What is realistic to expect from the 2010 Eagles?

[brianr]

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 Mcnabb, Westbrook, Dawkins...the faces of this team are gone, and they've been replaced by a cadre of young players.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?

[Andy Freeland]

The Eagles are one of the teams I'm really looking forward to seeing this year. I have no idea who they're gonna be. I wouldn't be surprised if they finished 6-10, 12-4 or anywhere in between. The key of course is Kolb. He's looked really good in his brief appearances, but then again so did Scott Mitchell. If Kolb is who we think he is, the Eagles may have reached the holy grail of the NFL, completely re-building without falling out of contention. With all their young talent they could be a major force for years.

I'm glad you brought up the defensive ends. Considering they already have one of the best in the business in Trent Cole, I really don't understand the hoarding. How many DEs do they plan on putting on the field?

By the way, this post has been promoted to an article. We plan to occasionally promote some of the better posts to User Articles and this is the first. Click on 'User Articles' from the home page. I'm not really sure that there's any benefit to promoting posts to articles except maybe a little extra exposure. I guess we'll see. I'm interested in feedback from users on this concept.

[giantsfan97]

(I like the idea of promoting certain quality posts to user articles!)

I have not much to add about the Eagles because I agree with most of what's already been said.

As a Giants fan, Trent Cole terrifies me... he always seems to have good games against us. But I can't wait to see Kolb getting flattened by Justin Tuck!

[CalamityMack]

The maturation of Kolb/Maclin/Jackson/McCoy is the #1 priority. The defensive minded draft and the return of Disco Stu hopefully keeps our defense serviceable, with the goal of improving our secondary in 2011, but what offensive frankenstein have we created? Will it be boom/bust all over again?

While we figure that out, 9-7 and wildcard contention into the last week of the season sounds about right.

[Diggity]

I think we're headed for an 8-8 season this year and I'm actually ok with that. With all of the turnover this team has gone through I think we're going to experience at least one down year and miss the playoffs. I'm basing this on the defense mainly. I just don't see enough play makers on defense and it may take Bradley a number of games to return to form. All aspects of our D are a question mark at this point but hopefully we have a few new stars emerge by the end of the season. A potentially weak D and what I see as a tough schedule equals a .500 season for me. Of course I would love to be wrong about this. Regardless of what happens this season I'm happy to see that a new regime of players is in place and am looking forward to a ring within the next 3-5 years. Not sure that I can wait much longer!

[mojo1267]

I think for the Eagles to be successful this year, Jackson HAS to be their MVP. I believe Celek and Kolb did well together last year because Kolb saw him as a safety valve while replacing an injured McNabb. I don't think that can hold all season long, although Celek should still have a good year and develop into one of the top tight ends in the game. We'll see what happens, when they drafted Kolb it was to eventually replace McNabb.

I'd be happy with a playoff spot as it will help the young guys moving forward, but I wouldn't bet my pay check on it.

[HiloVulcan]

7-9, maybe 8-8. Maclin would be my pick for offensive MVP. He will benefit from the increased attention DJax will receive on the other side. I actually believe Celek will have a down year. McNabb utilized the TE position for the entirety of his duration, making a Pro Bowler out of Chad Lewis, and L.J. Smith look like a young Shannon Sharpe for about a year or two stretch. Kolb doesn't utilize the TE as much (from the two games we have on him). You would think he would be a safety valve for a young QB, as cliche' football pundits like to say, but I don't believe he will.

Also, in the limited time he's played he's thrown way too many interceptions. When you break out the numbers he throws a pick every 12 passes. Unacceptable. Turnovers will be magnified when your predecessor is one of the least intercepted QB's in history.

[Wordsworth]

brianr you have an excellent point about TD:INT ratio. McNabb is one of the greatest of all time in that column. The Eagles are likely still going to be very competitive this year. Your defense has remained mostly intact from last year when you were 10th in total defense, so that is a positive. Kolb has a solid arm and looked great in his two starts last season, even had a record with two 300-yd games to start his career. I got to see a few games with Kolb when he played for University of Houston and he really has a great field presence. Relaxed in the pocket, stands tall, solid helmet discipline. He was looking off defenders and getting into his second and third reads consistently from what I could see. He hasn't faced a lot of hard defensive pressure yet in the NFL though, so we will see what happens when he gets blitzed full speed. I'd say the Eagles are still a dangerous squad this year and I don't look forward to playing them twice.

As Andy Freeland said, you guys might have hit the jackpot by rebuilding and still remaining as competitive as before. Let's hope Kolb keeps himself together and contributes a solid rookie campaign. I don't like the Eagles but since you've got my boy Kolb you're now my third least favorite team in the NFC East :-P

[KAMD1963]

I wanted to add a few additional points for consideration:

1. The Eagles are a very well run organization and they do not do things by accident. If McNabb was a Tier II QB he would not have been traded in the division;
2. QBs tend to do well in the Reid system. It is a QB friendly system;
3. McNabb admitted to having mechanical problems. If I had a dollar for every time McNabb threw to a receiver's legs or behind them on a crossing route, I would be rich.
4. The subtle message coming out of the Eagles is that Kolb is more accurate and that is exactly what you need for the West Coast System
5. If one has to break in a 3yr-in-the-system QB like Kolb, you could not ask for a better supporting cast: Jackson, Maclin, Celek, Avant, Bell, McCoy and Weaver.
6. While McNabb struggled against the Boys, Vick came in and promptly threw a touchdown of over 50yds to Maclin. Andy Reid, on his own, decided on Vick as his backup. Very few people around the team including the Philly Press are questioning Vick as a backup. If they do it is based on the "old" impression of Vick as a QB.
7. The offensive line could not have been that big a problem if the Eagles with 13 draft picks did not draft one offensive lineman and acquired none in free agency.
8. On the other side of the ball, 9 draft picks on defense in addition to Tapp and Sims should be enough to set the defense straight
9. The defense also gets Stewart Bradley back this year.

[Chilly]

"1. The Eagles are a very well run organization and they do not do things by accident."
So all the times they shot themselves in the foot in the final couple minutes over the past few years were intentional?
"4. The subtle message coming out of the Eagles is that Kolb is more accurate and that is exactly what you need for the West Coast System"
Totally agree.
"5. If one has to break in a 3yr-in-the-system QB like Kolb, you could not ask for a better supporting cast: Jackson, Maclin, Celek, Avant, Bell, McCoy and Weaver."
I'll take LeBron too.
"8. On the other side of the ball, 9 draft picks on defense in addition to Tapp and Sims should be enough to set the defense straight "
Not this year. Defense will be the weakness for this team, not offense.