Marty Mornhinweg And Eagles Offense Ready To Go

Eagles offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg said he wished the game was today and I can understand why because the Birds with all of their weapons should wipe out the Browns.  Plus they’ve been working on this game plan for more than three months.  Andy Reid designates certain days where he works on preparing for the first game of the year.

The team’s offensive game planner said he’s not concerned about the fact that the offense hasn’t played together for many plays during the preseason.  In each game that Michael Vick has played in he has been injured after playing six plays.

“I have no concerns at all.  We rely on our hard work and preparation”, Mornhinweg said earlier today.

He has to say that now, but you and I know that they would have rather seen Vick and the first team offense drive the length of the field for a few scores in the New England Patriots game. But that time has come and gone, so there’s no use it thinking or talking about it.

Break out Years For Brent Celek and Jeremy Maclin

The Eagles have a number of weapons who I think are primed for break out years; Jeremy Maclin and Brent Celek.

I think Vick has a better appreciation for getting the tight end involved in the passing game.  He seems to be developing a chemistry with Celek that will allow him to be a more consistent passer.  A quarterback’s easiest throws are to the tight ends.  They’re short, in the middle of the field and easy to complete.

I couldn’t help but get excited about the development of Maclin.  I expect him to have a break out year as long as they can get the ball to him enough.  There’s more of a toughness and maturity about him, that should help when they ask him to go inside, take a hit and hold on to the football.

I see a tremendous focus in his eyes and a developing leadership quality.  I was very impressed when talking to his on Monday.

“We’ve got a lot of guys who are hungry because of what happened last year”, Maclin said with a straight, serious face.

When asked about the replacement refs, he said he could care less.  The young wide out talked about the team making sure to focus on the details.

DeSean Jackson and Michael Vick

Marty said both wide receiver DeSean Jackson and quarterback Michael Vick have put on some weight.  They have each added some muscle to their torsos, but it isn’t very much because it’s barely noticeable.    This is more important for Vick than it is for Jackson because Vick gets hit more often.  He’ll have the Kevlar vest on so it should protect his ribs from now on.

Jackson has been avoiding the media so far this week.  I wonder if it has anything to do with the expectation that one of the league’s best corners, Joe Haden, will be shadowing him on Sunday.  That could limit what Jackson will be doing on Sunday, but it will open up opportunities for all the other receivers to have big days.

Nick Foles and Other Young NFL Quarterbacks from Texas

Marty had nothing but glowing things to say about Foles and the way he has progressed in his first year.  The offensive coordinator says he has “great confidence” in Foles as the backup quarterback to Vick.  Mornhinweg had no idea that the rookie quarterback would earn the number two spot when they came together in July.

It’s not a coincidence that Foles is from the state of Texas.  They’re doing something special in Texas with the development of their high school quarterbacks. Young NFL quarterbacks Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III and Ryan Tannehill are all from the state of Texas.  I’ll explain why they’re so advanced in their development in a future article.

Opening Day

Mornhinweg says strange things happen in openers.  That’s true but I hope he doesn’t mean teams that are supposed to win easy, losing those games.  This should and must be a win for the Birds.  The Cleveland Browns are underwater.  They’re going into this season with a rookie quarterback, Brandon Weeden and a rookie running back, Trent Richardson.

The Eagles have an abundance of weapons, so they should be able to score early and force the Browns to throw the ball more than they want to with Weeden.  You know Cleveland wants to keep him out of third and long, but Brad Childress may be forced to take chances early if the Birds get ahead.

Young Running Backs

Mornhinweg feels very good about the young running backs, Dion Lewis, Bryce Brown, and Chris Polk, who are backing up LeSean McCoy.  Marty was asked about Brown and his ability to pass block.  He responded by saying that he had great confidence in the “highly talented player”  and his blocking.

King Dunlap To Jason Peters

Marty reluctantly admitted that there are certain plays they’re going to have to put on the shelf because of the absence of Jason Peters.  The Eagles had put in some pitch plays and quick screens with Peters and LeSean McCoy out there in open space.  On the goalline and in short yardage situations, they ran exclusively behind Peters.

Peters was probably the fastest offensive tackle the league has every seen.

Mornhinweg says they will put in plays which are better suited for King Dunlap and his abilities.

Marty scouted Cleveland’s quarterback Brandon Weeden and says he is a pure passer.