Eagles Season Outlook 2009

The Eagles sported a stellar defense in ’08, ranking in the Top 5 in almost every defensive category. 4th in points allowed, 3rd in yards allowed, 2nd in yards per play, 5th in defensive passer rating and 3rd in sacks. And all this despite missing perennial Pro Bowler Shawn Andrews for 14 games. With Andrews likely back in the line-up, the Eagles will feature the biggest D-line in the league.

Shawn Andrews is an O-liner not a D-liner.

It came across as balanced to me. As you mentioned, McNabb’s health is starting to be an issue, and he and Westbrook are in the decline phase of their career. However, I do believe McNabb is one of the best quarterbacks in the conference. Even the Eagles fans turn on him in a heartbeat, but he’s had a great career.

One risk area for the Eagles offense this year is their two tackles. I am very curious how Jason Peters will pan out. On one hand, he’s a great talent and good left tackles are hard to find, so if he can mesh and play to his potential, they may not miss a beat losing Runyan. On the other hand, he had motivational problems, and you have to wonder how good he will be if Buffalo was so quick to part ways with him.

They keep drafting well enough that they’ll be at least decent this year, depending on the health of McNabb and Westbrook. I look for them to start slow and finish good and end up around 9-7 again.

This division truely can go in any direction. Key injuries at bad times will be the downfall of someone. You can make a strong case for anyone winning the division Even Wash with their top D and addition of Haynesworth. If everyones question marks works out it will come down to injuries. I think it will be that contested.

The Eagles have been the best team in the NFC this decade. Just like the Bills were the best AFC team from 1988 to 1995, and the Vikings were the best NFC team from 1972 to 1976, and so on. Which is to say, they were the best team of a runner-up conference.

The two conferences have alternated long periods of dominance, and we are in the tail end of the second great run by the AFC. The first period began with the Jets beating the Colts in Super Bowl III, and continued until 1980, when the Raiders won their second Super Bowl. During that stretch, they were 11-2 in Super Bowls. The NFC had an even greater period of dominance, winning 15 of 16 Super Bowls from 1981 to 1996. The Broncos mini-dynasty started the current period in 1997, and the AFC has won nine of the last 12 Super Bowls. The first period lasted 13 years, the second 16, so if the basic pattern holds, the AFC is expected to be the much better than the NFC for the next one to four years.

In theory, any team can win in any year, but the reality is we’ve had these great cycles of conference hegemony lasting a decade and a half, and the AFC’s turn on top is just about done. So if the pattern holds, it’s time for the NFC to ascend, and it’s too bad for the Eagles, because they are getting weaker as the conference is getting stronger. There’s no guarantee the Cowboys will be one of the dominant teams, because great franchises can materialize overnight (San Francisco in 1981, Washington in 1982, New England in 2001). But the Eagles look to have squandered a prime opportunity lasting almost a decade just being the best team in a poor conference.

I dont really think the eagles are living on luck now. Minus 2006 the Eagles have been steadily improving since after the SB lose. The team then was old and ful of imported talent. Now with the eagles having a youth movement I expect the eagles to become even better. Westback is quietly being phased out, Mcnabb will play for 3-4 if he’s lucky 5 years. I believe in Kolb, in the Raven’s game he had no idea he would be playing then, he was playing against the 2nd best defence in the league, and the pick to Reed in the endzone was the result of bad playcalling. Kolb probably wont ever be one of the best but he will live up to being a second round pick.

failed to provide one of your patented numerical tables built on complex algorithms. It could have been anything, really. A comparison of McNabb’s performances with and without Campbell’s Chunky Soup; correlation of arrests at Lincoln Financial and starting field position; cheesesteak sales and run/pass splits called by Reid. That sort of thing.

Two playoff appearances in that span have done little to appease the Philly fans, arguably the most hot-blooded, impatient and unreasonable bunch in sports.

Just a dumb comment… You’re better than that, One Cool.

The fact that two people – Sean McDermott and Brian Stewart (good luck with him) – are being asked to fill (Jim Johnson’s) shoes shows just how important he was to the organization.

Sean McDermott will be running the defense, not Brian Stewart. Stewart is merely an assistant. The loss of Jim Johnson is absolutely, positively the biggest concern on this team. But that said, Johnson is churning out a Bill Walsh-esque list of proteges that have flourished since moving along after his tutilage (Steve Spagnuolo, Leslie Frazor, John Harbaugh, etc.).

Dawkins was the heart and soul of the team, it will be very hard to replace the leadership Dawkins provided for the Eagles and he will be virtually irreplaceable at safety.

Look for a lot more confusion on the defense, a significant increase in penalties and OCs testing the secondary through the air.

This defense is full of smart character guys. It’s not like they’re suddenly going to forget how to play football because Dawkins is gone. I think some of Dawkins’ talents will be missed, but his “leadership” intangible (although appreciated) is a complete non-issue.

The Philadelphia fans are clearly still thunderstruck by why Kevin Kolb was drafted with their 1st pick in 2007. And so far, there is little cause for optimism. He might be awesome in practice, particularly in the pocket, but has yet to show that he is able to read defenses in live game situations. Reid’s plan of replacing McNabb for the rest of the season, starting in the Baltimore game, backfired royally. Kolb delivered a downright nasty performance, shelving any immediate plans of making him the starter anytime soon.

Totally disagree. I think most fans (myself included) hated that pick back in ‘07, but I don’t think any educated fan is throwing in the towel on the guy based on ONE game in which he was put into a game in the 3rd quarter against one of the best defenses of recent memory that clearly had a beat on our gameplan. Right now, there’s very little to go on with Kolb. The coaches constantly praise him, and have shown how much they think of him by benching McNabb in the first place. I’m still very much optimistic.

Philly coaches have publicly questioned (Lesean McCoy’s) blocking ability

I’m totally aware of any quotes of that nature. I’m not disputing that claim (yet), but I’m curious where you read that. Do you have a link?

For one of the better offenses last year, the Eagles were highly inefficient in the red zone. The Eagles have no problems moving the football all over the field, but getting it into the endzone is another matter entirely.

I’ll absolutely agree the red zone offense was terrible last year. However, it deserves mentioning that the additions of Jason Peters, Shawn Andrews, Stacy Andrews, and FB Leonard Weaver will go a long way in improving that area.

The Eagles ended one loss inside the Bears’ one yard line and another inside the Redskins’ one.

Nitpicking here, but the Redskins loss inside the one was a deep ball to Reggie Brown, not a red-zone situation.

(DeSean Jackson) proved that he can make plays if left in single coverage, but also at times felt like a one trick pony, breaking for the sideline when the pocket collapsed and catching very little else.

100% nonsense. Jackson did an excellent job coming back toward McNabb when plays broke down.

Jackson is 5-10, Curtis, Maclin and Avant are all 6-0, not exactly the height that makes these wideouts the go-to-guys in the dreaded red zone situations. Brent Celek (6-4) is likely to start at TE and could end up being the only legitimate red zone target as the only tall guy among the diminutive receivers.

Hank Baskett is also 6’4, and they drafted another potential contributor in Cornelius Ingram (also 6’4).

On opening day, the Eagles play in Carolina against the defending NFC South champs. No easy task, and the season might just get started on the wrong foot. They then face the offensive juggernaut from New Orleans at home, followed by a manageable game against the Chiefs before heading into an early bye-week in week 4. The Eagles might easily end up 1-2 at this point

Maybe, or perhaps they’re 3-0. Who knows? I do know this… Barring a major injury, Philly will be favored in all 3 games.

If all the pieces fit, the Eagles still look like a strong playoff candidate. But the Eagles have been living on borrowed time the last couple of seasons. Look for their luck to run out in 2009.

I’m not sure what “borrowed time” means. Is it supposed to mean their window is closing? If so, I’ll note that McNabb is 32 and Westbrook is 30, so sure, those 2 guys are getting up there, but the offensive starters average 27.18 years of age and the defensive starters average 26.36 years old. This team is set up to be good for a long time.

How bout you post this over at the Eagles Blog and see what they think of it.

If you won’t I will.

do some of the rest of the NFC. you fiend

I agree almost 100%

But I think this is a big indicator that we all, Cowboys and Eagles fans alike need football immediately. We hate the Eagles, but here we are talking about them. They hate the Cowboys, but still, they’re here, on a Cowboys blog.

I hope and pray the next week and a half pass quickly.

much more than their fans want to admit.

I love swapping e-mails with my friend who lives in Philly before the season to preview each other’s teams and talk a little noise. We’re both always instinctively pessimistic but with some cautious optimism in there as well. Here’s what he e-mailed me about the Eagles offense, word for word:

Offensive Line
Went through quite a transformation this offseason on the line, and barring injury and psychological breakdowns it looks like the line is going to look like the following:
LT Jason Peters, LG Todd Herremans, C Jamaal Jackson, RG Stacey Andrews, RT Shawn Andrews

Jason was a good run blocker in Buffalo. The question remains if he can handle 50 pass sets a game against the best edge pass rushers in the nation. In minicamps we asked him to redo his drop-step in order to fit with the techniques Juan Castillo (our line coach) demands of his guys. We’ll see how he looks week 1 against the Panthers. The center of the line remains intact and both Todd and Jamaal are steady steady players. I dont see them making a quantum leap but can hold the middle down pretty well for us. The right side of the line is where I am most concerned. Although JP is learning new technique, as a former TE he is athletic enough to pick things up fairly quickly. Our new RG is coming off an ACL injury and and our new RT is coming off a severe case of depression…I am not sure what is worse. They also happen to be brothers – wtf. Both have the ability to play at a Pro Bowl level. If they get their shit together the right side of the line could certainly be a strength. This line is huge and is built to pound the ball. Let just say if this line were blocking in NY for Earth Wind and Fire, the giants would have another America’s Game showing on NFL Network. Unfortunately, Reid thinks running the ball is stupid and boring versus having recievers run triple moves 30 yards downfield. I give Jason Peters 6 games before he asks for a trade to a team that understands the concept of a balanced offense.

QB
We all know this Cinderalla story – clock hasnt hit midnight just yet for McNabb. Giving him a pay raise should help him keep his head in the game.

WRs / TEs
I am putting this group together because none of our TEs actually know how to block, so they are basically ovesized wideouts. This is a solid group (disregard Tim’s comments about these guys all being bums). Its a deep and experienced and Maclin and Ingram add some legit speed to what we do fairly well already.

1. Action Jackson – Fast as they come. Very good route runner who is only getting better. Tracks the deep ball extremely well – which is perfect for McNabb. Doesnt show his hands until he has to which makes it very tough for corners to figure out when to turn their head. His father passed in the offseason and he has already dedicated this season to his dads memory – which hopefully is a motivating factor. It doesnt appear that he put on any weight in the offseason, which is obv a concern for those that would like him to see more than 3 NFL seasons. Laron Landry almost killed him last year when he cam across the middle. He also cant block anyone…i mean anyone. He has trouble getting around ppl getting off the elevator at the NovaCare Complex.

2. Kevin Curtis – Fast and smart route runner. Is an ideal slot man which is what he will become if/when Maclin progresses. However he is white and getting older. He also wears a ridiculous headband to locker room interviews and is extremely soft spoken. He reminds me of sunshine from remember the titans. He also dropped a 3rd down pass last year in the SuperBowl. I hate him for that.

3. Jason Avant – Strongest and best blocker of the bunch. Has extremely strong hands and jawline. The man takes hit after hit over the middle and holds on consistently. He reminds me of a young Hines Ward. He even has the ridiculous grin on his face after big hits. He is also not angry or imposing in any way off the field – which annoys me. I want my football players in a constant emotional state of anxiety and bitterness towards everyone. James Harrison needs to come in and talk to these fools.

4. Kendra Wilkinson – I am not sure if he is going to even show up for training camp and if so, I am not sure if he has run a route or caught a football since January. My guess is he is going to fake a groin injury and just sit on a stationary bike all through August texting Heff and looking at pictures from his honeymoon. Before he tied the knot he had turned into a speciall teams ace and is the biggest WR we have on the team at 6’4. Amazlingly he has caught one fade pass in 4 years, yet holds the high jump record at New Mexico. It boggles my mind why we havent used him in the redzone more. I blame Cinderella and his inability to fit footballs into small spaces.

5. Reggie Brown – Former second round pick, former starter, former love of my life. 2 years ago I compared him to Marvin Harrison and Wilson scoffed at me. I maybe rescinding that prediction at this point. Eat one Wilson.

6. Jeremy Maclin/Torry Holt – Ah our beloved first round pick. J-Mac didnt run the full route tree in college so when you ask him what a post corner is he just smiles at you blankly. Thus far he has been nothing but a student of the game and is supposedly picking things up well. We’ll see what happens come Sept. He has all the skills to be productive in the NFL and I think he and Jackson are going to terrorize you Wilson for the next decade.

7. Brent Celek – Here is what i know about Brent. He caught two tds in the SuperBowl last year (no one cared to cover him since they thought he was matt schobel). I then proceeded to chug two beers and watch clips of Tom Selleck running with his shirt off on youtube ( i was later informed that Brents last name was spelled CELEK not SELLECK). I am not sure what to make of Brent. He was this goofy white guy we drafted in day 2 from Cincy. He was an average blocker and above average receiver coming out of college and his highlight was a busted play he scored against Rutgers. He started to grow on me a lot last year when LJ decided to mail it in. As previously noted, he exploded in the playoffs and really has gained McNabbs confidence from what I am hearing from my locker room cam. He is our #1 TE so I am excited to see what he has accomplished this offseason. I imagine him to be Mr. Super Reliable like Chad Lewis but we’ll see. He has pictures of Witten and Cooley on his bedroom ceiling – its weird but kind of cool.

8. Cornelius Ingram – He had the Ronnie Brown effect on my this year (remember bunny when i would run around in 2005 and talk about how awesome ronnie brown looked at the combine). A former QB who runs a 4.6 and weighs 245 http://www.gatorcountry.com/images/uploads/football/IngramCornelius_090318_5066.jpg.
I imagine making a tshirt with him on the front and bunk on the back. He has all the tools to scare the shit out of a defense. Urban Meyer supposedly built his offense around Ingram before Ingram got injured. He is recovering from a serious knee injury but has held up thus far in camp. Oh yea he also doesnt know how to block – minor detail. I look forward to him terrifying safeties and lbs for years to come.

The Eagles 4 WR set is going to be nasty next year, if everyone is healthy. Jackson, Curtis and Maclin are fast enough to give secondaries a lot of problems. Contending with threats at all 3 levels (short, intermediate, deep) is a tall task for any d-coordinator – makes me feel good about staying in every game no matter what our defense does.

RBs

By far my biggest concern on this offense. My star running back is 30 and coming off ankle surgery. He also faded late last year while my other 30+ year old FS was out forcing fumbles and single handedly winning games for us. For those of you that do not know my backup running back is Lorenzo Booker…take a moment to let that name sink in. Although cerebral he is a giant pussy on the field. He does not break tackles, or pass protect. He does quote philosophy and reads alot. Its a good thing we traded for him. I am extremely bitter because I thought he was the next westbrook – a mistake I make with every player the eagles show interest in. Just like I thought Matt Schobel was going to tear up NFC East defenses when we picked him up 3 years ago. Notice i did not include him in my WR/TE writeup. That is because Schobel usually is tapping kegs and cooking up cheese steaks between the hours of 1 and 6pm on sunday afternoon. There are not many people I would roundhouse kick to the face in person but Matt is one of them. Anyway I digress…back to running backs. Westbrook is injured, Booker blows…but wait we do have LeSean McCoy who we drafted in the second round. He looks to be the real deal, ran and caught the ball very well in minicamps. Still learning how to pass block in our offense, which will take time. Because our offense is so complicated not a lot of first year backs get playing time because they cant follow the 20 second monologue of a play McNabb spews out in the huddle.

This is classic Reid by the way. Every year he chooses one position to completely ignore while everyone else in the NFL is screaming at him to take notice. 2 years ago it was KR/PR – see reno mahe, and then last year it was a fullback. This year it appears to be running back. Oh well. At least we signed Leonard Weaver to play FB. He is also the only fullback I know of that wears eyeglasses to all his interviews. You are paid to blow up 250lbs try to act like a badass please. If I had it my way everyone on my team would answer questions at the podium in a Darth Maul robe.

they say he will be a difference maker, but in all reality, he has to beat out Kevin Curtis, DeSean Jackson and Reggie Brown to earn playing time on the field. Odds aren’t in his favor for having a spot on that offense. Maybe returning kicks but as far as the cowboys go, they got a big power kicker now set on blasting it through the end zone each time so that won’t matter.

dawkins will seriously be missed. i cannot believe how much is being downplayed. you will see what I mean when you guys play denver.

westbrook is a beast. if he is healthy he will be even better. not only does he have that massive o-line, he gets weaver too? /sigh

mcnabb will be fine. more WRs to throw to. that can only get better. desean + avant + westbrook. plus kevin curtis and celek. /sigh

i really wanted to see the boys draft jackson last year. i really like him. but i was glad to see he had some maturity problems for the eagles last year. and take him off returns already … /sigh

JJ and his blitz schemes will be missed. i hope that the eagles are less effective at being a terrorizing defense and have less turnover/tds. however i doubt that he has not passed on all his wisdom already and hope his health doesn’t become a problem. coaching isn’t a concern to me.

i am not gonna throw out any predictions, cuz i cannot even predict my own team let alone the eagles. i really think the offense got some help with some young guys. but I have doubts that the defense can keep those same statistical categories (not saying they will drop to the bottom, but i think they will be more like 6-7th as opposed to 3-4th).

nfc east is by far the toughest division and i hope the tables turn for the cowboys this year. not to wish any bad luck on any team/player … but its probably gonna come down to injuries. good luck you bastards.