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Topic: Eagles In-Season Report (Read 1493 times) |
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UFF Primetime Prophet
# 29
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Re: Eagles In-Season Report
« Reply #10 on: Oct 1st, 2007, 10:07am » |
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Let me just apologize right up front. I've been off the mark with the Eagles thus far this year. I'd like to just think that I've been off my game, but sometimes I scratch my head and think, Is it really just me?
We've been all over the other games. Last week they finally get the offense righted, but we see it had SO MUCH more to do with the defense of the Lions. They did NOT press the Eagles receivers (allowing them to get off the line cleanly) and get open. In the Eagles three losses, the CBs have been physical with the receivers at the LOS and they have been unable to get open as a result.
Last night, admittedly, they were playing hurt. There was no reason to think that Westbrook was going to sit out. He hasn't practiced much all season, but has played brilliantly. This week it was an abdominal strain, which probably would have been painful, but isn't a long-term issue and the Eagles have a bye in Week 5. So you play BWB (in a crucial game) and let him rest the next couple weeks. But Reid decides, last minute, to make him inactive.
Then, Tra Thomas is also hurt, so Winston Justice gets his first-ever start at LT in the NFL. He's a second-round draft pick (with an even higher draft grade), so they should be OK. But we see quickly that Justice isn't ready for the NFL, as he doesn't have the footwork to deal with Umenyiora's speed rush, nor does he have the strength to handle Umenyiora's bull rush (despite the fact that Umenyiora is an "undersized" DE). Not the end of the world, though. All the Eagles have to do is make an adjustment and put a FB in the game to help out, or put a TE on the left side. They do neither and continue to leave Justice all alone against a guy he cannot block. They could even slide Todd Herremans out to LT (he played there extensively as a rookie, with some success too, when Thomas was hurt) and put Max-Jean Gilles inside at LG.
I'm starting to think that the Eagles biggest problem is their head coach. He's making bad decisions (cutting his PR/KR at the end of pre-season and having back-up plan other than using two inexperienced returners and a guy who had a career-ending injury--except that the Eagles decided to give him a try anyway). I wonder if the troubles at home (two of his sons running afoul of the law) are interfering with his football decisions.
It's going to be very hard to project for the Eagles at this rate. The coach is making decisions counter to basic common-sense. I will tell you that McNabb will be OK if he gets some blocking. Westbrook, when healthy enough to play, is as good a RB as there is in the league. Reggie Brown is an average receiver who will tease everyone with a big game before long, and then will disappear again. Kevin Curtis needs to be put in motion so he can get a clean release off the line, and then he'll be a very nice fantasy option. Jason Avant and Hank Baskett will have a big game here or there, but not enough to warrant fantasy attention (just enough to annoy owners of Curtis and Brown). LJ Smith is going to have a very quiet season and then leave via free agency in the off-season. Brent Celek will continue to improve and emerge as a bye-week or injury fill-in as the season progresses.
The defense has played quite well. Even last night they only allowed 10 points (although I haven't seen a fantasy scoring system yet that takes pity on a defense when the offense gives up a TD via turnover). They are also playing short-handed as their starting CB (Lito Sheppard) and FS (Brian Dawkins) are injured, but they've been able to manage without them.
Maybe things will be clearer after the bye in week 5, but I doubt it.
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UFF Primetime Prophet
# 29
Pay, I said pay attention, son.
Posts: 5675
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Re: Eagles In-Season Report
« Reply #13 on: Oct 4th, 2007, 8:18am » |
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Andy Reid stepping aside? It's pure rumor at this point, but it's out there...
from ProFootballTalk.com, via Phillymag.com
Quote:MORE ON THE REID RUMORS
Our pal A.J. Daulerio of PhillyMag.com has some details as to the rampant rumors that Eagles coach Andy Reid might pack it in with the team after eight-plus years on the job.
Here's what Daulerio has to say: "It's been a constant rumor all year, but after Sunday night's loss to the Giants, sources close to Andy Reid and the team say there's a strong possibility Reid may get off the sidelines sooner than expected. All year, Reid's family troubles have been taking a noticeable toll, and many of his players are biding their time until Big Red makes an announcement. With Marty Mornhinweg already assuming much of the offense, Reid's a lame-duck coach at this point, just poking around on the sidelines to keep his mind off of his woes. The likely scenario is inserting Mornhinweg in the coach's seat so Reid can ride out the rest of his contract as Executive Vice President of Football Operations, leaving him more time with his fractured family."
Daulerio's article suggests that the move could come as soon as this week, since the Eagles are on a Week Five bye.
Though we haven't heard that anything immediate could happen, the pervasive talk in league circles is that Reid's return for 2008 is, at best, a toss-up. |
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UFF Primetime Prophet
# 29
Pay, I said pay attention, son.
Posts: 5675
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Re: Eagles In-Season Report
« Reply #21 on: Dec 3rd, 2007, 10:06am » |
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Since we're entering the home stretch of the NFL regular season, I thought I'd offer a State of the Eagles Address.
Team:
What they WILL do: Since the Eagles are still only one game out of the second Wild Card spot, they'll insist that this season is worth playing for. Their remaining games are against the Giants, Cowboys, Saints, and Bills. It's reasonable to assume that they'll lose to their division rivals and beat the Bills, with the Saints being a bit of a toss-up at this point. They'll finish either 7-9 or 6-10.
What they SHOULD do: Start giving some of the younger guys some experience and start laying the foundation for next year and beyond.
Coaching Staff:
What they WILL do: Status quo will be the marching orders.
What they SHOULD do: Ask Andy Reid to step down as coach and become the VP of Football Operations immediately. In the interim, let John Harbaugh become head coach for the final four games of the season to see how he reacts. Reevaluate the coaching staff following the season.
Quarterback:
What they WILL do: A.J. Feeley has thrown 7 picks in his two starts which means that Donovan McNabb (who looked pretty healthy on the sidelines yesterday) will return as the Eagles starter against the Giants this coming Sunday. A.J. Feeley will return to his #2 role and Kevin Kolb will continue to tote the clipboard.
What they SHOULD do: They should name Kevin Kolb the starter now. The season is done and returning Donovan McNabb to the field does nothing but risk further injury, subsequently lowering his trade value. A.J. Feeley can remain as the backup, as he is serviceable in that role.
Running Backs:
What they WILL do: Use Brian Westbrook in the same inconsistent manner they have thus far.
What they SHOULD do: Call more running plays and spell BWB with C-Buck and Tony Hunt some more. See if there is any trade value for C-Buck in the off-season.
Wideouts:
What they WILL do: Who knows?
What they SHOULD do: Keep working the younger guys into the lineup (Jason Avant, Hank Baskett, Reggie Brown) and draft/sign a true number one guy in the off-season. Say farewell to Greg Lewis who, ironically, seems ONLY to be able to perform against the Pats.
Tight Ends:
What they WILL do: Continue to feature LJ Smith, and throw one pass a game to either Celek or Schobel.
What they SHOULD do: Start getting Celek more PT. Let him gain experience and take advantage of his great hands as a receiver. Put Schobel on special teams or waivers.
Offensive Line:
What they WILL do: Keep trotting out the Thomas-Herremans-Jackson-Andrews-Runyan line they've been using.
What they SHOULD do: Start rotating Winston Justice, Max-Jean Gilles, and Scott Young into the lineup. (Just wait until after the Giant game to give Justice any time.)
Defensive Line:
What they WILL do: They've actually been doing a pretty good job of recognizing the strengths/weaknesses of the line and trying new things.
What they SHOULD do: Keep using Patterson/Bunkley as starting DTs, while rotating in Ramsey. At DE, it's clear that Trent Cole just can't stand up to a full season as he disappears in the second half. Juqua Thomas seems to come on more in the second half. Victor Abiamiri needs more playing time and Jevon Kearse and Darren Howard (and their huge salaries) need to go.
Linebackers:
What they WILL do: Ride the combo of Gocong-Gaither-Spikes the rest of the season.
What they SHOULD do: Experiment more with Gocong as a situational pass-rusher and give Stewart Bradley some playing time. Move Spikes to the middle once in a while and let Akeem Jordan get some PT as the WLB.
Defensive Nacks:
What they WILL do: Run the standard Sheppard-Brown-James combo at CB and Dawkins-Reed at safety.
What they SHOULD do: Get rid of Joselio Hanson. Start giving Nick Graham and Marcus Paschal more time to develop. Give Sheldon Brown a few snaps at SS here and there, to see if it's a position he'll be able to transition to.
In summary, this is a team whose 2007 season is essentially over, regardless of what the standings say. It's important to give the younger guys some playing time now in order to evaluate them and determine if they provide any worthwhile depth (or potential future as starters) for this team. If they don't, then let that help direct your draft strategy.
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UFF Primetime Prophet
# 29
Pay, I said pay attention, son.
Posts: 5675
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Re: Eagles In-Season Report
« Reply #23 on: Dec 5th, 2007, 8:37am » |
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I'm a big fan of Celek and I doubt LJ Smith will be wearing midnight green next season, so I'd prefer to see Celek out there. He's a quality receiver, but he needs to work on his in-line blocking. While spending time in the weight room is the best way to remedy that, experience against NFL pass-rushers is very important as well.
At WR, there are a few free agents I'd like to see them make a run at. We can forget about Randy Moss... he's not coming to Philly. If he's smart, he'll sign a reasonable deal to stay with New England. For the Eagles, I'd be interested in DJ Hackett, Patrick Crayton, and/or Bernard Berrian.
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