The Eagles' youth
How young are the Eagles, compared to the rest of the NFC East? Plus thoughts on Vikings-Saints and the start of the football season.
The Eagles' youth
Sheil Kapadia, Philly.com
Jimmy K. over at Bleeding Green Nation passed along a spreadsheet earlier this week that compared the ages of players on each of the NFC East teams.
The Eagles are the youngest team in the division with an average age of 25 years, 11 months and 30 days. The Cowboys are second at 26 years, 8 months and 2 days. The Giants are third at 26 years, 10 months and 11 days. And the Redskins are the oldest at 28 years, 3 months and 7 days.
Note that the ages don't include kickers, punters or long snappers.
The Birds' defense (25 years, 11 months, 9 days) is actually slightly younger than the offense (26 years, 22 days). But the projected Eagles offensive starters are younger than the projected defensive starters.
Jimmy broke it down by position also. The Eagles have the youngest starting offensive line and defensive front seven in the division. The secondary is really the only place where the Eagles show a little age. The Giants and Redskins are younger there.
Amazing difference at the skill positions. The Eagles' average age there (for starters) is 24 years, 7 months and 27 days.
The average age of Redskins skill position starters is 32 years, 8 months and 15 days. The difference between the two groups is over eight years.
And finally, the Eagles have three players (kickers, punters and long snappers not included) over 30. The Giants have seven, the Cowboys nine and the Redskins 14.
Thanks to Jimmy for sending his research along.
SAINTS, VIKINGS AND EAGLES
The NFL returned last night as the Saints defeated the Vikings, 14-9, in New Orleans.
Here are some thoughts on the game:
* One play that caught my eye was Brett Favre's 33-yard pass to tight end Visanthe Shiancoe in the second quarter. The Saints showed blitz with their linebackers at the line of scrimmage, but then dropped them back into coverage. It was too late, though, as they couldn't keep up with Shiancoe, who picked up a big gain over the middle.
During the summer, I've seen the Eagles show a similar look with Stewart Bradley and Ernie Sims at the line of scrimmage during practice. Sometimes they both blitz. Sometimes they both drop back. Sometimes one blitzes and the other drops back. The idea to show the quarterback a different look and try to confuse him is a good one. But the Favre completion shows how difficult it can be to keep up with some of the faster tight ends in the league when a linebacker starts up at the line of scrimmage.
* Did you notice ex-Eagle Lito Sheppard on the field? The Vikings' banged-up secondary called for Sheppard in nickel situations. I can't say I focused on him the whole game, but Sheppard definitely made a few nice plays. Overall, the Vikings' defense did a decent job after the Saints' opening drive.
* Drew Brees did an excellent job of avoiding pressure and sliding to his right before finding Devery Henderson for a touchdown in the first. Kevin Kolb showed the ability to do the same thing in the preseason, but will need to prove he's capable of making plays that way in the regular season. It's an underrated skill, especially considering the league is built to pressure quarterbacks.
* Twenty-one pass attempts and three running plays in the first half for the Saints. Andy Reid must have been drooling.
You can follow Moving the Chains on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook.
And download the 2010 MTC app from the ITunes store.
Vikings -- last night and last year -- underline the lesson that you can't get that far with a decent offensive line, or a pretty good one, which is exactly what the Eagles are trying to do. The better teams like the Saints will make it impossible to run the offense, unless the offensive line is very good. It was not a huge surprise that the Eagles had good stats on offense last year and then went thud against Dallas. We have little chance of beating the Vikings, Cowboys or Saints in games that count. Their coordinators will find ways to make Kevin Kolb look like Mike McMahon.— tacklinjoe- Yes the Eagles are young. But the Eagles have smart players and that makes a difference when it comes to being able to handle the pressure. As for the game last night, the receivers on both squads didn't look that good. Harvin was just out of it. I feel for the guy though.— PhillyFanSouth
- the two teams (vikings-saints) last night donot look unbeatable this season,,,KK will continue to improve,he did throw for 395 yards against the superbowl saints last season,,the BIRDS will be the NFC team to beat in 2011-12-13-14-15 with strong runs at the SB starting in 2012.....wolf.— wolf 4
Comment removed.- I think its hilarious that the league is "built to pressure quarterbacks" but if you get a really decent hit on a QB a flag comes out.— Krusty the Klown
no excuses for kolb. he has the same oline that mcnabb had and the team went 8-1 in that stretch. kolb just has to play well and get that ball out quickly.- wolf is drinking again.— palmyra21
- Sheil, who cares at this point that the spread sheet showed the Eagles to be young. This has been written about for the last two and half months. It's football season not age season. Your articles are becomming weaker with no substance. How's Trent Coles ankle? What's Allen feel like before his first league game? Is April satisfied with the players on special teams with the final roster settled? What's Jaron allowed to tell you or can't an assistant speak? Why Oh why did they keep the King?— JACK V
- Sheil, how's DJAX's back? Did the wisdom teeth surgery go well? How about Maclin's sholder he hurt in the preseason? Who cares about age spread sheets.— JACK V
- Sheil go sell some sneaks at the Gallery.— Gene London
- just kidding Sheil - no-one will buy sneaks from you, however, it would be interesting to compare the age groups by win-loss records across the league is what I would like to see. Top to bottom, is the collective youth movement winning? Or are the teams with more vets taking the top spots? Playoffs etc.— Gene London
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.
