VAcowboy
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It was a preseason game, but I think Pittsburgh exposed some issues Philly is going to be dealing with all season.
• Numero uno is the premature crowning of Michael Vick. He has exceptional athleticism and movement skills for a QB, as well as a whiplash arm, but it takes more than that to succeed in the NFL. He had a nice ride last year until teams began game planning for an athlete like him running Andy Reid's offense. He's unique, no doubt, and it took a little while, but defensive coaches caught on toward the end of last season, and Vick began his fall back to earth. The media says he's a reformed player with a new game, but I don't buy it. He'll never be the pocket passer dumbasses in studios around the country claim he's become. Make him stay in the pocket, knock him around, and he'll make mistakes. That was obviously Pissburgh's strategy last night.
• Philly has three good corners, but I think they're all a bit overrated and will be tested as a unit. They're all used to being "The Guy," and I have a hard time believing any of them will be happy sitting on the bench. Reid is either gonna play a ton of nickel or listen to a lot of grumbling. How long 'til we see signs of trouble in paradise?
• The defensive line harasses QBs, but you can punch them in the mouth. With the exception of Jenkins, Philly's D-linemen are finesse guys who can be pushed around. Pissburgh did it all night last night with a patchwork offensive line that was down to a third-stringer at right OT. Part of the problem is the JAGs playing linebacker, who have little experience and no size. I mean, the rookie, Casey Mathews, looks more like Repunzel running around out there than an NFL MLB. The other two starters, Chaney and Fokou, are a 2nd and a third year guy who go 240 and 236 respectively.
• Speaking of young guys in over their heads, how about Nate Allen and Kurt Coleman? Philly may have some studs at corner, but their safety situation looks worse than ours. I'll admit, I wanted Nate Allen last year, but from what I saw last night I'm really glad Jerry passed. Both he and Coleman looked lost most of the time got roasted badly more than a handful of times. And like 2/3 of the team's top three CBs, neither safety looked like he especially wanted to hit anything.
• Other than Peters and maybe Herremans, the starting OL doesn't exactly scream "DOMINANCE." Jammal Brown is an average player. Rookie Danny Watkins is an unknown quantity, and unfortunately for Vick, King Dunlap isn't. (Ryan Harris will prolly be starting at RT when the regular season rolls around.) I was actually surprised at times at how well the five of them held up against the Pissburgh blitz, but the Vickolator was still running for his life most of the five minutes he was on the field in the first half. Pass blocking aside, though, I think Philly is going to have some real problems. I think the rushing yards the Eagles managed last night were a testimony to the quality of their RBs. McCoy is faaaaast and slick as snot. All of his yards came off cutbacks away from where a hole was supposed to be. Defensive coordinators will shut that crap down in the regular season.
Bottom line: Did Philly really manage the cap better than everyone else? I'd argue that there's a reason they had tons of money to spend and are the youngest team in the league. Instead of ponying up and paying their vets, they let some good players go and replaced them with unproven commodities, guys like Stewart Bradley, Quintin Mikell and Shaun Andrews. They spent a ton of money on NA and Jenkins, but nothing at safety, linebacker or offensive line. This team created huge holes for itself by doing what it gets lauded for: letting players go at the "right" time and replacing them by drafting solidly. Except Philly hasn't done so hot in the latter department of late. It's ironic to me how the team-building philosophy which has made the Philadelphia Eagles the model NFL franchise went out the window this offseason, and now the team is being praised for becoming the Washington Redskins. Obviously, it remains to be seen how this is going to play out, but I can't see an attempt to buy a Super Bowl working any better in Philthadelphia than it has anywhere else.
• Numero uno is the premature crowning of Michael Vick. He has exceptional athleticism and movement skills for a QB, as well as a whiplash arm, but it takes more than that to succeed in the NFL. He had a nice ride last year until teams began game planning for an athlete like him running Andy Reid's offense. He's unique, no doubt, and it took a little while, but defensive coaches caught on toward the end of last season, and Vick began his fall back to earth. The media says he's a reformed player with a new game, but I don't buy it. He'll never be the pocket passer dumbasses in studios around the country claim he's become. Make him stay in the pocket, knock him around, and he'll make mistakes. That was obviously Pissburgh's strategy last night.
• Philly has three good corners, but I think they're all a bit overrated and will be tested as a unit. They're all used to being "The Guy," and I have a hard time believing any of them will be happy sitting on the bench. Reid is either gonna play a ton of nickel or listen to a lot of grumbling. How long 'til we see signs of trouble in paradise?
• The defensive line harasses QBs, but you can punch them in the mouth. With the exception of Jenkins, Philly's D-linemen are finesse guys who can be pushed around. Pissburgh did it all night last night with a patchwork offensive line that was down to a third-stringer at right OT. Part of the problem is the JAGs playing linebacker, who have little experience and no size. I mean, the rookie, Casey Mathews, looks more like Repunzel running around out there than an NFL MLB. The other two starters, Chaney and Fokou, are a 2nd and a third year guy who go 240 and 236 respectively.
• Speaking of young guys in over their heads, how about Nate Allen and Kurt Coleman? Philly may have some studs at corner, but their safety situation looks worse than ours. I'll admit, I wanted Nate Allen last year, but from what I saw last night I'm really glad Jerry passed. Both he and Coleman looked lost most of the time got roasted badly more than a handful of times. And like 2/3 of the team's top three CBs, neither safety looked like he especially wanted to hit anything.
• Other than Peters and maybe Herremans, the starting OL doesn't exactly scream "DOMINANCE." Jammal Brown is an average player. Rookie Danny Watkins is an unknown quantity, and unfortunately for Vick, King Dunlap isn't. (Ryan Harris will prolly be starting at RT when the regular season rolls around.) I was actually surprised at times at how well the five of them held up against the Pissburgh blitz, but the Vickolator was still running for his life most of the five minutes he was on the field in the first half. Pass blocking aside, though, I think Philly is going to have some real problems. I think the rushing yards the Eagles managed last night were a testimony to the quality of their RBs. McCoy is faaaaast and slick as snot. All of his yards came off cutbacks away from where a hole was supposed to be. Defensive coordinators will shut that crap down in the regular season.
Bottom line: Did Philly really manage the cap better than everyone else? I'd argue that there's a reason they had tons of money to spend and are the youngest team in the league. Instead of ponying up and paying their vets, they let some good players go and replaced them with unproven commodities, guys like Stewart Bradley, Quintin Mikell and Shaun Andrews. They spent a ton of money on NA and Jenkins, but nothing at safety, linebacker or offensive line. This team created huge holes for itself by doing what it gets lauded for: letting players go at the "right" time and replacing them by drafting solidly. Except Philly hasn't done so hot in the latter department of late. It's ironic to me how the team-building philosophy which has made the Philadelphia Eagles the model NFL franchise went out the window this offseason, and now the team is being praised for becoming the Washington Redskins. Obviously, it remains to be seen how this is going to play out, but I can't see an attempt to buy a Super Bowl working any better in Philthadelphia than it has anywhere else.
towel) but that they could split with the Giants and Eagles.