Agent: Moulds wants to play for Eagles

[jrockster21]

jrock, the Eagles were in the top 10 in ypc rush defense last year. What are you talking about?

Is that seriously all you've got?? :laugh:

The Eagles were 21st in total run defense last season. They were tied for 4th in ypc (Miami, Baltimore, Chicago). San Francisco was 5th. If you want to be compared to SF's defense, be my guest! My point still stands.

[jrockster21]

Did I mention you? Bubba and a few others made this statement in a Brunnell vs McNabb thread two years ago.

Notice the edit.

[Westbrook36]

Is that seriously all you've got?? :laugh:

The Eagles were 21st in total run defense last season. They were tied for 4th in ypc (Miami, Baltimore, Chicago). San Francisco was 5th. If you want to be compared to SF's defense, be my guest! My point still stands.

jrock, your point was the Eagles ability to stop the run. I think the yards a team got everytime they ran the ball against your team is a pretty good indicator on your ability to stop the run.

Do you agree?

[tr1]

jrock, your point was the Eagles ability to stop the run. I think the yards a team got everytime they ran the ball against your team is a pretty good indicator on your ability to stop the run.

Do you agree?

Just from memory, but usually when a team excels in run defense, their pass defense sucks and vice-versa.

Good defenses are ranked in the top ten in both categories...

:2cents:

[jrockster21]

jrock, your point was the Eagles ability to stop the run. I think the yards a team got everytime they ran the ball against your team is a pretty good indicator on your ability to stop the run.

Do you agree?

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

You're classic...at least you're an optomist. I'd call up Kaneohe and tell them to put you on suicide watch otherwise! :laugh:

I'd say being 21st in TOTAL RUSHING DEFENSE is a better indicator, wouldn't you?

[jrockster21]

I'll add linebacker to my list of weaknesses for the Eagles. Dhani Jones and Shawn Barber don't scare anyone. Trotter is still a monster, but he's getting old. They need an upgrade to that unit as well.

[Westbrook36]

Just from memory, but usually when a team excels in run defense, their pass defense sucks and vice-versa.

Good defenses are ranked in the top ten in both categories...

:2cents:

jrock, this is why we argue back and forth for pages. Why is it SO HARD to just say, "Damn, didn't know their run defense improved so much....well, they need a pass rush or their pass defense will still suck" or something like that?

I show you a fact and you quickly change to another point. It's frustrating to talk football with you when you do this.

[Westbrook36]

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

You're classic...at least you're an optomist. I'd call up Kaneohe and tell them to put you on suicide watch otherwise! :laugh:

I'd say being 21st in TOTAL RUSHING DEFENSE is a better indicator, wouldn't you?

Not really. If the offense sucks and the other team is building big leads and able to just run run run run all game, it's not the ability to stop the run that is a problem, its the offense not being able to keep the other teams offense off the field.

But you know this. You say talking to bluetalon is like arguing with a wall. Here is your mirror.

[Westbrook36]

But I don't think anyone credible said that.

Stop putting words in people's mouths.

You don't think, huh? So if I showed you a ten page thread, you'd apologize?

[jrockster21]

jrock, this is why we argue back and forth for pages. Why is it SO HARD to just say, "Damn, didn't know their run defense improved so much....well, they need a pass rush or their pass defense will still suck" or something like that?

I show you a fact and you quickly change to another point. It's frustrating to talk football with you when you do this.

Hmmm...1) I never changed to another point, you have quoted tr1. 2) I didn't know that their ypc was that low, their rushing defense is better than I thought (there, you happy?).

[jrockster21]

You don't think, huh? So if I showed you a ten page thread, you'd apologize?

Depends on who you and I define as credible. No offense to bubba, but he's the biggest Skins homer on this board. (Its not me, as you like to suggest )

[Westbrook36]

See, now that you said that, I can be a man and talk about how their LBs are below average, the pass rush sucked, and the secondary looks ordinary without a pass rush.

[PCRoughrider]

Moulds wants to play for Eagles

Why?

[Whiskeypeet]

Yes, because that has been proven. :laugh:

Right and the opposite was obviously proven so that, unlike what has been reported by the media and the team, must be the truth. :laugh:

[bulldog]

Redskins have passed the Eagles. Better receivers. Better running game. Better offensive line. Defenses are about even when healthy. Philly gets edge at qb, although it is a double edged sword because the dependence on McNabb through air and on the ground adds pressure to a guy that sometimes doesn't handle it that well.

[Number5]

Number5 -- of course I am basing that statement on the information we have at this moment. But, unless the Eagles can glean 3 or 4 starting-caliber players from this year's draft (which is not out of the question, given their ability to draft well) I don't feel that they will have the personnel to compete with rest of the East.

For one thing, you'll need some serious DB help to match up with the Redskins and Cowboys at WR. I'll take Brown/Sheppard/Hood/Strickland against Moss/Lloyd/Randle-El/Cooley or Owens/Glenn/Crayton/Witten any day of the week (especially on Sunday ).

The Eagles d-line has been bad against the run the past two seasons (bottom half). If Howard can stay healthy he is an upgrade for the pass-rush, but not necessarily against the run. And its not clear whether he'll recover fully either. That is always a question with injured players...I have the same worry about Randy Thomas. WB seems to think you'll be able to draft Bunkley or whoever and the DLine will be magically fixed....sure it will .

Finally, without being able to rush the ball, the Eagles aren't going anywhere. Who knows, maybe getting Thomas back will allow them to run the ball better...you'd better hope so. WB can argue all day long that the Eagles just didn't run the ball, not because they couldn't, but intelligent fans know better. Without a strong running game, the Eagles will not be contenders.

There, that is why I do not think the Eagles will be contenders next season. They certainly won't dominate the NFC East as WB suggests. If anything, it will be a 4-way dogfight; but I predict the Eagles to finish last at 8-8.

With all do respect......you're basis on this arguement is questionable at the least. For a team that in essence only lost 1 "star quality' player in Owens, for you to state that they need 3-4 more is ludacris! For them to compete with in my opinion a "Highly Overrated NFC East", they simply need to tweek rather than turnover.......reload rather than rebuild. An 8-8 finish to me is unfathomable, especially if McNabb is 100%.

Only one NFC East team clearly beat up on the Eagles last season, and that unfortunatley was Dallas and for one game only. The so-called class of the division at times struggled against the 2nd and 3rd stringers that the Eagles put out on the field, and what makes matters worst, is some of those 2nd and 3rd stringers hurt those teams! Surely there is no denying the impact that Ryan Moats and Reggie Brown had on the game against the Giants and Redskins........

While you make light of the match-ups in our secondary against Dallas or even your own, let me mention that while Dallas in much improved at WR, to stop your passing attack, a simply breathe of air in the direction of your "light-weight" three headed monster would be enough to knock them off course. Playing a physical bump and run technique against your trio coupled with a strong pass rush would negate their speed....which from what I have seen, is all that they really have. Lack of size will hurt you more than you lead on to.

While our run defense has always been questioned, it is under rated. The Eagles are better than most people are willing to give them credit. While several prominent players have run for over 100 yards against the Eagles, they team in general has had success not allowing many points....which is most important.

With regards to our running the ball, while I agree with the fact that they should run it more, when they were they went to the Super Bowl two years ago, should they have run the ball more? When they won 4 straight NFC East titles, should they have run the ball more? Reid himself has gone on record saying that his team will run the ball more and I believe him....but it is known that the Eagles M.O. is to pass to set up the run and I believe that they will balance the attack more while using the same ideals.....and actually with more success than any pre-TO team Reid has coached because of the renewed emphasis on balance.

Finally, as I mentioned in the first paragraph, the "Highly Overrated NFC East". Since when has a set of teams who in the 2000's not won anything become so arrogant that they overlook their own short comings? Dallas has a OL that is compared to wet paper, NY has a QB who is greener than anything Ricky Williams smokes, and the Redskins have issues as far as depth and discipline, yet through all of these issues, a team that is returning an ALL PRO QB is stated to finish last? That boogles my mind. I think that instead of the Eagles needing to find answers, the NFC East needs to find an answer to McNabb who when 100% (no hernia like last year) has owned the division. While I do not concede the East title to the Eagles, I don't give it to anyone else either.....and to count McNabb and the Eagles out is a mistake.....but then again, that's why they play the games.......

[jrockster21]

With all do respect......you're basis on this arguement is questionable at the least. For a team that in essence only lost 1 "star quality' player in Owens, for you to state that they need 3-4 more is ludacris! For them to compete with in my opinion a "Highly Overrated NFC East", they simply need to tweek rather than turnover.......reload rather than rebuild. An 8-8 finish to me is unfathomable, especially if McNabb is 100%.

You only "lost" one starting-caliber player in Owens, but you never had one at OLB (Jones & Simoneau are depth players at this point in their careers), OL is still a question mark (although bringing back Runyan is a huge plus), and in my opinion, the Eagles secondary was exposed. Dawkins is the man, but how long can he keep holding the secondary together? You need another CB, maybe two. Especially if Howard and Kearse don't provide the pass-rush you were missing last season. Kearse is injury-prone and Howard is coming off a serious injury...not exactly scary. By my count, that is 3-4 players who can contribute right away that you need. Maybe McCoy can step up this year and solve the OLB problem, maybe he can't. :whoknows:

Only one NFC East team clearly beat up on the Eagles last season, and that unfortunatley was Dallas and for one game only. The so-called class of the division at times struggled against the 2nd and 3rd stringers that the Eagles put out on the field, and what makes matters worst, is some of those 2nd and 3rd stringers hurt those teams! Surely there is no denying the impact that Ryan Moats and Reggie Brown had on the game against the Giants and Redskins........

The Redskins were missing their best lineman in that last game, and still won by double-digits. Portis was beat up, Springs was not 100%, etc. etc. etc. The first Eagle game was a better indicator...McNabb has always killed us, and with McNabb back, it will make a lot of difference. But NFC East dominance? Come on...

While you make light of the match-ups in our secondary against Dallas or even your own, let me mention that while Dallas in much improved at WR, to stop your passing attack, a simply breathe of air in the direction of your "light-weight" three headed monster would be enough to knock them off course. Playing a physical bump and run technique against your trio coupled with a strong pass rush would negate their speed....which from what I have seen, is all that they really have. Lack of size will hurt you more than you lead on to.

I expect more from you, N5. Speed is all they have? Right. Ignore Moss' unbelievable ability to judge the ball in the air and catch it through traffic. Ignore his precise route running. Ignore ARE's passing and running ability, his ability to "slash" very effectively. Ignore Lloyd's circus catches, and ability to catch the ball with a defender draped on him. Ignore all that and just focus on speed.

And you can bump and run all day, but Moss will make the defender miss at the line of scrimmage more than he'll get jammed...not to mention screen plays. And you mention the "three-headed monster" without even a mention of Cooley. Who's going to cover him, if you've got your most phyiscal corners playing our midget receivers?

While our run defense has always been questioned, it is under rated. The Eagles are better than most people are willing to give them credit. While several prominent players have run for over 100 yards against the Eagles, they team in general has had success not allowing many points....which is most important.

I admitted your run defense was better than I originally thought.

With regards to our running the ball, while I agree with the fact that they should run it more, when they were they went to the Super Bowl two years ago, should they have run the ball more? When they won 4 straight NFC East titles, should they have run the ball more? Reid himself has gone on record saying that his team will run the ball more and I believe him....but it is known that the Eagles M.O. is to pass to set up the run and I believe that they will balance the attack more while using the same ideals.....and actually with more success than any pre-TO team Reid has coached because of the renewed emphasis on balance.

I agree...the Eagles definitely need more balance.

Finally, as I mentioned in the first paragraph, the "Highly Overrated NFC East". Since when has a set of teams who in the 2000's not won anything become so arrogant that they overlook their own short comings? Dallas has a OL that is compared to wet paper, NY has a QB who is greener than anything Ricky Williams smokes, and the Redskins have issues as far as depth and discipline, yet through all of these issues, a team that is returning an ALL PRO QB is stated to finish last? That boogles my mind. I think that instead of the Eagles needing to find answers, the NFC East needs to find an answer to McNabb who when 100% (no hernia like last year) has owned the division. While I do not concede the East title to the Eagles, I don't give it to anyone else either.....and to count McNabb and the Eagles out is a mistake.....but then again, that's why they play the games.......

I have never ignored the Redskins weaknesses. As it stands, the Skins have addressed the biggest depth concern, signing several depth players to the oline (biggest weakness). I am in the camp that believes we'll be able to replace Arrington from within, either with Clemons or Campbell. CB is concern, but I'm pretty confident that the Skins will use their #1 pick on a CB, and maybe look to add some FA depth after the June 1st cuts.

At QB...who knows? Of course Brunell's health is a concern. But he had probowl numbers last season as well, don't forget. But we've also got a #1 pick on the bench and another vet who knows Saunders' system very well.

[TMat184]

Not really. If the offense sucks and the other team is building big leads and able to just run run run run all game, it's not the ability to stop the run that is a problem, its the offense not being able to keep the other teams offense off the field.

But you know this. You say talking to bluetalon is like arguing with a wall. Here is your mirror.

If you are losing big in games and knowing all teams are going to do is run the ball don't you think it is then easier to stop meaning the YPC stat should be good??? I think its also safe to say your team got themselves on the losing sides of games because of a inability to stop the run on a consistent basis

[Westbrook36]

Jrock, you think the Eagles need a few new starters at CB? Seriously, stop. You are talking about a former ProBowlers and a guy many say is better than him (Sheldon Brown).

Without a pass rush, they looked ordinary but don't be so biased that you say we need two new CBs. :doh:

[jrockster21]

Jrock, you think the Eagles need a few new starters at CB? Seriously, stop. You are talking about a former ProBowlers and a guy many say is better than him (Sheldon Brown).

Without a pass rush, they looked ordinary but don't be so biased that you say we need two new CBs. :doh:

Notice I said "especially if Howard and Kearse can't provide the pass-rush you were missing last season." Without a pass-rush, your CBs looked ordinary. They were exposed.

Not to mention, Sheppard had no business being in the pro-bowl. They made it in because the Eagles were good, plain and simple. The pro-bowl (with the fan-vote being such a large factor) is not an indicator of success. :2cents:

[whitskins]

With all do respect......you're basis on this arguement is questionable at the least. For a team that in essence only lost 1 "star quality' player in Owens, for you to state that they need 3-4 more is ludacris! For them to compete with in my opinion a "Highly Overrated NFC East", they simply need to tweek rather than turnover.......reload rather than rebuild. An 8-8 finish to me is unfathomable, especially if McNabb is 100%.

Only one NFC East team clearly beat up on the Eagles last season, and that unfortunatley was Dallas and for one game only. The so-called class of the division at times struggled against the 2nd and 3rd stringers that the Eagles put out on the field, and what makes matters worst, is some of those 2nd and 3rd stringers hurt those teams! Surely there is no denying the impact that Ryan Moats and Reggie Brown had on the game against the Giants and Redskins........

While you make light of the match-ups in our secondary against Dallas or even your own, let me mention that while Dallas in much improved at WR, to stop your passing attack, a simply breathe of air in the direction of your "light-weight" three headed monster would be enough to knock them off course. Playing a physical bump and run technique against your trio coupled with a strong pass rush would negate their speed....which from what I have seen, is all that they really have. Lack of size will hurt you more than you lead on to.

While our run defense has always been questioned, it is under rated. The Eagles are better than most people are willing to give them credit. While several prominent players have run for over 100 yards against the Eagles, they team in general has had success not allowing many points....which is most important.

With regards to our running the ball, while I agree with the fact that they should run it more, when they were they went to the Super Bowl two years ago, should they have run the ball more? When they won 4 straight NFC East titles, should they have run the ball more? Reid himself has gone on record saying that his team will run the ball more and I believe him....but it is known that the Eagles M.O. is to pass to set up the run and I believe that they will balance the attack more while using the same ideals.....and actually with more success than any pre-TO team Reid has coached because of the renewed emphasis on balance.

Finally, as I mentioned in the first paragraph, the "Highly Overrated NFC East". Since when has a set of teams who in the 2000's not won anything become so arrogant that they overlook their own short comings? Dallas has a OL that is compared to wet paper, NY has a QB who is greener than anything Ricky Williams smokes, and the Redskins have issues as far as depth and discipline, yet through all of these issues, a team that is returning an ALL PRO QB is stated to finish last? That boogles my mind. I think that instead of the Eagles needing to find answers, the NFC East needs to find an answer to McNabb who when 100% (no hernia like last year) has owned the division. While I do not concede the East title to the Eagles, I don't give it to anyone else either.....and to count McNabb and the Eagles out is a mistake.....but then again, that's why they play the games.......

Let me start by agreeing with you that the Eagles will clearly be a threat this year, as well as a playoff caliber team.

However, you have to admit that you are kidding yourself with some of these reasonings. I can understand that it's frustrating trying to defend your team against what you clearly feel are bogus claims, but some of your thoughts here are kind of nuts.

You really want to discount our WRs because they aren't big enough? How many times did Brian Dawkins light up Santana Moss last year? Remember in 04 when he was making Laverneus Coles' head bleed? Clearly, the strategy now is to load up with guys who the opposing team cannot catch, therefore they cannot hit. I know you want to deny the strength of the Redskins WRs as best as possible, but please don't think that you are going to stop a trio of guys who each averaged over 15 yards per catch on at least 35 catches last season (BTW, there were only 17 guys in the entire NFL who did this last year) by simply blowing them over. That reasoning is laughable. I don't care if Andre the Giant is lining up at safety, this trio of WRs will be as dangerous as any in the NFL. Overlooking pure speed and playmaking ability in favor of size is a mistake, everyone did it last year with Moss and apparently 1440+ yards and 9 TDs didn't make a believer out of everyone yet.

Also, please, enough with the "McNabb will be sick because he owned the East from 2000-2004" arguments. I agree that McNabb is a great QB, I've been a huge fan of his for almost as long as he's been in the league, but this logic is weak as well. The NFC East was a freaking joke from 2000-2004. The Dallas, Giants, and Redskins teams that the Eagles routinely swept in those years do not exist anymore. They have faded away and been replaced with much stronger and playoff caliber teams. Just because McNabb owned Steve Spurrier and Jim Fassel, or even Joe Gibbs in 2004, doesn't mean a lick in 2006.

And I will take satisfaction that the worst thing you can say about the Redskins is that they have issues with depth and discipline. Calling out a team for a lack of depth in late March is, again, pretty weak. But I guess that speaks to the overall strength on our roster than anything else. And a lack of discipline? I'm assuming you're referring to Sean Taylor on this, the guy who is obviously still out of control because he was one of the first players to show up for offseason training this week. Once he gets acquitted then you can abandon this argument as well. You must be rewatching the Spurrier tapes if you think this team lacks discipline, outside of Taylor's spitting incident this team has been remarkably well disciplined, it's coached by Joe Gibbs, what else would you expect?

I will say that I have the Eagles pegged for a 2nd/3rd place finish this year, depending on how the TO experiment works in Dallas. If TO proves everyone wrong, I think Dallas is stronger and contends with the Skins for the division title, if the whole thing implodes, I think Philly makes a run for the playoffs, but the Redskins are clearly the most complete team in the East and I think you've grasped at some straws to try and diminish that.

[IBleedBurgundy&Gold1369225669]

Everyone here Knows the Eagles dominated the NFC East prior to last year but what has it got them? Sure, they entertained there fans and Mcnabb is a big reason but they had there chance and they blew it. The goal is to win trophies. Not to have Pro bowl players and bragg about how good they are.Wait untill they win a Lombardi trophy before you start ranting about how dominate they are. Good luck!!

[Number5]

You only "lost" one starting-caliber player in Owens, but you never had one at OLB (Jones & Simoneau are depth players at this point in their careers), OL is still a question mark (although bringing back Runyan is a huge plus), and in my opinion, the Eagles secondary was exposed. Dawkins is the man, but how long can he keep holding the secondary together? You need another CB, maybe two. Especially if Howard and Kearse don't provide the pass-rush you were missing last season. Kearse is injury-prone and Howard is coming off a serious injury...not exactly scary. By my count, that is 3-4 players who can contribute right away that you need. Maybe McCoy can step up this year and solve the OLB problem, maybe he can't. :whoknows:

1 - In the system the Eagles play, they don't need a star at OLB. If anything, they need one who can tackle and cover TEs, thus Lavar and Peterson went priorities to them. The only true stars the defense has ever had have with the exception of Trotter, have always been in the secondary with Vincent, Taylor, Dawkins, Sheppard, and now Brown. Also, in the Eagles scheme, our No. 3 CB is normally good enough to start on most teams (i.e. Al Harris and now Rod Hood, thus he garnered such a high tender.)

2 - If Kearse is soooo injury prone, plus provide me with the number of games he has missed as an Eagle....I'm certain that it will be less than 4 games total. The combination of him, along with Howard and Cole who has bulked up to a reported 275 lbs from last years 250lbs will from one of the most feared rushes in the league.

The Redskins were missing their best lineman in that last game, and still won by double-digits. Portis was beat up, Springs was not 100%, etc. etc. etc. The first Eagle game was a better indicator...McNabb has always killed us, and with McNabb back, it will make a lot of difference. But NFC East dominance? Come on...

3 - McNabb wasn't at 100% all season long. Even during training camp he wasn't at full strength. For you to even state that your best OL wasn't around is a travisity! The Eagles were missing their, LT, LG, C, 2 WR, RB, 2 CB, and all pro QB, and the Skins won by double digits. 2 players beat up against 9 from my count who didn't even play! Come on.......

I expect more from you, N5. Speed is all they have? Right. Ignore Moss' unbelievable ability to judge the ball in the air and catch it through traffic. Ignore his precise route running. Ignore ARE's passing and running ability, his ability to "slash" very effectively. Ignore Lloyd's circus catches, and ability to catch the ball with a defender draped on him. Ignore all that and just focus on speed.

And you can bump and run all day, but Moss will make the defender miss at the line of scrimmage more than he'll get jammed...not to mention screen plays. And you mention the "three-headed monster" without even a mention of Cooley. Who's going to cover him, if you've got your most phyiscal corners playing our midget receivers?

4 - You can run though traffic, but if you get hit by a car......you ain't running no more. Moss had a great season, but if teams decided to punch him in his mouth instead of letting him run clean off the line, it would be a different story. Brown for instance in the first game played very well against Moss making him a non-factor for most of the game.

5 - I can't believe you brought up ARE's passing and Lloyd's circus catches.....tricks are for kids! While El is a good gimic player, he hasn't shown that he can excel as true number 2 option. Lloyd to me is a waste of a good rapper who makes more mistakes than highlights. Why be flashy instead of consistent? I'd rather have a receiver who makes the gritty 3rd and 8 catch for the 1st down then one who makes an amazing 3rd and 8 catch for no gain.

6 - Cooley, while he is a problem to most teams, hasn't done much against the Eagles. Shockey, yes! Whitten, yes! Cooley, no really......he is a talent, but in my eyes, he is more hype. He reminds me of a more athletic Chad Lewis.....only difference, if Lewis caught 1 pass in a game, he made it count....Cooley, 1 catch in a game usually seems like a pity toss to keep his head in the game.

I have never ignored the Redskins weaknesses. As it stands, the Skins have addressed the biggest depth concern, signing several depth players to the oline (biggest weakness). I am in the camp that believes we'll be able to replace Arrington from within, either with Clemons or Campbell. CB is concern, but I'm pretty confident that the Skins will use their #1 pick on a CB, and maybe look to add some FA depth after the June 1st cuts.

At QB...who knows? Of course Brunell's health is a concern. But he had probowl numbers last season as well, don't forget. But we've also got a #1 pick on the bench and another vet who knows Saunders' system very well.

Banking your QB depth on a veteran of Pearl Harbor and a QB who has played as much football in the last year as I have is really stretching it thin, don't you think?

[bubba9497]

Moulds market taking shape

<Mar. 27> The Texans are aggressively pursuing a trade for Moulds, the Houston Chronicle reports. Moulds, unwilling to accept a pay cut to stay in Buffalo, has been given permission by the Bills to seek a trade.

"We're exploring an opportunity for Eric to play for the Texans," said Greg Johnson, one of Moulds' representatives. "If all sides can see eye to eye, we'll make it happen.

"But everyone has to see eye to eye."

Before Moulds can be moved, a team would have to negotiate a new contract with the wide receiver. Moulds' destination of choice appears to be Philadelphia, but it's doubtful the Eagles would be willing to meet his financial demands, according to the Philadelphia Daily News. Moulds, who is scheduled to make $7.1 million this season, is seeking a deal similar to the one Isaac Bruce received from the Rams (3 years, $15 million).

"Every time I mention Philadelphia, Eric's ears perk up," Johnson told the Daily News. "He wants to go to Philadelphia. He really feels he could help them. He loves the idea of being an Eagle and playing with Donovan [McNabb]."

The Patriots and Broncos are also believed to be in the mix for Moulds.

http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/features/rumors

[Eagles_Legendz]

Notice I said "especially if Howard and Kearse can't provide the pass-rush you were missing last season." Without a pass-rush, your CBs looked ordinary. They were exposed.

Without addressing much of the ongoing conversation here, since I believe most sides are being too stubborn to come to some middle ground--I will take issue with this statement.

The nature of the modern NFL--especially with the addition of more defensive holding and interference calls--is such that any corner in the league will get "exposed" as you put it, without a sufficient defensive line. Why is it that there are so few "shut down" CBs in the NFL today? My assertion would be that every corner is forced to have a degree of liability in regards to his DLine. Last year, it was no secret that the Eagles were unable to generate a pass rush. They didn't blitz as often, ND Kalu was useless, Darwin Walker was bad, the DT depth was non existent, and Kearse is becoming increasingly less creative with his exterior moves. Howard and the presumed 1st round draft selection of a DT should help alleviate these issues, but it remains to be seen to what degree the situation will be rectified.

Now, if there is an ample degree of pressure next season, I think you'll see the Eagles pass defense fair significantly better. If not, you'll run into the same issues that you saw last season, especially due to the nature of some of the Eagles DBs (Sheppard takes too many risks, and Lewis is less than stellar in pass coverage). Asserting that they need to add to the secondary though is a silly argument, especially in noting that there are other holes the team still needs to address. Sheldon Brown should be their number one CB for years to come, and I don't think Dawkins is quite done yet, though starting to look for a replacement may be in the teams best interests.

Additionally, I am not of the belief that the Eagles will "dominate" the division this year. I think Owens will be great for Dallas THIS season (who knows after that), and Washington and the Giants will be fine. The Eagles will be better than they were last season, but I'm not completely sold on the WR corps, DLine, or LBers to say with the utmost confidence that the Eagles will retake the division. However, I believe it is equally foolish, if not moreso, to dismiss Philadelphia after one "down" season, as the new cellar dwellers in the NFC East. For most of you, it is probably only good natured banter, but if you really believe that, than I caution you about what you may witness once the season begins. You may be slightly disappointed.

:2cents: