Cowboys @ Eagles Preview:

12-0. In his career as an NFL head coach, Andy Reid has yet to lose a game when given an extra week to prepare for his opponent. It’s actually one of the more remarkable streaks in Philadelphia sports and, for whatever notorious deficiencies Reid has when it comes to in-game adjustments, the man knows how to have his team ready when he’s given extra time. It’s all the more important this year as, coming out of the bye, the Eagles face a critical division matchup against the Dallas Cowboys.

At first blush, given the way that both teams have been playing, it would seem that Dallas would be the likely favorite in this game. New defensive coordinator (and noted loudmouth) Rob Ryan has the Cowboys defense operating on another level, ranking in the top five in the league and first overall against the run. Despite losing running back Felix Jones to an injury two weeks ago, the Cowboys merely plugged rookie DeMarco Murray into his spot and Murray responded with a record day, gaining 253 yards on the ground including a 91-yd touchdown run on the Cowboys’ first drive. They also boast one of the best wide receiver tandems in the league in Miles Austin and Dez Bryant, to go along with longtime stalwart Jason Witten at tight end. All of the pieces are in place for a Dallas win, right? Not so fast.

How good is Dallas, really? Sure, Murray looked like a beast last week, but that was against one of the worst run defenses in the St. Louis Rams. Quarterback Tony Romo has continued to be Tony Romo, costing the Cowboys at least two games because of critical fourth quarter mistakes. And of the Cowboys three wins? Two came against the Rams and Redskins (both of the teams who the Eagles were victorious against) and an overtime victory against the San Francisco 49ers, a team that beat the Eagles by a mere point. I’m not sure that they’re appreciably better than the Eagles are right now, but that’s why the games are played on the field.

When the Eagles have the ball, running back LeSean McCoy is going to have some tough sledding going against the league’s best rush defense. The Eagles’ coaching staff committed to getting McCoy the ball with much more regularity in the game against the Redskins two weeks ago as he notched a season-high 28 carries that McCoy turned into 126 yds and a touchdown. Although the screen game to McCoy has had its fits and starts this year, getting him out in space on short passes might be preferable to trying to run him into the teeth of the Cowboys’ rush defense, namely nose tackle Jay Ratliff and inside linebacker Sean Lee who himself is having a breakout campaign in 2011. Getting left tackle Jason Peters back will be huge for this offense, and that’s not to discount the strong play of backup left tackle King Dunlap and right tackle Todd Herremans in his stead but facing the fearsome Cowboys pass rush that features one of the league’s best pass rushers in DeMarcus Ware necessitates having your best on the offensive line. It’s a tough draw for Peters in his first game back in the lineup but Ware must be kept at bay as much as possible for the Eagles to have time in the passing game. Cowboys’ cornerbacks Mike Jenkins and Terrence Newman are ordinary, at best, so if the offensive line can keep Vick’s uniform clean the Eagles should be able to hit wide receivers DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, and Jason Avant for big gainers.

On defense, this is the type of team that caused the Eagles to go out and grab cornerbacks Nnamdi Asomugha and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie in the offseason. As mentioned earlier, Bryant and Austin are one of the best receiving duos in the league and slowing them down is no easy task. Bryant has a rare combination of size and speed, and is a beast to try to bring down in the open field. If I’m defensive coordinator Juan Castillo, I’m sticking Asomugha on him all night hoping that Asomugha can take him out of the game much like he did Buffalo’s Stevie Johnson and Washington’s Santana Moss in the last two games. The Eagles will have to hope that the combination of the disgruntled Asante Samuel (who used the bye week to blast the Eagles’ front office on both the radio and to the collected media at NovaCare last week) and Rodgers-Cromartie can neutralize Austin. Perhaps the Cowboys’ most dangerous receiver in this game will be Witten, what with the Eagles’ notorious inability to cover tight ends. Even in the Washington game, the defense’s best showing of the year, they allowed Redskins’ tight end Fred Davis to go for six catches for close to 100 yds. Witten could have a field day. They should also be seeing a lot of Murray, who’s become a bit of a cause célèbre over the past week after his breakout against the Rams. More of a straight ahead runner than a shifty cutback type of running back, the middle of the Eagles’ defense (namely defensive tackles Cullen Jenkins and Mike Patterson, along with middle linebacker Jamar Chaney) could have their work cut out for them. However, the defensive line gets a huge boost with the return of All-Pro defensive end Trent Cole. Cole’s return will take attention away from and heat off of the other members of the line, most notably his partner at end, Jason Babin. With the Cowboys’ line being rather suspect, the Eagles could be able to put some pressure on Romo. As Romo has proven in the past to be able to neutralize the blitz, the Eagles will need to force that pressure via the defensive line.

All things considered, both of these teams are very similar. They’ve beaten the same teams (other than San Francisco). They’re both disappointments in the NFC East who still have the opportunity to get back into the division race due to its relative weakness. They both boast an impressive receiving corps and an offensive line that was made over in the offseason. They both need a win to continue their upward mobility and, call me crazy, but I think the Eagles are better suited to that. The only real difference in the teams’ play this year is a four-point swing against the Niners, and coming off of a bye on a Sunday night at home and taking into account Reid’s mastery of post-bye games, I just think that the Eagles are better equipped to come away with a victory here. It won’t be easy (or pretty, for that matter) but the call here is that the Eagles tally their third victory of the season tonight.

The Pick: Eagles 24-21

- JM

...the Eagles need this game badly

Raise your hand if, when the schedule was announced, you thought that a week four matchup at home with the San Francisco 49ers would qualify as a must win.

For Vick and the Eagles, there’s a difference between “must win” and “MUST WIN.”

I’d tell you to put your hands down now but I seriously doubt anyone actually had them raised. Obviously most thought this game would be a must win in the sense that the Eagles would be facing one of the dregs of the NFC West at home, qualifying it as an easy “W.” But there’s a difference between “must win” and “MUST WIN.” And the latter is what the Eagles are staring at as they enter their matchup with the Niners.

After giving away a game in Atlanta against the Falcons two weeks ago and following that by dropping a giant stink bomb of a performance against the Giants in their home opener last week, the Eagles need this game badly. Like… BADLY. Saddled with a 1-2 record and looking up at the rest of the division from the basement, the woeful Niners could be just the prescription for getting the Eagles back on track. Yes, they technically have a better record than the Eagles do at this point but their wins have come against the Seattle Seahawks and Cincinnati Bengals so, quality wins they are not. While San Francisco is likely finally headed in the right direction with the hiring of new head coach Jim Harbaugh, Alex Smith is still their starting quarterback. Their biggest offensive weapon, running back Frank Gore, is being listed as questionable for today’s game with an ankle injury so San Francisco could be going with a committee approach, which could be just what the Eagles’ much derided rush defense needs to garner some semblance of confidence. The 49ers are 32nd in the NFL in total offense and are 4th in the league in points allowed. This does not appear to be a very good football team that the Eagles will be facing. You’d think that this game was tailor-made for an Eagles win and, while it might be, the Birds have proven through three games that you can’t necessarily take anything for granted.

When the Eagles have the ball, they’ll be facing the first 3-4 look they’ve seen this

The 49ers' defensive unit anchored by All-World middle linebacker Patrick Willis

season. The strength of the Niners’ defense is definitely their linebackers, a unit anchored by All-World middle linebacker Patrick Willis and promising second-year man Navarro Bowman out of Penn State. Coming off of the second straight week where quarterback Michael Vick was forced from the game due to injury, the Eagles would be wise to lean heavily on running back LeSean McCoy at least early on as a way of keeping Vick off of the ground. McCoy has taken a gigantic leap forward thus far this season, topping over 90 yards rushing in each of the Eagles’ three games and exhibiting some otherworldly cutting ability on some of his better runs. San Francisco is 3^rd in the league in rushing defense but McCoy is a special talent that you utilize regardless of the matchups. If the Eagles are able to gain ground via the running game early and the offensive line can keep Vick upright, this could be the week that Vick and the Eagles passing attack get off the schneid. This is a Niners defense that, when they weren’t facing quarterbacks like Tarvaris Jackson and Andy Dalton who aren’t legitimate NFL starters, gave up 345 yds to Tony Romo in a game that Romo missed part of due to injury. The Eagles have shown a reluctance to use the deep ball, and thus wide receiver DeSean Jackson, the last two weeks with Vick throwing no passes past 25 yards (thanks to the essential Moving The Chains blog for that info). With wide receiver Jeremy Maclin nursing a hamstring injury, this might be the time to target Jackson more in the passing game whether that’s by using his speed on deep balls or via crossing routes where you can get him in space. Either way, the Eagles can and should put up some points on this defense.

Alex Smith continues to struggle in a starting role

On defense, the Eagles will be facing the worst quarterback they’ve seen this year in Smith. There’s no two ways about it – he’s pretty awful and San Francisco is just biding their time until they turn to rookie project Colin Kaepernick or, in a best/worst case scenario, finish the season badly enough that they can reunite Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck with Harbaugh, his former college coach. Their best chance at success on offense that’s hampered with Smith and with a banged up Gore is targeting tight end Vernon Davis frequently. He creates matchup problems for an Eagles defense that has had a lot of difficulty covering opposing tight ends. Some have called for the Eagles to mark Davis with cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha since Davis is their biggest threat and their wide receivers are varying degrees of “meh.” This wouldn’t be the worst strategy in the world. For the second straight week, the Eagles have made a change at linebacker although this week’s wasn’t as drastic. After shifting all three of their linebackers into new positions against the Giants, the move this time was to bench rookie Casey Matthews and replace him with fellow rookie Brian Rolle. Rolle has looked impressive in flashes, such as his coverage against the same route that burned Matthews for a Brandon Jacobs TD and knocking Rams center Jason Brown on his ass in the opener, but it remains to be seen if his 5’10” 227 lb frame as a linebacker will be a hindrance long-term. As Iggles Blitz’s Tommy Lawlor points out, this game will be a big test to see if defensive coordinator Juan Castillo is actually capable of running a defense. He hypothesizes that there were mitigating circumstances in the first three games but if Castillo’s defense isn’t capable of handling a defense that’s as horrid as San Francisco’s then maybe Castillo isn’t cut out to be a defensive coordinator after all.

Reid’s teams have dug themselves holes in the past only to get out of them and go

Andy Reid needs to rally his troops to avoid chaos.

on to a playoff-level season. The optimist may suggest that there’s a track record of success and that Reid’s capable of doing it again with this team, while the pessimist might point out that you can only pull that off so many times and maybe this is the time that it finally crashes to the ground. Regardless of the situation, the Eagles need this game. It is indeed a MUST WIN. The schedule for the rest of October is foreboding with a trip to resurgent Buffalo, a visit to surprising Washington, and a Sunday night showdown at home with the Cowboys all on the docket. Ultimately, we’re not really sure how good San Francisco is yet but the Eagles should definitely be capable of beating this team on their own home turf at the Linc. And then the real work begins.

The Pick: Eagles 24-13

Game Nuggets:

• After Sunday’s game, Vick criticized the officiating this season saying that he’s taking far too many late hits and the officials aren’t calling it. This drew a harsh response from former head of NFL officiating, now Fox talking head Mike Peirera who said, “It actually took me back, it took me back to my job in New York when I worked for the league, and it was a constant complaint by the Eagles, whether it was [Donovan] McNabb at quarterback or whether it was Vick. They clearly complained more than any other team. As the guys over at Bleeding Green Nation point out, it’s interesting the officiating crew assigned to today’s game is headed by Alberto Riveron. That would be the same Riveron who had a horrible day last year in the Eagles’ loss to Washington at the Linc. Coincidence that this team was assigned on the same week after Vick took a shot at the officials? Probably, but it’s worth noting nonetheless.
• The red zone defense, one of the biggest factors in the undoing of former defensive coordinator Sean McDermott, has actually gotten worse this year. Opponents have scored on six of seven trips inside the 20 this year. Castillo has to find a fix for this and he has to find it in immediate fashion.
• Rolle has said that he wants to cover Davis in this game. While it’s admirable that the rookie has that much confidence, it’s maybe not wise to put that challenge out there when the Eagles have been burned repeatedly by opposing tight ends.
• One of the Niners more overlooked weapons is return man Ted Ginn. While he may be a washout as an offensive player, he’s a game changer in the return game (kick return and punt return each for TDs in the opener) who the Eagles must account for and try to avoid whenever possible.
• Here’s hoping that San Francisco placekicker David Akers gets a warm reception today. Yes, there’s the history of missing a few key kicks in the playoffs but Akers is still the best kicker in franchise history and he made many, many more big kicks than he missed.

Welcome to PhilaPhans’ weekly game review column, the Stock Report. Every week, we take a look at how each unit on the Eagles’ team fared relative to both the previous week’s performance as well as to expectations going into the game. With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at the Eagles’ 35-31 loss to the Falcons in Atlanta.

Quarterback – Down (Last Week: Slightly Down)

Vick suffers slight concussion, but may suit up vs Giants.

Obviously, the concussion suffered by Michael Vick in the third quarter was the big story in this game and was arguably the moment that swung momentum in the Falcons’ favor. With the Eagles driving late in the third quarter and about to go up by 10, Vick took a hit and careened awkwardly into right tackle Todd Herremans, hitting him helmet first causing Vick to sustain a concussion and bleed from the mouth due to a bitten tongue. Prior to the injury, Vick was a bit of a mixed bag. His completion percentage was way up from last week (to 67%) and he threw for two TDs, but he also showed flashes of Atlanta-era Vick by fumbling twice (although the first wasn’t necessarily his fault) and throwing a bad INT. All in all, his performance was probably on par or slightly above last week’s, but the increase in turnovers has to be curtailed. Mike Kafka came in following Vick’s concussion and played well in his NFL debut. He had the Eagles in position for a comeback win, but wide receiver Jeremy Maclin dropped a sure catch on a fourth down play with 1:45 left in the fourth quarter that essentially ended any chance the Eagles had. According to sources close to the Eagles, it appears that they’re leaning towards having Vick play this week against the New York Giants. This is a mistake, in my opinion. The team has termed Vick’s concussion as “slight,” but as one person put it yesterday, saying that someone has a “slight concussion” is like saying someone is “slightly pregnant.” Either you’re concussed or you’re not and the Eagles would be wise to play it safe with a man they just gave a $100MM contract to a month ago. It would be one thing if the Eagles didn’t have a competent backup, but they actually have two. Kafka acquitted himself very well against the Falcons and Vince Young should be ready to play if needed. There’s no reason to risk playing Vick against the Giants.

Running Backs – No Change (LW: Slightly Up)

LeSean McCoy, top 5 among NFL RBs.

LeSean McCoy had what’s typically becoming a LeSean McCoy-type of day with 95 yds on 18 carries, scoring twice to boot. The man has taken a huge step forward in his third-year in the NFL and should be in the conversation for the league’s best at the position. The one knock on him in this game is that his blocking was slightly questionable, but that can be easily fixed. As good as Brian Westbrook was during his tenure with the Eagles, McCoy might be on his way to being a better back. And that’s not something that I say lightly. Backup Ronnie Brown was again unimpressive and Dion Lewis was only on the field for one offensive snap.

Receivers/Tight Ends – Slightly Up (LW: No Change)

Jeremy Maclin had a 2nd huge game vs the Falcons

It was nice to see Maclin break out with a monster game, 13 catches on 15 targets for 171 yds and 2 TDs. After a quiet opener, it was smart game-planning to get Maclin involved this time because only targeting him three times like he was in St. Louis is just not advisable. Of course, all of the conversation will be about the fourth down drop. Maclin has to make that catch and more often than not, he will. He was also the victim of a dirty, illegal hit by headhunter Dunta Robinson when Robinson launched his helmet needlessly into Maclin’s unprotected jaw. That Robinson wasn’t suspended for that hit is a joke, particularly taking into account that he’s a repeat offender (having leveled wide receiver DeSean Jackson last season and being fined for that hit). Thankfully, Maclin doesn’t seem any worse for wear but there’s no place in the league for those kinds of hits and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell should have made an example of Robinson. Almost everyone else in the receiving corps was quiet with Jackson only tallying two catches for 21 yds, slot receiver Jason Avant with one for 29 yds, and wide receiver Steve Smith playing 18 snaps and logging his first two catches as an Eagle. Tight end Brent Celek was targeted much more in the passing game this week than he was in St. Louis. Maclin’s huge day was enough to boost the entire unit a bit, though.

Offensive Line – Up (LW: Up)

The Eagles offensive line has come together quickly.

Don’t look now but it looks like the overhauled offensive line is beginning to gel. Left tackle Jason Peters was a beast, manhandling Falcons’ free agent defensive end Ray Edwards like he was a child’s toy. Remember when people wanted the Eagles to throw a bunch of money at Edwards? That was cute. McCoy picked up big chunks of yardage running to the left on multiple occasions as well. The center of the line, left guard Evan Mathis, center Jason Kelce, and right guard Kyle DeVan all looked improved from last week. Kelce and DeVan had trouble with defensive tackle Peria Jerry on occasion but overall all three interior linemen played a strong game. On the right side of the line, right tackle Todd Herremans held Pro Bowl defensive end John Abraham in check for essentially the entire game in only his second game at right tackle in the NFL, and the line as a whole held the Falcons sackless for the game. This unit was an area of concern going into the season but the time is coming, if it isn’t here already, for everyone to stop worrying about it because they’ve played very well through two games.

Defensive Line – Slightly Down (LW: Up)

The Eagles' defensive line is thriving in Washburn's Wide-9.

Defensive end Trent Cole was a man possessed against Atlanta and, after two games, looks to be the lineman most helped by defensive line coach Jim Washburn’s new scheme. He dominated in both rush and pass defense with four tackles for loss (two more than Atlanta’s entire defense) and generally drank left tackle Sam Baker’s milkshake the entire evening. Some compared it to the infamous Osi Umeniyora/Winston Justice matchup from a couple of years ago – Cole was just that dominant. Defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins is beginning to look like almost as big of a pickup as cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha was, as he was constantly in Atlanta’s backfield on both run and pass plays. I can’t remember the last time that the Eagles had such a disruptive force at the defensive tackle position. After the way Cole and Jenkins played, why do I have the defensive line as “slightly down”? Injuries. Yet another defensive end, Juqua Parker, went down in this one, giving the Eagles exactly three healthy defensive ends in a system that’s predicated on frequent rotation. One of the biggest benefits of Washburn’s scheme is that it keeps linemen fresh by rotating them out frequently yet, due to injuries to Parker and Darryl Tapp (hurt last week against the Rams), Cole was forced to play 90% of the snaps, according to Philly.com’s Sheil Kapadia. While Cole looked great here, playing him that often has lead to a decrease in his productivity in years past. The Eagles need to get healthy at the position soon to avoid that happening again.

Linebackers – Down (LW: Down)

The Eagles have moved Casey Matthews to WLB.

Oh, boy… there are major, major problems here. While much-maligned middle linebacker Casey Matthews played better here than he did in the opener, the stark truth is that the linebackers were the main reason that Atlanta running back Michael Turner was able to gash the Eagles’ defense for 114 yds on 21 carries and that future Hall Of Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez torched them for seven catches for 83 yds and two TDs. SAM linebacker Jamar Chaney had possibly his worst performance since being installed in the Eagles’ starting lineup late last season. Part of the Eagles’ rationale for moving Chaney from middle linebacker to the outside was his supposed strength in covering tight ends yet, according to Kapadia, Chaney was matched up on Gonzalez more than twice as much as any other defender yet Gonzalez still lit the defense up. Chaney was also in position but whiffed on the Turner 61-yd fourth quarter run after Matthews couldn’t get off of a block by the right tackle. WILL linebacker Moise Fokou was basically invisible and it seems like it’s only a matter of time until rookie Brian Rolle begins taking snaps away from him. This unit is the glaring weakness of the team two weeks in and it has to get better and get better quickly. How? I’m not quite sure yet, but if the Eagles have any aspirations of playing in February, the linebackers absolutely cannot play this badly.

Defensive Backs – Slightly Down (LW: No Change)

Nnamdi and his fellow CBs had a strong game.

From a cornerback standpoint, again, they are who we thought they were. Cornerback Asante Samuel showed his playmaking ability with an athletic third quarter interception. It’s becoming clear through two games that Asomugha’s presence is going to give Samuel more opportunities for interceptions as quarterbacks seem to prefer throwing to Samuel’s side instead of Asomugha’s. Samuel did suffer a nasty sounding finger dislocation, needing stitches after the dislocated bone protruded through his skin. Asomugha was only targeted three times but did give up a costly third-down catch to rookie wide receiver Julio Jones. Nickel corner Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie’s speed was on display as he was the defender who was able to finally catch Turner on his 61-yd jaunt and he got extended time outside when Samuel was forced from the game with his dislocated finger. The linebackers’ deficiencies are also beginning to affect the defensive backs. One of the supposed strengths of the Eagles’ defense was the ability to have three Pro Bowl-level cornerbacks on the field at once, however, due to the linebackers’ inability to stop the run there are less instances for the Eagles to need to employ a nickel set, leaving Rodgers-Cromartie off of the field for long stretches. Again, this is yet another reason why the linebackers have to get better. The safeties, on the other hand, were bad. Jarrad Page got burned whenever he was matched against Gonzalez and Coleman again did little to stand out. Wouldn’t be surprised if neither of these guys are starting by the end of the season.

Special Teams – No Change (LW: No Change)

The rookie punter had a solid game.

Punter Chas Henry had a better showing, booming one kick for 52 yds, but his net of 35.0 yards needs to be increased. Through two games, the Eagles stand 19^th in the league with a 38.4 yd net average. Placekicker Alex Henery hit a chip-shot 22-yd field goal in the second quarter and attempted a ridiculous 63-yd kick prior to halftime that fell well short of the crossbar.

Coaching – No Change (LW: Slightly Down)

Castillo has work to do to solidify his defense.

Almost all of the problems with the coaching staff in this game were on the defensive end. As we already discussed, the linebackers need to be fixed and fixed soon. Red zone defense is also an issue. Five times the Falcons entered the Eagles’ red zone and five times they came away with touchdowns. One of the reasons for the defensive overhaul in the offseason was that former defensive coordinator Sean McDermott’s defense was deemed inept inside their own 20. Through two games, they’ve allowed six red zone scores in six trips. That’s not acceptable and must be fixed immediately. Head coach Andy Reid also caught some flak for not challenging a Kelvin Hayden interception of Vick early in the third quarter but NBC inexplicably didn’t show a replay of the interception and would later apologize to Reid for the lack of a timely replay. Many of Reid’s decisions are maddening but this one wasn’t on him. The offensive staff also called a nice game once Kafka was forced to enter and they kept the second-year player calm in his first regular season NFL appearance and allowed him to get the team into position for a late win, although they came up short.

Team As A Whole – Slightly Down

Vick and the Eagles need consistency.

After two games, the Eagles find themselves tied for second place in the division with the Giants and Dallas Cowboys, with all three of those teams sitting a game behind the first-place Washington Redskins (the Redskins?!). With a big division game coming up this week against the Giants, the temptation would be to run Vick out at quarterback but, as I discussed earlier, this would be a mistake. The Giants are already out for revenge and putting a vulnerable Vick out there to be knocked around isn’t the smart play. The Eagles must take the longview here and sit Vick in order to have him in one piece for the majority of the season. If it means a division loss, then so be it, but Young and/or Kafka have shown themselves to be capable stand-ins. Any kind of improvement from the linebackers would be very welcomed, as well.

- JM

Mike Vick leads the Eagles into the 2011 season. (Image-PhiladelphiaEagles.com)

Quarterback Michael Vick probably circled this game in red ink on his calendar as soon as the NFL schedule was announced. He’ll be leading the Eagles into the Georgia Dome to face his old team, the Atlanta Falcons, for the first time as a starting quarterback since his reintroduction to the NFL as one of its brightest stars in 2010. He played some garbage time snaps in relief of Donovan McNabb during a 2009 game in Atlanta but that appearance was so inconsequential that, in all honesty, I’d forgotten it even happened until someone mentioned it this past week.

There’s no doubt that there will be a lot of emotion on both sides in this game. From Vick’s standpoint, he’ll be playing against the franchise that made him the #1 overall pick in the 2001 NFL Draft and in front of a fanbase that still, in large numbers, supports him. For the Eagles, it’s an opportunity to measure themselves against one of the NFC’s best teams from a year ago. Finally, for the Falcons, it’s their chance to avoid an 0-2 start to the season, which could be a death knell to any championship hopes they had going into the year. According to ESPN Stats & Research, since the NFL postseason expanded to 12 teams in 1990, only 22 of 177 teams who started 0-2 reached the playoffs. That’s a 12.4% clip so you can bet that the Falcons will be desperate for a win in their home opener after getting spanked by the Bears in Chicago last week by a score of 30-12. Part of that struggle came from five turnovers by the Falcons – all fumbles – so the Eagles can’t necessarily count on the Falcons shooting themselves in the foot like that again, especially when they themselves were able to capitalize on numerous mistakes by the St. Louis Rams that helped them to their own 31-13 victory last week.

When the Falcons have the ball, expect them to rely heavily on the running game.

The Eagles face tough running Michael Turner on Sunday

The Eagles’ showed a concerning weakness against the run last week with their new Wide Nine defensive line alignment creating running lanes for their questionable linebacking corps to defend against. Hell, even Eagles’ SAM linebacker Jamar Chaney said this past week that he would run the ball at the Eagles’ linebackers if he was calling the plays for Atlanta. As we mentioned in this week’s Stock Report, rookie middle linebacker Casey Matthews was probably the most criticized member of the Eagles this past week after his less than impressive debut against the Rams. There’s no doubt that he needs to get better, but it’s worth noting that after receiving similar criticism for his performance in the second preseason game against Pittsburgh, he bounced back with a strong showing the next week against Cleveland. It’s imperative that Matthews and the linebackers as a whole play stronger against the run and they’ll receive a big test on Sunday night against 247 lb running back Michael Turner of the Falcons. Turner averaged 10.0 yds/carry against the Bears last week, even breaking off a 53 yd run. Rumors of his demise would seem to be exaggerated.

They also have a much stronger passing game than what the Eagles faced in St. Louis with Exton native Matt Ryan at quarterback for his fourth year at the helm of the Falcons’ offense. General manager Thomas Dimitroff did Ryan a huge favor in the offseason when he traded up to get, for my money, the best wide receiver in the 2011 draft, Julio Jones out of Alabama. Jones had a solid debut last week with five catches for 71 yds and, along with All-Pro wide receiver Roddy White, gives the Falcons one of the better receiving tandems in the league. The Eagles’ All-World secondary will certainly be tested in this one.

McCoy erupted for 95 yds on four carries.

For the Eagles, I’d expect Vick to play a huge role on Sunday night. Big players step up in big situations and this would most certainly qualify as that. Being back on his old turf in front of the entire nation will likely bring out the best in him so I’d expect to see an electrifying performance out of #7. LeSean McCoy continued to establish himself as one of the best running backs in the league, taking over in the fourth quarter of the Rams game after being held in check for much of the first three quarters. Atlanta was fairly stout against the run against Chicago, allowing only 88 yards rushing so McCoy should face some resistence from the Atlanta front seven. The Falcons did, however, allow 289 yds through the air so this could be a perfect opportunity to get wide receiver Jeremy Maclin involved after he saw only three targets last week that lead to a pedestrian one catch for 20 yds. The fast track in the Georgia Dome should also be beneficial to speedsters like Vick, Maclin, and wide receiver DeSean Jackson and the Eagles’ quick-strike offense as a whole. They could also receive a boost from the injury to Atlanta defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux, who tore an MCL against Chicago and expected to miss 3-5 weeks. This could be negated, however, by an apparent lower leg injury suffered by left tackle Jason Peters in Friday’s practice. Peters has been listed as questionable but has traveled to Atlanta with the team. If he can’t go, King Dunlap will likely start in his place. Saying that this would be a downgrade is an understatement, so let’s hope that Peters is in the lineup tomorrow night.

While this will likely be one of the weekend’s better matchups, it ultimately means more to Atlanta than it does to the Eagles. After dropping a stinkbomb in Chicago last week, I wouldn’t bet on a contender like Atlanta doing it again this week. With their home opener on national television against the former face of their franchise and needing a win to avoid an 0-2 start, there’s just too many reasons for the Falcons to win this game for that to not end up being the outcome. From an Eagles perspective, coming home next week to play their home opener after a road split against legit NFC division contenders wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. It’ll be close, but I see this as a win for Atlanta.

Prediction: Falcons 27-24

Game Nuggets:

• Rookie sixth-round linebacker Brian Rolle took some reps with the first team this week in place of WILL linebacker Moise Fokou so this could be a situation that bears watching. Fokou didn’t look bad last week but it seems like anytime Rolle is on the field, he’s making plays. Although he is undersized, observers have been raving about his play ever since he put on an Eagles uniform. Interesting to note that another undersized, late-round defender out of Ohio State (that’s what we Michigan fans call them now) is already a starter for this defense. Could we be seeing another in the very near future?
• Offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg said this past week that wide receiver Steve Smith has been working his way into a bigger role in the offensive gameplan. Any contribution from Smith at this point would be gravy as he wasn’t expected to contribute until later in the season. He made it onto the field for four snaps against St. Louis but wasn’t targeted.
• Defensive end Phillip Hunt will likely see his first game action this week after defensive end Darryl Tapp suffered a torn pectoral muscle last week. I was a big proponent of Hunt during training camp so I’ll be looking forward to seeing how he looks as a part of Jim Washburn’s rotation on Sunday night.
• Backup quarterback Vince Young is expected to be active this week after being held out of last week’s opener with a hamstring injury. It’s good to know that he’s available as an insurance policy but there’s no way anyone’s prying Vick off the field, particularly given the opponent this week.
• Again, one more quick plug for this week’s Stock Report review of last week’s game against the Rams in case you missed it on Thursday. We’ll be doing this every week so if you need a quick refresher on last week, go ahead and click on over to that.

-JM

Welcome to PhilaPhans’ weekly game review column, the Stock Report. Every week, we’ll take a look at how each unit on the Eagles’ team fared relative to both the previous week’s performance as well as to expectations going into the game. With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at the Eagles’ opening week showing against the St. Louis Rams.

Quarterback – Slightly Down

It doesn’t get any easier this Sunday in Atlanta where Vick returns to the Georgia Dome

As good as Michael Vick was – and he was most certainly good as he threw for two TDs and ran for almost 100 yds – you also couldn’t help but recognize that his play against the Rams was a slight step backwards from last season. He looked more like Michael Vick circa 2004 than the more complete 2010 version that drew raves from around the league. His completion rate was less than 45% (that’s bad), he missed open receivers on multiple occasions (also bad), and he seemed a little run-happy in taking off 11 times. But, when considering his new responsibilities of making calls at the line and changing protections, that he still produced at the level he did is a little impressive and the fact remains that, despite his struggles, he still lead the offense to 24 points. It doesn’t get any easier this Sunday in Atlanta where he returns to the Georgia Dome to face the Falcons for the first time as an Eagle in what will surely be an emotional matchup for both sides.

Running Backs – Slightly Up

McCoy erupted for 95 yds on four carries.

If LeSean McCoy isn’t a top-five RB in the league already, he’s well on his way there. After being stymied for much of the first three quarters (11 carries for 27 yds), McCoy erupted for 95 yds on four carries, including a 49-yd jaunt into the end zone. He danced around a bit early on trying to find a comfortability level with the Howard Mudd stretch plays that were featured behind a revamped offensive line, but his performance in the final quarter was the stuff of franchise backs. Ronnie Brown made it onto the field for 10 plays and didn’t look very impressive in doing so, while rookie Dion Lewis received two carries of his own, averaging 5.0 yds/carry in addition to his duties as the primary kickoff returner. Any involvement of Lewis in the offensive gameplan this early on is both encouraging and welcomed.

Receivers/Tight Ends – No Change

Jackson had six catches for 102 yds and a score (Image-D.Hallowell)

Wide receiver DeSean Jackson didn’t let any concerns over his desire for a new contract extension affect his play one bit, contributing six catches for 102 yds and a score. He showed once again why he’s one of the most dangerous (and woefully underpaid) weapons in the NFL. Wide receiver Jeremy Maclin was on the field for 53 snaps, tying him with Jackson for most amongst the wide receivers, but was only targeted three times. Maclin only being targeted three times is an anomaly that likely will not be seen often and it can possibly be chalked up to his abbreviated preseason thanks to the illness that kept him off of the field for most of training camp. Slot receiver Jason Avant was typically solid and free agent signee Steve Smith was active but was only on the field for four snaps. Expect to see a bigger role for Smith as he gets healthier. Tight end Brent Celek was essentially non-existent in the passing game but did have a strong game as a blocker.

Offensive Line – Up

Rookie center Jason Kelce was probably the lineman who stood out the most. (Image-D. Hallowell)

The most revamped unit on the Eagles’ roster had a good first showing. Todd Herremans looked like he’d been playing right tackle for years instead of just days, especially when considering he was matched up against up-and-coming pass rusher Chris Long for the majority of the game, and moving Evan Mathis into Herremans’ old slot at left guard was another beneficial move. Left tackle Jason Peters had a Jason Peters type of game – head scratching plays mixed in with dominant ones, while new right guard Kyle DeVan had a workman-like showing. Rookie center Jason Kelce was probably the lineman who stood out the most, and not always for good reasons. It seemed like there was a fair amount of miscommunication between he and Vick early on and I remarked in the game thread that he appeared to be overmatched at times, but much like the preseason game against Cleveland he settled in quite nicely as the game progressed, moving well to get into position for a nice block on one McCoy run. Also, a quick note on first-round pick right guard Danny Watkins who was inactive for this game: To those saying that Watkins is a bust? Stop it. Just stop. Yes, it’s less than ideal that a lineman who was advertised as the most pro-ready in the draft wasn’t active on opening day. It’s frustrating. But to suggest that his career is already in the toilet because he’s sitting right now instead of playing is ridiculous. Watkins got to camp late due to a contract squabble and was immediately thrust into the starting lineup. It now appears that he wasn’t ready so sitting back and watching for a couple of weeks could be the best thing for his development. It says here that it will be a major upset if he isn’t in the starting lineup and making a visible contribution by the end of this season.

Defensive Line – Up

Jason Babin paid immediate dividends notching 2 sacks. (Image-D. Hallowell)

New defensive line coach Jim Washburn’s vaunted Wide Nine system was rolled out to mostly positive returns. Free agent defensive end Jason Babin notched two sacks in the game, which is half a sack less than he had the entire season in his first go-round with the Eagles back in 2009. He appears made for Washburn’s scheme, although he did have a maddening illegal hands to the face penalty on a third down which was a frustrating theme amongst Eagles defenders on the day. Defensive ends Trent Cole and Darryl Tapp along with free agent defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins accounted for the Eagles’ other three sacks as the eight-man rotation on the line paid dividends. Defensive end Juqua Parker even contributed a touchdown on a fumble recovery that swung momentum to the Eagles’ favor. On the downside, the wide lanes that the Wide Nine creates were used to great effect by the Rams’ running game with running back Steven Jackson breaking off a 47-yd touchdown run on the Rams’ first offensive play from scrimmage while backup RB Cadillac Williams amassed 91 yds on 19 carries after carrying the load following Jackson’s quad injury. This will need to be accounted for going forward.

Linebackers – Down

Casey Matthews started slowly, but did better later.

Casey Matthews, you might not want to read the papers or listen to talk radio this week. Middle linebacker Matthews had a bad game, no doubt about it. He showed a distressing inability to get off of blocks, particularly when offensive linemen were right on him because of the lanes created by the Wide Nine. However, just like with Watkins I’m going to stress patience with Matthews. Yes, a performance like Sunday’s is not acceptable but the last time that Matthews had an incredibly poor game (the preseason contest with Pittsburgh) he followed it up with a much stronger showing the next week. Let’s not judge Matthews on the basis of one game, much less off of his first game in the NFL. As a comparison (and maybe this isn’t completely fair but it’s the one I’m using), imagine if the first time someone saw Vick play was in last year’s debacle against the Minnesota Vikings. Their perception of him would be entirely skewed on the basis of a single game. It’s easy to bastardize opinions based on a very small sample size so let’s wait until Matthews has amassed a bit more work before writing him off as “the worst linebacker that’s ever played in the NFL” like some have chosen to do this week. He could absolutely turn out to be a stiff in time, but there’s also as much of a chance that he isn’t one, either. It’s going to take more than a single game to find that out. Jamar Chaney, Moise Fokou, and Brian Rolle all impressed at various points but were not as strong as a unit as they needed to be. Backup middle linebacker Akeem Jordan suffered a right shoulder injury and could be out for a few weeks, if not more.

Defensive Backs – No Change

Asomugha had some struggles, but played well.

Basically, the defensive backfield was as advertised. Granted, they were helped by the Rams’ head-scratching inability to hold onto the ball and by a general lack of skill amongst the Rams’ pass catchers but they kept quarterback Sam Bradford in check, holding him under 200 yds and allowing no scores. To my eye, it looked like cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha got screwed on a pass interference call in the end zone on Brandon Gibson. Asomugha was only targeted twice in the game. His counterpart, Asante Samuel, was only targeted six times and played a very solid game in his own right. Slot corner Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie also acquitted himself well in his first game as the nickel back. Both safeties, Jarrad Page and Kurt Coleman, were fairly invisible in a good way.

Special Teams – No Change

Henery had a solid 1st game, kicking with confidence. (Image-B. Garfinkel)

Rookie punter Chas Henry had a passable first showing but you’d generally like to see more than a net 36.3 yds out of your punter, especially when kicking in a dome with no wind. Rookie placekicker Alex Henery made his only kick of the day, a 34-yarder in the second quarter. Dion Lewis looked OK in his debut as the kick returner although he did make some questionable decisions on bringing a few kicks out of the end zone instead of settling for touchbacks.

Coaching – Slightly Down

Reid improved his opening day record with the win.

As always with an Andy Reid-coached team, clock management was an issue. There were too many instances where the Eagles let the play clock wind too far down causing either a delay of game penalty or a hasty timeout. There were also too many penalties overall with eight infractions costing the Eagles 91 yds, the most inexcusable being three separate third-down penalties on defensive third downs. Against a better team those types of penalties really could have cost the Eagles and the coaching staff must instill more discipline in the weeks to come.

Overall Team – No Change

DeSean Jackson says full speed ahead going into Atlanta

To quote former Arizona Cardinals coach Denny Green, “They are who we thought they were.” Yes, they did receive some help from the butter-fingered Rams receivers as well as a fortuitous injury to Rams Pro Bowl RB Steven Jackson, but the end result was an 18-point victory over a team that was in contention for an NFC West title until the last day of the 2010 season on their home turf. The competition gets decidedly tougher in Atlanta next week, particularly facing the power running game of the Falcons with a questionable linebacking corps. Add in the fact that the Falcons were embarrassed on the road in Chicago in week one and that they’ll surely be looking to avoid an 0-2 start in Vick’s return to Atlanta on national television, and this could end up being one of the Eagles’ tougher games of the season. They’ll need a better effort than what they showed in St. Louis in order to leave Atlanta with a victory.

-JM

All eyes are on the Eagles following an offseason spending spree that made them the talk of the NFL. Backup quarterback Vince Young’s now-infamous “Dream Team” comment at his introductory press conference affixed a target squarely to the Eagles’ backs this season, and it all begins in the Gateway to the West.

The Eagles will see some familiar faces when they arrive in St. Louis, from former defensive assistant/now Rams head coach Steve Spagnuolo to their starting strong safety from last year, Quintin Mikell to former backup quarterback AJ Feeley to former practice squad wide receiver Danny Amendola, but, despite the familiar faces, they should have little trouble putting away the host Rams.

Mike Vick set to lead the Eagles into the 2011 season

Quarterback Michael Vick, monster contract extension in tow, will lead the Eagles onto the field at the Edward James Dome for his first opening day as Eagles’ starter. Coming off of a shaky preseason, Vick will face a defense that gave up close to 21 points a game last season and a team that had a -39 point differential in 2010, which was somehow the best in a horrid NFC West. The combination of a maleable defense and the fast track in St. Louis will definitely help the Eagles quick strike offense, so expect some points to be scored by the Birds in this one.

The Rams were in contention for a weak NFC West title until the season’s final day in 2010 largely due to the arm of rookie franchise quarterback Sam Bradford, and now with a year of experience under his belt and with new offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels in tow, the Rams’ offense will likely have more punch this year.

With that said, the Eagles are just stronger in almost every key area on

The Eagles cornered the market on league best CBs this offseason.

defense after adding Pro Bowlers like defensive end Jason Babin, and cornerbacks Nnamdi Asomugha and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. The disparity between the quality of the Eagles’ defensive backs and the Rams’ wide receivers is stark and should lead to a frustrating day for Bradford. Keep an eye on rookie middle linebacker Casey Matthews and how he holds up in his first NFL game against the Rams’ running attack. He probably faces a healthy diet of one of the NFL’s best running backs, eight-year pro Steven Jackson.

While this has been a trendy upset pick for many due to the hefty expectations for the Eagles this year, they’re just stronger in almost every key area and should have little trouble dispatching the Rams on Sunday.

Prediction: Eagles 31-13.

Game Nuggets:

• Starting quarterback Michael Vick will be making his first opening day start since 2006 on Sunday in St. Louis. After being incarcerated during both the 2007 and 2008 seasons, he served as the Eagles’ third quarterback in 2009, before moving into the #2 slot last season, making an appearance in last year’s opener against Green Bay following the concussion suffered by starter Kevin Kolb.
• Backup quarterback Vince Young did not practice this week following the hamstring injury he suffered in the preseason finale last Thursday against the New York Jets. Mike Kafka will serve as the backup this week but, from my standpoint, Kafka would be the guy to see extended time early in the season anyway in the case of an injury to Vick as Young still needs to gain a firmer grasp on the intricacies of the Eagles’ offense before he can be confidently counted on.
• Head coach Andy Reid said this week that wide receiver Steve Smith has seen some time with the ones in practice and that there are a handful of packages that could see Smith on the field this Sunday. Many (including the Giants) believed that Smith was much farther away in his recovery from microfracture surgery on his knee but if Smith can contribute this early, he could eventually take some snaps away from slot receiver Jason Avant later this season, or the Eagles could employ more four-WR sets than they have in the past. It’s also possible that this is a smokescreen and that Smith could be inactive on Sunday, but the fact that he’s seen as much practice time as he has this early in the season is a plus.
• First-round pick right guard Danny Watkins was benched on Tuesday following the signing of former Indianapolis Colt Kyle DeVan. Having your #1 pick who was heralded as the most pro-ready lineman in the draft not ready to start on opening day isn’t necessarily ideal, but this could be good for the long-term development of Watkins. Instead of forcing the issue and potentially placing Vick’s health at risk, the Eagles took the smart approach and installed DeVan instead while allowing Watkins to observe for a while. Remember, a shortened offseason hurt many first- and second-year players, particularly one who arrived later to camp like Watkins did. Despite some of the negatives, labeling Watkins a bust at this stage of his career (as some have done in the past week) smacks of foolishness.

All in.

Mike Vick leads the Eagles into the 2011 season. (Image-PhiladelphiaEagles.com)

As soon as the lockout ended, head coach Andy Reid and general manager Howie Roseman pushed all of their chips to the middle of the table and declared for the rest of the NFL to see that this was their time. This was the year that they were doing everything possible to deliver a Lombardi Trophy to a Super Bowl-starved Philadelphia.

The Eagles signed FA CB Nnamdi Asomugha to be that shut down right corner back. (Image-PhiladelphiaEagles.com)

They went on a signing spree the likes of which the NFL has rarely seen. Pro Bowl defensive end Jason Babin. Four-time All-Pro cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha. Super Bowl champion as part of the Green Bay Packers, defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins. Former #2 overall pick running back Ronnie Brown. Former #3 overall pick quarterback Vince Young. Super Bowl champion and Pro Bowl wide receiver Steve Smith. Pro Bowl cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie arrived in a trade for now-backup quarterback Kevin Kolb. All have been added to the Eagles’ roster in the past six weeks; all of whom either fill a need or provide top-notch insurance to a critical position.

And just last week, the Eagles signed quarterback Michael Vick to a humongous six-year, $100MM extension with $40MM guaranteed, essentially solidifying Vick as the face of the franchise for at least the next three years. This after signing Vick to be their third quarterback behind Donovan McNabb and Kolb in the summer of 2009 following his release from prison only to have him explode as the NFL’s breakout figure in 2010.

All in.

Not content to just sit on their 6^th NFC East title in the Andy Reid era, the Eagles learned from last year’s mistakes and realized that depth is one of the most crucial elements to success in today’s NFL. The Green Bay Packers rode previously unknown players like James Starks, Jordy Nelson, and Erik Walden to a Super Bowl victory following injuries that seemed to plague the team’s key contributors all season.

The Eagles saw this and decided that no more will the Dimitri Pattersons of the world be forced to start for this team. With Asomugha, Rodgers-Cromartie, and returnees Asante Samuel and Joselio Hanson, the Eagles boast the best and deepest contingent of cornerbacks in the league. Young brings his 30-17 record as a starter in the NFL as an insurance policy against anything happening to Vick after Vick was forced to miss three games due to injury last season. Brown provides the best backup running back that the Eagles have seen in years. Think about this for a second – the Washington Redskins’ starters at quarterback and running back are Rex Grossman and Tim Hightower. The Eagles’ BACKUPS at those positions are Vince Young and Ronnie Brown. The Eagles’ also signed Smith away from the division rival New York Giants, giving them four wide receivers who could start for almost any team in the league.

They’ve also realized that best laid plans can often go awry. After entering training camp

Todd Herremans has taken over as the starting right tackle for the 2011 season.

with an offensive line of Jason Peters/Todd Herremans/Jamaal Jackson/Danny Watkins/David Harris, they’ve junked that combination a week prior to the season for a variety of reasons. Harris’s back surgery necessitated a move of Herremans to the right tackle spot, opening a slot for solid free agent signee Evan Mathis. Jackson lost a training camp battle for his job to rookie fifth-round center Jason Kelce, a favorite of new offensive line coach Howard Mudd and a player who has been called by some as a potential Jeff Saturday, Mudd’s longtime center at his last stop, the Indianapolis Colts. And just this past week, the team realized that first-round pick Watkins wasn’t quite ready to start on opening day so they signed Kyle DeVan, a former Colt and owner of 22 starts in the past two years. While the offensive line (along with the linebackers) is one of the biggest concerns, Reid and his staff have shown a willingness to try to get the combination right instead of sticking with a plan that wasn’t working.

All in.

If ever there was a year for the Eagles to make their move, this is it. From a division standpoint, the NFC East looks like it will be going through a down year. The Dallas Cowboys are probably the strongest threat to the Eagles, but they’re coming off of a 6-10 season and didn’t make many moves of note in the offseason to improve the team. The Giants have had a historic run of bad luck in the preseason, seemingly not being able to go a day without someone snapping a knee ligament, suffering injury after injury to key players and losing Smith, one of Eli Manning’s favorite safety blankets, to the Eagles of all teams. And the Redskins… well, they’re still the Redskins. If you listen to Grossman and NFL Network’s Mike Lombardi, they insist that the Redskins are the team to beat in the NFC East but the fact that those two are the ones espousing those opinions should tell you all you need to know about the Redskins’ actual chances. Washington just saw Grossman “win” a training camp battle over John Beck to start at quarterback. As for the rest of the NFC, sure, a team like the New Orleans Saints or Atlanta Falcons could get hot but, on paper, the Eagles seem to boast stronger talent than any team in the conference other than possibly Green Bay. The Packers themselves looked like world-beaters on Thursday night, but the saying “heavy is the head that wears the crown” exists for a reason. Green Bay is going to be every team’s biggest game this season, a measuring stick for every team on their schedule to compare themselves against, and that can wear on a team. Not to mention that the Saints almost hung 42 points on the vaunted Green Bay defense at Lambeau Field on opening night. They’re a strong team, but they’re not invincible.

The Eagles' 2011 fortunes rest in the hands of QB Mike Vick and head coach, Andy Reid.

This just might be the year. Every opening day brings the potential for a championship season and Reid and Roseman have played their hand so well that, if the Eagles ultimately fall short, it won’t be for a lack of trying or planning from the front office. All of the elements are there. Now it’s up to the team to execute and become the Super Bowl champion that many think and so desperately want them to be. A 12-4 record is easily in sight but anything worse than 10-6 for this team with the talent that’s on the roster, particularly in what should be a down year for the division, doesn’t seem likely. Regardless, this is a squad that no other team in the NFC is going to want to see come playoff time. The excitement over this team is palpable, and it’s easy to see why.

All in.

- JM

Traditionally, the fourth NFL preseason contest is the most inconsequential game of the entire season. Starters are placed in shrink wrap to be ready for the season opener and a host of players who are either scraping for the final spot on the roster or who are never to be heard from again see the most significant playing time. To that end, trying to find storylines to follow for tonight’s game didn’t seem as important as perhaps taking a look at what the Eagles’ roster might look like after Friday’s 2:00 PM ET cutdown deadline. Here’s one man’s opinion:

QB (3): Michael Vick/Vince Young/Mike Kafka
Thoughts: This was the easiest position to predict since, well, there are only three QBs currently on the roster, but that doesn’t mean that it’s without intrigue. Vick just signed his monster extension earlier this week, marking him as the face of the franchise for the foreseeable future. There’s no doubt that the coaching staff is grooming Young to be a multi-game starter should Vick sustain an injury that would keep him out for a while but if there’s a Kevin Kolb-esque moment where Vick gets hurt in the opener? I wouldn’t be surprised at all if Kafka got the call ahead of Young, particularly with the change this year in the third QB rule. He’s just more ready to step in right now.

RB (4): LeSean McCoy/Ronnie Brown/Dion Lewis/Owen Schmitt
Thoughts: Another fairly straightforward position. McCoy is a stud and Brown might be one of the best backup RBs in the league. I have Lewis making it ahead of Eldra Buckley due to Buckley’s lack of any discernable upside and Lewis’s displaying a toughness that belies his diminutive size during the first three preseason games. I will miss Buckley’s crazy Twitter feed, though. Schmitt is safe, Eagles’ draft pick, Stanley Havili, should find his way to the Eagles’ practice squad.

WR (6): DeSean Jackson/Jeremy Maclin/Jason Avant/Riley Cooper/Steve Smith/Chad Hall
Thoughts: The Eagles boast one of the deepest WR corps in the league, albeit one with a few question marks due to health, which is why Hall is on the list as the sixth WR. I’m not a huge fan of Hall as a player but with Maclin coming off of his mysterious virus and Smith recovering from offseason knee surgery, it would behoove the Eagles to have some insurance at the position, at least initially. With the fact that Smith has been practicing and thus cannot be placed on the PUP list, it would seem to suggest that the Eagles expect him to contribute earlier than most thought so I wouldn’t be shocked to see Hall gone by the end of the year. It will also be interesting to see whether a healthy Smith pushes Avant as the slot receiver by season’s end and whether Jackson’s extension gets done sooner rather than later.

TE (2): Brent Celek/Clay Harbor
Thoughts: Everyone’s looking for a bounce back year from Celek and Vick himself has mentioned trying to get Celek involved in the offense in a similar way to how he used Alge Crumpler during his days in Atlanta. Harbor seems to have taken a step forward and may be able to contribute more in two-TE sets this season. I would have liked to have found a way to get Donald Lee onto the roster, but injuries at other positions necessitated keeping higher numbers than normal.

OL (10): Jason Peters/Evan Mathis/Jason Kelce/Danny Watkins/Todd Herremans/Jamaal Jackson/Julian Vandervelde/Reggie Wells/King Dunlap/Winston Justice
Thoughts: Here’s where things start to get interesting. This past week’s offensive line shakeup saw Herremans moved from his longtime LG position to RT and Mathis installed next to Peters at LG. This seems to be an upgrade over the projected line at the beginning of training camp but don’t forget that Herremans hasn’t played tackle in years and the Eagles have now weakened the strength of the line, which had been the left side. Kelce seems to have won the starting center job, but as Sheil Kapadia of the excellent Moving The Chains blog on Philly.com noted this week, you have to wonder why Jackson has lost this battle at this time. There’s no doubt that the coaching staff sees Kelce as the future starter at center but there are concerns with his play and Jackson’s probably a better center right now, plus with the hefty investment in Vick it would stand to reason that they’d want to give him the best protection possible. This isn’t a knock against Kelce as he seems like he’s on his way to being a good pro even if he’s not ready right now, but going into the season with two rookies starting on the offensive line following a truncated offseason doesn’t seem to be the wisest move. The backups are varying degrees of “meh,” and David Harris’s back condition probably rendered him from underrated free agent signing to unemployed in the space of a few weeks.

DL (10): Trent Cole/Cullen Jenkins/Antonio Dixon/Jason Babin/Darryl Tapp/Phillip Hunt/Mike Patterson/Derek Landri/Anthony Hargrove/Daniel Te’o-Nesheim/Brandon Graham (PUP)
Thoughts: Defensive line coach Jim Washburn’s new Wide Nine system has routinely used eight linemen seeing significant snaps, so this was one of the deeper positions to try to cut down. At defensive end, Cole and Babin will see the majority of the time and there are some younger players in Tapp, Hunt, and Te’o-Nesheim who have a chance to blossom in Washburn’s system. Because of this, Juqua Parker and his $4.3MM cap figure are a casualty. By cutting Parker and keeping both Hunt and Te’o-Nesheim, it gives the Eagles roughly half of the season to evaluate which one of the two is the better option going forward, with the other likely being cut to make room for Graham when/if he’s ready to be activated from the PUP list. At defensive tackle, Jenkins and Dixon seem to be the cream of the crop particularly when considering Patterson’s health concerns. It’s because of those concerns that I’m keeping both Landri (who’s impressed in flashes during the preseason) and Hargrove.

LB (6): Casey Matthews/Jamar Chaney/Moise Fokou/Keenan Clayton/Brian Rolle/Akeem Jordan
Thoughts: This might be the most concerning unit on the whole team. Just look at those six – the one with the most experience is Jordan and he was a bubble guy when putting this list together. Matthews is the one with all of the eyes focused on him and, to his credit, he played much better at MIKE in the Cleveland game than he had in either of the first two preseason contests. Chaney looks like he’s on his way to being a star at the SAM position, and Fokou has shown flashes himself at WILL. I wouldn’t be surprised, however, if Clayton is pushing him for his starting spot at some point this season. Rolle is a bit of a surprise but he acquitted himself well in nickel situations against Cleveland last week and many observers have had a lot of positive things to say about his play despite his less-than-ideal size for the position.

CB (5): Nnamdi Asomugha/Asante Samuel/Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie/Trevard Lindley/Curtis Marsh
Thoughts: The top three here are no-brainers. If the Eagles don’t have the best nickel defense in the league this year, it’ll be an upset. It’s likely that this is Samuel’s last year in Philadelphia because Asomugha and DRC are clearly the future of the position for this team, but having the trio of Asomugha/Samuel/DRC together for one year will be something special to watch. Because those three are so good, it makes keeping a Joselio Hanson around much less important so expect to see him and his $2.4MM cap figure traded by this time tomorrow. Both Lindley and Marsh have youth and inexperience, but Marsh has impressed many during camp and may be ahead of Lindley on the depth chart in short order. Would have liked to have found room for Brandon Hughes but the question marks at LB necessitated keeping a sixth there.

S (4): Nate Allen/Kurt Coleman/Jaiquawn Jarrett/Jarrad Page
Thoughts: Most expected Allen and Jarrett to be the starters at safety this year but there’s a very real possibility that Page and Coleman could be the starters next week against St. Louis. The great thing here is that the two best guys will play. Allen is clearly the best of the bunch but may not be completely healthy following his December knee injury. All have their positives and negatives but two of the best position battles on the team might be right here.

Specialists (3): Alex Henery/Chas Henry/Jon Dorenbos
Thoughts: It’s kind of surprising that the Eagles would go with rookies at both kicking positions but both PK Henery and P Henry were the best at their respective positions in the NCAA last year so it’s not like the Eagles are looking to cash in lottery tickets at either spot, however, their development will be a crucial element of the team’s success this year.

- JM

In a strange quirk of scheduling, the Philadelphia Eagles will be playing only their second preseason game tonight against the Cleveland Browns following their first outing against the Baltimore Ravens at Lincoln Financial Field two weeks ago. While most other teams in the NFL are entering their third week of exhibition play, the Eagles have actually only played once and… OK, I’ll stop stringing this joke out any further.

Yes, we all know about the debacle in Pittsburgh against the Steelers last week. The Eagles looked horrible in almost every single phase of play. Quarterback Michael Vick was picked off three times and the defense seemed to let Pittsburgh’s offensive unit do anything and everything they wanted. It was a bad game. It happens. However, I’d imagine that orthopedic surgeons in the Philadelphia area must have made billions in the past week from all of the people who broke their ankles jumping off of the Eagles’ bandwagon so quickly.

People, this is the preseason. It means next to nothing in the grand scheme of things. The Detroit Lions went 4-0 in the 2008 preseason, becoming a trendy playoff pick. They ended up going 0-16 that year. The Indianapolis Colts’ preseason record since 2005 is 4-24, and that includes their current eight-game losing streak. Their regular season record in that same time span? 75-21. Andy Reid himself has the worst preseason record of any current coach in the NFL at 19-31 but is widely considered one of the league’s most successful coaches (despite the lack of a Lombardi Trophy). So, using preseason records and play as a harbinger for the regular season would seem misguided at best. Would we all prefer that the Eagles play well in these exhibition games? Absolutely, but the outcry this past week has been a little ridiculous. It would be foolish to say that there aren’t elements of concern (middle linebacker, right tackle) but the fact of the matter is that many of the same people who were saying that the Eagles were world-beaters after their first-team dissected the Ravens in the opener on both sides of the ball are now the ones crying about the season being over following their showing against the Steelers (who themselves were thrashed by the Washington Redskins, of all teams, in their own opener), one that, as The 700 Level’s Andrew Kulp astutely pointed out:

“The coaches don’t put a fraction of the preparation into the gameplan they would for a game that counts toward the standings. You don’t think Michael Vick was watching film of the Steelers defense all week, diligently studying in anticipation of an opponent he would see two quarters of action against, do you?

Nor do the coaches have the players operating on a regular season schedule. Andy Reid closed training camp a day early this week, then the team traveled to Pittsburgh. These guys have been basically off or traveling for most of the week, not getting ready for a serious football game.

Even if you insist on assigning some type of meaning to last night’s action, it should at least be put into context. After one quarter, the Steelers owned time of possession 12-3. After the first half, it was 23-7. The offense wasn’t on the field enough to establish any kind of rhythm, and afterwards, Vick admitted he was trying to make something happen before he came out of the game.”

In other words, relax. If the thrashing in Pittsburgh happens again in October against, say, Dallas then yeah… have at it. Until then let’s make sure that we view the preseason in the proper light. Hopping off of my soapbox, let’s highlight a few things to watch for in tonight’s game:

Shaking off the funk from last week: Regardless of whether or not preseason results matter in the grand scheme of things, no player with any type of pride wants to look like dog poo like the Eagles did last week. Luckily, drawing a team like the Browns at home may be just what the Eagles need to get into gear. Also, for anyone who buys into this type of thing, maybe last week was just what the Eagles needed in the long-term. Seems like everyone, particularly the media, was paying too much attention to the “Dream Team” BS so losing in the manner that the Eagles did last week could quiet some of that nonsense, which frankly is a distraction that the Eagles don’t need if they’re going to be playing in Indianapolis in February.

No injuries: First and foremost, this is the goal of every preseason game that’s ever played but it’s especially true tonight, particularly with the heavy rain that’s in the forecast for the Philadelphia area. As this is the third game on the exhibition schedule, it’s traditionally where the starters play the most and, indeed, Reid has mentioned that his starting units will likely play into the third quarter. Since most key contributors are unlikely to see action in next week’s preseason finale against the New York Jets, if the Eagles come out of this game with no major injuries, it’s really a victory no matter how the team as a whole performs.

Mike Patterson’s first game: Defensive tackle Mike Patterson will see his first game action tonight following the scary scene in Lehigh earlier this month when he collapsed during a team drill and was later diagnosed with an AVM (arteriovenous malformation) in his brain. Doctors have advised Patterson that playing this season shouldn’t aggravate his condition but that he’ll likely need surgery after the year is out to correct the malformation. From a human standpoint, hopefully this is the case and Patterson doesn’t suffer any ill effects from playing. From a football standpoint, the Eagles need him in the lineup as the Steelers exploited the absence of Patterson and defensive tackle Antonio Dixon (the Eagles’ two best run stuffers) last week by running the ball almost at will. Patterson is a key component of the Eagles’ run defense so getting some game action before the season opens in two weeks is imperative.

Casey Matthews, for better or for worse: After many (including myself) thought that we’d surely see some new linebackers making their way to

Despite a shaky start in a preseason game against the Steelers, Juan Castillo says he isn't worried about rookie Casey Matthews' progress. (Times Staff/ Eric Hartline)

NovaCare this week, defensive coordinator Juan Castillo has decided to stay the course and keep his starting linebacker corps intact, which means that Matthews is still the starter in the middle. After operating under a seeming cloak of invisibility in the opener against the Ravens, Matthews stood out last week in Pittsburgh and not necessarily in a good way. The Steelers basically ran the ball at Matthews whenever they wanted to and their offensive linemen pushed him around like a rag doll, with Matthews displaying a concerning inability to shed blocks. With former Jacksonville Jaguars middle linebacker Kurt Morrison signing with the Buffalo Bills this past week, thus removing the last remaining good option from the free agent market, this job belongs to Matthews for better or for worse unless the Eagles decide to shift SAM linebacker Jamar Chaney inside, which they seem very unlikely to do. Matthews needs to show something – anything – in his remaining preseason action to prove why he should be the guy in the middle of a purported Super Bowl-contending defense.

Who’s the starting center?: One of the more surprising stories of training camp has been the unexpected rise of rookie center Jason Kelce as a legitimate

Kelce will have the opportunity to start against the Cleveland Browns this Thursday night. (Image-Eagles.com)

competitor for longtime veteran Jamaal Jackson’s job. Reid announced earlier this week that Kelce would see action with the starters all week in practice and will start tonight’s game with the first unit. I don’t necessarily have a problem with a rookie like Kelce starting in a vacuum, but you have to wonder about the wisdom of 3/5 of the offensive line potentially being manned in the regular season by a rookie center (Kelce), a rookie right guard (Danny Watkins), and an entirely unsettled situation at right tackle (injuries to Winston Justice and David Harris have left unproven King Dunlap manning the position). One of the biggest knocks against Vick is his performance against the blitz and, if the offensive line continues to be a question mark, you can be sure he’ll be seeing a steady diet of blitzing defenders once the regular season kicks off.

Is Nate Allen in danger of losing his starting job?: It always seemed ambitious to me for the Eagles to expect Allen to recover so quickly from a December knee injury and, after his poor showing against the Steelers that’s attributed mostly to his slow recovery from the injury, safety Jarrad Page has been getting reps with the ones this week and could be in position to at least begin the season as the starting free safety. This may be the best move for the short-term but not having one of their best defenders from a year ago not at 100% heading into the season has to be a concern for the coaching staff.

- JM

Week two of the NFL preseason takes the Eagles across the PA Turnpike to Heinz Field, home of their intrastate rivals the Pittsburgh Steelers for a nationally televised battle. After looking very sharp and methodical in week one against the Baltimore Ravens how will they fare against last year’s Super Bowl runner-up? Here are some storylines to watch tonight:

Jeremy Maclin is OK: This really doesn’t have much to do with tonight’s game as Maclin will not be on the field but the news that his lymphoma scare was just that – a scare – is very, very good news not only for Eagles’ fans who will get to see their #1A WR on the field very soon (reports are that he’ll begin practicing in seven to ten days) but for Maclin himself. Maclin is, by all accounts, a great person and to be 23 years old and dealing with a potentially life-threatening illness had to be incredibly harrowing for Maclin and everyone who’s close to him. Some things are more important than football, and Maclin getting a clean bill of health is one of them. Here’s looking forward to seeing #18 back on the field in a week or so.

DeSean Jackson is back: After holding out for the first nine days of training camp and thus missing last week’s opener, Jackson will be making his 2011 debut. His desire for a new contract could conceivably work in the Eagles’ favor as it’s possible he kicks things into another gear, but it’ll just be nice to see the game-breaking Jackson back on the field making plays with QB Michael Vick. Jackson himself stated this past week that he’d still like to return punts but I’d be very surprised if that’s part of his workload tonight. Returning punts in regular season action is one thing but there’s no need to expose him to that kind of risk in an exhibition game.

Michael Vick’s blindside protection: We had this as a thread to watch last week and it bears repeating this week in light of the news that projected starting RT Ryan Harris has been dealing with back spasms all week and will not suit up for tonight’s game. By most accounts, Harris had an up-and-down game against Baltimore but his replacement against Pittsburgh, King Dunlap, has had an awful training camp and had a disappointing showing against the Ravens last week. He’s squarely on the bubble and this will likely be his best chance to show he belongs on this year’s squad with Harris and the injured Winston Justice having the inside track on both RT slots. The prospect of Vick blind side being protected by Dunlap for approximately half a game against the Steelers’ attacking defense frankly has me more than a little worried.

Which defensive linemen step up this week? New defensive line coach Jim Washburn’s new Wide Nine system was on full display last Thursday as it seemed like Eagles’ defensive linemen were in Baltimore’s offensive backfield for a huge chunk of the game. DE Darryl Tapp, DT Derek Landri, and DE Phillip Hunt in particular shined and improved their chances of making the final roster as Tapp had two sacks and was maybe the best lineman in this particular outing, Landri notched a sack and had some disruptive plays of his own, and Hunt showed the skill that made him one of the CFL’s most feared pass rushers with a sack and various pressures, including one that forced a Tyrod Taylor interception. Free agent acquisition DE Jason Babin showed some agility and disruption during his short run as well. I’d like to see a little more of DTs Cullen Jenkins and Antonio Dixon tonight, as well as anything at all from DEs Juqua Parker and Daniel Te’o-Nesheim as Tapp and Hunt may be getting into position to take their roster spots.

Anything from Casey Matthews: There were a lot of eyes on MLB Matthews last week after the Eagles made the surprising decision to make the rookie linebacker the starter in the middle. How did he fare? Most observers felt that he was fairly invisible which, for a rookie linebacker, can be both good and bad. However, if the Eagles are to eschew bringing in a veteran linebacker to compete with Matthews, you’d like to see more from him tonight. Granted, the defensive starters were only on the field for barely more than a drive but a standout play or two from Matthews tonight would go a long way toward easing any concerns about his status as a starter, particularly with MLB Lofa Tatupu still lurking as an option on the free agent market.

Consistency from Alex Henery: K Henery endured a rough week at Lehigh that forced head coach Andy Reid to re-assert his confidence in Henery but, speaking from a personal standpoint as a University Of Michigan football fan, I’ve seen first-hand how inexperienced kickers can derail an offense over the past few years. No one’s saying that Henery is necessarily going down that road but maybe we should be tempering our expectations for the rookie kicker this year after years of being spoiled by All-Pro David Akers. As long as Henery is consistent and doesn’t blow the easy kicks, that’s pretty much all anyone could ask for and expect this year. Hopefully, that starts tonight in Pittsburgh.

Dion Lewis, mighty mite: Rookie fifth rounder Lewis had a very impressive showing as the third-team RB last week, gaining just 26 yards on 10 carries but showing impressive burst and surprising toughness that belies his 5’8” 185 lb frame. Returning to the field where he played his college ball this week could provide his game with even more of a boost as he’d love to have a strong showing back in Pittsburgh. As with most young RBs, Lewis still needs work on his blitz pickups but if performances like last week are the norm, Lewis will be making veteran RB Eldra Buckley redundant in very short order.

Chad Hall, preseason darling: Finally, it seems like every preseason there’s a player who captures fans’ imaginations and, judging by people’s responses last week, Hall is that guy this year. Sure, he was on the roster last season and saw limited time on the field but last week’s performance against the Ravens actually had some fans wondering if he could be another Wes Welker or Danny Woodhead. Let’s temper our expectations. Hall is a nice little player, but if he makes the team it’s going to be as the #6 WR. He’ll hardly be on the field barring injury so everyone getting up in arms about how the Eagles would be “crazy” to cut Hall needs to be a little more realistic. Is it fair to say that he’s probably ahead of free agent signee WR Johnny Lee Higgins at this point? Probably, but Higgins’ experience as a kick returner can’t be discounted and it’s likely that this is a battle the continues on through the preseason.

- JM