Draft position and Giants-Cowboys thoughts
The Eagles are one of eight teams that finished the season with an 8-8 record.
Draft position and Giants-Cowboys thoughts
Sheil Kapadia, Philly.com
The Eagles are one of eight teams that finished the season with an 8-8 record.
Seven of those teams (the Broncos being the exception) will miss out on the playoffs. And that also means strength of schedule determines where those seven teams will pick in the first round of April's draft.
The team with the weakest strength of schedule among the group, the Cardinals, gets the 13th selection. And the Eagles will pick two spots later at No. 15. Here's the order for the 8-8 teams, with strength of schedule in parentheses, courtesy of NFL.com:
13. Cardinals (.469)
14. Cowboys (.473)
15. Eagles (.488)
16. Jets (.500)
17. Bengals (from Raiders) (.504)
18. Chargers (.516)
19. Bears (.527)
As for the second round, the seven teams cycle down. In other words, the Cardinals will pick last among this group, and the other teams get bumped up, with Dallas picking first.
That's significant because the Eagles get the Cardinals' second pick (courtesy of the Kevin Kolb deal) in addition to their own selection. That translates to the 46th pick (their own) and the 51st pick (the Cardinals') overall.
GIANTS TAKE THE NFC EAST
Some stray thoughts on the Giants' win over the Cowboys Sunday night:
* Before the Eagles played the Giants in Week 3, Victor Cruz had two career catches for 17 yards. He finished the season with 82 receptions and 1,536 yards, most in Giants franchise history and third-most in the league, behind only Calvin Johnson and Wes Welker.
Against the Cowboys, Cruz piled up six catches for 178 yards. In the first half, he made Terence Newman and Gerald Sensabaugh look silly on a 74-yard touchdown that included about 68 yards after the catch. With everything on the line for the Giants, it was the second straight week Cruz made a huge play. Against the Jets, he had a 99-yard touchdown in the first half.
* And no, I have no clue what NBC was thinking playing the salsa music for Cruz' celebration. Very strange. At first, I couldn't tell if it was coming from the broadcast, the stadium or my neighbor's apartment.
* If I'm the Giants, perhaps the most encouraging thing to take from yesterday's game was the pass rush. Jason Pierre-Paul's been doing it all season, but they got contributions from Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora yesterday. Tuck has two sacks in the last two games. And Umenyiora had two against the Cowboys. Overall, the Giants have 11 sacks in the last two games. There are still plenty of holes in that secondary, but New York can at least rush the passer effectively.
* Speaking of Pierre-Paul, if you were starting a franchise and had your pick of any defensive player in the league, he has to be in the discussion, right? Yesterday was his 23rd birthday, and Pierre-Paul finished the season with 16.5 sacks. I'm on board with those who have written that Brandon Graham deserves a chance to prove himself next season when he's healthy, but I don't think the regret over passing on Pierre-Paul is going away any time soon.
* As for the Cowboys, they miss out on the playoffs for the third time in four seasons. I know Tony Romo will take a lot of heat for turning the ball over twice, but the Dallas defense reminded me of what the Eagles' D has looked like at times this season. Missed tackles, confusion, breakdowns in the secondary. Eli Manning picked them apart, completing 24 of 33 passes for 346 yards and three touchdowns. The Cowboys have plenty of work to do this offseason on that side of the ball.
NEXT YEAR'S OPPONENTS
With the regular season over, next year's opponents are set. Aside from the division games, the Eagles play the following teams at home: the Falcons, Panthers, Ravens, Bengals and Lions. Not an easy slate. Four of those five teams are in the playoffs, and the other has Cam Newton.
On the road, the Eagles go to New Orleans, Tampa, Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Arizona. Two of those five teams are in the postseason.
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You can bet that PeeWee Roseman is already in the playhouse watching game film with King Cartoon.— Astro Jones- First round position doesn't matter if you keep picking the wrong guy.— mikemaddog
- amen, brother. we could have the entire first round and we would blow half of it. — coloradoeagle
- Great Point. The D was castigated but after 39 turnovers by the offense, what can you expect? Vick is a loser and we will never attain lofty goals with him as QB.
- That schedule for next year is a lot tougher than the 8-8 schedule this year.— oakmontleo
- 8-8 might be a reach with that schedule, especially if the song remains the same for 2012. I hope Juan finishes "Defense for Dummies" before OTA's start.— coloradoeagle
- Near the end of the season, there was a list of things that had to happen for the Eagles to get into the playoffs. All of them happened except one. The stinkin Jet's lost to the more stinkin Giants. I am not saying the Birds deserved to get in, just that it almost happened.— chucksf
- I had hoped maybe the 'fans' in here made resolutions to not be such miserable losers. Maybe next year, guys?— smfree31
- I'll bet the other teams on next years schedule will be "Very afraid" knowing our Eagles will an opponent.— olddog
- Doesn't matter who is on the schedule. If the Eagles take care of the ball, they will be in the playoffs. If they don't, we will have a new coach and QB.— borntosuffer
- New Orleans road trip...Nice !— jdrab
- Grab a copy of the final standings and check "points allowed" and "points scored" by the Eagles and compare to division opponents, even to the entire NFC. It will make you weep.— dasher
- Nice pick up...for all the grief the D got it was the O that really let the Birds down this year. — 2ndNlong
- Yup, I said yesterday...3rd fewest points allowed in the NFC. But the sheep read about the DC and pile on.
By the way, Spagnoula is 10-38 as a head coach and we are hoping to get him before someone else grabs him? What???
I have a friend who works for another NFC team and he told me he is very happy the Eagles are not in the playoffs.
It's funny reading how after going 8-8, 5-1 in the division that we are a 'joke' of a franchise.
Seems to me that's proof of how good a job Reid has done every year.— smfree31 - Of those 10 non-conference teams on the schedule, I see the Eagles going 6-4. If they play against the NFC rivals as well as they did in 2011, they could finish 11-5, at worst 10-6. But (and there's always a "but") Reid has to go, Vick has to get better, they need to sign a stud backup QB who can step in if needed (like Jeff Garcia did a few years ago in the McNabb era), trade Samuel for instant starter(s) in the LB and safety core and tweak a few other positions here and there.— 1republican
- That home schedule is vicious. 5-3 at home next year would be an amazing feat. As for the rest of the schedule, at least we don't have to play the freaking Bears again.
- You mean we don't play the Bears?— fgdavis
- 13th, 14th, 15th, whatever? Reid will just trade down anyway.— Steve Jeltz
- Regarding Graham vs. Pierre-Paul: while the latter may have size, speed, and game-tested ability, I'm told Graham has a high motor. Check ... mate.— defeNEstrati
- Those picks are as worthless as a tit on a bull if Rosenman is the GM making the picks. Rosenman and Banner are clueless and the ruination of the Eagles roster both for their draft decisions and their personnel management faux paus. They need to go yesterday!— Commonesnes
- Howie the Bean Counter is already studying tape of his draft targets on the University of Washington Huskies defensive squad! Remember Howie's Motto, "Quantity over Quality"! How many people had the Cardinals 2nd rounder we got for Kolb, being 5 spots after the Eagles selection? As for our 1st rounder, try and name the smallish, quick, high motor DE that we will take after trading 3 picks to move up and get? Don't worry, its coming! Hint.... He'll be coming off of some minor knee surgery!— younged
- loss to the saints, steelers, and ravens or bengels, split with the giants, and a loss in a game that they should win. 11-5/10-6 shouldn't be impossible— franknbeans
- Despite the dogs that played last night the team to root against more was no question the Cowgirls. How sweet was that look on creep Cryptkeeper Jerry Jones' face in the 1st half? Priceless.— Bob1
- Wow. That schedule is brutal. The home schedule is vicious and the road schedule is tougher than it looks. Tampa was probably a bigger disappointment than the Eagles and may play much better next year. Cleveland has a solid defense and they may get better in the off season. Arizona beat them this year. Even the scrub teams aren't gimmes. Good-luck with that one and Vick running the show.— UncleStosh
- when you start the W and L game in the first few days Jan it tells you alot about your team— lewisbratspis
- Schedule is a beast but look at the road trip potential...New Orleans, Tampa, Arizona? Are you kidding me. I can't to get tix to those games. Too far for you? You can drive to Pitt and Cleveland withing 6-8 hours. Very nice schedule as far as road trips go. Fun.— scootch
- We'll trade our first round pick to someone for their whole bottom half of the draft starting in the 6th round. With the first pick in the 6th round. The Philadelphia Eagles select.. Community College Of Philadelphia's.. Janitor. The scouting report is he wont give the team any problems when it comes to contracts. Its said he will work for peanuts. He has a high motor on the leaf blower. He can mop the computer floor in 500 seconds flat etc etc.
Next year's pick will probably retire after the Eagles sign him.— Zeru - Get an experienced, successful personnel guy (maybe from some strong drafting team's tree), promote him to GM, and let him make drafting and FA decisions, with input but not approval from Reid...who is staying whether fans like it or not. With three picks in the top 51 of this year's draft, it is crucial to get this right if we want to get back into the playoffs, let alone compete for a Super Bowl.— chesapeake
- fire castillo. we need a mean hard hitting defense like years passed. just hope goddell doesnt completely ban tackling next season. the nfl is becoming a joke. its now entertainment not sport. espn ruined sports. noe the nfl just wants offense and scoring to attack the fringe fans that know nothing. no wonder all the offensive records are being broken at record pace. you cant tackle or hit the qb, penalties keep the offense on the move constantly and offensive pass interference is never called. the nfl is no longer football, the nba is whinny crybaby thugs, and baseball is juiced. hockey is now the best sport in the country.— psualum
- So in other words, in 2012 the Eagles are playing the AFC North, the strongest division in football with three 2011-12 playoff teams, the NFC South, with two, the resurgent Lions and the Cardinals, who won seven of their last nine games. Dang. Against these opponents, the Birds will have to be better than they were this year.— Dave Clemens
- psualum, if the NFL outlaws tackling, the Eagles are odds-on favorites to win the SuperBowl. Let's hope Goodell goes to flag, or two-hand touch. Andy Reid is way ahead of his time. He has assembled a team that will dominate a two-hand touch league.— chocolatethunder
- Also, I agree with psualum about the NFL having become generally unwatchable, and the NBA even more so. The former is schizoid about everything from tackling to refereeing, while the latter appeals exclusively to 20-something urbanites who like rap music and expensive shoes. And both are utterly ruined with stoppages and the attendant commercial interruptions. We long ago crossed the line between stations televising sports events on one hand, and TV creating sports "programming" on the other. The former practice respected sport. The latter treats sport as a piece of product to be folded, spindled and mutilated to fit the shape of the entertainment machine.— Dave Clemens
- If theyt beat Tampa and Panthers or Cardinals (2 wins). Split with Giants, Cowboys and Redskins. That is 5-11. Though the Eagles usually blow 1 or 2 games a year that they should win. So thats 3-13 or 4-12. Gold Standard!— woody7236
- Who knows how tough to beat those teams will be next year. The Eagles just have to worry about improving themselves. I'm not as eager to move/fire Castillo as I was a month ago. He may not be in over his head anymore and it wasn't his fault he had just scrub talent at LB. They should replace Roseman and severely limit Reid's input into the draft.— ml307n
- 2012, same ownership, same front office, same coaches, no Super Bowl again.— Luriesucks
- hire one of the Polian's as GM. Bill Polian has been NFL executive of the year six times. He would be the perfect counterbalance to Andy and the Accountants.— coloradoeagle
- It doesn't matter what happens if Andy Reid continues his "pass happy" brilliance. How about him, in a meaningless game, forcing Vick to drop back 167% of the time?! Moron. 13 years and he still doesn't get that his offensive plan is never going to win a Bowl. AND he has the best running back in the league and doesn't use him. What a genius. Let's see the Flyers make the goalies coach the forwards next year like Andy using Juan Castillo. FIRE HIM!!!— girouxforpresident
- You can bank Pittsburgh as a loss right now. The Steelers always pick apart the Birds. The Eagles need 2 linebackers in their first 5 picks.— GreenWing
- Greenwing, is that a joke? Not only did the Eagles dominate the Steelers in their last meeting (2008) but they've taken three out of the last four in the series and 14 out of the last 19!— PhillyFaninNYC
- sorry i looked, its a long time until that starts thank goodness. go birds...— phillysportsnut
- Eagles trade up to draft Kuechly from BC, prolly their 2nd rounder. Their other 2nd round pick should be for a DT. They need to shore up the middle. If they let Jackson walk, go after Dwayne Bowe. Cheaper alternative would be Robert Meachem.— beegal99
Comment removed.- Absolutely. That's precisely why everyone in town despised Sean McDermott, because of his skin color.
Dope.— shane-56 - Eagles-Carolina will be an ESPN or NBC game for sure. I hope they schedule it early so the weather won't be a factor. It's going to be a shootout.— Drew777
- TRUE EAGLES DIE HARD FANS.WELL.THIS NIGHTMARE SEASON IS OVER. ITS TIME FOR SOME CHANGES .STARTING WITH THE COACH,WHO MUST TAKE THE BLAME.BUT, IS IT HIS FAULT??LETS GO TO THE ROSTER.IS THIS THE QB'SFAULT?..LETS TAKE THE DEFENSE,ITS GOTTA BE ON THEM..I SAID WHEN THIS SQUAD HAD A 2ND RATE QB,DUB THIS AS 'THE DREAM TEAM',THAT WAS THE BEGINNING OF THE END,FOR THIS TEAM.LETS JUST CALL THEM THE EAGLESAND FORGET THE HYPE.OVER HAUL THIS TEAM,AND WHAT EVER HAS TO HAPPEN,MAKE IT HAPPEN.TELL U WHAT EAGLES FANS,ANDY,U ARE ON THE HOT SEAT,AGAIN. ENJOY IT FOR NOW.— t_darb_56
- TRUE EAGLES DIE HARD FANS.WELL.THIS NIGHTMARE SEASON IS OVER. ITS TIME FOR SOME CHANGES .STARTING WITH THE COACH,WHO MUST TAKE THE BLAME.BUT, IS IT HIS FAULT??LETS GO TO THE ROSTER.IS THIS THE QB'SFAULT?..LETS TAKE THE DEFENSE,ITS GOTTA BE ON THEM..I SAID WHEN THIS SQUAD HAD A 2ND RATE QB,DUB THIS AS 'THE DREAM TEAM',THAT WAS THE BEGINNING OF THE END,FOR THIS TEAM.LETS JUST CALL THEM THE EAGLESAND FORGET THE HYPE.OVER HAUL THIS TEAM,AND WHAT EVER HAS TO HAPPEN,MAKE IT HAPPEN.TELL U WHAT EAGLES FANS,ANDY,U ARE ON THE HOT SEAT,AGAIN. ENJOY IT FOR NOW.— t_darb_56
- Looking at 2012 home losses, Ravens, Lions, Falcons. Away losses, NO, Pitt, Cleveland. Division losses, split w/ Dallas & Giants. Maybe 9 wins next year, if they can beat the Browns.— misterhman
- If the barber shop quartet of Banner, Roseman, Reid and Castillo come back in tact next season, the Kool Aid drinkers will have their wish. Just don't come crying to the Tonner when the team starts out 1-4, squeaks into the playoffs and gets a first round beatdown as per usual leaving us "Negadelphians" crying in our Genny Cream Ale. You don't even have to play the season because the Tonner knows what's going to happen. And whether you like it or whether you don't like it, learn to love it because it's the truth according to the Tonner and it's the best thing going today.— hunglikeaton
- Girouxfor prez, you do know that McCoy did not play because he had a bad ankle, right.
shane-56, you are dead on. I think it's easy to see who the racist is.— John Klink - Comment removed.
- drafting at 15 isnt too good. best choices available will be to trade down and get needed late round linebackers and special teamers and maybe some 5 round picks for 2013 0r 2014, or trade up and get undersized defensive linemen will fast motors.— bloodymess
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