At least we don’t have the only kicker in the league who is sucking.  Apparantly the Saints’ Gramatica can give the other team 7 points and still leave 6 points off the board, but you also have to assign some blame to the offensive line on that block; he did make a 53-yarder; and a 46-yarder isn’t a gimme.

If there is one man that I want to blame the Redskins loss on, it’s this man: Andy Reid.  You can spread the fault of the Chicago loss out on a lot of people, but this one pretty much falls on Andy Reid.  The defense also couldn’t stop the Redskins at all.  You think a little more gameplanning for Cooley would be made.  Covering legit TEs has been the Eagles’ Achilles heel the last 3 years.  How many 3rd down conversion did that guy have?  And Clinton Portis is just a beast.  Jason Campbell is also becoming a legit NFL QB.  It’s sickening to think how much talent is in the NFC East.  If the Eagles were in the North, South, or West, they would be a division winner.   Ok, well maybe not the North, and the Bucs/Saints/Panthers/Falcons ain’t that bad, but the West for sure!  Instead, a 9-7 record means last place in the NFC East and our loss tally is already at 3 without being a 1/3 of the way through the season and 4 tough division games left to play.  I never thought the football blues would hit me this early in the season.  It’s been hard.  At least the 49ers, bye week, Falcons, and Seahawks are coming up.  If we don’t go 3-0 in that stretch, major changes to this team need to be made.

Let me guess what words came out of Reid’s mouth in his press conference: “I have to do a better job at putting my players in a better position to win games.”  You would think that with a 14-0 lead, you could put them in the right position for 3 more quarters and it starts with good play-calling instead of this shoddy BS that we’re seeing — especially in the red zone.

In other Eagles news, Brian Westbrook fractured his ribs during the Redskins game.  For some reason, he hasn’t officially been ruled out of the 49ers game.  If you play as a runningback in the NFL with fractured ribs, you are one tough son of a bitch.  We’ll keep you updated on Westbrook as soon as we hear it.

Although the Eagles lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers 16-10 in last night’s meaningless preseason opener, there were still many positives that the Birds could walk away with from the contest.  For starters, our franchise quarterback, Donovan McNabb looked stellar in his limited action throwing for 97 yards on 10-13 passing.  We all know that #5 throws a great deep ball, but I must say that I was much more impressed by his accuracy on the shorter routes.  As a result of Donovan’s confidence in himself and his receivers, the Eagles offense scored 10 points in their first two drives downfield (28 yd FG-David Akers, 3-yd TD Jason Davis).

Another plus was the superb play of the Eagles first-round draft pick DeSean Jackson.  Jackson had 5 catches for 51 yards, his longest catch being a 19 yd reception, including the phenomenal grab shown in the video below this story.  DeSean also saw limited action on special teams where he returned 3 punts for a dismal 3 yards.  I look to see more from the rookie out of California in the return game in the second preseason game at Carolina on August 14th.

Coming into the game I was looking at four important components that the Eagles needed to impress me on in order for them to regain the NFC East dominance which we are all used to just two seasons ago.

1)      QB Play

2)      RB Play (besides B-West)

3)      Special Teams play

4)      Lineman Play (in protection and rush)

In all four of these categories, the Eagles did not disappoint.

– Although AJ Feeley had a chance to win the game in the closing seconds when he overthrew an open Kris Wilson in the end-zone, the overall QB play of all three QBs was satisfactory [McNabb 10-13 (97yds), Kolb 12-21 (81yds), Feeley 6-14 (51 yds)].

– As it was reported here by my colleague Zach Zawarski, Brian Westbrook got his lucrative new deal.  The details listed in this 52-page draft were so intricate however, that B-West was sidelined the first two quarters so that he had a chance to look over and understand the entire contract alongside Joe Banner.  This gave Eagles fans the chance to watch Correll Buckhalter, Lorenzo Booker, Tony Hunt, and Ryan Moats in action.  Buckhalter and Booker looked impressive and seem to be great compliments to the best running back and possibly best player in the league, Brian Westbrook.  Tony Hunt proved he can be relied on to gain 1 or 2 yards in the trenches when called upon.  Ryan Moats, who is trying very hard to make this Eagles team, played well and with a lot of heart.  Reluctantly, I must say that I just don’t see Moats making this year’s team.  His play on the field was more of an audition to showcase to other NFL teams scouts his ability to play, rather than for Eagles coaches and management.  I wish Ryan well, but I stand behind my opinion that there just is no room for him on this year’s roster.

– Special Teams dropped only one ball (L. Booker still gained positive yards) during returns yesterday, but atleast didn’t turn the ball over to the Steelers.  This in itself is definitely an improvement from last year when the Eagles were plagued by turnovers in the return game.  In addition, David “Moneyfoot” Akers should no signs of an ailing hamstring and looked to be in Pro-Bowl form.  Also, Sav Rocca punted the ball well.

–The lineman on both sides of the ball looked great.  In addition to Trent Cole, I was impressed by Jerome McDougle.  He seemed aggressive and made his presence felt at Heinz Field.  RG Max Jean-Gilles subbed in for Pro-Bowl G Shawn Andrews and also played very well.

–  Jay Vaidya

———————————————————————————–

Preseason Game 1 Injury Notes:

–CB Asante Samuel DNP (Hamstring)

–WR Reggie Brown DNP (Achilles)

–G Shawn Andrews DNP (Depression)

The Eagles are expected to announce Westbrook’s new deal before they take the field against the Pittsburgh Steelers later tonight for their opening preseason game.  Despite 3 years left on Westbrook’s current contract, the Eagles, who are known to be sticklers when it comes to contract negotiations, have done was is right, and have decided to pay the man who set the franchise record for yards form scrimmage.

Owner Jeffrey Lurie acknowledged that Westbrook has “outperformed” his current 5-year $25 million contract, but what remains to be seen is how much Westbrook will earn with the new deal.  Westbrook stated that he wants “L.T. money” — the highest paid NFL runningback, who has an 8-year $60 million contract.  I doubt he’ll get that much, but he’ll certainly be in the ballpark.

From the Desk of Jay Vaidya

I purposely arrived late at camp today (around 8:30am) so that  I could go through the trials and tribulations of parking far away and making the long walk with other Eagle fans to the Lehigh practice field.  Today, Saturday July 26th, marked the first day that the entire Eagle team (including RB Brian Westbrook and CB Lito Sheppard) practiced in full contact drills in front of more than 15,000 passionate and die hard Eagle fans.  As I sauntered through the crowds making my way to the main practice field where the offense was going through some drills, I stopped and talked to some of the Philly faithful about their thoughts on this glorious day.  “I’m here with my boys to finally see some hitting.  We have all waited long enough to see some football,” said Dave of Wilmington, DE.  The nest was surely a buzz. Angela from Philadelphia added, “This is my first year ever coming to camp.  It reminds me of a Woodstock-like concert.  There are so many people here.  My boys and husband are happy that they are able to see some of the new players on the team.  This Eagles camp is probably the best professional training camp in the country.  Don’t you think?”

Angela could not have been more right in her assessment of Eagle camp.  Eagles training camp is not probably, but definitively the best NFL camp in the nation.  Where else can you find passionate fans in the tens of thousands, driving up to 5 hours from their homes in places such as Virginia Beach (VA), Wilmington (DE), Lancaster (PA), Harrisburg PA), etc. just to see some guys they cheer for on weekends practice?  I mean…we’re talking about practice.  Not the game, not the game….but practice.  (Thanks again for those words A.I., you are truly missed)

The first thing I saw as I reached the stands to watch the actual practice was Donovan McNabb throwing a dart across the middle to a cutting Hank Baskett in stride for a 15 yard gain.  McNabb looked great and poised, and so did this year’s probable receiving corps of Kevin Curtis, Reggie Brown, Greg Lewis, Jason Avant, Hank Baskett, as well as new comers DeSean Jackson, Shaheer McBride, and Bam Childress.  Not only that, but our secondary looked great as well.  Led by Brian Dawkins, the corners and safeties also put in great work picking off and deflecting numerous passes from our QBs (this is not to say that the QBs played poorly).  For example J.R. Reed made a great read on a McNabb to Curtis route and jumped the route to pick of Donovan and take the ball back 20 yards.  This play was then immediately followed up by a delayed handoff to Brian Westbrook, who received a clamorous cheer from the gallery as soon as he touched the ball.  B-West was cutting and weaving past the linebackers and headed directly for the secondary before he decided to get out of bounds on many of his touches.  What followed was truly amazing.  Fans began to stand and yell comments from the gallery such as “Don’t worry Brian, we will pay you”, “Don’t hold out on us Brian”, “We need you Brian”, and “We love you Brian” for about 3 minutes after his 7 second run.  This got me thinking.  Should the media saturate the airwaves with talk of holdouts by Lito Sheppard and Brian Westbrook (as once reported here by me) along with contract disputes, rather than talk about other more pressing issues (i.e. what to make of an offense who struggled to score touchdowns in the red zone) surrounding the team and the players who are content with their roles on the 2008 Eagle squad.  So, to get an idea of what Eagle nation thought about this issue I decided to ask some fans for their thoughts on the subject and then relay their thoughts to you the reader.  What I found was that there were two schools of thought regarding this matter.  On one hand we had Eagle fans that were fed up and disgusted with the media who at times made more of these distracting contract issues then the players themselves did.  Conversely, on the other hand we had fans that were adamant that contract “hoopla” is important for fans to know about and discuss as part of Eagle nation.   “I’m tired of all this contract stuff,” complained Joe of Malvern, Pa, “If I hear that garbage on TV or the radio, I simply switch the station.  Fans shouldn’t have to worry about that stuff.”  When asked specifically about the B-West and Lito contract disputes Will of Lancaster, PA replied, “The media makes more of it than they do.  It’s all infuriating.”  Rob of Bethlehem, PA agreed with Joe and Will but also added, “All these NFL guys are way overpaid.  I honestly don’t think any of them are worth even a million dollars.  I mean, it’s a million dollars we are talking about here!”  Not all fans, however, saw the media’s role as “distracting” to the real issue at hand; getting to the Super Bowl.  “The players and the media are only as noticeable as the fans want them to be,” explained lifelong Eagle fan Nate L. of Sicklerville, NJ, “Take a look around.  How many #5, #20, and #36 jerseys do you see walking around?  We (the fans) all pay upwards of a $100 for tickets and jerseys and most other Eagle paraphernalia, and take more than 3 hours plus a week cheering on the team during the regular season.  Don’t you think, especially in today’s economy, that that money could be spent in other places?  But no, we the loyal Eagle fans see ‘being a fan’ in a different light.  In a way, through spending our hard earned money on the Eagles franchise, we become shareholders of this company called the Philadelphia Eagles.  When they win, we win.  When they lose, we lose.  It’s a mindset and a lifestyle each one of us has chosen.  Therefore, when asked should the fans care about contract ‘stuff’ and the media’s role in telling us about that ‘stuff’, I think we the fans must have a say, and be fully briefed on what is happening.  In a way, these players are being paid with our money.”

It was now 10:15am, and I turned away from the practice field to take a minute in the shade to reflect on what I had heard from you, the Eagle fans, and also gather my thoughts and then jot them down in a notepad.  My attention was then suddenly taking away by the joyous yelping of young Bird fans playing in the designated play section located about 100 yards away from the practice field.  Every little kid’s face I observed playing on the moon walk, participating in kick, pass and punt competitions, or simply eating Italian ice was one of delight and happiness.  This is what it should all be about I thought, Happiness.   These kids probably cheer our team, the Eagles, just as hard as you and I.  When we (adults) concern ourselves with contract disputes, what player said what, and who is hurt or not, we take away the element of happiness from our lives.  Rather than concern ourselves with the above mentioned distractions, we should all learn from the children and just enjoy.  We have a great team and a great fan base, and that alone should make us all happy.

– Jay Vaidya

(Thanks to every fan and person that took time out of their day to stop and talk to me.  I learned a lot from you guys and appreciate it.)

QUICK EAGLE NOTES:

– Shawn Andrews is still a no show at practice, citing personal reasons.  There is no word on when he will arrive at Lehigh.

– Asante Samuel’s practice was cut short when he re-aggravated his hamstring.  This injury has plagued the $10mil a year Pro-Bowl cornerback ever since his arrival in Philadelphia.  No further information was given about this injury.

From the Desk of Jay Vaidya

Even as the price of a gallon of gasoline nears $5 and heat indexes soar above 100 degrees in the Lehigh Valley, Eagle fans are once again expected to converge at Eagles Training Camp 2008 on the campus of Lehigh University in record numbers.  Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in the summer amongst the fans and the media is nothing new to Coach Andy Reid, who will be preparing for his 10th year as head coach of the Eagles.  Yet controversy and concerns still loom amidst an anxious and eager 2008 Philadelphia Eagle squad before the pads even go on.  As all of Eagle nation knows, six of Coach Reid’s past Eagle teams have found their way into the post season with limited success (aka one Super Bowl appearance) and four of them have forever been deleted from our memories (not to mention the lingering  void from not reaching the playoffs in two of the last three seasons).  This all of course is in addition to the salty taste and anger that has been brewing in Southeastern Pennsylvania ever since David Tyree’s “immaculate reception” in last year’s Super Bowl.

Topping the list of the afore mentioned concerns include the contract dispute of disgruntled Pro-Bowlers RB Brian Westbrook and CB Lito Sheppard, the health of Donovan McNabb, and rookies WR DeSean Jackson and DT Trevor Laws.

(1)          To begin, both Westbrook and Sheppard have fired their current agents and have re-signed with different agents in order to gain leverage against Eagle management, since their previous representation could get nothing done during talks in their favor before training camp.  At the “Welcome to Training Camp” press conference, Coach Reid made it clear that he has been in contact with Westbrook in the past few days, but has not spoken with Sheppard since the discontent cornerback skipped Organized Team Activities (OTA) last month.  To me, although the Eagles can survive and thrive in a season without Lito Sheppard (a la Sheldon Brown), a season without Brian Westbrook would mean disaster.  Let us all cross our fingers and hope that a Westbrook holdout is not in the near future.

(2)          Moving to less turbulent news, Coach Reid also noted (as reported here at www.allphiladelphiasports.com by Zach Zawarski) that Donovan McNabb’s shoulder problems are now in the past.  #5 has spent the last few weeks rehabbing his injury and training in Arizona (as he does every year) along with teammate Brian Dawkins and has been quoted as saying his shoulder ailment is a “non-issue”.  It is good to see the captain of our offense and the captain of our defense spending some of the offseason together butting heads in attempts to get the Eagles Team focused on another Super Bowl run.  Once again, we should all pray that both these cornerstones of our team remain healthy for the duration of not only training camp, but the entire season.

(3)         Finally, we move to the contract situations with rookies WR DeSean Jackson and DT Trevor Laws.  It is my pleasure to report to you that as of July 21st both these explosive players, one on each side of the ball, have inked 4-year deals with the Eagles.  (NOTE:  DT Trevor Laws will likely miss a portion of training camp due to what’s described as a “foot injury”, however this injury does not seem to be a major concern to either Laws or the Eagles’ staff)Near the end of his press conference, Coach Reid announced his new “30 Plus Club” policy.  This policy is specifically targeted at older veterans (i.e. Brian Dawkins, Tra Thomas, and Jon Runyan) to keep them fresh and ready for the start of the regular season.  Basically this means that after these players workout back-to-back days, they will receive the following next day “half-off” in order to relax, recuperate, and keep from getting fatigued in the intense summer sun.  Players over 30 not included in the “30 Plus Club” include Donovan McNabb and AJ Feeley, since they wear the protective red jerseys, and don’t get as physically into the practices as the rest of the players do.

TRAINING CAMP SCHEDULE NOTE: Over the next three days, the Eagles will work out their rookies and some select veterans (27 in total), including throwing sessions with Donovan McNabb, AJ Feeley, and Kevin Kolb so that these select players are ready for when the pads go on this Saturday July 26th.

A great return game in the NFL ensures that the offense will have a shorter field to work with to score points against the opposing team.  Watching the Eagles’ offense last year, it became apparent that their explosive offense of years past was now incapable of scoring a touchdown, even while in the red-zone.  Settling for field goals (3pts) rather than scoring touchdowns (6pts), usually leads to loses in today’s NFL.  This is exactly what all Eagle fans saw last year- loses.  To make matters worse, our special teams weren’t all that special.  In fact, they were dismal.    The opening day game last year versus the Green Bay Fudge-Packers was a perfect example of this mediocrity shown by the Eagles Special Teams.  Rather than start the season with a great win at Green Bay, the Eagles Special Teams embarrassed themselves and their fans as they blew the game in the closing moments of the game by fumbling a kick return that would have most likely ended the game in their favor.  From that moment on, the Eagles return game was at best shaky, making Philly fans nationwide squirm in their seats every time a member of the Eagles Special Teams squad was waiving for a fair catch.

This year the Eagles Special Teams coordinator, Rory Segrest, doesn’t anticipate having the problems of last year due to the two new faces he has chosen to run kicks back for the Birds this year.  Although, the elusive and speedy DeSean Jackson was the obvious choice at punt returner, the position of kick returner was open to many players including Quintin Demps, JR Reed, Correll Buckhalter, Jamal Jones, and Lorenzo Booker.  Out of this group of able returnmen, RB Lorenzo Booker in his second year out of Florida State seems to be emerging as the as the clear leader of the pack.  Not only is he doing well on special teams, but on offense as well as the back-up to RB Brian Westbrook.  In Monday’s practice, Booker broke a 60-yd touchdown run on a reverse play followed by some great returns on special teams drills.  Similar to other great returnmen (i.e. Deion Sanders, Dante Hall, Devin Hester) both DeSean Jackson and Lorenzo Booker not only have speed, but great vision.  Both players seem to be able to see space and creases very well, sometimes before these gaps to run in even occur.  These intangible skills that both Jackson and Booker possess will give the Eagles a chance to put up six points every time they touch the ball without the offense even stepping onto the field.  This indeed would be a welcome gift to the Eagles and their fans.

–  Jay Vaidya

The Madden 09 player rankings for the Philadelphia Eagles are out.  You can check out the full rankings following this link to IGN.com.

Here is who the Eagles’ top 10 players are according to the Madden rankings:

1.) Brian Westbrook – 97
2.) Asante Samuel – 96
2.) Shawn Andrews – 96
4.) Tra Thomas – 95
5.) Lito Sheppard – 94
6.) Trent Cole – 93
7.) Donovan McNabb – 92
7.) Brian Dawkins – 92
7.) Jamaal Jackson – 92
10.) Jon Runyan – 90

You can also follow Madden 09 at EA Sports Blog.

Lorenzo Booker starts fast [Philadelphia Inquirer]  — The Lorenzo Booker trade thrilled me from the start.  I don’t know how many people are familiar with his college career, but when I watched his Florida State games two seasons ago, I was always paying attention to him.  Every time he got the ball, he had a chance to take it to the house.  His ability to get yards after the catch is uncanny.  So far, Booker’s talent and level of preparation in camp is being raved about.  Not only does Booker fit in perfectly in the Eagles’ system, not only will he be able to take some pressure off Westbrook, but he has a great attitude that Eagles fans love.  You have to love quotes like this:

I’m a perfectionist.  I expect to go out there and when you tell me something once, I get it right. I just love the game. I love to play football. I’m not a guy that can go out there and jog through stuff. To me, there is no halfway. Going full speed and working hard is the only thing I know how to do.  You want to always get used to finishing a play or breaking a long run because you never know in the course of a game when it’s going to happen.

Big tackle has big name, big hopes [Philadelphia Inquirer] — King Dunlap was a great low-risk, high-reward draft pick.  Dunlap was a pre-season All-American and could have been taken in the one of the top two round this draft, but he lost his starting spot his senior year because of some injuries and his draft stock plummeted.  Dunlap ended up being the 35th tackle taken in the draft. Despite a poor senior season, you have to be intrigued with his physical assets and credentials: 6’8″, 310 pounds, size-18 shoes, 5.0 40-yard-dash (that’s fast for a tackle — Jake Long ran a 5.23, Ryan Clady ran a 5.2), 225-pound bench press 20 times, and a very good Wonderlic score.  Give him two or three years behind Tra Thomas and I’m sure he’ll pan out just fine with the Eagles.

Offensive tackle Justice has something to prove [Philadelphia Inquirer] — Justice is ready to prove wrong all the critics who say that he has no heart/fight/fire/bite.

Still Excited About the LBs… [Iggles Blog]  — A bit of pessimism/criticism to relax all the praise that is thrown to the Eagles young linebacking corps.  I happen to love the Eagles linebackers.  They’re young, have a ton of talent, and should continue improving.  Gaither will move to the WILL where he will be able to utilize his athleticism more.  I’m expecting big things from Stewart Bradley in the middle — he made a statement at the end of the season and was drawing comparisons to Brian Urlacher.  Gocong should only keep getting more comfortable in his role on the strong side.  Interesting article nonetheless.

Bryan Smith Buys Food, Gains Weight [Bleeding Green Nation] — I was a little worried about Smith’s small size (231 lbs. at the combine, 243 lbs. right now) as a DE, but Smith says that he could barely afford to buy food in college since D-II athletes get about half the amount of scholarship checks that D-I athletes get.  They get $438 a month and once you deduct money for rent, utilities, and other expenses, you’re not left with a whole lot of money to feed a 240-pound athlete.  Smith has the frame to pack on weight and he should be able to get up to 250 pounds.

Getting To Know Joe Mays [Inside the Iggles] — Joe Mays looks like he could be a beast on the field.  He’s short and stocky, so he has some problems changing direction, but he’s a downhill player, a tackling machine, and he does a great job at shredding blocks.  It seems like Joe Mays is a guy that the Eagles could use in the middle on running downs to stuff the line.  He may get a roster spot if he proves to be a valuable asset on special teams.

Sizing Up Some Prime Roster Battles [Dave Spadaro]  — It’s already pretty clear who will make the 53-man roster.  The only real question marks are what runningbacks won’t make the roster and whether the Eagles go with Jason Davis or Dan Klecko at fullback.

Lito Sheppard lining up as a wide receiver? [Yardbarker] — I don’t see the point of that when you have DeSean Jackson, but sure, why not?

Will the Ravens bring the return of Freddie Mitchell? [Bleeding Green Nation] — The Ravens have worked out “The People’s Champ” Fred Ex.

Eagles getting some love [Iggles Blog]  — According to Iggles Blog, Vegas gives the Eagles the 6th-best odds to win the Super Bowl.  By my count, the Eagles have the 10th-best odds to win the Super Bowl.  The Jaguars, Steelers, Browns, and Saints are all ahead of the Birds.  The Eagles odds to win the Super Bowl are currently 25-1 on sportsbook.com.

Eagles defense ready to soar [Sporting News] — Nothing we don’t already know.  On paper, this defense looks as good as ever.

5 teams that could surprise [ESPN - Matt Mosley] — Here is what Matt has to write on the Eagles:

Even in the very talented NFC East, it’s hard to imagine the Eagles staying down for long. Andy Reid didn’t suddenly become a bad coach and he still has a very talented roster. Keeping quarterback Donovan McNabb and running back Brian Westbrook healthy always is going to be a challenge, but the Eagles will be contenders if McNabb and Westbrook can stay on the field. Reid firmly believes Lorenzo Booker, acquired in a trade with Miami, can help lighten Westbrook’s load.

Wide receiver remains an issue, but the Eagles drafted DeSean Jackson to try to give McNabb another playmaker. Reid’s had a rough couple of years, dealing with family issues and the saga of former Philadelphia receiver Terrell Owens. But when Reid has the time to just focus on coaching, he’s as good as anyone in the game.

In my prior draft article, I shared my thoughts on the Eagles’ first two draft picks.  In this article, I’ll take a look at the Eagles’ selections in rounds 3-7.

When then third round made it’s way, I was rather confident the Eagles would select Brian Dawkins’ future replacement.  Many quality safety prospects were still available.  In fact, only two safeties were drafted in the first two rounds: the Giants drafted Kenny Phillips and the Vikings drafted Tyrell Johnson.  Personally, I was pulling for the Eagles to draft Tom Zbikowski — his style of play and work ethic would surely win Eagles fans over.  I also expected that the Eagles could make a move for either DaJuan Morgan or Thomas DeCoud.  The Eagles passed on those three players to select Bryan Smith, an undersized DE from McNeese State that would be used as a pass-rush specialist in the NFL.  I was slightly disappointed with the pick, but I think the Eagles are onto something with the pick.  Shortly after this pick, Morgan, Zbikowski, and DeCoud were all taken later in third round, which had be panicking that the Eagles would be without a quality safety from this year’s draft.

I don’t know exactly how Bryan Smith fits into the Eagles plans for this team, so I’m curious to see how he performs in camp.  I thought the Eagles reached for him.  He was projected to be drafted in the later rounds, so the Eagles must really love this guy to take him in the third round.  From what I’ve read about him, he has tremendous explosiveness, speed, natural athletic ability, and the ability to change directions quickly.  His downsides are that he is undersized and doesn’t play well against the run.  My first thought was that Smith’s role would be primarily as Chris Gocong’s reserve.  He could also be brought onto the field purely for pass-rushing situations.  I was puzzled that the Eagles would draft Smith when they already went out in free agency and got pass-rush specialist Chris Clemons for that role.  This pick made more sense when I read that the Eagles may experiment with a 3-4 defense.  The Eagles’ base defense will still be a 4-3, but with the plethora of pass rushers on the roster, the Eagles could run a 3-4 in certain situations and cause nightmares for opposing offensive coordinators around the league.  Here is a great interview with Bryan Smith if you want to learn more about him.

The fourth round has come and the Eagles have a chance to pick up a lot of pieces with the four picks they have this round. The Eagles came out in the fourth round and selected Pittsburgh OL Michael McGlynn.  McGlynn played primarily at RT for Pittsburgh, but projects as an OG in the NFL since he lacks the athleticism to play as a tackle in the NFL.  He is very technically sound, has the ability to play any position on the offensive line, and his long-snapping abilities make him an intriguing prospect.  I thought that the Eagles would have used their first-round pick on an offensive linemen, but the top linemen were off the board, which prompted the Eagles to trade the pick.  Since the Eagles haven’t selected a lineman yet, this pick shouldn’t have come as a surprise.  Andy has a knack for finding solid linemen in fourth round (Herremans and Jean-Giles).  Hopefully, McGlynn will be every bit as good as those fourth-round picks.

The Eagles also made a trade with the Miami Dolphins for Lorenzo Booker.  Booker was a player that the Eagles had their eyes on in the draft last year, but Miami beat them to the punch in the 3rd round and selected him, which led to the Eagles selecting Tony Hunt later that round.  The Eagles love Booker’s ability to catch the ball out of the backfield.  I became extremely impressed with him during his days at Florida State.  He has tremendous quickness, does a tremendous job at making defenders miss, and is a superb East-West runner.  Last season, Booker had 125 rushing yards on 28 attempts and 237 receiving yards on 28 receptions.  Booker’s draft profile looks quite similar to Brian Westbrook’s, so it’s no coincidence that the Eagles wanted him last year and did what it took to get him this year.  Great pick up.

Later in the fourth round, the Eagles finally took a safety that they badly needed to get their hands on: Quintin Demps.  When I read about Demps, I became extremely impressed and intrigued.  He has great speed and is a ball hawk with ability to cover a lot of ground with his long range.  His weakness is his ability against the run.  Demps will need to add bulk and improve against the run if he wants to make it in the league.  His upside is that his skills in coverage are exceptional.  You also have to love his attitude with this quote: “I am a playmaker. If the Eagles wanted a playmaker, they got one as a steal in this draft. I am not a Pro Bowl player, I’m a Super Bowl player. I am ready to go. I am fired up.”  Hopefully, the Eagles didn’t miss with this one.  Last year, I was extremely excited about the prospect C.J. Gaddis and he didn’t make it very long before he was cut by the Eagles.  He was even getting great reviews during training camp.  The difference between Demps and Gaddis is that Gaddis was a great natural athlete with a lack of football skills and the Eagles thought that he could make it at as a safety.  With Demps, the Eagles got a player with a qualified resume at safety, but he’ll just have to improve against the run.

At this point in the draft, I would already conclude that the Eagles had a successful draft.  They got an extremely talented defensive lineman, an explosive kick returner and speedy receiver, a pass-rush specialist, a versatile offensive lineman, a tremendous coverage safety, and an elusive running back.  I started to think that the Eagles could use their late fourth-round pick to fill a void at FB with the departure of Thomas Tapeh.  I was hoping the Eagles would draft Owen Schmitt, the FB from West Virginia with a bad-ass mohawk who took it to the house against Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl.  However, with their final pick in the fourth round, the Eagles took Jack Ikegwuonu.  Ikegwuonu has all the things you look for in a starting CB, but injuries and character issues caused him to fall down the draft chart.  If he was able to stay healthy during college, he could have been drafted in the second or third round.  His best quality is his physical play and his ability to jam receivers at the line of scrimmage.  I think this was a solid value pick for the Eagles.  The Eagles got a guy with starter potential, but with a few injury and character concerns.

The Eagles then had four picks left in the last four rounds.  They picked up a guard (Michael Gibson), two linebackers (Joe Mays and Andy Studebacker), and another tackle (King Dunlap).

Final Thoughts: Excellent draft by the Eagles.  When I first saw that the Eagles traded their 19th pick, I, like everyone else, was pissed.  However, I was quite happy at the conclusion of the second round, especially since the Eagles were able to get DeSean Jackson, a player who the Eagles could have easily used their 19th pick on, and now they have two first-round picks next year.  The only thing I would have changed about the Eagles draft would be taking DaJuan Morgan or Tom Zbikowsk in the third round and hope that Bryan Smith would still be there in the fourth round.  I’m excited to learn more about these prospects during the mini-camps and training camp.

Iggles Blog came out with an interesting article on who he thinks the Eagles could go after in the draft.  CB – maybe if Lito is on his way out.  WR – there are no “can’t miss” 1st rounders.  Kenny Phillips?  Maybe not, you can get a good safety in the 3rd round.  He has the Eagles going for Felix Jones.  Here’s something to consider:

Jones’ junior season in 2007 statistically has been his best as a Razorback. He ran the ball 123 times for 1,117 yards and 11 touchdowns. He led the nation with 9.1 yards per carry. He once again led the SEC in kick returns, with 18 returns for 564 yards and two touchdowns. He was named to the All-SEC First Team as a kick returner and All-SEC Second Team as a running back. Jones and McFadden each gained more than 1,000 yards once again, and, like last year, McFadden finished as the Heisman Trophy runner-up… At Arkansas, Jones offered a change of pace to McFadden’s style of running. Maybe a bigger version of Brian Westbrook. While McFadden relies on his size and speed, Jones is more explosive, with times reported between 4.3 and 4.4 in the 40 yard dash. He has excellent vision, shiftiness and speed that make him difficult to defend against and a dangerous threat every time he touches the ball.

Jones is also a very patient runner that will squeeze through holes, or use his quickness to bounce to the outside and spring a big gain. He makes quick cuts and is elusive once he gets into the open field. He has great leverage to earn tough yards, and makes defenders miss. He has good hands out of the back field, make him a viable all-around offensive weapon.

Many scouting reports are advising Jones to stay at Arkansas for his senior year, so he can be the #1 tailback after McFadden enters the draft. Even so, many mock drafts have him being drafted in the mid-to-late first round.