State of the Eagles: Offseason '07

Coming off an exciting 10-6 season with its fifth NFC title in six years, a wild card win over the NY Football Giants, and Number 5 coming back, Andy Reid and the Birds are poised to not only maintain their high level of excellence, but are ready to be NFC champions again. If only the Eagles front office tweaked the winning formula a little bit, it might be enough to get over the hump.

It seems that every offseason, the Andy Reid-led Eagles have the same issues:

1. WR talent
2. the need for playmakers at OLB
3. the need for a big back
4. the waste of picks on collecting linemen like cheesesteaks
   

Let's take a look at how the offseason is going so far:

The Eagles' key re-signings:

• DE Juqua Thomas: Great as a reserve pass rusher due to his smallish size (6'2" 250 lbs). Perfect for some of Jim Johnson's zone blitzes.
• RB Correll Buckhalter: Injury-prone but great speed and power when healthy. Surprisingly, he's actually faster than Westbrook in straightline speed.
• SS Quintin Mikell: Impact special teams player. Great in goal-line packages.
• QB AJ Feeley: The backup QB is always a fan favorite. Did the Eagles really trade him to the Dolphins, essentially to get Reggie Brown? Oh yes, they did.
• CB William James: The player formerly known as William Peterson, and not to be confused with the American philosopher and psychologist. He will challenge Joselio Hanson or whoever else they pick up for the nickel corner spot.

The Eagles' Key Players Returning from IR:

• QB Donovan McNabb: The embodiment of the current Eagles organization. The front office has to be concerned that he ended two seasons in a row on IR.
• DE Jevon Kearse: Thank god he is coming back next season. More pass rushers are desperately needed.
• KR/WR Jeremy Bloom: Awesome potential as a returner and a speed receiver. He's a little small but showed he can gain the weight as he did between the Olympics, the Combine and his Pro Day.
• OLB Chris Gocong: He tore up offensive lines as a pass rusher against lesser college opponents. Now that he has had a full year of studying Jim Johnson defense, its time to put it into action.
  

The Eagles' Key Acquisitions:

• WR Kevin Curtis: Filled in very well for two future Hall-of-Famers in St. Louis. He was awesome in the playoffs a few years back.
• KR/WR Bethel Johnson: Can go the distance as a returner, not known as a WR. Returned 2 kicks for TDs.
  

The Eagles' key losses:

• WR Donte Stallworth: The anti-TO (had to throw that in one last time) got fans pumped with his deep-threat capability. Are the rumors true?
• QB Jeff Garcia: Had a great run but is too old. He will really mold Chris Simms into a great QB in Tampa Bay.
• QB Koy Detmer: Great help with the one win against the Giants in last year's playoffs. He had some memorable (and forgettable) games with the Eagles in previous years.
• SS Michael Lewis: Played with awesome intensity but a couple of head fakes landed him on the bench.
• CB Roderick Hood: Started quite a few games for Eagles and should soon become a starter elsewhere.
• OLB Shawn Barber: Great as a reserve nickel LB but getting old and hurt too much.
  

The Eagles' remaining needs:

• OLB: who can stop the run and knows how to shed blocks
• MLB: who can cover and play Nickel Linebacker
• CB: decent fourth and fifth cornerbacks
• SS: hard hitter that can play tough against the run
• QB: veteran guy who can bring his knowledge and experience to help McNabb
• RB: yes the obligatory perennial need for a "big" back
  

Judging from what's already transpired this offseason, it seems the team addressed this issue somewhat. The front office signed Kevin Curtis but lost Donte Stallworth. A few weeks ago, the Philadelphia Daily News reported that Donte Stallworth failed a drug test. If that is true, the next time he is caught using drugs or with a DUI, he will be suspended for four games. The Eagles do not want to take that chance. Hank Baskett won't start, but he'll fill in nicely as a big slot receiver. Greg Lewis will be ok as a fourth receiver, in fact that is when he excels. Bethel Johnson and Jeremy Bloom will duke it out as the kick returner and punt returner but it remains to be seen if either will also see the field on offense. Jason Avant could be cut as the odd man out.

As far as the OLB issue is concerned, the Eagles may not adequately address it. Dhani Jones has been consistently devoured by offensive linemen, tight ends, and fullbacks ever since he came here. Omar Gaither made some nice plays near the end of the season, but against better opponents he couldn't shed his blocks. Shawn Barber is gone. Trotter is getting old and hasn't been in on a third down for years. With no cartilage in either of his knees, how much longer can he be a force in the middle? As long as this team is led by Andy Reid with Jim Johnson's defense, a LB will not be drafted in the first round.

The Eagles also probably will not draft a "big" running back in the first round under Andy Reid. Big backs are out of style these days anyway. The teams with successful offenses don't utilize a workhorse big back anymore, they use RB tandems. Just look at Addai/Rhodes of the Colts, Taylor/Jones-Drew of the Jaguars, Jones/Barber of the Cowboys, McAllister/Bush of the Saints, Jones/Benson of the Bears, Foster/Williams of the Panthers, and Anderson/Bell of the 2005 Broncos. The RB tandem works because fresh bodies are constantly rotated into the line-up. They run with more energy, agility, strength and quickness. If the Birds do draft a back this year, I guarantee you he will not be "big."

What I can't guarantee is that Andy Reid will not draft a linemen. Yes, there tends to be a glutton of gluttons on the roster, but Andy has always liked his big boys. After all, it's the linemen who do all the dirty work in the trenches. The fundamentals of football still remain true in fancy-schmancy NFL offenses: block, run, and tackle.

With that in mind, here are my 2007 Draft Predictions:

• 1st Round - Safety: B Dawk definitely showed his age at the beginning and middle of last season, but made up for it with some great plays for the final few games. Safety as a first-round pick is becoming more in vogue and at #26, Reggie Nelson should be available then.
• 2nd Round - Defensive Tackle: Yes, they just drafted two DTs in back to back first rounds, but the front office has got to be concerned about Mike Patterson's lack of size and Broderick Bunkley's lack of ability to get on the field. Aren't defensive lineman the most likely position to make an immediate impact as a rookie?
• 3rd Round - Outside linebacker: The Eagles need an impact player that can be a smart cover linebacker for their nickel packages and who can simultaneously step up as a special teams leader. Gaither did a fine job with special teams but if he's going to start at WLB, then someone has to fill the void left behind.
• 4th Round: Traded to New Orleans
• 5th Round - Cornerback: Might become the fourth or fifth CB on the team.
• 6th Round - Defensive End: Andy believes you can never have enough pass rushers. Wait. All they have is Jevon Kearse. Trent Cole is a work in progress: he plays with a high motor, but doesn't exactly know what's going on yet. What happened to Darren Howard? Jerome McDougle just has bad luck.
• 7th Round - Punter: Dirk Johnson is terrible. They need to give him some competition.
  

Note: the Eagles also will receive compensatory picks after free agency.

Maybe this offseason, the Eagles front office will tweak the formula a little more so they can finally bring home a Super Bowl trophy, and the curse of William Penn will be lifted.