WOULD RATHER BE IN CLEARWATER
The Eagles host the Washington Redskins on Sunday, attempting to complete their first sweep of the season series since 2006.
Les Bowen will have all the action here on Eagletarian from the Linc, but we get the day started with staff predictions and key matchups.
STAFF PREDICTIONS
Ed Barkowitz: Eagles, 6-5
Les Bowen: Eagles, 16-12
Bill Conlin: Eagles, 27-17
Paul Domowitch: Eagles, 23-9
Marcus Hayes: Eagles, 28-20
Mike Kern: Eagles, 23-17
Vegas Vic: Eagles, 21-15
DOMO'S KEY MATCHUPS
1. Eagles RDE Trent Cole vs. Redskins LT Levi Jones: Cole has a team-high 8 1/2 sacks. He had two in first Redskins game, but Jones didn't play. Jones is an 8-year veteran, but will have trouble dealing with Cole's motor. Advantage: Eagles
2. Eagles MLBs Jeremiah Trotter and Joe Mays vs. Redskins RB Rock Cartwright: Eagles have allowed 5.1 yards per carry the last 2 weeks. Cartwright isn't Clinton Portis or Ladell Betts, but he can do some damage if Trotter and Mays don't stay in their gaps. Advantage: Even
3. Eagles WR DeSean Jackson vs. Redskins CB Fred Smoot: If injured DeAngelo Hall can't play, the task of covering Jackson will fall primarily to Smoot. Advantage: Eagles
To view the complete Scouting Report, click here.
D-JACK EFFECT
Containing DeSean Jackson will be a big focus for the Redskins, especially after he burned them for a pair of long touchdowns in the first meeting. Washington special teams coordinator Danny Smith talked this week about directional punting to keep Jackson from working in the middle of the field on punt returns. Of course, limiting him in the offense will be important, too.
"You don't want a guy like that to get going at all," the Redskins' Lorenzo Alexander said. "All receivers and DBs kind of strive off success. Then they start feeling themselves, get cocky, and he's that type of guy. You let him get one play, he's going to start talking, start feeling good about himself, and he'll go from there."
Les
Bowen has covered the Eagles for the Daily News
since 2002.
Before that, he spent nearly 13 years covering the Flyers. It took Les
only a few seasons after the switch to figure out that there was no
penalty box at the Linc, and that the time really wasn't his, despite
what Andy Reid kept saying. Les came to Philadelphia and the Daily News
from Charlotte in 1983. In the intervening years, he has pretty much
lost track of NASCAR, and his accent. He, his wife Barbara, and their
two sons live in Haddon Township, New Jersey.
E-mail Les at bowenl@phillynews.com
and follow
him on Twitter.
Paul
Domowitch has been with the Daily News since 1982.
He has spent most of his nearly 3 decades with the paper covering the
Eagles and pro football. For the last 10 years, he’s been a
selector for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. A native of Wilkes-Barre
and a graduate of Wilkes University, Domo started his career in Texas,
working first for the Midland Reporter-Telegram (1976-78), and then for
the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, where he covered some god-awful Texas
Ranger baseball teams. His first beat at the Daily News actually was
boxing, which he covered just long enough to lose 2 sports coats to
blood spatter before moving on to football. Domo and his wife Shelley,
a University of Oklahoma grad who still hasn’t gotten over
that Fiesta Bowl loss to Boise State 5 years ago, have 2 terrific
daughters -- Allison, 28, who is an attorney in South Jersey, and Amy,
25, who works in administration for a professional baseball team.
E-mail Domo at PDomo@aol.com and follow
him on Twitter.
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