Last season’s playoff loss on January 9^th left a sour taste in the Eagles’ mouths.  Now, it’s time to start anew-in more
ways than one.  The team will enter the 2010 season with a new
starting quarterback after the Birds sent Donovan McNabb to their division
rival, the Washington Redskins.  Kevin Kolb will be tossing the
ball this year.  The Eagles could be handing the starting free
safety job over to a rookie in Nate Allen.  Rookie Brandon Graham
may possibly be the starting left defensive end.  Running back
Brian Westbrook is no longer with the team.  The times, they are
a changin’.

     Kolb is the number one quarterback.  He will need to establish a rapport with his receiving core on the field.  He did a pretty good job
with that in the two games he started in 2009.  Kolb is not going
to knock anybody over with his arm-strength.  But he should impress
with his accuracy.  Let’s just hope he doesn’t hit the other
team in the numbers too often.  Kolb will likely throw more picks
than McNabb because he will take more chances.  McNabb wanted guys
to break wide open before he would throw the ball to them.  It’s
about anticipation at that position in the NFL.  The quarterback
has to throw the ball where the receiver is going to be, not where the
receiver is.  Hesitation leads to coverage.  That happened
far too much in the Cowboy playoff game at the end of last year. 

     Michael Vick will be the team’s number two QB.  Vick will surely be used in a wildcat role as well.  Head coach Andy Reid thinks it adds
another element to the offense.  I think it takes away from the
offense’s rhythm.

     Philadelphia brought in running back Mike Bell from the Super Bowl Champion New Orleans Saints.  He was signed as a restricted free agent.  The Saints
did not match.  Bell will spell second-year running back LeSean
McCoy.  He [Bell] is not going to dazzle with his speed. 
He is known as a hard-nosed runner between the tackles.  It would
be nice if he could pick up some of those key 3^rd and shorts
the Birds tend to struggle with.  McCoy had a good rookie season. 
The University of Pittsburgh product is not as fast and shifty as Brian
Westbrook was, but I think he can be an effective NFL back.  I
do not see McCoy as a franchise-type running back, however.  It
does help that he catches the ball so well.  His blocking got better
as the season went on last year, but that is always an aspect a running
back will need to work on.  Especially with all of the fancy blitzes
that exist in today’s game.  Leonard Weaver made the Pro Bowl
last season as a full back.  Weaver shows a good deal of versatility. 
As he can run the ball a bit, he is a pretty efficient blocker, and
he is a very good receiver.

     I am concerned about the Eagles offensive line.  This group was absolutely manhandled in the playoff game against the Cowboys last year. 
A large part of the team’s offensive success will depend on these
guys as a whole.  Kolb is not going to be able to scramble around
and buy extra time the way McNabb did if things broke down.  The
line will have to be far better than it was for much of last season.

     Jason Peters was given a lot of money to play left tackle at a high level.  That did not happen on many occasions in his first season with the team. 
Peters has good feet as he is a former tight end.  He is as strong
as a bull.  But what is lacking with him, from what I see, is intensity
from snap-to-snap.  When Peters brings his “A” game, there
are not too many ends that can contend with him.  It’s time for
Peters to start earning that hefty contract.  I don’t think he
did that last year. 

     Left guard Todd Herremans is a solid football player.  He is probably the team’s most reliable lineman.     

     The center position is a question mark.  When Jamaal Jackson went down last year with an injury, the line clearly missed him.  Jackson
is not a standout center, but he did a pretty good job making the line
calls and getting the line in the right position.  His replacement,
Nick Cole, really struggled with this.  The offensive line’s
blitz-pickup was below average with Cole in the middle of the line. 
If Jackson does not return, I think an upgrade is needed here. 
Some feel that former Nittany Lion A.Q. Shipley could make a strong
push for the starting center spot.

     Stacy Andrews is another lineman the Eagles brass gave a lot of money to in free agency.  Andrews did not come close to earning the money he
was paid last year.  He couldn’t even hold onto his starting
right guard position.  Max Jean-Gilles took his job from him. 
Andrews agreed to re-work his deal in the offseason to lower his base
salary.  He needs to play a whole lot better than last year.   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

     The starting right tackle is Winston Justice.  He got his lunch handed to him in the Dallas playoff game.  The 6-6, 320lb. tackle is not
great in the run game.  He does not get enough push on his man. 
He can be a little stiff from a pass-blocking standpoint which is why
I am not certain of the Birds’ reasoning for giving him a 4-year contract
extension.  I guess they see something in him that I am missing. 
I see a soft football player when I watch Justice.

     The Eagles wield one of the league’s best receiving cores.  Kolb has some real good weapons to work with in his first season as the number
one QB. 

     DeSean Jackson is one of the top three most dangerous players in the National Football League.  He is a threat to score every time he touches
the ball.  Jackson made the Pro Bowl as a wide receiver and as
a punt returner.  He also made the Sporting News All-Pro team as
a punt returner in 2009.  Jackson has both tremendous speed and
quickness.  He has good hands.  And he runs excellent routes. 
He can get deep on just about any corner in the league. 

     Jeremy Maclin has the potential to be a number one receiver.  With he and Jackson, that would give the team two receivers of that caliber. 
Maclin will look to take the next step in his sophomore season in the
NFL.  He posted extremely good numbers for a rookie last season. 
Maclin grabbed 55 balls for 762 yards and 5 touchdowns.  He has
the ability to stretch teams vertically.  And is very good at making
yards after the catch.  Maclin’s production improved steadily
as the season progressed last year. 

     Jason Avant is the team’s number three wide receiver.  He probably has the best hands on the team and has become a very effective slot
receiver.  He seems to catch a lot of key third down passes. 
Avant is the type of solid possession receiver that every squad needs
to be successful. 

     Brent Celek is developing into one of the best tight ends in the league.  Celek is very good after the catch.  He has a good understanding
of how to find open spaces in zone coverage.  Celek’s blocking
is improving.  He does drop too many footballs for my liking. 
It appears to be a lack of concentration with him.  He doesn’t
always look the ball into his hands.  Celek must work on that phase
of his game.  He has a knack for the end zone as he caught 8 balls
for scores last year.  Celek has All-Pro ability. 

     Defensive coordinator Sean McDermott must be more efficient in his second season with that title.  He replaced Jim Johnson, who sadly passed away
from cancer.  Johnson was a terrific strategist with the tools
he was given.  He got the most out of his players.  And he
[Johnson] was fabulous at coming up with exotic blitzes that opposing
offenses could not pick up.  McDermott struggled in all of these
areas last year.  Hopefully, he learned from his mistakes. 
Because the defense is going to have to be a lot better if this team
is going to make the playoffs this season. 

     Trent Cole is the anchor of the defensive line.  He has played at an All-Pro level at the right defensive end position for the last several
seasons.  He needs help from the other side of the line. 
The Eagles are hoping first-round choice Brandon Graham will provide
some.  Darryl Tapp was acquired in a trade with Seattle to add
depth to their defensive end rotation.  Philadelphia usually keeps
8 or 9 defensive linemen for their rotation.  Cole, Tapp, Graham,
Broderick Bunkley, and Mike Patterson are virtual locks to make the
squad.  The other 3 or 4 positions will be won through competition.

     Middle linebacker Stewart Bradley was sorely missed in his absence with an injury last year.  The front seven was not the same without him. 
Ernie Sims was brought over in a trade with Detroit to play weak-side
linebacker.  Sims is tenacious.  He, like Bradley, tries to
hit everything that moves.  Sims should bring some much needed
attitude to the defense.  There will be a competition for the starting
SAM linebacker position.  Moise Fokou appears to have the edge
in his second year, as the team likes his ability to cover the tight
end. 

     Pro-Bowler Asante Samuel will man the left corner spot in the secondary.  And Quintin Mikell will start at strong safety.  With the unfortunate
injury to Marlin Jackson, who was brought in as a free agent to play
free safety, rookie Nate Allen is now first on the depth chart. 
The coaches were impressed with his ability to pick things up in the
team’s mini camps.  Ellis Hobbs is the front-runner to play right
corner.  Hobbs was shaky at that position last year.  He has
a tendency to get beaten deep.  Hobbs will need to raise his level
of play.  The secondary has to be better as a unit; they gave up
too many touchdowns last season. 

     David Akers was solid in the 2009-10 season.  As he made 20-21 from 39 yards or less.  And was 11-13 from 40-49 yards.  Sav Rocca
had a poor year punting.  The team needs better play from this
area.       
 

     I think the Eagles will struggle to go 9-7 this year.  I think 8-8 is probably a more likely record.  And it’s not for the reason
you’re thinking.  Kolb should be fine.  It’s the offensive
line and the defense that concern me the most.  I just don’t
see enough talent in those areas.  The Eagles miss the playoffs
this season.  What we need to see is the development of Kolb and
the young players as the season moves forward.