...Keep Your Enemies Closer

Being a Cowboys fan in Philadelphia is not always fun. Sure, I got to sport a Cowboys T.O. jersey around town to incite reactions, but I also have to hear Eagles fans talk...and they do that a lot.

Just as I arrived at the gym yesterday, a friend of mine invited me to the Eagles' preseason opener against the Patriots. Of course this meant I had to miss the Cowboys game, but I figured I share my impression of the Eagles with those of you who were likely watching the Cowboys play.  In college, I lived amongst Redskins fans (William and Mary), but have lost track of their most recent news, so if anyone has kept a close eye on them or the Giants, I'd love to hear what you know.

P.S. Did Pat Watkins really have a 14 yard catch? Did backup OFFENSIVE lineman Greg Isdaner really have the only sack? I assume that the latter was an error or perhaps Isdaner is the answer to the NT depth issue?

About the Eagles:

1. Their O-Line is good, but Shawn Andrews has yet to play a down and might still be "depressed." Unlike Vince Young, however, this is a large man with a history of weight troubles and I expect that he's looking a little like Aaron Gibson these days. Stacy Andrews, Jason Peters, Nick Cole and a few other guys can definitely play, though.

2. Everyone started checking their phones as the 1st quarter ended and the stadium went nuts as people slowly figured out that the Eagles had signed Michael Vick...As a pit bull owner in Philadelphia, I'm a little worried...Well, Eagles fans are excited about it and seem ready to ditch Kolb (and keep A.J. Feely as the #3). Of course fan sentiments only go so far, but the move makes clear that they're concerned about the future of the QB position. Fans also can't wait to see his return skills??? 

3. McNabb didn't look very good. He had his usual accuracy issues, but he does have a history of getting tired against the Pats.

4. LeSean McCoy looks pretty good...and that's not good for us. With Westbrook's body falling apart, I thought the Eagles' running game would surely suffer, but with their mammoth O-Line, and a clearly capable McCoy, I think they'll be dangerous.

5. They have some very talented corners, but there is certainly a void in the middle of the field now that Dawkins is gone. Quentin Mikell is good, but Sean Jones is no #20. Brady was Brady over the middle. He did have one really bad floater to Moss (picked off by Sheldon Brown).  Brown is their best corner. I was hoping that his griping would last into the season, but with him on the field (and Asante Samuel, Roselio Hanson and Ellis Hobbs) they're strong at the position.

6. It's early (as it is with McCoy), but I'm still not sold on Maclin.  They tried hard to get him involved, even having him return kicks. I don't think he'll do much as the regular season rolls around. The Eagles' fifth receiver (Probably Hank Baskett) is as good as their second, but their first is not a #1. Maclin doesn't change any of that. Maclin will probably lose the KR job to Demps and will have trouble proving that he's better than DeSean Jackson, Kevin Curtis and Jason Avant.  He may start, but he's just another man in their mediocre rotation.

7. Their run defense looked better than I expected. I think that their D is in for a huge dropoff, but they seem to be taking the Steward Bradley loss pretty well. They lost one of the game's best D-Coordinators (R.I.P.) and perhaps the greatest defensive player in their history (no offense to Reggie White). However, they're still a tough bunch...and going back to #5, they have some damn good corners.