In a previous post I mentioned that I'll be watching the play of Winston Justice on Thursday night. What else in there to watch in preseason game #1?
Here are a few additional players / situations to keep an eye on as we welcome back Eagles football.
1 – As with Winston Justice the training camp reports have been positive for Lorenzo Booker. The kid has been finding the holes, making the tacklers miss, and then breaking the big play. But hold the excitement.
I remember reports last training camp about Booker being the "human joystick" and then we all saw the hype deflating during game action. So will year #2 with the Eagles be any different for Booker?
2 – The return game without DeSean Jackson. There is no arguing that DeSean isn't a difference maker on special teams. He was in college and he was for the Eagles as a rookie. If reports are accurate DeSean is on the verge of becoming an elite #1 WR.
Number one WRs shouldn't be risking injury in the return game. Can Maclin be the DeSean of a year ago? Or if Hobbs isn't starting maybe he makes his impact as a return man. One of these two has to shine to keep DeSean on the sideline.
3 – Without a true #3 QB on the roster for Thursday's game I expect A.J. Feeley to play 2+ quarters. Despite being listed as the #3 QB on the roster, when Kolb is healthy, I continue to wonder if a strong preseason by A.J. would make Andy think twice about the #2 QB spot if McNabb were to miss any significant time this year because of injury.
Kolb continues to look confused in the offense even during training camp practices. Despite his knack for the interception A.J. still gives this fan more confidence than Kolb. Now can Feeley reward this confidence?
4 – Put together a nice drive or two on offense and get the starters off the field. Get one or two defensive stops and get the starters off the field. Avoid the injury bug and put an end to the dark cloud (a.k.a. Banner Curse) hovering over the Eagles since the start of camp.
Football is back!