1) The Eagles will completely shake up their wide receiver corps by the end of the season.
Kevin Curtis will be the only wide receiver that begins the season in the same role as he began. Reggie Brown, who's currently the No. 2 wide receiver isn't going to catch 40 balls this year. He just doesn't fit well into this system. The Eagles will exploit the fact that the remaining wide receivers are all great at specific things, while Brown is not.
Jason Avant is a solid receiver that can go over the middle and make tough catches. Hank Baskett is going to be an absolute weapon in situations where the ball has to go to the sidelines and in the red zone. His large frame and great hands allow him to catch balls most receivers can only dream of catching.
Finally, DeSean Jackson has shown all training camp, and in the first preseason game, that he's going to be able to stretch the field. Jackson has also showed the ability to catch the ball in short-yardage situations and use his agility to have large yards-after-the-catch totals.
This all adds up to the Eagles saying "peace" to Greg Lewis.
2) The defensive line will be one of the most dominant in the NFC.
The Eagles' defensive line will, overall, be much improved from 2007 when the defense was good, but not great. The heart of this resurgence will come from the defensive line.
Broderick Bunkley and Mike Patterson is one of the best defensive-tackle duos in the NFC. They aren't the best, but they are right there. Backing them up will be Dan Klecko, who's undersized but has the best motor of any player on the defensive line. Rookie Trevor Laws will also provide depth.
On the ends, Trent Cole is again one of the best pass rushers in the NFC and should finish with somewhere between eight and 12 sacks. Darren Howard has shown some rejuvenation in his legs, as he enters his ninth NFL season. Juqua Parker has always been that typical "glue guy" on that defensive line.
Plus, the Eagles should get young stud DE Victor Abiamiri back at some point in the season.
Overall, the defensive line will put added pressure on the quarterback, taking some strain of a stellar defensive backfield. The Eagles' run stuffers will also help out the young linebackers, who have shown potential but are largely unproven.
3) The special teams will begin the season awfully, but will be much improved by the end.
There's a lot of turnover on the special teams' coverage units and the kick returners, which means special-teams coordinator Rory Segrest is going to have his hands full.
Lorenzo Booker has never been a kick returner in the pros or college, as he played behind Teddy Ginn in Miami and Leon Washington at Florida State. He's shown great agility and great vision of the open field during offensive drills, but there are questions about whether he can translate that to kick returns.
He should struggle early, but he's too skilled to struggle all year.
DeSean Jackson will have similar issues, from the standpoint that he has to adjust to the speed of the NFL. In the Eagles' first preseason game, he tried to do too much on several punt returns and lost yardage. In the whole scheme of things, that's actually good because he needs to learn his boundaries.
12 comments Last one added 9 months ago — Leave a Comment
Ya Girl Is Diggin Me Forreal.. 10 months ago
Good read, good article...eagles are gonna kick some ass this year
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Scott Harris 10 months ago
I wouldn't put the Eagles DL in the top 15 in the NFL, but they'll clearly be better than last year. But don't pin your hopes on a playoff appearance, it ain't happening.
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Tanner Kluth 10 months ago
Bunkley and Patterson, eh? How about Taylor and Carter? I laugh at your D-Line!
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Tanner Kluth 10 months ago
Whoops. They're tackles, not ends.
But I'm still laughing.
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Jameson Fleming 10 months ago
And I laugh at the Redskins offense and secondary compared to the Eagles.
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Tanner Kluth 10 months ago
You won't be laughing when Brian Westbrook gets clipped by LaRon Landry.
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andrew huff 9 months ago
I sure was laughing when Landry got steamrolled by jacobs in week 1.
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Craig Garrison Sr 10 months ago
The Skins offense will be just fine, in fact, MUCH improved from last year. The Eagles will once again be a pretty good football team. The problem is, well, I don't know what the problem is, but there seems to always be something messing this team up. And this year will be no different. Whether it's an injury or something else, something will screw it up again, we are talking about the Eagles!
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Tanner Kluth 10 months ago
Their problem is offense. Their defense is great.
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Vinny Gazzara 10 months ago
The top 2 defensive lines in the NFL belong to the New York Giants and the Minnesota Vikings. Neither Phillies DL or Washington's DL will come close tto the dominance of those 2 units. Aaron Campman in GB will probably make that unit the 3rd best.
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Tanner Kluth 10 months ago
They have Jared Allen and then who? Ray Edwards?
Carter and Taylor accumulated one more sack than those two did last year, and Taylor was on an absolutely dismal team.
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Vinny Gazzara 10 months ago
Tanner, Pat and Kevin Williams? They are arguably the best run stopping DT's in the league. Redskins cant match that. And when the Giants have Osi, Justin Tuck, Fred Robbins, and Barry Cofield all healthy, no one can match that.
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