The Philadelphia Eagles have been anointed as the ?Dream Team? whether they like it or not and now they'll have to live up to the lofty expectations that go along with that moniker. They are far from a perfect team though, with several areas that warrant watching as the preseason progresses.
3: Linebackers
Casey Matthews, Moise Fokou and Jamar Chaney are the expected starters for an otherwise stout defense. The three have combined to play in just 45 NFL games and, aside from Fokou, aren't yet a battle tested unit.
Matthews' brother is Green Bay Packers sack master Clay Matthews. Casey will be hard pressed to live up to the large shadow cast by his brother, but the Eagles will be relying on their fourth-round pick to generate a lot of tackles from the middle linebacker spot.
Chaney will move from middle linebacker to strong-side linebacker with the addition of Matthews. He made just 42 tackles last season, however, he started to excel as his playing time increased near the end of the season. Chaney has great speed for a linebacker making him very capable of playing in coverage.
Fokou has played in all 32 games of his two-year career and is the frontrunner for the weak-side linebacker spot. He has struggled against the run and could be the weakest player on the entire Eagles defense. Akeem Jordan and Keenan Clayton could steal the job from Fokou before long.
2: Offensive Line
The problem with the Eagles offensive line doesn't seem to be talent. Instead, there is either an unwillingness to put in a full effort or an inability to gel together. Either way, Philadelphia will need to see improvement before week one.
The left side of the line features Jason Peters, who the Eagles acquired from the Buffalo Bills prior to last season, and seven-year veteran Todd Herremans. Peters biggest issue has been quick defensive ends, but new line coach Howard Mudd should help him solve that problem.
The starting center job is up for grabs between Jamaal Jackson and rookie Jason Kelce. While Jackson has a leg up in the experience factor and knowledge of the offense, Kelce has exceeded expectations in training camp and fits the mold of Mudd's previous center, Jeff Saturday.
At right guard is another rookie, Danny Watkins. Watkins was the Eagles first-round selection and is expected to step right into the starting lineup and have a big impact in the running game. At right tackle, whoever can stay healthy between Ryan Harris and Winston Justice will win the job, but will likely represent a weak spot on the line.
1: Michael Vick and Jeremy Maclin's Health
If Vick were ever to go down with an injury, the Eagles title hopes would be over. There has been a lot of talk in the media about Vince Young being the same type of quarterback as Vick, in reality though, he is nowhere near the game changer that Vick can be.
Without Maclin, the Eagles receiving corps would have a major lack of depth. Aside from DeSean Jackson, they would be relying on Jason Avant or a banged up Steve Smith to make a bigger impact than should be expected. News on the mysterious Maclin ailment is expected today.
Philadelphia will spend the next 20 weeks praying to the football gods to keep Vick healthy because one hard hit or awkward fall could lead to the demise of their promising season. It is almost like the Eagles are Superman and their only kryptonite is a Vick injury.
Texas Rangers Toronto Blue Jays Atlanta Hawks Boston Celtics Charlotte Bobcats Chicago Bulls
Keine Kommentare:
Kommentar veröffentlichen