EAGLES: Philadelphia Could Be In Trouble Without Samuel

It was not the news that Eagles fans were hoping to hear just one day before the primetime matchup with the Dallas Cowboys. For the third straight game, cornerback Asante Samuel will not be on the sidelines for Philadelphia. Right tackle Winston Justice will also miss Sunday’s game with a knee injury.

It’s pretty obvious how important Samuel is to the secondary. Despite missing three games (and about to be four) this season, he still leads the NFL with seven interceptions. Of those seven interceptions, three came in the fourth quarter (two of which on final drives by opposing teams). He isn’t the best tackler and he tends to give up some big passes, but he is a playmaker. If you don’t believe it, just take a look at the three games that Samuel didn’t play in this season.

Who will finally step up with Asante on the sideline?

On October 10^th, Samuel missed the 49ers game with a concussion. Alex Smith passed for 309 yards and three touchdowns. Two receivers, Michael Crabtree and Vernon Davis both had over 100 receiving yards. Two weeks ago, Jay Cutler had one of the best passing performances of his career. He threw four touchdown passes and 247 yards en route to a Bears win. Finally, last Thursday Matt Schaub passed all over the Eagles, throwing for 337 yards (149 of which to Andre Johnson). In those three games, the opposing team averaged 24.6 points, 297 passing yards, and three touchdown passes. On top of that, the top wide receiver for each of those teams averaged 111 receiving yards per game.

It’s pretty obvious the Eagles pass defense has been struggling without Samuel on the field. He brings a veteran presence to a group of cornerbacks that are very inexperienced. With Ellis Hobbs done for the year, the ‘Birds have had to rely on the young trio of Joselio Hanson, Dmitri Patterson and Trevard Lindley to cover the best receivers on opposing teams.

Heading into a game with the pass-happy Dallas Cowboys, this spells trouble for the Eagles secondary. Even though Dez Bryant will miss the rest of the season, the Cowboys still have one of the strongest receiving cores in the league. Miles Austin and Jason Witter are Eagle killers and Roy Williams has stepped up the last couple of weeks. Led by Jon Kita, Dallas has won three out of the last four games. In those three wins, Kitna has thrown a combined seven touchdowns and is averaging a 118 quarterback rating.

Offensively, the loss of Winston Justice could be a problem against a tough Dallas defensive line. King Dunlap, who has been nothing short of a disaster at many times this season, is going to fill in at tackle. He is going to need to defend the speed linebacker DeMarcus Ware, who has 9.5 sacks and eight tackles for losses this season. We have seen what Michael Vick can do with time in the pocket, so it’s going to be very important that Dunlap holds his own against a Cowboys team that has nothing to lose. They are going to do everything possible to ruin the Eagles season much like they did last year.

This is the beginning of the hardest part of the Eagles schedule. Back to back road games against NFC East teams is going to be the difference in whether or not the Eagles make the postseason. If they can get to 11 wins, then they are most likely a sure bet to take the division. However, if they lay an egg down the stretch, then the explosive Eagles could find themselves left out of the race with the top-heavy NFC.

EAGLES: ‘Birds Hold on to Beat Colts

It wasn’t pretty, but the win Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts may have just defined the Eagles season. It was extremely back and forth, but it seemed like it was mostly the Eagles game to lose.

The Eagles missed a number of crucial opportunities to put the game out of reach against the Colts. The most concerning aspect of the game was the offensive red zone woes. Philadelphia was unable to convert a touchdown on three-straight red zone chances that would have completely changed the outlook of the game. Even though the offense struggled a bit in the red zone, it was the Eagles defense that ended up being the main reasons for the victory.

For the third time this season, the Eagles defense was able to close out the victory in the final seconds of the game. In the second game of the season, they forced quarterback Shaun Hill into throwing four incomplete passes on the final drive for the Lions. In week five, Trevard Lindley intercepted an Alex Smith pass in the final minute of the game against the 49ers. And then yesterday cornerback Asante Samuel intercepted Peyton Manning’s pass in the last few seconds to drain the rest of the clock and give the Eagles their fifth win of the season. Say what you want about the troubling defense and the status of defensive coordinator Sean McDermott, but this unit has come through in the clutch a number of times this season.

Sunday’s game also welcomed back quarterback Michael Vick and wide receiver DeSean Jackson. I think it’s safe to say that Eagles fans were excited to see their two most explosive players back on the field, as they accounted for 109 yards and a touchdown together. Vick did a great job controlling the game and more importantly keeping Peyton Manning off the field.

Grades:

Quarterback: A—

Michael Vick did it all with his arm and legs on Sunday

I think it’s pretty safe to say that a healthy Michael Vick gives the Eagles a better chance of winning this season. As we saw on Sunday, he adds a completely different dimension to every game with what he is able to do with his legs. He rushed for 74 yards and converted a number of third down plays by scrambling around the field.

It is also obvious that there is a special connection between Vick and wide receiver DeSean Jackson. Much like Kevin Kolb often found Jeremy Maclin, Vick and Jackson work extremely well together. A lot of this has to do with Vick’s ability to throw the long ball, something that worked very well for the Eagles last season with Donovan McNabb and Jackson.

Running back: B+

I love what I’m seeing from the running game. Another positive of having Vick behind center is that he helps take the pressure off LeSean McCoy. Even though McCoy only had 16 carries on the afternoon, he still averaged 5.9 yards per carry and finished with 95 yards on the ground. The only concern here is that 62 of those yards came on the opening run of the game, so that means that he had 33 yards in the final three quarters.

If Shady continues at this pace for the second half of the season, he will finish with close to 1,200 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Wide Receivers: B

I can’t say enough about how much DeSean Jackson changes the game and the rest of the receiving core. He finished with seven receptions for 109 yards and a touchdown on Sunday. However, a receiver like Jackson is supposed to create better numbers for the other receivers who aren’t seeing as much coverage. This was not really the case on Sunday as Jeremy Maclin, Jason Avant, Owen Schmidt and LeSean McCoy combined for the same number of yards as Jackson. What’s even more troubling is that Brent Celek did not record a catch against the Colts. He was only targeted once so I don’t know if that speaks to his inability to get open or Michael Vick’s unwillingness to look for his tight end option.

Offensive Line: C+

There was a tale of two different offensive lines on Sunday. In the first half, the line did a great job protecting Michael Vick and LeSean McCoy. The offense was clicking (until the red zone) and it seemed like the offensive line was headed in the right direction. In the second half, the Eagles were unable to get much going due to the lack of time Vick had in the pocket and how much McCoy struggled to get past the line of scrimmage. The Colts finished the game with three sacks, six tackles for losses and two pass deflections at the line of scrimmage. Those numbers need to improve.

Defensive line/Linebackers: A–

Even though the Colts were without Joseph Addai and Mike Hart, the Eagles front seven did a spectacular job defending the run. They held the Colts to 62 yards on the ground and a mere 3.3 yards per carry on the afternoon. They have definitely stepped things up in the last four weeks, holding opposing running backs to an average of 3.2 yards per carry.

The linebackers are still struggling when it comes to defending the tight end. If anyone has watched Peyton Manning in his long career, they would know that he loves to throw it to his tight end (just look at Dallas Clark’s numbers). In just his second game of the season, tight end Jacob Tamme led all receivers with 11 receptions for 108 yards and a touchdown. That is now the third time this season the Eagles defense has given up over 100 yards to an opposing tight end.

Asante Samuel recorded two interceptions, including the game-ending interception

Secondary: A

Similar to the Colts’ running game, Peyton Manning did not have much to work with on offense when it came to his receiving core. However, the Eagles secondary did force two interceptions from Manning, which matches the number of interceptions he has thrown through the first seven games of the season. Manning completed less than 60 percent of his passes for just the third time this season and his passer rating of 65.7 was the second worse this year.

It looks like the days of Ellis Hobbs starting are officially over. In his first start of the season, Dmitri Patterson did a great job and accounted for six tackles. Rookie Kurt Coleman also did a nice job filling in for the injured Nate Allen. Reports today say that Allen has a sprained neck and most likely will not play next week against Washington, so look for Coleman to potentially make his first start of his career.

Special Teams: B

David Akers is back on track as one of the most consistent kickers in the National Football League after knocking down all four of his field goals. Punter Sav Rocca did a great job punting and forcing bad field position for the Colts all game. I would still like to see more production from Jorrick Calvin on kick and punt returns. He averaged 30 yards on kick returns, but his only punt return went for a net loss of one yard.

Check out this video to see the Eagles locker room reaction after the win.

Even though it may have drained a year or two off my life, the win against the Colts could not have come at a more opportune time for the Eagles. They are relatively healthy now and seem to show strides towards one of the best teams in the NFC. The tough second half schedule continues on Monday night when they attempt to get revenge against the Washington Redskins.

In other exciting Philadelphia Eagles news, the Dallas Cowboys have just fired Wade Phillips, furthering the already dreadful Cowboys season.

EAGLES: Looking back at the Eagles preseason game against Jacksonville

There was a lot to take away from the Eagles first preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Friday night. From the positive to the negative, the Eagles 28-27 win illustrated that the ‘Birds are still far from game-ready.

If the Eagles could work the west coast offense they did on the first drive, this is going to be a fun year to be an Eagles fan. First off, the Eagles scored on four of their first five drives. Quarterback Kevin Kolb looked relaxed in his completions to DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin for big gains over the middle. The drive ended in a field goal, but that was due to a dropped touchdown pass by Brent Celek. DeSean Jackson was wide open on the side of the endzone and was probably a better option, but there’s no excuse for a drop like that in the red zone. Kolb went 6-for-11 for 95 yards on the night and still realizes there’s a lot to work on before the regular season.

Michael Vick on the other hand was full of ups and downs. He had a great vintage-Vick touchdown run, but also tossed an interception and missed a few crucial passes. His best pass of the night came on a 46-yard toss to rookie wide receiver Riley Cooper. I was surprised at the lack of Wildcat play-calling throughout the game. Maybe Andy finally got it through his head that it wasn’t fooling anyone.

Don't let Chad Hall's size fool you

The player of the game was 5-foot-8 wide receiver Chad Hall. Despite competing at the deepest position of the Eagles roster, Hall’s spectacular performance on Friday night may have solidified his spot on the 53-man list; whether that be as a wide receiver or return specialist. The rookie hauled in a 57-yard pass from Mike Kafka over the middle on top of a few large gains from end-arounds. Despite his tiny stature, his speed is unmatched by almost anyone on the roster. And we all know how much Andy Reid loves speed. Even if Reid decides to take four or five receivers, I can’t imagine he will pass up on Hall’s versatility and ability to be a kick/punt returner.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Eagles first team was very strong in the first quarter. They didn’t see much action (6 plays to be exact), which is a positive considering they forced back-to-back three and outs. Because of that, there’s not much to report on rookies Brandon Graham and Nate Allen, who are two of the biggest question marks coming into the regular season.

The secondary saw the most action against the Jaguars. Seventh-round standout Kurt Coleman, who has opened eyes during training camp, was the Eagles most consistent defensive player on Friday night. Similar to Chad Hall, he may have secured a spot on the team with his performance, making a few big hits (most noticeably the hit on Mike Sims-Walker to break up a 4^th down attempt) and pass deflections.

Veterans Stewart Bradley, Ernie Sims, Broderick Bunkley, Asante Samuel, and Ellis Hobbs all played very well with the first team offense.

Cornerback Joselio Hanson was beat badly by Troy Williamson in the second half, which led to a 73-yard touchdown pass. Hanson is battling Dimitri Patterson and Trevard Lindley for the second cornerback spot on the depth chart and plays like that are certainly not going to help. Linebacker/defensive end Moises Fokou was called for illegal contact and failed to make up for it the rest of the night.

Safety Kurt Coleman is making strides to be the backup safety

Overall, the most important part of the night was that the Eagles remained injury free (with the exception of Antoine Harris). Both the offense and defense showed a lot of bright spots, but more importantly left a lot of room for improvement. The next preseason game is on Friday, August 20^th at Cincinnati.

Updates from Training Camp

-Jason Avant’s brilliant and unnoticed streak of catches may have ended today. Until the morning practice, Avant had not dropped a single pass during training camp and preseason (which according to Marty Mornhineg has been over 100 passes so far). Avant still claims it was a fumble and not a drop pass, jokingly adding, “I caught it and he poked it out. It was a fumble,” he said. The Eagles are lucky to have him as a slot receiver.

-The luck, or lack thereof, continues for running back Mike Bell. After sitting out for the last two weeks with a hamstring injury, Bell left the field this morning with a strained calf muscle. Let’s hope these nagging injuries end fast.

- The Eagles activated left guard Todd Herremans and center Jamaal Jackson from the physically unable to perform list. Herremans has not played with the team since early on during the spring practices and Jackson has been rehabbing a torn ACL that occured against the Broncos on December 26^th. Center Nick Cole is expected to return later in the week after sitting out with knee swelling. Considering how well Mike McGlynn played in his debut as a starter against Jacksonville, it should make for a great position battle between Jackson, Cole and McGlynn.

- Harbor continues to practice with the first team. Ingram’s calf is still tender and he remains out of training camp while Harbor inches closer to the second spot

-According to the last reports from ESPN.com, it looks as though former Eagle Brian Westbrook is going to sign with the St. Louis Rams on Monday. Good for B-West.

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: Summing up the Eagles draft

Nate Allen aka the "Donovan McNabb pick"...can he fill in for Sheldon Brown?

At the end of the day, there’s not too much to critique about the Eagles draft. They did what they needed to do. They addressed their main problems from last season by taking nine defensemen in their 13 picks (their first five and six of their first eight). Andy Reid and Howie Roseman practically revamped their defensive line (three DE’s and one DT) and added a few key players to their secondary (two safeties and one cornerback) and linebacker core (three).

Even though I was a bit skeptical at first, articles about safety Nate Allen (South Florida) swayed me with the pick. Apparently former Eagle J.R. Reed has worked with Allen first-hand and gave the Eagles insight into his talent and ability to fill Brian Dawkins’ old role at safety. Allen’s numbers were best during his senior season (4 interceptions and 55 tackles) despite only playing seven games for the Bulls. In order to fill that void, Allen will have to beat out Macho Harris, Quintin Demps and Marlin Jackson.

I also like the decision to go with Daniel Te’o-Nesheim. He was a force for Washington during his collegiate career, notching 11 sacks on the season and 30 ½ during his four years (school record). He is a bit undersized, but he had a great outing during his combine: second-fastest in the 3-cone drill and third-best 20-yard shuttle at his position.

Sapp could be a big steal for the Eagles if he stays healthy

Although once considered a first round draft pick in 2009, Kentucky’s Trevard Lindley missed most of his senior season with a high ankle sprain. He played in 48 games, totaling 10 interceptions, 189 tackles, 44 pass break-ups and three fumble recoveries while earning first-team All-SEC honors as a junior in 2008. If his health is not a major concern, this might have been a good steal for the Eagles at the cornerback position.

One of the best defensive picks in my opinion was Ricky Sapp. The former Clemson Tiger is reckless and compiled 16 sacks and 160 tackles during his four years. He could be a big help to pass protection because one of his biggest strengths is getting to the quarterback. The only big concern is his history of an ACL tear during his junior season in college.

Kafka is a good third string option at quarterback

On the offensive side of the ball, the front office selected Mike Kafka (QB: Northwestern), Clay Harbor (TE: Missouri State), Riley Cooper (WR: Florida), and Charles Scott (RB: LSU). Kafka will be a solid third string option behind Kevin Kolb and Michael Vick. He had a great senior year for the Wildcats and led them to a 8-4 record with 16 touchdown passes.

Wide receiver Riley Cooper had a standout senior season for the Gators. Despite only racking in 535 yards and nine touchdowns in his first three seasons, Cooper became Tim Tebow’s favorite target last season and finished with 961 yards and nine touchdowns. He has good height at 6-3, which will help him standout during training camp as he competes for the four and five spots on the depth chart.

For a look at scouting reports for the other draft picks, click here.

The only main issue I had with the Eagles draft was the lack of attention toward the offensive line. Even though scouts say offensive linemen are the hardest to draft, I still think the Eagles should have focused on bulking up their line after a treacherous 2009 season. Considering Kevin Kolb has yet to prove himself as a quarterback that can throw the ball 40 times a game, shouldn’t the Eagles focus on giving him and the running game a little protection? I’m sure the Eagles will sign a number of undrafted offensive linemen in the next few weeks before mini camps begin, but will that solve the problems? I’m not saying I disliked the defensive mentality in the draft, but I do think the Eagles are forgetting how little their offense was able to do at some points during last season.

Now we wait and see if any of these draft picks become DeSean Jackson’s or Trent Cole’s.