share
email
print
font size
options
 
Saturday, July 4, 2009

Who has the NFC East's best wide receivers?
Eagles
Giants
Redskins
Cowboys

First of all, Happy Fourth to all the MTC readers out there.

Whether you're barbecuing, down the shore, taking in Phils-Mets, hope you have a great and safe holiday.

As you know by now, there are no holidays here, even during one of the slowest times on the NFL calendar. We're here to give you your daily football fix.

Today, we point to an item by Adam Schein of FoxSports.com. Schein makes the argument that the Eagles have the best receiving corps in the NFC East:

The Eagles' receivers are the best in the NFC East. For all of the question marks at this position through the Donovan McNabb-Andy Reid era, and all of the dropped passes by Todd Pinkston and company, finally Eagles fans can rejoice in the truth of the above statement. And actually, it isn't even close.

With Plaxico Burress and Terrell Owens out of the picture, it's an interesting argument.

DeSean Jackson was the standout for the Eagles last season with 62 catches for 912 yards and a pair of touchdowns. I think most fans will be content if he matches those totals in 2009. Kevin Curtis, given his health, is a question mark. We have no clue what to expect from Reggie Brown, and Jeremy Maclin is still a rookie.

Jason Avant is steady, and Hank Baskett tells us the fade is going to be a serious weapon this season.

Overall, I'm pretty comfortable with the receivers. I think the "spread the ball around" blueprint can work for the most part. Where I question its effectiveness is in crunch time. Time and again in the NFL, we see quarterbacks relying on the No. 1 guy during a game-winning drive late in the fourth quarter. Can Jackson be that guy for Donovan McNabb? That's the leap it'd be nice to see him take in year number two.

As for the other teams in the division, the Giants' biggest question marks probably come at receiver. They'll rely on some young guys who are talented, but unproven.

You could certainly make the argument for the Redskins. Santana Moss is a proven veteran, who had a very good 2008 campaign, with 79 catches for 1,044 yards and six touchdowns. As Schein pointed out in his article, the overall success of the 'Skins' receivers probably rests on the shoulders of second-year guys Malcolm Kelly and Devin Thomas.

And finally the Cowboys. Can Roy Williams be the No. 1 guy? Dallas obviously thinks so, considering how much they gave up for him. And considering that they cut T.O. loose. It would be impossible for him not to improve from last season, but can he be the same guy who caught 82 balls for 1,310 yards and seven touchdowns with the Lions in 2006?

That's my take on the overall comparison. You could really make the case for the Eagles, Redskins or Cowboys. The Giants' receiving corps, at least at this point, appears to be a clear fourth.

Thoughts?

Other links to pass along:

** SI.com's Ross Tucker gives the Eagles props for having a great offseason:

The Eagles somehow managed to let go of a large chunk of the core of their team over the past six years and still come out the other side alive. Gone are Tra Thomas, Jon Runyan, Brian Dawkins, L.J. Smith and Lito Sheppard. All of them were replaced by younger players who may actually end up being upgrades in the 2009 season. So much for the window closing on the Eagles.

** CBSSports.com's Pete Prisco names an underrated and overrated player for each team. Overrated for the Eagles is Brian Westbrook:

He's a good player but some think he's great. He doesn't stay on the field, and for a guy who didn't rush for 1,000 yards last season, you'd think he was Adrian Peterson the way some talk about him.

Underrated, per Prisco, is Quintin Mikell:

He was the Eagles' best safety last season, not Brian Dawkins. He's a good tackler who has improved in pass coverage.

Posted by Sheil Kapadia @ 11:21 AM  Permalink | 63 comments
63
Comments   
Posted 11:56 AM, 07/04/2009
drnnat
at this stage its ALL speculation. Sportswriters have to write something.
Posted 12:10 PM, 07/04/2009
sedale
and Phladelphia posters have to respond with something negative about the writers. Kinda silly if you ask me. Let them do their jobs and if you don't like it, read the Globe or some other rag.
Posted 12:39 PM, 07/04/2009
chandler561
Hey Captain Obvious (drnnat), of course it's all speculation!! So is the draft and signing free agents. For that matter, anything a writer writes about any upcoming season in any sport is speculation. I agree with you completely that "sportswriters have to write something." What insight you have! I admire your in-depth analysis and the skill you have in being able to cast aside all the fluff and get down to the nitty gritty. You've got a future, kid. Keep it up!!
Posted 12:46 PM, 07/04/2009
nuggett
a very slow news day........until they prove it they are just the old eagles......
Posted 12:55 PM, 07/04/2009
PhillyHouse JayDuce
The Eagles' WR definitely have the most "upside" (and I hate that word). Santana Moss is the best individual WR, but even he's inconsistent. And Romo will be exposed this year, unless their idiot coach runs the ball regularly. Roy Williams is very overrated.
Posted 12:57 PM, 07/04/2009
#1EaglesFan1973
Eagles do by far!! Those who clicked on those other teams are clueless & a Joke!!!!
Posted 01:18 PM, 07/04/2009
Onlineps2beast
Yes, the Philadelphia Eagles not only have the best 1-6 wr corp in the division, but the entire national football league. Now I'm stating the obvious to keep the hatoids at bay, that Fitzgerald and Boldin are clearly better than our top 2, but if you go down the line, I'd put Jackson, Curtis, Maclin, Avant, Baskett, Brown against any top 6 in the world.
Posted 01:26 PM, 07/04/2009
jimmyeagles
Here's hoping the coaches in the NFL agree with Pete Prisco. Yeah guys, Westbrook sucks. I'd ignore him.
Posted 02:01 PM, 07/04/2009
calm weather
I was surprised that Tucker's SI article left Weaver off the list of significant Eagle upgrades and included Greg Lewis as an important upgrade for the Patriots. Kind of hurts the credibility of the rest of his article. SK - thanks for putting the links in here. you do the research and let us do the reading - very nice service!
Posted 02:10 PM, 07/04/2009
PhillyTrue
On paper the Eagles receivers look to be the best in the NFC east. Curtis has to be healthy, Jackson has to continue to develop and Maclin has to contribute something this year. Avant is steady but not great. Brown has disappeared and has to work his way back into the picture. Baskett is more of a role playing type receiver at this point. There are a lot of pieces to work with here. It's not likely that every thing will go right (receivers developing, O line jelling, running game working) but if we get 75% of the potential we will be tough to cover. That's all you can ask for at this time of the year.
Posted 02:23 PM, 07/04/2009
maximus
idiots again... speculation? If they arent speculating then there would be nothing to report...
Posted 03:15 PM, 07/04/2009
TBear
Under Andy, rookies seldom shine. Jackson was given a chance because of injuries, plus he had the most speed. I still yearn for a TRUE go to guy close to the goal line. That will become increasingly important late in the season when teams have plenty of tape to watch regarding tendancies. Just because this is a really GOOD roster now, nowhere does it say this will be a GOOD team.....that must be shaken out in training camp and proven on the field early in the season.
Posted 03:42 PM, 07/04/2009
TheReck82
Doesn't matter what some junk writer has to say. The NEGGA-Delphians will say something negative anyway. Eagles could win 4 Superbowls in a row and the Neggadelphants will find something to complain about. JLurie should just move the team out of this ghetto of a city and go someplace where the team will be appreciated. STUPID FANS.
Posted 05:30 PM, 07/04/2009
Onlineps2beast
rip air mcnair
Posted 05:44 PM, 07/04/2009
allfillyphan
we only have the best wide recievers if they include westbrook into the mix.
About Moving the Chains
Sheil Kapadia is a sports producer for philly.com. His earliest memories as a sports fan include several trips to Veterans Stadium with his dad, most of which turned out disappointing results. He's here to discuss the NFL 365 days a year. E-mail him at skapadia@philly.com or by clicking here

And you can now follow Moving the Chains on Twitter.