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Eagles Roster Battles – Cut Down Day Approaches

September 1st, 2010 by OD20 | 14 Comments | Filed in Eagles, Football

Gratuitous Cheerleader Photo

The last week of preseason always brings two things – an incredibly boring final game and roster cuts.

There are some intriguing battles outside of the 40 or so roster spots that are already locked up.  There will be some tough decisions made between now and the final cut down day and Andy Reid has indicated that there are spots to be won.  This is how I see the battles heading into the preseason finale.

Running Back –

There are two spots locked up.  Mike Bell and LeSean McCoy are locks.  After those two there is some discussion.

Eldra Buckley has been in the system and has been listed consistently as the third back.  That doesn’t mean the Eagles haven’t given him competition.  Martell Mallet was the CFL rookie of the year last year, and is listed with JJ Arrington as the 4th back on the depth chart.  Mallet has practice squad eligibility, which may work against him in trying to earn a spot.  The Eagles could stash him there for a season and revisit this battle next summer.  Arrington was sign as a free agent, but has battled foot and ankle injuries.  His last gasp may be to make an impact Thursday as both a back and a return man.

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5 Thoughts Heading Into the Final Preseason Game

August 30th, 2010 by OD20 | 7 Comments | Filed in Eagles, Football, General

A great deal has been written about the off season questions, the play of the team last year, and what questions needed to be answered in training camp.  The Eagles are weeks removed from Lehigh University, and have completed the game that has been dubbed “the important preseason tune up”.  So where are we left heading into that last, apparently meaningless game?

I have 5 thoughts or questions, beside the Kevin Kolb storyline, that really stand out for me at this point in terms of areas that will impact the coming season.

1 – What Will They Get From the O-Line?

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This story has been beaten to death but it deserves repeating.  Herremans is healthy (kinda, he just tweaked an ankle).  Peters is here and supposedly in good shape, but he has been as inconsistent and penalty ridden as ever.  Jackson is on his way back, but is still not anywhere near certain for the opening game.  McGlynn has shown steady progress, and I think the team is happy with where he is, but that doesn’t make him a starting center in the League.  Right guard has been a mess.  Andrews continues to mimic his brothers decent from favor (albeit better behaved), Nick Cole is just returning from a knee injury that shelved him for the majority of camp, and Max Jean-Gilles has moved between left and right guard, essentially earning back up roles at both, but starting consideration at neither.  Winston Justice has quietly had a ho-hum season and a ho-hum training camp.  I pray that is a good thing, and that he’s not just escaping criticism because there are so many others to steal the spotlight from him.

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2010 Eagles Training Camp Report

August 12th, 2010 by etras99 | 8 Comments | Filed in Eagles, Football, General

A New Era Begins (Thank you!)

Yes Eagles fans, the wait is almost over. Preseason is here, and that can only mean one thing. Only a month until football kicks off! The past six months have dragged by, luckily we had our fellow baseball team, the Phillies, play well and take our minds off the pain, but everybody knows that Philadelphia is a football city first. This is one of the most intriguing seasons yet, as for the first time in a decade, a new QB will be at the helm to start off the season. Kevin Kolb, drafted out of Houston in the 2nd round in 2007, will look to lead Philly into the playoffs for the 9th time in 11 years. On top of that, there are a ton of position battles to look out for come this preseason. Some in particular:

2nd-string RB: This is Mike Bell’s spot to lose. The Eagles have a lot of sexy names at the RB spot with Bell, Buckley, and former highly-touted Arizona Cardinal J.J. Arrington, but one has to expect that Bell earns the spot here and even gets most of the 3rd-down carries, as he was quite effective filling in for Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas when they were injured during his short tenure in New Orleans, and of course was a former starter for the Denver Broncos.

Left Defensive End: The Eagles wanted to bolster their defensive-line and more importantly their pass-rush this off-season, and boy did they ever. First, they acquired hybrid DE/DT Darryl Tapp from the Seahawks, a solid young, yet experienced player that can play multiple positions on the defensive line. They also drafted DE Brandon Graham out of Michigan with their 1st pick of the 2010 NFL Draft. Graham was a 5-star prospect coming out of high school and earned All-American honors while at Michigan and also took home the MVP award at the 2010 Senior Bowl, outperforming names like Tim Tebow, Taylor Mays, and Dexter McCluster. As always, returning Eagles players Juqua Parker and Victor Abiamiri will be competing for the job, as well as rookie Ricky Sapp, but it’s highly unlikely that the Eagles keep this many DE’s on the squad, which leave Parker and Sapp battling for the potential last spot on the roster, if they even decide to carry five on the 53-man roster.

SAM LB: With recently acquired former 1st round pick Ernie Sims and returning Stewart Bradley, who had big expectations for the 2009 season before a season-ending injury, the strong side linebacker is the only cloudy position for the LB core. Moise Fokou seems to hold the spot as of now, but don’t be surprised of McDermott tests Akeem Jordan on the opposite side, and look out for Alex Hall, who was acquired on the Sheldon Brown deal with the Browns months earlier.

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Start of Free Agency Leaves Eagles Fans Frustrated

March 8th, 2010 by Johnny G | 12 Comments | Filed in Eagles, Football, General

This years Free Agency started off with a bang on Friday with Julius Peppers going to the Chicago Bears, Antrel Rolle to the Giants, Kyle Vanden Bosch to the Lions, Anquan Boldin being shipped to the Ravens, and Aaron Kampan going to the Jaguars. There has not been much excitement for Eagles’ fans in Philadelphia though. The only activity for the Birds has been resigning Fullback Leonard Weaver and slot receiver Jason Avant. On top of their extreme inactivity, the Eagles have made it clear that they will pay Michael Vick his $1.5 million roster bonus, essentially saying the Eagles will enter the season with Donovan Mcnabb, Kevin Kolb, and Mike Vick all on the roster.

You really have to wonder what the plan of action is for this off-season. In the Eagles defense they do have a plethora of draft picks that can be used to address specific needs on the defensive side of the ball. There are glaring weaknesses that were exposed badly by the Dallas Cowboys in the week 17 and first round playoff embarrassments. They need at least one safety, in addition to a couple linebackers, a defensive end to play opposite of Trent Cole, and a running back. They will also need a back-up plan in case Jamaal Jackson is not ready in time for the season and another guard, unless you want to depend on Shawn Andrews staying healthy and contributing.

For all the talk about Donovan Mcnabb being traded and the multiple sources that have stated the Eagles have been in discussions over these trade talks, it has ultimately been reported that any move regarding Donovan is being vetoed by Andy Reid. Whether or not you agree with that course of action, the Eagles are clearly in a state of turmoil. To keep three quarterbacks on the same roster like the trio the Eagles have now is a pure waste of resources. We can only hope there is something in the master plan that we don’t know about.

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The Eagles Season of Change & How They Must Rearrange!

February 27th, 2010 by | 5 Comments | Filed in Eagles, Football, General

The Time Has Come

Okay folks, it is time to turn it over and see some MAJOR changes for these “same old song and dance” Eagles.

The first mistake Lurie made was giving Reid too much power, adding the GM position to the taxing job of coach.  Bad move.  Rarely have I seen one man wear two hats in the NFL and succeed. It was ridiculous and plain stupid of Lurie to do so.  How can you do two jobs well and keep focus?  Answer: You can’t in the NFL.  Many have tried and failed!  So Lurie has gone out and hired a GM to help offset some of Reid’s burden, which is a good thing.

Some may argue that Reid is a great coach, but I believe he is a good coach at best, who comes up short in big games and repeats his mistakes over and over.  That being said, unfortunately I don’t see Lurie going out and getting a coach like Cowher who believes in offensive balance. Reid’s tendency to pass way too much and not build a sustained running game has worn out OUR OWN defenses, which this year was absolutely on dead legs by the end of the year.

Take a look at our time of possession. Yes, we scored points, but in quick bursts. Passing often will actually win you a Super Bowl once in a blue moon with a Montana, Brady or Manning at the helm, who were incredibly accurate, but where McNabb is NOT! Still with Manning, look what the Saints did to him in the Super Bowl anticipating the pass!

They have released Westbrook, which is okay with me, moving towards a youth movement. Weaver  running & blocking for McCoy is fine with me. What scares me is they will not go out and use some of that money on a Julius Peppers-type player to compliment Trent Cole. We know Banner is a frugal bean counter!

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The Greatest QB in NFL History

January 31st, 2010 by Christian | 18 Comments | Filed in Eagles, Football, General

Watch what happens when the most ACCURATE QB in history hits his receivers running at full speed. They can’t be stopped. Montana had better touch and accuracy than anyone, EVER. He could thread a needle whenever he wanted to, and put the ball in a receiver’s arms better than handing off to them. He was more accurate than William Tell. Brains, speed, quick release, touch and precisely accurate.

Bill Walsh gets a lot of the credit, but any coach can draw up plays -  this guy executed them almost flawlessly. That’s why no other team has run the west coast offense and won the Super Bowl. Montana made that offense. His accuracy, brains and athletic ability. Oh, and he’d drive a stake through your heart like Michael Jordan.

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Manning is No McNabb

January 17th, 2010 by Christian | 37 Comments | Filed in Eagles, Football, General

Peyton Manning

For years Howard Eskin has been claiming Donovan McNabb is BETTER than Peyton Manning. (I’m not kidding)

A few points to consider:

Manning already has one Super Bowl ring.

Manning just won an unprecedented fourth NFL MVP award.

Manning actually audibles at the line of scrimmage, often with only two or three seconds left on the play clock.

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