Here we are at the dawn of another Eagles season with exceedingly high expectations that are, at the same time, warranted and terrifying. There are aspects of this team that have the potential to be scarily elite, and there are aspects of this team that have the potential to be just scary – and, in some instances (particularly, the quarterbacks), the potential is there for either one. So, let us take a quick look at each of the individual “units” on this team, one by one, in my order of strength.
1). Defensive Line
With all due respect to the 9-7, outscored-on-the-season, “defending champs” to our North, the Philadelphia Eagles have the best defensive line in the NFL. And, yes, I will stick by that claim with a long history of non-homerism (as you will see in my take on some of the other units on this list). This unit combines undebatably elite starters on the outside, one solid veteran and one sky’s-the-limit rookie starters on the inside, and legitimately frightening depth all over. Last year’s numbers for Trent Cole and Jason Babin may have been bolstered a bit by the “wide-9” scheme, but there is no debate that these two guys are among the best in the business at getting after the passer. They are quick and relentless off the edges, but they do not hurt you at all (especially Cole) in run defense. And, while everybody knows that the Birds were gashed up the middle last year, I haven’t heard one person put any of that on Cullen Jenkins – who is widely-considered one of the most underrated defensive players in the league. And, now, in his second year with the team and a full offseason to establish himself, I expect the leadership to go through him this year. All indications point to the other starting tackle to be the top draft choice, Fletcher Cox. There is a good possibility that he is the best defensive rookie in the league this year and, at the very least, if ready to step in as an upgrade from day one. There is also talk of Derek Landri and Antonio Dixon being starting-caliber tackles coming in on rotations. And, there is always Mike Patterson, who we know is at least capable – when healthy. To give Cole or Babin a blow, the Birds can turn to a quartet of potential breakout stars, led by Darryl Tapp, the speedy rookie, Vinny Curry, a promising second-year player in Philip Hunt, and even some guy named Brandon Graham, who is finally healthy and who may not be ready to cement his “bust” status quite yet.
2). The Weapons
With the NFL in this transition towards the spread offense and such, it is probably best to combine the WRs, RBs, and TEs into a single group these days. And, when you do that with this roster, you find yourself with more speed and athleticism than you know what to do with – along with a couple major question marks. First, we must start with everyone’s darling, LeSean McCoy. Now, don’t get me wrong on this – I LOVE this guy, and the season he put on tape last year was probably the single best season for an Eagles running back in my lifetime. HOWEVER (and I HATE to be the wet blanket here), let us pump the brakes on Shady just for a second here because in the era of fantasy football, people sometimes miss out on REAL football. Shady is absolutely worth every penny they paid for him and if he duplicates last season again this season, then I will be totally sold. But, I would like to see it for more than just one season. Fine – I’m a wet blanket. Can I make it up to you? I really like that they paid DeSean Jackson his money because I think he becomes the perfect stretch-the-field, NUMBER TWO receiver. And, that is exactly what we need because I think we have a legit superstar #1 receiver in Jeremy Maclin just waiting to be unleashed. And, this year, injury-free and ready to go, should be the year that he makes that jump. I expect Maclin to breakout this year the way McCoy did a year ago. Now, I’m not a huge Riley Cooper guy (especially now that he’s out with a broken collar bone), but I really like Jason Avant as a possession guy, and I have heard some really good things about their 6th-round pick out of Iowa, Marvin McNutt. And, then there’s always the up-and-down Brent Celek, whose range of possibilities this year runs from top-5 tight end to barely a starter. I am not a huge fan of Clay Harbour, but the coaching staff seems to find him valuable, and Penn State graduate, Brett Brackett should make the team as a third tight end.
3). Secondary
I had a lot of trouble where to rank this group. I knew the top 2 units were clearly better, and I have no doubt that the bottom two are where they belong, but it is this middle two that gave me a lot of trouble. I finally decided that I am going to judge this group based on the past performance of the guys on the outside and the fact that, as good as Asante Samuel was last year, he may have been more of a distraction – from a personal and personnel sense – than a help to the team. If you erased last year from history, you would be hard-pressed to make the argument that Nnamdi Asomugha isn’t the BEST player on this roster. Now, I know that last year did happen, but what if we gave Nnamdi a pass for a whole lot of reasons. If he returns to anywhere near the player he was in Oakland just two years ago, then this defense might look a LOT different. On the other side is a guy that I look at as the defense’s version of Jeremy Maclin, in that I think he is ready to official plant himself as one of the game’s best. Dominique Rogers-Cromartie had to be out of his element last year in the slot. Now, he gets a chance to return to his Pro Bowl-caliber play on the outside. Nnamdi on one side and DRC on the other might be the best pair of corners in the league – sounds nuts, but I believe that. However, this unit is not without its major question marks. I am an unabashed Joselio Hanson fan, but how many plays is too many for him to be on the field before he gets exposed? The other options in the nickle are 4th-round steal, Brandon Boykin (who is going to be DYNAMIC on kick and punt returns, but might not be ready for nickle corner duties) and converted running back, Curtis Marsh. So, basically this unit relies on the corners staying healthy. As for the safeties, I am a believer in Nate Allen, and Kurt Coleman is gritty and tough. But, the big coup might turn out to be the addition of O.J. Atogwe. An acquisition that was largely overlooked, this guy brings experience, toughness, and leadership to the back line. He makes up for what I do not like about Temple’s own, Jaiquawn Jarrett – who, no matter how hard he hits, might actually have to cover someone to really be useful in the NFL.
4). Quarterbacks
The reason I put the d-backs ahead of the QBs is not because of Michael Vick. I think Vick is clearly a top-10 quarterback and definitely good enough to win a Super Bowl. And, I am not afraid of the catastrophic, season-ending injury because, if that happens, then all of this conversation is moot anyway. What I am concerned with is the fact that, as bad as Vince Young played last year, at least there was someone there that we thought could win a game or two. And, in fact, if he did win just a single game while in there, the Eagles would have won the division and the Giants would have missed the playoffs. So, I am concerned with the 1-2 week injury to Vick – which seems to happen every year of his career and, as Doogan always says, staying healthy is a skill. When Vick missed 2 games in the middle of November, can Nick Foles, Trent Edwards, or Mike Kafka win a game? I’m not sure, and in a league where every win could be the difference between the Eagles season last year and the Giants season last year, that’s a pretty important thing.
5). Offensive Line
If not for Howard Mudd – the best offensive line coach in the history of the sport – I would rank this unit as the worst on the team. But, that might be harsh. Or, it might be because Jason Peters is just THAT good. I like Demetress Bell (who will start over King Dunlap), but anyone is a significant downgrade from the best o-lineman in the game. I am worried about the loss of Peters – VERY worried. That being said, Todd Herremans is as solid as it gets on the right side (Vick’s blindside), and Evan Mathis and Jason Kelce are very, very solid inside. If last year’s first-round pick, Danny Watkins turns into a legitimate starting guard, the interior of this line could actually be quite good. But, again, when you lose a guy like Peters, you have to expect a significant step backwards in the performance of the entire unit.
6). Linebackers
I do not put a lot of stock in preseason games, particularly Preseason Week One, but I do put some stock into training camp, and I expected rave reviews from camp and/or the first preseason game about newly-acquired middle linebacker, Demeco Ryans. Well, that is not what we are getting. In fact, we are getting some cautionary reports about how Ryans is no Jeremiah Trotter and that he’s not really attacking the way everyone expected. Maybe he is still getting his feet wet with a new team. Maybe it is taking him a little bit of time to adjust back to the 4-3 (for which he is MUCH better-suited). But, regardless, this unit was GOD-AWFUL last year, and the only way I see it becoming even adequate is if Ryans is a solid, reliable middle linebacker. And, he was on the field for 15+ plays against the Steelers without recording a single tackle – again, it’s preseason, but it’s also a bit alarming. Backing up Ryan will be Casey Matthews, who couldn’t cut it as the opening-day starter, but is still a pretty good rotation guy to have on the team. On the outside, this unit is either unproven or proven to be barely mediocre. As good as Fletcher Cox will probably be, Mychal Kendricks may turn out to be the more important rookie to the 2012 Eagles. If Kendricks can solidify the strongside ‘backer position, this defense will markedly improved. If not, we could be in for another long year of 15-yard runs at will because there really isn’t another option unless you want more missed tackles from Akeem Jordan. Fortunately, most reports have been glowing about Kendricks, the undersized, big-hearted 2nd-round pick. The weakside will be manned either by another undersized guy in Brian Rolle or 3rd-year guy, Jamar Chaney. Rolle looked decent last year, but that might be because he was a replacement for awful. Chaney has been slightly more than “just a guy” in each of his two years, but has shown flashes of starter ability. Chaney was probably the favorite to win this job, but a strained hamstring has kept him out of action for a while now, and Rolle may steal the spot. Either way, the Will backer doesn’t appear to exactly be a position of strength for this team. While the linebackers should be better than they were last year, that is not exactly saying anything, as they were historically awful last year. And, “improved” doesn’t necessarily mean “good.” If this defense returns to being one of the better defenses in the league, it is much more likely to be in spite of the linebackers than because of them.
