Eagles Have Lots of Draft Needs

The NFL Draft is quickly approaching… the first round will take place in prime time this year, April 22nd. The Eagles currently hold the 24th overall pick in the first round. Unfortunately, they enter this offseason with more needs than I can remember in a while, especially on the defensive side of the ball.

The Eagles ended last season with their defense as bad as I can remember it in a while. It is only fair that you give Sean McDermott some time to fully take over the defense and turn it back into the elite defense it was under the late, great Jim Johnson. The Eagles appear to be trying to get younger on defense, getting rid of veteran fan favorite Sheldon Brown, when they don’t really have an alternative who is on the same level as Brown right now.

The Eagles have holes in basically every area of the defense. The Eagles need a safety, as Macho Harris and Quintin Demps were not able to get the job done there last season. They also need a cornerback since the aforementioned Sheldon Brown is now a Cleveland Brown. Ellis Hobbs can play, but isn’t as good as Brown. The Eagles could also use some help at the linebacker position. Stewart Bradley will be back in the middle, but I’m not sure how confident we should feel in Akeem Jordan and Moses Fokou on the outsides. Up front, the Eagles also need some help. The tackles are solid, but can’t play entire games. Trevor Laws, former 2nd round draft pick couldn’t even get on the field last year. Trent Cole also has no help at the other end position, and the Eagles are going to have to sure the left end position up at some point soon. This is a lot of positions to address; too many to address in one offseason, which is why I don’t think the defense will be up to par next season.

On offense, the Eagles are pretty solid, and young at most positions. We will see this season what we have in Kevin Kolb. If Kolb is solid, the Eagles have a solid group of young skill position players in Kolb, Shady McCoy, DeSean Jackson, and Jeremy Maclin to built off of for the next decade. Brent Celek has become a solid starting tight end in this league. The offensive line is the weak part of this offense. This is amazing considering the fact that genius Andy Reid spends so much time and money and picks to make sure the offensive line is solid. Shawn Andrews was cut, and Stacy Andrews was horrible and couldn’t get on the field last season. Jason Peters was average when he played, and when he was injured, Todd Herramans would play tackle, and looked terrible there. The rest of the line in Cole, Jean-Gilles, and Jackson played poorly in my opinion. McNabb was not protected well, and none of the running backs had much room to maneuver. The offensive line will need to improve this offseason for Kevin Kolb to feel comfortable behind them.

The Eagles will be on the clock shortly, and need to make something happen in the draft. Right now, this roster might not even be a playoff team right now, and they certainly are not ready to seriously contend. Andy Reid loves to brag about how awesome he is for having so many picks going into every draft... hopefully he uses them wisely.

Eagles Fall Flat to Cowboys

The Eagles lost their final game of the season on Sunday in disappointing fashion 24-0 to the Dallas Cowboys. The Eagles were dominated in every facet of the game, and to be honest, the score could have been a lot worse.

The offensive line was terrible, the running game was non-existent because they didn't run the ball, McNabb was not very good, the receivers were bad, the defense was terrible, and the coaching was terrible. All of that combines for the disappointing loss. With the loss, the Eagles drop from what could have been the #2 seed and a first round bye to the #6 seed and a 2nd straight trip to Dallas to play the 3rd seeded and NFC East champion Cowboys.

I don't understand why the Eagles don't try to get the ball in their playmakers hands. I personally would like to see McCoy and Weaver touch the ball a lot more than they did this game. Running back is a position on the team where you usually have your most athletic, quickest players. These guys are weapons, and Reid did not use them on Sunday. Westbrook looked bad in my opinion, and they Eagles need to get back to what won games for them down the stretch - getting the ball in the hands of McCoy and Weaver a lot more.

Of course, it would also help if the Eagles weren't dominated up front on both sides of the football. The offensive line was bad from the start, and McNabb was under pressure most of the day. The Cowboys were getting pressure when they didn't even blitz. On the other side of the ball, the Eagles couldn't even get in the Cowboys backfield. Even on rushing plays, Marion Barber, and Felix Jones were getting past the line of scrimmage with ease. On passing plays, Tony Romo had all day, and he is too good to allow to sit back and throw all day with open lanes. The Eagles have been responsible for a lot of Romo's worst games of his career, so they know what happens when you get pressure on him. The Eagles did not blitz a lot, and that might have been because they did not want to show the Cowboys anything in the 2nd half, I'm not sure.

Costly mistakes also were key. McNabb missed DeSean Jackson on a fly route early in the game which would have made it a 7-7 game. Jeremy Maclin dropped a wide open pass that went through his hands on a 3rd down. McNabb fumbled a snap down at the Cowboys 10 yard line.

The Eagles will need to put that loss behind them, and get re-focused and come in with a different attitude if they do not want their offseason to start next weekend.

Eagles-Cowboys Preview

The Eagles take on the Cowboys tomorrow, in what is one of the biggest regular season games in a while for both teams. Both teams are in the playoffs, but depending on what happens in this game and others, both teams could fall into as high as the #2 seed, or as low as the #6 seed.

The Eagles are in the better position sitting at 11-4 right now. The Eagles are in the #2 slot right now, and control their own destiny for that spot. If the Eagles win tomorrow, they are the #2 seed in the NFC, and get a first round bye. If they lose, the Cowboys win the NFC East, and the Eagles could end up dropping to as low as the #6 seed in the NFC playoffs, and possibly a 2nd straight trip to Dallas to play the Cowboys in the first round of the playoffs.

As for the game itself, both teams come in playing really good football. The Cowboys have won 2 straight and playing well, showing that they don't necessarily choke every December. The Eagles have won 6 straight, and their offense especially is clicking on all cylinders. On offense, the Eagles will need to really run the ball effectively, and give McNabb time to throw the ball. I think that is the key to the game for the Eagles... the offensive line needs to give McNabb time to throw the ball. If this happens, the offense can play as they want to, and McNabb will have time to find Jackson, Maclin, or Celek downfield.

On defense, I think the Eagles really need to get to Romo, and get pressure on him, and be in his face all game long. The Eagles first need to do a good job against the Cowboys rushing attack, and not let the Cowboys beat you on the ground. We also need to focus on shutting down Jason Witten. As we know, the Eagles struggle with opposing tight ends, and Witten is one of the best in the NFL, so that will be an important matchup for the Eagles.

It will be interesting to see what the Eagles game plan is, and how they come out of the gates. I think that getting a lead in this game is very important. We need to be able to play from ahead. The Eagles are the best first half team in the NFL, and best opening drive team in the NFL, so hopefully the Eagles will jump out to a quick lead.

Eagles Hang On to Beat Broncos

The Eagles survived a sloppy 2nd half, and a Broncos comeback to win with a game winning David Akers field goal with 4 seconds left.

The Eagles came out of the game and looked unstoppable in the first half. McNabb barely threw an incompletion, and was picking apart the Broncos, and had almost 250 yards passing and 2 TD's at halftime. Brent Celek had 121 yards receiving and a touchdown at half. The Eagles also got the ball to start the 2nd half, and instead of putting the Broncos away, McNabb threw an interception. Sometimes it seems like McNabb struggles when he has too much time in the pocket, which is what happened on the interception. McNabb tends to play his best when he just makes plays, and reacts to what is happening. He made numerous passes right on the money in the first half with pressure in his face.

After the Broncos settled for a field goal, the Eagles scored another touchdown on a pass from McNabb to Avant, who made a nice catch concentrating on a tipped ball. The Eagles were up by 17 at the point halfway through the 3rd quarter. The Eagles offense really struggled at this point, and the Broncos took advantage of a Macho Harris fumbled kick return, and eventually tied the game at 17. The Eagles defense however buckled down in the 4th quarter, and held the Broncos deep in their own territory late in the game, giving the Eagles the ball back at the Broncos 42 yard line with 1:41 left to play in a 27-27 game. After a McCoy 2 yard run, McNabb found Jeremy Maclin at the 13 yard line for a 27 yard completion. This play was initially ruled incomplete right along the sideline, but after reviewing, was called a completed pass. Akers would kick the field goal after 3 runs, and the Eagles move to 11-4 on the year, and still a shot at the #2 seed, and hopefully wrapping up the NFC East with a Redskins win tonight.

Because McNabb was picking apart the Broncos in the first half, the Eagles rushing attack never really got going. McNabb threw 35 passes, and the Eagles called 23 runs between Westbrook, McCoy, and Weaver. McNabb ran the ball 5 times as well, including a 27 yard scramble on a 3rd and long. Westbrook ran 9 times for 32 yards, McCoy ran 6 times for 27 yards, and Weaver ran 7 times for 20 yards. McNabb threw for 322 yards, 3 TDs, and 1 INT.

For some reason the Eagles seem to be able to do whatever they want in the first half of games, and lead the NFL in almost every statistical scoring category in the first half of games. However, they seem to really hit a wall at halftime. When the other teams' defense adjusts to the Eagles offense after halftime, the Eagles offense doesn't seem to adjust. I'm not sure what it is, but the Eagles need to get better, and close out games in the 2nd half in games that they have large leads.

On defense, the Eagles played fairly well overall. They were put in bad positions a few times in fairness to them on a couple of the Broncos touchdowns. They only allowed 241 yards of total offense for the Broncos, and did a very good job shutting down the Broncos best weapon in Brandon Marshall. They didn't seem to blitz a lot, and even though they got 3 sacks, I would have liked to see them get more pressure on Kyle Orton.

Either way, the Eagles get the victory to move to 11-4, and now can watch the Sunday night, and Monday night games, and root for the Redskins, and Bears. If the Redskins win tonight, the Eagles win the NFC East. If the Cowboys win, the Eagles have to travel to Dallas next weekend needing a win to win the NFC East. The winner of that game would win the division. If the Bears beat the Vikings on Monday night, the Eagles and Vikings would have identical records fighting for the #2 seed in the NFC and getting that first round bye.

Eagles-Broncos Preview

The Eagles play the Denver Broncos tomorrow at 4:15 in a game that has playoff implications for both teams. The Eagles can clinch the NFC East with a win and a Cowboys loss, and stay in contention for the #2 seed by winning. The Broncos are in the playoff mix in the AFC.

This game will also feature the return of Brian Dawkins, and Correll Buckhalter. I think Buckhalter was always one of the more underrated players on the Eagles. Even though he was oft-injured, when he was healthy, he has a great burst through the hole, always did what the Eagles asked him to do, never complained, and always filled in nicely when Westbrook would get injured. In fact, you could argue that the Eagles could have used him more since he is on pace this season to have his highest rushing total of his career, which currently is his rookie season with the Eagles. Also, the leader of the defense, and basically the team for the past decade returns in Brian Dawkins. It will be very emotional before the game, and they have said that Dawkins will be announced by name before the game for an introduction. This should be an unbelievable scene, very similar to when Iverson returned. I could go on and on about Dawkins, and have in plenty of posts before, but everyone loves Dawkins, so there isn't much else to say.

As far as the actual game, it is an extremely important game for the Eagles. I personally am very scared of playing the Cowboys the final game of the season in a winner takes the NFC East situation, so I want to avoid that at all costs. The only way to avoid that scenario is to get help from the Redskins, but also take care of business against the Broncos. The Broncos has been up and down all season... mostly down after they started the season 6-0. Their defense, led by Dawkins, has been the big surprise. They were one of the worst units in the NFL last season, and now are a top 10 defense in almost every category this season. The Eagles need to continue to mix the run and the pass effectively in order to win this game. Jeremy Maclin will return, which should help the passing game, as I have to imagine the Broncos will do their best to take DeSean Jackson out of the game. McCoy and Weaver need to run the ball effectively when called upon. Along with Dawkins, the Broncos feature the leader in sacks in the NFL currently in Elvis Dumervil, so the offensive line will have their hands full to keep McNabb on his feet.

On defense, the Eagles definitely took a step forward with a good game last weekend against the 49ers, but it still wasn't great. It is week 16 and the Birds and still having trouble filling the voids created by Brian Dawkins, and the injured Stewart Bradley. At the linebacker position, the Eagles are basically shuffling guys in and out. Will Witherspoon is the only linebacker that is playing almost every snap. After that, Akeen Jordan, Jeremiah Trotter, and rookie Moses Fokou are all part of the mix. I didn't say Chris Gocong because Gocong didn't play 1 snap on defense against the 49ers, and will back up Fokou for the 2nd straight game this weekend. Also, Sean Jones is still the starting free safety, but has been doing an awful job lately, and is now splitting time with Quintin Demps, who doesn't seem to be playing much better. The defense will have to shut down Brandon Marshall, the playmaker on the Broncos offense.

The Eagles would really like to see the Cowboys, and Vikings lose, but first need to go out and take care of business at home against a team that is good, but we should beat.

Eagles-Giants Preview

The Eagles travel up to New York, I mean New Jersey to play the Giants in what could be their final game at Giants stadium. The Giants and Jets are moving into a new billion dollar stadium next season. The Eagles have owned the Giants lately, winning the past 3 games, including a playoff game last season, and a 40-17 victory earlier this season at the Linc.

The Eagles have played well as of late, but I don't think as well as some people are making it out to be. A 4 point win at Chicago is good, but the Bears aren't very good, and if Cutler made any plays, the Eagles would have lost the game. A 3 point win at home against Washington is also good, but we had to come from behind to do so, and the Redskins are not a very good team either. The game last week was solid, but the Eagles were playing a depleted Falcons team that really was overmatched and had no chance. But, bottom line is the Eagles have taken care of business and won the past few games, which were must win games. The Eagles have to continue this current run against a Giants team that is really struggling, despite winning last weekend against the Cowboys.

The Giants come into this game losing 5 of 7 games, but did win last weekend. The Giants have not looked like the Giants teams of year's past recently, and the Eagles need to take advantage of that. The Eagles should be able to get receivers open all game, as the Giants secondary is banged up, and not playing very well. The return of DeSean Jackson should obviously also help in the passing game. However, being a night game in Giants stadium in December, the Eagles will need to establish some type of run game. The Eagles should try to run the ball early with McCoy and Weaver, and then go to the play action.

On defense, the Eagles really need to make sure the Giants don't get their rushing attack going. If Brandon Jacobs gets going and has a good game, the Eagles could very easily lose this game. The key to beating the Giants is stuff the rushing attack, and make Eli beat you. Eli has won big games in the past by himself, but more often than not, he will make mistakes if he does not benefit from a successful rushing attack. If the Eagles can get the Giants into 3rd and long plays, you know they will bring a heavy dose of pressure Eli's way.

I will say there seems to be a lot of optimism about this game locally, which makes me nervous. It's a division rivalry game on the road in December, with both teams needing the game for playoff positioning. If the Eagles execute their game plan, they should win the game. However, we have seen let-downs before in positions like this, and I could also see this being a frustrating game in which the Eagles offense never really gets clicking. Either way, Sunday night, playoff atmosphere - should be very enjoyable.

Jeremy Maclin is listed as questionable, as is Kevin Curtis for some reason. I really kind of figured with Maclin emerging as a good receiver, they should just shut down Curtis for the year. I have no problem with Curtis if he is used in the slot with Jackson and Maclin on the outside, but I do not want to see Kevin Curtis take his outside position again, and take time away from Jeremy Maclin, who is improving every weekend, and has much more skill than Curtis.

Eagles Get Ready for Falcons

The Eagles face basically another must win game tomorrow when they visit Atlanta to play the 6-5 Falcons, who also must win this game. The Eagles enter this game 1 back back of the Dallas Cowboys, and 1 game ahead of the New York Giants in the NFC East, who play each other this weekend. This will also be Michael Vick's first visit back to play against Atlanta since all of his drama.

Certain players will need to step up their games for both teams, as both teams are facing injuries to key players. For the Falcons, local boy Matt Ryan is out with a turf toe, and the Falcons will send out backup QB Chris Redman. All-pro running back Michael Turner is questionable. For the Eagles, obviously Brian Westbrook will be out, but the Birds will also be without playmaker DeSean Jackson. The Eagles' receivers will need to step up their game without Jackson in the lineup. Not only is Jackson the #1 wide receiver on the team, he has made a lot of big plays in just about every game. The Eagles only healthy wide receivers on the roster this game are Jeremy Maclin, Jason Avant, Reggie Brown, and the just called up from the practice squad rookie Jordan Norwood. Maclin and Avant will both need to have big games.

The Eagles offense will need to score points to win this game. The Falcons defense is not very good against either the run or the pass, and thus McNabb, and the young guys like Shady McCoy, and Jeremy Maclin will need to take advantage of a poor Falcons defense. On defense, the Eagles will try to confuse Chris Redman, and probably throw a confusing blitz package his way. With or without Michael Turner, the Falcons can run the ball effectively, so the Eagles will need to take their run game away. The Falcons will most likely be trying to run the ball a lot without Ryan.

This game will go a long way in the NFC for the playoff push for both teams, and with the Giants playing the Cowboys, the Eagles have a great opportunity to either catch up to the Cowboys in the standings, or move another game ahead of the Giants.

Eagles Wide Receiver Draft Day Busts

After I heard of the news that the Eagles made the move to cut Hank Baskett yesterday, I was trying to think of why the Eagles still do not truly have a bona fide number one receiver. The first thing I thought of was their wide receiver picks this decade. I did some quick research and was shocked by what I saw. I will take the time to list the receivers (I threw in tight ends for good measure) to show the lack of scouting/research done when it comes to evaluating these positions.

I know some of you will say that the past few years have been getting better in picking this important position, but I counter with the fact that there is no definite, dominant number one. I am a big believer in the theory that to be a dominating offensive team, you must have a dominating number one receiver. My main example is last year's Arizona Cardinals. Their team was suspect at best, with an aging quarterback in Warner and a defense that was there one week and gone the next. What the Cardinals did have was two number one caliber receivers. Fitzgerald is arguably the best in the league, and Boldin is easily top 5 or 6. A big time receiver like that can carry a team on offense. If the defense can't cover you, just go that guy all day. After the other defense overcompensates, you run the ball, seems pretty easy... I guess I could throw in the fact that when the Eagles got a number one receiver, they lost the Super Bowl by 3 points.

DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin(though still unproven) seem to be steps in the right direction, but neither of them have the size that I believe it takes to dominate a defense. I think Jason Avant is a great route runner and possession receiver, but lacks size and speed to be a number one.

I guess after all this venting, the Eagles did win their first game, and I am just some lowly Eagles fan that wants to win a championship for the first time EVER!!! It just confuses the hell out of me the way the Eagles treat the wide receiver/tight end position, when they know for a fact it can be the difference between winning and losing the goddamn NFC championship game.

2000

Todd Pinkston- 2nd round

Gari Scott- 4th round

2001

Freddie Mitchell- 1st round

Tony Stewart(TE)- 5th round

2002

Freddie Milons- 5th round

2003

LJ Smith(TE)- 2nd round

Billy McMullen- 3rd round

2004

none

2005

Reggie Brown- 2nd round

2006

Jason Avant- 4th round

Jeremy Bloom- 5th round

2007

Brent Celek(TE)- 5th round

2008

DeSean Jackson- 2nd round

2009

Jeremy Maclin- 1st round

Cornelius Ingram(TE)- 3rd round

Brandon Gibson- 6th round

Eagles First Mini Camp Comes to an End

The Eagles wrapped up their first mini camp of the season today, and things are looking good for this team. With lots of new faces on the team, it is important to get these new guys so they can learn the playbook, and start to learn the system. It is especially important for 1st round draft pick, Jeremy Maclin, who has always played in a spread style offense, to get in here, and learn the offense that the Eagles run, as we will need him to contribute.

The young players looked good for the most part. They came out looking eager to learn and prove themselves. It is hard to tell much since there isn't much contact in this first mini camp, and no tackling. One of the few things that is worth watching is the cornerback vs. wide receiver battles. On running plays in these camps, since there is no tackling, the running back just hits the hole and takes off. On passing plays, however, the wide receiver is still trying to beat the cornerback, while the cornerback is still trying to make a play on the ball.

There are some position battles to look at this offseason. Shawn Andrews, while not in a position battle, started the entire camp at right tackle, in his brother's absence. According to Reid, Shawn may end up being the starter at right tackle, and from what Shawn was saying, he wants to be the starter at tackle. Stacy Andrews, and Todd Herramans sat out this mini camp with injuries. Last year's 4th round draft pick Mike McGlynn started at left guard this mini camp. On defense, you have both Victor Abiamiri and Juqua Parker splitting time with the 1st team at left DE, and it should be a good battle to determine that starter all offseason. In the secondary, there are some battles as well. Sheldon Brown, assuming he is on the team will probably start with Samuel, but you also have Ellis Hobbs pushing for a starting position at corner. At safety, Quintin Demps is penciled in at the early starter at free safety. However, you have a lot of guys at safety in this mini camp, with Macho Harris, and Sean Jones trying to get a starting spot.

It was a successful mini camp, and the young guys like LeSean McCoy, Jeremy Maclin, and Cornelius Ingram showed a lot of promise, and look like they will be able to contribute in some way right away. A rookie camp is next which starts on May 20.

Eagles Top 2 Picks First News Conference

Watch Clips of Maclin and McCoy

Eagles Made Splash on Day 1 of Draft

The first day of the draft is over, and the Eagles used their two picks in the first two rounds to draft two skill position players.

The Eagles holding the 21st pick in the 1st round were looking at guys like Knowshon Moreno, or Brandon Pettigrew. Moreno was taken 12th overall by the Denver Broncos. You thought the Eagles might then look to take Pettigrew, or Donald Brown from UConn. Instead, at pick #19, the Eagles gave the Cleveland Browns a 6th round pick and their 21st pick to move up to the Browns 19th pick. At pick #19, the Eagles took Missouri wide receiver Jeremy Maclin. This was the first time the Eagles took a skill position in the 1st round since 2001 when they took Freddie Mitchell. Let's hope this turns out a little bit better. Maclin is definitely a weapon. Most boards had Maclin going in the top 10, or somewhere around the 7-13 range. The fact that Maclin was still available at 19 was surprising, and the Eagles clearly wanted him. Maclin is somewhere between 6'0" and 6'1", and weighs a little under 200. He is fast enough to stretch the field, and also a great possession receiver. By adding Maclin, the Eagles will have an extremely dynamic, versatile pass catching tandem in Maclin and DeSean Jackson. You can do a lot of different things with Maclin and Jackson.

In the 2nd round, the Eagles waited until their pick at #53 to make their selection, and ended up getting an absolute steal in Pitt running back LeSean McCoy. It is no secret that we are Kotite's Corner have been hyping LeSean McCoy for a while. Many mock drafts had McCoy going in the first round of this year's draft. He definitely has first round skill. In his two seasons at Pitt, the guy was an absolute beast. Without any passing game at Pitt, he still ran wild on every team he played. McCoy does a lot of the same things that Westbrook does. He is elusive, shifty, and very quick. He can get to the corners, and also run in between the tackles. He hits the holes hard, and sheds more tacklers at his size than you would think he would. He makes defenders look foolish with his cutting ability. He has that built in running back quality, where when he is making a move on a defender, he is already looking at the next defender coming at him. He can also catch the ball on screen passes, and he can run the "wildcat."

The Eagles added two weapons on offense who should be able to step in right away and help the offense out. They will need to learn a lot of things, but they are still good weapons that will be much needed on the offense. Day 2 of the draft continues today. Look for the Eagles to take a tight end today, as long as a cornerback, and possibly a safety.