What they're saying about the Eagles

With so much being written about the Eagles on a national level, I'll try to put these together more frequently.

As always, this is a roundup of what others are saying about the Birds.

Grantland's Bill Barnwell, a friend of MTC, sees holes in DeSean Jackson's game and says he needs to catch the ball more to justify a big contract:

Jackson needs to take a leap forward as a receiver before the Eagles can justify giving him a contract extension with the sort of guaranteed money that Jackson is likely to seek. ...

Under Andy Reid, the Eagles have been built around an efficient, reliable passing offense and a financial system designed to give the organization cost certainty by signing players to contracts below their market value. That's entirely at odds with Jackson's skill set and current station, which makes it hard to reconcile how Jackson fits in with Philadelphia after this season.

Alex Marvez of FoxSports.com declares the Eagles the biggest winner in free agency:

Swiping elite cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha away from serious suitors like Dallas and the New York Jets is reason alone to celebrate. But the Eagles made a slew of other impressive acquisitions like cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, defensive ends Jason Babin and Cullen Jenkins. Babin summed up his feelings about Philadelphia's Super Bowl chances on Twitter: "I feel like we're the Miami Heat of the NFL … except we win the final game." That championship victory is something the Eagles have never accomplished in the Super Bowl era.

Matt Williamson of ESPN.com breaks down the Eagles' offensive line. Here's what he says about Ryan Harris:

At right tackle, I mentioned that Herremans could be an option, but the most logical starter here is newly signed Ryan Harris. Like Jackson, durability has been the No. 1 negative with Harris. But this is a guy who was excellent in Denver's quicker zone-blocking scheme. Harris is a well above-average athlete for an NFL right tackle and exactly what Mudd looks for at the position.

Kerry J. Byrne of Cold Hard Football Facts writes that the pressure is now on Michael Vick:

Vick was electrifying early in the season. He was merely above average over the final six games – the explosive fourth quarter against the Giants an outlier amid the otherwise just-OK efforts down the stretch. And he was below average in the two biggest games of the year – both losses.

In other words, he wasn't the same player down the stretch and Philly's fortunes turned – as every team's fortunes usually do – on the performances of its quarterback. In the end, the potential MVP candidate didn't garner even a single MVP vote, despite incredible performances like the one in Philly's 59-28 win over the Redskins in Week 9 or the comeback against the Giants.

Great defenders or not, he simply cannot afford a stretch run like the one he suffered through last year.

Bob Kravitz of the Indianapolis Star has the Eagles pegged as Super Bowl favorites in the NFC:

Yep, I'm jumping on the bandwagon. Hate to do it, but how do you ignore Philly after its free-agent summer? I'm not always a big fan of grabbing big-dollar big names, but Asomugha and defensive ends Jason Babin and Cullen Jenkins... I look at this team and can't find a weakness.

ESPN.com has the Eagles third in its power rankings, behind the Packers and Patriots:

Only one thing will make this season a success -- winning the franchise's first Vince Lombardi Trophy.

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