Philadelphia Eagles: 5 Strengths Going into Sunday's Game

The start of the 2011 NFL Season is finally here, and Eagle fans can’t wait for our revamped team to take the field. The Eagles season kicks off on Sunday against the St. Louis Rams.

Of course there is much speculation and assumption on the Eagles potential success on Sunday. Some predict a blowout, while shockingly a lot of experts are predicting a close game or surprising loss. I’ve decided to look at both teams and determine where the Eagles advantages lie going into Sunday.

Without further ado here are five strengths of the Philadelphia Eagles going into Sunday’s season opener.

Pass Defense

Last year the Eagles secondary was the Achilles' heel of a decent defensive unit. This year the Eagles literally gave Juan Castillo Christmas in July to totally make over their weak secondary.

Taking a close look at both teams’ secondary units’ production last year and their additions this year I was able to determine who really would have the upper hand.

Last season the Rams allowed an average of 72.2 yards per game against the opponent’s number one receiver, 46.1 yards against the number two receiver, and 44.1 yards against the slot receiver. Also, the Rams allowed 48.4 yards against the opponent’s tight end and 43.6 yards against the running back.

Overall the Rams finished 19^th in pass defense against a pretty weak schedule in 2010. The Rams offseason additions of Quintin Mikell and Al Harris do little to improve their scant pass defense. Al Harris is 36 years old and played in only three games last season with the Dolphins. Harris had only a little gas left in the tank four seasons ago, now he is nothing more than a neon target to be picked on having to match up with Jason Avant or Steve Smith in the slot.

Mikell is an above-average safety, but was brought in to fill the hole O.J. Atogwe left and balance this weak unit. St. Louis has a pretty good line-backing corps against the run, but they are vulnerable in pass coverage.  

The Eagles only allowed an average of 67.5 yards against the number one receiver, 42.7 yards against the number two receiver, and only 35.5 yards against the slot receiver. The Eagles suffered tremendously against tight ends, allowing an average of 58.4 yards per game and 36.2 yards against the running back. With the addition of Nnamdi Asomugha and Domenique Rodgers-Cromartie, receivers will be lucky if a pass goes incomplete, instead of being run back for six.

Also this season the Eagles line-backing corps is exceptionally stout in pass coverage and should have no problems in covering the Rams' running backs and tight ends. The Rams veteran tight end is mostly a blocking tight end, and their newly drafted one is athletic but new to the speed of professional football.

With Philadelphia running mostly out of the nickel formation in order to maximize the use of their power three at corner and stout coverage linebacker in Jamar Chaney, the field will ultimately be closed to second-year quarterback Sam Bradford.

Receiving Corps

Philadelphia fielded an exceptional and explosive receiving corps last season. Now add Steve Smith to the mix, and you get a consistently explosive receiving corps.  

DeSean Jackson is one of the top deep threats in the NFL right now. With his unbelievable speed he is able to open up the field for all the other Eagle receivers. Not only will he spread the field, but will be a mismatch against the Rams' corners and safeties.

Jeremy Maclin is a sure-handed receiver, and had more touchdown receptions than the Rams' top four receivers. Maclin is a full receiver capable of spreading the field and going across the middle, and he is a consistent red zone threat. LeSean McCoy is a valuable asset to the Eagles receiving corps as well, and is a better receiver out of the backfield than some receivers are at the line of scrimmage.

McCoy’s receiving stats surpass those of the Rams' leading Receiver Danny Amendola. The Rams on the other hand are fielding a mediocre receiving corps at best on Sunday. The Rams were 21^st overall in passing yards per game last season and their offseason addition of Mike Simms-Walker will do little to improve that with his meager 562 receiving yards last season.

Brent Celek had the same production even with last season being an off-year for him. Philadelphia’s stout pass defense will offer little to Bradford’s meager options at receiver.

Running Game

Andy Reid being known for not running the ball much during the season shocked many as the Eagles finished first in yards per carry. LeSean McCoy and Michael Vick provide a phenomenal ground attack. I know they're not your typical two-headed monster, but hey it’s Michael Vick.

Vick and McCoy combined for 1800 rushing yards and 17 total rushing touchdowns last season, and probably will increase those numbers this year. The Eagles even added a true compliment to McCoy’s running style by signing agile pounder Ronnie Brown, who will also add to the Eagles' dismal red zone production. The Eagles' backfield is a thing to be feared even if Reid doesn’t utilize it; a dog bearing its teeth is still a threat even if it’s on a leash.  

The Rams do have a Pro Bowl running back in Stephen Jackson, but he is slowing down, and his 3.8 yards per carry last season attest to that. Jackson’s lowered production helped the Rams finish 31^st in the league in yards per carry.

With such meager per-carry production it will be hard for the Rams to move the chains and take advantage of the Eagles' questionable run defense.  The Rams tried to add to their backfield during the offseason by signing Cadillac Williams, but even he is slowing down and is honestly toward the end of his career. The Rams' backfield was only able to put up eight touchdowns during the entire season, so Steve Spagnuolo can’t hope to keep up with the Eagles' high-powered offense on the back of Stephen Jackson.

Scoring Ability

The Eagles’ high-powered offense was able to put points on the board in the blink of an eye last season, finishing third in points per game. Philadelphia’s offense put up an astronomical 48 total touchdowns last season, and will probably compete to take first place in points with their offseason additions that will remedy their red zone woes.

The Eagles’ offense is built to score, and has the ability to stretch the field and open up lanes for McCoy or Maclin. With the speed this offense has on the outside, the Rams' corners will need help from both safeties, opening the middle of the field to be exploited.

Michael Vick being a dual threat quarterback gives the Rams' defense even more to worry about. Vick can score with both his arm and his legs, and will do so constantly if you focus too much effort on trying to contain one aspect of his game.

Bringing in a spy on Vick makes the secondary more susceptible to deep throws and backing the safeties up to take ways his arm strength opens up the run and the Eagles’ stellar screen game. Wherever you look on the field, the Eagles are able to score often and will against the Rams' weak defesive unit.

On the other hand, St. Louis was 27^th in points per game and had only 27 total offensive touchdowns. This offensive production is even worse when you look at the weak schedule the Rams had last season.

Their offseason additions at receiver through free agency and the draft can hardly be counted on since two are unproven rookies and one is coming off a down year with Jaguars. Their other two receivers, Brandon Gibson and Danny Amendola, have high catch-rate percentages, but lack the athleticism to be factors against the speedy Rodgers-Cromartie and ball-hawking Asante Samuel. The Rams simply do not have the firepower to match the Eagles point for point. 

Takeaways

Last Season the Eagles offensive production had a lot to do with their defense being able to take the ball away, finishing fifth overall in turnovers. Asante Samuel has to be one of the best ball hawks in the NFL and would have more interceptions had his counterpart been more useful.

The Rams are way out of their league coming into this game against such a stout secondary. Asante Samuel had seven interceptions last season, which was more than all of the Rams' corner backs combined.

In this game, expect Samuel and Rodgers-Cromartie to pick one off and maybe even take it to the house, especially since the addition of Asomugha will increase their interception chances exponentially. Juan Castillo’s defensive scheme will also make it hard for Sam Bradford not to throw the ball into Eagle hands. Castillo will be running a nickel defense and wants to use Asomugha in a role similar to Packers’ Charles Woodson.

With Asomugha roaming free in the middle of the field the easy throws are taken away, forcing Bradford to try and hit the outside routes. Sam Bradford is a young quarterback and is not that comfortable in the pocket to be able to hit those passes. Not only will Samuel and Rodgers-Cromartie be able to take advantage of Bradford’s forced passes, but also the Rams' weak receiving corps.

With such an outstanding lineup of corners on the outside, Asomugha may come away with a pick if Bradford decides to try his luck in the middle. The Rams' defense does not have this strength as they finished 17^th overall in takeaways. Their corners, who combined for only six interceptions last season, will not offer the second chances that the Eagles’ secondary does. Takeaways provide teams the chance to swing momentum and get extra offensive chances that can be the difference in a win or a loss. Once again I will repeat that the Rams will be lucky if their passes fall incomplete.

The Rams find themselves outmatched in this one, as the Eagles' strengths far outweigh their weakness going into Sunday’s game.