Loading ...Next up in our whirlwind trip around the division on the eve of the regular season opener against the Dallas Cowboys, a team who has once referred to themselves as the "Dream Team" and then, more recently, a "Dynasty." Otherwise known as the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Eagles are operating this year under a few contextual backdrops. Last year's "Dream Team Meltdown" hangs over head coach Andy Reid and his job. Also hanging over the head coach and the team, the death of Reid's son Garrett, who passed away during training camp where he worked with the team. But everything with the Eagles starts with one thing…
The offense:
Can Mike Vick stay healthy for a full season? Vick appears to be a magnet for punishment, which is probably a testament to his fearlessness when standing in the pocket and trying to extend plays or pick up yards. That said, he's always cracking a rib or breaking a finger, so it's a fine line. If Vick can stay on the field, he's got more than enough weapons to win a bunch of games. DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin are among the fastest pair of starting wideouts in the league and LeSean McCoy is a truly special running back who can win games by himself.
Of course, McCoy might have to win some games by himself if Vick misses any time. And if recent history is any indication, the Nick Foles and/or Trent Edwards era might show face in Philly sooner rather than later: Vick already took a shot to the ribs that ended his preseason early and had him fitted for a new kevlar vest.
The defense:
Demeco Ryans was the big acquisition for the Eagles this offseason, coming in to hopefully settle a middle linebacker position they've been trying to settle down for years. Playing behind Cullen Jenkins, Trent Cole and Jason Babin, Ryans should have a chance earn his money on a defense that was absolutely gashed on the ground last season.
Big acquisitions from the past two years, Dominique Rogers-Cromartie and Nnamdi Asomugha, highlight the defensive backfield. These guys are considered upper end and elite NFL corner status respectively, but neither of them looked it in last year's mess. All in all, the Eagles defense looks like it has more than enough talent to be a top unit if they can put some things together.
X-Factor:
Our X-Factor for the Cowboys was the offensive line and maybe there's a theme appearing as we look back to that unit here, but this time at a particular player. Or lack thereof.
The Eagles lost left tackle Jason Peters to a torn Achilles during summer workouts. That late in the offseason, it's really hard to find an adequate replacement for at such a high-priority position, much less one as good as Peters. If whoever wins the left tackle job doesn't do their job, Vick, already the most fragile quarterback in the NFL, is going to get killed.
Our take:
It's hard for us to move on from the 2011 season, because we won the Super Bowl and boy was that Eagles melt down so fun to watch. The Giants won't face the Eagles until week four, so as far as we're concerned Vick's status for the game is doubtful because he's bound to get hurt in weeks 1-3.
Otherwise, we think the Eagles are probably the Giants biggest threat in the division. An offensive with elite speed from running back to wide receiver to, yes, quarterback; a defense that goes after the ball and has an up-and-coming front seven; a team that's coming off a humiliating and humbling 2011 campaign. That Week 17 matchup between the two teams might really close out the season with a bang. For one of the teams.
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Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the Patriots are bringing in Kellen Winslow for a visit.
Sometimes my dry wit is actually factual…I guess Bob Kraft couldn’t hide the phones forever.
49ers list Randy Moss, Michael Crabtree as starting receivers:
Sort of an undereported story is that Moss stuck with the 49ers’s and now looks to start. Any calls on how this may or may not work out?? My call: Randy Moss does not seem to me as a guy who will function well in a run first offense with an average QB not known for the deep ball. I will enjoy the fireworks.
How does Mario not get the nod over Moss at this stage in his career?
Because Mario Manningham is a lunkhead. I told y’all that while he was here, but some of you chose to fawn over his ability to occasionally get past a defense that was focused on Nicks and Cruz.
Manningham has top notch feet, for sure. But his instincts, hands and ability to make plays on the sidelines and in traffic are suspect. Those are a few holes too many for a guy to be a top notch NFL starter.
And they are also holes that Randy Moss, even at this stage in his career, doesn’t have.
Hey, I was never a big fan of Mario’s, and wasn’t really all that sad to see him go.
But I refuse to believe that the passing attack of the f’n 49ers is difficult. Considering the fetus-armed QB they have, its likely “hey 82, run to the left.”
I don’t think Manningham is an elite down field threat like, say… Mike Wallace. He is, however, a fairly one-dimensional player who happened to fit in pretty nicely after Nicks and Cruz. We just didn’t have room for him. The 49′ers got him for a good price. It’s a little over $3 mil for 2 years, not bad at all. He’s replaceable, though, but I am surprised he’s not starting right now. Moss seems to still have straight line speed, but how will he be in actual game situations? I think he’s going to get really frustrated with Alex Smith…
“How does Mario not get the nod over Moss at this stage in his career?”
Perhaps Moss, who also has superior physical skills, got higher than a 4 on his Wunderlic.
Sorry, Wonderlic. I got a 5.
Man, I really have to start by saying I HATE the Eagles, and I HATE the Cowboys. I believe we all share those sentiments, but I’ve had them since the founding date of the Cowboys and their Christian Nation mentality and when Chuck Bednarik laid out Frank Gifford and then stood over him gloating, so I think I get to claim a more longstanding hatred than any of you. There, now that I got that off my chest…….
I think having Moss start in SanFran is less a knock on Manningham than it is an attempt to use Moss’ straight-ahead speed to allow for plenty of drag routes by their two excellent tight ends. Alex Smith will throw a few deep balls intended for Moss but I suspect very few will be successful. But if Moss can force the defense to respect him Smith will, once again, be looking to make a lot of throws to his tight ends in an effort to avoid turnovers and allow their defense to win games for them.
Manningham DOES have his weaknesses, but ignoring his strengths seems to me foolish. And all of you can continue to claim that he’s “easy to replace” but let’s just see if we have someone who, when defenses decide to lock down Nicks and Cruz in tight games in the 4th quarter in the late parts of the season when each play takes on absurd significance, will make those catches that win games. Mario did that in 2011 and through the Super Bowl. Easy to replace? Not in my book. I really love Hixon and have great hopes for Randle, but until they DO it, they haven’t done it. Manningham did, and could have again.
And oh yeah, did I mention how much I hate the Cowboys and the Eagles?
Anyone know what the F happened to the “America’s Game” on NFL network? My guide says it was on at 10:00, so I set it to record, and when I go to watch it, it’s some other garbage?
WTF? I was really looking forward to seeing it tonight, getting me amped for the start of the season!
It was on at 9:00 PM EST. Pretty good, but not absolutely fabulous. Some nice quotes though from TC, Eli, Tuck and Cruz. No video you haven’t already seen all over the place. Well done, but not earthshaking.
I have Comcast Xfinity and they had it at 10:00 in the guide as well, but I was reading that it had been moved. So, luckily, I tuned in at 9 and there it was. I said to my wife, “there are going to be a lot of pissed off Giants fans when they tune in at 10 and this thing is over.” I do not understand why the **** at Comcast couldn’t get this right.
The one thing to remember long term is while we have our hands full in the NFC East the road to the big game in the end will have San Fran in the mix. They could easily go 6-0 inside the NFC West and then a 5-5 record or 6-4 in outside games puts them at 11-12 wins which should be good for a top seed. All of that is reality even with Alex Smith. The NFC north and South are very competive as is the East so 12 wins by San Fran will be tough to beat. For now it’s the old saying…one game at a time.
Just to add to my post; if the experts are going to forgive the lack of defense on the Pats or Packers, then I’m going to forgive Alex Smith at QB and look at the reality of the NFC west and give that SF defense a lot of respect this season. Hawks starting a rookie QB, the Rams rebuilding and the Cards..well their the Cards with terrible QB’s. That takes the cake for worst collection of teams from the AFC west and perhaps a very poor AFC east. San Fran will need to do very little to be a player come January and outside the Super Bowl champs they were dissed all summer long.
I might have bought that argument a decade or two ago. Y’know back in the day when “defense won championships” and teams could get by with middling, mistake free QB play.
For better or worse (worse, IMO) that’s not today’s NFL. Nowadays, having that playmaker under center is absolutely essential to winning a title.
This 49ers team is a throwback, but they are a decade or two too late. We saw Alex Smith’s ceiling last year – a competent bus driver who, at his best, is capable of playing safe, mistake free ball. That was good enough to help the team to a phenomenal +28 turnover differential in 2011 – the main factor why they won 13 games. But when the team needed Alex Smith to make a play, any play, in the NFC Championship game his shortcomings as a QB became glaringly apparent.
Now, if reports are true, Harbaugh is refashioning the Niner offense with an eye toward asking Smith to be more of a playmaking QB. To the coach’s credit, he realizes that his team will likely advance no farther than it did in 2011 without more dynamic QB play. Unfortunately for him, he’s backing the wrong horse. That’s just not Alex Smith’s game. Worse, opening up the offense will probably cause Smith to regress as a QB on account of the team asking him to go away from his strength, which is a conservative game manager QB.
I continue to stand by my prediction that SF is nothing more than a 9-10 win team this year.
For all the talk about the great claiborne who’s Revis as a rookie, he’s not even starting. The great Scandrick is starting week one versus us. This s the same player that was Dallas’ 4th CB last year. And while I agree Carr is a good player he was the #2 CB in KC. KC chose to keep Flowers instead of Carr. So whle agree Dallas upgraded at CB it’s not nearly as impactful as many analysts make it seem. I think the issue is Dallas can’t get consistent QB pressure. It’s almost like if you block Ware that’s their pass rush. Ware is a great player but he can’t do it alone. If we don’t let Ware go LT on us we will be fine.
The Cowboys cornerback play was dreadful last year – but I also think that it’s being made a much bigger scapegoat for the team’s failings in 2011 than is actually warranted.
Yeah, the Boys blew a lot of winnable games last year – but it was not all the CB’s fault. There were Romo’s pick sixes against Detroit; his late pick against the Jets; his overthrow of a wide open Austin in the first Giants game; Garrett icing his own kicker against the Cards…
Bottom line is that this Cowboys team found any number of ways to lose close games that had absolutely nothing to do with the secondary. But in listening to the narrative out of Dallas, one would think that the only thing standing between the Cowboys and dominance last year was incompetent cornerback play – and now that it’s been addressed… watch out NFL!
Which is all just so much horsesh!t, of course. The cornerback play will be better in Dallas this year. But that’s just one piece of a puzzle that was missing a lot more than a single piece last year.
The Eagles are such a pain in the @**. For whatever reason they seem to save their best game for us.
I expect their offense will be up and down for much of the season. People pick them because when they do look good they look REALLY GOOD. But they’re too inconsistent on that side of the ball, especially Vick.
The Defense is what scares me. Quietly they led the league in sacks last year and I expect with DRC and Nnamdi now both playing outside and with a year to adjust to the scheme the D could be elite.
As for tomm night, I expect that Eli will pick on Claiborne a lot. After all it’s his first game in the NFL. The boys would be smart to put Carr on Cruz because #80 will eat the rookie up with those option routes. Should be a fun one tomm night. Michael Coe aka the lower middle class Revis. This might be the start of a new elite CB duo. CWEB and Coe. With Swag locking down the slot of course.
Glad to see Swag upgraded the jersey number to 28 and Wlson to 22. Still think Randle needs to be 81 but at least he’s in the 80′s. You know to be honest Randle might not look bad in #17 but I don’t know if I’m emotionally ready for someone else to rock that number. Maybe the Giants should just retire it. Or at least G101 should.
I nominate Plaxico Burress for the “I score SB winning TD’s against unbeaten opponents” wing of G101. Or the “Al Harris is still trying to clean himself off after the dump I took on him in the NFC Title game” wing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U10h0YTmxjQ
I can’t sleep. Good to know I still get so excited about the beginning of the season. I’m in the middle of negotiating a huge real estate deal and will be engaged today in them but will spend most of my time obsessed with getting to the game and beating the hated Cowboys. How great is it to be a crazy fan of this easy team for which to root?
I have said this before, but you young ‘uns should savor this. It’s the best period I’ve ever experienced as a fan over a 60-year span of passionate rooting for the Men in Blue. I’m grateful to have experienced it and you should all keep in mind how rare this is so you remember to ENJOY it.
just picked up my new Led TV. Im soooooo ready for tonight