Philadelphia Eagles Season Preview
With training camp a month away, its time to check out where the eagles stand at this point in the offseason:
Quarterback: The Eagles have the best quarterback in the league in Donovan McNabb. Bar none. He is one of the most spectacular players in the league and is learning to play consistently. Backups Koy Detmer and AJ Feeley are also solid, especially when McNabb was knocked out for 6 games last year with a broken leg. Detmer played better than anyone thought he could in a big win over the 49ers, and Feeley came in when Detmer was injured to go 4-1 as a first-time starter.
Running Back: This situation is worrying; although Duce Staley had a nice year last year, rushing for 1000 and receiving 500, he is unhappy with his contract status. Correll Buckhalter set the Eagles rookie rushing record 2 years ago and looked like a future star, but sat out all of last year with a torn ACL. If he can make it all the way back, the position is solid, but it's not a prospect you can depend on. Best case scenario: Staley plays hard and the best player emerges in training camp. Jon Richie is an underrated free-agent signing from the AFC champion Raiders, and is a good blocker and receiver at fullback.
Wide Receivers: The best receiver on the team is Todd Pinkston, who is a skinnier version of Randy Moss -- if that's possible. What sort of person is 6-2, but weighs 165??? Well, he's really fast and can make some incredible catches... all he needs is better concentration on the easy throws. He also gets tackled way too easily, but there's nothing you can do about that at his weight. James Thrash is solid and unspectacular as the other starter; I'd like to see someone with more upside replace him. Freddie Mitchell was a first round pick two years ago who's done nothing to this point -- this will be his last chance to show something. We always hear about his great hands and fearlessness over the middle, but he's just never gotten the playing time to prove it. This year's 3rd round pick Billy McMullen is intriguing. A real big guy at 6-4, 220, he might be a step slow, but apparently he has gigantic hands and is tough to bring down.
Tight End: Chad Lewis is a 2-time pro-bowler and can always be depended on to make the tough catch. This year's second round pick LJ Smith is an incredible athlete, playing both b-ball and football in college. He could be a future star if he works hard enough.
Offensive Line: People used to make fun of the Eagles for drafting some fat lineman each year and tossing him into the lineup. Well now the Eagles have one of the best O-lines in the league. They have three pro-bowlers in giant tackles Tra Thomas (6-7, 350) and Jon Runyan (6-5, 335) and guard Jermane Mayberry, as well as John Welbourn who is on the verge of greatness; he's controlled Warren Sapp the last few times they've played. John Madden always makes fun of Hank Fraley's body, and yes, he's a fat guy, but somehow he makes it work on the field. Depth is a concern, as there are no proven backups.
Preview of Defense to follow... I know, the suspense is killing you.
With training camp a month away, its time to check out where the eagles stand at this point in the offseason:
Quarterback: The Eagles have the best quarterback in the league in Donovan McNabb. Bar none. He is one of the most spectacular players in the league and is learning to play consistently. Backups Koy Detmer and AJ Feeley are also solid, especially when McNabb was knocked out for 6 games last year with a broken leg. Detmer played better than anyone thought he could in a big win over the 49ers, and Feeley came in when Detmer was injured to go 4-1 as a first-time starter.
Running Back: This situation is worrying; although Duce Staley had a nice year last year, rushing for 1000 and receiving 500, he is unhappy with his contract status. Correll Buckhalter set the Eagles rookie rushing record 2 years ago and looked like a future star, but sat out all of last year with a torn ACL. If he can make it all the way back, the position is solid, but it's not a prospect you can depend on. Best case scenario: Staley plays hard and the best player emerges in training camp. Jon Richie is an underrated free-agent signing from the AFC champion Raiders, and is a good blocker and receiver at fullback.
Wide Receivers: The best receiver on the team is Todd Pinkston, who is a skinnier version of Randy Moss -- if that's possible. What sort of person is 6-2, but weighs 165??? Well, he's really fast and can make some incredible catches... all he needs is better concentration on the easy throws. He also gets tackled way too easily, but there's nothing you can do about that at his weight. James Thrash is solid and unspectacular as the other starter; I'd like to see someone with more upside replace him. Freddie Mitchell was a first round pick two years ago who's done nothing to this point -- this will be his last chance to show something. We always hear about his great hands and fearlessness over the middle, but he's just never gotten the playing time to prove it. This year's 3rd round pick Billy McMullen is intriguing. A real big guy at 6-4, 220, he might be a step slow, but apparently he has gigantic hands and is tough to bring down.
Tight End: Chad Lewis is a 2-time pro-bowler and can always be depended on to make the tough catch. This year's second round pick LJ Smith is an incredible athlete, playing both b-ball and football in college. He could be a future star if he works hard enough.
Offensive Line: People used to make fun of the Eagles for drafting some fat lineman each year and tossing him into the lineup. Well now the Eagles have one of the best O-lines in the league. They have three pro-bowlers in giant tackles Tra Thomas (6-7, 350) and Jon Runyan (6-5, 335) and guard Jermane Mayberry, as well as John Welbourn who is on the verge of greatness; he's controlled Warren Sapp the last few times they've played. John Madden always makes fun of Hank Fraley's body, and yes, he's a fat guy, but somehow he makes it work on the field. Depth is a concern, as there are no proven backups.
Preview of Defense to follow... I know, the suspense is killing you.
posted by Anonymous at 10:34 AM
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