Yeah, I haven't been on here for a day, sorry. But we might as well start talking about the biggest headline today. We heard today the WR Jeremy Maclin of the Eagles is more than likely out for the upcoming NFL season for a torn ACL. Is this the main reason why the Eagles will not go get to the playoffs? Well, it is one of a TON of contributing factors to why Philly might have another bad season.
First of all, look at their schedule. First game is on Monday Night Football vs. the Redskins. That's a loss. Next vs. an improved San Diego squad. Then what could EASILY be a 6 game losing streak. Chiefs, Broncos, Giants, Bucs, Cowboys, then Giants again. Wowza. By Week 9 they will most likely be out of the playoff picture. Now lets look at the team itself.
Offense: QBs Michael Vick, Nick Foles, and Matt Barkley. Obviously Chip Kelly is going to let Michael Vick start. But by week 6, when the Eags might already be 1-4, will there be a QB change? Gonna be a wild competition. The RB position might be the strength of the offense. But can LeSean McCoy have a major bounceback year?? Backup Bryce Brown had a fine rookie season, going through normal rookie mistakes. The Tight End position is STACKED TO THE BRIM. Of course Brent Celek is Brent Celek, but he will have rookie Zach Ertz with him, who was phenomenal at Stanford. Then there is the WR position. With Maclin gone, the only proven player is DeSean Jackson. D-Jax is what he is, and I'm not sure Chip Kelly's new Philly offense can change that. He's straight-ahead lightning, but Jackson doesn't go over the middle. There's a reason he averages just 3.9 catches per game over his career, and there's a reason his TD total has decreased four straight seasons. Defenses know that if they take away the homerun, they neutralize Jackson. Yeah, I admit that Kelly can creatively get the ball to his speedster in space more frequently, as he did at Oregon. But this is just Chip's first season. Going to be interesting to see if Jason Avant can be extremely reliable. He isn't any type of a spring chicken at 30. Damaris Johnson, and Riley Cooper are names to remember. One thing we know is there are a LOT of questions to be answered about this offense.
Defense: The Defensive Line is probably going to be pretty good here. With the young Fletcher Cox and Vinny Curry holding down one end, Cedric Thornton and Cliff Geathers are at the other. All 4 have been and are good, solid players. DT is manned by the American Samoan Isaac Sopoaga. The Linebacker position is a terrific corp that just needs some gluing together. DeMeco Ryans, Trent Cole, Mychal Kendricks, and Connor Barwin are all great players, with a ton of depth behind them all. Now the secondary. They got an excellent pickup in Cary Williams from Baltimore at the CB position. The other CB position will be the weak point of the entire defense, though. At Safety, the Jamaican Patrick Chung is a solid player, while the other safety position will be another weak spot. Kenny Phillips is just too injury prone to be reliable.
Summary: The defense will keep the team in many games, but the offense will let the fans down time and time again. Is there a way this team can really surprise me and get to the playoffs?? YES. Michael Vick might have a MASSIVE comeback and the WR position will have some shocking production. Do I think this will happen? Absolutely not. And that schedule is absolutely bruising. The conclusion: The Birds will have another 4-12 record, with Matt Barkley getting a shot at QB midseason. Chip's job will be completely safe, though. All in all, it is a very intriguing team. But is also, obviously, a bad one.
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