Do Eagles lack an elite player?
A couple national lists with the league's top players were recently released, and it's tough to find an Eagles player among the top 50. Do you disagree with the lists, or do the Eagles lack an elite player?
Do Eagles lack an elite player?
Sheil Kapadia, Philly.com
DeSean Jackson is the Eagles' best offensive player.
Trent Cole is the Eagles' best defensive player.
That's how I see it. That's probably how you see it. And while that might be how the national media see it, that doesn't mean Jackson and Cole are considered elite players around the country.
Which brings us to a couple lists I stumbled upon today.
Let's start with Pete Prisco's list of the top 50 players in the NFL on CBSSports.com. How many Eagles made the cut?
How about zero?
No Jackson. No Cole.
Here are the receivers that made it ahead of Jackson: Andre Johnson (7), Larry Fitzgerald (11), Randy Moss (28), Brandon Marshall (40), Steve Smith (49).
There are no specific guidelines for Prisco's list - just that these are the top 50 players in the league. Moss is 33, and Smith is 31, but both guys have some good years left in them. If you're projecting forward, in other words - Which 50 players would you start your franchise with? - it's easier to make the case for Jackson, who's only 23.
As for Cole, Prisco lists him among the players who "just missed" the cut. The pass-rushers in the top 50 are: DeMarcus Ware (5), Dwight Freeney (10), Jared Allen (12), Mario Williams (17), LaMarr Woodley (26), Julius Peppers (31) and Elvis Dumervil (32).
Meanwhile, Peter Schrager of FoxSports.com put out a similar list recently, but he goes with the top 100.
Four Eagles made the cut, and one even cracked the top 50: Asante Samuel:
A two-time Super Bowl champion, three-time Pro Bowl participant and two-time All-Pro, Samuel's evolved into a senior leader in the Eagles locker room. Though he rarely plays press coverage and isn’t exactly Dick Butkus when it comes to tackling, he's one of the league’s premier interception artists. In the last two seasons, the 29-year-old's recorded 13 regular-season interceptions, including two in the playoffs. His nine picks last year were tied for most in the NFL.
Jackson comes in at 53; Jason Peters at 65; and Cole at 95.
Here is the criteria for Schrager's list:
1. Which player would I rather have on my team?
2. Which player would make the most impact on my team?
3. Which player will be the best in 2010, specifically?
Given those rules, I have a hard time believing Cole shouldn't be higher. He has 34 sacks in the last three seasons and hasn't missed a game. He's only 27 and has shown he's excellent against the run also. There are really 94 players better than him?
Your thoughts?
You can follow Moving the Chains on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook.
This team has alot to prove, and fortunately, they are still the second best team in the division. Unfortunately, they will get destroyed by Dallas again, the defense will be marginally better, and .500 record would be a good mark for this team, which unfortunately isn't acceptable by many "fans" in this town. Expect the worst, hope for the best is my slogan for this season.— beegal99- Yeah, I think Bleue nailed it.— fugazi3000
- the tiny defense bothers me the most. It just does not hold up over 16 plus games. JJ, as much as we all loved him, probably got more from it than he should have, creating the illusion that small is Ok. Ask the cowboys, giants, redskins which NFL defense they prefer to match up against ? Not sold on McDermott either. Dick Juaron also a proponent of small defense. When your defense huddles and your MLB is your biggest guy ? You have issues. Pessimistic 6-10 but good draft spots. Optimistic 8-8. AR is a great organizer and builder but the real game day "brains" moved on, Harbaugh, Childress, Leslie Frazier, Ron Rivera. MM and SM, yikes.— oldBird
- PS. Bleue i like your style. Stick to the facts. i bleed green. The Novacare Complex a spin machine.— oldBird
- PS. Bleue i like your style. Stick to the facts. i bleed green. The Novacare Complex a spin machine.— oldBird
- thank you oldBird and fugazi3000, beating the Reddgie in an argument is like taking candy from a baby (which I've done), but hey, a win is a win. Just overall, at the NFL level, to have as much turnover in such a short time period means losses. I'll give the organization credit, they had a great run for a decade and will have the 'good times' back shortly, as early as next year is realistic, but it can't happen this year. Just too many ??'s all over the place.— Bleue
- Bleue: Looks like the people agree with you on your assessment, but that won't stop me from looking at this roster with an optimistic eye.— The Reddgie
- I am not done yet. The offense, assuming the OL can provide KK with time to throw and the RBs space to run, can be electric. One Yard and The Mac are dynamic in what they can do at WR (both in the short and the deep passing game) and have to be gameplanned for by the opposing DC, Celek and Avant are both steady and reliable (both underrated attributes) and have yet to peak in their abilities and the RBs have the potential to collectively be a top group in the NFL. Peters and Herremans can be a top pairing on the left side, assuming both are healthy from day one and get used to playing next to each other. Justice should improve over last year, which would make him at least middle of the pack as far as RT's go in the NFL, with potential to be better down the road. Andrews is a question mark if he is not 100% healthy, but if he is, he can absolutely be a strength on the line as he was a beast in Cincinnati. C is the black hole right now, but maybe having the offseason to get better will make Cole servicable. Is it ideal? No, but it is not as bad as you make it seem.— The Reddgie
- Since TO the Eagles have avoided top talent. They prefer mediocre guys because they won't be a problem.— 4thand10
- Come this is Andy Reid... it's about the system, not the players. Haven't we learned that yet?— phretbuzz
This is a typical AR team. Excellent at some spots, glaring deficiencies at others. Is KK going to be good enough? Who knows. They're excellent at the skill positions [ironic since that was a weak spot during McNabb's time] but now the OL is a big question mark. On D the secondary is scary. Can the front 7 cover up for them? Can the talent on O cover up for the OL? For that matter can the whole team cover up for the deficiencies of the coaching staff? WHO knows about anything at this point. The only good thing is that even if the team struggles, and I see about a .500 season ahead, the young players can mature together so the future may be bright. I sure hope so. Bleue and Reddgie, objective and intelligent comments, as always. You are the anti-wiffs.— tpizza- The Eagles have a lack of quality playmakers on defense, particularly in the back seven positions. However, the Eagles front-office lives in denial about this fact by continuing to not address the problem thinking what they have is sufficient for a winning team. And, how did they address it in the most recent draft, by drafting three defensive ends with their first four picks. That should have had the general manager, president and coach fired on the spot. In football, as in most sports, a team is only as good as its weakest link. The back seven on defense can't tackle running backs within five yards of the line of scrimmage, and are exposed in coverage on pass defense. It isn't the defensive coordinator or how good the quality of the pass rush of the front four, its the lack of quality playmakers in the back seven on defense that will lead to mediocre results. When will the media wake up and see the defense for what it is!— RunningTheBases
- tpizza, good to see you on the boards, been awhile. Runningthebases, I agree with the lack of playmakers on defense (and before any of you point to Asante, he negates his playmaking ability by improving the playmaking ability of the other teams wideouts, specifically by not tackling them or playing press coverage), but I am excited to see what the youngins turn into, mostly to see what N Allen can do next to Mikell. Rookie safeties have enjoyed success in the NFC East, albeit in other defensive systems, and I think he has the tools, mental and physical, to continue that trend. I like Lindley as an Asante clone who actually likes to tackle, Graham and Te'O on the Dl can be a boost to the rotation and the LBs are intriguing. Hopefully, we look back at this draft as the year we started adding playmakers on the D to go with the ones on O (One Yard, The Mac, Celek, Shady, yada yada yada).— The Reddgie
- tpizza, good to see you back. As usual, you are dead on. The reddgie, there will be plenty of explosive plays on the offensive side of the ball (which include pick 6's from Mr. KK to the opposing team), but the defense will not be able to hold. I like Ernie Sims, if we had a proven run stopper on the other side, which we don't. I like Stew a ton, if he doesn't get hurt again, but that's a big if. We still lack a playmaking DT (a boy named Suh for example) to generate pressure up the middle, and we leave our inexperienced dbackfield vulnerable when we blitz. It will take at least this year for the young gunz to take a few bumps, learn from their mistakes, and be better in 2011/2012.— Bleue
- Oddly enough, Celek may rank the highest at his position compared to other around the league. Putside of Witten, Clark and Gates not sure who I would take over him. Stu Bradley sucked against the pass, that was even b4 the injury!
Follow
Sheil on Twitter. And become
a fan of Moving the Chains on Facebook.
Download our NEW iPhone/Android app for even more Birds
coverage, including app-exclusive videos and analysis. Download it here.
