I see nobody has posted about the Eagles yet, so lets dive into it folks!
From 1999-2009 The Eagles were arguably the best team in the NFC. Though never Super Bowl winners, they constantly put a team on the field that could compete, and with 10 playoff wins in the decade, they provided us fans with the opportunity to root for a team well into January many times.
Going into 2010, it's fair to say that the Eagles of the last decade are gone. Though the coach remains the same, and though we still have David Akers booting the ball for us, the core talent of the team has fully turned over. Mcnabb, Westbrook, Dawkins...the faces of this team are gone, and they've been replaced by a cadre of young players. Kolb, Jackson, Celek, Cole, Mccoy, Maclin, these are the new faces of our franchise.
From the flashes we've seen, it seems like the talent is there to compete for years to come, but to what extent can we expect to compete in 2010?
Much of their success hinges on Kevin Kolb's ability to step into the QB spot. One thing often overlooked about Mcnabb, whatever you might say about his accuracy (and you can say plenty), is that the guy did not turn the ball over. I believe he's still in the top three ALL TIME, for TD to INT ratio. To expect similar numbers from Kolb in his first full year is unrealistic. But can he show good judgment? Can he get the ball out quickly and accurately to the talent he has on the outside?
On the other side of the ball, it seems like the Eagles have brought in about 26 OLB/DE hybrid guys this offseason to try to find a match for Trent Cole. You've got to think that this scatter-shot approach to filling one position will result in at least one quality starter, and maybe more. If the defense can continue to pressure the quarterback, and limit some uncharacteristically sloppy secondary play that marred them last year, they should be as solid as ever.
In a potentially brutal division, I think this team could win anywhere from 6 to 10 games. If Coach Reid can tame the youth they have and mold this group into a team, they could catch fire and surprise a lot of people. If their inexperience gets the best of them, there will be a lot of close games that this team isn't going to be able to close out:
Predicted Record: 9-7 (I don't think this team will get blown out of any games this year, but they'll struggle to win some close ones, and will end the season hoping for a Wild Card spot)
Offensive MVP: Brent Celek (A bit of a stretch, I'll admit. Kolb or Jackson might be a more reasonable pick. But I think Celek, fresh off a good 2009 season, is primed to have a fantastic 2010. If the chemistry he showed with Kolb in weeks 2 and 3 can translate to 16 games, Celek will emerge as the best TE in football)
Defensive MVP: Trent Cole (We'll go with the obvious one here. Also, can this guy get some love nationally? I think the only player with more sacks over the last 3 years is Demarcus Ware)
Thoughts? Predictions? Vulgarity?
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