Training Camp 7/29 report

Some headlines to discuss in today's first actual hitting practice but the biggest one is the injury to linebacker Jason Phillips who the Eagles singed from Carolina as a big contributor to the special teams and it looks like after he was carted off the field that he has a very serious leg injury. Chip Kelly will update the injury during the press conference. Some on the field news is Nick Foles started today's practice with the first team but Michael Vick looked to be the best QB on the field today. Vick had two amazing on the run touchdown passes to Riley Cooper who by the way has looked great. Vick ran the red zone drills very well showing off his speed extending plays. As of right now neither Vick, Foles, or Barkley have separated themselves as the #1 guy. Cornerback Brandon Boykin continues to impress during camp not just in the slot but on the outside, he had two very nice plays on Desean Jackson where he pressed him up and did not allow him to create any space. This is going to bode well with Kelly since the corners will be in mostly press coverage. Patrick Chung got shaken up when covering Jason Avant, the two collided but Avant made a spectacular catch and he has been one of the best players at camp so far. Chung then got off the field on his own and seemed to be fine when talking with the trainers but this shows that his under size might be an issue especially with another injury prone safety in Kenny Phillips, this might give Earl Wolff a huge opportunity to start. Cedric Thorton and Vinny Curry were clearly ready to get hitting when both made Matthew Tucker be sent into next week. Both Curry and Thorton are battling for the other DE spot opposite Fletcher Cox and they look good so far but I want to see if Curry can make the transition where as I think Thorton is going to be a big contributor this year. Desean Jackson said he is the #1 punt return man but after the Maclin injury, Kelly and the special teams might want to think that over twice but I think it is a good idea to get him back there.

Could Josh Freeman become an Eagle?

Yes....you did hear that right. This is a bit of a what if article but hey it is fun to think of the possibilities. So here is a scenario for you, the Buccaneers don't make the playoffs and they blame Josh Freeman instead of the packed NFC South and NFC. The Buccaneers part with Freeman and start Mike Glennon so Freeman goes into free agency and....the Eagles swoop in and take Freeman as their franchise guy as Michael Vick is no longer on the team. The Eagles are now with a young, talented, big quarterback to go with Chip Kelly and he is very mobile. Could you imagine Freeman with Desean Jackson and a healthy Jeremy Maclin? Yes this might be wishful thinking and maybe you see this as a stupid and pointless article but this isn't all impossible. In my eyes right now I don't see a franchise guy in Philly. Yes we haven't seen what Barkley can do or what Foles does in a full season but neither in my opinion mold into what Kelly wants as a QB, now Dennis Dixon does but check out my recent podcast for that argument. Josh Freeman could be a Eagle....BELIEVE IT!!

Jeremy Maclin done for year with torn ACL

Not good....not good at all for the Eagles. Wide out Jeremy Maclin tore his ACL today in practice and will miss the entire 2013 NFL season. A crushing blow to a team that really relied on Maclin the past seasons and will now look heavily to Desean Jackson and Jason Avant to pick up the slack. I believe if you had to lose either Maclin or Jackson, this might be better for a high tempo offense that needs Desean Jackson and now Damaris Johnson who is going to have a big role in the offense. Maclin went down during the 7 on 7 drills and was carted off the field with a towel over his head, clearly he was upset. Now Riley Cooper and Arrellious Benn are the two I am looking at to step up and fill the void because they both fit the possession type WR that will score touchdowns like Maclin did (He had 7 last year). This also gives another spot open to rookie Ifeanyi Momah to maybe impress during the preseason and make the roster. Again losing a very productive and explosive player never helps and the Eagles have their work cut out for them to replace a very good football player. 

 

Eagle Eye Focus - QB Battle w/ Kwame Jones Fisher

Begining Depth Chart Prediction

Training Camp is officially under way and for celebration of this great time, I am going to give you Eagles fans what everybody likes....Predictions! Here is the beginning training camp predicted Depth chart

Offense

QB: 

1. Michael Vick

2. Nick Foles

3. Matt Barkley

Dennis Dixon (Practice Squad)

This is not what I want it is what I picture ending up happening sadly as I love Dennis Dixon.

RB:

1. Lesean McCoy

2. Bryce Brown

3. Felix Jones

4. Chris Polk

A boat load of talent will provide great depth in case of injury. Expect McCoy to have monster year and a very productive one for Brown and Jones will be receiving threat. 

WR:

1. Desean Jackson

2. Jeremy Maclin

3. Jason Avant

4. Ifeanyi Momah

5. Damaris Johnson
6. Russell Sheppard

Deepest position with size and great speed. Jackson will have bounce back year as well as Maclin. Expect Momah to be a big red zone target as well as Cooper.

TE: 

1. Brent Celek

2. Zach Ertz

3. James Casey
4. Clay Harbor

Dominant group with a lot of diversity. Celek is a great blocker and possession TE, Zach Ertz is the complete package and could be the next Jimmy Graham. Casey can line up every where and is the exact player of a team run by Chip Kelly.

LT:

1.Jason Peters

2. Matt Kopa

Best tackle in the game, expect huge year for a very reliable player when on the field. Kopa is a dark horse to make the roster.

LG: 

1. Evan Mathis

2. Julian Vandervelde

Mathis was the only one that stayed healthy last year and should have been a pro bowler. Love Vandervelde's hand work, think he is a very reliable backup. 

Center:

1. Jason Kelce

2. Dallas Reynolds

Kelce is coming off a season ending injury but look what he did in 2011, consistent, reliable player. Reynolds wasn't terrible in his starts last year. 

RG:

1. Todd Heremans 

2. Danny Watkins

Heremans gets to go back to his natural position. Watkins is a first round bust but will be a good backup, unless traded.

RT:

1. Lane Johnson

2. Dennis Kelly

The 4th overall pick has amazing athleticism and will pick up system, is a bit raw but will progress as the season goes on. Kelly was solid in a bad situation last year.

Defense

OLB:

1. Connor Barwin 

2. Trent Cole

3. Brandon Graham
4. Chris McCoy

Barwin is the most important piece of this defense for the new 3-4 scheme. Can Cole and Graham make the transition from DE to OLB? If so this is a dominant group.

3-4 DE:

1. Fletcher Cox

2. Cedric Thorton.
3. Vinny Curry
4. David King

Cox had a big rookie year and I think he fits very well as a 3-4 DE. Bennie Logan will start opposite Cox and is a smart, physical player that will split time with Cedric Thorton. David King could get some time on the field if he impresses at camp.

NT:

1. Issac Sopoaga
2. Bennie Logan

Sopoaga was the most underrated player on the 49ers defense and he has one job. Eat up the blocks and pound the runner....ok so that is two jobs. Dixon is a very good NT but I think Sopoaga is the better option until proven otherwise.

ILB

1. Demeco Ryans

2. Mychal Kendricks

3.Jamar Chaney

4. Casey Matthews

5. Emmanuel Acho

Ryans led the team in tackles last year and was exactly what the Eagles needed. Hopefully he can be as dominant in a 3-4 that he said he is better as 4-3 but played both in Houston. Kendricks is my breakout candidate this year after a up and down rookie year. Chaney has started a lot of games and is a great backup and rotational player as well as Matthews who is a very good special teams player. Watch out for this kid Acho, that is all I'm gonna say.

CB:

1.Carry Williams 

2. Bradley Fletcher

3. Brandon Boykin

4. Curtis Marsh 

5. Jordan Poyer

6. Brandon Hughes

Williams and Fletcher are a solid, press coverage pair that is going to be a very important position with all the receivers in the NFC East. Boykin will fight off Poyer for the slot job and could push Fletcher for the starting outside job. Marsh is another year in development and is ready to come in if a injury or bad play occurs. Poyer is a aggressive corner who was a steal in the 7th round, good special teams player who will compete for starting jobs from the get go. Brandon Hughes is a underrated player who is a fine backup. Just go look at the week 4 Sunday Night tape, he was great in place of ....#24 I don't want to say his name. 

Safety:
1. Patrick Chung
2. Nate Allen
3. Earl Wolff
4. Kenny Phillips
5. Colt Anderson

                                                                   

Eagle Eye Focus - Training Camp Preview

Training Camp Preview: Cornerback

Training Camp kicks off Friday in one of the most exciting training camps in Eagles history and a position that is extremely interesting to watch after an off season overhaul, and is now at the heat of a battle for the starting spots is the corner back position. Nnamdi Asomugha and DRC were disasters in Philadelphia last year and the year before so the Eagles moved on picking up some new pieces at the position including playoff hero from the Ravens Carry Williams, Former Rams hard hitting corner Bradley Fletcher, drafting in the 7th round aggressive corner Jordan Poyer out of Oregon state who are all going to be competing for the starting two spots and I forgot to mention, second year player Brandon Boykin who had a up and down rookie year as the starting slot corner last season. With the spots up for grabs expect veterans Carry Williams and Bradley Fletcher to win the jobs. Yes those are the obvious choices but look at what both bring to the table that fits Chip Kelly's system. They both are very good press coverage corners which is Fletcher's strong point on why they brought him in. Carry Williams came in to start for Baltimore last year and was stellar. He had 4 interceptions last year including one for a touchdown and had 75 tackles. Both Williams and Fletcher are great tacklers which was the worst spot of the secondary last year as the Eagles had the most broken tackles in the league. What I like about Williams is he brings a gritty attitude to the team that really needs it. Just look at week 2 last year Ravens vs Eagles when Desean Jackson and Williams got into a scuffle, I really like that about Williams. Bradley Fletcher is an interesting player, he was lost in the depth chart last year in St. Louis after Janoris Jenkins and Cortland Finnegan emerged as one of the best pairings in the NFL. Fletcher is a big physical player that can also play in the slot and all over the field which Chip Kelly loves in his players. Brandon Boykin is coming off a rocky rookie year so he is for sure not the bone a fied starter at slot and for good reason. Yes when he faced players like Jacoby Jones he was solid but look what happened in week 3 against the Cardinals when they lined up Fitzgerald to Boykin, he got absolutely destroyed. I expect Jordan Poyer to come in and light it up in training camp and just maybe take the slot spot away from Boykin. Many Eagles analyst are saying that Boykin will compete for the starting jobs and yes I can agree as is everyone at the position. If he can stay as a consistent tackler then he should have the slot job locked up, but he needs to stay ahead of Poyer. Curtis Marsh is in another year of developing and he could become a solid player but I just see better options at CB. He will make a good backup and I fully expect him to mold into a CB that can start in a few years but he is still a bit raw in my eyes. Just think he was a Running back at Utah state only 4 years ago (He was a 3rd round pick in 2011). A guy I really like is Brandon Hughes who is coming into his fourth year as a Eagle but didn't see the field much until last year. He really impressed me in week 4 Sunday Night against the New York Giants when he came in for Nnamdi Asomugha after an injury, and he totally shut down Hakeem Knicks. He is a very physical corner that won't get you many turnovers but doesn't let the WR off easily. I think he is going to fit well in the new system and will provide a solid backup to Fletcher who he resembles a lot in my opinion. Then I think there is maybe one more spot for Trevard Lindley if he can beat out Hughes but I think Lindley just doesn't fit as I see him more as a off coverage corner.

Predicted Depth Chart
1. Carry Williams
2. Bradley Fletcher
3. Brandon Boykin
4. Jordan Poyer
5. Curtis Marsh
6. Brandon Hughes