Offseason Analysis: Philadelphia Eagles

Jase Patrizio, one of my best friends and an Eagles fanatic, was kind enough to analyze the Eagles’ offseason plans for me.

The surprising Birds made it to the NFC championship game and lost a heart-breaker to the Arizona Cardinals for a chance at winning their first Super Bowl title.

What is an Eagles season without controversy? As Big Andy Reid would say, “I’m not gonna get into all that stuff.”

Offense

This offensive line could look a lot different come September. Long-time Eagles offensive tackles Jon Runyan and Tra Thomas are unrestricted free agents, and the front office has proven time and time again that they will part ways with players who are in the twilight of their careers if needed.

With that said, the line protected their quarterback well this past season, with restricted free agent Nick Cole (filling in for Max Jean-Gilles, who was filling in for Shawn Andrews), allowing 23 sacks, down from 44 last year.

Unrestricted free agent running back Correll Buckhalter has filled in admirably for Brian Westbrook and had some nice games. Philly could use a strong fullback and/or a bruising, punishing running back like Brandon Jacobs to take some of the load off Westy.

A running game similar to the formula of the New York Giants or the Tennessee Titans would make BWest even more dangerous.

Maybe Kyle Eckel is the answer at fullback, as Eckel was a great cure for our short yardage maladies.  Oh wait, I forgot, we’re running the West Coast offense, so we rarely run.

I’m going to give you an exclusive piece of news here—we need to go after an ELITE wide receiver. Insert your true No. 1 play-making, game-breaking, stud wide receiver [Boldin, Housh, etc.] and line him up with No. 2 Kevin Curtis and burner DeSean Jackson in the slot, and things could get fun. They will probably re-sign Big Bank Hank, who got some nice red zone grabs, and be done at wide receiver.

Just a hunch.

Throw a big dog tight end in the mix with hands and crushing blocking ability for those critical red zone points.  I could see Owen Daniels fitting nicely in this puzzle.

L.J. Smith has been great at times, but has had some bad luck with injuries. I don’t see him in an Eagles uniform in 2009.

Plus emerging TE Brent Celek has been exciting to watch, and he will continue to grow.

Defense

On the defensive side of the ball, the Birds were impressively ranked No. 3 in total defense in the league for the regular season. They had 29 takeaways, 10 better than in 2007.

On the bright side, UFA FS Brian Dawkins and CB Asante Samuel both went to the Pro Bowl.

Here’s my rant, so get ready—BDawk should remain an Eagle for the remainder of his career. He’s the longest-tenured athlete in Philadelphia, going into his 13th season as an Eagle, and has played the most games of any Eagle at 183.

I can’t tell you how I would feel seeing him in any other color than Midnight Green and Black. He still has it and continues to be a presence on and off the field and in the locker room.

You ever watch the NFL video highlights?

I would go to war with the X factor. To be fair, maybe his pass coverage has declined, but he’s still one the very best. He needs to get a ring. Hopefully, Joe Banner feels like I do.

Unlikely, but I wouldn’t be shocked to see him gone.

Lito Sheppard’s value has taken a hit due to the solid play of unrestricted free agent Joselio Hanson, who has managed to keep him off the field in the nickel. The front office should have traded him while they could.

I wouldn’t be surprised if we went after a big name defensive free agent. I could see them going after defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth or defensive end Julius Peppers. Then you would see Trent Cole have a big year.

You know how they like to make a big splash with big defensive stars.

Haynesworth could be labeled as a risk, but he’s just a star and commands attention from opponents, which would give Jim Johnson even more ability to create pressure with his defense.

We have a nice rotation at defensive end with Juqua Parker, Chris Clemons, and Darren Howard. The tackles Mike Patterson and Broderick Bunkley had a good year. The linebackers were solid this year as well, and this young linebacker corps will continue to grow and get better.

Let me know if I left anything out and/or share your comments. Thanks Lester for letting me give my take.