Football Diner 2008 Team Reviews / Previews
Philadelphia Eagles
by Jody Jamieson
29/6/2008
 
Overview
 
Philadelphia is a city where failure is absolutely unacceptable, but failure has been the norm ever since the Phillies won the World Series in 1980. In the 21st Century only the Eagles have come close to getting over the hump, losing 24-21 to the Patriots in the Super Bowl. When you break it down, the Eagles have had a great decade. Only one losing season (6-10 in 2005) and double digit wins in all but two years of this century has the Eagles consistently being a contender. Unfortunately Philly sports fans, obsessed with winning a championship, are struggling to see where it may come from. The Eagles are a team who are always likely to contend for a post-season spot, without ever being favoured to win the Super Bowl. What will 2008 hold for the Eagles?
 
Quarterbacks
 
McNabb has recently been kept out of minicamp workouts with a shoulder injury. Everyone wants to make a big deal out of it, and while this time it probably isn't a problem, McNabb has been injured too many times in the last few years to just brush it off. Many think this could be his last year in Philadelphia, but then last year was also to be his last year, so we'll see how that goes. Kevin Kolb is a guy held in high regard by the coaching staff, so if 2008 is the end for McNabb then they should be in decent shape. AJ Feeley will likely be kept on as a 3rd stringer, more because he likely has no trade value and a low wage than anything else. Donovan McNabb is a quarterback under scrutiny, but if he stays injury free (which is a big if afterall) then he'll likely be solid under centre.
Grade: B+
 
Running Backs
 
LaDanian Tomlinson and Adrian Peterson are considered the top two backs in the league. Right next to them is Brian Westbrook. He's happy running outside or between the tackles, and has exceptional hands out of the backfield. With so much of the Eagles offense going through Westbrook last year, it's a worry that he may break down a little early. The Eagles will try to remedy that with the trade for Lorenzo Booker. Booker is considered Westbrook-lite and should at least take some of the pressure off of Westbrook. Booker does a lot of the same things, but likely not quite at the same level. I worry that Correll Buckhalter will be cut in August, which would be a great shame as he has done everything you could ask for in a back-up. Tony Hunt will likely be kept on but will likely not contribute. Still any team with Brian Westbrook in the backfield is always going to be a threat.
Grade: A
 
Receivers
 
Kevin Curtis actually had a very good year last year. Well over 1,000 yards receiving and made some big plays for the Eagles. Reggie Brown continues to be infuriatingly inconsistent. He has the ability, but the question marks are around his concentration. 2008 with be make or break for Brown. DeSean Jackson comes in from Cal for a rookie year that is really hard to predict. There's no doubting he has the ability, but his size may count against him a lot. His ability to escape press coverage and to stay healthy are the big concerns. He's not likely to make a big impact on offense in his first year. Jason Avant and Hank Baskett are dependable, but not likely to develop into the type of wideouts who will be focal points of an offense. It looks to be as you were for Philadelphia for the receivers.
Grade: C
 
Offensive Line
 
William Thomas at LT and Jon Runyan at RT probably had their worst year with the Eagles in a long time last year, and with neither getting any younger, Philadelphia have some major decisions to make at the tackles position. Winston Justice made Thomas look better than he reallt was last year with his performance in his only start against the Giants when he was slaughtered by Osi Umenyiora. Justice in fairness though is likely more suited to right tackle or even guard than he is protecting the QB's blindside. Shawn Andrews is a beast at right guard and Todd Herremans was pretty underrated at LG last year. Center Jamaal Jackson had a few injuries last year, and didn't perform too well, likely for those reasons. The Eagles were very aggressive in pursuing offensive linemen on Day 2 of the Draft in the hope than one of them will end up a gem. But for this year, there are big questions to be answered.
Grade: B-
 
Defensive Line
 
The Eagles like to use the 3-4 defense in certain occasions, but are mainly a 4-3 team. With Trent Cole having a Pro Bowl year last year at defensive end, his position is pretty safe. On the other side it'll be the artist formerly known as Juquai Thomas (now Parker), Victor Abiamiri and Chris Clemons rotating in and out. Clemons is a pass rushing beast who will likely not see a lot of 1st down snaps, but could look good on the stat sheet. He picked up 8 sacks last year in Oakland despite playing less than 40% of their defensive snaps. Abiamiri has potential, and Parker is a good end, without ever being a guy you'd strategise against. At tackle the Eagles should be pretty strong this year. Broderick Bunkley and Mike Patterson had very good years last year, but had no-one behind them to spell them and effectively pick up the slack. Notre Dame tackle Trevor Laws comes in off the back of a 112 tackle season in college and should settle into the rotation well. Guys like Jerome McDougle and Monte Reagor will likely/hopefully see little time.
Grade: B
 
Linebackers
 
Everyone in Philadelphia is excited that it will likely be Gocong, Bradley and Gaither filling the three linebacker spots. While I am excited about the future, I don't know how good they will really be this season. Stewart Bradley looked marvellous when he made his first start in New Orleans, but it will be hard for him to play like that every Sunday! He's likely to play MIKE, with Chris Gocong at SAM and Omar Gaither playing WILL. Gaither and Gocong did a pretty decent job last year. Akeem Jordan and Rocky Boiman will be in the mix but neither is likely to start, barring injuries. While a lot of people are optimistic, I'm not entirely sure that they can be effective as a trio right now.
Grade: C+
 
Secondary
 
Asante Samuel was the big off-season pickup for Philadelphia this year. It seemed from that moment that Lito Sheppard would be traded, but with Lito likely to be staying, Samuel Sheppard and Sheldon Brown will make up one of the best trio of cornerbacks in the NFL. Jack Ikegwuonu was selected in the 4th round in April and while the Eagles have faith that he will develop into a good NFL corner, Ikegwuonu will spend his first year as an Eagle on Injured Reserve with a pre-Draft knee injury. Brian Dawkins has been the lynchpin of the Eagles defense for a long time now, but time is running out for him. Quentin Demps has been Drafted as the long term replacement. Quentin Mikell will likely start at strong safety next season ahead of Sean Considine. At corner the Eagles will likely be great. Safety is a concern.
Grade: B+
 
Special Teams
 
It's really hard to grade the special teams. Last year they would have been a D- at best. Akers struggled, Sav Rocca showed he had skills, but didn't quite perform to the level Eagles fans expected, and Reno Mahe performed exactly to the level we expected. Poorly. This year they could be an A with Akers hopefully back to his best, Rocca booming punts, and DeSean Jackson making Devin Hester look like, well, Reno Mahe. Akers didn't become a bad kicker overnight, but he looked like he lost a bit of his confidence last year. Hopefully the coaching staff can help him get back to being a solid NFL kicker. Rocca got better and better as the year wore on but lacked consistency. With a year of experience, Rocca will likely be better in 2008, and with DeSean Jackson returning kicks, the Eagles should be very solid on special teams.
Grade: B
 
Coaching
 
For all that Andy Reid has done a great job with the Eagles in the past few years, last year was a big disappointment. The disappointments stemmed from tight games the Eagles lost in which the Head Coach and the co-ordinators were the subject of finger pointing from the fans. Reid's focus was on his family troubles (and rightly so) but this season, the fans will accept no excuses for underachievement. As much as I have been happy with Andy Reid's contribution since he arrived, a bad season thing year could spell big trouble for him.
Grade: B
 
Outlook
 
The Eagles don't have any glaring weaknesses by any stretch of the imagination, but there are still question marks. Can McNabb stay healty? Can Westbrook continue to carry the load? Will Reggie Brown ever be consistent? Are Thomas and Runyan going to play in midnight green in 09? Do the Eagles now have their three linebackers of the future? Are Lito's days in Philadelphia numbered? All will be answered in due course. Philly are always a contender in the NFC East and I see no reason for that to change. I think they'll make the play-offs, although probably through the Wild Card. They could probably win on Wild Card Weekend, but it's hard to see this team getting to the NFC Championship Game.