Before every season, speculation
abounds. Injuries, departures, and new additions make one question the
direction a team will take on its quest for the Lombardi. With football being the team sport that it is,
you need several contributors for a successful season. After last year’s frustrating 8-8 year that
contributed to an exponential increase in expletives being hurled at televisions
across Philadelphia, there were many players on the Birds who didn’t contribute
enough.
Several key developments, including
the aforementioned injuries (Jason Peters), departures (Asante Samuel), and new
additions (DeMeco Ryans) give this season a particular bewildering and hazy
outlook.
I’m sick of reading predictions
from “experts” who half commit and generalize terms. Of course players need to stay healthy. But I’m
unafraid to go out on a limb. So here’s
going out on a limb: Our punt and kick returning teams still miss Reno Mahe.
Here are some key players and predictions
on how their seasons will turn out.
Michael Vick
2010 was the year of Vick. After Kevin Kolb’s head became one with the
turf courtesy of Thor’s evil football playing brother Clay Matthews, Vick was
pressed into duty and ran and threw his way into our hearts.
Last year, however, Vick’s accuracy
and quarterback rating fell, and the Eagles suffered because of it. Vick was mostly playing injured, which would
account for this decline.
The guy just can’t protect himself
from bodily harm. He’s an elusive mobile
quarterback by nature, and probably one of the most talented runners at the
position in the history of the sport. Other
players, it seems, knew how to slide, run out of bounds, or not expose himself
to jarring hits on every play.
Let’s face it: Vick can be an elite
quarterback as long as he stays healthy.
You’ve heard that enough times to get sick of it.
Prediction: Vick starts 14 games.
Nnamdi Asomugha
Brought in as cure to the secondary
ills of the defense, the lanky-armed Asomugha was far from a blanket on
opposing Wide Receivers last season. Could it have to do with the new defense
implemented by Defensive Coordinator Juan Castillo that perhaps took him out of
his element?
It seems like the team has learned
how to put Asomugha in a better position to succeed. While he’s not the turnover machine that
Asante Samuel was, he has the length and cover skills to blanket people like a
throw rug. Still, even with his resurgence,
the secondary looks shaky at best.
Prediction: Asomugha plays much better than last year, and earns
serious Pro Bowl consideration.
DeSean Jackson
Jackson never was a big receptions
guy. Rather, where he shines is in the yards per reception, as opponents in
comparison look like they are direct descendants of molasses. The contract squabbles last year hurt his
willingness to go across the middle, and he averaged less than 6 yards per
reception less. He signed a contract that should alleviate those concerns.
Prediction: Jackson goes back to burning people at the stake and gets career highs
in touchdowns and yards.
King Dunlap
Last year, Jason Peters was an
animal. He was a big reason why Lesean
McCoy had his breakout year. I particularly remember one sweep where McCoy
simply ran behind Peters as he pummeled people to the turf like William Wallace in "Braveheart". In short, the Eagles
will miss the best Left Tackle in the game.
So this is where King Dunlap takes
over. Honestly whenever I see the King
in a game I feel like it is either being called for holding or getting pushed
over or simply getting beat around the edge. Since the
Eagles didn’t think Demetress Bell could take over to start the season, we’ll have to wait for
them to get sick of King’s antics before they’ll replace him with Bell.
Prediction: Bell takes over at left tackle after the Bye.
Nate Allen
Allen, along with Defensive End
Brandon Graham, is probably the poster boy of the Eagles poor drafting prowess;
instead of Earl Thomas of the Seattle Seahawks Allen was chosen. Instead of Jason Pierre Paul of the Giants,
Graham was chosen. Since the departure
of the legendary Brian Dawkins’, the safety position play has been dreadful.
Receivers are running amok and the safety often looks like the culprit. As an Eagles fan growing up with Dawkins leading
the team, I took great joy in seeing the safety separate shoulders from several helpless receivers torsos. Allen certainly hasn’t shown me anything that
would give me that indication. However, he
has been playing better and he’s been healthy.
Prediction: Allen becomes a solid safety. In the large shadow that Dawkins casts
though, that isn’t good enough.
All of these things that I see in
my crystal ball leads me to believe the Eagles are an above average team;
better than last year but not nearly in the Super Bowl discussion. This has happened all too often with Andy
Reid at the helm.
The defense is better. But have they sured up any of the doubts
they had last year? I respect the move to get DeMeco Ryans, but he is another
low risk player that is coming off of injury.
The team will be 10-6, get the city
into an uproar with a late-season push and then blow it in their first playoff
game.
With the weapons they have on offense, the Eagles still have the ability to surprise even the most pessimistic of fortune tellers.
