Five thoughts on the Eagles
The Eagles open the regular season exactly one month from today. Here are five thoughts on the Birds as they prepare for their preseason opener Friday against the Jaguars.
Five thoughts on the Eagles
Sheil Kapadia, Philly.com
The Eagles open the regular season exactly a month from today.
Here are five thoughts on the Birds as they prepare for their first preseason game Friday night against the Jaguars:
1. If there's one group I feel better about now than I did a few weeks ago, it's the linebackers. Barring injuries, this group is pretty much set. Stewart Bradley in the middle, Ernie Sims at the weak side and Akeem Jordan at the strong side. The nickel package will keep Bradley and Sims on the field. Sean McDermott and the defense are placing a lot of expectations on Bradley's shoulders. He looks healthy. He looks hungry. And he looks ready to lead. Take a second, and think about what little production the Eagles got from the middle linebacker position last year. Even if Bradley doesn't play at a Pro Bowl level, if he just is above average, it will provide a major upgrade. Bradley's size should help in the passing game, especially in the middle of the field, where the Eagles were so soft in 2009. And while Jeremiah Trotter had his moments against the run last season, Bradley presents a major upgrade there as well.
He's taken Sims under his wing, and the Eagles' weak-side linebacker has been impressive. He's fast and physical. Maybe more importantly, he is playing with something to prove and has a mean streak, something this defense has lacked. This really is a second chance for Sims after spending the first four seasons of his career in Detroit.
And finally, Jordan. Before he got injured last season, Jordan was one of this defense's best playmakers. He will have to show he can play a new position, but Jordan should benefit from playing alongside Bradley and Sims. Those three linebackers should really be able to cover.
2. I have no clue how the center situation is going to play out, and that is extremely worrisome. I thought Nick Cole would benefit from an offseason of reps, but he's had issues. As I've mentioned, center is a difficult position to evaluate in practice, and the coaches just tell you everyone is doing fine. Cole has missed practice this week with a knee injury, which brings us to Mike McGlynn. McGlynn's chances of starting in Week 1 have imroved dramatically this week. He's getting a lot of practice directing protections with the Eagles' defense showing different blitz looks, and he's had no problems with the snap. But he will have to show he's good enough in just physically blocking his opponent. That's the one area where Cole showed he could be effective in the two games against the Cowboys.
And then there's Jamaal Jackson. We have no idea how close he is to returning, but we know he's been running and working out every day. And Andy Reid said he's ahead of schedule. Could Jackson be ready sooner than we all expect? Is that why the Eagles seem to be unconcerned about the center situation? Tough to say. But if I had to put money on it, I'd say he won't be put on the PUP list to start the season.
3. I wonder if expectations are too high for Kevin Kolb. Kolb is very good with the media. National reporters stop by at Lehigh all the time and come away impressed with him. He gives the local media his time every day after practice and seems to do his best to deliver honest answers. On the field, he's directing teammates in terms of where to line up and what adjustments to make. In other words, it has not felt like training camp with a first-year starting quarterback. Jeremy Maclin has said that repeatedly, and he's right. It feels like Kolb has been doing this for years.
But the reality is, he hasn't been. He's attempted 130 passes in his career and has started two games. He turns 26 next week.
And so, regardless of how well the Eagles prepare Kolb or how quick of a learner he is, there are going to be ups and downs. There are going to be interceptions. There are going to be plays where he checks down to LeSean McCoy and misses a wide open DeSean Jackson down the field. There are going to be games where he is the reason the Eagles lose.
On the other hand, there will be games when he looks like a veteran, moments when the Eagles will look like geniuses for selecting him in the second round of the 2007 draft. Times when he keeps them in games.
That's the point. There will be ups and downs. I just hope everyone is ready for both.
4. Last year, the Eagles expected their rookies to be quick learners and make an instant impact on offense. I would say McCoy met expectations, and Maclin exceeded them. Now, move to the other side of the ball, and it's a similar situation on defense. Brandon Graham and Nate Allen are real X-factors. Those two players have the potential to make the difference between an OK defense and a very good defense. The Eagles had 38 takeaways in 2009, good enough for third in the NFL. Can Allen help them match that total or even add to it?
As for Graham, no one is expecting him to be Trent Cole in his first season, but based on the last two weeks, he's going to make an immediate impact. The Eagles' offseason focus was to improve their pass rush. They might have taken a big step towards doing that just by adding Graham to the mix.
5. The conventional wisdom on the 2010 version of the Philadelphia Eagles is that the offense will be just fine. With young talent all around Kolb, he's in a great position to succeed in his first year as a starter. The conventional wisdom on the defense is that they have too many holes and question marks. The overall numbers in 2009 were not bad, but the Birds allowed 27.2 points in their final five games.
I'm wondering if we might be in for a surprise. I haven't completely talked myself into it, but I wonder if this defense can be much better than it was a year ago. Think about it. It would be almost impossible for the Eagles to get less production at middle linebacker and free safety. I think Quintin Mikell is going to bounce back. I think Graham is going to be good. And I think Sean McDermott will be helped by having a year of experience under his belt.
And maybe the offense won't be as far along as expected. If the passing game is going to be all about timing, maybe that will take some time to develop. Maybe Kolb will see looks he's not prepared for. Maybe the offensive line, which everyone seems to forget was pretty good for much of last season, takes a step back. Maybe they'll turn the ball over too much.
Like I said, I haven't completely talked myself into this one yet, but maybe the personality of the 2010 Eagles will be much different than what we expect.
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I hope you are right, but I think the NFC East is gonna be a tough place to play in this year.— Ohmy
So in other words your saying the Kolb is going to look like the veteran McNabb in his first year as starter?— barefoot- Birds don't have all the pieces yet, O-line some real concerns plus questions in secondary and a ton of new faces. They will make mistakes but this makeover was due and with some experience and a few more players to fill some holes, Birds should be legit contenders again in 2011. Will be fun to watch this young team develop. Go Eagles!— Z-Force
- From everything Im reading, B. Graham seems legit and can only help Trent Cole's dominance. However, I havent heard as much about Nate Allen's practices thus far which has me a little concerned. Kolb can be the next product from the "Aaron Rodgers Experiment" and has more than enough playmakers to make catches. Is it out of the question to predict a year with three players bringing in 1000+ rec. yds (Jackson, Maclin, Celek)? Maybe, but I can dream. Shady McCoy has the moves to make linebackers look stupid, and Weaver will help our redzone moments. The 2010 Birds go 9-7, 10-6 maybe, and make the playoffs. Go Eagles!— krh66
- I would be able to talk myself into the defense being good if it wasn't for the secondary. Letting Sheldon Brown go created such a huge hole.— Lemur
- It's gonna make it fun to watch this year....— Grazman
- For the Birds to have a 10-6 record, or a 25-0 record like BD20 constantly predicts (a la 'they're so good, they'll get credit for two wins in some games'), they will have to be healthy all year long. If Peters, Trent, Asante go down, there are no replacements for them. If Herremans isn't healthy, and Peters is, but there is one other injury on the OL, the offense will seriously stutter. I want to see them win, but rooting for this team with blinders on and predicting playoffs, in this division, is foolish. If they win the Super Bowl this year, i'll eat my words, but 2011 on is looking better. Give them a year to jell...— Bleue
- If Bradley can stay healthy, that would be a huge addition. The key is Graham though. This D line was much worse than advertised, getting no pass rush without the blitz. If Graham and Cole bring it, they can take the pressure off the DB's. Look for Sims to be a big disappointment though, not because he's worse than last year, but because everyone is expecting much better. As Jeff McLane advised yesterday, he's not 6'0" but more like 5'10", so he's definitely the smallest LB in the league. He's not a big play guy either, (4 years in Detroit he only had 2.5 sacks 1 int, and 4 forced fumbles)so give the guy a break by comparing him to Shawn Barber, not Seth Joyner. Injuries determine everything on offense. If they have to go many games with subs on this O-line, we won't find out whether Kolb is a player, but only a survivor— jimmyj
This will be one interesting season! I think there will be bumps in the road, so I'm just hoping for improvement throughout the year.— ej610- The thing about the defense is that it is almost completely new. The only guys that will start who played last year are Samuel, Mikell, Jordan, Bunkley, Patterson and Cole. (Maybe you throw Parker in there if he doesn't lose his job). You got two new LB's (both upgrades), a new FS (who i think is an upgrade), a new starting CB (Hobbs has the full-time roll now, maybe a step back) and three or four new D-Lineman in Laws, Tapp and TO. So honestly, I don't think this defense will be worse than last year. We upgraded almost every position and maybe lost a little with Sheldon leaving. But in the end, I think this defense finishes in the Top 7 in the league.— EagleBeliever
- I agree with you Sheil, and I have already talked myself into believing that the D is headed for a better year than the O. It's simple if you look at it by saying the D has less question marks than last season and the O has a few more. The D is going to be in a situation where they will have to perform, because one thing I'd bet on from this team is a negative turnover differential.— sla6yer
- kolb will be running for his life all season which = tons o interceptions. for the first time in a long time, the o-line is the biggest weakness on the team. they will struggle all season. the running game will be effective but andy doesnt run the ball, soo... the d will be inconsistent as well, too many young guys in key positions not to be. cheer up fans there's no hope— sore richard
- The Eagles had crummy wide receivers during most of McNabb's tenure, while Kolb gets what may be the deepest WR corps in the league in his first year as a starter. WR depth will ease the transition; lack of depth on the O-line will probably be Kolb's biggest obstacle. The only other concern I have is at CB, and with luck Lindley can step up.— paolibulldog
- I hope the offense can keep the defense off the field a little this year, which would make both sides better. Hopefully #4 will play well enough not to make me feel like I wasted my time for 3 hours each week watching ... got the feeling at the end of last year, if they don't care why should I ? Hope I get Akers in FF, cause he is going to lead the team in scoring yet again.— AsValidAsYours
- I'm ready for the ups.. the downs will still get me po'd as ever. Only thing that boggles me is all the positive talk about Mikell. The guy can hit now and again, but how does a guy that's been unable to distinguish himself after 7 years in the league, all the sudden become a impact player? The defensive backfield may not need to be as good if the Dline can indeed develop some pressure; but methinks this year will convince Andy he needs to spend multiple high draft picks there next year.— raoool
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