Last Year
Following along the recent trend of Super Bowl losers feeling a hang over the following season, the Philadelphia Eagles fell off the map in 2005. It didn't take Terrell Owens long to become a team cancer, as he tore up the locker room and his nagging for a new contract became a huge distraction for the team. Furthermore, injuries mounted and kept the Eagles, a perennial contender under Andy Reid, in the dumps of the NFC East. In 2006, they try to turn over a new leaf and return among the playoff contenders in the NFC.
What We Learned From Last Year
For one season, Terrell Owens was everything the Eagles could have asked for. He raked in 1,200 yards, 14 touchdowns, and then miraculously recovered from a broken ankle in time for a spectacular performance in the Super Bowl.
And then the whining started.
It started with teary-eyed appearances on television, to training camp rifts with head coach Andy Reid.
The laundry list is long and by now, we are all aware of the monster he turned into.
But he wasn't the only reason for the Eagles failures last season. For the most part, injuries took their toll.
Quarterback Donovan McNabb battled a sports hernia, which eventually shut him down after nine games, running back Brian Westbrook missed four games, wide receiver Todd Pinkston missed the whole season, kicker David Akers was lost for four games with a groin injury, center Hank Fraley only played eight games, and cornerback Lito Sheppard was only healthy enough for 10 starts.
Some perceived that the biggest mistake the Eagles made in regards to Owens was not to have a Plan B, in case he combusted.
But Andy Reid's Eagles have never really invested a lot of money or high draft picks in wide receivers, before or after Owens. That's just not his style.
Nonetheless, the Eagles' passing game clearly diminished each week as McNabb's pain compounded.
Greg Lewis was counted on to become a quality starter after a decent showing in the Super Bowl, but never really panned out. Reggie Brown pieced together a better season, with more yards and touchdowns, and he was only a rookie. Brown was really one of the few bright spots in an otherwise dark season for Philadelphia.
The offensive prospects who blossomed were on the offensive line. Center Jamaal Jackson started eight games for the Eagles after Fraley tore his rotator cuff midseason. Jackson performed admirably right next to second-year guard Shawn Andrews, who also excelled in his first full-time role.
The Eagles had lost veterans John Welbourn and Jermane Mayberry off of the offensive line in the past two seasons, but the front five was still strong.
Prior to the start of the regular season, the Eagles chose to remove their franchise tag off of Corey Simon and allowed him to become a free agent. The move was a bit of a surprise and became a decision they would somewhat regret.
Without Simon, the Eagles lacked bulk in the center of their defensive line. They felt that their rotation with Sam Rayburn, Hollas Thomas, Darwin Walker, and Mike Patterson was deep enough, but Simon's mass was missed.
Opposing offensive lines shifted their pass protection towards Jevon Kearse, limiting him to a very quiet 7.5 sacks. Mike Patterson and Trent Cole were standout prospects, but they were still a bit inconsistent — typical for rookies.
The linebacking corps was fairly weak outside of middle linebacker Jeremiah Trotter. Dhani Jones had a lot of trouble with blockers and struggled to make plays throughout the season. The other outside linebacker, Keith Adams, was a marginal starter.
After sending three members of the secondary to the Pro Bowl, the secondary slumped last season. Part of it was that the team was not contending, part of it was the loss of Lito Sheppard and part of it was the astronomical drop in sack production.
Believe it or not, but Jim Johnson's defense only accumulated 29 sacks.
There isn't really much to take forward from last season. The Eagles, as a whole, had an off year. The coaching staff is not crumbling and there isn't a monumental change in philosophy. Essentially, injuries and the Terrell Owens drama just overburdened the team.
Now that they are once again healthy, they will be back among the NFC teams competing for a playoff spot.
This Year
Not surprisingly, the Eagles had another typically shrewd offseason.
Their sack production dipped last year, so that was their first order of business. They plucked defensive end Darren Howard out of New Orleans, who has averaged more than 0.5 sacks per game for his career. This will take a ton of pressure off of Jevon Kearse and place it on the opposing quarterback. Trent Cole showed flashes of brilliance as a pass-rushing specialist last season and the Eagles are expecting former first-round pick Jerome McDougle to be part of the rotation, once his string of unlucky injuries ceases.
On the inside, Darwin Walker and Mike Patterson will start. This is a solid tandem, especially with veteran Sam Rayburn and first-round pick Brodrick Bunkley, who will make an impact in his first season even though he held out.
This front four is as deep and dangerous as a unit that Andy Reid has coached and it will be the foundation of the Eagles' success in 2006.
The secondary returns their Pro Bowl-caliber starters and as the saying goes: "Show me a Pro Bowl cornerback and I'll show you a Pro Bowl end in front of him."
With Sheldon Brown, Lito Sheppard, Michael Lewis, and Brian Dawkins, the Eagles have a top-flight secondary that will bounce back with better help up front.
The main concern on the defensive side, which is seemingly a perennial concern, is the linebacking corps.
Jeremiah Trotter is quite motivated to have post-Owens success, and he will lock down the middle, but the outside spots were not upgraded. Dhani Jones returns virtually by default, while Matt McCoy will play the weak side. Veteran Shawn Barber is in the mix, but he is a mediocre cog.
Just like the Eagles neglect their weak linebacking trio each season, you can also count on them to overlook the wide receiving corps.
This year, Reggie Brown was handed the top spot almost by default. Now he is a good prospect, and was very mature in his rookie season, but it is not a given that he can handle the rigors of being the team's top wide receiver.
Todd Pinkston still has not fully recovered from a torn ACL injury and he wasn't a quality wideout prior to the injury. Greg Lewis has proven that he isn't better than a third starter and free agent signing Jabar Gaffney is right there with him.
That leaves the team with rookies Jason Avant, Jeremy Bloom, and Hank Baskett. Bloom injured his hamstring and will likely spend the season on injured reserve, while Avant won't make a big impact this season.
Baskett was an undrafted free agent, who was signed by Minnesota, then traded to Philadelphia. He has been the talk of the town throughout training camp and was slated start opposite Brown in Week 1 until the Eagles acquired Donte Stallworth. Baskett outperforms his own measurables and might be a great find.
Stallworth should be a decent fit for the Eagles' short passing game, which will allow him to use his speed and elusiveness more often. But he was a tease in New Orleans, developing a rap of inconsistency. He needs to be a more reliable receiver.
Tight end L.J. Smith should become Donovan McNabb's new go-to guy because of the uncertainty at the wide receiver position. He caught a career-high 61 passes last season and is up to the task.
While the offensive line is deep, healthy, and young, only one of those compliments can be passed along to the running backs that will be scampering behind it.
Brian Westbrook sprained his foot in the preseason, an injury that could possibly linger. If it doesn't, his long history of previous injuries indicates that something else will probably surface at some point. Correll Buckhalter returns after missing two seasons with injuries, while Ryan Moats and Reno Mahe have not proven enough to earn confidence should Westbrook go down again.
With a healthy McNabb back in the fold, the Eagles will be competitive. But times have changed since they made their first three appearances in the NFC Championship. The NFC has muscled up and is no longer the Eagles versus a bunch of second-tier teams.
As a unit, the Eagles are on par with the Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots, as far as teams that execute very well on a weekly basis. They don't usually have off games and they don't beat themselves. But in a tougher conference — and a tougher division — the Eagles will have a tough time making a serious dent without a quality group of linebackers or wide receivers.
Over/Under: 8.5
Among the four NFC East teams, with Houston and San Francisco on the map, the Eagles have the easiest schedule in place. They will need it because they are still not on par with the Redskins or the Cowboys. They play: @HOU, NYG, @SF, GB, DAL, @NO, @TB, JAC, WAS, TEN, @IND, CAR, @WAS, @NYG, @DAL, and ATL.
Fantasy Sleeper
Even with the addition of Donte Stallworth, the Eagles figure to experience some inconsistency at the position. Stallworth is not always reliable while Reggie Brown is only in his second season. Look for tight end L.J. Smith to have an increased role this season after posting career highs last year and he should be the most effective target in the red zone.
This is the fourth consecutive season of comprehensive NFL previews by Dave Golokhov. Stay tuned as he brings you previews for all 32 NFL teams! He can be reached at [email protected].
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