EAGLES: Previewing the Third Preseason Game

Even though the game is just a few hours away, there are a few things to look forward to for the Eagles third preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs. With the first team playing three quarters on both sides of the ball, it will be the last chance for the Eagles to show their fans what they’ve got. Now for some quick notes before the game:

-The Eagles first team offense has still yet to score a touchdown. They looked far from game ready last week against the Bengals, but the offense should get a few boosts with Stacy Andrews and running back Mike Bell back in the rotation.

-First-round draft pick Brandon Graham will start tonight at defensive end. He has impressed coaches at practice and will get his first start with the Eagles first team defense. Safety and second-round pick Nate Allen will start his third-straight game.

-Left guard Todd Herremans will start for the Eagles tonight. He will not play all three quarters for precautionary reasons with his foot.

-Cornerback Macho Harris is expected to play after missing the first two games with a hamstring injury. He is one of the main players in the bubble so tonight’s performance will be crucial for Harris.

-Things continue to get worse for Eagles tight end Cornelius Ingram. He did not travel with the team because of knee problems. Doctors noted that he has a Baker’s cyst on the back of his left knee, which is the same injury that kept him out of his senior season at Florida. His chances of making the team continue to dwindle with the injury problems.

-Players that are on the bubble and have something to prove tonight:

1) Moise Fokou- this is one of his last chances to prove that he can compete with the first team. He has continued to fall down the depth charts and almost has no chance to compete with Akeem Jordan anymore.

2) Omar Gaither- similar to Fokou, he is under the spotlight and if he wants to be on the first team, his performance tonight is crucial.

3) Darryl Tapp- with rookies Brandon Graham and Daniel Te’o-Nesheim playing well and winning the approval of Sean McDermott, Tapp could be seeing his chances of starting dwindle

4) Joselio Hanson and Dimitri Patterson- who will be the Eagles second starting cornerback? And don’t forget about Trevard Lindley.

A lot of questions for the first team and the bubble players. Let’s see how it all comes to play.

EAGLES: A Day at Lehigh

This morning, fellow Philly Phour writer Alex Cohen and I ventured to Lehigh to spend the day watching the Philadelphia Eagles partake in training camp. It was an early rise to ensure that we could get a good view of the main field, but it was certainly worth every second of it. I make an attempt to go to training camp every year and I can never get over great the atmosphere is day in and day out.

We arrived to the field about fifteen minutes before the start of the 8:15 practice. Soon we learned that we were on the later end of arriving, as there were close to 3,000 fans in attendance to watch the morning practice. We ended up standing along the front fence, practically ten yards from some of the players on the field. The thing that makes training camp so special for fans is that while it’s taken very seriously, all of the players seem so relaxed. Most of them constantly interact with the fans and aren’t afraid to pump up the crowd or give them a thumbs up. The fans entusiasm is felt by the players, in turn creating a great environment for the dedicated ‘Birds fans that made the trip on a Monday morning.

Analysis on Practice:

Practiced opened up with indidivual drills by positions. The quarterbacks and wide receivers worked together for awhile before the team moved into 7 vs. 7′s. From the beginning, it was was not hard to see a connection between Kevin Kolb and Jeremy Maclin. They clearly have something special working there and it was fun to watch them gel together so well. Michael Vick was a bit streaky on the day. His biggest problem is that he can make a 50-yard pass and then miss the next receiver by five yards on a simple route. Kafka seemed to have a similar problem with consistency.

Riley Cooper runs an out route in practice

The most interesting aspect of Monday’s practice was at the receiving positions. As I mentioned, Maclin looked sharper than every on both his route running and catching abilities. DeSean Jackson did not participate in camp, but I noticed him running on he open practice field alongside linebacker Stewart Bradley. Jason Avant also seemed to make no mistakes and looked comfortable being the second receiver with Jackson out. As I predicted, the fourth spot is going to be one heck of a battle. Hank Baskett didn’t seem to make many mistakes, but also didn’t really open eyes and make himself noticeable on the field. Riley Cooper, the rookie from Florida who has been hyped by the media, had a very hot and cold day. He dropped a total of three passes alone in the morning practice and heard a lot of criticism from the fans. He seemed to struggle making that burst that could get him past the cornerbacks and give him separation. Instead he seemed to take too many steps and rely too heavily on his 6-foot-4 frame to make catches. At the same time, the catches he makes are quite acrobatic and his size enables him to make catches that most wide receivers couldn’t dream of making. The big surprise at wide receiver came from Kelly Washington, who was acquired in the offseason. He has good experience in the NFL, which is something rare with this Eagles offense, and it was apparent in his playmaking on Monday. He made a couple of crowd-pleasing grabs and didn’t drop a single pass all day.

At tight end it was rookie Clay Harbor that stole the show. Brent Celek played well in the morning session, but left early due to dehydration problems. He came back for the afternoon practice and didn’t seem to lose a step. Coming into today, I was under the impression that Cornelius Ingram was far and away the favorie to be the second tight end. After watching Ingram drop a ball from five yards away, attention soon turned towards the rookie from Missouri State. Harbor caught almost everything his way, including the best catch of the day when he sprawled out and dove over the middle during the 7 vs. 7 drills. Watch out Ingram, the rookie is coming for you.

Not much to update about the running game. They only got a few looks during the scrimmage and after the initial burst there wasn’t much hitting. McCoy and Weaver both made solid catches and did a great job interacting with the fans and getting them excited about training camp. J.J. Arrington took a big hit in the middle of the morning practice when it looked like he was lost on the field. Charles Scott seems to throws his arms at the ball rather than cradling it for a catch, but he makes up for it with his powerful running. He is very stocky and his low center of gravity could be vital for third down plays (barring he makes the team, which seems like a long shot as a rookie).

Winston Justice, LeSean McCoy, Leonard Weaver, Brent Celek and Jeremy Maclin

The offensive line seemed to struggle the most at practice. Granted most of my attention was paid to the young offensive and defensive players, but based on the scrimmage plays there is a lot of work to be done. Left guard Todd Herremans didn’t put pads on but worked out on the side with Jamaal Jackson. Right guard Stacy Andrews left during practice with a shoulder injury that is only listed as day-to-day. With both of them banged up, Max Jean-Gilles and Mike McGlynn stepped in with the first team. It seemed like almost all of the offensive lineman struggled against the defensive line in the one on one drills. During the scrimmages, defensive coordinator Sean McDermott opened the floodgates and blitzed almost every other play. If Kolb/Vick/Kafka weren’t wearing the red jerseys, there would have been a lot of hitting going on. Tackle Winston Justice had back to back false starts, in turn forcing Andy Reid to give him the axe and sub him out for King Dunlap. The offensive line was one of the biggest question marks coming into the season and health is a big concern right now.

The defensive line was highlighted by performances by rookie Brandon Graham and Trent Cole. Graham doesn’t ever seem to stop moving and seems eager to play every snap possible. His additional fifteen pounds he added since the draft make him a big threat on top of his speed off the line. Cole was relatively quiet but added good pressure during the scrimmages.

At linebacker, Omar Gaither filled in at middle linebacker with the first team defense. He intercepted a Michael Vick pass during the afternoon practice and did a great job covering the tight end. Akeem Jordan started at strong side linebacker for the second straight day instead of Moises Fokou. He did a solid job all day and Fokou quickly found himself in the backround as the favorite to start come opening day. Ernie Sims also made a few good plays on the ball. He is not a very tall guy, but he is speedy and shifty (Andy Reid’s favorite type of build for his defensive players). One thing that the offense exploited all day was the quick eight-to-ten yard passes. The linebackers seemed a step too slow and Kolb did a great job hitting his receivers on out routes and flag routes over the middle. Seeing as the linebackers biggest problem in the past has been covering the tight end, I still think the Eagles linebacker core needs to work on closing off the middle of the field.

Even though the receivers made some great plays, I thought the secondary was the strongest group on the field Monday (exactly what you all want to hear I’m sure). Ellis Hobbs struggled a bit covering Maclin, but he always had a hand in there and held great coverage throughout the day. Joselio Hanson also practiced with the first team and broke up a few pass plays. The biggest surprise of the day came from Macho Harris, who Reid and McDermott converted from safety heading into training camp. Harris made a ton of plays in the morning practice and the fans let him hear it. If he continues to progress, he could give Hanson a run for his money during Nickel packages.

7 vs. 7 drills

At safety, both Quintin Mikell and rookie Nate Allen worked well patrolling the backfield. Mikell blitzed a few times, one of which would have resulted in a sack if there were pads involved in the afternoon practice. Allen seems very comfortable with the first team and it’s exciting to see how far he has come in such a short amount of time.

Finally, there wasn’t much exciting action from special teams during either practice. They ended the afternoon practice with David Akers practicing inside field goals, but most of the special teams work was on the second field. Similar to Leonard Weaver, Akers does a great job interacting with the fans and even spent a few minutes throwing balls into the crowd before the afternoon practice.

Overall, Monday showed a lot of promise. Even though the Eagles are far from game ready, the first team offense and defense look pretty solid considering the number of injuries that have kept both sides from a full lineup. It’s always exciting to be at training camp and be able to watch the team improve firsthand and I look forward to being there in the near future.

Player of the Day: Kevin Kolb

He didn’t miss a pass until the middle of the afternoon practice. Enough said. He continues to improve every day and the fans are quickly becoming lovers of No. 4. He does a superb job finding his receivers on out routes and is very melodic with his delivery. The main concern I have right now is his skill throwing the long ball. Kolb only threw two balls longer than 25 yards on Monday.

Players to Watch: Clay Harbor, Kelly Washington, Macho Harris
All three of these guys were in the background heading into training camp. Harbor played twice as well as Ingram today, Washington was up there with Maclin and Avant, and Harris outplaed all cornerbacks all day. They are all struggling to make the 53-man roster and things should get interesting in the coming weeks.

Injury Update:
Did not practice: WR DeSean Jackson, LB Stewart Bradley, CB Asante Samuel, RB Mike Bell, DE Victor Abiamiri
Taken off: CB Macho Harris (Hamstring-DTD), DT Anthony Dixon (concussion), TE Brent Celek (dehydration by returned), Stacy Andrews (shoulder)

List of Tweets (most recent at the top)

What a great day at #Eagles training camp… I could do this every day
Ending practice with some field goals. Caps off a great day in Lehigh #Eagles
Things seemed a little too perfect with the lack of injuries today…the injury bug is always present in Lehigh #Eagles
Its Anthony Dixon, the DT…all play had to be stopped #Eagles
Defensive player collapses from dehydration..waiting to see the number #Eagles
Macho Harris limping of the field #Eagles
Just to give you a taste of how big King Dunlap really is #Eagles http://twitpic.com/2b1onv
Vick to Cooper for a 55 yard bomb…Looks like Cooper woke up for the afternoon practice #Eagles
Vick throws his second int of the day. Gaither makes a great play to come up with it #Eagles
First bad pass by Kolb all day. He’s about 49 of 50. I’ll take those odds #Eagles
7v7 drills with the first team offense #Eagles http://twitpic.com/2b1g29
Vick struggling with back to back throws against the defense…no hitting but still hearing helmets hit hard
Hobbs and Hanson starting at corner with the first team #Eagles
Ingram playing with second team even though Harbor outplayed him in the morning #Eagles
6000 people here for the morning session…only about half that now. Probably because they aren’t in full pads #Eagles
Riley Cooper brings in a pass http://twitpic.com/2b19ud
Charles scott makes catching a ball seem like a chore but man can he run through people #Eagles
Another fan favorite David Akers throwing some balls into the stands with the fans…longest tenured Eagle showing some love #Eagles
Weather dropped about ten degrees now that its overcast…some players starting to come put now for the afternoon practice #Eagles
@EaglesInsider Thanks for having us on fan forum today. Loved talking Birds…check out our blog http://thephillyphour.wordpress.com
Phillies writer @alexmcohen and I just got interviewed by Eagles writer Dave Spadaro…will be on @ThePhillyPhour later on
Philly football lovin in the parking lot in between practices http://twitpic.com/2azwsz
Heart of the #Eagles offense http://twitpic.com/2azp6t
Vick talking with Dave Spadaro http://twitpic.com/2azi01
Morning practice ending early…maybe Andy was getting hungry #Eagles
I asked Ellis Hobbs how many kick returns he was going to return for TDs: “I don’t predict, I just do”
Weaver cracking jokes with the fans…hes having fun out here #Eagles
Winston Justice subbed off for a false start…the defense is loving it #Eagles
Riley Cooper drops his third pass of the day…ironic enough all from Vick #Eagles
When I thought Riley Cooper was big, King Dunlap doesn’t even look human #Eagles
Man Kolb is clicking on all cylinders…him and Maclin work well together #Eagles
Mikell rushes the line and blocks a Vick pass. Going to need that pressure this year #Eagles
DeSean Jackson and Stewart Bradley running in no pads on the other practice field #Eagles Gaither starting at middle linebacker with the first team… Akeem jordan over fokou again. Sims on the weak side
Kolb has those ten and out passes down perfectly…something mcnabb never seemed to nail #Eagles
@movingthechains washington is making riley cooper look silly out there…on the fence in my black maclin jersey, feel free to come talk
Ellis hobbs gives a thumbs up @alexmcohen for feeling healthy and ready
No stewart bradley or asante samuel today
Vick is throwing a better long ball than a short one. Completed another long bomb after a ball that should have been picked off
Vick throws a perfect 30 yard bomb to Maclin much to the fans liking…fans are loving Weaver too
Andy Reid making an appearance from the breakfast table. Maybe he and Haynesworth should start conditioning together
Cooper and Ingram highlight the second team
Avant, maclin and baskett with first team. Cole with a botched snap that Vick can’t handle

EAGLES: Preparing for Training Camp; Linebackers and the Secondary

Linebackers: Stewart Bradley, Ernie Sims, Moise Fokou, Omar Gaither, Akeem Jordan, Joe Mays, Alex Hall, Jamar Chaney (R), Keenan Clayton (R), Simoni Lawence (R)

Bradley missed all of the 2009 season with a torn ACL

There is one question when addressing the linebacker core…will Stewart Bradley be the Stewart Bradley that Eagles fans are hoping for? He was sidelined all of 2009 with a torn ACL and was expected to be the leader on a highly anticipated defense. Instead the defense finished the year ranked 19^th in total points allowed (21.1 per game), 12^th in yards given up (321 per game), and couldn’t tackle a person for the life of them. All reports indicate that Bradley is back to his old form, so let’s just hope he doesn’t partake in this years’ Flight Night. If for some reason Bradley is not in full form, his projected backup is Omar Gaither. He spent a majority of last season battling injuries and getting playing time shuffling between middle and outside linebacker.

In one of their biggest offseason acquisitions, the Eagles signed former Detroit Lion Ernie Sims. He was the captain of the defense and recorded 100+ tackles during his first three seasons with the Lions. Sims is expected to be the favorite for the weakside linebacker position. Behind him on the depth charts is Akeem Jordan, who continues to improve each season. He was third on the team in tackles last year and also grabbed two interceptions, becoming the first Eagles linebacker with two interceptions since Ike Reese in 2004.

Finally, the most talked about linebacker position is at the strong side. Everything I have read indicates that Moise Fokou is the leading candidate for the job after his success at the position to close out the 2009 season. He was mostly used on special teams but filled in for Chris Gocong while he was injured. The main reason why Fokou is probably the favorite is because two rookies sit behind him on the depth chart—Keenan Clayton and Ricky Sapp. Clayton is recognized for his speed and coverage skills, which makes sense considering he started his college career at safety. Similarly, Sapp was a sprinter in high school and will most likely be used in nickel formations at defensive end or linebacker as a speed rusher or “joker”/hybrid position.

Even though there are three clear favorites for the starting positions, don’t be surprised if there is a lot of swapping at Lehigh. Reid and defensive coordinator Sean McDermott love to shuffle around their linemen and linebackers depending on defensive matchups and to throw off opposing quarterbacks.

Cornerbacks: Asante Samuel, Ellis Hobbs, Joselio Hanson, Macho Harris, Trevard Lindley (R), Dmitri Patterson, David Pender (R), Geoff Pope

Everyone agrees that the cornerback position is the biggest question mark heading into training camp. More specifically, who will fill the role of Sheldon Brown? Clearly Asante Samuel is the Eagles top cornerback, but Sheldon Brown was the most consistent player in the secondary last season and he will be very tough to replace. Many people believe that Ellis Hobbs has the advantage despite still rehabbing neck and back problems that could keep him sidelines for some of training camp. The Eagles only drafted one substantial cornerback in Trevard Lindley, who doesn’t seem to have the talent to start come opening day.

Hobbs' starting job will not come easy

The main position battle is going to be between Hobbs, Joselio Hanson and Macho Harris. Hobbs’ injury really concerns me because it is to his neck (anterior cervical decompression and fusion for a herniated disk  to be exact) and he plays a physical position (not to mention he gets beat up as the Eagles kick returner too). Hanson finished the season with two interceptions despite really only playing in nickel formations. Harris spent all of last season at free safety, but played cornerback in college and will most likely see action at corner considering how thin the depth chart is right now.

There is no definite player (other than Samuel) that the Eagles can rely on at this point during the season. However, changes need to be made during training camp so that the Eagles secondary can avoid allowing 27 passing touchdowns and ranking 17^th in pass defense like they did in 2009.

Safeties: Quintin Mikell, Quintin Demps, Nate Allen (R), Macho Harris, Kurt Coleman (R), Ryan Hamilton (R), Brett Johnson (R)

Quintin Mikell is coming off a Pro-Bowl caliber season where he led the team in tackles (122) and had two interceptions. He is definitely a lock again to start at strong safety in his eight season, but the Eagles are still hoping that he continues to breakout and be the “Brian Dawkins-like” safety they were hoping for.

Can Nate Allen handle the pressure of starting as a rookie?

The guy with the most pressure starting Monday is Nate Allen, the Eagles second round draft pick from South Florida. Often regarded as the “Donovan McNabb pick” since he was the Redskins second round pick, Allen is already listed as the starting free safety on the depth charts. He finished his collegiate tenure with 224 tackles, nine interceptions, and four defensive touchdowns. Reid and McDermott believe that he has what it takes to start as a rookie and have been working hard with him to learn the playbook before the regular season.

Similar to the rest of the secondary, there are a lot of questions still lingering behind the projected starters. Kurt Coleman, Ryan Hamilton, and Brett Johnson are all rookies and have nothing to prove other than their collegiate statistics. Quintin Demps, who has been with the Eagles for the last few seasons, has been a huge bust and failed on several attempts to contribute to the starting defense.

Now we sit back, somewhat relax and watch as the 2010 Eagles training camp unfolds…hopefully with limited or no injuries.

EAGLES: The NFL is becomming too soft; Harris fined for hit on Scheffler

The National Football League is starting to get a little out of control. On Sunday against the Broncos, Eagles safety Macho Harris was flagged for a “late hit” on Denver’s tight end Tony Scheffler. The hit came directly after cornerback Asante Samuel intercepted a pass on the ten yard line, which led to a personal foul and the beginning of a lull in performance for the Eagles in the second half. Today, Harris was fined $7,500 for the hit that the NFL thought was aimed too high at the head.

Here is a clip of the interception by Samuel. You can see the hit in the background.

I understand the NFL trying to take precautions toward player’s safety, but this specific incident is ridiculous. At some point you have to step back and realize that this is football. It is a contact sport and players are going to be hit. I am not advocating that hitting players is always the right way to handle situations, but in this particular instance with Harris, this penalty and fine is way out of line.

The most common reason to fine a player for a late hit is when they commit a helmet to helmet hit. If you take a look at the video clip of the hit, Harris made a legal tackle. He did not go for Scheffler’s head, but rather laid down a great tackle to the tight end’s chest. The NFL noted that he was intending to cause injury by lowering his shoulder into the tight end’s chest, but isn’t that still considered a legal hit? If you can’t use your shoulder to tackle players, then cornerback Asante Samuel has some problems coming his way.

If you look into this incident, you have to eliminate Asante Samuel from the play. Harris was running across the field to make a play on the tight end. There is no way that he could have stopped his momentum in the time that Samuel caught the pass and when he was trying to make a play. My main argument is this: if the ball were to go through Samuel’s hands or if he was taken out of the play completely, Harris would have timed the tackle perfectly and made a good play on the ball.

In my opinion, he was defending the over the top ball and was simply trying to prevent Scheffler from catching the pass. The argument against mine is that Scheffler was left defenseless, but Harris can’t necessarily rely on Samuel to make that play and he has to assume that the tight end is going to make a play there. You can see in the video that Harris is watching Scheffler’s eyes, which were looking up at the pass. Therefore, Harris was focused on preventing him from catching the ball, not trying to block him or cause injury.

Aside from the fact that Harris had his roughest game of his career, I don’t think that a fine from the league was appropriate. I am all for Commissioner Roger Goodell trying to prevent injury, but this particular instance is crossing the line. Players are getting stronger and faster and big hits are going to happen. Don’t penalize players for trying to make plays.

EAGLES: ‘birds survive ugly game against broncos

Sunday’s game against the Broncos was a tale of two different Philadelphia Eagles teams. In the first half, the superior offense that has propelled the team in the last five weeks shined through. Donovan McNabb threw for over 200 yards and a couple of scores. Brent Celek and DeSean Jackson made their typical big plays, the defense shut down the Broncos, and the Linc was bumping with energy. I don’t know what was said at halftime or what happened after the first thirty minutes, but the second half was one of the most painful performances to watch as an Eagles fan.

The offensive line seemed to be non-existent, the clock-management was particularly poor, the run game never got started, and Jabar Gaffney looked like one of the top receivers in the league. However, at the end of a very long day with all of the penalties and injuries, the Eagles got it done. They improved to 11-4 and won their sixth straight game against Denver on Sunday. Now for the grades:

It was a warm welcome back to Philly for Brian Dawkins

Quarterback: A–

Being at the Linc first hand, I don’t know if I’ve ever been more annoyed by Eagles fans in my entire life. I know Donovan had his fair share of mistakes in the second half, but he still does not get enough credit as the quarterback of the Eagles. He threw three touchdowns and over 300 yards, but Philly fans made it seem like he threw for 150 and 3 interceptions. He made a number of unbelievable plays, including the fantastic throw to Jeremy Maclin that set up the game-winning field goal. He also demonstrated that he can still run after his 27-yard scamper for a first down late in the fourth quarter. Call me a “homer”, but Donovan can flat out play quarterback. It’s difficult to find open receivers when he is given less than three seconds to throw the ball before the defensive line is in his face.

Running back: C+

It was great to see Brian Westbrook back on the field against the Broncos. He had a few sparks of life, but the run game as a whole was pretty bleak. LeSean McCoy’s biggest play came on a 39-yard screen pass from McNabb, but didn’t really open eyes on the ground. Leonard Weaver had one of his worst performances of the season, averaging just 2.9 yards per carry.

Wide Receivers: A—

The wide receivers made it happen on Sunday. Without the play of Brent Celek, Jeremy Maclin, DeSean Jackson and Jason Avant, I don’t think the Eagles had a shot against the Broncos. Celek was only targeted five times during the game, but finished with four receptions for 121 yards and a touchdown. As I alluded to earlier, Maclin’s catch in the fourth quarter was one of the best of the season by any receiver. He finished the game with 92 yards on six receptions. Both DeSean Jackson and Jason Avant also added touchdowns for the ‘Birds offense. The fact that Jackson was held to just 33 yards goes to show how reliable the receiving core has become.

Offensive Line: D –

Just when I thought the offensive line was starting to come together, the Broncos taught the o-line a lesson on Sunday. The biggest fear moving forward is that the Eagles were unable to adjust once Jamaal Jackson went down with a knee injury. Between the penalties and the lack of blocking, there is plenty to work on before traveling to Dallas this weekend.

Defensive Line/Linebackers: B

Trent Cole finally got a little help from his buddies on the defensive line, but not enough. Darren Howard must have had his cup of coffee that Santa gave him, as he recorded a sack and a tackle for a loss on Sunday. Juqua Parker also notched a sack and a tackle for loss. Obar n the whole, the defensive front totaled seven TFL’s and held the rushing attack to just 70 yards. I would still like to see more of a pass rush, especially when the matchup against the pass-happy Cowboys.

Will Macho Harris remain the kick returner for the Eagles after Sunday's performance

Secondary: C

Jabar Gaffney- seven receptions for 69 yards and two touchdowns…really Eagles? Asante Samuel grabbed another interception, but still can’t tackle if his life depended on it. Asante is not the only one who can’t tackle and Sean McDermott will most likely spend a lot of time with tackling drills this week.

Macho Harris: F

Rarely do I single out a player like this, but Macho Harris deserves some negative attention after his performance today. He single-handedly almost lost the game for the Eagles. While I disagree whole-heartedly with the penalty that he caused after Asante’s interception, a penalty is still a penalty. The interception ended up hurting the Eagles more than benefitting them because they had worse field position and it led to a Broncos touchdown. Secondly, Harris fumbled twice on kickoffs, one of which led to a Bronco touchdown in the fourth quarter. It might be a short tenure for Harris in the Eagles uniform.

Special Teams (aside from Harris): B

Macho Harris should treat Akers to dinner this week after saving his performance. Akers nailed a game-winning field goal with four seconds left along with hitting two other clutch kicks. Along with Harris, I have a feeling that Sav Rocca’s career in Philadelphia could be short-lived. He is way too streaky of a punter and it showed on Sunday. He punted the ball five times and four of them were pretty pathetic kicks in my opinion. For such an easy position, there is no excuse to underperform.

To be optimistic after the sloppy win, I think this game was something that they Eagles needed going into the playoffs. They underperformed and were still able to squeak a win out. In times of struggle, they were still able to pull out a win through big plays. Now they will face the rivaled Dallas Cowboys for first-place in the division and a potential chance at a first round bye. For those of you unaware, the Eagles must beat the Cowboys to win the division. If the Minnesota Vikings lose any of their remaining games and the Eagles beat the Cowboys next week, Philadelphia will jump to second in the NFC because the Eagles have more conference wins than the Vikings. Let’s see how it all plays out.



EAGLES: fourth-quarter drive saves Eagles season

It was not the prettiest of games, but there was one thing that truly stood out to me on Sunday night. It wasn’t the sight of Devin Hester’s backside that was broadcasted to the millions of viewers, but rather a fourth quarter game-winning drive by the Eagles. For once, the Eagles were not the victims of a late-game run. The Eagles shook off an extremely mediocre first half (where they should have been down by 21 points had Jay Cutler learned how to throw a touchdown pass) and clinched the game with a 10-yard run by LeSean McCoy.

Sorry for the delay on the post, but here are this week’s grades:

Quarterback: B

After the game, McNabb had this to say to the media, “It wouldn’t have mattered if we had won 3-2, this was a game we needed to come out and win by any means necessary.” I couldn’t have said it better myself. He didn’t make the best plays, but he showed the pose on a final drive that Eagles fans have rarely seen. One statistic that really stuck out to me after the game was McNabb’s success on play-action plays. During the game, McNabb was 9-10 for 115 yards and two touchdown passes. That’s a passer rating of 154.2. However, under the shot gun or on non-play action passes, his passer rating was only 60.6 (14-22 for 129 yards and an interception).

Is LeSean McCoy ready to be a premier back in the league

Running back: B+

After a rough week against the Chargers, LeSean McCoy responded with 20 rushes for 99 yards. He took the heavy load and answered some questions about the run game for the Eagles. Not to take too much credit away from McCoy, the Bears defense is not anything to call home about. I don’t think the running game against Chicago could be discussed without the breakout play by Michael Vick. For the first time since entering prison, Vick made a large impact on the football field when his only rush of the game resulted in a 34-yard gain. However, I’m pretty sure that I could have hit that hole created by the offensive line.

Wide Receivers: B

Welcome back DeSean Jackson. He was nowhere to be found last week, but caught another long pass for a touchdown. He finished with his third 100-yard game and fifth game of the year with over 90 yards receiving. Even though he is so athletic, he does need to work on his bad case of the butterfingers (2 fumbles, 1 lost). Jeremy Maclin, Brent Celek and Jason Avant all contributed to a very balanced passing attack by the Eagles. Still need to use Celek and Avant more in my opinion.

Offensive Line: C+

The offensive line did a good job as far as run protection, but they still need some work with pass protection and giving McNabb more time. The Bears recorded three sacks, three tackles for losses and seven hits on McNabb. The main reason for giving a C to the offensive line has to do with penalties. Jason Peters picked up two more penalties, giving him a team-leading six on the season. Five of the Eagles’ eight penalties came on the offensive side of the football. Here is a complete breakdown of the Eagles penalties this season

 

Trent Cole seemed to be the only Eagle to show up on Sunday night

Defensive Line/Linebackers: C+

Not the strongest performance by the Eagles defensive front. They were unable to cause any turnovers and the Bears averaged 6.3 yards per carry (mostly due to Kahlil Bell’s 72-yard rush in the second half) The linebackers seemed to struggle with coverage for most of the game, especially with tight end Greg Olsen. How shocking? Olsen finished with only 42 yards, but he should have finished with about 90 yards and a touchdown. If only Jay Cutler knew how to hit a receiver that is. The Bears offensive line dominated the ‘Birds’ line for the entire game. The only sack came from Trent Cole and Jay Cutler was only hit two times the entire game. It only makes it harder on the defensive backs when the front seven don’t put pressure on the quarterback.

 

Secondary: C

Just when you thought the secondary solved their tackling woes, it took five different Eagles to take down Earl Bennett. Even though Sean Jones had an interception, I thought the secondary played pretty poorly against a terrible wide receiving core. As I mentioned twice before in the post, the Eagles are very lucky that Jay Cutler played so poorly or else the secondary could have earned a failing grade. Both Devin Hester and Johnny Knox beat the secondary for what should have been touchdowns. For how talented the secondary is individually, they really need to improve as a whole.

 

Special Teams: B+

I’m a big fan of Macho Harris as the Eagles return man. He is athletic and is not afraid to hit the holes, averaging 25.2 per return. David Akers wasn’t tested too much on Sunday as he hit his only field goal of 25 yards.

 

The win against Chicago saved the season for the Eagles. I am not convinced that the ‘Birds are a top team in the NFC because they are too young and inexperienced. However, I do believe that the Eagles are always a contender because their role players know how to win and the defense has the ability to be one of the best in the NFL.

The Eagles are going to be tested for pretty much the rest of the season. There are no more gimme’s from here on out. Up next, the Eagles take on the two-faced Washington Redskins. At the beginning of the season, the Redskins were statistically one of the worst teams in the NFL. As of late, they have won a few crucial games and they realize they are playing a divisional game. While the game is at home, this is no push-over. Happy Turkey weekend and see you on Sunday.

EAGLES: 53-man roster announced

The Eagles announced the final changes to their roster earlier this morning. The Eagles needed to make cuts by Saturday, however the coaches announced several changes for the beginning of the regular season.

During his second season with the team, A.J. Feeley led the Eagles to a 4-1 record to close out the season

The cut that received the most attention was the decision to let go quarterback A.J. Feeley. As I mentioned in earlier posts, it should come to no surpise that Feeley was cut now that Michael Vick is only out for the first two games. Feeley played for six seasons with the Eagles and has been one of the most respected backup quarterbacks in the league. Many people thought that Feeley would be traded instead of cut because he technically could practice with the team for the first two weeks. Since Michael Vick is on the exempt list, he cannot practice with the team until after the second week of the regular season. This means that the Eagles could have kept Feeley and used him as trade bait until Vick is activated.

With the release of Feeley, the Eagles added defensive tackle Antonio Dixon. The defenseman was waived by the Washington Redskins a few days ago and will become the fourth defensive tackle on the Eagles roster. The 6-foot-3, 322 pounder recorded eight tackles during the preseason and was an undrafted free agent from the University of Miami.

The following players also were cut: Lorenzo Booker, Dan Klecko, Tank Daniels, Danny Amendola, Eugene Bright, Kyle Eckel, Paul Fanaika, Josh Gaines, Curtis Gatewood, Mike Gibson, Rob Myers, Dallas Reynolds, Bryan Smith, Matt Schobel, Matt Wilhelm, Trae Williams, Willie Williams.

Despite originally getting cut on Saturday, CB Jack Ikegwuonu (from the University of Wisconsin I might add), S Reshard Langford, LB Jeremy Leman, and FB Marcus Mailei were added to the Eagles practice squad earlier today. Leman was cut by the Panthers on Saturday and the other three were cut by the Eagles. It is also expected that Amendola, Fanaika, Gibson, and Myers are expected to join the practice team.

The biggest surprise that I noticed about the roster cuts was that the Eagles did not cut a wide receiver. It was originally speculated that the Eagles would probably go with six wide receivers and either Reggie Brown, Hank Baskett, or Brandon Gibson would be cut. However, it seems as though head coach Andy Reid is comfortably with the depth at wide receiver and decided to keep seven wide receivers for the regular season.

Harris was a prominent part of the Virginia Tech defense last season

Another piece of interesting news came from defensive coordinator Sean McDermott on Monday. He announced that rookie free safety Macho Harris will start for the regular season. Second-year free safety Quintin Demps was expected to be the start, however McDermott was very impressed with Harris’ performance against the Jets on Thursday.  Demps also watched his starting role as kick returner diminish this weekend. Reid announced that cornerback Ellis Hobbs will be the primary kick returner, as he had a lot of success returning for the New England Patriots last season.

Finally, offensive tackle Shawn Andrews is back and expects to start for the Eagles on Sunday.

That’s all of the news for now from the roster decisions. The Eagles will open the season this Sunday at Carolina.