Posted: Wednesday, May 13, 2009, 8:58 AM | 20 comments |
 

Eagles most-improved team?
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With free agency and the draft in the rear-view mirror, a couple national guys have released their first set of power rankings.

And from the looks of it, the Eagles will be a popular choice to go to the Super Bowl when predictions start coming out in a couple months.

Pete Prisco of CBSSports.com ranks the Eagles fifth. The only NFC team he has above the Birds are the Cardinals:

I love what they've done in the past three months. They've added key veterans like left tackle Jason Peters, right tackle Stacy Andrews and corner Ellis Hobbs and added speed to their offense in draft picks Jeremy Maclin and LeSean McCoy. The Eagles are loaded. And let's not forget that they were a team that played in the NFC Championship Game last season, losing to the Arizona Cardinals.

Prisco calls the Eagles the second most-improved team in the NFL, behind the Patriots, who will get Tom Brady back.

Meanwhile, Bob Ford touched on the power rankings from SI.com's Peter King earlier this week, but I thought I'd mention them anyway.

He has the Eagles coming in at No. 6:

To me, this is the start of a two-year window for the Eagles. You don't know how much longer Donovan McNabb has at some form of his peak, and if he doesn't get the job done this year or next, the Eagles are sure to look for someone who can lift a talented team over the top. The offense will be younger and more explosive with DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin sure to be used in many three-receiver sets, and maybe even some two-receiver sets. Andy Reid will find a valuable role for LeSean McCoy early, maybe even as the third-down back to give Brian Westbrook a consistent blow. McNabb has the best weaponry, in tandem, that he's ever had on offense. He's got to lift his game to a higher level in big games. I think this team gives him a better chance than the first Terrell Owens team in Philly.

One other link to pass along. According to Aaron Wilson of the Carroll County Times, L.J. Smith missed Ravens minicamp practice last weekend due to a groin problem that can be traced back to his sports hernia surgery with the Eagles.

Smith missed nine games during the past two seasons with the Birds. He only missed three in his first four seasons in the league.

(Waiting for cynical comments to trickle in below...)
Posted by Sheil Kapadia @ 8:58 AM  Permalink | 20 comments
20
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  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:53 AM, 05/13/2009
    Heres a crazy idea... How about we play A DOWN before we go making these judgements and having power rankings. You cant have power rankings for teams that haven't even stepped onto the field yet. The Eagles did make some good moves in the offseason. But remember players like McCoy, Maclin and Ingram are just rookies. They haven't played a single down in the NFL yet so we don't know what if any impact they'll have this year or how much playing time they'll get. Its only May. Lets calm down with that.
    — philliekev04
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 10:05 AM, 05/13/2009
    talk is cheap and power rankings mean nothing in may.....the eagles look good on paper but we have to see what the rookies bring to the team and we have to see how the team gels b4 we go crowning them..all the media experts said the cowgirls were goin to the Super Bowl last year and they didnt even make the playoffs
    — the tru 1
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 10:31 AM, 05/13/2009
    LJ Smith injured? whodathunk?
    — potus
  • Comment removed.
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 10:47 AM, 05/13/2009
    Yeah, let's not talk about power rankings! My favorite part of being a football fan is waiting silently and patiently for the next season to begin! It's why I never read or comment on these articles!..... Of course we shouldn't take them to seriously, but c'mon, without this sort of stuff what would we have to talk about this time of year (except the Fightin's of course)
    — vetlincbank
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:10 AM, 05/13/2009
    hopefully in due time they can gel ,but we all know that what they print in the paper & how they produce on the field are 2 different things
    — scrap32
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:11 AM, 05/13/2009
    Of course Reid has to actually play the new talent and the diva (DM) will have to actually throw the ball to the new receivers where they can catch it. It is pretty obvious that the Eagles have built this team for another long run at the Super Bowl. It is also obvious that McNabb has only one year to do it before the Ealges move on. If he fails to step up, they will trade him.
    — dutchman
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:16 AM, 05/13/2009
    Offense yes, but the new line and new skill players have to come together. The defense no way. I really think the loss of Dawk leadership will hurt this young defense.
    — Earl J
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:21 AM, 05/13/2009
    The addition of Hobbs is ok but I would have liked to see some more depth at linebacker and in the backfield - specifically at safety.
    — philly57
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:53 AM, 05/13/2009
    This is May and last time I checked the Super Bowl is not decided by a vote but let's try and be happy about the changes that have been made and promise of a new season.
    — what?
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:58 AM, 05/13/2009
    On paper, the Eagles are a better team than last year. But lets not forget that the Defense came up short in the NFC Championship game when they needed them most and the draft focused on Offense. I would like to see better play from the Defense late in the games as well, like the Giants playoff win.
    — V7110
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:06 PM, 05/13/2009
    They are faster in secondary (sorry Dawk) and more pieces back there... Better backup RB, i dont care if he is a rookie. Better tight end by far (lj is horrible). Better O-line. Maclin will be an impact just like desean was. Much improved team!!! GET OVER THE LOSS OF DAWKINS!!!! i love bdawk but he was slow and could not cover.
    — fman727
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:31 PM, 05/13/2009
    The 2 year window may be a disservice to DM. IS PK saying that now, after being a virtual one man show for 10 years and gotten to 5 championship games, and now after all that time AR has FINALLY given him some toys to play with [the toys that other elite QBs have had all along, after all that we are now giving DM 2 years to win OR ELSE? In 2 years he'll be 34 not 43 I know his contract will be up but now it's an ultimatum? The NFL is a tough league but I think DM should be ousted when he can no longer play at a high level, not on some artificial timetable.
    — tpizza


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About Sheil Kapadia
Sheil Kapadia is in his fourth season writing about the Eagles and the NFL for philly.com. His earliest memories as a sports fan include several trips to Veterans Stadium with his Dad. He's not a beat writer or an Insider, but is here to discuss the NFL 365 days a year. E-mail him at skapadia@philly.com or by clicking here

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