Eagles Camp Battles

As training camp comes into full swing, let's take a look at some of the position battles going on at Eagles training camp.

Middle Linebacker

It is a shame that this has become a battle for the starter, as it wasn't a week ago when Stewart Bradley was healthy. Bradley is one of the best young linebackers in the league, and was probably going to make the pro bowl this season. Not only that, he was definitely one of the leaders on the defensive side of the ball, which is especially important now without Brian Dawkins, or Jim Johnson around.

Anyways, the middle linebacker battle seems to be between 2nd year player Joe Mays, Omar Gaither, and newly acquired Matt Wilhelm, who spent last season with the Chargers. Joe Mays appears to have the upper hand, as he has been taking all the reps at starting middle linebacker since Bradley got injured. Gaither has played middle linebacker for the Eagles in the past, and did a decent job there. Wilhelm also has plenty of experience, but was recently released by the Chargers. I personally am a big Joe Mays fan. The guy looks like a beast when you watch him play. He is a little undersized, but really attacks the ball and runs downhill. Mays should do a good job against the run, but needs to improve his play against the pass.

Free Safety

With Brian Dawkins no longer on the team, this position is almost impossible to fill, not only on the field, but also from a leadership standpoint. This battle appears to be very close, as is between Quintin Demps and Sean Jones. Demps started out taking all the first team reps, but Jones has been taking some of that action lately. Demps flat out was not good in the last game he played as an Eagle against the Cardinals. He got burned by Larry Fitzgerald on a long touchdown pass, and failed to wrap up Tim Hightower down at the goal line, which could have kept Hightower out of the end zone. The coaching staff has been talking about how good Demps looks, and I'm hoping he has improved. However, we give the nod at starting free safety to Sean Jones. Jones, the former starter with the Cleveland Browns has the experience, and has very good size, while still being fast. Jones also is a guy who picks off a lot of passes, something the Eagles need from their secondary.

Left Defensive End

The starting left defensive end battle includes in incumbent starter, Juqua Parker, along with Victor Abiamiri, and Chris Clemons. All three of these players contributed effectively last season, and should all see time this season. There isn't much to say about this position battle, especially since Abiamiri has been injured throughout camp. Parker has been an effective starter, but seems to wear down easily every season. Parker goes games without making a play. I was hoping that Abiamiri would come in and win the job, as there is still a lot of hype around Abiamiri. The guy is a monster out there, and can stop the run as well as get to the quarterback.

Third Running Back

The 3rd running back might not be all that important, as the Eagles rarely use two running backs during a game. This battle appears to be between Lorenzo Booker, Eldra Buckley, and Kyle Eckel. I believe that the Eagles are only going to keep 4 running backs/fullbacks. Westbrook, LeSean McCoy, and Leonard Weaver are locks. These three will see a lot of time during the regular season. Booker, and Eckel both saw time with the Eagles last season. From what I have heard and seen, neither Booker, nor Eckel have had a great camp thus far, while Buckley has been impressive. In my opinion, I like Lorenzo Booker, but he brings nothing to the team that you don't already have in Westbrook and McCoy. Booker is a smaller running back, and he is really small. He doesn't have the strength to break tackles, or pick up blitzes consistently. I thought Kyle Eckel looked very good when he played last year for the Eagles, and would have no problem with him making the team as the 3rd running back. I also am liking what I see out of Buckley, who spent last season on the Chargers practice squad. Buckley is a bigger back who runs real hard.

There is still a long way to go in training camp, and still all four preseason games to play, so these position battles should start shaping out as we get closer to the regular season.

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.

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.