Concerns
Posted: August 1st, 2013 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 114 Comments »We’ve seen a bit of the team so far. We’ve heard and read plenty about Chip Kelly. What is your biggest concern so far?
Some are focused on Kelly and his adjustment to the NFL.
Others think QB will be the sink or swim issue for this team.
Keeping the OL healthy is certainly critical. That’s a concern for all teams, but is it significantly more so for us due to the guys coming off injuries?
The OLBs are a major mystery. We know Barwin is a good LB, but can he get back to being an impact LB like he was in 2011? Can Trent Cole and Brandon Graham make the transition?
Or is the secondary the biggest concern? One DB is drawing rave reviews. And we’re not even sure he’ll be a starter.
I tend to be an optimistic guy so let me hear from you. What is the biggest concern and why?
* * * * *
For me, it is simple. Do we rest the starters in the final 2 games of the season, when we’ll have already locked up the #1 seed.
_
This is the first season I am really paying attention to training camp. Are the qbs on par in terms of performance to other training camps in past years? Foles looks better than last year at this time? Vick? I just want them to show improvement!
It feels like people are talking a good bit about how well the defense is performing in camp; yet the offense is what everyone expected to be our best unit. Therefore, I am concerned that our offense might not be as impressive as I had hoped. My guess is that they’re still getting used to the new scheme and working to develop chemistry. It just has an odd feel to it right now based on what I’ve been reading.
“they’re still getting used to the new scheme”
That’s it for me. Can the players adjust to the scheme and how quickly? If they don’t taste success at first, will they continue to buy-in to a scheme that’s unknown at the NFL level?
1. Even more than Chip, can the rest of his college-experienced staff transition to the NFL game?
2. If there is no clear favorite at qb, do we go with Vick if he has the better camp and hope the future works out? Do we go with Foles and hope the future works out? Try Matt and hope, oh, I already wrote that.
3. Do we a chance at having a pro-caliber secondary?
4. Please, God, if you keep Shady healthy I promise I’ll try to be good this year.
My biggest concern: Vick is the starter when we face the Redskins. I just don’t see the point. No disrespect to Mike, but given his age and inconsistency in the past, I just don’t have faith that he can give us stable quarterback play through 16 games. There will be fantastic games.. there will be mega-duds.
I’m not suggesting Foles/Barkley would give us stability at quarterback; they will obviously have some bad games, but I’d rather find out specifically if Foles can put it together then watch Vick torch a team only to turn the ball over and take a gaggle of sacks the very next game.
As long as Vick has another MV7 like performance of the century again against the Skins I don’t care to be honest.
After some reflection, aka having fun at an aqua park here in Bucharest, and being unaware of the Cooper foo-par, I feel slightly more comfortable as I am hoping that is the 3, as in trouble or woes come in 3s. Mac, Phillips and Coop. That’ll do for me.
I’m concerned we haven’t seen the end of the Cooper fiasco.
Faux-pas (I think)
In no particular order:
1. Will any QB emerge as a quality starter? And if Vick is the one who emerges, as the Eagles, what do you do moving forward into next season?
2. Can our Oline stay healthy? It’s on thing for all the guys to be back from injuries, it is something completely different for them to remain healthy all season. We have seen some guys get minor injuries on the oline, but so far nothing serious to worry about, but any time any one of them misses a snap, I get nervous.
3. After DeSean Jackson, do we really have quality WRs or are they all JAGs? We have all been excited by Damaris, Cooper, Momah, Benn, and Sheppard, but as of right now, I think it is as likely for some of those guys to emerge as quality players as it is for them to be extremely replaceable players.
4. Has Celek passed his prime and are we seeing him simply drop to many passes (Ertz has reportedly dropped his fair share as well, but he is a rookie still, so I don’t see that to be as concerning, yet)?
5. How good (or potentially, how bad) is our secondary? Seems like Boykin has stolen all the headlines so far. Is the rest of our secondary quietly playing well/fine and Boykin is simply stealing the headlines, or will be be looking to do another major overhaul in a year (or more likely, somewhere between those two extremes).
6. Will Cole or Graham be able to adjust to being OLBs, and how will other teams try to take advantage of Cole and Graham in coverage?
6b. Do we have any quality depth at LBer, particularly at SAM?
7. Most of us assume the dline will be fine, but I do think we need to see it in action before we know for sure that they can make the adjustment from 4-3 to 3-4 (this sort of goes with the LBers as well).
8. In what areas will Kelly need to make adjustments in the NFL that he has not already made?
9. Is Billy Davis a good enough DC?
Good list Iskar
I know some people are concerned about Vick winning the starting job because of some of the questions it raises going forward if he does indeed have a strong season, but I’m not. If Vick takes so well to Chip’s offense, he should have at the very least another strong season in him. The 2014 QB class has the potential to be so deep in high-end talent that the Eagles can likely grab a talented QB of the future to wait in the wings and eventually replace Vick.
The problem with Vick moving forward isn’t simply a question about talent though. It raises a TON of complicated questions. First off, under the best case scenario, Vick plays at his 2010 form. He is on a one year contract, so you end up having to figure out how to pay him. Seeing how sharply the decline came between 2010 and 2011, how do you figure out that contract? Most likely, he will not accept a short term deal. You’ll have to pay him and it will be at least for a few years if you want to keep him. Can you justify doing that knowing his injury history? What about his age? He has already shown signs of slowing down.
Then, once you have figured out a contract with him, assuming you are not getting him cheap (because if you are, chances are he wasn’t worth bringing back in the first place), can you justify drafting a QB early? There isn’t simply the pressure of playing an early round QB, but if Vick truly is worth bringing back, you are basically saying you have a window of opportunity to succeed while Vick is your starter. Using a pick on QB instead of say an OLB/CB/S/etc. where there are weakness on the team, makes it slightly harder to win during that window of opportunity. In one sense, you can argue that is a good problem to have, but in another sense, you are basically gambling on Vick playing well at the cost of missing out on a quality QB draft.
Next comes the issue of what do you do with Foles and Barkley. It is way to early to give up on Foles, and especially to early to give up on Barkley. You don’t skip out drafting a first round QB because of 3rd and 4th round QBs, but finding out whether or not either player has potential to be the starting QB of this franchise is certainly valuable.
My point is not to say that Vick winning the QB battle and playing well is going to lead to disaster. Obviously if he plays well, that isn’t a bad thing. My point though is that it simply gets extremely complicated and every part of making those decisions comes with a significant gamble. If you lose out on some of those gambles, it may create significant problems for the franchise moving forward.
“Do we rest the starters in the final 2 games of the season, when we’ll have already locked up the #1 seed”
I’d prefer to play for the perfect season and give Shady a shot at 2500.
My concern is by week 6 this team will be so hard to watch that I’ll have the drinking problem of ted stryker and the social awkwardness of dr. rumack.
Drinking like Ted & acting like Doc? You say that like it’s a bad thing.
Do you like movies about gladiators?
Kind of out of nowhere my new big concern is if Kelly can get this team ready by week one. I have loved all of his new ideas about training and practice, until the lack of tackling in camp came up. I read your thoughts Tommy and I know you think they can practice tackling techniques without going to the ground. I hope you are right – cuz this team was mighty bad at tackling last year and I am really worried we are going to look bad in the preseason and not have the time to get the tackling corrected by the time we play the Skins. Of course RG3 isn’t even playing in the preseason, so even if we can’t tackle, we will get to the first licking on RGknee.
I don’t mean to lose faith, but for the first time since Kelly came on board I pictured this team being totally unprepared when we get to real games in September, and I have to admit that something as bad as that is totally possible…we really don’t know.
I was worried until I learned Saban at Alabama doesn’t tackle to the ground in practice either. This isn’t a oddball idea, it works at least at the very highest college level.
biggest concern is actually the run game. i think it is obvious that most people assume that with peters back, shady will revert to his form from two seasons ago. can shady withstand being ‘the guy’ in a system that runs as much as we are assuming? i don’t think we’ve seen enough of bryce to make any sort of conclusion as to his talents. given the lack of run emphasis during the Reid era, i believe most fans are assuming that running more = more success, but the real question is can shady step up and be that guy. i think/hope he can.
This is a good point. I have been one of the big assumers and it’s been kepping me psyched. You’ve got me pondering, what if Peters isn’t back to form? What if Shady can’t handle the load? What if running more doesn’t = more success? Thanks for ruining my day!
I think it’s unlikely that Kelly will have McCoy tote the rock all day long. There should be plenty of touches for 2 RBs maybe even 3.
fair enough but that assumes a sustained level of production from multiple players of lesser talent.
Brown may be more talented than Shady.
It’s a tough comparison. McCoy excels at turning plays with missed blocks into good plays, but Brown is a threat to take it to the house on any play with good blocking, not that he’s a slouch at making people miss either. Who you think is more talented depends on what you value more, basically.
Uh, talent isn’t only straight line speed, but the ability to cut is a talent. Shady is the best in the league at that right now.
Brown has a great size-speed combo, but lets not get carried away.
Right, we should assume about a 95% chance Shady is and will be a better back (IMO). I was just responding to huh’s comment that seemed to say the cupboard is definitely bare back there. That seemed a strange comment given that Brown _possibly_ could be a Pro-Bowl type player. Just a lot of words spilled over nothing on my part 🙂
Jimmy Bama had a post on his old site making a case for the Eagles having the best trio of backs in the NFL. He didn’t say it beyond a doubt, but was making the point that it’s a really nice group.
I worry about 2 kinds of related development: player development and scheme development. The staff is good, but we don’t know if they’ll be able to unleash the potential in guys like foles, Barkley, graham, cox, and Kendricks. One thing Reid could really do was make Qbs look good, and Dawkins blossomed under JJ. Hopefully the new staff has some of This mojo.
On a related note, the core of the scheme will probably take some tinkering, if not serious revision, through the next offseason. It already seems like a bit of a Frankenstein with Shurmer working on the passing game. It may work well and even be revolutionary, but I can’t imagine it’ll hum right away.
The biggest hurdle is putting the two kinds of development together. Players and scheme need to be aligned, and that takes a bit of forecasting a d skill on two fronts.
My biggest concern is OLB depth. If Barwin were to tear his ACL tomorrow, things would not look good.
How about ILB? I’d argue that Demeco or Kendricks would be worse.
To mediate between you two: I think we have a huge problem at LB depth, besides the Predator role. One of Cole/Graham should be fine to a certain degree. If one tears his ACL, that’s bad, but not the end of the world.
Barwin, Meco and Kendricks we just can’t afford to lose. I’d argue that we have more depth at any given position than at LB.
Don’t know why Roseman and Kelly are so quiet at that position, to be honest. We have 3 RBs who look to be OK fighting for one or two spots behind Shady and Bryce (that’s one position), but Matthews et al behind Meco and Kendricks, two starters. Really?
No argument from me – I posted something about LB depth overall a few days ago. Even if you assume both Cole and Graham can make the transition, you have 5 guys that can play. After that, what? Cheney (again)? Matthews? Considering the team is moving to a scheme that emphasizes the LB position over the D-Line, you’d think they would have done more here. Maybe Phillips was supposed to be a good depth guy (to go along with ST’s), but you have to think they’ll try to address this as teams go through cuts in the coming weeks.
At least Matthews and Chaney have starting experience and I think the team is really high on Jake Knott. This team just has more players with the minimum skill set needed for ILB than OLB.
Starting experience is one thing. Showing the football world you are way overstrained in the NFL while you were starting is the other.
Yeah, I think that they don’t want to trade for guys that’ll be no better than waiver pick-ups.
QB. Vick doesn’t have it to deliver a SB. Who knows what Foles/Barkley can do.
This remains to be one of the most ridiculous arguments I continue to see. If you are so convinced that Vick can’t win the SB and then Foles fails to prove he is any better, why do you want him to start? Just because you haven’t seen enough of the guy doesn’t give him limitless in game potential. They practice for a reason. Do you really expect Foles to lack mid range to deep accuracy in practice but miraculously disply it in a game?
Agreed. Vick is more than capable of delivering a Super Bowl as are most nfl qbs. If Rex grossman can reach the Super Bowl Vick can certainly win one. I’d love for Foles to declare himself the starting qb for the next decade w stellar play, but IMHO I’ve yet to see the requisite skill set to perform at an elite level in this league. No one has adequately explained to me why Foles is so good or what exactly there is to get excited about except to talk about how bad Vick is. I like Foles’ poise and the fact he hangs tough in the pocket and shows decent but not great accuracy and anticipation, but I still feel like most people like him more because he’s not Vick rather than because they think he’s so great.
If Foles could tighten up his accuracy, show the arm he had in college and continue to develop at reading defenses, he’d be well above your Grossman line.
No argument from me on that one. I’m pretty sure a couple of these message board posters could out shine Rex. I certainly hope, regardless of who wins the job, that we’ll have much better QB play than Rex Grossman. I just never understand the “we already KNOW he will never be good enough to win a Super Bowl” argument for picking a QB. Pick the best QB you can and you’ll give yourself the best chance if winning. Vick has plenty of warts on his game for sure, but he also has some game changing talents. I just haven’t seen anything even remotely special (besides maybe poise) from Nick Foles. Just my opinion tho, not something I can back up w stats, just a look and see type thing.
Yeah, Foles ain’t anywhere near wartfree. It’s all about assimilating into and being effective in this offense for me. Many people do just not like Vick as a person, but others have raised concerns about Vick’s style of play being basically the opposite of what Kelly looks for in a QB. Things like Vick holding onto the ball and improvising, looking for the big play rather than just the way to keep the train moving forward.
I couldn’t agree more. Some fans are so concerned over getting rid of Vick that they would be willing to sacrifice the entire season to see him gone. I have seen fans post that they would rather go 5-11 with Foles than 11-5 with Vick. That’s just ludicris.
Yea…I don’t get that mentality at all. I also don’t get the “a Super Bowl is all that matters…give me one Super Bowl and 15 years of winless football and I’ll be happy”-mentality either. I’ve watched the birds for 25 years and have had great memories cheering for them that I wouldn’t change for the world. Watching Dawk hold up the NFCCG trophy and scream Hallelujah in person is something I’ll never forget. Was that meaningless because we never won the Super Bowl. Was 4th and 26 any less fun to experience as a fan or Miracle at the Meadowlands II any less exhilarating because we didn’t win the Super Bowl that year. There’s a lot more to being a fan for me than winning the Super Bowl. the 2000-2004 run was frustrating because it never culminated in a Super Bowl win, but I still loved those years, man.
And, ultimately, I think you put the best QB out there. All these people talking about well Vick’s 33, Foles is 25, you have to see what the young guy has. I dunno…I get the long term logic, but I don’t think you can ever accurately make plans today for 5-10 years down the road. Qbs can play into their later 30’s. Vick could conceivably play for another 4 years. If he proves to be an elite player in Chips system, I’d take my chances on him over the next 4 years (that’s the entire length of time that McNabb kept us in the NFCCG hunt…it’s a long enough time to build a team and look for your successor.
Just to be clear…I’m not saying that Vick is going to play at an elite level, or is clearly the better QB going forward, or anything like that…I’m just saying that IF he was to prove to be the more capable QB, I don’t think being 33 yr old should swing the decision in Foles’ favor. I don’t think 33 is that old for a QB and I don’t see the 10 year upside being high enough in Foles to play him if he’s clearly the lesser of the two QBs.
According to PFF Foles deep accuracy last year was better than Vicks.
Why is it ridiculous? We know what Vick can do. We’ve seen him play since he was drafted. How in the world can you possibly know what Foles is capable of? If you REALLY knew, you’d be a millionaire with your player evaluations. SB have been won with QB’s who have limits. No one is saying Foles is perfect. Can Foles manage a game? Can experience from last year help him now? There are answers to questions to Foles(and Barkley) that we don’t know the answer to. We already know the answers to the questions on Vick. Unlike you, I can’t predict the future and KNOW a players ceiling on his capabilities. I can only go with history as my guide. Send your resume to Chip. He needs fortune tellers.
Ok obviously you’re too blinded by your imagination that you can’t actually see what I said. I never claimed to know what Foles will be. I have never said he will be a career backup. I want Foles to turn out be the greatest QB in history, but I don’t think he is at this moment, based on what I have seen. I don’t think that a project QB who had a myriad of problems can fix every last one of them in one offseason. Yes I could be wrong, but the odds would be in my favor. Look around the league. How many of the guys starting are 3rd round or lower picks. Think of the Matt Flynns and Kevin Kolbs of the world. How many of them flashed only to be a disappointment. Every QB has their limits. Do not fault me for being realistic while you live in rainbow world where every QB is Tom Brady just waiting to be given a shot.
You call me blinded…but you already have him failing. You could be right…but how do you know? I’m saying I don’t know either. Its way to early in his career to predict. But you have him failing. I’m saying..give him a shot. Only way to find out.
Who has him failing? I have said numerous times that if he can beat out Vick, he deserves the job. However, I’m not going to give him the job just because he’s young. That makes no sense. He may never pan out. No young player in this league is just given the starting job to see what happens. They prove themselves on the field either in college or in practice. Obviously Foles wasn’t lights out in college. So now he has to prove to be the better QB in practice. The notion that the only way we can know what Foles has is if he plays is ridiculous. If he can’t beat out Vick, then we know what he is: A worse QB than Vick at this point in time. I don’t need to see him fail and cause the Eagles to lose football games in order to determine that.
You lack logic. Than you lack any substance to back up you logic. So, given Vicks history, that’s reason to start him? To prove what? That he is capable of turn overs? To prove, yet again, that he can not read a defense? If you want to argue the point — go look up Foles numbers from last year. They were better than Vicks using the same beat up OL. Once you look up Foles numbers, compare those same number of games started Vs. Brady’s and P. Manning(or ANY QB YOU WISH). I back up my ‘half filled cup’ with actual stats and numbers that shows he is more than capable of running a team. You’re ‘half empty cup’ is by gut feeling and “what you see”. Send Chip you’re resume, you see better than he does. He needs people like you on his staff.
What logic am I lacking. Did Vick only play football for one year? By your standards Flynn would be the greatest QB that ever played in GB because he put up numbers. I never said that Vick should start because of his past. Again, you are blinded by your own love for the unknown and arguing points that you made up. I said I think Vick is the better QB right now. He is much more physically gifted and has won games in this league. Foles has done nothing. He won one game against a historically bad secondary. He also didn’t have Bell protecting him. Not to mention Feeley, Garcia, and Kolb all put up numbers in Reid’s system for backups. Where are those players now? What have they done after putting up numbers? How have I not used logic? Is it logical to believe that every late round QB pick will turn out to be Tom Brady? Because that’s the point I brought up. However, you seem to only want to debate your own made up argument and respond to your own made up argument. So I will gracefully bow out of this discussion and let you finish debating youself.
Here’s some history — just reported on the new thread:
* Nick Foles had a good day with the deep balls. This was an issue for him last year. Just 35.7 percent of his passes that traveled 20 yards or more downfield were on-target, according to Pro Football Focus. That ranked 24th in the league, just ahead of Michael Vick (35.0 percent).
That’s not preseason where nobody is hitting you. That’s hard FACT numbers. You know your history as well as the future you claim to know….
Depth at LB and the QB position are the easy ones.
The other, now that Maclin is out, is that DJax is the only legitimate outside threat on the roster, and he hasn’t played a full season since his rookie year. I get that they are moving to a system like NE runs, with a TE emphasis, but you have to have the safeties worrying a little about helping the CB’s for this to be effective. Somebody else is going to have to step up, and I’m not sure that Greg Salas, Demaris Johnson, or any of the other guys on the roster are capable of doing that, even for a game or 2.
For me, it is simple. Do we rest the starters in the final 2 games of the season, when we’ll have already locked up the #1 seed.
I say we do unless we’re undefeated heading into week 16. Watching that Colts team a couple years ago not go for it seemed to hurt them when it came playoff time. I’d also rest them in the NFC championship game. That way they’d be really fresh for the SB.
As for secondary concerns, I’d have to go with our…secondary concerns. A lot of questions need to be answered.
My biggest concern, just one of many, is just the overall cohesiveness and understanding of the defensive scheme. I don’t believe that the players will know enough about the scheme, or be comfortable enough playing it, to be an effective defense. When you throw other concerns on top of this, I really expect our defense to look like garbage for at least the first half of the season.
All that said, I’m ok with all this. It’s almost a stretch to even call it a concern. My expectations for this season are monumentally low. All I ask is that the Eagles will be sometimes fun to watch this season.
All this with Billy Davis and his weak resume leading the charge. It’s certainly a concern.
better resume than our last 3 DCs
why does that not comfort me?
Well look at Jim Johnson’s resume before been hired by the Eagles. That wasnt really that great either.
I get that, for sure. I’m not writing Billy Davis off. But to be concerned about him is definitely fair.
Will the fans get spoiled from all the Lombardi trophies coming to Philly soon?
Call me old fashioned. I am nervous about the O-line not only staying healthy but playing up to its potential. This is the most important unit on the team in my eyes. They also have the potential to be the best in the NFL. If they are playing with all of the components at their potential then the offense will be fine. QB, and skill position guys won’t matter as much. Then giving the defense points willhelp them immensely. Not to mention actually having sustained drives no matter how quick the time between snaps is would give them more of a breather than they ever got last season.
At Oregon Chip was great at using his linemen so that their strengths were emphasized. This athletic group will be great at beating the defense to the edge, and the extremely intelligent interior line of Mathis Kelce and Herremans should be great at knowing when to peel off and get to the second level.
The idea that one needs to sustain drives to rest their defense is false – the other teams offense tires also. What has been shown is that no huddle/ hurry up offenses that prevent DL substitutions are capable of wearing out said DL.
Defensive Identity.
Really, I just want to see a smarter and tougher TEAM. Eliminate the bone headed penalties, the WTFumbles and the missed tackles. Come together as a team, not individuals.
Hey Tommy,
I’ve been reading your website for about five years now but have never posted. So here goes…Well I am going to have to say my biggest concern so far is the “no-hitting” in camp. When Chip Kelly was brought in I understood there would be big changes that would come to this organization, but im just a little worried about how “ready” the players will be for the season when the real hitting begins. Do you see this as something that could lead to more injuries when the season starts, due to players not conditioned for taking big hits, or do you see this as an advantage on other teams in the league?
Did you not see the drill yesterday where players were laying each other out and tackling to the ground?
My biggest concern isn’t about any one particular group but a repeat of last year where everything we heard was that the eagles were going to be great and they turned out to be horrible. I honestly think the team does look well rebuilt at this point. The great thing about football is that teams can go from worst to first pretty quickly, but the scary thing is that the reverse is true. Teams can get blindsided by being terrible out of nowhere. Even though I secretly believe the eagles will shock the league with a division title there’s a significant amount of anxiety from the fact that a football season is such an unpredictable thing.
None of the positions trouble me that much, mostly because Chip Kelly’s M.O. seems to be to make sure that no one position is terrible enough to ruin the team.
repeat of last TWO years*
but right there with you!
I completely repressed the memory of the 2011 season. In some ways it was more traumatic than last season with new york winning the superbowl and everything
Well, that’s one way to deal with it. Another is if we win the Super Bo…. nevermind, not even going there
What’s more disappointing: expecting deep playoff run (2011 and 2012) and getting 4-12, or expecting 8-8 (2013) and getting 4-12?
Too add insult to injury, the most painful things to watch last year was Andy’s voice being lost. It’s a sad day when a team stops listening to their leader. This year I see no chance of the team giving up on Chip. Even if this is a six win team I will love every minute of it.
I think last year had to be more disappointing, just due to the fact that in 2011 we were all like, “Nah, its cool, they just need time to gel as a team.”
To my point below, even if we only win 6 games, but are a real team, I can’t be mad at that. I can be disappointed sure, but if the TEAM comes together, I can be more forgiving.
I think I agree. My biggest concern is that we are all getting our hopes up, really building our castles on clouds here, and that it’s going to come crashing down fast. It’s really more common to suck than to be good. New coaches usually fail. Reid failed with big-name talent, but Chip might end up failing with a team full of average players (since we got rid of half our Pro-Bowlers). Was Reid’s run an anomaly, or will we get back to being a quality team?
Incontanuity often spells trouble in the NFL…
Incontanuity in coaching staff
Incontanuity in offensive scheem
Incontanuity in defensive scheem
Incontanuity in the offensive line
Incontanuity in starting roster (will we return even half?)
Incontanuity at the QB position (ok, now I’m speculating)
I’m sure there are others… on the plus side most of this can be rectified next year.
I’m more worried about incontinence. If they don’t rectify that, it could wind up being a major hole for this team.
Sorry.
If you hadn’t said it, I would have…good on you.
Rest our starters? Are you serious? What better way to win our first Superbowl than by being only the second team to go undefeated. From then on when the Cowgilrs, Deadskins, and Midgets bring up their mutiple SB titles, we can say “I’m sorry which among us had a perfect season? Thought so.”
Definitely crazy to think like that….. but good lawd would that be fun to say to their fans!
My biggest concern with this team is that I can’t choose between Cooper, Johnson and Benn as to which is the best bet for under-the-radar fantasy stud. Got Cooper right now ’cause I think he’ll rack up TDs on red-zone fades to start the season (especially if AB’s knee keeps giving him trouble). Damaris might be the better all-round option, though.
Decisions decisions.
Concerns: Not which QB but overall health of QBs. Vick will likely start and get hurt (he has proven that true). So I think we will see Foles at some point anyhow, maybe even Barkley.
Can the offense be effective early in the season?
Will the defense cause turnovers?
Finding a way to play Barwin, Cole, and Graham enough, even at same time on the field; may be among our top 4 defenders along with Cox.
Excited for: Vick’s potential with this offense, playcalling, TE sets, and dictating pace instead of wasting timeouts. Seeing some new faces on defense will be good.
QB battles are always important, but I really haven’t thought about it as much this year. I think our offense will be fine no matter who is at QB- probably not great but will hold their own and be exciting to watch. My attention this training camp has been mostly with the defense. Regardless of who wins the QB job, I think whether we have a 4 win season or a 10 win season will be dictated by if our defense can play together better than last year. Honestly, not sure given how many moving pieces we have for this year and I’ve been watching closely to see if we show signs of improvement.
Aside from QB we really have very little talent on the defense and a DC with not the best resume either. So D really worries me
I had forgotten all about Davis. Another concern. Geez, Tommy, please change the topic.
I think the issue of the cornerbacks is going to be a big deal. Last year, they killed us. The guys we have now are tougher–but not as athletic (except Boykin).
I wonder if we will have to play a lot of zone against speedy receivers to stop the big plays. And if that means nickel and diming us to death.
I mean, we couldn’t get off the field last season…
A concern that’s been brewing over the last couple of years- What if Roseman stinks as a talent evaluator? Every year, we keep thinking we have a talented team. But good talent evaluators find diamonds in the rough from unforeseen places. We’ve been seeing the opposite- guys who have great reputations in the preseason who don’t show up in the regular season. We need more time, but I can’t say I’ve seen signs from Howie to feel confident on that end.
My biggest concern is the defense. I do not see the playmakers, and fear that we will do a 45 second 3 + out then wait 8 min until we get the ball back while the defense gets worn out.
Wait, rest our starters? Against Dallas in week 17? NO WAY. No way we sit Barkley and Russell Shepard for that game.
Davis insists on using the pure 3-4 as a base defense, when the 4-3 Under better suits our personnel. Also defensive line depth. Cox and Sopoaga are the only proven d-linemen.
That is not true. They are moving towards a 3-4 (also nobody uses a pure 3-4 anymore), and they said they dont know where they end.
This is true, but my impression is that the eventual goal is a 3-4 a la Lebeau. Not the best use of Cox.
While Lebeau have never had a difference maker at DE, Dom Capers have had several play making DE’s, most notable Cullen Jenkins and BJ Raji (he played both NT and DE).
I bet you, if Lebeau had a guy like Cox, he would try and use him effectively.
Very possible. In Billy we trust.
I wasn’t clear. That is my fear of what COULD happen. I don’t know what IS happening right now, scheme-wise. In a 4-3 Under, Kendricks is perfect for the WILL role as an unblocked attacker. Cox is great as a 1-gap 3-technique. Cole and Graham are much better as 4-3 Under Predators than 3-4 OLBs. A 4-3 Under only has them do pass coverage about 10% of the time (usually for zone blitzes, not that different from a regular 4-3) as opposed to 30% of the time for a 3-4.
Clay Matthews only drop back around 10% of the time, same with Ware.
The amount of dropping back really just depends on the player, not the scheme.
2008-2011 have all been negatively impacted by poor interior OL play. Also, a consistent hole at LB position, one that looks to be mostly filled now. If we have good defensive play, the primary challenge of the offense is going to be how well they play in the red zone when it comes to big guy beats little guy.
I am not concerned about Chip Kelly’s adjustment to the NFL, in fact I’m confident that he will look like he belongs starting from Week 1. I think Kelly has already showed us in several ways, that he is ready for the NFL, most recently with handling the Riley Cooper situation (even though it was an organizational effort). I also think Chip will make the right call at QB, and we will have a solid signal caller this year, whoever that might be.
With that said, my concerns are as follows:
1. Injuries – I’ll list this as my number 1 concern, we will have 4 preaseason games and weeks of training camp in August, and the team has already lost 2 guys to season-ending injuries. Yesterday Jason Peters gave us a little scare with his hamstring, today DJax left the field early (though it was apparent his problem was not a serious one)…I just hope the key players and most of the team remains healthy.
2. Locker room atmosphere and a potential fracture – I do not think this is as real a concern as one might think in light of the Riley Cooper situation, still, Shady’s recent comments about Cooper left just enough to the imagination that one can at least be a little bit concerned, that the unity of the locker room might be a bit of a problem down the road…as I said I don’t think so and let’s hope it won’t be
Shady needs to look in the mirror before saying the comments he said.
Biggest concern: A slow start and it’s possible effects on chip’s grasp of this team. I’m not to worried about this year one way or another, I only want to make sure this franchise leaves 2013 season stronger than it comes into it, with everybody still believing 100%
I’m concerned it will be midseason before I can hear another H2H show.
My biggest concern is that we won’t be able to get the right defensive personnel in here, the Eagles record will suffer over the next couple of seasons and a restless Eagles fanbase will help railroad Chip out of town, through no real fault of his own.
My biggest concern is that we have more questions next off season than we do this one. What if the defense is overmatched? Is it the players, the scheme, or the coach? What happens if Chip’s vision flops? Does he persist or reinvent it? What happens if we still don’t know who our QB is going into next year?
All I really want out of this season is a clear picture going forward.
The only clear picture I have had over the last decade or so… was the 2004 offseason… leading up to the season. Every once of me knew they were going to the superbowl that year.
My concern is that Boykin is having so many PBU’s without interceptions leading to hundreds of push-up. (50 each time he gets his hand on the ball and doesn’t come down with it) His biceps are getting very big. I’m afraid the added bulk may slow him down a bit along with his jumping ability.
My biggest concern is that there are so many concerns. When you read through here, it starts to get obvious that the Eagles need an awful lot of stars to line up properly for this year to be successful. Just way too many questions.
And WRT, being successful, I mean the Big Tuna measurement of being successful and not a; “The glass is half full, they didn’t stink too bad.” successful.
Butch Davis.
We know there are personnel weaknesses on defense, but good DCs can mask that to a certain extent. Look at what JJ did for years. Over time (draft, FA) – that can be fixed. But at the end of the day – and the last 4 years for Eagles fans should bring this home with huge clarity – the DC is critical.
Did you mean Bill Davis?
Oops. Yes, of course. Letting my fatigue mixed with disdain for all things Tar Heels get in the way.
I am worried that I worked rather than help my wife pick sconces and her choice in the absence of my guidance may unbalance the harmony in my home which ultimately leads to the end of the world as we know it…butterfly effect of poor sconce choice could be far ranging and deadly.
As well as butterfly dampers in your duct work when things get heated.
Any word on Kruger n King?
Changing too much in too little time with no winning record to back it up.
Inconsistent messages of “all jobs being up for grabs” but then seemingly handing some position players jobs.
Safeties and CBs not named Boykin.
The hands of the TEs need to be sure if they are going to be such a part of the offense. Last year Celek tips in the middle of the field led to INTs. Can’t have the big targets /safety blankets leading to TOs.