Eagles questions

It’s the NFL. They’ve been in camp for well over a month now. They could be playing Prairie View A&M (not saying the Rams are Prairie View A&M) and they’d be going full bore. They’ll be ready to go.

and I think the Eagles want to make a point in this first game and live up to and exceed the hype, but I’m sure there are even some players that might have already chalked this game up as a W for the Eagles.

I’m sure we will all agree he would be cooler white. Well that’s what ESPN told me.

I think the better question is “”http://www.bleedinggreennation.com/2011/8/25/2384843/what-if" target="new">What if Michael Vick were mad of barbeque spare ribs?"

1. How did Vick look this preseason? I saw one game where he threw three picks. Didn’t watch the whole game though.

Not good, but he actually looked a lot worse last preseason if that means anything.

2. Is your offensive line really that bad?

It’s not the whole line. Peters, despite some weird perception league-wide that he’s overrated, is a stellar LT. Herremans will also be fine moving over to RT, and Evan Mathis is “just a guy” at LG, but won’t hurt the team. It’s the two rookies at C and RG, Jason Kelce and Danny Watkins, that have everybody worried. And yes, they were very bad in the preseason. The thinking is that the Eagles suspect they’ll be a lot better as the season progresses, but in the short term, they’ll struggle. Expect the Eagles to give them a ton of help. You’re catching the Eagles at the best time.

3. Any regrets over letting Kolb go?

Not for DRC and a 2.

4. What do you think the score will end up in the game?

28-20 Birds.

1. To build on Jimmy’s point, he did look bad last year as well, but this year he didn’t have one of his starting wr’s and the other one (DeSean) wasn’t really trying to prove anything by his play, and Vick was getting killed due to the new starters at the o-line, which lead us to…

2. The offensive line that will start this week has never played together, even this preseason, the players aren’t really bad, more inexperienced then anything else. But they are all pretty solid players in their own right, it’s just going to take some time for them to really work well together. Like Jimmy said, you got them at the best time.

3. There can always be regrets, Vick can struggle this year and Kolb can prosper with the Cardinals, but we had to make a move at some point.

4. Have no idea which Eagles will show up in the game, it’s hard to predict.

If Vick falls to injury, how happy are you that you have a childish, nut case for a #2 QB?

Ha, I certainly wouldn’t want VY to be the face of my franchise, but he’s the most talented 2 in the game.

How confident are you in your DC? Michael Lombardi is quoted as saying "He’s NEVER called a defensive scheme or game planned against an NFL team?"

Wow, did Lombardi really say that? That’s incredibly stupid. Castillo has been a football coach for 30 years. He and the late Jim Johnson used to work together before every game to devise blitz scheme that Castillo didn’t think the opposing OL could handle. He has kind of a unique perspective in that regard. But to say “he never gameplanned against an NFL team?” Wow.

That said, it is an odd transition, and worth second-guessing. I covered Eagles training camp for a couple weeks and I’ll say this for the guy… I’ve never seen a coach with more energy and fire.

I didn’t see much of a problem with his accuracy last year, in any throw, whereas McNabb was frustratingly inaccurate in the short/intermediate throws.

Haha, nice. If it makes you feel any better, I like Norwood. He dominated the 4th team D in Eagles training camp last year.

Kurt Coleman – extremely comfortable. I think he’s going to be a really good pro for a long time. Reminds me a little of your new safety, Q. Very smart, clearly a leader, even at a young age.

Jarrad Page – Eh, no idea. Looked alright in camp I suppose, although I’ll admit I didn’t really watch him much. I don;t really know a lot about his game to be perfectly honest. It’s very much a surprise that he’s starting.

it’s pretty certain we have one of the 5 worst sets of 4-3 LBs in the game

but you can’t spend big on every position. The Eagles seem to not value LBs. We want a good pass rush, and good secondary coverage. We brought in Cullen Jenkins, and Jason Babin to help Cole rush the passer, and we added Nnamdi and DRC to help Asante cover guys…

LBs? 1 rookie 4th rounder, and a 2nd year 7th rounder, and a 3rd year 7th rounder. If that doesn’t scare you, it shouldn’t.

Safeties and LB’s are big ? marks. Don’t really know at this point.

Almost every stat says that Vick was one of the luckiest QBs in the league last year.

Lucky how? What “stats” say he was lucky?

What do you make of all the "dream team" garbage? Do you think it helps the team, hurts the teams, or do you think it won’t really matter in the end?

I was there when VY said that and thought nothing of it. And then it turned into this huge thing. It’s an annoying storyline that’ll follow them all season. It won’t cause them to win any games, or lose any games. It’s just an annoyance.

Do the fans see this season as "Super Bowl or bust"?

I think every season is SB or bust.

If the Rams do beat the Eagles, will the panic dial get turned up to 10 immediately or would that not happen unless you somehow got off to an 0-2 or 0-3 start?

9 immediately.

Assante Asante and/or DRC gonna be ok with being the third CB on the team? Or is someone gonna want to bail out?

DRC has said from DAY 1 that he’s the 3. The Eagles have been very lucky about that.

Finally, what do you see as the result of this season, both for your team, and for ours? Record, division standing, playoff results, etc. If you aren’t comfortable answering about the Rams, I understand.

I think the Eagles will win around 11 games +/- a game, Rams 8 games +/- a game. I think your stiffest competition is the Cards, by the way. Kolb can play.

It wasn’t luck, it was more like he was in a zone, like MJ.

I wish that Dream Team comment was never made, but now that it has been made, our starting Qb has embraced and is trying to prove it right.

No, there is no bust, we’re winning it all this year, and that’s the attitude the Eagles have. And the Rams won’t beat the Eagles, so there is no point of even pursuing that train of thought further.

I think all our corners have embraced this situation and are willing to do anything they’re asked. The only thing Samuel was mad about was all the trade talk.

Season predictions are tough, not sure of the record but making it to the playoffs and going all the way for the Eagles and not sure about the Rams. And tell Long to stay off Vick, “that’s my quarterback” – as T.O. would say.

Any guess to when Steve Smith is going to be healthy enough to play?

He says Week 1. I’m not so sure I buy that.

What was up with Maclin’s health and is he going to be 100% come sunday?

Maclin is fine. There were running a series of tests that apparently took months. He had a really draining offseason mentally. Great kid. I’m really rooting for him this season (more so than I normally would for any other Eagle).

What about Desean Jackson? With the huge contract you guys gave Vick, can you afford to keep him around at the price he wants? My guess is no, and I’m sure it doesn’t make Jackson happy.

They have the cap room to get something done, and I think they will. The Eagles keep contract negotiations extremely quiet.

Is the guy you picked up to replace Watkins going to solve the problem?

Right now it’s a “concern.” It’s not a “problem” until he messes up in the games that count. If that does indeed occur, I really have no idea if DeVan will fix it.

Jamar Chaney is the best coverage linebacker the Eagles have had since Carlos Emmons. Oh wait… Rams blog, not NFC East. He’s really good.

It’s actually been a long time since the Eagles had a decent linebacker that could cover TEs. I think they found one in Chaney.

As for the OL, Kelce will make the calls. I have no clue how they’ll be against blitzes, since I’ve never seen him in reg season action. I would imagine Spags will send the farm… and I would imagine the Eagles will try to run a lot of screens to try to keep them honest.

I think they finally found a couple that can cover. Chaney can cover & Matthews & Rolle could cover in college hopefully that translates to the pros

Total garbage.

“Just like the Lions, people are eager to jump on the bandwagon of a team on the rise that has been terrible in recent years. But again… the Rams still stink. If the Eagles lose this one, they’ll get killed by the local and national media… as they should.” http://bloggingthebeast.com/2011/09/06/week-1-picks/

I always thought of Q as a decent tackler. He doesn’t have great speed and he’s not going to make a ton of big plays, but you simply won’t see any mistakes. Always where he should be. Extremely intelligent guy. Leader. He’ll make your corners better.

an interceptilon that’s right in his hands at least twice this year. Book it. But over all a very solid player.

he’s bashed the Rams for so long when we were awful. It’s a breath of fresh air that he’s finally embracing his Rams homerism. I personally hope he keeps it up this whole season.

and his word is gospel. Do not question it. hahaha, seriously though, the Rams are the underdogs here, there’s no way around that. Saying the Eagles beating the Rams is an upset is bass ackwards.

For him to have said that makes me think he’s seen something. Either that or he has some alterior motive… like a producer wanting to soften up his image. Faulk was never tge type to endear himself to the fans so I’m fairly certain this isn’t the typical sucking up to the fans. He’s noted as one of the sharpest players of all time and has the career numbers to back that up so if he’s in fact seen something I’d be very concerned if I were in the Eagles camp.

I guess we’ll have to wait until Sunday night to know for sure.

I don’t see either team as being a lock to win but Philly has shown they are legit where the Rams still have something to prove. The Ed can be tough on opposing offenses and I think this should even this match up to give the Rams a realistic chance… if the Eagles come out flat or makes mistakes it will be a long afternoon for them. Conversely if the Rams come out too keyed up, especially on offense, they could have problems… a relatively young team with a new offense needs to establish quick success or the confidence factor will bite them.

We have big, strong corners that can really jam him on the line … but won’t be able to run with him.

How does that play out?

It will definitely be very upsetting for you fans to see how the Eagles win…

Is Andy Reid on the hot seat?

I think every coach in the league is on the hot seat, but comparatively speaking… No, I think he’s safe.

What did you think about Macho Harris?

I was very much in the minority about Macho in his tenure as an Eagle, as I thought he’d be a player. Obviously, I was wrong. Curious why you ask – Did he sign with the Rams?

Which Eagles player will surprise this season?

Jamar Chaney.

Andy Reid is definitely on the hot seat. The surprising players for the Eagles will be Dion Lewis at Rb and the play of our rookie safetty Jarrett by the end of the year.

Is Andy Reid on the hot seat?

Reid is the coach of the Eagles as long as he wants to be

What did you think about Macho Harris?

Never really liked him, our safeties outside of Q sucked that year

Which Eagles player will surprise this season?

I hate to copy Jimmy but I’m going with Chaney as well

The strength of the Eagles D is going to be its nickle D. That’s when they’ll bring in DRC and rookie LB Brian Rolle (who looked fantastic in the preseason). Casey Matthews and Moise Fokou would come off the field in those situations.

However, that unit could be susceptible to the run. Chaney will play at about 240, while Rolle says he’s about 235, he’s listed at 227.

I’d actually try to spread them out with 3 and 4 receiver sets, and then run right at them.

Of course the power running backs, you guys have an edge against our run D in this game.

And sorry, can’t give away all our weaknesses, Rams coaching staff might be reading the comments on TST.

I’m too unmuscular, too pasty white, and can’t dance. They won’t have me on that show anytime soon. I’m also probably a little to willing to say something obnoxious to a “Ronnie” type, and I don’t need to get my ass kicked in public.

When he used to play for Atlanta, the Eagles would rush him hard from Vick’s right side, not caring if they missed and he was able to roll that way. However, they played contain on Vick’s left side, never letting him slip out of the pocket that way. Worked for years.

The Giants did a little of that last year, and it worked for three and a half quarters. So did the Vikings, and that was Vick’s only bad game of the season. So yes, I think that’s one way teams will try to game plan for him this year. However, if Vick is able to stay disciplined from the pocket and continue to become more of a complete QB, defenses that play contain on one side basically forfeit their pass rush there, so there’s always a trade-off.

Oh, didn’t answer the “weakness” part. I think he goes into games with the intent of staying disciplined, but once he has to bounce from the pocket a few too many times, he’s far too quick to abandon his reads and just run it. His best games last year were the ones where he calmly went though his progressions and took what the defense gave him. If you can get him to run a lot, it’s a win for the defense… ehhh, sometimes.

but then disappear the following play… has trouble getting separation at times.

Had a major knee injury a couple years ago, and since then hasn’t shown much. Not sure if it has anything to do with the knee, or the mental piece.

Also, it’s more than a guy who, “needed a change in scenery”. He was flat out awful when he came back from knee surgery.

I am a huge fan of Danny Amendola, and he made LR look like a college rookie.

Enjoy.

He’s really not very good.

Be happy if he sticks on the Cowboys roster, but don’t expect him to. I think his career is nearly over.

Not much else to say.

I seen you over there a bunch, but it is hard to get them to face the truth-that the eagles really do suck. Their really stuck in the green mud about the obvious.

Yeah, you read my mind. Those comments were ridiculous.

Sorry that your feelings got hurt by some of our members but when people are guaranteeing that Lance Kendricks is going to have 10 catches for 100yds that’s hard not to make fun of, if one of us made a statement like that over here you guys would do the same thing.

Thinks the Rams will win 24 – 17

Quick correction – He was always the RCB in Oakland. He’ll remain the RCB is the base D. They won’t move him in the base D, and really there’s no need to move him with the 3rd best CB in the game on the other side. However, you are correct about nickle situations. In camp, Nnamdi, moved inside to the slot, and DRC played outside on the right.

My money is on Amendola.

Amendola would obliterated. Amendola isn’t among the elite receivers.

Ha, it’ll be way ugly if the Eagles lose, locally and nationally.

Ha, thanks.

Thanks again.

OK, now you’re just embarrassing me.