year if Lito is moved.
I haven't written the Eagles off this season because I think they should be a very good team this year......I'm just not sure if I'm ready to call them a Superbowl contender right now, but you never know......After doing a bit of research, I can tell you it opened up my eyes a bit to idea that my dad brought up........There is certainly more question marks this season than there will likely be in 09/10.......With that being said, does anybody agree with the idea about them gearing up for a Superbowl run in 09/10, rather than this year?
I was talking with my pop a couple days ago about the Birds, and he really gets the sense that they could be gearing up for a serious run in 2009/10......I told him I was little skeptical, but I decided to do a little research on the idea......I came up with these thoughts:
1. The Eagles have 9 picks next year, including 2 first rounders.......With all the talent in next year's draft, I'd be disappointed if the Eagles didn't walk away with atleast a minimum of 2 immediate starters at positions of need.
2. They will have cap space as always......Question is, will they use it in the right spots during FA?......WR, TE, S, OT, PK, P, and FB all COULD be needs after this year, unless a few players step up this year.
3. Quite a few elite receivers will most certainly be available via the trade market......Chad Johnson, Roy Williams, and Anquan Boldin could all be available since they will be closer to FA.....Those teams will look to move them more next offseason than they did this offseason......With a good amount of early picks and available roster players, I will be really pissed if they don't target a legit #1. (Hell, I'm still pissed they haven't gotten a #1 target this offseason)
4. The age factor of the team's core.......I've said this in another thread, but I'll say it again......This could be the last year for Dawkins, Smith, Runyan, Thomas, and even Akers ......If these guys have solid seasons, and they attempt to resign some of these guys, then I think that will show their intentions for the possibility of making a run in 2009/10.
5. Will McNabb stay and will Sheppard be dealt?.....If Mcnabb shows he is healthy and returns to form this season, this is his team, not Kolb's......If Lito proves he can stay healthy, I'd imagine it will increase his trade value or the possibility of the Eagles trying to keep him.
6. Most young players should be ready to take the next step by then:
-(Andrews and Cole are already probowl players)
-(Bunkley and Patterson should also make it to a few in the near future too)
-(Gaither, Gocong, Herremans, J. Jackson, Curtis, and Brown have all proven to be pretty good players, so it would be nice if they can improve their play a bit more)
-(Bradley, Abiamiri, Justice, Hunt, Jean-Gilles, and Celek all have potential to be good to great starters or backups, but time will tell with them.......All 6 of them could likely wind up being a big part of the Eagles core in 09)
-(Clemons, Mikell, Hanson, Avant, Booker, Parker, and Jordan should all be good to great backups this season, and it shouldn't be surprising to see most of these guys take a significant amount of snaps this season)
-(Laws, Jackson, and Demps could all potentially fight for starting spots as early as this year, but most of the other picks from this year shouldn't contribute too much.......Most of these picks will contribute in 09/10......One name to remember is Jack Ikegwuonu.......If he is 100%, he could possibly claim the nickelback spot next year if Lito is moved.
I haven't written the Eagles off this season because I think they should be a very good team this year......I'm just not sure if I'm ready to call them a Superbowl contender right now, but you never know......After doing a bit of research, I can tell you it opened up my eyes a bit to idea that my dad brought up........There is certainly more question marks this season than there will likely be in 09/10.......With that being said, does anybody agree with the idea about them gearing up for a Superbowl run in 09/10, rather than this year?
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