Bleacher Report - Articles by dennis bovell

The Philadelphia Eagles' Top Five Offensive Plays of 2008

dennis bovell — Fri, 29 May 2009 22:01:49 -0400

It’s very difficult to pick five plays for the 2008 Philadelphia Eagles because, much like Stu Scott’s eyes, they were all over the place. The Eagles had a hard time finding consistency, especially in the red zone. In fact, it may be easier to name the plays that consistently DIDN’T work. The play that arguably saved the season was run by quarterback coach Pat Shurmur, who informed Donovan he was benched. It use to be that Birds depended heavily on the screen pass. In fact, they ran multiple variations of the play throughout the game and were effective with it. Today, although they are still considered one of the top screen teams in the league, they’re living off their reputation like Brett Favre. Despite the fact that the Eagles seemed predictable at times and lacked any threat of a short yardage running game (you have to sneak McNabb in that Bears game!), their offense did produce a high number of big plays. According to NFL.com, they were sixth in the league in points per game with 26 and 9th in the league in yards per game by accumulating 350.5. In fact, the Eagles ran 59 plays of over 20 yards or more from the line of scrimmage in 2008. Not too shabby. Let’s review the biggest ones.

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Philadelphia Eagles Receivers a Crapshoot, Demps and Jones To Battle It Out

dennis bovell — Sat, 23 May 2009 11:37:27 -0400

For the first time in Donovan McNabb’s Eagles career, the wide receiver position seems to be a team strength. It may be a dogfight for playing time there (and not because Mike Vick was released), with only DeSean Jackson’s starting status a certainty at this point.

Kevin Curtis, the other incumbent starter, may not hold that title come 1 p.m. September 13th. Curtis has been frequently injured throughout his Eagles tenure, and is currently on the wrong side of 30. We’ve all seen how the Eagles feel about players in their thirties.

Another battle is brewing between Hank Baskett and Jason Avant. Avant proved his worth last season with his work in the slot, and Andy Reid seems to appreciate his toughness.

At 6’4 220 pounds, Baskett is the biggest of the wide receivers on a team in desperate need of a big red zone target. He had one more reception than Avant last season (33). Baskett is also engaged to Kendra Willkinson, which will certainly make him feel better if he loses out to Avant.

Obviously, Maclin is guaranteed a spot on the depth chart. Where he fits in and how quickly he picks up the offense is an unknown factor.

Reid’s offense has been known to give younger players fits trying to understand it (I’m sure Ryan Moats can provide a tutorial), and DeSean Jackson had the advantage of playing in a pro-style offense in college. Jackson has clearly become the Birds number one, which brings us to our wild-card.

Reggie Brown.

Brown is an enigma. Coming off a 61 reception season, he was expected to step up big last season. Unfortunately for him, 18 catches and a couple deactivations later, he may be the odd man out.

If Brown really is out to prove himself, as he told Comcast SportsNet earlier this month, he could be lining up beside Jackson. If not, he could be lining up in the unemployment line.

With the Eagles ready to make a run at a championship, there aren’t many other positions up for grab.

The departure of Brian Dawkins left a hole at free safety, which was expected to be filled by Quentin Demps. Who is Quentin Demps you say?

He’s the safety twirling around and falling on his face, like Pat Burrell chasing down a fly ball, while Larry Fitzgerald takes a Kurt Warner flea-flicker to the end zone in the NFC championship.

He’s the guy taking a cheap shot on Warner for and costing the Eagles 15 yards.

All that said, don’t judge the guy off of one game. Demps has speed and great ball-skills (flea-flicker withstanding). He had a full season to mentor under the best safety in team history, as well as too learn Jim Johnson’s system.

Should Demps not progress as expected, the Eagles brought in former Brown Sean Jones.

Jones is a big hitter who has the ability to win a starting spot. If Jim Johnson is looking for someone to bring in the box (much like he used Dawkins), look for Jones to be the starter with Quentin Mikell moved to free safety.

The caveat?

Jones may have difficulty adapting to the scheme, coming from the 3-4 defense run in Cleveland.

Reid, Mornhinweg, and Johnson...The Three Blind Mice?

dennis bovell — Sun, 17 May 2009 16:00:37 -0400

If you observed an Eagles post-game news conference, you would be led to believe that Andy Reid constitutes the entire coaching staff.

Despite the repetitious phrase “It’s my responsibility to put guys in a better position to be successful,” which almost always follows one of the most annoying throat-clears ever heard, it is not entirely Andy Reid’s responsibility.

Surprisingly, the franchise does employ assistants

Jim Johnson, hired by Reid in January of 1999, serves as the franchises defensive coordinator. Johnson is held in high regard around the NFL, considered one of the best coordinators in many league circles. He is well-known for his attacking style defensive schemes.

Johnson began his coaching career in 1967, serving as the head coach of Missouri Southern. He didn’t break into the NFL until he was hired as the defensive line coach of the St. Louis Cardinals in 1986. He came to Andy Reid after a couple stops in Indianapolis and Seattle.

Johnson is currently battling cancer, but intends to keep coaching. The loss of Johnson would serve as a huge blow to the players, who seem to love playing for him.

The Eagles assistant head coach, Marty Mornhinweg, also serves as the offensive coordinator. He was given the coordinator tag after Brad Childress departed for the Minnesota Vikings.

Although it is debatable as to the amount of control Mornhinweg technically has over the offense, the Eagles have set team records in both yards and points during his tenure.

Mornhinweg came to the Eagles after a failed two year stint as head coach of the Detroit Lions (5-27). Prior to that, he served as an offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in San Francisco. Mornhinweg landed his first NFL position in 1995 with the Green Bay Packers as offensive assistant/quality control, which is where he first worked with Reid.

Reid and Mornhinweg work as a tandem while directing the offense from the sideline. Reid’s love for the passing game is widely publicized, which makes it difficult to decipher who is running the show when the Birds get pass happy. Despite that, it is undeniable that Mornhinweg has played a key role in the team’s offensive success.

Andy Reid was hired on January 11, 1999, as Head Coach and Executive VP of Football Operations. Little did owner Jeff Lurie know, he was hiring the future winning-est coach in team history. Despite his success, Reid, much like his quarterback, has come to be both loved and loathed and by the fans of Philadelphia.

Reid spent seven season’s in Green Bay before Lurie tagged him as his head coach. There, he worked with Brett Favre and shadowed Mike Holmgren. Unlike most former offensive lineman, Reid developed an affinity for the passing game.

That affinity has been the topic of great debate during his tenure in Philadelphia.

Reid’s play-calling has been constantly scrutinized. Many fans and analysts find it appalling how little attention he pays to the running game. Reid’s argument has always been that you throw to get the lead, and you run to maintain it.

After four championship game losses and one Super Bowl defeat, Reid and his argument have become a major source of frustration.

The Philadelphia Eagles: Birds Reloaded for Championship Run

dennis bovell — Sun, 17 May 2009 12:50:02 -0400

As usual, the Philadelphia Eagles enter the season as serious title contenders but, as usual, they will have to overcome themselves if they hope to shed the "contender" label and adopt the "champion" tag.

Although the team lost mainstays, such as Brian Dawkins and Tra Thomas to free agency, their offseason acquisitions have strengthened the roster. The acquisition of Jason Peters gives the Eagles arguably the leagues best tackle. The signing of Stacy Andrews will not only give the team one of the leagues fiercest offensive lines, but also assist in the mental stability of his brother, Shawn Andrews.

Add to that the signing of Leonard Weaver (Andy signed a real fullback!) and the draft day additions of Jeremy Maclin, LeSean McCoy, and Cornelius Ingram, and Donovan has to be happy.

The defense returns almost the entire starting cast, minus Dawkins. Sean Jones was brought in to provide insurance for young safety Quentin Demps, and Ellis Hobbs was acquired via a draft-day trade to battle with Sheldon Brown.

Organizational disharmony has become status quo for this franchise, and 2009 looks to be no different. From the Terrell Owens saga to the Lito Sheppard drama, the Eagles never lack disgruntled employees. Sheldon Brown, the new leading man in the unhappy camper category, plays an important role this year.

Expected to become a leader for this defense after the offseason loss of Brian Dawkins, Brown has expressed displeasure with his contract and requested a trade. The Eagles, in a way only they can, not only publicly denied his request but also accused Brown of devaluing himself, while they were willing to explore trade opportunities.

How the Eagles play their hand, here, is very important. Brown has the potential to divide that locker room, which is something that can hinder any championship run. He has already drug the names of Trent Cole and Mike Patterson into his public spat with Eagles President Joe Banner.

Brown is no superstar, but he is a dependable and hard-hitting cornerback who has never missed a game in his career. Still, the Eagles would be wise to explore all avenues considering last season's Lito Sheppard experiment. A solid corner with a bad attitude does the team no good buried on the depth chart.

The other issue Andy Reid faces resides in the mirror. Reid’s stubbornness regarding the run becomes predictable, placing too much pressure on McNabb. The team cannot be successful throwing the ball 40 times each and every week.

It’s inevitable that, at some point, Brian Westbrook will be injured. The addition of McCoy allows the Eagles to run many of the same plays and formations, as McCoy serves as a “mini-Westbrook.” Again, that all hinges on Andy Reid’s mammoth...ego (were you expecting something else?).

Many people believe that Correll Buckhalter was grossly underutilized last season.

The Birds are a legitimate title contender, just check Asante Samuel’s twitter account. If Sheldon Brown can put the team first, and Andy Reid can be reminded that running the ball is legal as well as successfully petition Mr. Goodell to skip the conference championship game, you can book Philadelphia in Super Bowl XLIV.