Eagles racing against time
By JEFF YOUNG, Sports Editor
Intelligencer Journal
Published: Sep 07, 2007 12:25 AM EST
LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. - On the surface, they were mourning the loss of a teammate who'd fought and won many battles with them. But there was much more to the shock wave that surged through the Eagles' ranks two weeks ago, when Andy Reid said goodbye to Jeremiah Trotter.
There was, particularly for guys like Donovan McNabb and Brian Dawkins, the harsh realization that the clock never stops. And that there are more glory days behind them than in front of them.
"You just hope that it never happens, but it does," McNabb said. "There will probably come a time — you never know — when my name will be called, and they'll be saying the same thing."
McNabb is 30, entering his ninth pro season, and two months older than Trotter. He has suffered season-ending injuries in three of the last five years, which helped lead Reid to the drafting of Houston's Kevin Kolb in April. Again, not a popular move among the veteran Birds.
Dawkins is 33, already defying Father Time in his 12th year. But a nagging Achilles problem limited his training camp action. Offensive tackles William Thomas (32) and Jon Runyan (33) could be gone in a year. And defensive end Jevon Kearse (31) is coming off a major knee injury; just how much The Freak has left remains to be seen.
The Eagles made two obvious "win now" moves in the offseason, trading for 30-year-old linebacker Takeo Spikes and signing wide receiver Kevin Curtis, 29, away from St. Louis. Everywhere else, the transition to youth is under way, accelerated at linebacker with the insertions of Omar Gaither and Chris Gocong, both 23, into the lineup.
They have not wavered from the mantra of owner Jeff Lurie, who envisions a team that is never out of Super Bowl contention. And in essence, they have reached that goal, with five NFC East titles, four NFC title-game appearances and a Super Bowl berth in the last six years.
Yet while they like to position themselves among the league's elite franchises, the fact is that the Eagles still haven't done what New England, the Colts, the Steelers and the Ravens have done in recent years. And their critics still have a platform — that this team isn't worried enough about winning now — on which to stand and howl.
Can they end the howling this season, which begins Sunday in Green Bay? In the current state of the NFC, they are still talented enough to earn the trip to Glendale, Ariz. in February. Of course, it will not be as simple as that.
Here are a few related issues to consider.
The Don: When he suffered that ACL tear last November, McNabb was on pace for one of his best seasons. His 10-game numbers projected to 29 TD passes, 10 interceptions and career highs for attempts and passing yardage. So yes, it's too soon to fit him for a rocking chair.
Neither can McNabb's commitment be questioned, as he proved by working his way back through rehab in time for training camp. And for all his injuries, none has impacted that big-time right arm.
The only real question is whether he can stay healthy. Though Kolb already has shown a promising grasp of the offense, and A.J. Feeley has won games with the Eagles before (see 2002), it is still McNabb's team.
Which brings us to …
See how they run: A funny thing happened in the second half of last season, mostly after McNabb went down. Whether by design, to ease the weight on Jeff Garcia, or by accident, the Eagles rediscovered the virtues of football on the ground.
That meant a career-best 1,217 yards rushing for do-it-all back Brian Westbrook, who also found time to lead the team with 77 receptions. His 5.1-yard average per carry was the best in franchise history, and his 6.0 yards per touch (run or pass) led the NFL.
Reid deflected the strategic credit to offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg, who took over the play-calling at midseason. Now everyone wants to see whether the newfound balance will remain in place with McNabb back on the field, and many see it as a means to protect the quarterback.
Certainly the Eagles seemed to be of similar mind when they grabbed Penn State's Tony Hunt on the third round in April. And the continued determination of Correll Buckhalter, who overcame his third knee injury in four years to average 4.2 yards a pop last season, factors into a run game that ranked 11th in the league last year.
Right guard Shawn Andrews, a Pro Bowler in his second season, leads a line that would be happy to keep on grinding it out.
Catching fire: Excluding Terrell Owens, receivers tend to be anonymous in Reid's scheme (some consider this another fatal flaw). The Eagles love to point out how many different guys catch passes on a given Sunday, and it's clear that one way or another, Westbrook is the engine of this offense.
That said, they may have a rising star in third-year pro Reggie Brown, whose work ethic began to pay off last year when his 17.7 yards per catch ranked sixth in the league. Brown also caught eight TD passes, and ran in for a ninth score.
Curtis (40-479, four TDs with St. Louis) is a burner who should help stretch defenses in his first starting opportunity. Youngsters Jason Avant and Hank Baskett will play supporting roles, Avant having won the No. 3 spot in camp.
Tight end is another injury question, with L.J. Smith severely slowed by sports hernia and groin injuries in camp. Matt Schobel returns, and rookie Brent Celek was the team's top receiver in preseason.
For the defense: Recent trends are less than positive. The Eagles have slipped in scoring defense from second in the league (2004) to 27th in 2005 and 16th last year. Against the rush, they were 16th in 2004, 21st in 2005 and 26th last year. They did improve their interception and sack totals last season, ranking eighth in the league in both categories. But their run defense was fatally exposed in the NFC Divisional Round at New Orleans.
One reason to expect progress this season is tackle Brodrick Bunkley, in shape and focused after a nightmare rookie year. The Eagles hope a healthy Kearse will be another such reason, but the burden of proof is on the three-time Pro Bowler.
Ends Trent Cole (team-high eight sacks) and Juqua Thomas (six sacks) have been effective in Jim Johnson's front-four rotation, while third-year tackle Mike Patterson should get help from veteran addition Montae Reagor (Colts).
At linebacker, Gaither and Gocong will learn on the job. Gaither started five games last season, none in the middle, and Gocong (neck injury) didn't play a down as a rookie. That leaves Spikes, another former Pro Bowler who claims he is all the way back from a torn Achilles that wrecked his 2005 season. He made 11 starts last year for Buffalo.
As Dawkins winds down, the star of the secondary will be corner Lito Sheppard, a Pro Bowler with six interceptions last year. Of Sheppard's 15 career picks, eight have come inside the Eagle 10-yard line, making him just the kind of guy a Johnson defense needs.
Right corner Sheldon Brown is still holding off a challenge from former Giant William James. Sophomore strong safety Sean Considine added bulk in the offseason, but must make up in coverage what he lacks in wallop.
Dawkins, meanwhile, continues to age gracefully. Last season he posted a career high 155 tackles and matched a career high with four interceptions.
Just how special: The special teams have a new coach in Rory Segrest, with John Harbaugh moving over to the secondary, among several other changes.
Veteran long snapper Mike Bartrum has retired, meaning placekicker David Akers must adjust to a new snapper (Jon Dorenbos) as well as a new holder, former Australian football vet Sav Rocca, who won the punting job from Dirk Johnson in camp. The Eagles need a comfortable Akers, who was good on 78 percent (18-for-23) of his field goal attempts last year.
Rocca, 33, showed a big leg in preseason, averaging 45.4 per punt. If he can match Johnson's consistency, he will be a significant upgrade.
Return-wise, the Eagles are still searching, as evidenced by this week's addition of J.R. Reed, who showed promise as a rookie in 2004 before he was set back by an offseason leg injury. Reed will take the kickoff duties from camp cut Jeremy Bloom, and veteran wideout Greg Lewis opens as the punt returner.
Reid between the lines: After eight seasons, it seems few mysteries remain regarding the head coach. He loves to throw the ball, bores the media to tears, treats his players respectfully and wins a lot of games. But he did provide a surprise last year when he handed the play chart to Mornhinweg.
That arrangement is expected to continue this season, giving Reid more opportunity to oversee everything. He also retains ultimate personnel authority, despite the presence of GM Tom Heckert.
And so … All else being equal, only the Dallas Cowboys have the firepower to keep this team from another NFC East title. Injuries, of course, change everything, and the Eagles already have a few nicks to overcome. But let's hazard a guess that McNabb stays healthy enough to lead them to the division crown at 11-5. After that, they'll need good health and momentum — and better run defense.
Intelligencer Journal
Published: Sep 07, 2007 12:25 AM EST
LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. - On the surface, they were mourning the loss of a teammate who'd fought and won many battles with them. But there was much more to the shock wave that surged through the Eagles' ranks two weeks ago, when Andy Reid said goodbye to Jeremiah Trotter.
There was, particularly for guys like Donovan McNabb and Brian Dawkins, the harsh realization that the clock never stops. And that there are more glory days behind them than in front of them.
"You just hope that it never happens, but it does," McNabb said. "There will probably come a time — you never know — when my name will be called, and they'll be saying the same thing."
McNabb is 30, entering his ninth pro season, and two months older than Trotter. He has suffered season-ending injuries in three of the last five years, which helped lead Reid to the drafting of Houston's Kevin Kolb in April. Again, not a popular move among the veteran Birds.
Dawkins is 33, already defying Father Time in his 12th year. But a nagging Achilles problem limited his training camp action. Offensive tackles William Thomas (32) and Jon Runyan (33) could be gone in a year. And defensive end Jevon Kearse (31) is coming off a major knee injury; just how much The Freak has left remains to be seen.
The Eagles made two obvious "win now" moves in the offseason, trading for 30-year-old linebacker Takeo Spikes and signing wide receiver Kevin Curtis, 29, away from St. Louis. Everywhere else, the transition to youth is under way, accelerated at linebacker with the insertions of Omar Gaither and Chris Gocong, both 23, into the lineup.
They have not wavered from the mantra of owner Jeff Lurie, who envisions a team that is never out of Super Bowl contention. And in essence, they have reached that goal, with five NFC East titles, four NFC title-game appearances and a Super Bowl berth in the last six years.
Yet while they like to position themselves among the league's elite franchises, the fact is that the Eagles still haven't done what New England, the Colts, the Steelers and the Ravens have done in recent years. And their critics still have a platform — that this team isn't worried enough about winning now — on which to stand and howl.
Can they end the howling this season, which begins Sunday in Green Bay? In the current state of the NFC, they are still talented enough to earn the trip to Glendale, Ariz. in February. Of course, it will not be as simple as that.
Here are a few related issues to consider.
The Don: When he suffered that ACL tear last November, McNabb was on pace for one of his best seasons. His 10-game numbers projected to 29 TD passes, 10 interceptions and career highs for attempts and passing yardage. So yes, it's too soon to fit him for a rocking chair.
Neither can McNabb's commitment be questioned, as he proved by working his way back through rehab in time for training camp. And for all his injuries, none has impacted that big-time right arm.
The only real question is whether he can stay healthy. Though Kolb already has shown a promising grasp of the offense, and A.J. Feeley has won games with the Eagles before (see 2002), it is still McNabb's team.
Which brings us to …
See how they run: A funny thing happened in the second half of last season, mostly after McNabb went down. Whether by design, to ease the weight on Jeff Garcia, or by accident, the Eagles rediscovered the virtues of football on the ground.
That meant a career-best 1,217 yards rushing for do-it-all back Brian Westbrook, who also found time to lead the team with 77 receptions. His 5.1-yard average per carry was the best in franchise history, and his 6.0 yards per touch (run or pass) led the NFL.
Reid deflected the strategic credit to offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg, who took over the play-calling at midseason. Now everyone wants to see whether the newfound balance will remain in place with McNabb back on the field, and many see it as a means to protect the quarterback.
Certainly the Eagles seemed to be of similar mind when they grabbed Penn State's Tony Hunt on the third round in April. And the continued determination of Correll Buckhalter, who overcame his third knee injury in four years to average 4.2 yards a pop last season, factors into a run game that ranked 11th in the league last year.
Right guard Shawn Andrews, a Pro Bowler in his second season, leads a line that would be happy to keep on grinding it out.
Catching fire: Excluding Terrell Owens, receivers tend to be anonymous in Reid's scheme (some consider this another fatal flaw). The Eagles love to point out how many different guys catch passes on a given Sunday, and it's clear that one way or another, Westbrook is the engine of this offense.
That said, they may have a rising star in third-year pro Reggie Brown, whose work ethic began to pay off last year when his 17.7 yards per catch ranked sixth in the league. Brown also caught eight TD passes, and ran in for a ninth score.
Curtis (40-479, four TDs with St. Louis) is a burner who should help stretch defenses in his first starting opportunity. Youngsters Jason Avant and Hank Baskett will play supporting roles, Avant having won the No. 3 spot in camp.
Tight end is another injury question, with L.J. Smith severely slowed by sports hernia and groin injuries in camp. Matt Schobel returns, and rookie Brent Celek was the team's top receiver in preseason.
For the defense: Recent trends are less than positive. The Eagles have slipped in scoring defense from second in the league (2004) to 27th in 2005 and 16th last year. Against the rush, they were 16th in 2004, 21st in 2005 and 26th last year. They did improve their interception and sack totals last season, ranking eighth in the league in both categories. But their run defense was fatally exposed in the NFC Divisional Round at New Orleans.
One reason to expect progress this season is tackle Brodrick Bunkley, in shape and focused after a nightmare rookie year. The Eagles hope a healthy Kearse will be another such reason, but the burden of proof is on the three-time Pro Bowler.
Ends Trent Cole (team-high eight sacks) and Juqua Thomas (six sacks) have been effective in Jim Johnson's front-four rotation, while third-year tackle Mike Patterson should get help from veteran addition Montae Reagor (Colts).
At linebacker, Gaither and Gocong will learn on the job. Gaither started five games last season, none in the middle, and Gocong (neck injury) didn't play a down as a rookie. That leaves Spikes, another former Pro Bowler who claims he is all the way back from a torn Achilles that wrecked his 2005 season. He made 11 starts last year for Buffalo.
As Dawkins winds down, the star of the secondary will be corner Lito Sheppard, a Pro Bowler with six interceptions last year. Of Sheppard's 15 career picks, eight have come inside the Eagle 10-yard line, making him just the kind of guy a Johnson defense needs.
Right corner Sheldon Brown is still holding off a challenge from former Giant William James. Sophomore strong safety Sean Considine added bulk in the offseason, but must make up in coverage what he lacks in wallop.
Dawkins, meanwhile, continues to age gracefully. Last season he posted a career high 155 tackles and matched a career high with four interceptions.
Just how special: The special teams have a new coach in Rory Segrest, with John Harbaugh moving over to the secondary, among several other changes.
Veteran long snapper Mike Bartrum has retired, meaning placekicker David Akers must adjust to a new snapper (Jon Dorenbos) as well as a new holder, former Australian football vet Sav Rocca, who won the punting job from Dirk Johnson in camp. The Eagles need a comfortable Akers, who was good on 78 percent (18-for-23) of his field goal attempts last year.
Rocca, 33, showed a big leg in preseason, averaging 45.4 per punt. If he can match Johnson's consistency, he will be a significant upgrade.
Return-wise, the Eagles are still searching, as evidenced by this week's addition of J.R. Reed, who showed promise as a rookie in 2004 before he was set back by an offseason leg injury. Reed will take the kickoff duties from camp cut Jeremy Bloom, and veteran wideout Greg Lewis opens as the punt returner.
Reid between the lines: After eight seasons, it seems few mysteries remain regarding the head coach. He loves to throw the ball, bores the media to tears, treats his players respectfully and wins a lot of games. But he did provide a surprise last year when he handed the play chart to Mornhinweg.
That arrangement is expected to continue this season, giving Reid more opportunity to oversee everything. He also retains ultimate personnel authority, despite the presence of GM Tom Heckert.
And so … All else being equal, only the Dallas Cowboys have the firepower to keep this team from another NFC East title. Injuries, of course, change everything, and the Eagles already have a few nicks to overcome. But let's hazard a guess that McNabb stays healthy enough to lead them to the division crown at 11-5. After that, they'll need good health and momentum — and better run defense.
posted by The Gryphon at 8:39 AM
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