In recent years, the hype for the Philadelphia Eagles has always been high in the mind of an Eagles fan.
I was never one of them. Until now.
The Eagles have only had one offseason as notable as this past offseason: the 2004 Super Bowl season.
I'm not saying the Birds will go all the way, but they could get pretty close.
First of all, the defense is looking better than I expected. I thought that Lito Shepperd would be long gone by now, but the fact that he is still in the nest is a great sign. Keeping him gives the Eagles great depth at cornerback. It also takes some of the pressure off of the aging Brian Dawkins and the question marks of Quintin Mikell and Sean Considine.
Plus, bringing Asante Samuel to a defense that has lost their knack for interceptions could revamp this secondary for a standout year.
Now, the defensive line isn't too great, but isn't too bad. Trent Cole should have another double-digit sack season, and I like the talents of Mike Patterson. I am especially intrigued by Broderick Bunkley this preseason. He seems to really be progressing well, and this could be his breakout year.
And don't forget about Chris Clemens. Clemens was a decent lineman in the past few years, and I think he could make a nice impact on this defensive line.
On to the offense.
First of all, Eagles fans can take a deep breath...for now. Donovan McNabb looks fantastic so far in training camp and looked great tonight in his preseason game against the Patriots. If Donovan can stay healthy, he could have a great year (deja vu?).
Second, Brian Westbrook is a happy man with his new contract and should have another tremendous year. Besides LaDanian Tomlinson, Westbrook is the most exciting back in the NFL. With his mix of carrying the ball and catching abilities, Westbrook can be the most elite dual-threat back in the league.
Also, many people look at Westbrook and ask some questions about his injuries. Well, I say that you shouldn't worry about that. He doesn't miss many games at all. He misses around one game per year, which isn't too bad for a player that is "always injured."
The only time he missed more than two games due to injury was in 2005, which he actually only sat out all four games because the team went 6-10.
Finally, the WR corps could be getting some help very soon.
Before Kevin Curtis went down for about two months, the Eagles' WR corps was already looking dull.
With Reggie Brown as their No. 2 WR, it looked like Westbrook and McNabb were going to have to carry the offense again. And now it looks like Brown could be bothered by his hamstring for a little bit. He will probably play in the opener, but he may not be the No. 1.
Hank Baskett has impressed Andy Reid this training camp and in recent years. Personally, I would rather see Baskett than Brown as the No. 1 receiver at the beginning of the year.
Now, having Reggie Brown and Hank Baskett—who are, at best, No. 2 and No. 3 receivers on most teams—as your starting receiving is not good. Even with Curtis, the receivers looked pretty bad. But now they are in deep trouble.
So where do they turn?
Well first of all, you can turn to the veteran Joe Horn. Sure, he may not be the WR he used to be, but he would be an improvement over Greg Lewis, Baskett, or even Brown as the No. 2 or No. 3 WR.
14 comments Last one added 10 months ago — Leave a Comment
Thomas 10 months ago
ur gonna have to rework ur Baltimore-Philly matchup. it should be something like BAL 21 - Philly 14. Baltimore tears u guys up and makes it to the wild card playoff.
nice preview though, other than that.
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Christian Karcole 10 months ago
Haha
Thanks for the advice Thomas, but Baltimore isn't going anywhere this year.
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Thomas 10 months ago
we'll see my friend, we'll see.
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BabyTate 10 months ago
Let's see, I have maintained for decades that the finest performance by a Quarterback in the NFL was Norm Van Brocklin's 1960 season which led to the last NFL Championship by the Eagles. During the 1950s the Eagles featured a cut throat defense known as "The Suicide Seven" anchored by Concrete Charlie Bednarik. That all came together under Coach Greasy Neal to win the title over Lombardi.
As I look at the Eagles team of 2008 I wonder where are the stars? Can you say the defense is reminiscent of a unit still discused in NFL lore 50 years later? Not hardly, in fact the Eagle defense may be a weakness. The Eagles have always been good when the defense is good so that would be my prime concern. Regarding the offense you have a very detailed analysis which is persuasive. Good argument for Eagle success. However, is it based upon McNabb staying healthy? He'll need to be protected.
I like the Eagles' chances to be better than .500 simply because they are a tough group of men. The Giants will be a problem because Eli has learned how to win and he will be a force for years to come. The New York Football Giants can match the Eagles' toughness. This could lead to some bloody battles. I would say Philly is definitely better than Dallas, a franchise that has gone backward for the past 15 years. Let's say the Eagles make the playoffs by the skin of their teeth. However, my choice to come out of the NFC is Minnesota. I believe Peterson will be the NFC MVP and the Vikings win the conference.
This is another excellent article by you. Please keep me informed as to your further work, I would appreciate it.
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Christian Karcole 10 months ago
I agree with almost everything you said. I just think the defense is what will carry this team, but they aren't anything more than a top ten defense at best (my 10th ranked defense to be exact). And as said in many of my Eagles wins, the defense will be a critical point to success.
But the defense is nothing if Donovan can't stay healthy and keep the offense working. Westbrook may be the best on the team, but you need your quarter back to help stabalize the team and help out Westbrook.
But I don't agree with the fact that you said the Eagles are better than the Cowboys...I wish it was true, but it just isn't. And I don't think the Giants will be even better than the Skins. And I have to disagree with Minnesota. I may buy into the hype of a playoff spot, but I still think the Packers will come out of the NFC off the back of a strong year from Rodgers. Plus, I'm no AP fan....
And thanks, I'll be glad to keep you updated. Glad to hear you like the articles so far.
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Jameson Fleming 10 months ago
I don't think the Eagles defense will be a weakness.
The secondary is arguably the best in the NFL. Dawkins may have lost a step, but he's still a top five or six safety in the league. Asante Samuel, Sheldon Brown, and Lito Shepard is probably the best CB trio in the league as well.
The linebackers are young, but very talented.
The defensive line is very deep, but great, but very deep. So in the end I don't think the Eagles D is a top five D, but it's certainly top 10.
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Michael Padgett 10 months ago
I think that you have done a phenomenal job covedring the Eagles, but I think you have some teams underrated and overrated in your review.
Seattle is not going to be the same team we have seen in the past years. I think that the Eagles will have no problem shutting their offense down because as we all know Mike Holmgren does not like to run the ball especially with Maurice Norris. He likes to pass and with Hassellbeck having no good recievers to throw to, the Eagles secondary should definately shut them down. I say the Eagles take that game 31-13.
Also the bengals are not going to be that good either. With a depleted defense and a not so hot running game, I do not think the Bengals will pull the upset in this game. They will be too one dimensional and the Eagles should have no problem putting pressure on Palmer and shutting down their offense.
Don't write out the defense of the Giants. Eli may not have success against the Eagles, but the Giant's defense will be one of the toughest tests for the Eagle offense. If the Eagles wan't to win this game, the offensive line will have to be able to protect Mcnabb by keeping off probably the best pass rushing defense in the NFC.
I also see you have the 49ers as an easy win. With huge aquisitions in the offseason, I would not write this team off for taking the west. We have all seen that the D has improved tremendously from last season with a healthy linebacking core, good pass rush, and a pretty good secondary. The offense also seems to run better with O'Sullivan than with Smith. The offensive is said to be one of the best this year and their are tons of weapons between Gore and the rookie Josh Morgon. I think the 49ers will be tougher than you expect.
The Cowboys I dont think will beat the Eagles twice. I dont think we will see the same dominance from the Cowboys as we saw last year. Too much star power, and not a good enough recieving core to compliment Owens. Also, Pacman has'nt been in the game for a while so the Eagles will have a corner to pick on because so far he has been blowing his coverage a lot in the preseason games. Roy Williams may be hard hitting, but he also suckers into play action and its easy to get recievers behind him. Terrance Newman is out, but once again I see the key for the Eagles being the offensive line. They will be playing another good pass rush, so they will need to buy enough time fot Mcnabb.
And dont put your money on Rodgers yet, we all saw how he performed against the 49ers First team Defense. A team you said above was not that good.
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Tanner Kluth 10 months ago
Funny... I think the Eagles go 0-6 or 1-5 in their division. Their defense is great, no doubt. DeSean Jackson does look promising, no doubt. But it's Preseason.
I've seen more kickoff returns for touchdowns in the last two weeks than we EVER see in a regular season. Jackson's was likely a fluke the most of the others.
I think the Kevin Curtis injury just hurts this team too much. Their receiving corps compared to most others teams is just embarrassing. All the focus can be put on Westbrook.
They had a great defense last year and managed to only go 8-8. Now, with Curtis out, their defense is going to REALLY have to step up if they're going to be any better than .500.
I just have a feeling that, at some point in one of their games against the Redskins, DeSean Jackson, because of his small size, is going to get POPPPPPEEDD by LaRon Landry. I can just see it coming. :)
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Jameson Fleming 10 months ago
I enjoy how pro-Redskins you are and how anti-eagles you are haha.
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Christian Karcole 10 months ago
Tanner...did I say I was basing Jackson off of one game?
He's a tremendous talent with great speed and agility. He's a great returner, we have known that all the time, and he has shown he can do decent in the pass game as well.
And I agree with the Curtis situation. I just think it means they will go after someone.
And no way jose did they have a great defense last year. Secondary was terrible with Shepperd and Dawkins missing time, and the LB's were young and weren't as good and experience, and now the d-line is even better.
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Christian Karcole 10 months ago
And thanks Jameson and Micahel!
And Jameson, as I said in the article, I agree they are top ten defense.
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Michoel Botwinick 10 months ago
Great article!
Although, in my opinion they take the win against the pass-happy Bengals (just look at our secondary!), but take a tough loss to the Ravens (their run defense contains Westbrook).
Other than that, I pretty much agree with what you said. 10-6 does sound pretty good, at any rate.
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Andy Kukman 10 months ago
The Eagles had the un-luckiest season ever a year ago...and still managed 8-8.
McNabb had one leg...literally, he was hoping around on one leg.
The defense couldn't get the ball to save their arse!
The ref's were horrible for the Birds last year (honestly...horrible)
While I believe that you do "make your own luck" for the most part, if karma comes around at all for the Birds this year things are gonna look pretty sweet come December and January.
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Tanner Kluth 10 months ago
I'll give the Eagles another division win now the Osi Umenyiora's out for the season with a torn meniscus.
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