Jet @ Eagles Recap – Eagles 28 – Jets 10

I would like to first continue to gloat for my prediction of Eagles 24- Jets10.  Although it wasn’t spot on this time around I did correctly predict the Jets first TD of the preseason and correctly predicted the Eagles would win big (and was only off by 4 points!).  Now with that being said I stand by my original point in yesterday’s post about the fourth preseason game being far from meaningless. We learned a lot from last night’s game but I will just comment on a few. 

Demetress Bell – last night was pretty much a nightmare for all Eagles fans. Demetress Bell is lost on the line. He was signed to replace all pro LT Jason Peters, but should not even be a second team player.  His huge contract will save his ass on this cut day, but Demetress does not deserve one of the 53 spots on this roster. Look for rookie lineman Dennis Kelly, who has proven he can play the tackle position on the right or the left, to make the team and potentially play on the line this season. Fingers crossed that starting LT King Dunlap can fill the void.

Trent Edwards – Well Andy, “times yours.” Trent played very well in the preseason finale and I think that it will be a crime if he doesn’t get the QB3 spot on this team.  He offers veteran leadership for Eagles back up QB Nick Foles, and will be a serviceable third string guy – something no other team in the NFL will have. Don’t get me wrong, if Edwards gets playing time this season, the Eagles have bigger issues than their QB3, but you have to like the fact that Edwards has been a large part of the Eagles 4-0 preseason. Unless there is a trade (not a bad option in my mind) for some late round picks – expect Edwards to be holding the chip board in Week 1.

Jaiquawn Jarrett – Jarrett, a second round pick in 2011 has had a rough preseason.  He had a dismal first game but has stepped it up in the last three.  He played well on special teams and on defense, looked like the physical safety they drafted.  He may be bailed out due to hamstring problems that Oshiomogho Atogwe has been facing this preseason.  The safety spot has been one that has seen a revolving door of starters in a past, and an injury prone veteran is not exactly what the Eagles need in this role.  Jarrett makes the team, but only because the competition is below average.

Eagles RBs – In my opinion the Eagle’s backfield should be made up of all four RBs. The FB position has been so underutilized in the last 5 years and is unlikely to change in 2012.  Why keep a FB who is going to see minimal time on the field?  Rookie RBs Bryce Brown and Chris Polk deserve spots on this team. LeSean McCoy will see a majority of the carries but I think the backfield will see contributions from more than just McCoy. All four RBs make it and the two rookie Full Backs are cut Friday evening.   

These are all speculations and these are decisions that usually include some intangibles such as leadership, attitude, and dedication – all things that can’t really be seen on TV.  It will be interesting to see who makes the 53 man roster, as well as the 8 Practice Team spots come Friday at 9PM -  I will be sitting front row to see how it goes.  Check back over the weekend to see my review of who makes it and gets cut.  

What to Watch for Tonight

8/30/2012 New York Jets @ Philadelphia Eagles

The fourth preseason game is an interesting one.  Many think that, at this point, the starters will all sit and therefore the game is completely meaningless.  Let me tell you how meaningful this game actually is.

-          For 22 players, this game will be the last in Eagles Green. Come Friday afternoon 22 players will be cut in order to meet the NFL limit of 53 men on the roster.

-          Many of these “no-namers” could see starting time come mid-season when starters face injuries.

-          The special teams unit is always made of, primarily, 2^nd and 3^rd string players.  When the Browns run a punt back 40 yards or a Kick off gets brought back to the 9 yard line on a holding penalty, remember how “meaningless” the fourth preseason game was.

So be careful before you say that this fourth preseason game doesn’t matter. 

I want to point out a few things to watch for tonight.

1.       Demetress Bell – Bell is playing tonight with starting LT King Dunlap having the night off.  The Eagles are still looking to fill the shoes of all pro LT Jason Peters, who will miss the entire season due to a torn Achilles.  Will Demetress be able to fight back and gain that starting job? Will he play so poorly that the Eagles decide his contract isn’t worth it? These are things to watch for tonight.  I would be surprised if he were to get cut, but crazy Andy has done crazier things.

2.       Defensive Line – I am not jealous of the coaching staff when it comes down to making cuts, especially on the defensive line.  The D-Line is as stacked as it has even been and any player cut will likely have little issue finding a team elsewhere.  Tonight will be the last chance for these guys to show what they are made of. Keep an eye out for Antonio Dixon, who may be beaten out by surprising rookie, Cedric Thornton. The Eagles will likely keep 10 players on the line, but there are 14 players fighting for those spots.  It will be interesting to see who shows up for tonight’s game.  

3.       Nick Foles- Well I haven’t been able to post without including Foles in the picture.  I am still waiting to see the rookie moments that are expected out of a third round draft pick.  Can Nick start this game and continue to look strong as the Eagles back up? Meanwhile Trent Edwards will be playing for a spot as the QB3 while Mike Kafka remains sidelined with a fracture in his non-throwing hand.

4.       Akeem Jordan – Akeem is back to the Weakside LB position (where he started his career with the Eagles) and tonight will get up to a quarter of action as he continues to transition from the strong side back to the weak. Rookie LB, Mychael Kendricks has been the best linebacker on the team this preseason and will be starting opposite Akeem come opening week.  I am interested to see how Jordan plays tonight and see if the Eagles LBs will have another season of mediocrity.

What not to watch for:
  1. Tim Tebow - No one cares anymore. Tebow is a below average QB and only help he will provide to the the Jets, is the ability to go TD-less in the preseason. Screew you Tebow.

Eagles win big but the Jets get their first touchdown of the preseason. Eagles 24 Jets 10.  

Westbrook Announces Retirement as an Eagle

Brian Westbrook, announced today that he will be retiring from the NFL as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles. I will always remember B-West for his “Miracle at the Meadowlands” punt return to spark a flat footed Eagles team in 2003.  With only a minute and a half left in the game the Giants punted to 2^nd year punt returner Brian Westbrook who ran the punt back 84 yards giving the Eagles the 14-10 lead, and ultimately the win. The Eagles went on the win 9 of their last 10 that season  that historical game against the Giants. 

Listed at 5’8, 200 lbs. it Westbrook played 9 seasons in the NFL.  He was often injured but did not miss many starts in his career – known for sitting out all week at practice but always being ready come game day. For many years Westbrook seemed to be the only strength of the offense. From 2004 – 2009, the years Westbrook was the featured back (or at least one of them!) he had a total of 5189 yards rushing and another 3372 yards receiving – an average of 1038 and 675 per season, respectively. He also tallied 30 TDs on the ground and 25 receiving during those 6 years. His numbers speak for themselves.  He was a complete player who could run and catch like no one in the league. His speed on the outside was insane and countless LBs, CBs and DEs looked very silly falling over their feet as #36 juked right and went left. He was a great Eagle and I will proudly be wearing my number 36 jersey on December 23^rd when the Eagles honor him at half time against the Redskins.

RIP Steve Van Buren

Thoughts and prayers out to the family of one of the best running back to ever play in Philadelphia and one of the best to ever play the game.  RIP Steve Van Buren. Steve played in a time when there were only 12 games per season and he still has the numbers to put him in the top 5 of eagles RBs. Also, he played in a time when football players weren't making $10+ million a year.

RIP Steve - it has been a tough month for Eagles Nation.

What to Watch For Eagles @ Browns 7:30

Don’t expect to see much from the starters on either side tonight.  We will be seeing these teams square up again two weeks from now and neither team is going to want to show their opponents their game plan.

The Browns are an improving team that plays in a tough division.  They are all in on the offensive side of the ball this season- using 2 first round picks on QB Brandon Weeden and RB Trent Richardson.  The Eagles pass rush should give Weeden or ex starting QB Colt McCoy a tough time tonight. I think we will see 3+ sacks from the Eagles D line.  Richardson will remain on the sideline hoping to be ready to go for the start of the season. Just because it’s going to be a wash game, does not mean there isn’t plenty to watch for. I am going to comment on just a few of them.

Nick Foles

Nick will get the start tonight and get up to a half of snaps, as Mike Kafka is still out with an injured hand. Foles has looked great in the first two games, throwing for a combined 331 yards and 4 TDs.  Foles has completed 63.15% of his passes and is leading the league in preseason passer rating through the first 2 games. He has looked strong, confident and poised in the pocket, all things that former Eagles QB, and current Cardinals QB, Kevin Kolb has not. Each time Vick takes off, heading for the End Zone on third down, Eagles fans will be praying that Nick Foles can be the strong, pocket passer, that we will need step in if Vick cracks another rib.  

Eagles Backup RBs

I am interested to see if the Eagles give some of their young RBs a big workload tonight. The Browns ranked 30^th in run defense last year and used their 1^st round picks on offense in the 2012 Draft.  It seems like it is going to be a long season for the Browns Defense- the Eagles should have no problem on the ground tonight. Look for a nice mix of 2^nd year guy, Dion Lewis, rookie RB Bryce Brown, and undrafted rookie RB Chris Polk. With Shady in the starting spot, it seems like Lewis with be the RB2 – but will the Eagles keep 4 backs on the 53 man roster? The talent and potential is there and all four of these guys will make the team, but what will the depth chart look like come September 9^th.

Special Teams

As with any team, the special teams are crucial to the Eagles success. It is essential to many of the guys on this roster and whether or not they will have a job come September 9^th. Don’t be surprised to see the Eagles punting on 4^th and inches (not that you should ever be surprised about that as an Eagles fan!), and kick returns coming from 6 yards deep in the end zone. Another player to watch is 2^nd year safety Jaiquawn Jarrett.  Jarrett, a local guy from Temple, was selected in the second round of the 2011 Draft to be one of the many players who would replace Eagles Hall of Fame Safety Brian Dawkins. Thus far he has come up very short of expectations and is now at risk of being cut after just one year in the NFL. Look for him to get some action at Safety and in the Special teams as he continues to seek out a place where he fits in on this roster.

Demetress Bell vs. King Dunlap    

 Who will win over the start Left Tackle job protecting Mike Vick’s strong side? This is an ongoing battle through camp and it will be interesting to see who wins the starting job with All Pro LT Jason Peters likely being out with a torn Achilles.  I think that Bell will ultimately get the starting job but Dunlap isn’t going down without a fight. Tomorrow morning will have a much clearer answer. 

Prediction:

Eagles win big 27-10 setting the tone for Week 1.   

The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly

What do we take away from last night’s preseason game against the Pats? Well a few notes before I get into it -   

·         The Patriots played essentially none of their starters, so it is difficult to judge the Eagle’s first team players.  There is mental focus that is not all there when you are playing a preseason game, not to mention, one where your opponent is seemingly throwing in the towel before the game even starts.

·         Preseason games get coaches to focus on pieces of the game.  Coaches would like to see how the defense can play in cover 2, certain blitz packages or in press coverage.  These are usually not put into place to win the game per say, but more to gauge the most effective game plans for the regular season. This again makes preseason games often seem like something they are not.   

The Good

The Eagles defensive line had another outstanding evening. 2 sacks were recorded but the line was causing havoc to any QB the Patriots put in the huddle. The Patriots were also held to only 61 yards on the ground (averaging 2.1 yards per carry) with their first team RBs playing much of the 1^st half. The effective pass rush also led to an INT - which was called back on a roughing the passer flag (see: “The Ugly”)

The Eagles continue to look strong in the second half and do what they need to in order to win the game. I know I know – “it’s the second or third team players!” I get that, but this Eagles team blew numerous second half leads a season ago, which cost this team 4+ wins. Any improvement is good in this guy’s eyes.   

Nick Foles – Could this young QB be the future of this franchise? Vick’s health concerns are well documented and Foles could see some legitimate time this season as the #2 QB (which Andy Reid will soon name him).  He has shown strength, confidence, IQ, and the ability to win a game- qualities that most rookie QBs do not have.   I’m not calling for Nick to be the starter, but Reid is a quarterback coach at heart and with (hopefully) a few more years out of Vick – this kid could be the future come 2014.

The Bad

Cue the broken record! The LBs looked very weak last night. DeMeco Ryans, the Eagles cure to the cancer that has plagued this defense last season has not shown up in either of the preseason games.  He hasn’t been unable to run down the RBs on the outside and continues to the get pushed around in the middle. I don’t have a good feeling about this one.  The LB’s continue to get pounded against the screen which has been brutal to the eagles, especially on third down. As with any blitz heavy team the screen will catch up to you at times but a 20 yard gain by Shane Vereen on 3^rd down deep in eagles territory can be the difference between a win and a loss in Metlife stadium come week 17.

The Ugly

The penalties are still burning in my mind hours after this game.  These were not 1^st and 10 false starts, these are 3^rd down flags, INT’s voided because of flags, 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd team flags! Flags on flags on flags! Yes these are replacement refs, but there is a good chance we will see these refs come the regular season, so we better get used to it! I can give a pass to the illegal substitution penalties since it seems like there are 275 players on the sidelines, but FOUR roughing calls!?!?! Yes, that was not a typo – the eagles committed 4 unnecessary roughing calls last night. Three on defense, one of which was on a third-down interception by Rodgers-Cromartie

that would have put the Eagles on the Patriots 30 yard line in the 1^st quarter. Instead Fletcher Cox hit Ryan Mallot late causing 15 extra yards and a first down- later leading to a touchdown (after an 3^rd and 7 defensive holding gave the Pats another 1^st down later in the drive).  The Eagles totaled 16 penalties for a total of 131 yards to the Patriots 7 for 60 yards.  Is this going to continue to be an issue in the regular season? Better not be if the Eagles plan on winning games.

Bottom Line

The bottom line is that the Eagles do not click. Lucky for them, these games are meaningless. Looking back to the last 4 games of the 2011 campaign, when this team is on, they can be the team to beat.  Eagles fans everywhere are hoping that they can get these bumps and bruises worked out and can figure out a way to get off the field on 3^rd downs. As of right now, this Eagles fan is skeptical, but still optimistic that this Eagles team will be special.

Next game: Eagles @ Browns Friday August 24^th 7:30 PM

 Don’t expect much on Friday as the neither team is likely to tip their hand as they will face off in a week 1 matchup. “What to watch for” post coming soon!  

What To Expect From the 2012 Eagles

For the first time in many years, the fans are happy with the Eagles off season moves. We filled every position that we needed to, and now training camp is here. Our defense got much bigger, adding Fletcher Cox to the line and DeMeco Ryans to our linebacker core. We locked up guys like DeSean Jackson and LeSean McCoy for the next few years. Now we have all of the pieces to finally make our Super Bowl run.

Like Vick said a few days ago, this team has all of the parts necessary to turn into a dynasty. Many sports reporters did not like the fact that he said that, but I loved it. Now I know talking is exactly what got us into trouble last year when Vince Young decided to tell the world that we had the dream team, but he was the backup quarterback. It’s a lot different hearing something like this from the starting quarterback. It shows that he believes in the team, but more importantly, he’s in the spot to turn his words into actions, because he starts!

So let’s get into it, why do the Eagles have a better opportunity to win the Super Bowl this year rather than any other year? There are a few reasons actually. First, we’ve made every player on our team happy. Everyone is happy with their contracts this year, unlike last year. Players are bound to play better for an organization that they’re happy to be a part of. The second reason is that they have every position filled this year with players that have proven to be good. At the start of last year, our whole linebacker and safety core was players that I had never heard of. I’m a diehard fan, and I didn’t know who most of the players were. Plus, you can’t just throw a team together in a few months and expect them to win in a competitive league like the NFL.

At the end of the season last year, the Eagles were the hottest team in football. Sadly it was too little too late. That brings me into my third reason why we have a better chance to win this year, rather than any other. This is Andy Reid’s last year on his contract. The players love Andy, and they are going to do whatever it takes to keep him here. Well, only one thing will keep him here, and that’s a Super Bowl. They are not going to get off to a slow start this year, because they’ll be playing for him, but also because they’re just better than they were last year. Now that this team has had a year to come together, they have the potential to dominate the league.

We have some of the best players in football on both offense and defense, and I think that it’s going to become apparent throughout the regular season. Bottom line is, as the football season approaches we are definitely one of the top five best teams in the league. By the time this year ends, that’s going be very apparent. I’m not saying that we’re definitely going to win it all, but I would be surprised if we don’t make a deep playoff run.

Mathis resigns, Burress on horizon?

It was starting to look the Eagles were gonna lose Evan Mathis to the Ravens, instead they signed last years starting left guard to a five year contract extension.  Mathis had a surprisingly good last season, and barring injury the Birds will have their starting offensive line back from last season. 

In other news Nfl.com has a story up currently that states the Eagles are in contact with free agent wide reciever Plaxico Burress.  Burress stated publicly that he wants to play with the Eagles earlier in the offseason.  Micheal Vick struggled to get his legs back his first year out of prison.  If Burress is anything like the player he was before he went to prison we could be getting a serious weapon very cheap.  The Eagles need size in the redzone, and Burress is around 6'5".  Could be the perfect fit. 

I believe the Eagles will make some noise this week.  The big money free agents are gone, meaning that this week is like bargain week in the NFL.  The birds can fill some serious holes on the team and not spend a whole lot at the same time.  Laron Laundry (ss), Mike Tolbert (rb), and London Fletcher (mlb), are the three names on this blogger's wishlist (other than the previously mentioned Burress).