Philadelphia Eagles
A lot of people aren’t sure what to expect from the Eagles under new head coach Chip Kelly. They aren’t sure what the Eagles offense is going to look like, and the same can be said for the defense.
If Chip Kelly is going to be a success with the Eagles, its not going to happen for a couple of years. Kelly has too many square pegs for round holes; he just doesn’t have the players that he needs to make his offensive and defensive approaches work.
I don’t believe the answer at quarterback is on the roster. At best, Michael Vick is a stopgap that Kelly will start based on his pipe dream that his team can be competitive. Vick gives the Eagles the best chance to win, but that doesn’t say much. The former Atlanta Falcon still has some explosiveness left in him, but he’ll always be his worst enemy with backbreaking turnovers and careless, undisciplined play.
Making matters more complicated for the Eagles’ quarterback situation is the lack of depth at receiver. DeSean Jackson is the team’s most explosive weapon, but defenses have figured him out over the last couple of years. He’s not a true number-one receiver, and he disappears too often. As easily as he can create a gamebreaking play, he can just as soon be a non-factor. Jeremy Maclin has already gone down for the season, leaving the team trying to fill his void with some combination of Jason Avant, Riley Cooper, and Damaris Johnson.
The one thing that the Eagles are going to be able to do well this year is run the ball. The return of a healthy Jason Peters along with the drafting of Lane Johnson will help give the offensive line a major boost in the running game. The team has a deep backfield with LeSean McCoy, Bryce Brown, and Chris Polk, and their best chance for success is going to be to pound the rock as much as possible.
The Eagles have been an absolute train wreck on defense for the last two years, and I don’t foresee things improving much under new defensive coordinator Billy Davis. Davis brings with him a completely unimpressive track record, finishing at the bottom of the league in total defense in three of his four previous years as an NFL defensive coordinator.
Now Davis enters a situation in which he’s going to attempt to run a complicated 4-3/3-4 hybrid defense with a group of players that either don’t have the skillsets to pull it off or just aren’t talented enough to succeed in the NFL at any level. Opposing offenses are going to have their way with Davis and the defense,
Apart from talent issues, the Eagles have one more serious problem: attitude. In the 2011 and 2012 seasons, this group was under the delusion that they were much better than they actually are. And once adversity came to call, this team quit. The Eagles have become that team that talks a big game but seldom rarely can back it up.
This is a team that turn the ball over, can’t stop anyone defensively, and is ultimately in transition as a new coach tries to install what he believes will be a successful approach.
The Eagles have too many holes and flaws across the board. Chip Kelly has a bunch of square pegs for round holes, and he needs time to develop talent and install his system. The idea of this team being competitive in any way just isn’t realistic.
Projected Finish: 5-11, 4th Place
New York Giants
The Giants are coming off of a disappointing season that saw them win only nine games and miss the playoffs a year after winning the Super Bowl.
Eli Manning has evolved a great deal from his days of being a turnover machine, and is now quite a respectable quarterback. He’s the engine for the New York offense, and he makes their whole operation work. However, Manning’s receivers are bit of a question mark. Hakeem Nicks has had trouble staying healthy throughout his career, and now Victor Cruz has been battling a nagging heel injury. The Giants did get Manning a new tight end, acquiring Brandon Myers from the Raiders.
The Giants expect much more from last year’s first-round pick David Wilson. Ahmad Bradshaw was released, and New York will hope to get much more explosiveness out of the run game with Wilson getting the majority of the carries.
Defensively, the Giants are not as strong as they’ve been in recent years. Defensive lineman Justin Tuck and Jason Pierre-Paul are coming off of down, injury-plagued years. Linebacker Dan Connor comes over from Dallas to take over in the middle, but he’s now playing for his third team in three years.
The secondary has already lost safety Stevie Brown for the season. They hope that Prince Amukamura will build off of a positive solid sophomore season, and that Corey Webster will bounce back from a down year.
The Giants are never a team to take lightly. As long as Eli Manning is healthy, they’re going to be relevant and in the picture. Although they’ve got some questions on the defensive side of the ball, they’ve still got a quality core of playmakers on both sides of the ball, and they’ve had a habit of bouncing back after down years under Tom Coughlin.
Projected Finish: 8-8 3rd Place
Washington Redskins
Robert Griffin was able to step right in last season and turn the Redskins from a bottom-dwelling franchise and into a playoff team.
Griffin threw for 3,200 yards with 20 touchdowns and just five interceptions. He added another 815 yards on the ground with seven rushing touchdowns. He created a dynamic dimension to Washington’s offense that made them explosive and unpredictable. However, Griffin’s style of play exposed him to a ton of hits that wore him down and helped cause him to suffer a knee injury in the team’s playoff loss to Seattle.
Griffin’s injuries leave the team in a tough position. Mike Shanahan can’t have Griffin run as much as he did last season, or he’s going to risk shortening his quarterback’s career. But the former top draft pick’s running ability is a big part of this offense.
Griffin’s efforts really overshadowed what running back Alfred Morris accomplished. Morris ran for over 1,600 yards and 13 touchdowns. He’s a powerful runner, and was also very impactful on the offense last season.
Pierre Garcon is going to be a key guy for Washington this year. Garcon has the talent to be a difference maker, and emerge as the team’s number one wideout, but he’s got to stay healthy. The former Colt was limited to just 10 games last year, catching 44 passes for 633 yards and four scores.
The Redskins will look to the return of injured starters Adam Carriker and Brian Orakpo to help them improve. Both Carriker and Orakpo each only appeared in two games a year ago, and their presence will help boost the team’s pass rush. Ryan Kerrigan was the only member of the team to notch more than five sacks last season, finishing with 8.5.
The Washington secondary finished 30th in pass defense last year, and they’re going to return the same starters they had a year ago. DeAngelo Hall is a guy that I’ve always seen as overrated, and his skills are in decline. Safety Brandon Meriweather has injury problems. Josh Wilson may be their most consistent corner, but he too is an up-and-down player.
The trade that sent three first-rounders to the Rams for Robert Griffin has made the Redskins relevant again, but it also left them without important assets to improve their team. As such, Washington hasn’t been able to add a lot to their roster this off-season. With Griffin already playing on a bad knee and defensive coordinators armed with a year’s worth of tape on him, its going to be hard for the second-year man to repeat his performance from his rookie year. The same can be said for Alfred Morris. He played out of his mind in his rookie year, but he’s not going to repeat a 1,600 yard, 13-touchdown effort.
I expect the Redskins to still be relevant in the division race, but I also think they take a step back.
Projected Finish: 8-8, 2nd Place
Dallas Cowboys
After another disappointing season, it was surprising to see Jason Garrett return as head coach for another season. It was even more surprising to see the team recommit to Tony Romo for an extension worth $108 million. However, the organization made it clear to Romo that they want him to become much more involved and committed than he’s been in recent years. As a result, Romo has spent less time golfing and more time at the team’s facility, and will have much more input on the offensive gameplanning.
Romo has plenty of explosive weapons to work with. Dez Bryant is emerging as one of the league’s most electric playmakers, while Miles Austin and Jason Witten are still excellent complimentary players when healthy. The Dallas running game is still a concern, as DeMarco Murray has issues staying on the field.
New defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin replaces Rob Ryan as the defensive coordinator, and his presence should make the Dallas defenders much more fundamentally sound. He’ll have the Cowboys switch from a 3-4 to a 4-3.
The Cowboys need their key defensive pieces to stay healthy. Jay Ratliff and DeMarcus Ware both played through injuries last year and their effectiveness was limited. Their return to health along with the continued improvement of Anthony Spencer gives the Cowboys a formidable defensive line.
Linebacker Sean Lee also appeared in only six games last year, and he’ll take over as the team’s middle linebacker. He’s got the instincts to play the run and pass, making him the team’s top fit for the middle. The team also loves the potential of young linebacker Bruce Carter.
In the secondary, the Cowboys have a couple of solid corners in Brandon Carr and Morris Claiborne. Carr is one of the leaders on the defense, while Claiborne will look to build off of a good but not great rookie year. Safety is the major concern on this unit, with veteran Will Allen and Barry Church playing the position.
The Cowboys are the biggest wild card in this division. A recommitted Romo combined with a rejuvenated defense has the potential to take the Cowboys father than a lot of people expect them to go. They have the talent and explosiveness to make a run at the playoffs in this division.
Projected Finish: 10-6, 1st Place
WOW one pre-season game and we’re already ready to throw the towel in? Last year we won all 4 of our pre-season games and it just so happens that thats all the games we won last year in the entire regular season!
I hate when this city does this and sometimes I am embarrassed to be from here because of these fair weather fans who judges they’re team on a week to week bases.
I’m embarrassed at the hypocrisy with your profile name, & your stance on the team! They suck!
EaglesSuck, thats just foolish to think this is based off one preseason game.
I’ve felt this way about them all along. Last season I was down on them before the season began too. When you look at this roster there’s a ton of problems top to bottom, and they’ve got a very difficult schedule for a young team that’s trying to master new systems both offensively and defensively.
Like it or not, I can’t look at all of those factors and believe that this team is going to be much better record-wise than they were a year ago. What you have to hope though is that no matter what their record is, whether its 5-11, 7-9, or 0-16, to make this season a success you need to see evidence that Chip Kelly is actually bringing unique/special to the table and that this team is actually making strides in the right direction, unlike last year where it was just a brutal, brutal mess.
Denny how many wins did you predict the Eagles to win last season around this time? if you said 4 then I think your in the wrong profession. Some people had them winning 11 games last year. NO one and I mean NO ONE had them projected winning only 4 games. The Bleacher Report had the Eagles at #2 on the power rankings last year.
You are saying that an improved special teams, an improved offensive line, a system that fits its QB better than the last system, eliminating the wide 9 and in what I consider a upgrade in the secondary from last years squad will results in only 1 more win from last year? I dont think so.
I had them at 8-8 and in third place this time last year…Last season most people saw them as a 10-6 team that was playoff bound, I didn’t see 4-12 coming, but I was pretty down on their chances for success…here’s the link to the last year’s projection article
http://18.208.40.39/2012/08/31/nfl-projections-the-nfc-east/
I will be you Denny they get more than 5 wins and I’m gonna tell you they will win there first 2 games this season and have a better record than Kansas City Chiefs!!! Your 5-11 record for the Eagles sucks
Turk, keep drinking the Kool-aid. Not going to happen!
In no way, shape, or form, will the Cowgirls win 10 games. Tony Blow-a-mo, sucks. Everything else sounds about right, though. I think the Cowgirls win 6-7 games & the Giants win 9 as the division leader.
I see a very tight and wide open race in the NFC East
Biggest Issues for the Teams
1) Eagles, it’s there entire Secondary and especially at Safety
2) Giants have issues along O/Line, Secondary and a reliable Running Game
3). Redskins is health of RGIII, their Secondary
4) Cowboys its their O/Line, RB Depth if Murray would get I hired as he has his first 2 Seasons.. Their Safeties are all marginal
So now it, to me anyways, it will come down to Coaching, Injuries
and which Teams QB can limit the Turnovers, Negative Plays
I believe the Eagles can hang I. The race, but need a quick start out of the gate to open the Season and really need to go 2-1 in their first 3 Games (played in 11 days) to develop some confidence and a solid rotation of Players whose roles become more defined (especially Defensively). This will be Coach Kelly’s I rial Season as a NFL Coach and how he handles his Staff, Players, Depth Chart, time management during the games, locker room issues that will come up will determine how they handle adversity and their difficult stretch of their Season
1) Cowboys 9-7
2). Redskins 9-7
3). Giants 8-8
4). Eagles 7-9
Many games will come down to the 4th Quarter,
Special Teams, Turnovers and making the big play and defensively, preventing the big play..
Eagles & Skins have the best Depth along O/Line and at RB & QB
Cowboys, Redskins have the Best Front 7
All Teams Secondaries are questionable
Cowboys have the best WR Corps on paper
Redskins have solid Playmakers in Garçon & TE Fred Davis but can they stay healthy for a full Season as can Nicks & Austin??
Eagles Special Teams have looked very good this Preson from Kicking, Punting and the Return & Coverage Teams and will need to shine in this phase
Over their NFC East foes…
Should be very interesting to watch unfold and Division is wide open with no dominant Team in my opinion..
Paulman! i think you are right on about just about everything you said .My sense is that the whole division will be 7-9 ,8-8 or 9-7 .I think the eagles could just as easily finish with any of those records. I admit the defense needs more difference makers ,but i think the offense will be truly explosive, and the special teams are much better. Jones is one of the better punters in the league, and that will be real important making the other team have to go a long way to score.I cant wait till the offense is unvieled vs washington, and and watch some of the negativity you see here kind of fade away. I just like to watch some of the things oregon did under chip, and picture leshon and desean in the deanthony thomas role. Tell me your not excited for whats coming.I know ill hear a lot of ” chips in the pros now kind” of stuff ,even ray didinger goes little negative on that t [but rays real conservative and it seems you almost have to pull a compliment out of him as far as the eagles offense goes.] I truly do not think im being unrealistic to say the eagles will finish between 7-9 and 9-7 .Next year after a good draft, and free agency directed towards the defense, and a young moblie qb of the future ,[take your pick theres a dozen of them that fits this offense]the eagles will be able to truly contend.
That sounds about right to me Denny.
The only thing I disagree with is the Billy Davis part – I think he will surprise us and build a good defense over time. Of course Chip’s consigliere, Jerry Azzinaro, will be right there if Davis stumbles.
Despite what Kelly has said publicly, I think last weeks performance by Michael Vick was an eye-opener for Chip Kelly. I don’t think Vick necessarily played bad, I just think he improvised more than Kelly is willing to tolerate.
I think Kelly is accustom to having young quarterbacks that stick to his script. I’m not sure Vickball will work for Kelly if it doesn’t produce results….and we know it doesn’t.
I also don’t think Nick Foles will ever be the answer that Kelly is looking for.
Just curious Irish, where does your optimism for Billy Davis come from? Has he done something previously that’s impressed you or is there something about the current scheme that you like?
I just can’t get excited about him at all based on his track record.
I think you make a really good point about Vick not sticking to Kelly’s plan…if Vick strays too far from the plan and delivers poor returns it’ll be interesting to see how Kelly responds. We haven’t really seen Chip deal with any kind of serious on field adversity to this point, I’m really interested to see how he responds.
And I agree about Foles too.
Denny, I think Davis is a real good LB coach and he knows how to make the best use of LBs who don’t fit the traditional 3-4 mold. Also, I think he has a good staff of assistants that will do the work that he is not good at – like coaching the defensive line.
Otherwise, I agree there is not much about his past record to excite anyone.
And neither is Barkley, so back to the draft we go next year.
Big, we agreed about this for a while now. The long term QB solution is not on this roster.
To pronounce that there is no long term solution at Qb after one kid has had 6 starts, and the other has not even seen the field since being drafted is ignorant.
Again, this year should be about determining whether or not there is a long term Qb here, and the only way you do that is by playing reg season games. Foles should get the first 10, followed by Barkley is Foles is still making the same mistakes in weeks 8, 9 and 10.
Then you can make the grand “there is no QB here” statements.
Would you say the same about the Jets and Smith right now? Because he’s looked pathetic over his first couple of preseason rook appearances. Guess they have no long term solution there. Same with the Bills…Manuel has been hurt and shown the odd flash, but clearly they should deduce he has no long term value.
What a joke.
We (and the coaching staff) have no idea if there is a long term qb answer on the roster because there has not been enough evidence gathered on either of them.
Now I will buy the arguement that Kelly needs a running QB and Foles and Barkley don;t fit that mold….but even here the arguement breaks down a bit.
1 – they drafted Barkley who doesn’t run. The pick makes absolutely no sense if you stick with a “Kelly NEEDS” a running qb arguement.
2 – Where is Dixon. Clearly Dixon is about to be cut with Foles as backup. This again makes no sense if Kelly “needs” a running qb.
So really, I don;t know, but to pronounce there is no future at QB on this team without actually seeing either of them for more than the 6 games last year is ridiculous.
There is only one guy we have a decade of research on, and it is with him that grand “no future” statements can be made.
Co-Signed
NFC East Prediction Eagles = JOKE
I am a true fan and am so tired of the same old crap. We have had a running QB my entire life (mostly) Randall, McNabb (ok make me the pocket passer argument) Vick (ugh). The other guys sprinkled in for a season or two = Irrelevant. Jaws – I was too young.
This defence is a work in progress (fine with that if I see the vision)
This offense we shall see.
Special teams has improved (Finally)
These are opinions Vinnie as you should know Vinnie since you have a lot of them and think that they are all correct.
Foles has had starts last year and a pretty good pre-season, but I am not sold him at all. And again this is my opinion. Want to make sure that you are aware of that. Foles was a 3rd round draft choice with slow feet and not a very strong arm. Could he run the offense? Sure, but I would rather have someone that was a little more dynamic than him. You love Foles, and have elevated him to this high level because you hate Vick so much, but in reality he is probably an average QB.
As far as Barkely goes, he is another in a line of recently overrated USC quarterbacks that will probably not amount to much in the pros. I watched a crapton of USC games because I follow UCLA. Back to when he was in HS, he has had a stacked hand with the best skill positions at each level. With a level playing field, I think that he will struggle like Carson Palmer (minus 1 year), Leinart and Sanhcez.
No I wouldn’t give up on Geno Smith or Manuel, because they was drafted to be the future of the franchise. This was not the case with Foles and probably was not the case with Barkely. He was 4th round value.
Since you fancy yourself as all knowing, let me pose a question to you.
If the Eagles tank and they have the option to draft Bridgewater or Boyd this year in the 1st round or let’s say a guy like Brett Hundley late first round, would you pass on them because you are 100% behind Foles are Barkely?
Actually….this may be the ‘truest” statement every mentioned on GCobb…
You love Foles, and have elevated him to this high level because you hate Vick so much, but in reality he is probably an average QB.
There is a lot of “real talk” going around today! Keep it up fellas!
First of all an average qb would be an upgrade over Vick.
Secondly, of course I would be down with drafting a QB with the first pick next year IF they run with Foles and Bark this year and they fail.
If Foles is not improving and looks like a bust around weeks 8-10 and Barkley stinks the joint up the last 6-8 weeks then yes, drafting a QB with a high pick is a very smart idea.
BUT
Roll with Vick and Eagles tank (a strong possibility with this D) then what…then do you draft a QB??? This is much more difficult, for it may end up being a complete waste of resources. What if Foles or Barkley can be an above average QB?? The team will have no idea.
If they are, that number one pick could be better served drafting the best DT, or another OT, or whatever….
This again is why the Eagles MUST not start Vick. They MUST discover if Foles can be a starting QB – and no there is not enough information right now to determine that. If, after 8-10 weeks (a season starting) he’s not showing progress, then quickly into the evaluation of Barkley.
This is the only long term, logical move forward for the Eagles.
A couple weeks ago I would have agreed with you Vinnie. I thought Kelly was sincere when he said that he would build his offense around the quarterback’s skill set. After hearing some of the things Kelly has said recently, I no longer believe he was sincere when he said that.
I think Kelly is happy to have a guy like Foles or Barkley around as a backup. The same way Jim Harbaugh has Colt McCoy to backup Colin Kaepernick. These coaches might make adjustments and use these guys in an emergency, but they would never make them starters in a pistol or zone-read offense.
It’s a shame because I think Foles is a good quarterback, but Kelly won’t use him if he can find someone with speed.
I think we might have the flyin Hawaiian from Oregon (Marcus Mariota) in a year or so…
I don’t do projections…and won’t start now. Considering we haven’t seen this offense at its full caliber as of yet and the way the special teams has been able to give good field position, I’m optimistic…The offense will be better than last years….Special teams coverage appears to be a little more solid as well…But that won’t make a difference if this defense can’t get off the field on 3rd downs. If the Eagles D can bend but not break I think all of you will be surprised with the outcome.
We haven’t seen any NFL Teams Full Offense or Defense, It’s the Pre-Season fellas… Nothing to get too excited about or depressed about.. Take it for what it is.. Just Stay healthy and get key Players in Top Football Shape and on the same Page and Offensively, it’s looking pretty good, Defensively is another story as the DL Rotation, and Secondary Rotation still be adjusted and tweaked…
A question thrown out there.. is anyone else disappointed in CB Boynkin’s play.. He just isn’t strong enough to play with the big boys in my opinion
I’m going to do the old fashion WAIT AND DAMMIT SEE!!! Who gives a damn about projections. We all know this team does bad when front runners. Since people expect us to fail. Maybe they will have some pride and ball with house money!!! Every year a team who is considered world beaters fail and a team considered garbage excels. So just wait. Here is a prediction THE EAGLES WILL PLAY for the 2013-2014 season. How about that?
Every year a team who is considered world beaters fail and a team considered garbage excels. So just wait. Here is a prediction THE EAGLES WILL PLAY for the 2013-2014 season.
No truer words have ever been spoken on GCobb!
2 Surprise Teams in the NFL
NFC – St Louis Rams
AFC – Miami Dolphins
2 Teams that underperform
NFC – Seahwaks
AFC – Texans
NFC Playoff PIcture
East – Cowboys
North – Packers
South – Falcons (Saints as Wildcard)
West – 49ers (Rams as Wildcard)
AFC
East – Patriots, (Dolphins as Wildcard)
North – Bengals (Ravens as Wildcard)
South – Colts
West – Broncos
Wildcard Round
NFC – Rams over the Cowboys , Packers over the Saints
AFC – Bengals over Dolphins, Colts over Ravens
Divisional Round
NFC – Falcons over the Rams , 49ers over the Packers
AFC – Colts over the Patriots, Broncos over the Bengals
Championship Round
NFC – 49ers over the Falcons
AFC – Bronco’s over the Colts
Super Bowl Winner
49ers – 36 Broncos 26
7 wins in a weak division
At redskins L – pretty much a tossup if RGIII not playing. Birds/Skins always close. Skins have advantage of pacticing against read-option all last year.
Chargers W – 1:00 start for a weak west coast team
KC W – home teams always win the stupid Thursday night game
at Denv L – pretty obvious
at NYG L – they’ll probably split the matchups
at Bucks W – Bucs are bad and will probably be on their 2nd QB at this point
Cowboys L – Bryant goes Bezerk
NYG W – again, they’ll split
at Raiders W – it better be a win against arguably the worst team in the league
at Pack L – Rodgers shreds the secondary
Redskins W – again a real toss up. Always close
Cardinals W – Palmer throws 3 picks, but Foles (yes he’s playing by now) struggles against the Ariz D
Lions W – 55-53
at Vikes L – Peterson breaks NFL single game rushing record (its more than possible!)
Breas L – love the Trestman hire
at Cowboys L
What’s that?? 8-8….not too bad….I honestly can see anything from 6-10 to 10-6, though that would be very very optimistic given the d and Mike Vick’s constant desire to keep both teams in every game he plays.
Vinnie I thought you were banned from speaking about Vick? Didnt you lose a bet? But anyway. Why is it so much fun to hate and be negative about your team? Love or loathe cowboy fans. They believe every year. Damn I’m just gonna watch and cheer every game. I don’t hate anybody on the team. If Vinnie can play QB than so be it. I want a chip. Who delivers it? I don’t care
Maple Leaf fans believe every year too. What are you trying to say exactly? That some people are delusional?
Cheer and scream all you want. Won’t matter as long as the fading never was superstar is at the helm.
BTW – there aren’t too many Cowboys fans left who think they’re ever going to win a SB with “December Romo” at the helm.
Well I don’t want you as my social conscious and deciding person on what and who I can cheer for. Guess what?? I rooted like hell for Foles last year and this year. Because I love the EAGLES not the name on the back. You somewhere forgot that on your crusade to hate Vick. Oh yea one question. If Vick is a never been. Why have coach after coach team after team analyst after analyst said otherwise?? Are they extremely dumb and you smart? Or…. Well I trust coaches
And all those coaches are still employed by the team they started vick on …..oh yeah not so much. All those coaches are wearing championships Vicks skills brought them…oh not so much…
Weak!
EAGLES Deserve to bethe JOKE that they are!
Did the Atlanta Falcons get rings once Vick left?
How my of those coaches have Rings with QB’s after Vick?
I’ll send a list of QB’s currently playing without winning a ringt since that’s the bar set when talking about starting QB.s…ok?
when the number 1 pick in the draft gets signed to $100 million and doesn’t deliver and then oh by the way goes to prison in the prime of his career it throws a franchise back 4-8 years. being the number 1 pick and being a QB comes with a certain amount of responsibility…thats the nature of the business.