2012 NFL Preview: Philadelphia Eagles

Philadelphia Eagles

Front Office:

Owner:             Jeffrey Lurie

GM:                 Howie Roseman

B: These men are run by Andy Reid.   However, Reid seems to work well with these men.  Problem I have with this situation is the Eagles have not won a Super Bowl under Reid’s regime; and while I love Reid I believe they need to rein him in on a few things.  That or get more aggressive in the draft or FA.

Coaching:

HC:      Andy Reid

OC:      Marty Mornhinweg

DC:      Juan Castillo

B+:       Reid is capable of bringing his team to the playoffs every year.  I don’t believe his GM has done a good job getting Reid elite talent.  The Eagles need to swing for another Terrell Owens.  Anyways, I think Mornhinweg is a great OC capable of game planning for any talent he has.  Marty is a HC possibility in the future.  Castillo is a first time DC and I would have thought a more veteran DC would have been pursued.

QB:     B

Michael Vick is electric, but he wears down every year.  Vick needs to get smarter with his running.  The Eagles are going to trade Kolb.  Trading him will create a glaring hole at backup QB position.  This is important considering Vick gets hurt often.  I believe we will see Mike Kafka at some point this year.

RB:     B

LeSean McCoy is a perfect fit for this offense.  LeSean replaced Westbrook seamlessly.  Dion Lewis is a solid fit and will back up McCoy.  I also liked the Stanly Havii selection.  The Eagles know what kind of RB to get for their team.

WR/TE: A-

Jackson, Maclin, and Avant all complement each other.  Jackson is the home run hitter, Maclin is the all around talent, and Avant is the perfect move the chains receiver.  The Eagles also have a solid all around TE in Brent Celek.  His numbers might have been down last year but he was asked to block often.

OL:     C

This unit received some needed youth this off season.  As a group they are okay.  I don’t know if I would feel comfortable for Michael Vick when they play the Giants.  Jason Peters is a rock solid LT, though a bit over rated.  Todd Herremans and Danny Watkins give them rocks at the OG position.  I feel scared though with Jamaal Jackson coming back from major surgery and Winston Justice being the RT for this team.  FA might be needed to replace one of these players.

DL:     C

This unit only has one guy: Trent Cole.  After him they are praying Brandon Graham recovers from his injury.  Juqua Parker is meant to be a backup, same as Darryl Tapp.  Inside Dixon was solid but nothing special.  Patterson and Bunkley got old quick so this is a unit that is not what many thinks it is.

LB:      C

I like some of the young guys they have.  Keenan Clayton and Casey Matthews have the chance to be very solid.  This unit needs Stewart Bradley to recover from last year and be an all the around talent he used to be.  Lots of pressure on young guys and it might be prudent to pursue some veteran FA’s.

DB:     INC

They will either trade for Dominique Cromartie or sign Asomugha.  Once the Eagles do, this unit will be a very good.  Either partnered with the ever dangerous Ashante Samuels will give them lock down CB’s.  I like Nate Allen at FS and would hope they consider bringing back Quinton Mitchell for 2 more years as Jarrett develops.  This unit will need to be great since the front seven will do them no favors.

Last Draft:

Danny Watkins, while a good player, is not what was needed.  They needed to trade up and acquire an impact player.  The Eagles are in a win now mentality and they serve up an Offensive Guard who is 26????  Jaiquawn Jarrett will be decent.  I thought the pick of Curtis Marsh was done one round too early.  Jason Kelce and the other later on OL were solid picks.  This was not a horrible draft but did nothing to make them Super Bowl contenders.                    C

Sleepers on Offense/Defense

While people know Jeremy Maclin is a very solid WR I believe he will post huge numbers this year.  DeSean Jackson is the rock star but he is way too inconsistent.  Macklin is steady Eddie.  With Surgeon Hands he will post 1200 yards and 10TD’s.

On defense I am awaiting Keenan Clayton.  I believe he fits the defensive scheme and has excellent speed to cover the pass and attack the line of scrimmage.  To be elite though Clayton will have to hone in his blitzing ability.

Predictions for the year:                                11-5

I believe a wild card birth is in the cards and they might win a game but will go no further.  Why you ask?  Well studying Eagles history for one as well as the inevitable Michael Vick exhaustion by the end of the year.  Ways to prevent this include a solid running game which Reid will never allow as well as some key Free Agent pickups on defense.