Bleacher Report - Articles by Lou DiPietro

Total Team Effort Earned Philadelphia Eagles' D an A vs. Chicago Bears

Lou DiPietro — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 23:09:32 -0500

I posted last week that Eagles’ defensive coordinator Sean McDermott had a chance to earn his stripes last weekend. Working with a patchwork squad, he would truly have to coach them to victory.

Consider those stripes earned…and it was a total team effort.

From sack machine Trent Cole all the way down to the twenty-fourth man, everyone on the Eagles’ defense pitched in and made it happen.

But to borrow a page from the NHL, the Eagles’ three defensive stars of the game are guys whose names you almost never hear or see in the box score.

There would be several honorable mentions, of course. Jeremiah Trotter, for instance made his first start in three years and used his much-maligned cover skills to make a great open field tackle that stalled a drive.

But the third star would go collectively to the secondary, specifically the backups. First up are Ramzee Robinson and Jack Ikegwuonu, who didn’t see much defensive PT but made contributions on special teams. This allowed Dimitri Patterson to focus on having to be the nickel corner.

That help was invaluable, as thanks to Sheldon Brown’s nagging hamstring and a neck burner that kept Asante Samuel on the sidelines for most of the second half, Patterson became the top corner by default. He responded with four tackles and a game almost no one would’ve expected at one corner.

Nor would they have expected the game Macho Harris played. With Quintin Demps out, he was the only depth at safety besides Quentin Mikell and Sean Jones; but because Ellis Hobbs is on IR, Harris has also become the top option for kick returns.

If that wasn’t enough, he ended up spending much of the second half playing his college position of cornerback. With all that on his plate, Macho had a swell game—four tackles, one defensed pass and a 25-yard average on returns.

All in all, a good night for guys who didn’t figure to see much action this season.

The second star would go to defensive tackle Antonio Dixon, who blocked a Robbie Gould field goal early in the fourth quarter. It was the only tally Dixon registered on the stat sheet, but it was perhaps the biggest play of the game.

His block prevented Chicago from taking a 23-17 lead and gave the ball to the Birds at their own 38. Free from the pressure of absolutely having to get in the end zone, the Eagles drove and scored what would end up being the winning touchdown less than six game minutes later.

But if that wasn’t the biggest play of the game, the one made by our top star with less than a minute left.

That would be linebacker Tracy White, another special teams ace who threw a joker into Jay Cutler’s deck on Chicago’s final offensive play.

White, who was in the game in lieu of Trotter, Joe Mays or Moise Fokou because of the zone coverage scheme, did something that the Eagles have had trouble doing all season—stop the tight end.

But he did more than that. On a second-and-10 play with 52 seconds remaining, White saw something. He read the route Greg Olsen was running and met the ball a split second before it got into Olson’s arms, tipping it away.

Sean Jones came down with it, and the rest is history.

It was the second good play White had made in that short drive, the first coming when he assisted Will Witherspoon on a tackle that stopped Olson from rumbling for 20 or 30 yards over the middle.

White has all of 15 tackles and two passes defensed this year, but none of them were as huge as the pair he flopped to seal the game for the Birds.

So, yes, it was a total team effort for the Eagles, and they got the job done. With even more roster flux on the defensive side—Ikegwuonu was waived and replaced with Bengals practice squad refugee Geoffrey Pope—it’s a good thing they face another struggling offense in the Washington Redskins this Sunday.

But if last weekend is any indication, Sean McDermott will have his gang up to the task.

Eagles' Sean McDermott Has Chance To Earn His Stripes in Bears Battle

Lou DiPietro — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:46:21 -0500

You know how analysts or pundits will say that “Player X at 80 percent is better than most players at 100 percent” or something like that to tap dance around an injured player suiting up out of necessity?

The Philadelphia Eagles do, and they’re going to need to believe that on Sunday night for the sake of their defense.

And if it doesn’t hold true…the season may just be over.

Right now, the Chicago Bears are a perfect tonic for a bad defense, and an even better one for a potentially potent offense.

They have no offensive identity, Jay Cutler averages two turnovers a game and Matt Forte—who had a breakout rookie season and looked ready to emerge as an elite back—is averaging yards per game and has been fairly pedestrian in seven of nine games.

Defensively, they’re down three starters and can’t stop anyone. Since a hot 3-1 start—which included a win over the Steelers—the Bears are 1-4 (with the win against the Browns) and have given up more than 40 points twice in that span.

And yet, this is the one game where the defense is going to have to have a monster game.

But outside of the front four, it’s a big ol’ mess on Sean McDermott’s side.

At linebacker, the Eagles will most likely trot out their fifth different combination of starters this season. Moving Chris Gocong to the middle didn’t really work out, so with Akeem Jordan still out, it appears as if Joe Mays will become the fourth different man to start at the MIKE.

Gocong moves back to the SAM spot, with usual MIKE Will Witherspoon making his second straight start at the WILL. It will be a patchwork lineup, but even a decent game will be a huge step in the development of Mays, whose stock fell faster and harder than just about anyone not named Reggie Brown.

As rough as the linebacker situation may seem, it’s worse in the secondary…and if it wasn’t for that “80 percent” player, it might be disastrous.

Sheldon Brown, who suffered a hamstring injury against the Chargers, has been limited in practice but is expected to start on Sunday.

That’s a good thing, because Brown at 80 percent probably is, in fact, better than 100 percent of any other active corner on the roster who could play alongside Asante Samuel.

Unfortunately, hamstring injuries are usually nagging and all it takes is one tweak to shoot his season to pieces. That’s a bad thing, because beyond him is Dmitri Patterson—a special teams ace who himself is coming off a pair of injuries—and the recently-signed duo of Ramzee Robinson and Jack Ikegewuonu.

And that’s the strong half.

While both starting safeties, Quentin Mikell and Sean Jones, are healthy and ready to go, the return of Macho Harris will be huge.

Quintin Demps’ ankle has kept him from practicing all week and he is out for Sunday, so Harris is the only depth behind the starters. But he missed practice Wednesday with an eye infection, and while the rookie returned on Thursday, he will have to play with a visor on his helmet.

He’ll also be returning kicks in the absence of Demps and Ellis Hobbs, so if there are any flare-ups of the infection, it could mean huge trouble in paradise.

Good thing the Bears are in flux.

Sean McDermott said when he took over as defensive coordinator that it would be a smooth transition and not much would change from Jim Johnson’s regime.

Surely he meant it, but this Sunday he’s going to have to work magic with his unit that would make even Johnson proud.

If he can manipulate the smoke and mirrors and hold it together, a win over the Bears would give the Birds a huge leg up in the playoff race—especially with games still left against both the Giants and Falcons.

If not, it could mean the season.

Welcome to Chicago.

Memo to Andy Reid: Back Up Your Words, Place Westbrook On IR

Lou DiPietro — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:52:41 -0500

There are a lot of things someone who covers the Eagles could write about today.

In the wake of Sunday’s loss to San Diego, the Birds have dropped two straight. Andy Reid’s play-calling continues to be questionable, the defense fell apart, and they’ve now been embarrassed twice on the West Coast.

But at 5-4, they’re still tied with the Giants, Falcons, and Packers for the two NFC Wild Card spots and have seven weeks to figure it out.

In the interim, there’s something much more pressing to figure out: Brian Westbrook.

Specifically his future, as No. 36 suffered his second concussion in a month in that loss to the Chargers.

After the game, Andy Reid said that “Football right now for Brian Westbrook is not the important thing.” If that’s truly the case, there’s one giant way the Eagles brass can back up their coach’s words:

Put Westbrook on injured reserve.

Yes, I know that might sound like a hypocritical statement on a number of levels, but for both his and the Eagles’ future, it’s the right move.

The biggest con about that move, besides the fact that he’s definitely lost for the season, is that the Eagles rushing game is anemic at best without him. The Birds racked up a whopping 29 yards on the ground, almost all of it by Westbrook before he left.

That speaks as much to the fact that they were down by 19 at one point, but still; the Chargers had more than that on just their second touchdown drive alone.

But what if Westbrook sits out three, four, or five weeks? The Eagles’ season could be over by then, and one more hit to the head could end Westbrook’s career. Is that worth the gamble?

The Eagles drafted LeSean McCoy to spell Westbrook and eventually replace him…and trotting out Westbrook, who hasn’t been 100 percent healthy period in years, can only make that eventually come a lot sooner than they want.

Putting him on IR and trusting the keys to McCoy, Leonard Weaver, and maybe Eldra Buckley or PJ Hill will give them a glimpse of that; it will serve as another reminder of how valuable Westbrook really is.

Plus, there would be the side effect of opening up a roster spot to help other ailing areas. Cornerback could use some help; with Ellis Hobbs on IR, Joselio Hanson suspended, and now both Sheldon Brown and Asante Samuel hurting, the only truly healthy corner on the roster is newly-signed Jack Ikegwuonu.

Quintin Demps is hurt and the offensive line still has issues, as well. That fact alone is enough to know that the running game can’t be 100 percent effective—which means it can’t be 100 percent safe, either.

If there’s one light at the end of that tunnel, though, it’s this: The Eagles beat the Giants and almost toppled the Cowboys without Westbrook.

It’s within their best interest to try to do it again this season.

Because if they don’t, and something bad happens…they might just have to do it forever.

Injured reserve would give him eight or nine months to recover from the concussions and all the nagging injuries he's dealt with in the last couple years.

At 30, time and the NFL average dictate Brian Westbrook's career is on the downswing. The Eagles might as well do everything they can to make his final years fruitful ones.

The "No Fun League" Strikes Again, Blames It On "The Captain"

Lou DiPietro — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:39:22 -0500

Apparently, the NFL doesn’t want to have a little Captain in them.

Or so it seems after the league banned poses similar to the one Brent Celek struck after scoring a touchdown this past weekend. You know the one: right leg up as if standing on something, right hand on right knee, and left hand on left hip.

You know, the “Captain Morgan” pose.

Yes, that’s right. The league, claiming knowledge of a league-wide campaign where Morgan distributor Diageo would donate money to the NFL Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund every time a current NFL-er struck the pose on camera, shut down the barely-off-the-ground guerrilla campaign.

“A company can’t pay a player to somehow promote its product on the field,” NFL spokesman Greg Aiello told Yahoo! Sports. “Every league has the same rule. It’s come up before, companies trying to use our games and then players for ambush marketing purposes.”

Yahoo also quoted an unidentified league official as saying that while Celek won’t be fined for his actions, anyone caught doing the pose will be subject to “significant” penalty.

And so the world asks…are you serious, NFL?

In a league where active players are being sent to prison at the rate of one a year, with celebratory actions ranging from Sharpies in socks to cell phones in goalposts—don’t you think they have a lot more to worry about than an un-mitigated advertising campaign?

First of all, they’re not paying the players. The donations would go to the Gridiron Greats Assistance Program, which helps retired players cope with various hardships or issues.

At $10k per pose, they could have collected nearly $700,000 just for all the touchdowns scored in Week Nine. But instead, in essence what you might get is that the NFL doesn’t care about you, if you don’t play there anymore.

Obviously, that’s not the case, but it won’t stop someone associated with the fund from making that incredulous claim.

But second of all, again I implore: What’s wrong with the celebration?

The NFL doesn’t call penalties for dunking the ball through the goal post, nor have I seen many for teammates running 50 yards down the field to do a mid-air body bump.

Short of anything collaborative or pre-meditated—and yes, I understand this could be construed as both, but I’m thinking more along the lines of, say, the Riverdance exhibition in BASEketball —most celebrations shouldn’t even draw a flag, let alone a “significant penalty” from the league.

Hell, move that right arm up into a stiff position and you know what you get? The Heisman pose.

The fact that the league acted so quickly—at all, really—on this is indicative of the fact that they really don’t have a clue.

We have convicted felons, teams in danger of having a national Monday Night Football game blacked out, and hell, one of the league's teams actually uses a pirate as its mascot, yet a five second shout-out to help those who came before them is disallowed?

I think I need a shot of Captain just thinking about how stupid that sounds.

Temple Football Fans: Enjoy The "Golden" Era While It Lasts

Lou DiPietro — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:35:43 -0500

With a 7-2 record, the inside track on the MAC East Division title and a buzz surrounding the program for the first time in a long time, Temple football truly is in a Golden Age.

But enjoy it, Owls fans, because it may not last long…and it has nothing to do with what you might expect from the Temple program.

Last week’s thrilling victory over Miami (OH) gave the Owls seven wins, assuring them of their first winning season since 1990. Should they defeat Akron on Friday night, they’ll do something they haven’t in three decades—win as many as eight.

That season, Wayne Hardin led the independent Owls to a 10-2 record and a victory in the Garden State Bowl. It was the best campaign in school history. Perhaps, that is, until now.

Four years after taking over the most downtrodden team in the FBS, Al Golden has his Owls riding a seven-game winning streak and thinking bowl for the first time since that fateful 1979 season.

It certainly didn’t look that way at the beginning of the year. After blowing a 14-point fourth quarter lead against FCS foe Villanova and looking listless in a 25-point defeat at Penn State, the Owls looked to be on the road to maintaining the sub-.500 status quo they’ve held for two decades.

And then it happened.

The Owls blew out last season’s MAC darling, Buffalo, and something clicked. A month and change later they’ve won seven straight, including five MAC victories, wins over both Army and Navy—the same Navy team that just beat Notre Dame in South Bend last weekend—and a pair of comebacks that previous Temple teams couldn’t even dream of.

Against Navy, Bernard Pierce carried the offense by running for 267 yards and a pair of scores—the latter one completing a fourth-quarter comeback to give Temple its biggest win of the season. A week later, Temple blew a 31-13 fourth-quarter lead against hapless Miami (OH) before driving for the winning field goal with just a few ticks left on the clock.

Really? Temple football?

Yes, Temple football. And it’s because of head coach Al Golden, who has improved his record each of his four years on Broad Street and at least deserves consideration for Coach of the Year.

The team was a mess when he took over—and for the 15 years before that too.

Since their last winning season in 1990, Temple has been a doormat. The final two years of the Jerry Berndt era netted a 3-19 overall record. Ron Dickerson, his replacement, won eight games…in five years.

Then in came Bobby Wallace, a guru who took Division II North Alabama to three straight national titles. His eight-year tenure yielded 19 wins—including an 0-11 campaign in his swan song—and a boot from the Big East.

Enter Golden, who has already won 17 in three-plus seasons and has the Owls on the right track.

Temple should beat Akron. After that, they get Kent State and then a showdown for the division title against Ohio. From there, they could find themselves in the MAC Championship Game and should almost assuredly earn one of the MAC’s three guaranteed bowl bids.

They could even possibly end 2009 with the most wins in school history.

Golden has Temple on the right track…and therein lies the problem, because when a coach turns a mid-major rebuilding project into a winner, the big boys come calling.

Look at Steve Kragthorpe, who parlayed four years of success at Tulsa into a gig at Louisville when Bobby Petrino bolted for the NFL. Or Brian Kelly, whose first FBS job was at Central Michigan in 2004; he took the Chippewas from doormat to MAC Champion, jumped to Cincinnati after three years and has his 2009 Bearcats in the hunt for the BCS National Championship.

More recently, there was Brady Hoke, who turned a 12-2 season at Ball State into a job at San Diego State. While that’s not a BCS school, the Mountain West Conference is still a step up the ladder.

And that’s what coaches do; they climb the ladder. Especially in the MAC, a conference that also counts Urban Meyer, Wake Forest boss Jim Grobe, Michigan legend Bo Schembechler and a fella by the name of Heisman among their coaching alumni.

Golden has proven that he can turn a bad team into a winner, and he gets double kudos for doing it in Philadelphia, a city that cares little about college football and sees most of the area’s top recruits end up at Penn State or Rutgers.

It’s only a matter of time before the Vanderbilts, Marylands or Washington States of the world come calling…or at the very least, someone in the MWC or WAC looking to turn it around.

And when they do, Golden might be hard pressed not to go. After all, his entire pre-Temple coaching career was spent at Virginia, Boston College and Penn State.

But until they do, or at least through the rest of this magical season, just enjoy the ride.

I know that as a Temple alum who suffered through 11 wins in four years, I sure will.

Go Owls!

Philadelphia Eagles Midseason Report Card: Defense and Special Teams

Lou DiPietro — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 14:15:36 -0500

Yesterday’s look at the Eagles’ second-quarter offense saw them drop an entire letter grade. Without trying to spoil the show, the defense won’t do the same. While they have fallen a bit (they rank tenth in total defense as compared to third at the last checkpoint), they’re still eighth in the league in points allowed and are doing well in several other categories. Without further ado, on with the show.

Begin Slideshow

Philadelphia Eagles Half-Year Grades: Offense

Lou DiPietro — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:55:15 -0500

The more things change, the more they stay the same. Last year, the Eagles were 5-3 at the halfway point. This year…the Eagles are 5-3 at the halfway point. The same play-calling issues, the same inconsistencies and the same health concerns (Kevin Curtis and Brian Westbrook, where are you?) plague them. Yet this season, the NFC East is wide open, and they’re only a game out of first place. But fresh off their heartbreaking loss to the Cowboys, it’s time to see how the Eagles grade out heading into a tough second half—one that hopefully won’t include a tie against a woefully inept team.

Begin Slideshow

The Dallas Cowboys Are in First Place...and It's Andy Reid's Fault

Lou DiPietro — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:17:45 -0500

Yes, you read the headline right. As far as this Eagles fan and journalist is concerned, the big man is 100 percent culpable for what happened Sunday night at Lincoln Financial Field.

Yes, Donovan McNabb had a poor game and continued his recent alarming trend of throwing passes at his receivers’ feet. Yes, the run game did much of nothing; yes, the offensive line gave up four sacks; and yes, Miles Austin was this week’s Lucy for Sheldon “Charlie” Brown on the Slant-N-Go route that scored the winning touchdown.

If you don’t get that last reference, you might be one of the few who didn’t know that Sheldon falls for a double move more often that his cartoon namesake is the sucker for Miss Van Pelt’s field-goal trick.

But the blame still falls on the mustachioed man who, despite 10 years experience, still hasn’t learned one key job function: decision making.

Based on what he displayed on Sunday night (and really his whole tenure as coach), I’d love to watch Andy Reid tackle one of those old “Choose Your Own Adventure” books. I’d like to gamble on it, too, because I’d probably be a big winner betting on him to find the least desirable option.

In this case, his culpability comes down to two bad choices, both of which came in the fourth quarter: The 4th-and-1 sneak call and the decision to kick a 52-yard field goal with five minutes left.

The first one is almost excusable, because you could kind of see it happening...until you actually pay attention to the situation, which was a perfect illustration of why the Eagles fail so miserably on 3rd-and-short situations.

DeSean Jackson gets nine yard on first down...and the Eagles were stopped on three straight “x-and-one” running plays. THREE TIMES. Yet, Leonard Weaver, a 275-pound fullback who all of a sudden has become a huge part of the offense with Brian Westbrook out, got exactly zero of those carries.

Making it even worse is that this happened early in the fourth quarter of a tie game with the Birds barely in Dallas territory. They weren’t losing, their defense was playing great, and after getting stuffed twice, Reid goes for it knowing that failure gives the Cowboys great field position—a trait that contributed to 10 of their first 13 points, and eventually their last seven as well.

On top of that, when they do fail, Reid challenges the spot—with only one timeout left, meaning that a loss would cost them their last clock-stopper.

Ask any of the other 31 NFL coaches, and I’d bet my job that 25 of them punt the ball. Why not?

Yes, there’s potential for a huge punt return, but barring that the worst case scenario is pushing the Cowboys back 25 yards and forcing the Cowboys to go the length of the field...in a TIE GAME. Again, I can’t stress that enough.

Nope. Instead, Reid chose the option that had the highest failure rate and the worst possible consequences. And, of course, they happen—the Eagles fail, the challenge fails and Dallas turns a short field into a touchdown.

But then, just when you think it can’t get any more bizarre, you have Philly’s second fourth-quarter possession.

Now down a touchdown, the Eagles are driving. Reid, apparently learning his lesson from before, gives Weaver a huge carry on third-and-one at midfield...and of course, he picks up the first down.

But after two incompletions and a sack, Reid is faced with a tough spot: 4th-and-11 from the Dallas 35, under five minutes to go and no timeouts.

He has three choices:

A) Go for it, knowing that while fourth-and-10 is a tough conversion, it could mean the game;

B) Punt, hope your defense holds and run a two-minute drill;

C) Bring in David Akers for a 52 yard field goal attempt, knowing that Akers struggles from that far, a make still leaves you down by four and a miss gives the Cowboys basically the same field position you gave them off the last drive.

Even if you didn’t see the game and have only read this far, I don’t think I need to tell you what happened.

Yes, once again, Reid took the option with the biggest risk and worst consequences. And while it didn’t backfire (Akers made his third FG of 40-plus yards on the night), it did absolutely nothing.

Sure, the defense didn’t hold. They almost did, forcing a 3rd-and-3 that Dallas converted at the two-minute warning, but even if they had what would it have accomplished?

Down by four, Philadelphia still would have had to drive a good 60 yards with no timeouts and hit the end zone.

Sadly, that’s par for the course for Andy Reid.

And because of that, the Eagles squandered a huge chance to take control of the NFC East. They sit at 5-4 (with a quintet of wins over teams whose combined record is 11-30) and look a lot like the same team that went 9-6-1 and snuck into the playoffs last season.

That team surprised a lot of people and made the NFC Championship Game. But with a tough schedule remaining in a conference where 10 wins might actually miss the playoffs, they’re going to need to get better in a hurry.

And that starts at the top.

Eagles Turned All The Right Keys In Win Over The Giants

Lou DiPietro — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:34:25 -0500

"Follow my steps is the road to success..."
-Jay-Z, “Swagga Like Us”

Fitting how a rap lyric from a New Yorker was somehow intertwined with advice that led to the destruction of one of his hometown sports teams … if Andy Reid read what I wrote last week about how to wake up the Eagles’ offense, that is.

OK, so he probably didn’t, but those three keys to success certainly played a big part in the Eagles’ thrashing of the Giants at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday.

So let’s just take a look how, shall we?

Step One: More Eagle, Less Wildcat

I’d say mission accomplished. The Eagles ran only a few plays out of the Wildcat (three if memory serves correct) and Michael Vick only took four snaps—three of which came in garbage time with the Eagles trying to run out the clock.

Instead, they got back to what worked in the first few games. McNabb spent a good portion of the game in the shotgun, and it worked because the running game had a quick start and the secondary was stretched way too thin.

Well done, all around.

Step Two: Go West, Young Man

Brian Westbrook didn’t play. And it didn’t matter in the end, as the Eagles won. But if you look beneath the surface of the stat sheet, the findings are still a bit troubling.

Yes, the Eagles rushed for 180 yards on only 24 carries, which is nearly eight yards per.

Take away McCoy’s 66-yard TD scamper, and that number drops under five yards a carry.

Further take away Leonard Weaver’s early 41-yard TD, and, well, it’s less than three.

Then there’s 20 more yards on a McNabb scramble and a pair of garbage-time hand-offs to Eldra Buckley, and so on.

It’s one thing to dominate the rushing game; it’s quite another to have two big plays inflate your total. And again, the Eagles are NOT a “three yards and a cloud of dust” team.

Minus their TD runs, McCoy had 16 yards on 10 carries and Weaver had 34 on seven carries. The former total is awful, and the latter is only palatable because Weaver is, by definition, a fullback.

So yes, it didn’t matter in the end … but it’s clear that no matter how much hype McCoy brings or how well Weaver does on a given week, the Birds are a much different team without No. 36.

Step Three: Ask, and Someone Shall Receive

As much as the running game was smoke and mirrors, the passing game was downright amazing.

Yes, DeSean Jackson had another stellar game, but McNabb used all four of his weapons to the fullest degree.

Nobody had more than four grabs or 78 yards—even with Jackson’s 54-yard, how did he get that wide open? TD catch—but they all had effective days.

Jeremy Maclin’s 47 yards included an amazing touchdown grab and a couple tough receptions over the middle. Brent Celek returned from purgatory to do the same, and Jason Avant made a pivotal catch in a 3rd-and-6 situation with the Birds pinned inside their own 20.

Instead of having to punt and give the Giants decent field position, the Birds were able to run seven minutes off the clock and score three points to build a 16-0 lead. That’s just what Avant does.

Even Alex Smith got into the act, hauling in his first ball of the year. Of course, Reggie Brown was useless and held out of the stat sheet, which completely destroys my other musing last week, but you can’t win ‘em all.

So now the 5-2 Eagles face their biggest game of the season on Sunday night as the 5-2 Cowboys roll into South Philly. This game will determine who hits the halfway point as the outright leader in the NFC East, and with the Giants struggling, it could be a huge momentum shifter for the Birds.

Should they win, the Eagles would be 3-0 in the division (vs. 1-2 for the ‘Boys and 2-1 for the Giants) with their next NFC East tilt not until Thanksgiving weekend against the Redskins. Should they lose, it’s a three-way tie with the Cowboys having the numerical advantage overall.

Can these same keys turn on their offense once again this week?

An Eagles Fan's Memo to Reggie Brown: Shine or Get Off the Pot

Lou DiPietro — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:05:14 -0400

Reggie Brown’s contract states that he will be a Philadelphia Eagle until 2014.

Now is his chance to prove why he deserves that honor.

Even the most knowledgeable of insiders believes that it’s at least somewhat truthful to suggest there are exactly 10 million reasons Brown remained an Eagle for the 2009 season—those being every single dollar he’s still guaranteed from the huge contract extension he signed in November of 2006.

Unfortunately, he’s been almost relatively useless since then, and in the one major sports league where almost nothing is guaranteed, his contract is an veritable iron-clad albatross.

But with only five active (and four healthy) receivers on the roster, Brown now has a chance to show why he was heralded as the future when the Birds plucked him in the second round of the 2005 Draft.

It’s been a long, strange road for Brown. Coming out of Georgia, he was heralded as the classic “underrated underachiever”—a player who had tremendous potential masked by superior talent around him. But boy, did he have potential.

When he got the opportunity to step into Terrell Owens’ starting spot midway through 2005, Brown seized it—to the tune of 43 catches, 571 yards and four TDs. He seemingly got even better after Owens left in 2006, racking up 46 catches for 816 yards and eight TDs while starting all 16 games.

That was when he signed his extension…and his career seemingly fell off the cliff.

2007 wasn’t terrible—61 catches, 780 yards and four TD—but it was a regression. The Eagles had signed Kevin Curtis that off-season, and as both he and Brown were the same type of receiver (and neither was a true No. 1), most thought they would have interchangeable success as “No. 1A and No. 1B.”

Instead, Curtis had a career year, Brian Westbrook had over 2,000 yards from scrimmage and Brown slid back a bit and clearly became the No. 2 receiver (and really, the No. 4 option) for Donovan McNabb.

If only he knew how good it was.

2008 saw injury and ineffectiveness cripple Brown’s status. He only played 10 games and was limited to 18 catches for 252 yards and only one touchdown. Four games saw him held without a catch, three more saw him nab only one, and he was inactive for the biggest game of his career, the Eagles’ NFC Championship Game loss to the Cardinals.

It hasn’t gotten any better this year. When the Eagles kept seven receivers out of training camp—opting to hold onto sixth-round draft pick Brandon Gibson for some reason—many speculated Brown was on his way out. Those whispers got even louder when Michael Vick came aboard, and louder still when Jeff Garcia was brought in out of necessity.

Instead, Hank Baskett was released, Gibson was traded to St. Louis, and here Brown remains, active more by default than desire.

He’s been inactive for half the Eagles’ games and not even looked in half of the ones he’s played. With only one catch, he’s been targeted less than Leonard Weaver—a fullback whose numbers in Seattle’s pass-deficient scheme last year nearly outranked Brown’s.

Brown doesn’t have the speed or big-play ability of DeSean Jackson or Jeremy Maclin, doesn’t make tough catches out of the slot as well as Jason Avant, and clearly fell behind Curtis as the possession receiver.

But with Curtis injured, Maclin struggling a bit, and tight end Brent Celek back in an “off” cycle of the offense, now is Brown’s time to get on the field and show why he’s the $10-million man.

If he doesn’t, he is more than likely to end up as the next Todd Pinkston or Freddie Mitchell, destined to ride out the string on the bench until his contract becomes manageable enough to eat or someone desperate for receiving help plucks him in hopes of a renaissance.

Eerily, his career numbers (and trajectory) actually parallel Pinkston’s with alarming accuracy. But at least Pinkston played in a Super Bowl, and Mitchell has perhaps the biggest catch in Eagles’ history.

Two years ago during a game in Dallas, Brown kept running after missing a pass and jumped in the giant Salvation Army bucket set up on the Texas Stadium sidelines.

While in the end that leap might be apropos of his career, it would be a shame if that was his “fourth-and-26” moment.

Go get ‘em, Reg.

Three Steps To Heal The Philadelphia Eagles' Wounded Offense

Lou DiPietro — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 23:11:58 -0400

Winning cures a lot of ills, but Eagles fans be warned: Monday’s victory over the Redskins was a good band-aid…and that's all it was.

The Redskins haven’t scored more than 17 points all season, and that’s exactly the total they notched against the Birds. So, once the Eagles hit 20—which happened with 4:08 to go in the first half—the game was all but over.

So what’s the problem? Well, for one, that’s almost all they got…and it's solely the offense's fault.

For the fifth time in six games, the Eagles’ defense played extremely well. Six sacks, a forced fumble, and an interception returned for a TD—par for the course, and the 17 points they allowed was the most this season outside of the New Orleans fiasco.

Sadly, the 27 they scored is the least in any victory…and only five points more than that fateful Saints game.

How bad was it? Of their four scoring drives, both touchdowns came as the result of DeSean Jackson burning the defense for a big play...and both field goals would have been three-and-outs if the drives didn't start inside the Skins' 35. Hell, one of those drives netted negative yardage.

Monday was just the first part of a tough pre-Thanksgiving stretch that still sees the Birds battle the Giants and Cowboys and travel to both San Diego and Chicago. But if they want to come through to December without being roasted like the Butterball you’re likely to put on your table, they need to follow three key steps.

STEP ONE: More Eagle, Less Wildcat

The Wildcat works in Miami because the guys running it are normally an integral part of the Dolphins’ offense. It doesn’t, however, work when it’s solely a gimmick—which it is in Philadelphia.

When the Eagles signed Michael Vick, they promised he would be less of a distraction and more of a key addition.

So far, not so good.

In four games as the lead ‘Cat in the pack, Vick has put up the following impressive numbers: nine rushes for 22 yards and two-of-six passing for six yards.

In the past, that would be a bad drive for Vick; instead, it’s the sum total of his season so far.

Vick is clearly not playing to NFL standards—teams know almost automatically to key in on him when he enters the game. Even though the Wildcat only accounts for eight to 10 plays a game, that’s eight to 10 plays that could be better suited to running the actual offensive playbook.

Plus, Vick’s activity relegates Kevin Kolb—who did throw for over 700 yards in two-plus games—to third-string duty, meaning he can’t enter the game until the fourth quarter. If something happened to McNabb, where would that leave the Eagles?

STEP TWO: Go West, Young Men

Whatever the Eagles do, they MUST make sure Brian Westbrook is healthy.
If that means keeping him in a hyperbaric chamber and feeding him nothing but raw meat, so be it. But despite what LeSean McCoy showed against Kansas City—and despite the electricity DeSean Jackson brings to the team—the Birds' offense still clearly relies heavily on Westbrook.

Even if he’s not on the field, the threat of him being in the lineup forces opposing teams to worry about him. That’s a good trait when your receiving corps has three key players with less than three years experience in the NFL.

Want proof? Take away DeSean Jackson’s huge run, and the Eagles rushed for 55 yards on 26 carries. That includes McNabb’s five for negative five yards, but even without that, they only averaged 2.3 yards per carry.

The Birds aren’t even close to a “three yards and a cloud of dust” team, but they need that threat with Brian Westbrook to have a chance to do anything against defenses that actually play defense.

STEP THREE: Ask and Someone Shall Receive

The receiving corps went from deep to perhaps the team’s biggest concern in three weeks. Hank Baskett and Brandon Gibson are gone and Kevin Curtis is injured. That leaves two young burners, a role player, a perceived bust, and a green tight end.

Outside of DeSean Jackson, there’s no consistency. Brent Celek had a couple big games but disappeared the last two weeks, Jeremy Maclin goes up and down and the combo of Reggie Brown, and Jason Avant has a total of 12 catches.

Someone needs to step up, and big. Whether it’s the continued maturation of Maclin, more success with Celek or Reggie’s return to glory, McNabb needs somebody—anybody—to throw to besides D-Jack.

The next 10 weeks will be perhaps the hardest stretch the Eagles have faced in quite some time.

But if they fail to count to three, they may go down for the count as a result.

Two Gibsons Down, One Depth Issue to Go for the Eagles?

Lou DiPietro — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 21:30:57 -0400

Brandon and Mike Gibson have almost nothing in common besides a last name...nothing, that is, except the fact that they’re now both ex-Eagles.

Brandon was traded to the St. Louis Rams as part of the Will Witherspoon deal Tuesday afternoon, and less than 24 hours later, Mike was signed off the practice squad by the Seattle Seahawks.

Sure, between them they have been active for all of one game in their NFL careers—but that’s pretty much all it took for Tom Brady to pave his path to the Pro Bowl.

Okay, wild comparisons aside, the Gibsons at the very least represented depth at what have become the Eagles’ two most worrisome positions.

In Brandon’s case, his talent (and Reggie Brown’s iron-clad contract) forced Andy Reid to uncharacteristically keep seven wide receivers on the final 53-man roster. The 2009 seventh-round pick was only active for one of the first five games, but he drew rave reviews in training camp and practices, and looked to be a big part of the Birds’ future plans.

Instead, he was shipped to St. Louis so the Eagles could fill what’s become another position of need, MIKE linebacker.

As a Ram, Gibson will have an immediate chance to contribute. St. Louis’ receiver chart, which was thin and inexperienced to begin with, is in even worse shape with Laurent Robinson on IR. Gibson will join 2008 draft picks Donnie Avery and Keenan Burton and former Eagles practice squadder Danny Amendola on what might be the least desirable quartet of receivers outside of Cleveland.

Unfortunately, the Eagles might not be much better off. Beyond DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin and Jason Avant, it’s a crapshoot. Kevin Curtis has been hobbled by a knee injury, Reggie Brown is clearly not a part of plans no matter what his contract says, and Hank Baskett was released so Andy Reid could push the Michael Vick panic button.

Given those losses, an injury to (or ineffectiveness from) the Big Three could’ve given Gibson a shot—one he’ll now get from another Big East alum in Marc Bulger.

As for Mike Gibson, he’s an offensive lineman. That’s really all you needed to say.

But looking deeper—yes, he spent 2008 on IR, and yes, he’s spent all of 2009 on the practice squad. Obviously, the Eagles saw something in him enough to keep him around for 18 months after drafting him.

And just looking at the state of the O-line, you can almost see why, as there are more linemen in the trainer’s room than on the field.

The tackles are the hardest hit. Shawn Andrews is on IR, Jason Peters left last week’s game with a knee sprain and ankle contusion, and replacement King Dunlap was abused by Richard Seymour.

At guard, meanwhile, Todd Herremans has missed the whole season with a bum foot and Stacy Andrews has been ineffective and slow to recover from his own leg injury.

While Peters is probable, Herremans might be back and Andrews is making progress, it’s a very thin house of cards that Andy Reid and Juan Castillo have to work with. While serviceable, a fivesome of Dunlap, Nick Cole, Jamaal Jackson, Max-Jean Gilles and Winston Justice doesn’t scream incredible.

However, those five and utilityman Mike McGlynn are the only six healthy linemen on the roster. So if Herremans can’t go and Peters is hurt worse than thought, who is there to provide depth?

Not Gibson. Not anymore, anyway. Sure, he was only on the practice squad, but that also means that he a) knows the playbook, and b) is always a hair’s breadth away from a call-up.

Instead, Mike will be joining a Seattle unit that is actually worse off than Philadelphia’s. They only have two healthy tackles on the roster, and while he slots in as a guard as of now, Gibson’s versatility will give the Seahawks more versatility.

In response, the Eagles made two practice squad additions on Thursday: guard Dallas Reynolds (a rookie from BYU who spent training camp with the Birds) and rookie WR Dobson Collins. They also have WR Jordan Norwood and G Paul Fanaika—one of their 2009 seventh-round draft picks—on the practice squad if needed.

Let’s hope the Eagles don’t have to find out the hard way that they’re no Gibson.

Welcome to Philly, Will Witherspoon...Now What?

Lou DiPietro — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 21:34:55 -0400

One of the few still-unheralded NFL trade deadline deals saw the Eagles acquire LB Will Witherspoon from the St. Louis Rams for WR Brandon Gibson and a 2010 fifth-round draft pick.

In a league where guys like Randy Moss only fetch fourth-rounders, this might be one of the biggest steals in recent history.

Andy Reid admitted that the move was made necessary when Omar Gaither sprained his foot during last Sunday’s loss to the Raiders.

But it goes beyond that, as it nicely shores up a problem area now and makes the linebacker position a strength for the Eagles heading into next year.

Much like Gaither, Witherspoon has started both in the middle and on the weak side in his previous stops in St. Louis and Carolina.

However, unlike the incumbent MIKE, Witherspoon is an excellent coverage backer who can handle assignments on the quickest of running backs or the craftiest of tight ends.

And if you haven’t noticed, the latter has become an issue. In the last two weeks, the tandem of Kellen Winslow and Zach Miller have torched the Birds for 15 catches, 241 yards, and all three of the touchdowns they’ve allowed since the bye.

Reid has long coveted Witherspoon, who signed with St. Louis in 2006 after four years in Carolina. Incidentally, 2006 was the final year of Jeremiah Trotter’s second stint in Philly, as the Birds drafted both Gaither and Chris Gocong (and Jason Avant, Brodrick Bunkley, Winston Justice, and Max-Jean Gilles, for that matter).

There is no word yet on how long Gaither will be out—as Andy Reid put it in his press conference, “It doesn’t look like Omar’s going to be able to go for a little bit here.”

Of course, that’s usually Reid-speak for a season-ending injury, and with all the foot maladies going around, it’s a wonder the Eagles don’t have a podiatrist on call at the NovaCare Complex.

So, in his stead, the Birds get a three-down backer who will be the default starter in the middle and who can play on either side of Jeremiah Trotter on running downs.

But, though he strengthens the core of the defense now, Witherspoon’s biggest upside is that he also solidifies a shaky position for the next two years.

Assuming Stewart Bradley returns to the middle in 2010, Witherspoon can move to the WILL. That can either move Akeem Jordan to the bench or to the SAM, where he can be a run defender and allow Chris Gocong to become more of a situational pass-rusher.

Best case, if the Eagles keep all five “starters”—assuming Trotter won’t be back, of course—Sean McDermott can run out a different combo of backers in different spots every down, much like he does with his linemen.

In that case, it’s very possible that opposing offenses won’t know what hit them.

Two years from now, it’s very possible that Will Witherspoon could be a Pro Bowl anchor on a top-five defense.

And all it took was a rookie wide receiver who hasn’t seen the field and a late-round draft pick.

Philadelphia Eagles First Quarter Report: Defense and Special Teams

Lou DiPietro — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 15:13:55 -0400

Yesterday, I analyzed the Eagles’ first-quarter offensive progress. Now, it’s time for the defense. In a word, it’s been dominant. They rank third in the league in total yards allowed (and fifth in pass defense) and have had multiple games this season where they’ve looked almost like the 1985 Bears for a good chunk of the game. Of course, that’s not always good enough, so we’ll see how they do overall. Like the offense, I’ll break this down by position (line, linebackers, secondary and specialists, since special teams really don’t warrant its own category) and offer my analysis.

Begin Slideshow

Philadelphia Eagles' First Quarter Report Card: Offense

Lou DiPietro — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 19:26:54 -0400

With a 33-17 victory over the hapless Bucs in the books, the Eagles are now one-quarter of the way through the 2009 season. As such, it’s time to grade the team on the first 25% of their season and analyze what they've done in the first five weeks. I'll look at how all four positions (quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers/tight ends and the line) have done and grade the overall offense. They've scored a lot of points and looked dominant at times--but is that just a mirage?

Begin Slideshow

Two Milestones On The Line For Andy Reid This Sunday

Lou DiPietro — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 21:13:21 -0400

Andy Reid has two milestones on the line this Sunday.

The better known of the pair is that Reid’s Eagles are a perfect 10-0 following their bye week. From 1999’s bizarrely-placed Week 17 victory over St. Louis to last season’s 27-14 victory over Atlanta, the Birds are unbeaten on 14 days rest.

A home game against the 0-4 Bucs with both Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook back in the lineup should ensure that mark gets pushed to 11-0.

The bigger and more underappreciated milestone, however, is that a victory on Sunday would be Andy Reid’s 100th career regular season win as Eagles head coach.

Counting playoff victories, Reid has 107 total, and last season’s win over Atlanta made Andy the 37th coach to hit that overall mark and the 22nd to do it with one franchise.

But if you’re going strictly by the regular season, Sunday is his first chance to “officially” crack that milestone.

All that stands in Andy Reid’s way is an 0-4 team that has already changed its quarterback and fired its offensive coordinator.

Reid long ago set the franchise mark for coaching wins. Prior to his arrival, it was 63, set by Greasy Neale in 1950, but Reid reached that milestone in 2005.

Now, he has a chance at the century mark, and it could be only the first of four huge milestones for the Eagles.

Quarterback Donovan McNabb should crack 30,000 career passing yards this season—perhaps as early as Week six against Oakland. He stands at 29,399 as of today, and with the way the Eagles have been throwing the ball at will lately, it’s not unreasonable to think this will happen sooner or later.

Depending on how well Kurt Warner (who sits 55 yards ahead of McNabb) plays the next few weeks, McNabb will either be the 30th or 31st signal-caller to amass that total. Oddly enough, the man closest to the 30K cusp without getting there (with 29,979 yards, to be exact) is the last Eagles “franchise” quarterback: Randall Cunningham.

Later on this season, Brian Westbrook could also become the franchise’s all-time rushing leader. Westbrook has racked up 5,837 yards through seven-plus seasons, leaving him 701 short of Wilbert Montgomery’s team record.

Both are big reasons why Andy Reid has won 99 games, and it’s only fitting that they should both return to action in the game where he could hit the century mark.

Oh yeah, and go 11-0 after the bye week.

Philadelphia Eagles: A Good January Starts With a Good October

Lou DiPietro — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 15:15:46 -0400

Much like a midseason replacement television show, the Philadelphia Eagles have 13 weeks to secure their spot in the “2010 lineup,” aka the playoffs.

And like any aforementioned show, the first few weeks of that journey will be perhaps the most integral.

Even though the combined current record of their next two opponents is a whopping 1-7—with that one victory being Oakland’s win over the 0-4 Chiefs—a let down on either of the next two Sundays could be the difference between making the playoffs and watching them from the couch.

And not in an accidental good way, like last season’s tie with the Bengals.

Yes, for lack of a better way to put it, the Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers flat out stink. Yet one “upset” could be a huge blow to the Eagles.

First up is the Bucs, whose Week-Four tagline was “new quarterback, same bad offense.”

They managed 13 points behind new signal-caller Josh Johnson, but the defense, which is usually the team’s strong point and the pedigree of rookie head coach Raheem Morris, disappeared for the entire third quarter and allowed 16 points to the Redskins.

The same Redskins who had scored 23 points in the previous 10 quarters, eight of which were played against defensive juggernauts St. Louis and Detroit.

Yes, that’s sarcasm.

The Redskins aren’t good, and the Bucs blew a 10-point halftime lead and the game against them. But that’s just seemingly par for the course for a team that’s been shut out by the Giants, blown out by an anemic Bills offense (which, by chance, scored 33 against them and has 34 total in their three losses) and manhandled by the Cowboys.

The Bucs have now lost eight straight games spanning two seasons, a pair of head coaches and four starting quarterbacks. With this being a conference tilt, it could be a huge blow later in the season if the Eagles let them break that streak.

Then there are the Raiders. Through four games, the starting offense has more top 10 overall draft picks (four) than touchdowns (three), and hasn’t seen one of the latter since the fourth quarter of the Week-Two victory in Kansas City.

It’s almost as if their narrow Week-One loss to San Diego took away their soul. They’ve only scored 22 points in the past three weeks, JaMarcus Russell’s completion percentage would barely win an MLB batting title and, either much to Michael Crabtree’s delight or chagrin (depending on how you look at it), top draft pick Darrius Heyward-Bey has two receptions.

They are as bad as advertised, and a Week-Five matchup with the Giants probably won’t be much of a relief. So what’s the pitfall here? The Eagles have to fly to California to face them, and despite their 2-0 record on the West Coast last season, cross-country road trips are traditionally death traps for East Coast teams.

And that’s the easy part of the schedule.

Starting in Week Seven, the Eagles’ final 11 games include all six NFC East contests, trips to San Diego, Chicago, and Atlanta and battles against San Francisco and Denver. Oh yeah, and by the way, through four weeks, that last group of teams is 14-5, and Denver has the added motivation of being both undefeated and the current home of former Birds Brian Dawkins and Correll Buckhalter.

Even the staunchest Eagles fan will tell you that the Birds have just as good of a chance of going 3-8 in that stretch as they do 8-3—which means that they have to take care of business in the “easy” games against Tampa Bay and Oakland.

The Giants are just as good as their weak schedule has let them show, the Cowboys haven’t yet been beaten soundly and there are four or five other teams who should be in the Wild Card hunt in two months.

If the Eagles want to be one of them, now is the time to show it.

Plea to The Eagles: Keep Vick On The Leash This Week

Lou DiPietro — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 01:15:56 -0400

It’s a proverb we all know: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

In the Eagles case, it should go something like this: If it’s broke, wait until it’s fixed to remodel it.

The “it” of course is the Eagles offense, and the remodel is one Mr. Michael Vick.

And as un-patriotic as this might sound to Eagles fans, it’s my estimation that there is absolutely no reason for Michael Vick to see any action outside of the Wildcat this Sunday.

Really, I don’t think now is the time to unleash him at all.

On one hand, yes, the Chiefs' defense is suspect and now might be the best time to start incorporating Vick into the offense.

Except, of course, there’s one issue: Donovan McNabb isn’t playing again.

McNabb is “doubtful” this week, which is code for “yeah, we’re not just going to come out and say he’s getting three weeks off.”

And with Brian Westbrook doubtful with his sprained ankle, Kevin Curtis battling a sore knee and DeSean Jackson okay but coming off a quad injury…now is NOT the time to throw new wrinkles into the offense.

Kevin Kolb actually looked adequate last week, and against a team like the Chiefs (who, admittedly, the Eagles should beat) the focus should be on continuing his development and going with what works.

I can excuse Vick being active solely to run the Wildcat for two reasons – one, they’re going to run it anyway and it prevents possible further injury to Jackson, and two, it will give him a little chance to get up to game speed.

But if he’s active and Kolb struggles, you almost know Philly fans are going to call for Vick.

And that’s bad…especially in light of what he said in a recent interview about expecting to go somewhere and start right away.

Whether it’s bravado, delusionality or a little of both, that’s a ludicrous statement no matter how you slice it. Anyone who has missed two seasons in a row period shouldn’t expect to start at any position on any team, especially if you have off-the-field issues.

But Vick…well, Vick isn’t even a great quarterback. Yes, he has a good arm, and he can run well, and he was successful enough in Atlanta.

That was two years ago, and those traits make him a good athlete, not necessarily a good quarterback.

Baby steps. The Eagles offense is still learning to walk without Donovan McNabb; it’s not time to try to run just yet. With the bye coming up in Week 4 and McNabb returning to health, it might be best to table the Vick-speriment for one more week.

Could the Eagles' Best Run Defense Be "Trot"-ting Beneath Their Nose?

Lou DiPietro — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 16:13:39 -0400

If Jeremiah Trotter is even anything remotely close to the linebacker he was two years ago, then the answer to my headline is "yes."

If you haven’t heard, apparently the Eagles brought Jeremiah Trotter in for a workout this week. Much like with Jon Runyan already this fall, it seems to be more of a case of “let’s see what you can do,” rather than “we need you on the roster right now."

But, hey, if Trotter can go, why not bring him back?

It’d be easy to question what Trotter has left. While he’s only 32—hardly old by NFL standards but ancient by Eagles’ ones—there must have been a reason he was released during the 2007 preseason.

And coming off a season in which he didn’t play at all (and one season removed from an unremarkable 2007 campaign in Tampa), it’s not like he’d be a “hot” signing, like, say, a Derrick Brooks.

But even if he’s not as good as he once was, Trotter brings dimensions that others might not be able to—for one, he knows the system.

It’s the reason the Eagles signed Jeff Garcia and “worked out” Runyan, and it’s the best reason Trotter would fit over a Derrick Brooks or someone else.

Even though two years have passed and there’s a new coordinator, not much has changed on the Eagles defense. Sure, the MIKE linebacker is now a little bit more responsible in run coverage, but that was the best facet of Jeremiah’s game; it was a damn good facet, as Trotter almost single-handedly turned the Eagles’ run defense from terrible to respectable in his second stint.

These days, Eagles run coverage usually calls for the SAM (Chris Gocong) to go after the lead blocker, the WILL (Akeem Jordan) to stay out wide and the MIKE (Omar Gaither) to make the tackle in the hole.

In case you haven’t noticed, as good and versatile as Gaither is, that’s not exactly his best trait.

Enter Trotter.

Even if he was a two-down (or even a one-down) linebacker, he can simply fill a role like a specialty lefty pitcher in baseball—come in, make one play, and head to the bench.

And even that one play off could have a big effect on keeping the backers fresh. Last week against New Orleans, the trio of Gocong, Gaither, and Jordan looked a little tired at times. And that’s understandable; their backups are a rookie (Moise Fokou), an injury risk (Joe Mays), and a special-teams maven (Tracy White). Not exactly the 1986 Giants back there, so they’re playing almost every play.

Should Trotter come in to play the MIKE on first or even second down, it would give one of the latter two a momentary breather. He’d ostensibly replace Gaither, but Omar could also move back to WILL and give Jordan a play off.

If he can do it well, why not try it?

Most importantly, though, he’d bring a level-headed veteran presence to the defense—one they’re clearly missing without Brian Dawkins.

The Eagles are used to young MIKEs quarterbacking the defense; both Gaither and Stewart Bradley are in their mid-20s and have been filling that role since Trotter was released.

But they always had Dawkins to be the heart, soul, and mouthpiece of that defense. Even if it’s just for one year, Trotter has enough Philly cred to come in and do that—even as a backup.

Now, of course, someone would have to be released to make room for him. Based on injury and inconsistency, it could be Mays.

But who would you rather have on the field?

Maybe the third time will be the charm. After all, there had to be a reason Andy Reid texted Trotter out of the blue to come in for a workout, right?

Sunday's Slaughter By the Saints Wasn't All Bad For the Birds

Lou DiPietro — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 17:04:42 -0400

Despite injuries, inconsistency and a final score that looked more like an Arena League contest than an NFL tilt, there are actually a few positives that can be plucked out of the Eagles’ performance on Sunday. I know, that might sound ludicrous given the 48-22 pounding New Orleans put on the Birds. But in that morass of problems, there were a few bright spots. And, of course, with their bye week looming, the Eagles will have a chance to at least move further along on their biggest issue (injuries). So instead of three strikes, here are “four balls” that the Eagles collected on Sunday.

Begin Slideshow

Why Hank Baskett Should Still Be an Eagle

Lou DiPietro — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 22:37:19 -0400

Hank Baskett is an Indianapolis Colt.

The only question I have is, why Hank Baskett?

Obviously, the answer is because the Eagles wanted to get Michael Vick on the practice field as soon as possible, and with seven receivers, one was the likeliest candidate to get cut.

But it shouldn’t be Hank who is gone.

And not just because his wife is the smoking hot Kendra Wilkinson.

I personally agree with Lloyd Vance’s view—it should have been Reggie Brown.

Yes, his contract extension gave him $10 million in guaranteed money, so it would be ridiculously expensive to cut him.

But as opposed to being ridiculously expensive to give him little more than a sideline seat?

While Baskett will never be an elite receiver, the truth is that Brown probably won’t, either. And Brown has clearly fallen out of favor.

Last Sunday, he was one of two receivers on the inactive list, along with sixth-round pick Brandon Gibson. However, it’s obvious Gibson fits in the team’s future plans.

Brown, meanwhile, was inactive for the biggest game he’s ever seen—last season’s NFC Championship Game. He was injured most of last season, completely missing nine games and being almost invisible in four others. Fourteen of his 18 catches (and 210 of his 252 yards) came in three games.

Looking straight at them, Baskett’s numbers (33 catches, 440 yards, 3 TD) weren’t too much better than Brown’s last season.

However, his combination of height (6-foot-4), speed (he runs a 4.4) and big-play ability (3 of his 6 career TD went for 87 yards or longer) gave the Eagles a dimension of versatility.

Brown has never done that, even in his best season.

He’s a pure possession receiver, a No. 2 at best, who apparently wasn’t good enough to be active over Baskett for in Week One.

Yet, because he’s a former second round draft pick owed a lot of money and Baskett is an undrafted free agent acquired for peanuts (Billy McMullen), it’s Brown who’s still in green.

Never thought I’d see that in the NFL where money is simply a proposition most of the time.

Sounds a lot like Reggie Brown’s playing time, actually.

Is Losing Shawn Andrews Addition by Subtraction for the Eagles?

Lou DiPietro — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 17:17:23 -0400

By now, you’ve probably heard the big news out of Philadelphia today: Shawn Andrews has been placed on injured reserve and is out for the season.

And by now, you’ve probably embraced one of two reactions: Either “Good, he’s useless, let’s cut him!” mantra, or the “Oh no, he was our starting right tackle!” panic attack.

Me, I fall somewhere closer to the former but sympathize with the latter.

Yes, he was supposed to be the Eagles’ starting right tackle, moved from right guard to accommodate his own brother, Stacy.

Then again, he was supposed to be the Eagles’ starting right guard last year, and he played all of two games before clogging up a roster spot for three months in hopes that he would return.

The Eagles did just fine without him then…and they’ll do just fine without him now.

In case you missed it, Winston Justice actually played well in the season-opener at Carolina. And he’s going to have to continue that, because he’s now the starting right tackle.

Behind him, the depth is admittedly a little suspect, but both King Dunlap and Mike McGlynn played their way onto the team for a reason. They might now have more of an opportunity to show Eagles fans just why the coaching staff held onto them.

But once Todd Herremans gets healthy, the Eagles have a wealth of options. Again, Dunlap and McGlynn are on the team for a reason, and Justice has done well so far.

Stacy Andrews also has experience as a right tackle, so he could be moved outside and either Nick Cole or Max-Jean Gilles (both of whom are more than capable) can take his spot.

And of course, there’s that big X-factor: Jon Runyan.

Big Jon was one of the anchors of the Eagles’ O-line for a decade, and wasn’t retained this season due to a microfracture surgery on his knee. However, he’s been spotted in Philly lately, and if he’s healthy, he’s still a better option than even any of the aforementioned tackles currently on the roster.

The Eagles will be fine without Andrews. The more logical question is whether or not Andrews will soon be without the Eagles.

Yes, when he’s on the field, he’s a beast that can play either position on the right side of the line. And he’s a two-time Pro Bowler.

He’s also injury prone, and most importantly, may not even have his head in the game at all.

Last year, Andrews never reported to training camp, citing depression and personal issues. He came back in time for the season, but halfway though Week Two he left with a back injury.

The Eagles were patient, keeping him on the roster all year, but he never returned. He had surgery in the offseason and was deemed ready for 2009.

Clearly, he wasn’t.

Andrews re-tweaked his back in training camp and didn’t play the entire preseason. That was the highlight of two months of “he said, she said” style gossip, leading many to wonder exactly what was wrong with him.

MRIs and x-rays showed no structural damage, yet depending on who you asked, Andrews’ health seemingly fluctuated from “ready to play” to “on death’s door.”

Then he missed the season-opener, and now, thanks to the necessary addition of Jeff Garcia, finds himself on IR.

If the Eagles’ offensive line does well without him this year, they may as well give up on him.

Back injuries, especially for big men, never fully go away. You can even ask Runyan, who has had a history of back issues, but found a way to play (and excel) through them.

By the time 2010 camp rolls around, Andrews will have missed almost two full seasons because of his back. If he’s this fragile at 26, he might not hold up through the end of his contract in 2015. Plus, with all the mental issues he’s seemingly having, he might be more of a hindrance than a help.

His contract makes him costly to cut, at least until March 1, but it might be worth it.

Coincidentally, in the two full seasons he’s missed, the Eagles have gone to the Super Bowl and the NFC Championship Game. Bizarre, but they’re a much better team without him (22-8-1 and the above two accolades) than with him (25-25, only losing season of the decade).

Sorry Shawn, but the NFL is a big game of "what have you done for me lately." And quite frankly, you haven’t.

At least for this year, putting him on IR is a good move. In addition to opening up a roster spot (which was immediately used on Jeff Garcia), it gives everyone from Andy Reid to the fans to the backup tackles—and even Andrews—peace of mind.

The season can go on without him. And it will.

It's Time For The Kevin Kolb Experiment To End

Lou DiPietro — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 17:16:04 -0400

Somewhere, A.J. Feeley is either laughing, crying, or possibly both.

At least in this Eagles fan’s opinion, I hope he’s smiling next week over a new contract.

After two-plus years, several chances and numerous disappointments...it’s time to pull the plug on the Kevin Kolb era.

Sunday’s performance against the Panthers pretty much confirmed what many suspected last year—Kolb is just not the right fit for the Eagles’ offense.

Yes, he’s young and lacks significant game experience, but that excuse flies for only so long.

He just doesn’t have the right skill set to be the Eagles quarterback.

Kolb was 7 of 11 for 23 yards in about a quarter and a half of action, but it’s not even about the numbers per se. The Eagles were up 28 when he came in and ran the ball most of the time anyway. Instead, it’s really about his decision making, and how the tempo of the game slows way down when he’s in.

I said it’s not about the numbers, but look at the totals. He had seven completions for 23 total yards, or just over three yards per play. Even if you discount the botched play that led to a three-yard Leonard Weaver loss, that’s still only six for 26.

I don’t care if you have Barry Sanders in his prime running behind you, there’s no way you do anything positive with less than five yards per completion average.

That point, however, just sets up the second point about the tempo. Before McNabb went out, two of the Eagles’ three actual drives were very good. A two-minute drill and an athletic interception prevented scores on two of them, not anything the offense did wrong.

Then, once McNabb got hurt, it was caretaker time.

In five full drives under Kolb, the Eagles advanced the ball more than 20 yards exactly once. That was at the end of the third quarter...on a drive that ended when Kolb was sacked and fumbled the ball.

Even that drive was all the running game, as Kolb was 3-for-3 for 9 yards total. They got 26 yards, and that was the best showing.

It’s not as if there was a ton of pressure on Kolb. The defense had the game of its life, and even though mid third-quarter is a bit early to play caretaker, he pretty much had carte blanche to do whatever he needed to do.

And he did nothing—seven completions, two fumbles, and two more balls that should have been picked off.

Not exactly a line that inspires confidence. And it’s a trend.

In 2008, Kolb was a wreck any time he wasn’t playing caretaker. He threw four picks in 34 pass attempts, and in the one game where Donovan McNabb was so bad that Andy Reid benched him, Kolb responded by going 10 of 23 for 73 yards and two picks.

Granted, it was Baltimore, but that’s his best career line.

Again, even if you have Barry Sanders running the ball and the 1985 Bears defense on the other side, that’s not going to win anything.

And it shouldn’t be enough to keep his job.

With Donovan McNabb suffering broken ribs on Sunday and Michael Vick not eligible until Week 3, the Eagles need confidence in their backup option next week. I certainly don’t have it in Kevin Kolb, and if anyone outside of Andy Reid still thinks he’s the “QB of the future,” they’re nuts.

Vick, despite two years off, is much more athletic and talented. McNabb is only 32 and still has a few good years left in him. By then, Kolb will be 30 (or close to it) and untested.

The Eagles don’t need a caretaker or even a QB of the future just yet. They need a guy who can step in and win games.

A guy like A.J. Feeley.

Remember, Feeley was only in his second year when he came off the bench in 2002 to lead the Eagles to a 4-1 down the stretch and a playoff berth.

And yes, he is also the guy who threw seven picks in a pair of tough losses to New England and Seattle in 2007, but he also kept the Birds in both of those games until the end.

Simply put, he’s a professional who knows the offense and can get the job done.

Kevin Kolb isn’t.

Hey, sometimes picks are busts. Reggie Brown was a second round pick and has been average at best.

Maybe they can catch on somewhere else together.

Either way, it’s time for the Kolb Express to leave 30th Street Station.

Two Newest Eagles Prove Final Cuts Aren't Always Final

Lou DiPietro — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 22:08:44 -0400

The phrase “final cutdown day” is definitely a misnomer in the NFL. It’s really more like “number cutdown day,” because every year, there’s an inevitable flurry of roster moves after rosters are allegedly “set.”

And it’s why I, both as a fan and a journalist, never really worry about pressing needs until the season actually begins.

Backup tight end is an issue? Too many quarterbacks? Only three true defensive tackles on the roster?

No worries, as the Eagles fixed all those issues after their roster was "set."

So meet the two newest Eagles: DT Antonio Dixon and TE Alex Smith.

While last year’s lone post-cutdown addition, LB Tracy White, was really only limited to special teams action (he didn’t record a tackle), both Dixon and Smith should have a much bigger impact.

In Smith, the Eagles get a quality backup tight end who is an excellent receiver, adequate blocker and, most importantly, a veteran of the West Coast offense.

Basically, he perfectly fills the role that Brent Celek had last year and rookie Cornelius Ingram was due to take before a knee injury.

In four years in Tampa, Smith caught 129 balls for 1,252 yards and 11 TD. Those numbers speak for themselves.

Coming to Philly, he finally has something he never really experienced in Tampa: a stable quarterback situation and a top-flight running back.

In four seasons, Smith played with six different starting quarterbacks—including two stints by Brian Griese—and blocked for about a dozen different rushers.

Not easy to get into a groove either way.

But as much as Tony Curtis showed in the preseason, Smith is definitely an upgrade at the backup TE position. Whether or not he remains on the roster after this season—which, assuming Cornelius Ingram is healthy, is admittedly a long shot—remains to be seen, but he will give 100 percent every Sunday until then.

Dixon, meanwhile, could become a fixture inside.

Originally signed by Washington as a rookie free agent, the Miami product was let go by the Redskins in final cutdowns. The Eagles, who kept only three DTs after cutdown day, snapped him up almost immediately.

And with good reason, as Dixon perfectly fits the mold of what the Eagles look for in a DT. Namely, he’s a 6'3", 322-pound two-gap tackle who has a quick first step and can collapse the pocket in a hurry.

Not only that, but he’s the type of hard-working, blue-collar guy Philadelphia loves.

As a child, Dixon had no home, no father (his is serving time in a federal prison in Georgia for drug trafficking) and had to overcome a severe speech impediment and a learning disability that left him illiterate as late as high school.

Make any joke you want about the University of Miami’s enrollment standards, but most people stuck in that quagmire never even bother to try to get out of it.

But Dixon did. He showed flashes of brilliance at “The U,” but injuries and inconsistency left him undrafted this spring.

Still, he worked hard, and was grudgingly one of the final cuts from a team that lists $100-million man Albert Haynesworth, stalwart Cornelius Griffin and former starters Kedric Golston and Anthony Montgomery on its defensive tackle depth chart.

Now, he’ll have his chance in Philly.

Of course, the downside of his signing was the somewhat inevitable release of fan-favorite AJ Feeley. While the signing (and eventual reinstatement) of Michael Vick was the beginning of the end for Feeley’s second tenure in South Philly, it didn’t make Sunday’s call any easier.

As team president Joe Banner said, the Birds wanted to give Feeley a chance to find work and not keep him hanging on for a few weeks. A tough choice for sure, but hey, that’s final cutdowns for you.

Just ask Bobby Wade, who was released by Minnesota on Thursday despite leading the team in receptions last year and being the only healthy top-flight receiver on the roster.

His replacement? Former Eagle Greg Lewis, who was released by New England earlier in the week.

The circle of life, indeed.

Macho Harris: Just Another Second-Day Steal For The Eagles

Lou DiPietro — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 23:04:31 -0400

Today it's official. Victor “Macho” Harris will be the Eagles’ starting strong safety on Sunday afternoon against Carolina.

It’s remarkable enough that Harris played cornerback at Virginia Tech and not only shifted inside in the course of a summer, but beat out a since-released free agent signee and a 2008 draft pick for the job.

It’s doubly impressive when you realize that Harris is just another in a long line of “Day 2” success stories from the Andy Reid draft era.

There are many who criticize the Eagles for trading down on (and sometimes completely out of) Day one. But every time a guy like Harris does something even slightly impressive, those whispers get a little quieter.

Looking at the current Eagles' 53-man roster, 13 of them are guys Andy Reid has drafted in the fourth round or later. Of that baker’s dozen, five—Harris, Todd Herremans, Omar Gaither, Trent Cole and Brent Celek—are starters. Counting all three specialists as “starters," that’s 20 percent.

Factor in that Quentin Demps and Joe Mays were the guys beaten out by Harris and Gaither, Max-Jean Gilles could be a starter on Sunday depending on the offensive line’s health and Jason Avant is a key slot receiver, and that’s quite a haul.

Oh, yeah, and Brandon Gibson, Moise Fokou and King Dunlap played themselves onto the squad this year. And double oh yeah, Cornelius Ingram is on IR but would’ve made the team had he not torn his ACL again.

Some teams draft the best available talent or organizational depth on Draft Sunday. Apparently, the Eagles draft winners. And sometimes, it takes a puzzling move to do it.

Take someone the Eagles will see on Sunday: Panthers OT Jeff Otah.

Sure, Otah has the potential to be a franchise tackle and would’ve been nice as an Eagle. Instead, when No. 18 came around in the 2008 draft, the Birds traded the choice to Carolina for a 2009 No. 1 and two later picks in the ’08 draft. Carolina took Otah; the Eagles took some heat.

If it hasn’t dissipated by now, let me put that fire out. The fourth rounder they got turned out to be Mike McGlynn, and the 2009 first-rounder was one of the picks packaged to Buffalo to get Jason Peters. So the offensive line ended up okay this year…and oh yeah, how did last season turn out with Tra Thomas and Jon Runyan at tackle again?

Exactly.

Sometimes, it’s best not to question Andy Reid’s judgment. Macho Harris didn’t…and now he’ll be starting the first NFL game he ever plays at a position he never learned until this summer.

Just another day at the NovaCare Complex in South Philadelphia.

Projecting the Eagles' 53-Man Roster

Lou DiPietro — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 22:54:25 -0400

Saturday afternoon is the deadline for NFL teams to get down to the 53-man roster limit. As of Thursday, there were still 75 players on the Philadelphia Eagles roster, with the game against the Jets the last chance for nearly two dozen players to make an impression on Andy Reid. Now that the game is over, it’s time to decide. It’s a little easier now that the Michael Vick situation is sorted out, but it’s still a tough 48 hours for those on the bubble. Obviously, there are 30 or so guys who are a lock to make the team. And for those 22 who are cut, there are still eight practice squad spots to be had. So, with that in mind, it’s time for me to play armchair GM and wager a guess as to who survives, who goes and who becomes practice squad fodder.

Begin Slideshow

Sean McDermott Is Quickly Learning the Art of "Reid-Speak"

Lou DiPietro — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 23:49:52 -0400

He’s only officially been the Eagles’ defensive coordinator for about five weeks, yet Sean McDermott has already learned what some like to call “Reid-speak.”

During his press conference following Thursday’s preseason game against Jacksonville, McDermott said all he needed to say without actually saying anything.

That’s true talent. And that’s Reid-speak.

Unfortunately, the biggest victim of his first major foray into the world of Reid-speak was perhaps the one player who needs as much positive reinforcement as he can get—Joe Mays.

Unaware of what I mean? Well, here’s what McDermott had to say about the current status of the MIKE linebacker depth chart.

“It is a work in progress. There is competition at that position, which is what we want at every position. That will remain up until and throughout the rest of the season."

Really? Could have surprised me. I mean, I thought that nine of the 11 positions were on lockdown. Although Trent Cole, Asante Samuel, and Chris Gocong will be glad to know they haven’t nailed down starting spots, I’m sure.

Of course, McDermott also denied he was specifically speaking about Mays, but had this to say about his development:

"We're looking for consistency out of whoever is in the middle in order to execute the defense. As a young player, Joe has a very bright future and he continues to develop. Consistency would be the biggest thing, every down."

Translation: He’s not ready yet, and we won’t be patient enough to let him learn because Stewart Bradley is our middle linebacker anyway.

Conversely, when the subject was switched to Omar Gaither, McDermott was rather complimentary. When asked about Gaither as a possible MIKE, McDermott nearly glowed.

“My biggest thing is that I want to see Omar come out and handle the reigns of the defense in terms of the leadership, make the huddle call, get us lined up, quarterback the defense. Then, from a health standpoint, that he has confidence in his leg."

That sentence reads like the job description for Eagles MIKE linebacker—especially on the leadership front now that Brian Dawkins is gone.

Further, when asked about Gaither’s skills in coverage—a trait Mays is well-known to lack—McDermott heaped on more praise:

"I think he brings a lot to the table in the nickel passing game, sure. He's a very aware and instinctive player, and as I mentioned before, does a great job of getting us lined up."

Funny thing is, no one asked him about the nickel. It was a general question, and in trying to avoid saying anything definite, McDermott said all he needed to say.

Translation? Omar Gaither will be starting in the middle by Week Three and Joe Mays will be long forgotten.

But if that doesn’t happen and you come call me on it in October...chances are I won’t have an answer.

Hey, it works both ways.

The Falcons Got Vick; But Who Did the Eagles Draft in 2001?

Lou DiPietro — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 23:33:39 -0400

Michael Vick was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2001 NFL Draft.

Even with his jail sentence, it doesn’t seem that long ago that Vick was a fresh faced rookie turning around a floundering Atlanta Falcons franchise.

A lot has changed since the first time I saw Vick stand on a football field in Philly—which was November of 1999, my junior year of college at Temple. I (and the 30 or 40 suckers…err, Owls supporters), who actually went to the game, saw Vick's alma mater, Virginia Tech, roll Temple 62-7.

Vick, who was a red-shirt freshman at the time, had 134 rushing yards, 171 passing yards and four total touchdowns—one of which was a 75-yard scamper where not a soul touched him.

And to think, he left halfway through the third quarter.

I was on the sidelines, videotaping the game for highlights in that week’s edition of “Temple Update.” My roommate was on the football team, and I remember exactly what he said after the game: “(Bleep).”

Oddly enough, 1999 was the beginning of the Andy Reid era in Philly, and the 2001 season ended with the first of the Eagles’ five NFC Championship Game appearances under his watch.

There’s correlation, synergy, or some other buzzword there.

In looking back at the Eagles’ own draft that year, it turned out to be a very fruitful one.

In the first round, the Birds selected No. 25 and took one of the most bizarre characters in team history: Freddie Mitchell.

Yes, “FredEx” was a first-round draft pick.

While he’ll never be forgotten for being the receiver on the business end of “4^th-and-26,” Mitchell’s career in Philly was otherwise a bust. From 2001-04, he recorded 90 catches for 1,263 yards and 5 TD—or roughly what DeSean Jackson has already done in one season.

Following four years of shenanigans and some harsh criticisms of the team, Mitchell was released in May 2005. He caught on in Kansas City, but was dumped before the 2005 season started, and later had failed tryouts for several other teams—including the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts.

He now owns a Bar-B-Q restaurant in Lakeland, Florida…and he has a blog. And yes, he’s still entertaining.

The middle rounds produced a quartet that sounds like it should be a Chronicles of Narnia book: The Bust, the Breakout, the Backup, and the Bengal.

The “bust” was second round pick Quinton Caver, a linebacker who had all of 19 tackles in two seasons as an Eagle, and faded away after a few more mediocre seasons in the NFL. The “Bengal” was an early fifth-round pick and former Penn State TE Tony Stewart, who caught a half-dozen balls as a rookie, but faded to the practice squad in 2002 and then spent five years in Cincinnati.

The other two are much more noteworthy.

The “breakout” was third-rounder Derrick Burgess. Before he was terrorizing AFC defenses as a Raider (and now a Patriot), Burgess was part of Jim Johnson’s famed rotation at defensive end. And as a rookie in 2001, he played in every game and had six sacks.

Then came the “break”…literally.

Burgess broke his foot in Week One of the 2002 season and missed the whole year—only to also miss 2003 because of a torn Achilles tendon. He returned in 2004 and played well, starting 12 games and recording five and a half total sacks (three of which came in the post-season).

Then he fled to Oakland, and the rest is history.

The “backup” you ask? Why, none other than fourth-round pick Correll Buckhalter.

I really have nothing snarky to say about CB. Sure, he missed three of his first five seasons, but when healthy he did a great job as a backup to/complement with/fill-in for Duce Staley and Brian Westbrook. He even holds the Eagles’ franchise record for rushing yards by a rookie (586, if you’re counting at home).

He’s great…except he’s now in Denver.

But perhaps the greatest—or at least the most ironic—pick was the Eagles’ last: Oregon QB AJ Feeley.

He’s had one heck of a career path. As a second-year man in 2002, he won four of his five starts as a fill-in for Donovan McNabb and led the Eagles to the playoffs.

He didn’t see one snap in 2003, was traded to Miami (and subsequently to San Diego), came back as a free agent in 2006 and has pretty much been Captain Clipboard ever since. Well, minus those two games in 2007 where he almost led the Eagles to wins over Seattle and then-undefeated New England—and probably would have if he didn’t throw seven total picks in the process.

It’s almost fitting that he’s the guy whose job is most in jeopardy because of Vick’s acquisition.

Weird how that works out, no?

Enjoy Michael Vick’s debut. I sure will.

So Much For "Overcrowding" In The Yankees' Outfield

Lou DiPietro — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 23:44:37 -0400

Sometimes when life hands you lemons, you can do better than just make lemonade.

Case in point: The 2009 New York Yankees, their overloaded DH spot and their “crowded” outfield.

In the outfield, the Yanks had Johnny Damon, Melky Cabrera, Brett Gardner, Xavier Nady, Hideki Matsui and Nick Swisher—and not one of them was revered by most Yankee fans, some scribes and even a few in the organization. It was so crowded that Bobby Abreu--a .300-20-100 guy who was the team's No. 3 hitter for almost three seasons--wasn't even asked back.

The starters coming out of spring training were Damon, Gardner and Nady, and they had more question marks than check marks. Many thought Damon would decline offensively, become even more of a defensive liability than he already was and basically be an expensive relic. As for the other two, well, Gardner couldn’t hit and Nady couldn’t possibly play over his head again.

Then there was the bench. Swisher, who was the Yanks’ starting first baseman for about 45 minutes, was way too expensive and way too poor of a hitter to be on the bench. Ditto on the latter for Cabrera; if he was so bad that he needed to be demoted to Scranton in late 2008 and couldn’t beat out Brett Gardner for the CF job, what good was he?

And worst of all was Matsui, a creaky-kneed expensive shell of his former self who couldn’t even play the field—a factor that would totally destroy the universe if Jorge Posada couldn’t catch full time and needed to be more of a DH than a receiver.

I’ll admit, I too was one of those Yankee fans that wondered how the hell they could justify pretty much anything they threw out there.

At least we were right about Nady, I guess, and that’s not even poor Xavier’s fault.

With six weeks to go in the season, the Yanks have a 7 ½ game lead over the Boston Red Sox—and have won six of their last seven against their Beantown Rivals after starting the season 0-8.

And the outfield/DH is a huge reason.

Swisher has been a very pleasant surprise. He took over for Nady when Xavier blew out his elbow, and while A-Rod was hurt and Mark Teixiera was struggling in April, he was a big catalyst in the offense.

Yes, overall his average is awful as usual (.down to .245 after an 0-for-4 night in Boston on Sunday). But even though he’s cooled off immensely since that torrid April, he’s done exactly what people have said he would do—namely get on base at a nearly .400 clip, hit 20-30 HR (he’s at 21 through Sunday) and do whatever the Yankees asked of him.

And to boot, he’s been very good defensively in right field and excellent in his limited action at first base.

Then there’s Cabrera, who apparently got the message after his demotion and the loss of his starting job coming out of spring training. After reclaiming the job early in the year, Cabrera has produced. There are plenty of teams that would take .265-10-50 out of their No. 9 hitter for the season—numbers Cabrera has put up in only 370 or so at-bats.

The biggest surprises, however, have been Damon and Matsui.

Whether it’s his move to the No. 2 slot, the seemingly thin air in right field at Yankee Stadium or even just his impending free agency, Damon has had a renaissance in 2009.

While you could knock him for the fact that he’s only stolen nine bases (his career low is 16), that total may be better explained by his swap in the order with Derek Jeter and his power output.

Through Sunday, Damon had 22 HR (his career high is 24), was slugging nearly 100 points better than his career average and is on pace to be right around or above his career average numbers in walks, OBP, average and runs scored.

Then there’s Matsui. Creaky knees or not, he’s been consistent all season and on fire as of late. Sunday, he produced his third multi-homer game in the last 10 days, and seems to be peaking at the right time. He has eight HR in August (after hitting that many in June and July combined) and has seemed rejuvenated by getting one or two days off a week.

Overall, yes, his average is down about 20 points, he probably won’t reach 100 RBI for the first time in a “full” season and he hasn’t seen the field all year. But with 23 HR, a nearly .900 OPS and a few days off here and there, he’s a big cog in the machine.

Funny how things work out, isn’t it?

The weirdest part, however, is that what was a “bad” problem five months ago could be an even worse problem five months from now.

Damon, Matsui and Nady are all free agents—and even with career years, there’s almost no way the Bombers can justify bringing more than one back—and Austin Jackson is on the verge of being ready, which could make Melky, Gardner or even both obsolete.

Seems like a much better problem to have, actually.

A Deeper Look at Brian Westbook's Fantasy Football Viablility

Lou DiPietro — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 22:42:54 -0400

Over the weekend, Colts Featured Columnist Kyle Winslow put together a fantastic fantasy article, where a few of us B/R Featured Columnists were asked various questions about the upcoming fantasy season.

If you haven’t done so, give it a read.

As one of the contributors to the piece, I was asked whether Brian Westbrook was an injury risk or a great draft value. Of course my answer was great value.

It seems as if many who read the piece—including a few Eagles fans, oddly—think I’m out of my gourd.

So let me explain quickly by saying this: Just because Brian Westbrook is now 30 and has been banged up a bit as of late (not to mention his off-season ankle surgery) doesn’t mean he’s all of a sudden a bust.

Sure, he’s not going to be Michael Turner or Adrian Peterson. Hell, he might not even be Brian Westbrook circa 2006 or so.

But he’s still Brian Westbrook, and that’s what makes him a great value.

If your friends, co-workers and other fantasy colleagues are anything like a lot of mine, they may overvalue potential and undervalue consistency. Right now, everyone who drafted LaDainian Tomlinson last year probably thinks I’m nuts.

And maybe I am, because I took him No. 3 overall in my first of many drafts this season.

But like LT, even when Westbrook is “bad,” he’s still real good.

Last season, he missed two games, didn’t play most of two others and took quite a few series off due to various maladies.

He still set a career high in touchdowns with 14.

What stat is worth the most points in fantasy football? Oh yeah, right.

What’s even funnier is many of those people will tell you that they’ll get a great value later in the draft in LenDale White, because “he scores a lot.”

White had only one more TD than Westbrook last season and barely 60 percent of the yards from scrimmage.

So yes, 2008 was a down year for Westbrook. He still racked up 1,338 yards and 14 TD. Now various leagues have various scoring policies of course, but in my three Yahoo! Leagues, Westbrook’s stats ranked him eighth, ninth and 14th overall.

But looking deeper, the latter two leagues count both receptions and return yards, which vaulted “studs” like Leon Washington, Pierre Thomas, Darren Sproles, and Jerious Norwood ahead of him.

Which means that in a standard scoring league—yards and touchdowns—he was a Top 10 running back in 2008.

Now, add in three key factors.

First, he’s “healthy.” Yes, potential for injury is always there, but he’s working with a clean slate if you will. All his previous issues are cleared up, and he says he’s 100 percent.

Second, the “running back by committee” system is becoming more and more popular. But the Eagles don’t have a LenDale White to his Chris Johnson or a Derrick Ward to his Brandon Jacobs, so to speak.

His backups are LeSean McCoy and Lorenzo Booker. The latter hasn’t shown anything at all…well, ever, and while the former is a talented back and a second-round pick, he’s also a rookie—which doesn’t always bode well in Andy Reid’s system.

Sure, DeSean Jackson’s stats last year tell a different story, but he was the top receiver by default last year so you have to remember the circumstances.

And finally, the additions of Jeremy Maclin and Michael Vick could mean a more dynamic passing offense, which means one of two things could happen.

In scenario A, Westbrook could become a more dangerous threat in that passing game, which could lead to a ton of yards and more touchdowns.

Or, in scenario B, he loses carries—but that means he’s fresher (and thus more dangerous) down the stretch…which should still bode well for his fantasy numbers.

Yes, Brian Westbrook, he’s 30 and eventually due to slow down a bit. But based his 2008 numbers and his 2009 factors, then even if everyone in your league overvalues potential and thinks WR-RB (or vice versa) is the way to go, Westbrook should be gone by the third or fourth round at the latest—so if you can get him there or later, he is a great value.

Just remember folks, for every Michael Turner there’s a LaMont Jordan, for every Matt Ryan there’s a Ryan Leaf, and for every guy who comes out of nowhere there’s six more waiting to take his job.

I’ll take consistency every time.