Philadelphia Eagles: Why They Will "Flop" in the 2011 NFL Preseason

The expectations for the Philadelphia Eagles going into this season are extremely high, as they should be.

However, they're so high that the Eagles can't possibly meet them immediately.

They have been called everything from a dream team to the Miami Heat of the NFL. I think the Heat of the NFL is the more accurate description.

If you don't follow the NBA, the Heat signed three of the association's top players last season to gear up for a championship run. Despite their talent, they lost in the NBA championship.

This offseason, the Eagles signed the best player on the free-agent market in cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha and then were able to trade their backup quarterback, Kevin Kolb, to the Arizona Cardinals for cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. When you combine those two moves, the Eagles gave themselves one of the best secondaries in the NFL.

The Eagles also held on to the majority of their starters from last season, and even added a few additional free-agent pieces like former Miami Dolphins running back Ronnie Brown. They even added the dynamic Vince Young to back up Michael Vick.

After that flurry of moves, everyone had the Eagles pegged for the Super Bowl; well, at least casual fans.

But there are a few things to take into consideration, especially when it comes to why the Eagles will "flop" in the preseason.

These new guys have had very little time to learn a new system and get to know their new teammates. Those things take time, and that's something that the NFL lockout cost these players.

It is highly unlikely that the Eagles are going to blow out anyone this preseason, and frankly, that is what people expect. 

The Eagles should start slow. That is what happens when you take a bunch of talent and throw it together. These guys need to learn how to play off of each other before they can be great together.

Even though the offense remains relatively the same, the Eagles have to figure out how Brown is going to fit in their backfield. Though it shouldn't disrupt their offense too much, it could take the entire preseason to figure out how Brown and LeSean McCoy will split carries.

When it's all said and done, it is just the preseason. The Eagles should actually benefit from having the expectations put on them lowered. 

Being a flop in the preseason in no way means the Eagles won't be a Super Bowl team this year, because they, frankly, should be. It wouldn't even be shocking if they started the year a little slow before hitting full stride midseason, but that's how the best teams do it.