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."