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.

Pitt Panthers All-Decade Football Team

The Pittsburgh Panthers all-decade football team shouldn't be too hard, especially since I went to Pitt for 4 of the years this decade. I will mention some close calls who didn't make the list who possibly deserve to. Clint Session, who is a possible pro-bowler this season for the Colts did not make the team at linebacker, as he was caught in a numbers game. There are 4 Pitt linebackers in the NFL right now, including Session, however the other 3 all played at higher levels at Pitt. Pitt is the real Linebacker U. Dion Lewis is breaking all types of records at Pitt, but has only done it for 1 year, whereas McCoy was a beast for 2.

Take a look at the all-decade team below--

Offense
QB: Tyler Palko

RB: LeSean McCoy

FB: Lousaka Polite

WR: Larry Fitzgerald, Antonio Bryant

TE: Kris Wilson

OL: Jeff Otah, Jason Pinkston, Mike McGlynn, Rob Pettiti, C.J. Davis

Defense
DL: Greg Romeus, Mick Williams, Joe Clermond, Claude Harriot

LB: Scott McKillop, Gerald Hayes, H.B. Blades

Secondary: Darrelle Revis, Torrie Cox, Shawntae Spencer, Tez Morris

Specialists
K: Conor Lee

P: Andy Lee

PR: Darrelle Revis

KR: LaRod Stephens-Howling

Coach: Dave Wannstedt

MVP: Larry Fitzgerald

Close Calls: Clint Session, Rashaad Duncan, Dion Lewis, Jonathan Baldwin, Rod Rutherford

Eagles Clinch Playoff Spot

The Eagles beat the 49ers on Sunday 27-13 to clinch a playoff spot. They still have work to do to win the NFC East, but no matter what happens, the Eagles will be in the playoffs this season.

The offense played well, and the defense, helped by 4 turnovers played a lot better than last weekend against the Giants. The Eagles took the opening kickoff and drove down the field for the touchdown, and led the rest of the game. The Eagles lead the league in points scored on opening drives. The drive was capped off by a 17 yard McNabb to Jackson reception for a touchdown. After that point, the Eagles capitalized on 3 Alex Smith interceptions in the first half to take a 20-3 halftime lead. The interceptions for the Eagles were by Quintin Mikell, Asante Samuel, and Tracy White. The 49ers did end up cutting the Eagles deficit to 20-13 going into the 4th quarter, but another long Eagles drive put the game away in the 4th quarter, capped off by a McCoy touchdown run.

Donovan McNabb continued to make plays, and was solid, despite throwing 2 INT's. McNabb ended the game 21-36 for 306 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT's, and a rushing touchdown. The Eagles did run the ball effectively. McCoy and Weaver combined for exactly 100 rushing yards on 26 carries. I still would have liked to see the Eagles run the ball more, because it seemed to be working. McCoy averaged 5.3 yards per carry on 9 carries, and had a touchdown. DeSean Jackson continued his excellent play thus far this season with another big game. Jackson had 6 catches for 140 yards, and a touchdown. I still am not 100% sold that Jackson is a #1 receiver, mostly due to his size, but he has been the team MVP in my opinion this season, and it's not even close.

It sounds weird to say, but I did feel like the Eagles missed Jeremy Maclin. Kevin Curtis was basically non-existent. He caught 1 pass, and dropped another. Reggie Brown only caught 1 pass also. It might not seem like a big deal right now because the Eagles are winning, but I really do feel like the Eagles lack of receiver depth could be a reason this team doesn't win it all this season. I know McNabb likes to hold onto the ball a lot, and doesn't force a lot of throws, but McNabb had a lot of time on a lot of drop-backs today, and simply didn't see anything he liked. A lot of people blame McNabb when he does this, but he doesn't seem to have these issues when the receivers are making plays. Bottom line, if a team decides to take DeSean Jackson out of the game, and make the other receivers beat them, I'm not sure the Eagles can do that.

On the defensive side of the football, the Eagles obviously played a lot better than they did against the Giants, but they still weren't great. The numbers look very good. 4 turnovers, only allowing 261 total yards, and 13 points, but they could have done better. Frank Gore rushed for 107 yards, becoming the first running back to run for over 100 against the Eagles this season. Gore is a really good running back, so I wasn't too upset by this, because he runs for 100 a lot of weeks.

The Eagles did clinch a playoff spot, but they still need to hope the Cowboys lose next weekend and need to win themselves to wrap up the NFC East. You don't want to have to go to Dallas the final weekend of the season needing a win to win the division. And if the Cowboys win next weekend no matter what the Eagles do, that final game is for the division. The Eagles can still get the #2 seed in the NFC depending on what the Vikings do tonight. Either way, still a good win for the Eagles, as they move to 10-4 on the year.

Eagles Dodge Bullet, Beat Redskins

The Eagles just picked up a much needed win in a game that they very much needed to win, and a game that looked like they could easily let slip away. The Eagles outscored the Redskins 11-3 in the 4th quarter in order to win the game 27-24.

The Eagles started out the game shooting themselves in the foot and spotting the Redskins 7 points by attempting a failed onsides kick. The Eagles quickly bounced back, and put up a field goal and a touchdown reception by DeSean Jackson to take a 10-7. After a Redskins touchdown, 2 Asante Samuel interceptions led to 2 David Akers field goals and allowed the Eagles to take a 16-14 halftime lead.

The 3rd quarter was brutal for the Eagles, as they couldn't even get a first down. The Redskins scored a touchdown and kicked a field goal to take a 24-16 lead. McNabb however led the Eagles on a 90 yard drive capped off by an Eldra Buckley 1 yard touchdown run with 7:24 left on the clock. LeSean McCoy added the 2 point conversion to tie the game at 24. The defense held up, and the Eagles got the ball back, and drove down for the game winning 32 yard field goal with 1:48 remaining to give the Eagles the 27-24 win.

If you look at the balance, which will always be a problem under Andy Reid, the Eagles threw the ball 36 times, and called 27 runs. Shady McCoy and Leonard Weaver both ran the ball well. McCoy ended up with 17 carries for 76 yards, which is 4.5 yards a carry. Weaver carried 6 times for 44 yards, which is 7.3 yards per carry.

Donovan McNabb played well for the most part. He ended the game 21-35 for 260 yards with 1 TD, and 1 INT. McNabb, who is oft criticized for not being able to lead the team from behind in the 4th quarter, led 2 long drives in the 4th quarter - the game tying, and game winning drives. I'm sure the McNabb haters will find something to complain about though tomorrow. Maybe McNabb spend too much time on the field talking to Jason Campbell after the game.

The receivers dropped a lot of balls, included what seemed like about 5 for Celek. DeSean Jackson left the game in the 3rd quarter with concussion like symptoms. The defense really didn't seem to blitz a lot in my opinion, but unlike Andy Reid, I will actually trust that Sean McDermott knows what he is doing. This was only the 2nd time all season the Redskins scored above 20 points this season, so the defense did not play great, despite stepping it up at the end of the game.

Eagles Get Much Needed Win

The Eagles went into Chicago last night and left with a much needed 24-20 victory. This moves the Eagles to 6-4, and keeps them 1 game behind the first place Cowboys in the NFC East.

The Eagles were down 20-17 heading into the 4th quarter, but were able to mount a game winning drive with just over 5 minutes remaining in the game, capped off by a 10 yard McCoy touchdown run. McCoy finished the day with 20 carries for 99 yards and a touchdown. Donovan McNabb was sharp and finished 23-32 for 244 yards, 2 TDs, and 1 INT. Even Michael Vick got into the action busting a 34 yard run in the 1st quarter on a scoring drive. DeSean Jackson led the receivers with 8 catches for 107 yards, and a TD. The offense played well for the most part, besides the 3 turnovers, which included a McNabb INT, and lost fumbles from LeSean McCoy, and DeSean Jackson. The McNabb fumble was not a bad pass, DeSean Jackson just got out muscled on a slant route.

The defense played pretty well, especially considering the 3 Eagles turnovers. The 1 touchdown from the Bears was a touchdown pass to the tight end, which the Eagles definitely struggle covering. Chris Gocong was the victim on that play, but you can basically pick out any linebacker besides Will Witherspoon who can't cover tight ends. The defense did a good job holding the Bears out of the end zone in the first half, as the Bears could have gotten a lot more points than they put up. They only allowed Cutler to throw for 171 yards, and if you take away a 72 yard run from Bell, the Bears only ran for 54 yards, which included shutting down Bears RB Matt Forte.

I personally still do not think that the Eagles ran the ball enough in this game. The Eagles threw 33 passes (1 from Vick), and called 27 rushing plays, which includes 1 rush from McNabb that was a called sneak. These numbers aren't bad, but they aren't great. Keep in mind the Eagles ran the ball the final 7 plays of the game just to get to that number. Throughout the game, they still were not rushing the ball enough, especially against a team that does not stop the run well. They have many drives where they did not even run the ball at all. The numbers don't seem so bad because McNabb was effective, so they were moving the ball consistently through the air also. Going forward, I still would like to see the Eagles run the ball more.

The offensive line is still an area of concern for me, and I don't feel they played too well. Jason Peters got called for a tripping penalty, which negated a long pass to Jeremy Maclin, and Stacy Andrews was a scratch. These were 2 big offseason acquisitions, and neither has panned out as of yet.

Either way, the Eagles get the victory, 24-20, and welcome in the Washington Redskins next weekend, which will basically be another one the Eagles have to get.

Eagles Look to Bounce Back Against Bears

The Eagles travel to Donovan McNabb’s hometown this weekend to take on the Chicago Bears who currently stand at 4-5. The Eagles will try to bounce back after losing two straight games to the Cowboys and Chargers.

Traveling to Chicago isn’t exactly the ideal situation in trying to break a 2 game losing streak. Even though the Bears aren’t playing well, and Cutler has been flat out bad this year, it is never easy to play a road game in Chicago. McNabb does always seem to play well there though when he goes back home. The defense has to bounce back after a disappointing performance against the Chargers. The defense has had to battle through injuries as of late, and might even be without Sheldon Brown this weekend. Sheldon Brown has never missed a game in his career, and is one of the veteran leaders on defense. Due to injuries and suspensions, the Eagles are very thin in the secondary, and at the linebacker position. As of now, the Eagles have not brought in any help at the cornerback position.

On offense, the Eagles will obviously be without Brian Westbrook, which unfortunately, they are probably used to by now. Just like the cornerback position, as of right now, the Eagles have not brought in a running back to help out at the position. LeSean McCoy, rookie phenom, should get most of the carries. In Andy Reid’s offense, this means he will get about 5-7. When Westbrook has been out this year, the Eagles have also given Leonard Weaver a good amount of carries each game, which they should continue to do.

The Bears have struggled all around at points this season. Even in recent years, when the Bears have not been good, their defense was always good. This year their defense isn’t bad against the pass, but is 21st against the run. The Eagles have played teams who struggle stopping the run already this year, but have not yet taken advantage of it, and Andy Reid is to blame for that. I believe the Eagles need to run the ball effectively to win this game. The offensive line finally pass blocked well against San Diego… unfortunately, they couldn’t open up any hole against an average San Diego defensive line. The offensive line has also been an area on the Eagles that is banged up, and they have not done a great job getting a push on the defensive line for the running backs. The Bears have also struggled on offense, mostly because Cutler has been bad, and Matt Forte has regressed in his sophomore season.

The Eagles need this win badly, but it won’t be easy. If the defense can hold up, the offense should be able to put the points on the board to win… assuming Andy Reid doesn’t lose the game with his play calling.

Shady McCoy Still #29

When LeSean McCoy joined the Eagles after being drafted, he was given the #29 to wear, as the number he wanted was in use by Lorenzo Booker. After final cuts, with Lorenzo Booker no longer on the team, McCoy went to the Eagles and asked if he could switch his number to the now vacant #25. The Eagles had no problem with this, and last week McCoy came out in practice wearing a new #25 McCoy jersey, the number McCoy wore at the University of Pittsburgh. However, later in the week the NFL disallowed this jersey change to be made, and instead said McCoy had to wear #29 because there were already #29 McCoy jerseys being sold in stores. So, I guess if you bought a #29 McCoy jersey, you are in luck, because McCoy is still wearing the #29 jersey… for now.

Eagles Beat Up on Panthers

The Eagles beat the Panthers in the opener on Sunday to start the season off on a good note. The game however might not have ended on a good note with Donovan McNabb suffering cracked ribs when scoring on a touchdown run.

The game started out with a Panthers touchdown drive that basically took up half the first quarter and ended up with an 11 yard touchdown run from DeAngelo Williams. After that point, the Eagles defense would flat out dominate. After Akers kicked a field goal, on the next Panthers possession, Trent Cole busted up the middle and sacked Delhomme, forcing a fumble. Victor Abiamiri picked it up and fell into the end zone for a touchdown. Delhomme's day would only get worse. DeSean Jackson took a punt 85 yards for a score, and forcing the Panthers to turn the ball over all game allowed the Eagles to take advantage of short fields and come away with a 38-10 win on the road.

On offense, the Eagles were forced to do very little. The offensive box score looks weird for scoring so many points, but nothing really was needed from the offense. McNabb ended the game 10-18 for just 79 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT, and a rushing TD. I thought McNabb played well for the most part. The interception was the only real bad throw he had, throwing it to the linebacker dropping back in coverage. The Eagles receivers did have a few drops. The Eagles ran the ball well, Westbrook had 13 carries for 64 yards and a receiving touchdown, and LeSean McCoy had 9 carries for 46 yards. The Eagles leading receiver was Brent Celek who had 6 catches for 37 yards and a TD. Going into future games, the offense needs to play better. I need to see more from the receivers in general. Kevin Curtis in my opinion is really just not all that good. He's an average receiver at best, drops too many passes, and can't get open enough from the outside. He belongs in the slot, but isn't used there. When Kolb came in, the offense didn't do too much, and Kolb continues to struggle when he faces game situations.

The story of the game however was the defense. The Eagles defense held the Panthers to just 169 total yards, which included just 86 yards rushing. The Panthers were one of the best rushing teams in the league last season. Sean McDermott really did well in his first game at defense coordinator. To be honest, after watching the Eagles in the preseason, I was a little nervous about the defense coming into this season. Well, in game 1, they were solid. The ended the game with 5 interceptions, 2 from Sheldon Brown, and 1 each from Asante Samuel, Akeem Jordan, and Joselio Hanson. The defense also had 5 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries, and a touchdown. Darren Howard led the Eagles with 2 of the 5 sacks. The Eagles defensive tackles did real well against the run, and the Eagles were in the Panthers backfield all game. If this is the defense that will show up every week, the Eagles will again be one of the best units in the league. I will say that I saw Macho Harris miss a few tackles, which can't happen from your free safety, and Harris needs to get better as the season goes on. It won't be as easy next weekend when the Eagles play the Saints who feature maybe the best offense in the NFL.

As I mentioned earlier, Donovan McNabb suffered cracked ribs in the 4th quarter on a 3 yard touchdown run. Reid said after the game that McNabb would need to be re-evaluated to see if he will play next weekend, but all indications are that he probably will not. This injury to fully heal usually is a 2-4 week injury, but players have come back the next week and played, so we will see how that plays out. Either way, it was a good game, and a good start to the season to get out of the gates, especially for the defense.

Pitt Panthers 2009 Season Preview

College football officially starts tonight, and the Pittsburgh Panthers open the 2009 campaign this Saturday at home against the Youngstown State Penguins, Ron Jaworski's alma mater. Pitt starts the season just outside the Top 25, ranked #28 in the AP Poll.

Pitt basically loses its top offensive player from last season in LeSean "Shady" McCoy, now a Philadelphia Eagle, and the top defensive player in Scott McKillop, who was drafted by the 49ers. Pitt will also have to replace their backup running back LaRod Stephens-Howling, and leading receiver, Derek Kinder, both of whom were 7th round draft picks.

When you look at this 2009 Pitt team, you see a very good defense and a lot of question marks on the offensive side of the ball. The main question mark starts with the quarterback position. Pitt has really struggled to find solid quarterback play since Tyler Palko left the team. Bill Stull, the starter going into this season, Kevan Smith, and Pat Bostick have all gotten starts the past couple season, and all have looked flat out bad. Bill Stull, a senior, will be the starter to start this season off. He has not been good in past years as the starter, and there is no indication he will be any better this season. All indications are that Pat Bostick may redshirt this season, which would give him 2 years after this season in order to start. This means that redshirt freshman Tino Sunseri will be the main backup. There is a lot of talk of Sunseri getting into some games, and playing some this season. Sunseri may be the starter by the end of the season if Stull struggles.

At running back, there are also some question marks. True freshman Dion Lewis may be the starter in Week 1. The Panthers backfield also features redshirt freshman Chris Burns, and redshirt sophomore Shariff Harris. These three guys will have to replace the production of LeSean McCoy, who was top 10 in college football last season in rushing yards and touchdowns. Even though this group is very inexperienced, all indications are that they can all play. Pitt will need to have a solid rushing attack if they cannot get much from the passing game.

At wide receiver, look for Jonathan Baldwin to have a breakout season. As a freshman last year, Baldwin had a good season, and caught a lot of deep balls. Baldwin can go deep, go over the middle, and has the size to go up and get the high ball in the end zone. Senior Oderick Turner is also a solid wide receiver on the other side. Pitt also features a very good tight end in senior Nate Byham. Byham has always been solid, but never really had a breakout season. If Byham is used correctly, he could be one of the best tight ends in college football this season.

While Pitt has many question marks on offense, the defense should be one of the best in the country. The defensive line is excellent, led by junior defensive end Greg Romeus. Romeus is a typical pass rushing defensive end, who will get his fair share of sacks this season. Jabaal Sheard, and Mick Williams are also very good players on the defensive line. The linebacking corps may not be as strong as last season, with McKillop gone, as McKillop led the team in tackles the last two seasons, and was among college football's leaders in tackles. Sophomore Greg Williams and senior Adam Gunn should be able to have success behind a good defensive line. Freshman linebacker Dan Mason should be one of the true freshman who will contribute immediately. The secondary is also very good, and led Pitt with 16 interceptions last season. Senior Aaron Berry leads the group, and is one of the better cornerbacks in the nation. Jovani Chappel, and Dom DeCicco also should be strong contributors.

It will be an interesting season for the Panthers, and I could essentially see Pitt finishing poorly around .500, or winning the Big East, and going to a BCS Bowl. Pitt will play NC State and Notre Dame in the non-conference, and gets South Florida, and Cincinnati at home this season. Pitt can put itself in a very good position going into their final three games of the season which are against Notre Dame, West Virginia, and Cincinnati. The final two should go a long way in determining the winner of the Big East. Even though the Big East does not feature any Top 25 teams in the preseason, there are a bunch of teams right outside the top 25, led by Pitt at #28, and also Rutgers, Cincinnati, and West Virginia are right there.

Hopefully this is the year that Wannstedt finally puts his solid recruiting to good use on the field, and gets Pitt a Big East championship and BCS bowl berth.

Eagles-Patriots Recap

Just wanted to say a few things about the Eagles first preseason game last night, a 27-25 loss to the Patriots. LeSean McCoy is the real deal. Many people are finding this out now, and more and more people are really starting to like McCoy a lot, and talk about how good he looks now. Well I have had the privilege of already knowing this for years, watching basically every game Shady played at for the Pittsburgh Panthers. Kotite's Corner has been hyping McCoy since our inception. In fact one of our first posts was about how much of a beast McCoy was, and he was still at Pitt at this time. McCoy looked comfortable in the offense, ran the ball well, and caught a nice screen pass. Other than McCoy, I thought most of the first team offense did well. They moved the ball effectively for the most part. McNabb, besides a few poor throws played well. The receivers made plays for him.

The offensive line was not impressive in my opinion. Jason Peters was not good at all, and McNabb was under way too much pressure on a few plays. The offensive line run blocked well, and opened holes for McCoy, but really struggled in the pass blocking game. We know that most of the starting offensive line did not play, so hopefully it will only improve.

Despite the Eagles giving up a lot of points, the defense did not play poorly. The Patriots one touchdown came on a punt return, and another one was the result of a 40 yard pass interference call on Asante Samuel on Randy Moss. The defense can get better, but I am not concerned about how they looked.

Michael Vick an Eagle

Cliff Lee. Pedro Martinez. Chris Pronger. And now.... Michael Vick. Holy shit!!! The Eagles really signed Michael Vick. In one of the most shocking Philadelphia sports stories in a while, the Eagles signed Michael Vick, who hasn't played a game since 2006. A lot of people throw out the saying "I can't believe it." I literally couldn't believe that this was true when I got 500 text messages and 100 calls at the same time all about Vick. This is an absolute bombshell and a shocker.

Vick will be paid $1.6 million this season, with a chance to make up to $5.6 million next season, with a club option. Vick and McNabb are good friends, and McNabb has fully supported the idea of bringing Vick in. Clearly Donovan McNabb is a the starting quarterback, so it will be very interesting how the Eagles use Vick to help the team. Maybe put him in the slot, and run some routes with him. Maybe run some wildcat formation plays with him. Clearly no one supports what Michael Vick did with the dog fighting, and you could easily argue that Michael Vick is not a very good or true quarterback, but he is a flat out unreal athlete. Assuming Vick isn't going to play quarterback, barring a McNabb injury or a trick play, Vick can be very effective when you get him out in the open field with the ball.

The Eagles now have a lot of unique weapons on offense. LeSean McCoy, Brian Westbrook, DeSean Jackson, and Michael Vick are all extremely athletic and you can do a lot with all of these players. That doesn't even include McNabb who is still one of the more athletic quarterbacks in the league. It will be very interesting to see how the Eagles plan to use Vick, and get him on the field, and use him as another weapon on offense.

Plenty more will come on this story as it develops, and we see how the Eagles plan on using Michael Vick on offense. The Eagles will hold a press conference tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. announcing the signing.

Eagles Don't Need to Add Running Back

Okay take a deep breath..... and relax. Not only is this Brian Westbrook situation nothing to panic about... yet, but also the Eagles are fine at running back with the players currently on the roster.

First off, this whole situation probably isn't as big a deal as it seems. I understand that there isn’t much Eagles related to discuss currently, as the OTA's are fairly non-news worthy. Brian Westbrook had successful surgery today, and informed Andy Reid and head trainer Rick Burkholder that he was doing well post-surgery. Westbrook will be on a non-weight bearing cast for two weeks and then take it from there day by day. Westbrook will then begin to work one on one with Burkholder on his rehab. Hopefully he will be ready to go at some point during training camp, or if not, by mid-August and ready by the regular season. There is no need to panic just yet.

It would not be a smart idea to bring in a veteran running back, especially one like Edgerrin James, who is looking to be a #1 running back somewhere. If you add a veteran running back, and Brian Westbrook turns out to be healthy by the time the season starts, you then have an overload at the running back position. The Eagles are counting on LeSean McCoy to play a large role in the offense this season. But just for the hell of it, let's take a look at some of the running backs the Eagles could add--

Edgerrin James - You can't sign a guy like this who gets upset when he doesn't get enough carries, and flat out is past his prime. Edge wants to be the #1 option, and he wouldn’t be on this team.

Warrick Dunn - Another guy who is past his prime, and at this point doesn't give you anything that you don't get from the other smaller backs on the team, except blocking.

Deuce McAllister - Deuce is a good big back, but is coming off torn ACL's in both legs. And again, he is past his prime.

Michael Pittman - Was never that good to begin with, and is more of a fullback. Pittman is surprise surprise, also past his prime.

There are other guys in the mix such as Ahman Green, and J.J. Arrington, who the Eagles can look out, but they simply do not need to, even if Westbrook is seriously injured. I will continue to tell everyone who listens - LeSean McCoy is the real deal. The Eagles are in good hands with LeSean McCoy, and he is the running back of the future, and is a beast. Another reason is that fullback Leonard Weaver knows the west coast offense, and can both run the ball and catch the ball. Look for Weaver to get some carries this season, unlike Eagles’ fullbacks of the past. The person who may be most affected by this is Lorenzo Booker. He may have a better chance to make the team now, even if Westbrook comes back healthy, simply because Booker can take some of the pressure off McCoy, so McCoy doesn't have to carry the entire load as a rookie. You also have a guy in Kyle Eckel who can play both halfback and fullback, and was effective rushing the ball last season when he was given the chance.

Not only do I believe the Eagles have the personnel to succeed in the backfield should Westbrook stay injured, they also don't need to sign another guy because the Eagles flat out don't use that many running backs. Besides Westbrook, Correll Buckhalter only ran the ball 76 times last season, and was very effective when he ran it. And that number of carries includes two starts for Buckhalter last season when Westbrook was injured. Besides that, we all know that Booker and Eckel barely saw the field. The Eagles just don't use the running back that much to have a crowded backfield.

So let’s not push the panic button just yet, and wait and see how this situation plays out. Westbrook should be fine by the start of the regular season. And in the slight chance that he isn't, you are still in good hands in the backfield.

In Case You Forgot

Quest For My McCoy Jersey

This Eagles offseason seems like it has been a good one for the team. They signed two offensive lineman to take over for Runyan and Thomas, and they got better, albeit, inexperienced at the skill positions by adding Maclin, McCoy, and Ingram in the draft. Being a Pitt graduate, and watching Shady McCoy play almost every one of his games the past two seasons, has made him instantly my new favorite player on the Eagles the moment he was drafted in the 2nd round. Due to the fact that I have a couple outdated Eagles jerseys, I figured I would try to become the first Eagles fan to rock a McCoy jersey this year.

Once the numbers were released, and McCoy was #29, I was ready to get my #29 Eagles McCoy jersey. Unfortunately, still being the offseason, players, especially the younger ones, can change jersey numbers easily before the season starts. So, the fact that McCoy was given #29 for the first minicamp could easily change, especially if McCoy doesn’t want to be #29. So, I have to think of what other numbers McCoy could possibly be. McCoy was #20 in high school, which won’t be given out, and should be retired. More likely, McCoy was #25 at Pitt, and if given the choice would want #25. Too bad Lorenzo Booker is #25, which brings in some added complications.

Still following me? Booker may very well be cut this offseason, leaving his #25 up for grabs, which McCoy might then take. Or, Booker may take the #28 jersey that was vacated by Correll Buckhalter, as this was his number in college, leaving #25 for McCoy. Too bad the cuts do not happen until the end of training camp and afterwards, so I will not know about any number changing until that time. This isn’t to say I hope Booker gets cut or anything, I actually like Booker, and root for the guy.

However, because of the above scenarios, I have to wait to get the coveted McCoy jersey. Also, all of my worrying and number theories may all be for naught, as Shady may not even care what jersey number he is, and is completely fine with #29 going forward. Some players are extremely superstitious about their number, while others could care less. Short of going Robert De Niro in The Fan on Benecio Del Toro to make sure McCoy gets #25 from Booker, I will just have to wait it out to find how this number situation plays out to get my McCoy jersey.

Or, since we are kind of a big deal at Kotite’s Corner, I am reaching out to LeSean McCoy, my fellow Pittsburgh Panther, to let me know if I should buy the #29 jersey right now, or if he has some insight on what he is planning on doing, and wait to see what number he ends up with when the final roster is set. Shady – I know you are reading this, and are probably a frequent visitor to Kotite’s Corner, as many Philadelphia athletes are. Get at me, so I can achieve my goal of being the first Eagles fan with a McCoy jersey, because in a few years, everyone will want one.

Happy LeSean McCoy Month

I figured it's been about 3 or 4 posts since my last Shady McCoy post, which means one is definitely due. And if you are sick of McCoy posts... too bad, get used to it, it's only May. Since it is May, this can only mean one thing. It is LeSean McCoy Month in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, McCoy's hometown. Harrisburg Mayor Stephen R. Reed read a proclamation this afternoon that pronounced May "LeSean McCoy Month." McCoy received the honor today at the City Hall in Harrisburg. Growing up in Harrisburg, going to school at the University of Pittsburgh, and now playing for the Philadelphia Eagles, McCoy has been all over the state of Pennsylvania, and is now honored with the month of May in Harrisburg. May just happens to be the same month as my birthday. Coincidence? Hmmmm.....

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.

More on Shady McCoy

Coming into this year’s draft, I really wanted the Eagles to draft one player – LeSean “Shady” McCoy. I had told everyone for the weeks leading up to the draft how much of a beast McCoy was, and how he was the best running back in this draft; better than Wells, Brown, and Moreno. When draft day came, even though I wanted McCoy, I really just wanted the Eagles to draft a much needed running back to spell Brian Westbrook for now, and eventually replace the oft-injured back. I was confident that we would take a RB, as most mock drafts and “experts” had the Eagles taking Moreno, or Brown, and I even saw one that had the Birds taking McCoy in the 1st round.

When the pick came, with Moreno off the board, the Eagles selected Maclin 19th overall. I was happy that we got a guy with that much talent with the 19th pick, but upset that we would have to take a running back in the later rounds that would need to step in immediately and back up Westbrook. Donald Brown, and then Beanie Wells were picked at the end of the first round. The Eagles held the 53rd overall pick, and there was no way everyone in the 2nd round before the Eagles would pass up on McCoy, who was now easily the best running back available... or so I thought. The 2nd round went by and McCoy was still there when the Eagles picked. The Eagles did the right thing, and picked McCoy with their 2nd round pick. I was ecstatic and amazed that he made it that far. McCoy will prove to be a huge steal with the Eagles at that pick.

In McCoy, I believe that the Eagles are getting the best actual running back in the draft. McCoy is shifty, and elusive. He doesn’t go down easily, and can run up the middle. He is also a very good receiver. According to McCoy, he is about 205, 206 pounds right now, and would like to be around 208-210 for the season. I watched McCoy play almost every one of his games in college, multiple times in person, and can tell you firsthand how good he will be. At Pitt, McCoy carried the Panthers the past two seasons. We had no passing game to speak of for two straight seasons, and McCoy would routinely get more rushing yards than we had passing yards. It would get to the point where we had a 3rd down and 5, and would run the ball…. and McCoy would usually get the first down. That not only speaks to how bad our passing game was at Pitt, but also how good McCoy was. In the two games Shady played against our rival West Virginia, which annually is our biggest game, he ran for 331 yards, and 2 TDs, averaging over 165 per game.

McCoy does a lot of same things that Westbrook can do. He should be able to contribute immediately, and get his touches even as a rookie, since we have no real backup for Westbrook, and no Buckhalter anymore. Assuming McCoy can stay healthy, he should have a very long, successful career here in Philadelphia, where we Eagles fans will be able to see the player that I have been watching for the past two years at Pitt.

Eagles Top 2 Picks First News Conference

Watch Clips of Maclin and McCoy