Eagles standouts during training camp so far

The Eagles put the pads on Saturday at camp and finally got hitting, a lot of players stood out most to me and there was a lot of things that happened in practice this weekend. Here are my biggest standout players of padded training camp so far.
 Mychal Kendricks- Kendricks has looked very good in the past 2 practices really showing good coverage skills against the tight ends and even showed some run stopping ability giving Dion Lewis of the second team offense a very hard time on a couple plays. Kendricks has been penciled in so far as the starting strong side linebacker and is proving he deserves it so far at training camp.

 Dominique-Rogers Cromartie- DRC has looked like the guy the Eagles need on the opposite side of Nnamdi, he on the second day of full padded practice had 2 picks and a bunch of pass deflections. He looks  in the best shape of his career and is looking good going up against Desean and Maclin.

 Marvin Mcnutt- Riley Cooper broke  his collar bone on the first day of padded practice which was a blessing in disguise for the WRs like Mcnutt battling for a roster spot. Mcnutt looked great in both practices with some big catches against the first team defense. He ran crisp routes and on the one on ones he looked very good in the second day catching a jump ball over Cliff Harris. Mcnutt is expected to be penciled in at the #4 WR spot if Cooper is not back in time for the start of the season and so far he looks deserving of the spot.

Brandon Graham- The former first round draft pick is finally healthy and ready for training camp. He has looked very good in 1 on 1s really beating every OL I watched and in the 11 on 11s he has gotten extra reps with the first team defense since Jason Babin got hurt (Not Serious) and in those reps he has looked very good. Lets hope this continues throughout training camp and preseason so we can have a reliable rotation on the line.

Demetress Bell- The replacement for Jason Peters looks very productive in his first 2 padded practices notably on the 1 on 1s when he pancaked Trent Cole into the ground. He during all the reps looks to be hanging in there against all the good ends.

Those are my notable standouts so far at camp I expect more players to stick out more as training camp goes along.

Projected Depth Chart for the Eagles

The Eagles will begin full team practice Thursday so to start of camp I will predict at the start of the regular season who will make the 52 man roster lets start with the QBS shall we?

Quarter Backs

1. Michael Vick- Obliviously the starter for the season no question mark about it.

2. Mike Kafka- Foles will need more time before being Vick's trusty backup so for now Kafka is the man, he knows the offense since he has been in the system for a couple years and showed some stints of talent with the limited amount of playing time he had.

3. Nick Foles- The third round pick has looked good so far at camp and the Eagles will not cut him for Edwards obliviously. Foles will slowly move into the #2 job in the next year or two so he for now sits behind and learns.

Running Backs

 1. Lesean (Shady) McCoy- One of the best running backs in the league will play huge role in the Eagles success  this year.


2. Bryce Brown- A surprise pick but the Eagle like what they see in this kid so far from camp and with not playing a lot in college he is healthy compared to Chris Polk. He has great size and speed so hopefully he can help out in the running game this year. As for Dion Lewis I don't know what the Eagles have in store for him.


3. Dion Lewis- Lewis has only been in the league for a year so the Eagles till want to see what he has. He should get reps at kick returning and limited time at RB unless McCoy or Brown go down during the season but we shall see.

Wide Receivers 

1. Desean Jackson- Jackson will have a bounce back year after getting his $ so he in my opinion will have a huge year for the Eagles.


2. Jeremy Maclin- The Mac attack is healthy this year and like Desean will have a huge year for the Eagles.


3. Jason Avant- One of the most underrated slot WRs in the league will continue to improve this year. 


4. Riley Cooper- Cooper will beat out Marvin Mcnutt for this job at least for now. He knows the offense and is on another level compared to Mcnutt right now.


5. Demaris Johnson- With his amazing speed he should beat out Chad Hall for this spot, he can also help out huge in the kick return and punt return game. 

6.? If they do keep 6 I believe they keep Mcnutt but the ? with Mcnutt is if you keep Cooper they both play similar roles so why waste another spot on the same kind of player but we shall see.

Tight Ends

1. Brent Celek- Celek had a bounce back year last season and should get even better this year.

2. Clay Harbor- Harbor does not have much to push him in training camp as the Eagles did not land Visante but he looked good last year so he should get better as time goes along.

Offensive Line

LT- Demetress Bell will replace Jason Peters until he comes back. 2. King Dunlap will backup 

LG- Evan Mathis was re signed after a huge year. 

C- Jason Kelce had a huge rookie season and looks like he will have another big year.

RG- Danny Watkins can only get better after a rookie season that had its ups and downs.

RT- Todd Herremans one of the most underrated lineman in the league will show his worth again this year.

Defensive End

Starters: Trent Cole and Jason Babin- Two of the leagues most dominant d-ends will both again be in the double digits in sacks.

Backups: Vinny Curry, Brandon Graham, Philip Hunt. Sorry Tapp but Hunt has too much upside to let him go.

Defensive Tackle

1. Cullen Jenkins- Had 5.5 sacks last year and was a great run stopper last year with his veteran leadership he will help guys like Cox get on the right track.

2. Fletcher Cox- The Eagles don't really have a time table on Mike Patterson's return so Cox will start as of week one.

3. Mike Patterson- Again the Eagles don't have a time table on his return after his brain surgery but when he does come back he will be immediately put into the rotation.

4. Antonio Dixon- Probably the best run stopping tackle on the Eagles he will get a lot of playing time as will most of the DTs.

5. Derek Landri- Landri had a really good year last season and fits very nice in Washburn's system

Line Backers

1. MLB Demeco Ryans- Ryans was traded from Houston to Philly in the off season. He will provide that MLB the Eagles have been missing since Trotter and he will provide the leadership they have been missing since Brian Dawkins.

2. SAM Mychal Kendricks- Kendricks was the 2nd round pick out of Cal and his ability to cover tight ends and even pass rush will help out the Eagles greatly this season.

3. WILL Brian Rolle- Rolle earned his way into the starting lineup last season and impressed the Eagles with 63 total tackles, 1 sack, 6 tackles for losses and a forced fumble which led to a touchdown. He will battle with Chaney but will in my opinion easily win it.

4. MLB/SAM/Will Jamar Chaney- Jamar can play all 3 positions and will be a great backup for all of them. He led the team in tackles last year but struggled most of the season. He will battle Rolle for the WILL but will most likely lose it.

5. MLB/SAM/WILL Casey Matthews- Another LB that can play all the positions. Last year he immediately was forced into the starting MLB role and clearly was not ready for it but then started to do good in the end of the season on special teams and at nickel line backer. He will play as a backup for all 3 positions as well as Chaney.

6. Moise Fokou: Fokou has been the WILL starter for the past couple season and has been good at times and bad as well but with all the players in front I don't see him seeing the field a lot.

Corner backs

1. Nnamdi Asomugha- Nnamdi will thrive now that Samuel is gone with him and DRC now being able to play all press coverage. Expect him to have a pro bowl season.

2. DRC- Cromartie was penciled in last year as the slot corner which he was new too and he struggled at times but when he started on the outside during the end of the season he looked very good. He as well could have a huge pro bowl season.

3. Brandon Boykins (Slot)- Boykins was the fourth overall pick from Georgia, during his tenor their he was a great kick returner which will help out the Eagles who struggled there last year. He as well played well in the slot which is where the Eagles want him to play. He will have to battle veteran Joselio Hanson for the job but I think Boykins has more upside than Hanson so for that he wins it.

4. Curtis Marsh- Marsh did not see the field much last year because of how deep the position was. This year again the Eagles want to mold him into a good outside corner for the future and in case DRC or Nnamdi go down. He will not likely play in the slot but he could see the field as the dime corner. Bottom line for Marsh is that he still needs time to develop as in college he did start off at running back so he is still new to the position.

5. Cliff Harris- I am a big fan of Harris so far as in camp he has already had 3 INTS and a pass break up. This kid looks very good and I think he can beat out Brandon Hughes who had this spot last year and make the roster. He also like a lot of the corners on the roster and return punts and kicks so that too will make the Eagles want to keep him.

Safeties 

1. FS Nate Allen- Allen is coming off a pretty productive year with 76 total tackles, 7 pass deflections and 2 interceptions. So with that I don't think he has to worry about losing his job plus he seems to be healthy this year so his job is safe....for now.

2. SS Kurt Coleman- Coleman has some competition at the start of training camp as the Eagles brought in from the Redskins OJ Atogwe and of course the second round pick from last year Jaiquawn Jarret. Coleman for now has the job but I would not be surprised if Coleman struggled early and you see Atogwe or Jarret come in.

3. OJ Atogwe- Atogwe will provide experience which will benefit the young safeties greatly. He will push Coleman for the starting spot but most likely will not win it. He will see the field though throughout the season.

4. SS Jaiquawn Jarret-  The former second round pick out of temple did not see the field much last year but when he was in there he looked good at times and bad at times. Clearly the lockout effected him a lot last season and a full training camp will help him but I still do not see him in the starting lineup.

Training Camp will show the best of these players and this is what I predict will be the roster come week one.

What we saw from Day 1 at Lehigh

The Philadelphia Eagles day 1 of training camp started yesterday with a walk through in the morning then a no pads practice in the afternoon (The pads go on this friday) and a few players were the winners in my mind of day one.
1. Cliff Harris CB: Cliff Harris had 2 interceptions yesterday after being re-signed by the Eagles this week and he looked pretty comfortable in his first day. I as everybody needs to see more of that when the pads go on. Could he make the roster? I think so it depends on how many corners that the Eagles keep but I think he has a legitimate chance.
2. Bryce Brown RB: Brown looked pretty good out there catching some nice passes but the main thing that sticks out in my mind is that he looks fast and when you are talking about a big running back like Brown mentioning speed is a great thing. I expect him to push Dion Lewis and eventually beat him out for the #2 job but again I need to see him with the pads on and then we will talk.
3. Nick Foles QB: Foles threw the ball with a lot of zip yesterday and made some beauty passes. He spread the ball around and even on one play rolled out to the right and made a nice on the move PA pass to the TE. Like Reid said I expect him to push Mike Kafka for the #2 Job so lets see how much more he improves during training camp and preseason. 

Day 2 starts today and we will see who sticks out the most. I will predict the depth chart in my next article so stay tuned.

So....who is the backup running back?

The Eagles have one of the best running backs in the league in Lesean McCoy but who is behind him? Last year Ronnie Brown backed him up but this year on the depth chart the running backs who could possibly back up Shady is seventh round pick Bryce Brown, undrafted free agent out of Washington Chris Polk, and second year Eagle Dion Lewis. My take is that you will see come week 1 Dion Lewis as backup then I think its a toss up between Bryce Brown and Chris Polk. My thing with Brown is that with the college switching and all of that he never really played a whole lot of football. He showed some stints of talent with Tennessee but did not see much of anything in Kansas State. Chris Polk was one of the top running backs in college but a bad injury took him out of the draft, the Eagles got a steal in Polk as many teams wanted him but he chose Philly so hopefully he can show some good stuff at training camp and the preseason. Dion Lewis did not have a lot of playing time last year having only 23 attempts 102 yards and a single touchdown so he is in most people's eyes a unproven running back. Dion Lewis is not the guaranteed second back, I would not be surprised if  Polk (If Healthy) gets the nod now Bryce Brown is still a question mark for me I don't know what to expect out of him but we will see come training camp time. Now another question is how many running backs will Reid even keep on the 52 man roster, last year he had 3 this year he might be tempted to keep 4 but not likely. Final thought is that Reid will have a tough decision with a lot of great young talent that one he might have to let go but we shall see.

Which Eagles to avoid and pursue in your fantasy draft.

The Philadelphia Eagles have a bunch of guys that could start for your fantasy team but in this article I am going to tell you about the right ones to choose and which to avoid. Lets start off with the quarterback.

Michael Vick (Pursue): Vick if healthy is one of the best QBs you could ask for in fantasy, with his amazing mobility and rocket arm you are getting the best of both worlds with him. My only worry with him is obliviously his health, he has only finished a full season once in his career and it was with the Atlanta Falcons. So if you want Vick I would recommend having a backup plan waiting right behind him like a Matt Ryan or Jay Cutler who will be sitting in the draft for a while in my opinion. Bottom line is he can be the best QB in fantasy if he stays healthy make sure you have backup for this guy if you decide to choose him which I recommend in the earliest round would be the third.

Desean Jackson (Avoid): Jackson is now payed so on a non fantasy stand point he will have a bounce back year but how much of one? Jackson has to share the ball on his own team with fellow WR Jeremy Maclin, TE Brent Celek who had a pretty solid year receiving last year, QB Michael Vick running the ball and then arguably the best RB in the game Lesean (Shady) McCoy. If you look at Desean's stats over the past couple years they have been pretty consistent but when you look at what other guys will be available at the time you decide to choose him before he is gone there will be guys like Colston, AJ Green, and even Jeremy Maclin I would choose over him. Jackson also led the team in drops last year so you dont want butter fingers on your team. Bottom line is that a lot of other wide receivers should be chosen over him but he would be a good Flex player (RB/WR on a fantasy roster).

Jeremy Maclin (Pursue): Maclin has some issues that are the same as Deseans that the ball will be spread on that team to a lot of other players but with Maclin you get a more complete WR. With Maclin having a strange illness last year which affected his season he still had better numbers then Jackson last year leading the team in receptions. He is almost as fast as Desean and in my opinion has better hands. Bottom Line is Maclin will have a bounce back year with being fully healthy and should be at best your #2 WR.

Lesean McCoy (Pursue): McCoy is an obvious top 5 pick in the first round, he had 20 total touchdowns last year which led all running backs and 1,309 rushing yards. McCoy's ability to run and catch makes him one of the best players in fantasy. Look for McCoy to have a similar very productive season this year and dont hesitate to pick this guy over in my opinion all running backs except for Arian Foster which is as well a debatable subject.

Brent Celek (Avoid): Celek had a bounce back year last season having 300 more receiving yards last season then he did the season previous and had 20 more receptions than the previous year with 62 and he had to complement that 5 touchdowns. Celek has shown he is as well able to stay on the field all 16 games as he has not missed a single game in his career. I would take Celek in the late rounds as a starter if you want to bulk up all of your other predictions first but if not he is a very solid backup for your team.

Eagles Defense (Pursue): The Eagles defense is a obvious pick to be your starting defense with one of the best d-lines in the leauge naming notable Jason Babin who had 18 sacks last season and Trent Cole who had 11 also having one of the best corner back pears in Nnamdi Asomugha and Dominique-Rogers Cromartie which is a shut down duo. The team will have its shares of turnovers and sacks will be a ordinary thing with Babin and Cole roaming around. Again easy pick here and they will be available in the later rounds.

The Philadelphia Eagles will have a boat load of players that you can draft for your fantasy team I hope these pointers will help you decide which ones to select.

           

Backup QB Battle.

  As of right now the Eagles have 4 QB s on the roster Michael Vick, Mike Kafka, Trent Edwards, and Nick Foles (Third round pick out of Arizona State). Likely the Eagles will keep 3 QB s come week one so lets go over the positives and negatives of each backup QB.

Trent Edwards

Positives: When Edwards was a Buffalo Bill he started off pretty productive taking the Bills to a 4-0 start in 2008 but after a concussion against Arizona he never seemed the same. He has good accuracy and is mobile enough if the line breaks down.

Negatives: Trent Edwards has had a couple injury's and has since leaving the Bills been a journeyman going to the Jaguars then the Raiders after Oakland he didn't even play last season. Another flaw in Edwards is that he sometimes passes on the deep throws and differs to the short passes to the RB. 

Mike Kafka

Positives: Kafka has been under the Eagle's system going on now 3 seasons and seems to improve every year. Last year he got his first taste of regular season football against the Falcons in week two almost winning the game for the Eagles after he threw a perfect ball to Jeremy Maclin who then dropped the ball. He threw some nice passes in that game including a deep pass to Maclin. Overall I would be comfortable having Kafka come in if Vick goes down.

Negatives: Kafka struggled in his second game against the Giants in week three throwing 2 picks in only a couple throws, so he has some decision making issues that he should be able to fix this season.

Nick Foles

Positives: Foles has set all the passing records in Arizona State, which earned him being selected in the third round by the Eagles. He has a rocket arm and is a great pocket passer and under Andy Reid's offense Reid will find ways to make Foles excel in this offense. With depth at the WR position if he was ever to get in a game he will have all the pieces around him to succeed. 

Negatives: Reid is used to mobile quarterbacks so it will take some adjusting for him to fit Foles into the system. He also is not very accurate with his throwing so he has some work to do come training camp.

Prediction: This is what I think the QB depth chart will look like come the start of the regular season.

1. Michael Vick

2.Mike Kafka

3.Nick Foles 

As for Trent Edwards I would not let Kafka go Edwards missed all of last years and has a lot of flaws in his game.

What to expect in the starting lineup come Eagles Training Camp time

The Eagles will get ready in a few weeks to go to Leigh and start Training Camp and there are still some questions at certain positions starter wise. At QB and RB you know who the starters are as well as the O-Line but if you look at a interesting spot at WR Riley Cooper will battle with Marvin Mcnutt who was a WR out of Illinois for the 4th spot. The Eagles like what they stole in Marvin Mcnutt with his great size and good hands will help in the red zone the most. Moving on to the defensive side of the ball the D-Line looks like Cole,Jenkins,Babin but then Patterson will battle with Cox for that DT spot and if you look at what Patterson did last year was pretty impressive after having a minor seizure in training camp he was 5th on the team in tackles plus 2.5 sacks and 5 tackles for losses so I would say he has the starting spot so that Fletcher Cox can slowly move into the spot with this year contributing in certain times hes out there. LB looks like right now MLB Demeco Ryans then WILL Brian Rolle who played great last year and then at SAM 2nd round pick Mychael Kendricks but don't count out Jamar Chaney who was the starting SAM until Casey Matthews was moved out of MLB and Chaney went their. Chaney will battle with Brian Rolle to me but still dont see him starting come Week 1. CB looks pretty rapped up with DRC and Nnamdi as the two outsides but then in the slot its a battle with 4th round pick out of Georgia Brandon Boykins who did great in the slot at Georgia and Joselio Hanson a long time Eagle slot who has done a good job their. Then saftey is interesting with Nate Allen at the first spot then its a battle with Kurt Coleman and Jaiquawm Jarret who was a second round pick last year out of Temple. I see Coleman winning that one he had a great season last year with 4 INTs and was second in the team with 96 tackles only behind Jamar Chaney. Training Camp will have its share of battles, surprises, and excitement should be a good one.