• November 23, 2024

Eagles Who Are Fighting For Jobs On The Offense

As I said with the defensive players, the Eagles are going to say good-bye to some good football players. As I said with the defensive players, some of these offensive players will find their way onto other rosters around the league. This isn’t a comprehensive article on who will or won’t make the team. it’s much too early for that with three preseason games remaining.

Dion Lewis is a runt, but he’s a quick runt who can run with the football. I thought he was more effective running with the football than Ronnie Brown on Thursday night. Like the other short backs in the league, Lewis is able to get by the big defensive linemen because they have no idea where he’s at until it’s too late.

Eldra Buckley is competing with Lewis for that third halfback position, but I’ve also seen the Birds giving him reps at fullback. That says they’re trying to find a way to hang onto Buckley. He’s a very tough physical runner and blocker, but Lewis may get the job if he continues to be as productive as he was on Thursday night.

Fullback Stanley Havili needs to do something now, if he’s ever going to compete for the fullback job. He’s got to make some plays as a runner or receiver for the coaches to consider keeping him around. His blocking is inconsistent, but he could give Owen Schmitt a run for his money if he can make a play or two.

I know how much Reid and offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg like to have a playmaker at the fullback spot because Leonard Weaver showed how they can take advantage of that. I’ve also seem them working Buckley in at the fullback position. You can see they want to keep Buckley on this football team.

Cornelius Ingram looks healthy finally. He’s running his routes and blocking better but Donald Lee has been more productive at camp by far. Lee knows the offense better than Ingram and he’s a much better blocker than Harbor, so I see him remaining and that means Ingram will get the ticket out of town. I think he will show up on somebody else’s roster.

Eagles diminutive Mr. Everything is Chad Hall. He can line up inside or outside and in the backfield at running back for the Birds. You saw last year how much Reid enjoyed moving him around all over the place in formations. Hall has shown he can make the tough catch down the middle and he can get open after lining up outside. He returns punts and kickoffs, but do you keep a guy around with his lack of size and big-time speed.

Hall is a faster Reno Mahe and you know how long he stayed around. Still, there’s no guarantee he’ll be on the football team.

Sinorice Moss was the best wide receiver on the team through the first week of camp, but he’s gone south since then. He was getting open, getting deep plus catching everything that touched his hands. Unfortunately he injured his finger and hasn’t been nearly as productive. Hall is far ahead of him now.

Johnnie Lee Higgins has been the next guy in line at the wide receiver position. He does have some deep speed, plus I’ve seen a comfort from in the offense. I have him ahead of Moss at this stage, but he’s going to need to shine on the special teams in order to make the team.

I think only one of the young offensive tackles will remain. It will be either King Dunlap or Austin Howard. I don’t think Howard Mudd is in love with either one of them. Mudd like smaller offensive linemen, not giants like Dunlap an Howard. Neither has been as consistent as they need to be.

I could see Mudd leading the Eagles to grab a tackle or two, whom he is more comfortable with at the end of the preseason.

GCOBB

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EricT
EricT
August 15, 2011 12:42 pm

G,

Size and speed are only contributing factors to what really matters and that’s production. If Chad can produce, then he stays and it’s as simple as that. You can’t use size and speed to make up for smarts and if someone has it upstairs, it will usually amount to production on the field.

I say they keep six wideouts for now:

Jackson
Maclin (PUP)
Cooper
Avant
Hall
Smith (PUP)

Then see what happens during the season regarding injuries.

paulman
paulman
August 15, 2011 12:54 pm

Paulman’s 25 Man Roster for Eagles Offense for 2011

QB (3) Vick,VY & Kafka
RB (3) McCoy, R Brown and D Lewis
FB (1) O Schmitt
WR (5) D-Jax,Avant, Cooper,Hall and Turner (Maclin on PUP list and miss the entire 2011 Season, and S Smith starts on PUP list but is activated after the 5th Week to the Active Roster and then Turner is released.
TE (3) Celek,Lee and HArbor (Webb to Practice squad, Ingram released)
OL (10) Peters,Herremans,Jackson,Watkins,Harris as the Starters
Back-ups will be K Dunlap,Vandervelde, Kelce, Mathis, W Justice

The Eagles will start Season a little thin at WR bus to loss of Maclin and SMith being unable to play to mid Octobver.. But I expect to see TE Harbor split out wide often as a WR and even RB McCoy spread out like Westbrook used to so they will be fine at WR until SMith is Activiated … I also expect to see a lot more Double TE sets with both Donald Lee and Celek both being out there on the field together

daggolden
daggolden
August 15, 2011 1:25 pm

Paulman not to bad. But any list that include King Dunlap is wrong. He is awful. I cant get the picture out of my head of him getting steam rolled by Matthews. With the injury to Harris the starting RT might not be on the team at this time.

jott1972
jott1972
August 15, 2011 1:37 pm

Austin Howard sucks…. wow, is he bad in pass coverage….

shamburg
shamburg
August 15, 2011 2:27 pm

Paul I mostly agree with your predictions, but I think they find a way to keep McGlynn on for O-line depth. That might mean letting go of the 7th rounder Vandervelde… And from what I saw in the 1st preseason game, I have to think they will keep Harper and not Turner as the 5th active WR.

paulman
paulman
August 15, 2011 2:57 pm

My Error Shamu..
I do think they keep McGlynn and have WJ on PUP list and when he’s 100%, probably move Vandervelde to Practice Squad.. (he was a 5th Round Pick wasn’t he and Center Kelce a 7th Rounder..)

shamburg
shamburg
August 15, 2011 3:03 pm

Its Shamburg, not Shamu, and Kelce was a 6th, I do know that… I dont recall exactly where Vandervelde was drafted…. I’ll have to look that one up.

shamburg
shamburg
August 15, 2011 3:04 pm

You are correct… Vandervelde was a 5th. And I also confirmed that Kelce was a 6th.

paulman
paulman
August 15, 2011 3:59 pm

McGlynn definintely makes the team Shamburg (barring injury)
Either Dunlap or Justice won’t make the final cut and possibly even both don’t..