Do Eagles have best WRs in NFC East?
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Do Eagles have best WRs in NFC East?
Sheil Kapadia, Philly.com
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.
The 'six best' means nothing unless you get them all on the field at the same time. Top three is sorta relevant, top two more so and 'the one', the go-to guy, can make the difference at the goal line - sorely needed on this Eagles club. Baskett promises the emergence of the fade every year; Celek might have a 'breakout' season; Jackson could continue to surprise; Curtis might be healthy; Brown might 'work his way back into the picture'; Maclin could be a stud ... speculation indeed.— raoool- Guess we will have to wait and see.Doesnt mean anything if the D cant stop a team on the final drive to win the game.— boltfan
- Always extremes. Who really cares if they are "the best"? The Eagles have IMPROVED at WR and that is what matters. AND they did it without Boldin or some other selfish, over paid, jerk free agent. What has amazed me the most over the past 3 years is how Andy and the boys have rebuilt this team without anybody mentioning "Rebuilding". How often does a team pull that one off? Not only that, they got to the NFC championship game in the middle of the process. If you can't get excited about this team now there is something seriously wrong with you.— craig123
- i do agree they r the deepest. but as far as starters no i think washington has the best. and my man brook aint overrated. hes a TD waiting 2 happen. AP is a helluva back but yrds dont win games points do and brook has more than he does and AP played all 16 gms. so stop the overrated stuff with my man brook. hes dat work.— philly sports
- Hey Reck....Eat me....and don't ever call me a NEGGA again— tjpup
- This is the same group that had the most drops in the entire NFL last season. Do I think they are going to come out more confident and better? yes. But that is simply speculation as well. Good work, Phils. Love that we own New York.— elektrika
Captmorgan, wiff never lets facts get in the way of a stupid comment.— tpizza
Comment removed.- Are you kidding me? Is there really people complaining about slow news days for the Eagles on their off-season? Except for a few select dates, and any big events that come up, it's the freakin off season. How can anyone complain about anything written on this site when they can't grasp simple things like that. I got news for you who like to complain a lot about this newspaper...the intelligent people aren't so insecure that they need to point out mistakes, or rip writers every chance they get to make themselves feel better. They know this too...Me? I am just one of those people who is sick of having to deal with so many morons in the world. I am trying to make a difference...it's my good deed.— MFPhils
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- You might be able to argue that the Eagles have the best WRs in the NFC East this year, but I don't think it matters. The team with the best Defense and the best balanced attack will win the Super Bowl. (I'd like to think the Eagles can be this team but the coaching staff will have to prove it to me.) Please don't quote Pete Prisco. He is the most overrated sportswriter on the Internet, in my opinion. And most of his opinions about football are so stupid, they don't deserve repeating.— Rombo
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- The Eagles have fine young receivers who are somewhat unpredictable. They could prove to be the class of the division, if they continue to develop and McNabb plays well all year, overcoming his consistency problems. I think the Cowboys have the best tight end in the division, however, in Jason Witten, and that makes Patrick Crayton and Roy Williams dangerous.— hillgs
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