Number5 Posted July 23, 2007 Share Posted July 23, 2007 Glaring Questions Entering Camp.... Is McNabb healthy? Will Bunkley live up to last season's hype? Can Kevin Curtis be more productive than Donte Stallworth? Was the offensive balance a one year wonder? Who will be the starter at MLB? Who will call the plays? These are just a few of the questions about the team as they enter training camp. With the recent signings of Abiamiri and Ilaoa, only Kevin Kolb is left unsigned by the team, but Joe Banner was on the radio Saturday where he commented that he expects Kolb to be in camp come Friday. Now, allow me to give you guys a review of the off season before I start about this current season. The Good - Westbrook can PLAY!!!! After years of people saying he was nothing more than a 3rd down back, boy did he step up. The heir apparent to Tiki Barber as the best "Little Back" in the NFL proved that he could handle the load. Starting with his game against the Skins in Philly, WB was given a chance to carry the ball and he proved his doubter wrong. The OL can run block!!! Thomas, Herrimans, Jackson, Andrews, and Runyan. You can argue that this is the best group in the league, but for times sake, let's just say they are top 5 and with another year together can easily be top 3. They have the best OG in Andrews, a future Pro Bowler in Jackson and former Pro Bowlers in Thomas and Runyan who are both playing at a very high level. The weak link is considered to be Herrimans who at 6'7" is the heir apparent to Runyan's job, but still plays with a much nastier steak than Big John. We got LBs!!!!! The off season saw the team dump Dhani "Disco" Jones and add Takeo Spikes, Stew Bradley (draft pick), and allow Chris Gocong to become a starter. Coach Johnson has gone on record saying that all LB spots are up for grabs. After watching last season, you wonder if most of the LBs would be back, especially Trotter whose playoff game against N.O. was the final nail. With the new additions, the unit has gotten bigger, faster, and more athletic. The Bad - The QB situation....For the second straight season, the franchise QB went down for the season. Though he wow'd people this off season with his rehabbing and eventual return to practice, just how much fuel is left in his tank. To make matters worse, the team let go last season's "Savior" and drafted a raw QB in the 2nd Rd. McNabb isn't even considered the "focal point" of the offense any longer, but could that turn out to be a blessing? Bunkley wasn't a BEAST!!! Unless you consider Madden 07 where he is truely unblockable. Rumor has it that the light switch finally came on this past off season, but if it hasn't, the Eagles signed Reagor and Ian Scott as proven insurance. Though they gave up Darwin Walker in the trade of Spikes, any action from Bunkley is an upgrade. Dawkins can't play forever! By the end of next season, the defensive leader will be ready to turn 35. Though he has lost a step, his passion and play haven't really lacked, but all good things must come to an end. The team tried to draft his heir apparent but once NE got Brandon Merriweather, the team went in a different direction. They did draft CJ Gaddis from Clemson who is a Dawkins clone, but he played most CB in college and has had trouble adjusting to the postion change. Having Dawkins is camp should help him. The UGLY!!!!! - The F.O. is cheap!!! How can you let Donte Stallworth leave for NE for what amounts to a 1 year 3.2 million deal and then sign Kevin Curtis to a 6 year 32 million deal? Stallworth excelled here and went on record saying he wanted to stay. Curtis on the other hand has been a career 3rd option for the Greatest Show On Earth. Then we come to Jeff Garcia who could have been easily resigned by the team, but went to Tampa Bay. He not only saved the season with his grit and fire, but became an overnight icon in the city. While the "fragile" ego of the franchise QB has been to blame, could the deep pockets of the 2nd greediest organization in the city be to blame? Reid's sons. Having children is a wonderful thing, but tell me, if your child was in trouble, say at school, isn't it hard to focus on your job? Your thoughts are with your child right? Now imagine Reid's situation.....will his sons' pending legal issues interfere with the coach's job? He did take time off, but he was home and the Eagles camp is more than 2 hours away. My guess is that he takes his two oldest with them. That way they can be under his watchful eye, as well as receive support from the players themselves who look at Reid's boys as part of their extended family. Now.....with all of that out of the way....here are somethings to look out for once camp opens.... 1 - McNabb's mobility, LJ's gut and Kearse's weight. Both (Kearse and McNabb) were playing like MVPS the first 30 days of the season, then BOOM! Both practiced this off season with the team and both looked pretty good. Kearse needs to gain about 30 pounds to be back at his playing weight. McNabb has been in Arizona regaining his mobility by playing Tag on a football field with his WRs are part of his rehab. If both are in good shape, then the start of the season looks bright. LJ is in the final year of his contract and wants to stay with the team, but his recent injury might set him back. The Eagles drafted a big bruising TE who has surprised folks with his route running. If LJ is at full strength, he plays best with McNabb and could earn a bigger deal as long as both stay healthy. 2 - Competetion. William James wants Sheldon Brown's spot. Omar Gaither wants Trotter's spot. Gocong has to fight off impressive rookie Stew Bradley and second year Tank Daniels. Tony Hunt, Correll Buckhalter and Ryan Moats will be fighting to be Westbrook's back up. Darren Howard might lose a roster spot if Abiamri continues to shine. My guess is that the best battles will be on defense. 3 - Play calling. During the pre-season the Eagles run a very basic version of their WCO. Normally, they don't run that ball that often, except for last season when Reid made it a point to run more during the practice games. To protect McNabb, a return to last season's punishing attack would be a benefit. Reid and Marty should start out running and don't stop until the season is over. Top Impact Rookies on this team..... 1 - Tony Hunt....the big back we have been screaming to have since Duce Staley left town. He can run, catch, and block which are staples of Eagles RB, but with his size, the team has proven that they want to run the ball more. The only question is will they... 2- Stewart Bradley....SAM LB from Nebraska who has the size, speed, and athletic abilty to finally make folks forget Carlos Emmons. Should compete with Gocong for playing time and will make a huge impact of ST. Don't be surprised if he gets quality time with the 1st team at some point of the season. He is too good not to have on the field. 3 - Victor Abiamri....Notre Dame stud who is by far the biggest DE the Eagles have. Will replace McDougal on the roster and more than likely will become the 5th man in the rotation. His size and speed make him a favorite to push Darren Howard for playing time and even a roster spot. Look for Abiamri to be packaged often with Cole as he appears to be the replacement for Kearse in a year or two. My overview of the season.... Barring injury, this is the NFC East Champion and the only legit challenge for the Saints as far as top NFC Team. The funny thing is that if you look at both teams drafts, they drafted with the intent of beating each other. A healthy McNabb and the continued devotion to the ground game will go long in the brutal NFC East. Again, the key is McNabb, but don't forget about the Run Defense. The "D" just couldn't get off the field. If Bunkley can produce like people are expecting, Johnson would be allowed then to unleash his blitz package that is freshly reloaded with new, bigger, weapons of pass destruction. If McNabb goes down again, AJ will play, but the future could be now with highly touted Kolb touching the field and ushering in a new era in Philadelphia. With a healthy McNabb, this team can easily win more than 11 games, but without him, 8 wins could be the limit. My guess is that he will stay healthy and we get the Saints in Philly come late January for some playoff payback. Don't be shocked if their late season game gets flexed to Sunday Night. The current game is Tampa Bay vs. SF and both teams could be bottoms up by then. Games to watch..... Week 2 - Home vs. the Skins. (Just how good is the Eagles run defense? We will find out when they face Betts and Portis in a primetime showdown. Also, this will be McNabb's first regular season game home since the injury. One bad throw could spark the "AJ, AJ, AJ" or "Garcia, Garcia, Garcia" chants. My guess is that he starts hot, then defers to the ground game till the end) Week 7 - Home vs. Da Bears (This should have been the NFC Title game last year. Something tells me that this game will be over before the half. Remember 3 years ago when the Eagles played the Pack and Westbrook had 3 TDs before the half....yeah, now imagine it happening again against the vaunted Bears "D" that will be without studs Tank Johnson and Lance Briggs. #54 might be a beast, but he can't be everywhere.) Week 13 - At New England (Super Bowl Rematch, potential Super Bowl Preview. Can the Eagles beat an AFC team...let alone one of this calibar, on their turf? My guess is no way, but then again, who is to say that the Eagles won't be the better team by that point. It will either be close or a 10+ blowout but either way it will be a big ratings game) THE ENTIRE LAST MONTH!!!! Hm vs Seattle (Payback for Reggie White night) Hm vs Giants (Knocks the G-Men out the playoffs!) At both Dallas and NO (Determines the division and home field advantage) Then close up with Bills at home (Kevin Kolb's first regular season action) With losses to the Jets, Patriots, and Bills.....and maybe losing the second game to the Skins, I see the team at 13-3 or 12-4......CHAMPS OF THE NFC EAST AGAIN! Records of NFC East Teams Eagles 12 - 4 Cowboys 10 - 6 Skins 9 - 7 Giants 8 - 8 (The final game of the season between the Cowboys and Skins will be a flex game that determines the second team from the NFC East to make the playoffs. My gut tells me that Romo sits to pee wins the QB matchup between him and Campbell by default. Cowboys 17 Redskins 14 with Wade Phillips' defense pressuring its way back into the playoffs) Projected Stats - Offense McNabb - 65% Completion Percentage 3,500 + Yards 25 - 30 TDs 7 - 9 Ints. Westbrook - 280 - 310 Total Touches (Rushing and Receiving) 2,100 - 2,200 YFS (1,300 - 1,400 Rushing/700 - 800 Receiving) 10 - 12 Total TD Brown - 77 Catches 900 + Yards 8 - 11 TDs Curtis - 60 - 65 Catches 850 - 900 Yards 5 - 6 Tds Projected Pro Bowlers - Team McNabb, Westbrook, Andrews, Dawkins, Spikes, Sheppard, and Akers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chachie Posted July 23, 2007 Share Posted July 23, 2007 5! Wha's shakin'. You have the Skins going from 6-10 to 9-7. Veddy intedestink. I am from the school that says it's VERY hard for a team to win more than 2 games over the previous season's win total. The only reason I'm letting you off the hook for doing that in your Eags '07 record prediction is because they'll have McNabb back but I seriously doubt 12-4 is possible for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrockster21 Posted July 23, 2007 Share Posted July 23, 2007 5! Wha's shakin'.You have the Skins going from 6-10 to 9-7. Veddy intedestink. I am from the school that says it's VERY hard for a team to win more than 2 games over the previous season's win total. The only reason I'm letting you off the hook for doing that in your Eags '07 record prediction is because they'll have McNabb back but I seriously doubt 12-4 is possible for them. Tell that to the 2006 Saints. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Number5 Posted July 23, 2007 Author Share Posted July 23, 2007 5! Wha's shakin'.You have the Skins going from 6-10 to 9-7. Veddy intedestink. I am from the school that says it's VERY hard for a team to win more than 2 games over the previous season's win total. The only reason I'm letting you off the hook for doing that in your Eags '07 record prediction is because they'll have McNabb back but I seriously doubt 12-4 is possible for them. The only real losses that I can see them having are to the Jets, Patriots, Bills, with maybe the Saints and one to the Skins. 13 - 3 to maybe 11 - 5.....but my guess of 12 - 4 is in my eyes a better bet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elkabong82 Posted July 23, 2007 Share Posted July 23, 2007 Tell that to the 2006 Saints. or the '05 Bears and Skins Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elkabong82 Posted July 23, 2007 Share Posted July 23, 2007 Glaring Questions Entering Camp....Is McNabb healthy? Will Bunkley live up to last season's hype? Can Kevin Curtis be more productive than Donte Stallworth? Was the offensive balance a one year wonder? Who will be the starter at MLB? Who will call the plays? Very nice and lengthy post. But the Eagles still won't win a Superbowl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Siven Posted July 23, 2007 Share Posted July 23, 2007 McNabb post ACL tear throws for 3500 yards and 25-30 TDs good one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tr1 Posted July 24, 2007 Share Posted July 24, 2007 Bookmarked...because this will be very, very funny at the end of the season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bedlamVR Posted July 24, 2007 Share Posted July 24, 2007 I actually thought it was a well balanced argument No5... I am still not sold on Westbrook as an every down back but he did good last year but 1200 yards is not as big a milestone as it once was ...hell Betts the backup got 1151 in not quite a full season... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpgirth Posted July 24, 2007 Share Posted July 24, 2007 Thanks for the in depth post. .....don't take away credit that is deserved (saints06,bears06) ....give credit that isn't deserved( eagles06) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chachie Posted July 24, 2007 Share Posted July 24, 2007 The only real losses that I can see them having are to the Jets, Patriots, Bills, with maybe the Saints and one to the Skins. 13 - 3 to maybe 11 - 5.....but my guess of 12 - 4 is in my eyes a better bet. Wow. ...Wow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Siven Posted July 24, 2007 Share Posted July 24, 2007 Bookmarked...because this will be very, very funny at the end of the season. hahahaha.:applause: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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