5 thoughts on the Eagles' offense
With OTAs wrapped up, here are five thoughts on the Eagles' offense with a look ahead to training camp at Lehigh.
5 thoughts on the Eagles' offense
Sheil Kapadia, Philly.com
Last week, we did the defense.
And today, here are five thoughts on the Eagles' offense:
1. In the defensive observations, I wrote about how the Eagles would likely expect contributions from at least three rookies. On offense, that's not the case. In fact, I'm not sure they'll get significant contributions from any of their rookies. Last year, the Birds counted on first-year players LeSean McCoy and Jeremy Maclin. This year, who are the candidates to even get on the field? Riley Cooper has a shot in a specialized role, but Hank Baskett still has a leg up on the fourth receiver spot. Tight end Clay Harbor might be the most likely to get playing time. If Brent Celek or Cornelius Ingram get injured, Harbor would see the field. I still think Ingram will beat him out for the backup spot though.
2. When I talk to friends or fans from other cities, the questions I get are always about Kevin Kolb. He is the guy the 2010 season is about. It was interesting hearing Jason Avant talk about the difference between Kolb and Donovan McNabb. This is going to be an adjustment period, but it'll be fun to observe which aspects of the passing game are different. Will the Eagles turn the ball over more? Probably. Will they pick up more yards after the catch? They hope so. What about drops? Less throws down the field? Will receivers find that Kolb throws a more catchable ball? I don't have answers, but there are so many little things like these to keep an eye on.
3. I think I like the Mike Bell signing more now than I did a few months ago. He looks pretty comfortable catching the football. He seems content to be part of a running back rotation and willing to do the different things the Eagles ask out of that position. Yahoo recently ranked the Eagles' running attack the worst in the NFL, but isn't it an improvement over last season? LeSean McCoy and Leonard Weaver now have had a year in the system. And Bell, if healthy, provides another option they didn't have last year when Brian Westbrook played in just eight games. Not saying they had a world-class run game last season, but IF things work out, this area should actually be an upgrade.
4. You're tired of me saying this if you read MTC frequently, but Stacy Andrews is the key cog in the Eagles' offensive line. I'm in "show-me" mode with Andrews. If you catch me writing about how good he looks at Lehigh or how confident he sounds, please call me out. I need to see Andrews get the job done at right guard in a regular-season game. Until that happens, the position a huge question mark. Of course, if Todd Herremans' injury is more serious than the team is letting on, or if Nick Cole shows no signs of being helped by an offseason at center, we will surely have to revisit this topic of biggest O-line concern.
5. And finally, the guy I want to see at training camp is Ingram. The Eagles need a No. 2 tight end who can play. Last year, Alex Smith was added and used mostly as a blocker, even though he didn't really excel in that role. If Celek goes down, the coaches need to be confident that Ingram can step in. Even when Celek's healthy, the Birds have packages for two tight ends. And with Ingram, they can get creative in how they get him on the field. Hopefully he can stay healthy so we can see what kind of contributions he can make.
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Kolb will succeed if Reid implements a balanced offense. The Colts are the only team that excels with a one dimensional offense, and that's because of Peyton. For the Eagles to be efficient on offense, we must run it. Also, Sheil is right about Andrews, although I'm not sure he's got it. Kolb's success is riding on these two variables. Unfortunately, Reid and the right side of the o-line don't inspire any confidence.— JayDuce- we wont know anything until late in the training camp or the preseason. right now both the O and D are a big question mark. too many unknown variables and factors. But also plan on injuries to key people during training camp. Not to be a negative thinker, but come on, it happens EVERY YEAR. then they are left scrambling to get something in place for the beginning of the season. how many linebackers did we go through last year after bradley went down? how many were effective. Case in point. I love the Birds but man, this year there are just too many questions and concerns that have no answer at this point.
- It doesn't surprise me that Yahoo! has the Eagles as the worst-ranked rushing attack in the NFL. That's not because of personnel, that's because of scheme.— El Tel
Comment removed.- BTW - get rid of Vick for a seasoned QB as backup to Kolb. Vick is not the answer. If you cant trade him for a seasoned backup QB then trade him for coolata and box of donuts and Andy would be happy. Either way, get rid of him and get someone worthwhile as backup QB.
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- I hate the west coast offense the way the eagles run it mike holmgren ran it in seattle but he had the league leading rusher shaun alexander in 05— Egomark
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- WHO WILL CENTER ? DRAFT PRIORITIES SHOULD HAVE BEEN OC , CB, SAFETY, OG. POUNCEY WOULD HAVE TAKEN CARE OF EITHER\BOTH OC\OG, AN ELITE CB AND THEN A SAFETY. INSTEAD, WE HAVE A MULTITUDE OF MEDIOCRITY.— gryphon69
- panthro the dumbo is you boyfriends name but in bed you call him donovan— Egomark
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- Sheil, can you possibly defend not taking one of the College Centers instead of trading back and stockpiling all those mid-rounders for fringe roster spots? It's this year's FS, FB, KR/PR; except we have J. Jackson "returning" from a December ACL blowout. Good luck with that Andy. J. Jackson is old as-is, and was never elite. Why is there always a position they refuse to address until after it's burned them? On D, the Eagles still have rotate-a-tackle--what happens if an opposing offense throws on 1st or 2nd down? No inside pressure to worry about from Bunk and Patt, that's for sure. I'm excited to see the page turned on the McNabb era, but there are some major concerns that were outright neglected, from my point of view. I don't think Reid should get a "rebuilding" pass this year at all.— JofreyRice
- The Eagles running game isn't going to be the worst, just the most irrelevant. You can expect this team to set the record for lowest percentage of rushing attempts ever. For three reasons, this team will play from behind more than any Eagle team in a while: 1) they play a much tougher schedule than last year's creampuff, 2)Kolb has less of a quick strike capability than McNabb, 3) the Eagles D will probably give up a higher total of points than in recent years. Andy hates running even when he's ahead and trying run out the clock. He won't be more inclined to run when he's behind. The only way they don't set the record is dependent on how many games Kolb actually plays. Given his lesser mobility than McNabb, and behind this patchwork OL, Kolb will probably miss 2-3 starts with injury. In those games, Andy will never trust Vick to run his offense, and will probably do a lot of Wildcat stuff with Vick. Training camp here we come!— jimmyj
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- Funny how everyone wants to wait and see how things work out now but were certain that going with Kolb would be an upgrade. Reid said they aren't rebuilding. Last year, McNabb set a franchise passing record. Now we have Kolb and it's "...if Reid runs a balanced offense, if Andrews comes through, if the receivers can adjust...". BS! IF Kolb doesn't at least match McNabb, he's not the guy. He'll have more skill players and more skill players with experience in the system. If they don't make the playoffs and win a couple games, this was a mistake. Remember, now that we have Kolb, we're going to see that completion percent go way up and lots of YAC. Kolb is not a deep pass threat so defenses can pack the center of the field and put a body on Jackson. How do you see an increase of yards after a catch if the defenders are right on top of the receiver when they catch the ball? And since the defense can pack the middle, the run game should be great.— MikeP
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