Plagued By Injury, Sparks Flare From Eagles' Preseason

Michael Vick is the headline for the Eagles preseason, but everybody else is reporting on that. Although I obviously have to touch on what he'll do for the city of Philadelphia this year, let's take a more in depth look at the rest of the team:

Unfortunately for the Eagles, they were the target of the injury bug during this year's preseason. The offensive line took the brunt of it, unable to gel throughout the preseason with nagging injuries to many of the starters-to-be. Shawn Andrews had problems with his back early in the off-season and is on the mend. His brother Stacy Andrews comes back from off-season knee surgery and has yet to play in any of the preseason. Jason Peters has been practicing but has not seen the field during the preseason either. All three are very good veteran linemen who should fall nicely into Mornhinweg's offensive schemes.

The young and promising Cornelius Ingram, who seemed to be the next go-to red zone tight end, tore the same ACL that kept him sidelined for his senior year at Florida. Even if he does come back, he will never be the same player, due to such massive injuries sustained so early in his career.

On the other side of the ball, without Brian Dawkins, the core of the Eagles defense took a devastating blow at the linebacker position. Stewart Bradley, who many thought to have a Pro Bowl season, fell early in camp with a similar injury to that of Ingram. The Eagles have worked with a group of young linebackers before, however, and haven't been too shabby with inexperienced players at the position.

Despite some heavy losses, the Eagles have definitely made the right moves to be the best team they can be this year. In fact, if everybody had stayed healthy, the Eagles probably would have been one of the top runners to compete for the Super Bowl.

LeSean McCoy has more than proven himself through the preseason, drawing praise from practically everyone on the field. With Brian Westbrook out of the picture for the preseason, the youngster has broken some very nice runs against first string defenses and shown the explosiveness that is necessary for an NFL back to succeed.

As for Michael Vick, the Eagles are doing all they can to keep the ex-con on the right path. From staying in close contact with Tony Dungy to holding meetings for animal rights groups, Jeffry Lurie and the rest of the Eagles' management have done all they can to make sure Vick eases into Philadelphia with as little turbulence as possible. According to the coaching staff, Vick has looked good early on in training camp and will get his fair share of the game tomorrow playing after Donovan McNabb. It's hard to gauge what to expect of him. He can line up anywhere on the field and make plays for the squad. Under center in the wildcat is the expected position of number 7. However, lining him up at wide receiver in the wildcat's "quarterback" position could be beneficial as well. You could even throw both McNabb and Vick back in the shotgun ...the double shotgun...with a multitude of weapons including Westbrook, McCoy, Jackson, and Curtis in a variety of different positions on the field.

Players to Look For:

 - LeSean McCoy -

Speaking of sparks, this second-round draft pick has rumors spreading that he'll be the next Brian Westbrook. That's some pretty lofty praise. If the young speedster can keep injury at bay, he may certainly be well on his way. He has very good vision and has burst off the cut that rookie backs rarely possess. Coming into camp, he needed to work on blocking and picking up the blitz. Obviously a quick learner, the rookie halfback has Andy Reid talking about how far he has come in this area. If Brian Westbrook goes down, God forbid, look for this flashy young pistol have a season comparable with the best rookies of last year. With Westbrook healthy, McCoy will still garner a sizable number of plays-per-game.

 - Brent Celek - 

Flying under the radar of most expert NFL analysts, Brent Celek is poised for a breakout year. To conclude the 2008-2009 season, Celek played admirably with 19 catches for 151 yards and 3 touchdowns. He proved to be the go-to guy in the red zone. With injuries hitting the tight end position already, the Eagles have played it safe with their starter, keeping him relatively limited for preseason. When the Eagles get the ball in the red zone, look for Celek to be the next option in the end zone behind Brian Westbrook.

 - Brandon Gibson - 

Although Jeremy Maclin brings the hype with him from his first round selection, this sixth-round draft pick has made a splash at training camp. Injuries have given this young Washington State standout some opportunities to impress head coach Andy Reid and offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg. Dubbing consistency as his flaw, Gibson has worked tirelessly to make the Eagles' final roster. Once this youngster gets rolling, look out, he could be exactly what the Eagles need in the red zone. Unfortunately for this young receiver, he's buried on the depth chart behind a list of sure-handed receivers including fellow rookie Jeremy Maclin, Jason Avant, Hank Baskett, and veterans Kevin Curtis and Reggie Brown. Currently he sits 7th on the depth chart with DeSean Jackson as the obvious number 1. If the injury bug sticks around, expect Coach Reid to put him on the field to see what he can do. If he doesn't get the chance this year and stays on the roster, look for this wide-out to develop into a very good receiver that fits this offensive scheme to perfection. He has 6 catches for 69 yards and a touchdown halfway through the preseason.

 - Ellis Hobbs -

With some new scenery, the veteran corner back moves into a very accepting defense. Hobbs will get some immediate help from fellow ex-Patriot Asante Samuel, who moved into the late Jim Johnson's scheme only last year. On the other hand, the coaching staff has already dealt with an ex-Pat, so they'll know exactly what Hobbs will need to have a good year. Although the preseason saw a botched coverage where Hobbs was expecting some help from over top and didn't get it, I expect him to have a great season in the green and white. Don't forget this tandem of wide-outs won themselves a couple Super Bowls. With Sheldon Brown as the 2nd option, Hobbs will be get most of the help in the center of the field as the 3rd corner back.