Birds' New Weapons Should Lead To Improved Ground Game

The Eagles made a number of moves this off season that they expect will improve their team.  While they added some key players on defense, the real changes came on the offensive side of the ball, which should strengthen the greatest area of weakness from last year, the running game.

One of the first moves the Eagles made this off season was the acquisition of fullback Leonard Weaver, quite possibly the most underrated move the team made all off season.  Weaver gives the Eagles something they have not had since 2004, a true fullback. 

Last season, they threw defensive tackle Dan Klecko into the backfield and tried to convert him to fullback, an experiment that did not quite work.  Scrappy Kyle Eckel was signed late in the year and contributed some key third downs, but Weaver is a significant upgrade.

Having Weaver in the backfield should certainly open holes for RB Brian Westbrook that just weren’t there last season, and should also keep Westbrook from taking so many hits.  Weaver has the added bonus of being a great pass catching FB, something that Andy Reid loves.

The Eagles also made some great moves along their offensive line, letting aging tackles Tra Thomas and Jon Runyan leave, replacing them with young veterans Jason Peters and Stacy Andrews, and moving returning starter Shawn Andrews outside to the tackle spot, the position he played at Arkansas.

One of the biggest problems the Eagles had with their running game last year was their short-yardage packages.  With the additions of Andrews and Peters, the Eagles now have one of the biggest and strongest lines in the league, which even pass-first Reid will have to utilize in the hopefully improved running game.

Still not done, the Eagles drafted RB LeSean McCoy out of Pittsburgh in the second round, 53rd overall.  The experts leading up to the draft called McCoy a Westbrook clone, with the two backs sharing a similar skill set.

McCoy is expected to come in and contribute right away; spelling Westbrook and allowing him to get some much needed rest during the regular season.  McCoy is a shifty back that can also catch the ball out of the backfield, and if he can pick up the offense quickly enough, big things are projected for him.  Opposing defenses will also have to watch out for wide receivers DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin, who can run out of the spread offense. 

Under Andy Reid, the Eagles have never been known as a running team.  In fact, while the statistics are not quite as skewed as everyone makes them out to be, the Eagles have been known over the last few years to be one of the most pass-happy teams in the NFL.

However, with the changes and additions the team made this off season, it would be impossible to think the Eagles won’t run the ball more often.  And when they do, they expect their running game to be more effective, easing the pressure on Donovan McNabb to complete every critical third down pass.

With Jason Peters, Shawn Andrews, and Stacy Andrews on the line, and Leonard Weaver, LeSean McCoy, and Brian Westbrook in the backfield, look for the Eagles to add to their already effective passing game with a greatly improved running team this year, making them one of the most explosive offenses in the league.