McNabb

I hate this benching. McNabb deserves better. He has played poorly the last two games, but this is a great defense they were playing against. The whole thing stinks of Reid looking for a scapegoat.

Close Game, Eagles Lose - What Else is New?

The Eagles lose another close game. The Eagles can not convert in short yardage. Over and over again this is the case. The run defense was disappointing early. This is a discouraging loss. Thank goodness the Phillies won the World Series!!

What we must do to beat the Jints!

1. McNabb has to be on from the first snap. We can't afford to throw balls into the ground or miss open receivers early. Likewise, the receivers can't drop balls we which we have done at a record pace.
2. STOP BURRESS!!!! Plaxico kills us. He cannot be allowed to have another 100 yard receiving day against us. He kills us more than any receiver in the league.
3. Get to Manning. The Giants protect pretty well. Jimmy Johnson has to dial up the blitz early and often.
4. Stop Boss! TE's in general have hurt us, and it seems Boss has been more active lately. Don't lose track of him

All the cliches apply - no turnovers, play great special teams, get good field position, etc., but we need to take care of the above three points in order to win this game.

2 solid wins

The win over Atlanta was a win over a solid football team. Michael Turner and Jerious Norwood are good running backs and Matt Ryan is the real deal. I think he is going to be a good quarterback in the NFL for a long time. How nice was the bad call in favor of the Eagles at the end of that game?? How nice was it to have a bad call go against someone other than the Eagles!?

Seattle stinks. Having said that, the defense was stellar forcing 12 straight punts. After a bad start, McNabb was awesome. 349 yards is impressive against anyone. Maybe we should start Brent Cellek rather than LJ Smith! It was nice having a TE involved in the offense.

Giants this week!

Bye Week

The Bye week could not have come at a better time. Before the season began, I really thought we would be 5-1/4-2 going into the bye. However, all is not lost. the NFC East has come down to earth, and the Eagles have survived without Westbrook. Atlanta is a much tougher opponent than I thought they would be. Turner is a stud, and Ryan has shown a lot of moxy. Roddy White is an emerging star, and the Atlanta defense has been solid.

On another note, I am rooting hard for these Phils to end our 25 year championship drought. I should mention to those fans of Philadelphia sports - Seattle has gone 27 years without a championship (with no relieve in sight) and Cleveland has gone 44 years since their city was the best at anything! Have faith!

Tight End????

The hot rumour is the Eagles are in on the Gonzalez talks. I am 100% for Tony G. landing in Philly. As I may have mentioned in past posts, LJ is a huge disappointment. We don't have a stud number 1 receiver (Dejean is coming, however!) so we need someone to take people out of the box. Who better? Gonzalez creates match up problems for teams that want to blitz (i.e. Giants), Cover 2 teams, and teams that want to gang up on Westbrook (I.E. EVERYBODY!!). The Chiefs are asking for a 3rd rounder. The Eagles have an extra number 1 that, we all know, the Eagles will trade on draft day for numerous picks. Spend now, and we are right there this year. We are in great shape after Giant, Redskin, and Cowboy losses. Make the move!

A win is a win!

Here is a look at yesterday's oft ugly win versus the 49ers:

The Good:

• Juqua Parker - Awesome! DE was a question mark coming into the season. We knew Trent Cole could get after the passer, but after that everyone was nervous. Parker has answered the call. Another sack, an interception, some tackles for a loss, and a whole lot of hustle plays. Love this guys effort on every snap.
• McNabb - Donovan is playing at such a high level. I know he had the one interception (and really could have thrown 2 more!) but he has been excellent. The Eagles receivers have stunk around him, but he continues to play well.
• Max Jean Gilles - He is not Shawn Andrews but he has been solid.
• Correll Buckhalter - What a great game! While losing Westbrook is awful, people are going to find out how good this guy is. And he is good!
• The O-Line - in the second half, they took over the game.

The Bad:

• LJ Smith - STINKS! We franchised this player??? WOW! I thought it was a good move at the time. I was wrong! Go get Tony Gonzalez and move this dog! He doesn't block, lines up wrong (see goal line versus the Redskins), and doesn't have 8 catches yet. He is the Mike Lieberthal of Tight ends!
• Covering Tight Ends - Vernon Davis had the best game of his career. What the hell are we doing! Cover the damn tight end, pleeeeeaaaaaassssseeeeee!
• Field Goal Unit - How does a team get penetration up the middle? Awful.

The Ugly:

• Cowboys and Redskins losses - good news!
• Jim Johnson of Dallas Cowboy/Fox Analyst fame says the Eagles will not make the playoffs.
• Jamie Moyer - I still love this guy!

Go Phils!!

After long thought............

It has been a while since last I wrote, but really how much could anyone want to think about the Eagles! Thank goodness for the Phillies. This has been an embarrassing couple of weeks. Some trends have emerged in the three Eagles losses:

1. The Eagles can not cover a tight end. In all three losses tight ends have made huge plays. It seems opposing coaches have found ways to exploit bad match ups with linebackers on tight ends.
2. The Eagles are, once again, an awful red zone team. Where is LJ Smith? Where is the offensive line?
3. The Eagles offense seems gutless. When they lose a lead they do not respond. I do not understand. A great team answers back, the Eagles do not. How about this stat over the last few years --- 1-8 in games decided by 4 points or less. Gutless.

In trying to look at the bright side - McNabb has been solid, and Westbrook gave a gutsy effort with 2 broken ribs on Sunday. Mikell is a good strong safety and Desean Jackson could be a good one.

Go Phillies!

DEFENSE!

This was a great game for the Eagles to win. Without Westbrook, with a banged up McNabb, the Eagles defense answered the call. How about that pass rush!!?? Wow.

THE GOOD:

• The Pass Rush. Sack after sack, big play after big play. Awesome.
• Brian Dawkins. He played great in coverage, blitzed well, caused turnovers, and made plays on the line of scrimmage versus the run. Weapon X answered a lot of questions.
• McNabb. With his TD pass to Buckhalter, he has thrown more TD passes than any Eagle in franchise history. I hope people really appreciate his greatness!
• The Run Defense. Who is Willy Parker?? I was worried about his speed, but the Eagles showed they are very, very fast on defense.
• Max Jean-Gilles filled in great for Andrews. The Eagles depth was huge in this game.
• Correll Buckhalter. Played well for Westbrook.
• Hank Baskett. He had a career day catching the football.
• Sav Rocca. The punter may have been the game MVP.
• Jimmy Johnson. Great plan!!

THE BAD

• The Eagles need to go for the jugular when they have a team down. You can't turn the ball over, and you must score TDs. 5 of the 15 points can be directly attributed to the defense. The Pittsburgh defense was determined not to give up the big play. They played a soft coverage, and allowed the Eagles to take the underneath stuff. The answer is a great running game. The Eagles need to keep "chopping wood" with the run game.
• Penalties. Against Dallas, the Eagles avoided the big penalty. Against Pittsburgh they did not.

The Ugly

• The Pittsburgh O-Line. In a word - overwhelmed.
• On a non-football issue - the Mets bullpen. what a great day to be a Philly fan - Eagles win, Phillies win, Mets lose! One of the all-time great days!

The Steelers

Willie Parker is the type of back that scares me. His cutback style of running often hurts the Eagles for big plays. The Eagles are very fast defensively, and they can run themselves out of the cutback - that leads to big plays. I do think the Eagles match up favorably if they can manage first down. The Steelers will be effective if they can get into 2nd and 3rd and shorts. Look for the Eagles to try to hit some home runs against the Pittsburgh blitz. I think this will be a physical game. It will be a close game, but the Eagles win 28-17.

Reviewing the Cowboys Game

The game against the Cowboys was disappointing but not discouraging. The Eagles can play with anybody, and there are a whole lot of positives to take away from this.

THE GOOD:

• McNabb looked awesome. This was a good a game as he has played as an Eagle. He got rid of the ball on time, moved well in the pocket, threw a tremendous deep ball, and he was poised in the pocket.
• Westbrook was Westbrook. Caught the ball well, ran the ball hard, and finished runs.
• The O-Line gave McNabb great protection, and man-handled the Cowboy front for most of the game.
• Max Jean-Gilles was very solid for Andrews when he went down.
• The Run defense was outstanding. 68 yards on the ground for Barber and Jones against what is touted as a very good o-line.
• Quentin Mikell is getting better. He was making plays on the line of scrimmage. He is turning into a very good strong safety.
• DeSean Jackson seems that he is a legit number 1 receiver. Back to back 100 yard games is impressive.

The Bad:

• Pass Rush. My goodness!! Give any NFL QB that mush time and they will pick you apart. I am surprised the Eagles didn't dial up more blitzes to bring pressure, but I guess they felt the Cowboys would be ready for that. We need someone other than Cole to rush the passer. Cost us the game.
• McNabb-Westbrook fumbling twice on hand-offs. Can't happen!
• Dropped Balls. To many!
• Pass Rush - did I mention it cost us the game!
• Brian Dawkins. I love Weapon X, but he was beat twice for TDs and a couple more times for first downs. He is better than that.
• Andy Reid - Why not challenge the DeSean Jackson catch and fumble on the first drive?

The Ugly:

• DeSean Jackson - C'mon! Get in the end zone first! Apparently he had a similar incident in high school. Why?? He has the skills, but will he be another T.O. in attitude? I hope not!
• The Pass Rush - IT COST US THE GAME!!!!

MONDAY NIGHT!

Why the Eagles will win:

• History repeats itself! The Eagles have won the last two meetings in Dallas. The Eagles are not afraid to play there because of their past success.
• A revamped run defense matches up great with the Dallas offense. The Eagles are bigger in the front seven then they have been in a long time. Barber will have a tougher time running through this defense.The Eagles have trouble with slashing, cut backs more than they do with smash mouth type running games.
• The secondary will dominate the Cowboy receivers. For all T.O.'s talk, Lito Sheppard owned T.O. last year in the December game. T.O. had all of 2 catches for 37 yards in that game. In the first game, the Cowboys blew the Eagles out. Jimmy Johnson was dropping extra people into coverage and played a lot of zone. T.O. had a huge game (10-174). In game two, he played almost exclusively man and brought the house often. The Cowboys managed 6 points. This year Jimmy Johnson has an extra cover corner to do battle with in Asante Samuel. I expect Sheldon Brown to lock up Whitten, and Lito and Asante to combo T.O. and Crayton. Brown is one of the most physical corners in the NFL, and he can take Whitten out of the game that would allow Dawkins to creep into the box to help on Marion Barber or to occasionally double on T.O.
• McNabb is healthy. He will not throw Ints. Westbrook rarely puts the ball on the turf. The Eagles will be stopped at times, but they will not turn the ball over giving Dallas field position.
• In games like this, field position is everything. The Eagles special teams are vastly improved. Ackers is back on his game. This phase of the game will be the difference.

How the Eagles could lose:

• Greg Ellis has 9 sacks in 19 games against the Eagles while DeMarcus Ware has 5 1/2 sacks in 6 games. The Cowboys defense is one of, if not the deepest defense in the NFL. The can cover, they can stop the run. They mix up their zone coverages and pressures well, and they get after the passer.
• Terrence Newman will play tonight giving them another cover guy in an already deep secondary. With the injuries to the Eagles top receivers, the Cowboys secondary should shut down the Eagles receivers.
• Roy Williams gets knocked for his coverage ability (for good reason), but he is a great run defender. With the Cowboys able to man up with the Eagles, Williams should be free to creep into the box giving the Cowboys numbers versus the run. The Cowboys know they must stop Westbrook.
• Romo moves so well in the pocket he can buy time even versus a relentless Eagles blitz. Jimmy Johnson does a great job of scheming he often creates an unblocked defender getting a run at the quarterback. When this happens, they must bring down Romo.
• Marion Barber can wear a defense down. The Eagles are often feast or famine on offense. If the Eagles have a bunch of consecutive three and outs, it will wear on the Eagle's D. First downs are crucial for the Eagles.

In the end:

I expect LJ Smith to come out against the Dallas safeties and have abig game. The Eagles will throw on early downs to keep Roy Williams on the field and take advantage of his defiencies in coverage. The Eagles will win a close, low scoring, physical game - 17-10. I also predict T.O. will put on a show crying he is open, Jessica Simpson breaks up with Romo, and Jerry Jones' new stadium is swept away by a tornado.

Go Eagles

The Good, Bad, and Ugly

Any win is a good win in the NFL so the Eagles will take it!
The Good:

• McNabb - He's baack! He looked decisive, moved in the pocket well, threw a great deep ball, and was accurate short. 100% healthy
• Eagles Secondary - Torry Holt - 1 catch - awesome! There were more Eagles around the ball than there were Rams.
• Pass Rush in general and Desmond Howard in particular - Howard was great rushing from the interior, and the Eagles made Bulger nervous and out of sync. Great game plan, great execution.
• Desean Jackson - YES!!! A receiver that may scare people!
• Special Teams - Demps and the coverage teams were very good, Jackson with two really great returns
• Sheldon Brown - Great hit on Jackson! Brings the whole stadium to life. Love it!

The Bad:

• Turnovers - The Eagles had their hands on 5 balls. Against a good team that needs to be converted.
• 3 and out - It is great the Eagles hit big plays, but we need to keep the defense off the field. Three and outs happen, but we can't go incomplete, incomplete, incomplete when we are winning 14-0.

The Ugly:

• The Rams - wow! They are bad.
• Those that took Steven Jackson in Fantasy football

Timing is Everything!

What a day today should be!! One of the most exciting days of the year is opening day of football season. I feel as thought the off season has been a hundred years long! Game day is upon us! Here are my thoughts and predictions:

• The Eagles are a heavy favorites. I am not sure they should be.
• The Eagles are missing their top two receivers. This is a big problem. Avant, Baskett, and Lewis scare nobody. I expect a fair share of dropped balls.
• The Rams are healthy. Orlando Pace is back to anchor an average offensive line. Pace has enough to neutralize the Eagles top pass rusher, Trent Cole.
• The Eagles secondary should be able to neutralize the Ram receivers. Holt is still a stud - 6 straight seasons of 90 plus catches, but I am not a believer in Dre Bennett on the other side.
• Rams Steven Jackson is a real threat.
• I don't think the Ram front is anything special. If the Eagles are patient, I do believe they can run the ball effectively. If they can that will take the pressure off the Eagle receiving corp.
• Special teams and field position are big in this game!
• Marc Bulger is a timing QB. He likes to get rid of the ball on time, and isn't great when he is forced to hold the ball. I hope the Eagles will jam receivers and bring pressure.
• The Eagles have more. I expect a close game into the fourth quarter, and then the Eagles pull away - Eagles 27-17

On other games:

• Is the Giants defense that good?? Are the Redskins that inept??
• Take the Chiefs and the points. New England is good, but they aren't what they were last year. Most reports talk about how slow the NE defense looks.
• How great would a Browns victory over the Cowboys be? I don't see it, but it would be great.

On another note, Go Phils!! 2 against the Mets! I expect the Phils to split today, but if they ever swept it would be huge. They have to get the first one!

1 Change on the Roster

Rocky Boiman, who really didn't stand out this preseason, was released, and the Eagles picked up Tank Daniel off waivers. Daniel is younger, larger, has play-off experience, and is a good special teams player.
McDougle signed a one year deal with the Giants. No shocker.
I wish the season would start already!!

Final 53 Man Roster

I am glad Tony Hunt made the squad as a fullback. I think this will give the Eagles a lot of formation flexibility. The Eagles can have Westbrook and Hunt on the field at the same time, and the opposition does not know if it is a spread set with Hunt playing the tailback or if it is a two back set with Hunt in fullback mode. With the age of specialization in today's NFL, the defense is looking for offensive personnel in order to put in matching defensive personnel. The gives the Eagles an edge.
Jerome McDougle wraps up a disappointing career as an Eagle. A former number 1 pick, he never found his rhythm in Philly for a lot of reasons. Unfortunately, he had his best preseason a year to late. I wish the Eagles could have found a way to keep him because I do think he will land on an NFL roster and produce (the Giants may be a very good fit!).
I am surprised Rocky Boiman made it. I didn't think he was outstanding this preseason, and I thought Studebaker showed a whole lot of athleticism and upside. I wasn't surprised Matt Schobel made it, but I was really hoping Kris Wilson would be the third TE. With Wilson's experience as a fullback, I thought it made that position a little deeper. Schobel isn't exactly a devastating blocker, and when the Eagles needed him to shine during LJ's injury, he disappeared.
The Eagle's roster is set, and I believe there is some excitement about it. I have read two articles by writer's on a national level that expect the Eagles to win 10 plus games. SI picked the Eagles to make the Super Bowl - for what that is worth!

Two Interesting Roster Battles

It is almost the time when rosters are solidified in the NFL, and the picture should be coming clearer. The Eagles still have some interesting battles on their roster, for example, on the Eagles defensive line there are some real questions. It is clear Bunkley, Patterson, Cole, Thomas, Abiamiri, Laws (Eagles 2nd round pick from Notre Dame), Howard (going into camp, I never thought Howard would make the cut, but 1. he came into camp in the best shape of his life, 2. Victor Abriami suffered a wrist injury opening the door, and 3.Howard is able to rush from the right, left,and as a nickel tackle), and Klecko seem to be solid. Klecko has played well as the fourth tackle. I think one would like to have a guy like Klecko who has played in a couple of Super Bowls, and is a lunch pail type player in the locker room. The interesting question comes with Bryan Smith, a 3rd round defensive end that is supposed to be a good pass rusher, Chris Clemons, who was just signed this off season and given a $4 million bonus, and Jerome McDougle, a former 1st round pick. McDougle is an interesting story. A former 1st round pick from Miami, he always seemed on the verge of making an impact when he would suffer a weird accident or injury - including being shot! It looked as if he would be cut this year, but he has made play after play this preseason. If you are the Eagles, who do you cut? This years free agent signing (Clemons) who has been hurt all preseason, the rookie third rounder (Smith), or the guy who has clearly played the best of the three, but has never been healthy in the past for weird reasons?? The Eagles will keep four tackles (Klecko, Patterson, Laws, Bunkley) and four defensive ends (Abriamiri, Cole, Thomas, Howard). Would they keep ten defensive lineman? Even if they do they need to cut one of the three. Tough call. Whoever gets cut will wind up on a NFL roster.
The other real interesting battle is at fullback. The Eagles will only keep one, but they have three on their roster - Jed Collins, Tony Hunt, and Jason Davis. Davis was the favorite coming in to camp. As a matter of fact, the Eagles unloaded last years starter, Thomas Tapeh, thinking the position would be up graded. Davis has not taken the position as expected. Collins actually started the Carolina game. He didn't stand out. Hunt has a great game at tailback, and on special teams, and Hunt started against the Pats. Hunt gives the Eagles more versatility as Hunt could lineup in one back sets and play as a tailback. The question is will Hunt be able to move a linebacker on 3rd and 1 or pick up a Mike linebacker on passing downs. The Eagles do not exactly feature the fullback position. With Westbrook, Booker, and Buckhalter, the Eagles need a special teams player and blocker more than a ball carrier. It will be interesting to watch as the Jets game is the last chance to audition for these three players.
I will be at the Jets-Eagles game at the Linc. I just found three tickets for $15 so I will take two of my sons. For those of you who have never been to Lincoln Financial, it is a really great, fan-friendly stadium.

"How 'bout Them Iggles??!!"

Impressive over the Pats. Of course the special teams play was outstanding. 2 special teams TDs were huge. As has been posted in previous blogs, the Eagles have been trying to make a point of emphasis with special teams. Carolina was a disaster, but the switch to Demps as a return man over Booker was the result. Lesson learned!! Meanwhile DeSean Jackson is the man!! He can flat out run. I am interested to see how he reacts in a game that counts. McNabb continues a really great preseason. His numbers are excellent. PLEASE, PLEASE LET HIM REMAIN HEALTHY!!! The O-Line looked good, the defense looked great! I can't really say how Hunt blocked, but he did run tough, and he had another special teams tackle on a kick-off. He has been strong on special teams. The Eagles have made it clear that to play football at fullback for the Eagles one must make plays on special teams. Hunt has. As I have said before, I am rooting for him. Luke Lawton was cut from the Eagles so that is one competitor down.
On a personal note, I drafted my fantasy football team yesterday in one of the two leagues I am in. I came out with two Eagles - McNabb and L.J. Smith (we have to play a TE). Feature this - McNabb was the 11th QB taken. Does that make sense?? L.J. was the last TE taken! This is a 12 team league! I think it does show how most people have forgotten the Eagles with the Giants and Dallas getting a lot of hype, and the Skins getting Taylor. I like the spot the Eagles are in. I truly believe they will have a big year - 10, 11 wins.

Kevin Curtis Out!

OUCH!! Kevin Curtis has been diagnosed with a sport's hernia. I am not a doctor, but it is clear this sport's hernia is contagious. McNabb had it, L.J. Smith had it, Deuce had it as did Sheldon Brown and now Curtis. Unbelievable! Maybe this will be a blessing. With Reggie Brown nicked up (hamstring) and Curtis out until around week 7 or 8, maybe this forces the Eagles hand. We have an extra first round pick and an unhappy corner (Sheppard), perhaps the Lions, Bengals, or the Cardinals will look to deal. I do not mind the Eagles over paying a little to get a Boldin or Williams. We are one true #1 receiver away from having a very good offense. How great would it be to have a big time receiver? Curtis is better suited for the slot anyway. Reid says Lewis and Baskett will rotate in place of Curtis. Ouch!! Please, please go get Boldin!!

Scouting the Giants

I have had a pretty great preseason - first Eagles Club Suite tickets and, yesterday, I was given a ticket to see the Giants-Cleveland preseason game. Great seats! 200 level. Good stuff......and the then the game started! The Giants defensive line played the entire game in the Cleveland backfield. Anyone who was thinking of taking Anderson or Lewis in Fantasy football - rethink it. I know the Giants line is very good, but the Cleveland o-line was a embarrassing! What was even more awful from an Eagles perspective is how good the Giants looked on special teams - kickoff returns, punt blocks, you name it, they did it! The Eagles special teams were "horrendous" - that is Andy Reid's own description - last year. I will say many of the personnel moves the Eagles made this off season were special teams specific so let's hope it is addressed. The Giants looked good on offense pounding the football with Jacobs, and throwing the ball deep. Of course, it is only preseason! The Eagles need to get off to a good start. The game one match up with the Rams is an early must win as the Cowboys are on the schedule for week 2.
The Tony Hunt fullback experiment will be interesting to watch when the Eagles play the Pats. Some other interesting personnel moves to watch include the defensive end position with Howard playing some left defensive end, the fifth corner spot is wide open, and the linebacker depth situation is interesting. The Eagles have some young players that are really pushing. I love Joe Mays at the Mike spot. He is from North Dakota State, he is undersized but tenacious. He has a nonstop motor. When the starters leave, watch this kid - he brings it.

A Typical Jersey Shore Football Conversation

The other day I had an opportunity to talk football with some friends. I thought it was fairly typical of our area as the conversation included 2 Giants fans, a Jets fan, and me, an Eagles fan. New Jersey is a battle ground state for pro football. South Jersey is solid Eagle Country, North Jersey is either Giant or Jet Land, the Jersey Shore is heavily New York, but we Eagle fans are a vocal minority. What kills me are the Cowboys fans in our area. Eagles, Giant, and Jet fans have some sort of geography - some kind of turf - linking us to our teams. Cowboys fans are people that jumped on the bandwagon during a period when the Cowboys were good. I can respect fans that grew up in an area and moved, but then stayed loyal to their team, but Cowboys fans are disgraceful. "America's Team" - says who??!! If anyone follows this "Hard Knocks" on HBO, it is little wonder the Cowboys can't win a playoff game. Compared to past seasons featuring the Jaguars and Ravens, Cowboys camp looks like a Country Club! There seems to be little discipline. I wonder if Wade Phillips will be the anchor that pulls the mighty Cowboy ship to the bottom! One can only hope....
Anyway, my conversation on Friday was a typical debate between fans. One thing did become clear to me, however. Without Plaxico Burris, does the Giant offense scare anybody? I do not believe in Brandon Jacobs. He runs straight up and down, and doesn't have big play speed. They have a nice tight end in Boss, but he isn't going to block a soul, and he isn't Shockey. They have a solid offensive line. The big question is Eli Manning, is he for real? Plaxico Burris is the guy that is the real threat.
Jet football is a much shorter conversation. They have Farve. Now I know everyone loves him, but let's not forget he was a BAD quarterback for two years prior to last year. I think he will throw a fair amount of TDs and a good amount of INTs. The Jet Defense is average at best, and Farve will be playing catch up all year. Playing catch up regularly in the NFL will lead to a lot of INTs.
After talking football and comparing teams, I would make the argument the Eagles have the best QB in the NFC. Who else is there - Manning? Hasselback? Romo? All have question marks. I think Donovan will be healthy, I think a return of LJ Smith, an improved Reggie Brown, Westbrook, Curtis, and DeSean Jackson will be enough for Donovan. He will be a 30 TD - 9 INT guy again.
One note: in my last post I mention Hunt had a good game. Apparently good enough for the Eagles to search for a way for Hunt to make team. He is now getting fullback reps. That is also a good indicator of how bad Jason Davis has been this camp. He should be the guy, but he won't take the position. I, personally, am rooting for Hunt. He could be an explosive fullback if he can take the pounding and learn the position.

A Night at the Linc

Because of some odd circumstances, I found myself in possession of a Club Suite ticket to the Eagles-Panthers game at the Linc last night. I didn't receive the ticket until 3 p.m. so I had to launch into action right away to make this a successful night. Two very important steps had to be taken care of:

• Step 1 - The Kids. I have the good fortune of having seven ( yes seven! Ron Jaworski's number!) wonderful children. It is not such good fortune when in possession of last minute Eagles tickets, and a wife that is out of town! Good thing my family pitched in! I dropped two with my sister, and 5 with grandma. (When one has seven kids, they never all in one place!)
• Step 2 -Much like Michaleen Oge Flynn's horse in the movie The Quiet Man, my car knows exactly where to stop -- Big John's Subs! Whenever traveling through Cherry Hill, Big John's Subs is the place to go for Philly Cheesesteaks. I have had Pat's and Gino's - and they are tremendous - but I truly believe Big John's is the best.....and make sure you get extra Cheese Whiz!

I met up with my brother who introduced me to the crew from Lehigh - Sharon Basso, the Dean of Students and Mary Kay Baker, the Director of Conference Services, may be two of the nicest people one will ever meet (hard to believe they would hang with my brother!). Mary Kay is a huge Donovan McNabb fan. She not only is a fan of the Eagles, but a fan of the Orangemen of Syracuse so she is one of the Donovan McNabb faithful! Ozzie Briener , the Director of Residential Services, was not only instrumental in getting us the tickets, but he was also able to watch both the Eagles and keep us abreast as to the score of the Olympic beach volleyball match (U-S-A, U-S-A!) The Eagles have training camp at Lehigh so tickets sometimes become available. Suite 101. Unbelievable seats! On top of it all, Police Chief Ed Shupp (who is also the Mayor of Lincoln Financial!) found a way to come up with field passes! Unbelievable!! We took a trip down to the field for pregame. As we were watching pregame, some of the Eagles Cheerleaders came over and said hello. Once they found out I was a Hometown Blogger, they asked if I would take a picture with them. Naturally I agreed. (That IS the way it happened!). The picture is on my profile. Enjoy!

Observations from the Game

This was a difficult game for either team to get into a rhythm as a 45 lighting delay sent both teams sprinting to the locker room early in the first quarter but here are some notes:

• DeSean Jackson looks like the real deal! He has tremendous flat out speed, and he has great quicks as he seems to get in and out of his cuts well. He might be a big time weapon!
• McNabb had all day to throw! The O-Line looked good - a great sign considering Andrews didn't play.
• McNabb moved in the pocket like the McNabb of a couple of years ago. It was great to see.
• The Eagles receiving corp dropped to many balls. There isn't a whole lot more demoralizing for a team than dropped passes. The O-line is working its collective tail off, the QB makes a great read, throws a good ball, and when the receiver drops the ball all that effort is wasted. It wasn't anyone receiver - the whole group was mediocre catching the ball.
• From an injury stand point, Reggie Brown left the game with a hamstring tweak.
• Even though the offense moved the ball at will in between the 20s, the didn't finish in the Red Zone. That was a point of emphasis going into camp, and you would not know it watching the first half yesterday.
• Another point of emphasis going into camp was the return game, and it wasn't good. The punt returns weren't awful, but the kick off returns were mishandled on a number of occasions. Field position is huge in the NFL, and the kick off return is the play that accounts for the single greatest shift in field position in most games. It has to get better.
• The Eagles defense looked fast and very physical. Dawkins knocked Muhsin Muhammad into next week on a third down play that would have been a touchdown. BDawk is still a force!
• Carolina scored a touchdown after intercepting an Eagles fake field goal attempt. I do not mind that in preseason. It is a meaningless game in terms of score, and Andy Reid was playing loose.
• Lorenzo Booker looked good in the backfield.
• Tony Hunt had an impressive TD run, and made some tackles on special teams. It will be interesting to see if he makes the squad. Odds are the Eagles keep Westbrook, Booker, and Buckhalter releasing Hunt and Moats. Both will be on a roster somewhere. Hunt will make the Eagles think, however, as he made some great special teams plays. I just can't imagine the Eagles keeping 4 running backs and a fullback.

News at the Break of Camp.........

Now that Andrews has reported it sounds as if it will be a few days before he puts the pads on. He addressed the team regarding his problem, and, according to reports in the Trentonian, the team seems understanding. Once again, Brian Dawkins turns out to be an outstanding leader. He told the newspapers and the team that he, too, has suffered from depression, and backed Andrews 100%. What a great leader!

Though the Steelers fans are all excited about a 16-10 victory, it was a 10-7 Eagles lead when the starters were pulled. McNabb looks good. I would love to see the Eagles go deep into the play-offs and McNabb have a great year so he once again gets the respect he deserves.

There is some talk Tra Thomas' back is bothering him. This has been an ongoing problem with Tra for years. He usually battles through it. In the event that something serious were to happen, the Eagles do have pretty decent depth. Winston Justice (yes, the same Winston Justice that did his imitation of the William Penn statue as one Giant after another sacked McNabb last year) is having a good camp, the Eagles seem very high on King Dunlap, a late round pick this past year, or the Eagles have the option of moving Herremans out to tackle, where he is probably better suited with his long arms, and start Max Jean-Gilles at left guard. Andy Reid has always made sure the Eagles have depth on both lines.

On a personal note, I tried to get Skins-Eagles tickets and could only find awful seats for $150 a ticket! It is going to take an awful lot to convince my wife that I need to have them, but I will give it a go!!

Andrews in Camp, Samuel Practices

Good news on a Monday morning! Andrews has reported and is scheduled to practice. Let's hope he regains his form quickly. The silver lining to his late report date is Max Jean-Gilles has reportedly had a very good camp, and projects to help the Eagles. I could see in the future Andrews bumps out to play right tackle and Jean-Gilles becomes the starting guard.

With Asante Samuel back in camp, all eyes are on the battle at corner. Samuel has already been named the starting left corner while Lito Sheppard and Sheldon Brown fight for the right corner spot. The "loser" of that battle plays the nickel. The Eagles are in great shape as long as nobody pouts. With an improved pass rush, and the ability to match up with three stud corners the Eagles should make some QBs suffer!

The concern I have with the Eagles defense is their size. Patterson and Laws are small defensive tackles, Cole is not real big, and neither is Thomas. Victor Abriamiri, who most people thought would challenge Thomas for a starting end spot, will miss most of camp with an injury. Abriamiri is 6 foot 4, 265. The Eagles are very small up front, and I worry NFC East teams will pound the Eagles off tackle. I have a lot of faith in Jimmy Johnson, but I'd feel a lot more comfortable if we had a couple of big, physical lineman to play on early downs.

The Eagles Outlook

With the first preseason game in the books, lets look back on the preseason to date.

First the Reasons for Hope:

• Westbrook signs a new deal. A deal so complicated he basically missed the Steelers game to review the contract, but, in the end, the Ultimate Weapon is happy as are the Eagles. Westbrook is finally recognized as a Top 3 back in the NFL. In general the Eagles are pretty fair with their players and this is no exception. Westbrook is the most valuable nonquaterback to any offense in the NFL.
• Samuel, Brown, and Sheppard look like they can coexist. In my opinion, Sheppard has no right to complain about his contract. Westbrook outperformed his contract, and deserved a new one. While it is very clear Sheppard has the potential to do the same, the guy is never healthy. If he has a great year this year, he will make his money - if not with the Eagles, somewhere else. However, the idea the Eagles have three Pro Bowl caliber corners is huge in the pass happy NFL.
• The defense has great speed. The young linebackers of the Eagles can run! They are all sideline to sideline players. Bradley, Gaither, and Gocong are sprinters. All three can play coverage and stuff the run. This is a very talented group.
• The pass rush is improved. Trent Cole proved last year he can be a force, the acquisition of Chris Clemons as a pass rush specialist will help, Juqua Thomas is solid, and Darren Howard has reported to camp in the best shape of his life. Howard, who is fighting for his NFL life at this point, could be valuable as an inside rusher. Bunckley has looked great in camp, and, with Gocong coming from the outside, the Eagles pass rush will be much improved.
• McNabb looks healthy and strong. McNabb, in my opinion, is the most under appreciated player in the NFL. I truly believe he will be a top 3 quarterback in the NFC. Who is better? Giants fans will yell Eli Manning, but, let's not forget around week 8 last year Giants fans were screaming for change. Tony Romo?? Let's see if he puts together a complete year this year. Hasselback? C'mon! Drew Brees? Maybe. Certainly, McNabb when healthy is amongst the elite. I believe he is healthy. Will he stay healthy? We will see. I do have confidence in Kolb and Andy Reid. McNabb hurt does not mean the Eagles are done.

Reasons for Nope:

• The core is getting older - Dawkins, our two stud tackles - Runyan and Thomas, and McNabb are getting older.
• Where in the heck is Shawn Andrews? Andrews is a stud! He is physical, has tremendous feet, can pass protect, and is tremendous teamed with Runyan on the right side of the line. When Westbrook runs right, it is because Andrews can move anybody! Andrews has not been in camp because he has been dealing with depression. While I hope treatment goes well, I worry about the missed time, and I worry about his aggressiveness when he returns. Max Jean-Giles has been impressive in his place, but he isn't Andrews.
• The Receivers. Every year fans around Philly scream for a big time receiver. This year the Eagles made a run at Randy Moss to no avail. Curtis is solid, but seems to disappear at times. Brown looked like he was going to be very good 2 years ago, but was bad last year. Avant and Baskett are solid possession receivers, but neither is dynamic. The new hope is a rookie, DeSean Jackson. He has tremendous speed, but he is a rookie in a complicated offense. Do they have enough weapons to keep teams from just defending Westbrook? In the past, teams would play physical with the Eagles receivers - bumping them on the line and knocking them off their routes, and the Eagles would be three and out, putting to much pressure on the defense. Do they have enough?
• The NFC East. The Giants, Cowboys, and Redskins all improved. This is the best division in football top to bottom so there is no room for a "slump."