What they're saying about the Eagles
Here's a roundup of what the national media are saying about the Eagles:
What they're saying about the Eagles
Sheil Kapadia, Philly.com
Here's a roundup of what the national media are saying about the Eagles:
SI.com's Don Banks likes what the Eagles did this offseason and thinks they're poised to win the NFC East:
Typically, I don't turn in my predictions column until late August, but when I do, I believe I'll have Andy Reid's Eagles atop their tightly clumped division, poised for a bounce-back season and a return to the playoffs after the nightmare of last year's "Dream Team'' nonsense.
ESPN.com's John Clayton predicts a 10-6 record for the Eagles:
As disappointing as last year's Eagles were, they still managed to win eight games. Upgrades to the linebacker corps, a tightening up of the coverage schemes and an improved comfort level in the new defense all stand as reasons to believe things will be better in Philadelphia this year.
Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com (previously a scout for the Birds) says no team is under more pressure than the Eagles in 2012:
The Eagles did have a few legitimate excuses last season. As a result of the labor dispute, the free-agent additions and new defensive coordinator weren't afforded the luxury of an offseason together. No such excuse exists this season. There is a tremendous amount of pressure for this team to make a deep postseason run in 2012. Coach Andy Reid, Vick and Castillo will all be facing intense scrutiny if the season starts poorly.
Jeremiah also looks at which quarterback will be next to win his first Super Bowl. He's got Vick as third-most likely, behind Alex Smith and Matt Schaub:
Vick was very inconsistent during the 2011 season and the Eagles fell one game short of making the playoffs. During the first half of the season, Vick really struggled to avoid costly turnovers. On a positive note, his play did drastically improve down the stretch and he helped lead the Eagles to blowout victories in each of their last four games. After a rough start, the defense really began to jell by the end of the 2011 season. The unit gave up more than 10 points only once in its last four contests. If Vick plays like he did at the end of the season, this roster is plenty talented enough to make a push toward the Super Bowl this season.
Peter Schrager of FoxSports.com has LeSean McCoy 32nd in his top 100 list:
McCoy got paid this offseason and deservedly so. Whereas the “Dream Team” Eagles were considered a disappointment in 2011, McCoy had arguably the best season of any running back in the league. He ran the ball 273 times for 1,309 yards, but also caught 48 balls and scored 17 touchdowns. A threat any time he lines up in the backfield, McCoy is still just 23 years old.
ESPN.com's Dan Graziano writes that Michael Vick needs to follow Eli Manning's example in reducing turnovers:
If Vick believes what he's saying about improved discipline -- if that's the message Andy Reid and the coaches are drilling into him, and if he's really hearing it -- then that's the first step toward putting it into practice. Vick has the raw talent to accomplish anything he wants to on the field. His long-term success will be determined by the extent to which he appreciates the quarterback position as a craft to be honed and perpetually worked on.
Pete Prisco of CBSSports.com names the most overrated and underrated player on each team. He's got Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie as the Eagles' most overrated player and Jeremy Maclin as the team's most underrated player:
Overrated: CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. He has the tools to be a star corner, but for some reason he just doesn't play to those skills.
Matt Williamson of ESPN.com projects the top 15 offensive linemen in 2015. Jason Peters barely makes the list at No. 15:
Peters was probably the best offensive lineman in the NFL in 2011. He was simply phenomenal in every facet of playing left tackle and teamed with Evan Mathis to form an elite left side of the line. But he turns 31 years old in January and tore his Achilles tendon on two occasions this offseason. He is unlikely to see the field in 2012. Will he return to action as someone in the same mold as when we saw him last?
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Seriously, you could copy and paste these season predictions from any year since 2003. Just replace 'Vick' with 'McNabb', and 'McCoy' with 'Westbrook' for the '03-'09 seasons.— Dannyy90- 2015 lineman predictions? Man, it must be a slow news day somewhere.— tpizza
- Dannyy90, you're right. We've seen these kind of predictions a million times.— p-diddy
- GO EAGLES! GO MIKE VICK GO!— Panthro2011
- FYI-ESPN, CBS, SI are the New York Media! You know the ones who hyped the "dream team nonsence". I wouldn't listen to ANYTHING they predict, especially good things!!!— sarah89
- "he helped lead the Eagles to blowout victories in each of their last four games."...vs. 6-10 Fins, 8-8 Jets, 8-8 Dallas and 5-11 Skins, powerhouses all.
— 2ndNlong - You need to consider that 8-8 Dallas 'could' have been a playoff team if the Eagles had lost. Also, I would have to do some more research, but potentially Jets could have got in too at 9-7 over the Bengals (also 9-7). Just things to consider when you say those games don't mean anything. — Uncle Carm
- That is a weird helmet in the picture. I’ve never seen a helmet with a baseball cap bill...— esoburgsc
I have them down for 11-5 but I will take 10-6 all day- What's this? Nothing from Gregg Easterbrook?
I'm sure TMQ has an opinon.— Lancer248 - 13-3 or better. Super Bowl victory. Mark it down.— reils
- They're going to win the Supe. The only question is how many losses.
My machine learning algorithm which I have trained with data from each of Andy's years of coaching, plus my expert heuristics predicts the following:
19-0: 42.8% chance
18-1: 50.1% chance
17-2: 7.0% chance
0ther: 0.1% chance 
lol, even if that were possible, you would have just jynxed them with that brilliant statement and ruined any chance of it actually happeneing. Its like the opposite of a self-fullfilling prophecy or something. You say it so much, until you dont even believe it, but yet you still say it. Until you know it WONT happen and you STILL say it, and then it just makes no sense. Unless however you are delusional enough to actually BELIEVE it despite being wrong 13 times in a row. Either way, proclaiming a team champion 2 months before thier preseason even starts does nothing to help them actually achieve anything, in fact, it backfires.- The Birds were WHITE HOT at the end of last season and if it weren't for a little BAD LUCK early in the season keeping them out of the playoffs, we'd already be talking about a REPEAT. Those boys were then and are now ... ALL IN, baby! To deny any of this is simply to embrace pure delusion.
Get ON BOARD or get out of the way of the DREAM TEAM!!! - i hate how people comtinually want to reference the eagles d's improvement in the lst four games of last year. they played 4 losing non-playoff teams with four poor qb's. the defensewill still not be as good as possible with castillo calling the plays again.— psualum
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