Weekly Eagles links
I'd like to introduce a new weekly feature here at MTC.
Every Wednesday, I will be delivering various football links that mention the Eagles from around the Internet. While philly.com's Eagles section has your best local coverage, along with blogs Eagletarian and Birds' Eye View, these will be links you may have missed.
Before we get started though. I'd like to get a weekly e-mail Q&A started here. Please e-mail me with anything you can think of -- fantasy football, news around the league, sports media, rule changes, your favorite TV shows, etc. -- at skapadia@philly.com. I'll offer my opinion and answer questions in a later post. If I don't have an answer, I'll contact someone who does. If you have a link I missed or something you think other NFL fans would be interested in, you can pass that along also.
Wiithout further ado...
USA Today had a panel vote on the top five players at each position. Each list is divided into two sets -- one names the top five players today, and the other names the top five during the Super Bowl era. Who are the Eagles on the list?
The voters list Asante Samuel as the third-best corner in today's game, and ex-Eagle Al Harris comes in right behind him at No. 4.
Shawn Andrews is listed as the fourth-best guard/center in today's game. Brian Mitchell comes in as the second-best kick returner of the Super Bowl era. Brian Dawkins is recognized as the fifth-best active safety. Terrell Owens is tabbed as the second-best wide receiver in today's game. Reggie White is named the best defensive end of the Super Bowl era. Brian Westbrook makes the list at No. 3 among active running backs. And finally, USA Today names Donovan McNabb the third-best active quarterback.
SI.com's Peter King visited Lehigh last week, and in his postcard, he had high praise for one of the newest Eagles, running back Lorenzo Booker:
What's not to like about Booker, acquired from Miami in the offseason? He just turned 24. He averaged 4.5 yards per rush, and caught 28 balls in only seven games of part-time play in Miami last year. He has looked strong and decisive in his cuts here. The Eagles just might have caught the kind of Ryan Grant lightning-in-a-bottle with Booker. Look for him to beat out Correll Buckhalter for the backup running back job and become the kind of trusted change-of-pace back that could give Westbrook a blow for a series or two a game.
Nate Davis of USA Today grades the offseason moves for every NFL team. He gives the Eagles a B:
CB Asante Samuel's arrival garnered the headlines, but the draft-day trade for RB Lorenzo Booker could prove to be a coup, too. Rookie WR DeSean Jackson should be perfect for the lackluster return game. CB Lito Sheppard's situation is still festering.
SI.com's King also wrote about the Eagles in his Monday Morning Quarterback column, this time detailing McNabb's performance:
Camp means many things to many people. But to McNabb, this camp is to show his teammates, and the locals who doubt him, there's no quarterback competition on this team. Andy Reid overlooks the McNabbisms that come out sometimes (they're about one-tenth as harmful as the Mannyisms, and Reid just doesn't sweat the small stuff) and realizes if McNabb is healthy for 16 weeks, the Eagles are going to win 10 or 11 and be a factor in the playoffs. It's a fact of life in Philly we almost forgot too soon.
ESPN.com has the Eagles 13th in its power rankings:
This is the wild-card factor. With a healthy Donovan McNabb and and an improved defense, the Eagles could get back to winning NFC East titles. Keep your eyes on speedy rookie DeSean Jackson.