Written By Bob Cunningham Here are the battles in camp on the defensive side.
For a fan, there's nothing better than opening week. That first game ends months of frustration and hanging on to any kind of football fix he/she can get (i.e. the draft).
For a player, there's nothing better than being in a battle. A battle with a person you see every day, a person wearing the same colors as you. Going in every day knowing that if you're not at the top of your game on that practice field, you'll never see that playing field.
No player cares to know how that bench feels.
The stress is incredible, the mental toughness must be at its highest level, and your body must be at its peak.
It's that time from a couple weeks after the draft right up until the Saturday before that first game. It's that time that will make or break a season, a career.
Every season there are a few key battles during camps (mini-camp, training camp, etc.) that will shape the team for the coming year, and this year is no different for the 2009 Philadelphia Eagles.
In fact, there may be more for the Eagles this year than any prior year.
Old faces are gone, new faces are ready to step in, but how will it break down?
Free Safety – Sean Jones vs. Quintin Demps
Jones is the veteran, Demps is the young guy. However Demps has a year on Jones as far as seniority with the Eagles is concerned.
Jones has been highly underrated during his time in the league with Cleveland. If you've been an Eagles fan for more than five minutes, you've seen the stat that he's third in the league over the past three years in interceptions by a safety with 14 (behind Ed Reed and O.J. Atogwe).
Jones is a ballhawk. He's a guy who can change a game with that key interception or deflection. He played well on a bad Cleveland defense, so what might he be able to do surrounded by the third-best defense in the league?
Demps is coming into his second year after being drafted in the fourth round out of UTEP (Texas El-Paso). His key role with the team in his rookie year was in the return game, and he did a decent job. He had one return for a touchdown, but unfortunately it came in a game that will only be remembered for the benching of Donovan McNabb.
In some spot duty last season, Demps looked lost at times. He also made some dumb rookie mistakes.
For examples of both, just look at the NFC Championship game vs. the Arizona Cardinals. His late hit on Kurt Warner was wrong, stupid, costly, and if I were Reid he wouldn't have seen the field again.
Then there was the triple pass from Warner to Edge to Warner to Fitzgerald 60 yards down the field. Demps falls over himself and Fitz walks into the endzone. Can Demps be trusted this early in his career?
I don't believe so.
Starter: Sean Jones – Demps will be a starter at some point, but now is not that time. I think the Eagles keep him as a returner and maybe give him some time in the defensive backfield.
Dark Horse Candidate(s): Rashad Baker, Victor Harris
Cornerback – Sheldon Brown vs. Ellis Hobbs vs. Joselio Hanson
Brown is the incumbent starter, but due to his recent contract squabbles may find himself out of favor with Reid & Co. That's not to say that he would be sat simply because he's complaining about his status on the team, but it could cause some mental lapses for him (like Lito Sheppard last year).
The key here will be if Brown can separate football from business and just shut up and play. If he can, he should be fine, but if not he'll be in trouble.
Hobbs is a guy who the Eagles just traded for over this draft weekend. Two fifth-round picks is a steal for a guy who has started for a team like the New England Patriots over the past few years.
The knock on Hobbs is his size. At 5'9" it will be difficult for him to cover some of the taller receivers. He, like Brown, also has issues with his contract and may or may not throw a fit as well. His contract was a main reason for his trade in the first place. Hopefully he doesn't bring it up until after the season.
Hanson is really a dark horse in all of this, but is a guy who cannot be overlooked either by the media or Brown and Hobbs. Since they both have contract issues and are looking to get paid, Hanson may be able to beat them out by simply focusing on only football and overplaying them in camp.
Hanson got his payday, so there's nothing to worry about on that front. He stepped up big time last year while taking advantage of Sheppard's situation. He got paid, and now looks to fight off new competition and keep his spot.
Starter: Sheldon Brown – I don't believe that Brown will allow his contract situation to distract him. I think he keeps his job for this year and probably gets unloaded next year. Look for Hobbs and Hanson to battle it out, but probably wind up splitting time in the nickel anyway.
Dark Horse Candidate(s): Jack Ickegwuonu, Victor Harris
Linebacker – Omar Gaither vs. Akeem Jordan
Gaither has been a starter since halfway through his rookie season. He's taken over for a Philly icon in Jeremiah Trotter, and also was the reason Takeo Spikes was sent packing after only one season.
After being a fifth round selection out of Tennessee, Gaither has far outperformed his expectations. He's football-savvy, and a blue-collar, hard-working player. However after the debacle vs. Baltimore last season, Gaither was inexplicably deemed the scapegoat and benched in favor of Akeem Jordan.
Jordan was an undrafted rookie free agent in 2007 out of D-1AA James Madison in Virginia. Jordan is somewhat undersized at 6'1" and 226 lbs, but he makes up for it with his speed off the edge and his vision to get through to the ball-carrier.
After replacing Gaither in 2008, Jordan impressed by coming on quickly. A huge thing for a new starter is not having that one bad play that sticks out, and I can't recall any for Jordan. All that means is that he did his job. He wasn't spectacular, but he did his job and that's really all that can be expected of a young player.
Starter: Omar Gaither – While I liked the way Jordan played last year, I think that Gaither is just a much more polished linebacker who's not finished getting better. I do not believe he has hit his ceiling quite yet, and the trade talk surrounding him is ridiculous. Look for Gaither on the weakside in '09.
Dark Horse Candidate(s): Charleston Hughes, Moise Fukou, Tank Daniels
Left Defensive End – Juqua Parker vs. Darren Howard vs. Victor Abiamiri
Parker, formerly known as Juqua Thomas, has been the starter for the past couple of years, and has done an admirable job in his role. He is a big guy who plays well against the run and can get some pressure on the quarterback.
His weakness is the latter portion of the season. His production drops off significantly after Week 8 or so, and can cause problems for the defense trying to push for a playoff spot in a tough division.
Howard was a big free agent acquisition a few years back after becoming a big name in New Orleans, however his time with the Eagles has been average at best. Howard had bulked up to around 290 in order to be able to play both end and tackle in Jim Johnson's defense.
In 2008, he dropped about 20 pounds and played around 270. The drop really showed and paid off as he led the team with 10 sacks and played like the elite player he was in New Orleans. The problem with Howard is that he will turn 33 during the season, and is a little old to be a starting end.
Abiamiri was a second round pick in 2007 and has a lot of high expectations from the Eagles' coaching staff. He was having a promising training camp last year before a wrist injury sidelined him for a few weeks. He didn't seem to ever fully recover from injury, playing in only 10 games and was only able to muster two sacks.
He's still a young guy, but a guy that the Eagles want to see develop into the player they thought was worthy of a second round pick just a couple of years ago.
Starter: Juqua Parker – I think Parker will get the nod again this year because he's really the best option. Abiamiri is untapped potential at this point, and Howard really is in the back-end of his career. Parker will start, but the rotation will probably be heavier than ever, with all three of these guys seeing time.
Dark Horse Candidate(s): Bryan Smith, Chris Clemons
