Updating Eagles Free Agency

The story of Brian Dawkins joining the Denver Broncos has been confirmed by some, while others are saying it is not true. With this story still up in the air, we can only hope for the best. There will be a lot of angry Eagles fans if Dawkins does leave the Eagles. Dawkins was not only a pro bowler last season, but is the physical and emotional leader of the Eagles. One of the reasons that Eagles defense is so successful is because the players know if they don't give 110%, Dawkins will be in their face.

So lets update what we do know. Stacy Andrews signed with the Eagles. We like that signing, the Eagles needed to bring in an offensive tackle, and we believe they brought in a good one in Stacy Andrews. Unfortunately, other than that, it doesn't look good for the Eagles.

The Eagles came up short again this season by losing in the NFC Championship game. McNabb has stated on record that he wants more weapons. Only one day into NFL free agency, and we will probably lose both former pro bowler Tra Thomas, and former pro bowler John Runyan on the offensive line. We did lose former pro bowler Lito Sheppard in a trade to the Jets. We lose Correll Buckhalter, who was arguably more consistent than Westbrook last season, and was one of the main playmakers on offense all season. We also lose L.J. Smith, who was a bum but without him the TE position is not as good. We lose Sean Considine, who......... ohhh wait that's a good thing. Actually as much as I hate Considine, he could make plays on special teams, and the Eagles special teams has been horrible since Harbaugh left as special teams coach. And now possibly losing 7 time pro bowler Brian Dawkins? It is still very early, but seems to me like we are losing playmakers quicker than we are gaining them. Looks like we need to address the offensive line, running back, fullback, wide receiver, tight end, defensive end, and safety position before next season. We are not big supporters of the Eagles front office at Kotite's Corner, and they continue to show their arrogant idiocy if they could not overpay Dawkins a little bit to have him back. The trio of Andy Reid, Joe Banner, and Jeffrey Lurie are an absolute joke.

Just a Yard Short

Honestly, what can really be said after a loss like that that hasn’t already been said? We try to find the words. Although the Eagles only came up a yard short of tying the game at the end, there was a lot wrong with the way this game played out from the Eagles standpoint.

We should win if our running back plays well. We should win if our defense can shut down the opposing QB. We should win if our QB plays well. These are statements that are made from fans of all teams from all over every football Sunday. Unfortunately, with this Eagles team, we have to go into every game wondering if the play calling by Andy Reid will even allow us to win the game. We have an asterisk next to every statement like that above that we make. We should win….. if the play calling is good. Unfortunately for us, the play calling was not good, and has not been good all season.

The Eagles called 14 running plays, which doesn’t include the runs by McNabb. Two of those runs were on the final drive of the first half, in which they just ran twice, and let the time run out; so those don’t really count. 46 passes. It’s insulting to us die-hard Philadelphia Eagles fans to have the play calling not even give us a chance to win the game. As fans, we complain a lot about the Eagles’ shortcomings, as we should. But when you throw the ball 50 times a game, the receivers are going to drop a lot of balls, McNabb is going to throw some bad passes…. that’s what happens when you throw the ball so much. When you run, you get to control the game. You control the line of scrimmage, you control the clock, and thus control the pace of the game. Apparently, Andy Reid doesn’t realize that any of this is important to the game. He still feels as if throwing the ball every play will result in 50 points a game. This has not proven to be the case, in fact, it is quite the opposite. The Eagles have the most success when running the football. This Eagles team is 7-0 this season when they run the football more than their opponent. They are 1-6-1 when they have fewer carries than their opponent. Another frustrating thing is that in the game, the Eagles were never down by more than one possession, yet if you look at the play calling, you would have thought that the Eagles were down by 20 and trying desperately to get back into the game. The game at hand did not dictate so many passes to be called.

I’d like to continue the Andy Reid bashing by mentioning a post-game comment in which Andy Reid stated that the defense “started slowly.” That’s funny, since it was 0-0 after the 1st quarter, 3-0 at halftime. That is starting slowly? The only Redskins touchdown drive came on an 18-yard drive after a turnover in the 3rd quarter. The defense was the only reason we were even in that game until the end. In fact, the defense has been stellar all season long for the most part, especially as of late.

As for the game itself, it was not pretty. The Eagles were without their incredible wide receivers, Kevin Curtis and Hank Baskett. Two players who would barely be missed on any other team, were greatly missed for the Eagles on Sunday. Reggie Brown was forced into the lineup, and Greg Lewis had his role increased. The only problem with that is they both suck. L.J. Smith, the Samuel Dalembert of the Eagles, continues to dissappoint on the field, missing key blocks in big situations, and dropping a couple passes. DeSean Jackson, while still an impressive rookie, dropped a few passes including a long pass on the final drive which fell right through his hands.

Many negatives, mostly on offense and the coaching, and not a lot of positives coming out of the game resulted in a crushing loss for the Eagles, who may have ruined their playoff chances. The Eagles now need the Bucs to lose to the Raiders no matter what, also need the Bears to lose one of their last two games, or the Vikings to lose their final game. Ohh yeah, they also need to beat the Cowboys the final game of the season. I guess if the Eagles don’t get in, it would be nice to beat the Cowgirls the final day of the season.

Eagles - Redskins Preview

The Eagles need to bounce back after a disappointing loss last week against the Chicago Bears. The Washington Redskins are riding high from an upset victory in Dallas last weekend. The Eagles should be able to defeat the Redskins if Westbrook is able to go in this game. The Eagles offense has not been as effective since Westbrook left the game against the Steelers with an injury. Obviously any time you lose your pro-bowl running back, the offense is going to struggle, however, Andy Reid needs to trust in the running game to control the ball and the clock.

The Eagles offense will need to show some consistency in their play, and the play-calling will have to be consistent as well, especially if Westbrook is unable to go. It would be nice to see a tight end actually show up for this game. I am excited to hear what L.J. Smith's excuse will be for this one. Reggie Brown should get in on some more action, and will look to grow on his solid performance against the Chicago Bears. A mistake-free game from DeSean Jackson will also help on offense. Shawn Andrews at this point is also an injury concern, and a guy that the Eagles hope to have back on the field. The Eagles clearly missed Andrews at guard last week on their infamous goal line blunder. Any way you look at it, if Brian Westbrook is not able to go, everyone on offense will need to step their game up if the Eagles want to win.

The Eagles defense will need to continue to dominate if the Eagles want to win this game. Jason Campbell has looked good this early season, especially when he has time to throw the ball. The Eagles defensive line and linebackers will need to stop the Redskins running game, just as they have so far in the early season. A big test for the defense will be to see if they can stop the Redskins pro-bowl tight end Chris Cooley. The Eagles have shown that they can be beat by the opposing teams tight end so far this season. Also, the Redskins have a couple small, quick, athletic wide receivers in Santana Moss, and Antwaan Randle El, which the Eagles secondary will have to adequately defend.

The Eagles return home to Lincoln Financial Field, and the crown should be fired up while they take on a division rival in the Washington Redskins.