Here we are at the dawn of another Eagles season with exceedingly high expectations that are, at the same time, warranted and terrifying.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 So, let us take a quick look at each of the individual “units” on this team, one by one, in my order of strength.<\/p>\n
1). Defensive Line<\/em><\/strong> 2). The Weapons 3). Secondary 4). Quarterbacks 5). Offensive Line<\/em><\/strong> 6). Linebackers<\/em><\/strong> \u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Here we are at the dawn of another Eagles season with exceedingly high expectations that are, at the same time, warranted and terrifying.\u00a0 There are aspects of this team that have the potential to be scarily elite, and there are … Continue reading
\nWith 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.\u00a0 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).\u00a0 This unit combines undebatably elite starters on the outside, one solid veteran and one sky’s-the-limit rookie starters on the inside, and\u00a0legitimately frightening depth all over.\u00a0 Last year’s numbers for Trent<\/strong> Cole<\/strong> and Jason<\/strong> Babin<\/strong>\u00a0may 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.\u00a0 They are quick and relentless off the edges, but they do not hurt you at all (especially Cole) in run defense.\u00a0 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<\/strong> – who is widely-considered one of the most underrated defensive players in the league.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 All indications point to the other starting tackle to be the top draft choice, Fletcher Cox<\/strong>.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 There is also talk of Derek Landri<\/strong> and Antonio Dixon<\/strong> being starting-caliber tackles coming in on rotations.\u00a0 And, there is always Mike Patterson<\/strong>, who we know is at least capable – when healthy.\u00a0 To give Cole or Babin a blow, the Birds can turn to a quartet of potential breakout stars, led by Darryl Tapp<\/strong>, the speedy rookie, Vinny Curry<\/strong>, a promising second-year player in Philip Hunt<\/strong>, and even some guy named Brandon Graham<\/strong>, who is finally healthy and who may not be ready to cement his “bust” status quite yet.<\/p>\n
\n<\/em><\/strong>With the NFL in this transition towards the spread offense and such, it is probably best to combine the WRs, RBs, and TEs\u00a0into a single group these days.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 First, we must start with everyone’s darling, LeSean McCoy<\/strong>.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 Shady is absolutely worth every penny they paid for\u00a0him and if he duplicates last season again this season, then I will be totally sold.\u00a0 But, I would like to see it for more than just one season.\u00a0 Fine – I’m a wet blanket.\u00a0 Can I make it up to you?\u00a0 I really like that they paid DeSean Jackson<\/strong> his money because I think he becomes the perfect<\/em> stretch-the-field, NUMBER TWO receiver.\u00a0 And, that is exactly what we need because I think we have a legit superstar #1 receiver in Jeremy Maclin<\/strong> just waiting to be unleashed.\u00a0 And, this year, injury-free and ready to go, should be the year that he makes that jump.\u00a0 I expect Maclin to breakout this\u00a0year the way McCoy did a year ago.\u00a0 Now, I’m not a huge Riley Cooper<\/strong> guy (especially now that he’s out with a broken collar bone), but I really\u00a0like Jason Avant<\/strong> as a possession guy, and I have heard some really good things about their 6th-round pick out of\u00a0Iowa, Marvin McNutt<\/strong>.\u00a0 And, then there’s always the up-and-down Brent Celek<\/strong>, whose range of possibilities this year runs from top-5 tight end to barely a starter.\u00a0 I am not a huge fan of Clay Harbour<\/strong>, but the coaching staff seems to find him valuable, and Penn State graduate, Brett Brackett<\/strong> should make the team as a third tight end.<\/p>\n
\n<\/em><\/strong>I had a lot of trouble where to rank this group.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 If you erased last year from history, you would be hard-pressed to make the argument that Nnamdi Asomugha<\/strong> isn’t the BEST <\/em>player on this roster.\u00a0 Now, I know that last year did happen, but what if we gave Nnamdi a pass for a whole lot of reasons.\u00a0 If he returns to anywhere near the player he was in Oakland just two years ago, then this defense might look a LOT different.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 Dominique Rogers-Cromartie<\/strong> had to be out of his element last year in the slot.\u00a0 Now, he gets a chance to return to his Pro Bowl-caliber play on the outside.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 However, this unit is not without its major question marks.\u00a0 I am an unabashed Joselio Hanson<\/strong> fan, but how many plays is too many for him to be on the field before he gets exposed?\u00a0 The other options in the nickle are 4th-round steal, Brandon Boykin<\/strong> (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<\/strong>.\u00a0 So, basically this unit relies on the corners staying healthy.\u00a0 As for the safeties, I am a believer in Nate Allen<\/strong>, and Kurt Coleman<\/strong> is gritty and tough.\u00a0 But, the big coup\u00a0might turn out to be\u00a0the addition of O.J. Atogwe<\/strong>.\u00a0 An acquisition that was largely overlooked, this guy brings experience, toughness, and leadership to the back line.\u00a0 He makes up for what I do not like about Temple’s own, Jaiquawn Jarrett<\/strong> – who, no matter how hard he hits,\u00a0might actually have to cover someone to really be useful in the NFL.<\/p>\n
\n<\/em><\/strong>The reason I put the d-backs ahead of the QBs is not because of Michael Vick<\/strong>.\u00a0 I think Vick is clearly a top-10 quarterback and definitely good enough to win a Super Bowl.\u00a0 And, I am not afraid of the catastrophic, season-ending injury because, if that happens, then all of this conversation is moot anyway.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 When Vick missed 2 games in the middle of November, can Nick Foles<\/strong>, Trent Edwards<\/strong>, or Mike Kafka<\/strong> win a game?\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n
\nIf 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.\u00a0 But, that might be harsh.\u00a0 Or, it might be because Jason Peters<\/strong> is just THAT good.\u00a0 I like Demetress Bell<\/strong> (who will start over King\u00a0Dunlap<\/strong>), but anyone is a significant downgrade from the best o-lineman in the game.\u00a0 I am worried about the loss of Peters – VERY worried.\u00a0 That being said, Todd Herremans<\/strong> is as solid as it gets on the right side (Vick’s blindside), and Evan Mathis<\/strong> and Jason Kelce<\/strong> are very, very solid inside.\u00a0 If last year’s first-round pick, Danny Watkins<\/strong> turns into a legitimate starting guard, the interior of this line could actually be quite good.\u00a0 But, again, when you lose a guy like Peters, you have to expect a significant step backwards in the performance of the entire unit.<\/p>\n
\nI 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<\/strong>.\u00a0 Well, that is not what we are getting.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 Maybe he is still getting his feet wet with a new team.\u00a0 Maybe it is taking him a little bit of time to adjust back to the 4-3 (for which he is MUCH better-suited).\u00a0 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.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 Backing up Ryan will be Casey Matthews<\/strong>, who couldn’t cut it as the opening-day starter, but is still a pretty good rotation guy to have on the team.\u00a0 On the outside, this unit is either unproven or proven to be barely mediocre.\u00a0 As good as Fletcher Cox will probably be, Mychal Kendricks<\/strong> may turn out to be the more important rookie to the 2012 Eagles.\u00a0 If Kendricks can solidify the strongside ‘backer position, this defense will markedly<\/em> improved.\u00a0 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<\/strong>.\u00a0 Fortunately, most reports have been glowing about Kendricks, the undersized, big-hearted 2nd-round pick.\u00a0 The weakside will be manned either by another undersized guy in Brian Rolle<\/strong> or 3rd-year guy, Jamar Chaney<\/strong>.\u00a0 Rolle looked decent last year, but that might be because he was a replacement for awful.\u00a0 Chaney has been slightly more than “just a guy” in each of his two years, but has shown flashes of starter ability.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 Either way, the Will backer doesn’t appear to exactly be a position of strength for this team.\u00a0 While the linebackers should be better than they were last year, that is not exactly saying anything, as they were historically awful last year.\u00a0 And, “improved” doesn’t necessarily mean “good.”\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n