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Last Year
After three NFC championships and no Super Bowls, it was obvious that the Philadelphia Eagles needed a spark, an inspiration, or a player to put them over the top. Enter Terrell Owens. The marriage was celebrated and the honeymoon lasted throughout the year for the Eagles as they finally surpassed that championship barrier that some thought they would never overcome. Then came the champs. Expectations are once again high in Philadelphia — what else is new?
What We Learned From Last Year
Pop quiz: who was the last Eagles receiver to accumulate over 1,000 yards receiving prior to Terrell Owens?
You give up?
His name was Irving Fryar, you may have heard of him. That was way back in 1997, meaning Donovan McNabb had yet to play with top-notch receivers before Owens arrived.
Torrance Small, Charles Johnson, James Thrash, and Antonio Freeman are a few names McNabb has become familiar, with but none came close to Owens' caliber.
"McNabb isn't a pocket passer and he can't make accurate throws" were the type of criticisms you could regularly hear about him, but all of those little nitpicks dissipated now that he was playing catch not only with someone reliable, but with someone who could made him look good. He output his best season as a pro.
The biggest surprise was that it took the Eagles so long to get a primetime player in the passing game, particularly since head coach Andy Reid loves to emphasize the pass so much.
The influence of Owens was immeasurable and the momentum the team gained with a renewed confidence allowed them to blaze through a weak NFC.
For some reason, the Eagles don't like to run the ball. They are capable of it, they just don't do it. In the past two seasons, they only have 793 carries, which ranks at the bottom of the league with the likes of St. Louis and Detroit.
The common thought used to be that Duce Staley wasn't durable enough to handle the load, and once he left, it became that Brian Westbrook wasn't strong enough to do it either.
The Eagles supplement their lack of a traditional running game with short/intermediate passes which act like running plays. Westbrook's 73 receptions were second on the team only to Owens last year.
That works, but a regular running game would keep their defense fresh and improve their 26th-ranked time of possession. Their defense spends too much time on the field — that doesn't happen to New England.
Jevon Kearse was the defense's prized signing last season, but battled injuries throughout his first year in Philadelphia. His effect waned as the season progressed. Hugh Douglas made his way back to Philadelphia, but he proved to be more of a part-time player at defensive end.
But quarterback pressure rarely failed as Jim Johnson and his aggressive scheming led to 47 sacks with 15 different players registering at least one.
All the blitzing did not affect the two young cornerbacks, Sheldon Brown and Lito Sheppard, who took over after the departure of veterans Bobby Taylor and Troy Vincent. Sheppard went to the Pro Bowl and Brown could have been there, as well. It also helped to have third-year strong safety Michael Lewis and veteran free safety Brian Dawkins at the backend. Both also went to the Pro Bowl.
The Eagles have come off looking like geniuses with their defensive personnel moves such as cutting ties with Vincent, Taylor, and Douglas, but one move that they regretted was losing linebacker Jeremiah Trotter to the Washington Redskins in 2002. He returned to the Eagles last year and was injected into the starting lineup midseason. It didn't take him long to regain his Pro Bowl form and strengthen a weak run defense.
There is no question that the Eagles were the class of the NFC and still are the best this conference has to offer, but their path to the Super Bowl will not be as easy in 2005.
This Year
For a team that went to the Super Bowl and boasted 10 Pro Bowlers, not much needs to change.
Another wide receiver on offense and an imposing running game would be nice, but neither is likely to happen.
Terrell Owens has made a circus of the Eagles offseason, but not to worry, winning cures all sorts of infections. Will Owens ever be happy? Probably not, but he loves attention, which is not as readily available in the offseason.
Once the season gets going and he catches two touchdowns Week 1 against Atlanta in primetime, he'll feel a little better.
Losing Todd Pinkston to a season-ending injury stings a little bit, but he is barely an adequate starter. He is easily pushed around and hates contact. Greg Lewis suffers from the same symptoms, but he is a bit stronger.
Pinkston may not be very good, but he is familiar with the intricacies of the offense. Even though Reggie Brown is a rookie, once he learns the offense, there won't be much of a drop-off with him in the starting lineup. After all, Pinkston only caught 36 passes and one touchdown last year. No defense cared about him.
McNabb really zoned in on Owens last year, but expect him to spread the ball around some more this year. L.J. Smith is ready to breakout and can help keep attention off of Owens, while Greg Lewis should have an increased role if he polishes his route-running.
The running game will be the same — especially since Correll Buckhalter will miss another year with a knee injury. The Eagles are usually playing with the lead, so it would be nice for them to have a steady running game to lean on to wear the clock.
The offensive line is still a quality unit, but is definitely weaker than it has been in recent years. Second-year lineman Shawn Andrews will slide into the vacancy left my Jermaine Mayberry, but is coming off a season-ending leg injury. Andrews is a converted tackle and so is guard Artis Hicks and center Hank Fraley. Tackles Tra Thomas and Jon Runyan are still Pro Bowl-caliber, but there is little depth behind the starters.
The Eagles did not retain a couple of key players on their defense that they will have to replace.
Since Hugh Douglas is more of a situational pass-rusher and Derrick Burgess has fled to Oakland, the Eagles will go with N.D. Kalu as the starter opposite of Jevon Kearse. Burgess began to blossom last season and Kalu is returning from a serious knee injury, so there will be a noticeable difference in production at this position. 2003 first-round draft pick Jerome McDougle was shot in the offseason and his status is unclear.
The Eagles have a stockpile of players at tackle including Darwin Walker, Sam Rayburn, Hollis Thomas, and rookie first-round selection Mike Patterson. Corey Simon was just released. He was franchise-tagged and was unhappy without a long-term deal.
Walker is very active and are tough to block. Rayburn and Thomas are backups, but are excellent against the run. This is a very deep unit.
If there was a chink in the armor, it might be the linebacking corps. Trotter returns and will start from the beginning of the season while Keith Adams and Dhani Jones will man the outside positions. Keith Adams came to light late in the season while filling in for Mark Simoneau, who he continues to battle with for playing time. This grouping has a lot of speed, but cannot afford to lose Trotter for any period of time. Ike Reese went to the Pro Bowl as a special teams specialist, but signed with Atlanta in the offseason.
Even though a few NFC teams have closed the gap somewhat, the Eagles remain the best team in the conference. Another receiving weapon outside of Owens would really put this team over the top, but until that happens, they are still a step behind the Indianapolis Colts and New England Patriots.
Over/Under: 11.5
You might laugh, but the NFC East has improved in the offseason. The Cowboys have revamped their roster while the Giants are slowly growing. They may not start 13-1 again, but they are still a lock for the playoffs. They play: @ATL, SF, OAK, @KC, SD, @DEN, GB, SEA, @STL, and ARZ.
Fantasy Sleeper
L.J. Smith is not going to be among the first wave of tight ends taken off the board, but he should be a valuable fantasy contributor. Chad Lewis is not around to take catches away and without any proven receivers aside from Owens, Smith could see a fair share of passes.
Stay tuned as Dave Golokhov brings you previews for all 32 NFL teams! Sponsored by CyberSportsbook.com, a great casino for horse racing and sportsbook action.
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