The Road To '09: Eagles

Eagles will be tough... Going to come down to December between the G Men and the Eagles.

Still think NY takes it though.

Eagles are certainly formidable. McNabb has lost a bit of his elusiveness so they need Peters to play well. How he does against Ware and Umenyiora could be decisive in the division race. If he keeps them off the QB then I'll vote for him as a Pro-Bowler. Westbrook has always been key to their success. How kind father-time is to him will be another critical factor in their season. Finally, you didn't mention their D-Coordinator. Hopefully he'll be okay but if he can't rejoin the team that could easily hurt them more than Dawkins departure. I'm anxiously awaiting another close, bitterly fought out divisional race and lots of smack talk with Fortenbaugh. Bring it on!

The Andrews "Bruise Bros." will be what puts this team over the top in the East.

With the addition of either Boldin or Burress, the Eagles become the front runners in the NFC. The proof to this is the 1st year with T.O. Also, without defensive coordinator Jim Johnson and the lost of a leader in Brian Dawkins, the team will suffer. They still make the playoffs over the cowgirls.

not giving demps enough credit, matt. not leadership wise...still way too young. but i watched him at utep..and have seen him progress with the eagles. he's plenty fast enough to make up for small mistakes and isn't afraid of hitting people. he also showed his willingness to work his butt off with his special teams contributions. i think he starts most of the games in place of dawk

"But the issue surrounding them — and every other team in the NFC East — is the physical beating they will take in division games...but no different than any other ballclub in the East or the NFC in general."

That's a really good, overlooked point: teams beat themselves up (or are beaten up) so much during the regular season that they don't always have much left for the playoffs.

Can we assume that some of the more sophisticated teams employ strategies where they try and get off to a good start at the beginning of the season, then throttle back a bit using subs more to give the stars a breather during the mid-season grind, then go back to full throttle for the end of the season and the playoffs?

Or is that a luxury only the Patriots, Steelers, and Colts can afford?

Demps will probably start for Dawkins, but every Eagles fan has to be worried after the NFC Championship game. He played well toward the end of the season though and looks like he has the potential to play both the run and pass. We will see. The defense also needs Stewart Bradley, Trent Cole, Mike Patterson, and/or Bunkley to step up and become the leaders on D. The eagles have a lot of talent and the o-line looks improved. We will just have to see how it works out, especially since they are no easy games in the east.

Yetiman-

I think we can take the Pats out of your question, because we saw last year that they are vulnerable too after Brady went down...

I think the Steelers have great depth, but just like the rest of the league, if you have injuries at key positions it is tough to compete.

I do think the Eagles need to scale back of Westbrook's carries early in the season

- I agree: Peters great and necessary move. The Tackles were old and free agents so it was a move that had to happen. The question is on the other side of the line imo, can Shawn Andrews transition outside to tackle with Stacy Andrew moving inside to guard? And can Shawn Andrews be counted on with his person problems? Hopefully Peters & his bro help him along.

- Also agree, McCoy good pick because they want a Westbrook wannabe clone who can fit in the same way and eventually replace Westbrook. They should definetly monitor Westbrook's touches and keep him fresh. Even last year I kept wanting them to use Buck more. He was effective and I believe McCoy can be too. Especially if he's the good receiver they claim he is.

- The Boldin ship has sailed. Once they traded up and got Maclin they put a nail in that coffin. And I'm ok with it. I wanted Boldin but I'm excited to see the speed of Maclin and Desean to go along with Curtis, Avant, Baskett, and Celek. There may not be a true #1 but there is still plenty of talent.

- I am STILL so completely DISGUSTED over the loss of Dawkins it pains me to even write about it. They guy was everything you ever wanted in a player, leader, teammate, etc. Call him old, tell me he's declining, etc. Whatever. He was Defensive Player of The Month in DECEMBER last year. He created 2 fumbles for Touchdowns in the Dallas route in week 17 (his last home game as an Eagle - at least he went out in spectacular fashion) and he was all over the place making tackles and laying hits in the playoffs. He is a leader and he will be GREATLY missed. Making matters worse is that the Eagles never planned to move on without him this season. They assumed no one else would offer him much in free agency. They wanted him back on the cheap. They should have never let him hit free agency but they wanted to low-ball him despite what he has brought to the city and organization for 13 years. So they then had to go out and desperately sign guys nobody wanted like Sean Jones and Rashad Baker. Really? Terrible. And after seeing Demps implode in the NFC Championship game I'm not feeling so great about him. Even before that I only projected him as a special teamer and decent backup. Now he may be our starter for 16 games? Yikes. As much as I love the Eagles part of me will be laughing when they get burnt for not bringing back Dawk for 2 more stinkin' years. And I agree with B Roo and others, the Eagles absolutely need Jim Johnson healthy and running the defense. The loss of Dawk is tough and the only reasons I still believe in the defense is because of Jim Johnson. They'll be in trouble if they don't have him. Also, I have 100% faith in Quentin Mikell. I just worry about whoever ends up as the other safety.

- All in all, besides losing Dawkins, I think the Eagles had a great offseason. I love every move besides losing Dawk. I expect them to win the NFC East.

Dawkins has certainly been my favorite Eagle in my lifetime (I'm 28). He was everything a philly fan wanted in a player and was, by all accounts, a great person as well.

For me Dawkins is far and away my favorite Eagle of all-time. And this is coming from a guy who absolutely LOVED the Buddy Ryan Eagles: Randall, Byars, Reggie White, Clyde Simmons, Seth Joyner, Byron Evans, Eric Allen, Andre Water, Wes Hopkins. I love those players but Dawkins still stands alone ahead of them all and ahead of any current players.

Its hard to measure but I do believe Dawkins is probably the most beloved/popular Eagle of all-time. Every current fan loves him and even the Eagles haters at least give Dawkins respect. Its hard to compare era's but even old-timers like my dad who loved Chuck Bednerik and could be cynical about current players never had anything but great things to say about Dawk. And perhaps the ultimate - my mom who doesn't know anything about football, wouldn't know who Tom Brady was, has (by default, not her choice) watched Eagles games and said things like "That Dawkins is crazy, he's going to kill somebody". That right there shows the passion to me. And in Philadelphia, what do we love? Passion, Heart, Desire, Hard Work, and 0 Ego. This is why he's beloved, he brings his lunch pale. You never once question who much he wants it because he brings 100% and gives every ounce of himself. Sadly, you don't get that same intensity from a lot of players. This more than anything is why we love him.

Westbrook catches the ball so well that he can extend his value. To the point Philly even uses two halfbacks at times and ends up matching one of them on the slowest linebacker.

He is still sturdy enough to nickle run as well. Reid will always maximize the player's reps and Westy is a perfect fit for the WCO they use. His huge new OL will certainly help and do the heavy lifting for him.

Fokou is another young player to help them flatten the line of scrimmage. The year prior the defense really tried to focus on the attributes of a young player in Gocong, whose college system had key elements integrated within coach Johnson's overall scheme. They started flexing the interior LB just to get the best fit for their young player for what they needed done.

Another reason they'll miss Johnson's ability to be on every part of what they do. Like Reid does on offense, he finds ways to maximize the talent and harness a player's upside to match game situations to his ability.

At 233 it sounds like Fokou's in the similar play range(though Gocong is in essence an extra lineman). Having guys big enough to take on blockers at point and putting them off the line just enough to let their quickness factor better. These players can smell out the screens and draws that teams make their bread and butter between the 20 yard lines, in the meat of the football field.

That's where the Eagles are better by far, they are taking away your percentages and increasing theirs. Demps has got game and it is good to have fans comment positiviely for him. The concern is whether he lasts a season through like Dawkins could, or if physical play takes a toll. Dawk's own numbers were decreasing to the point Mike was noting he might need to be moved.

That was a business decision, not a football one, in essence. Saving money at one position allowed them to improve others, and their draft added a lot of good skill at the top.

Improved percentages, plus a couple of potential big play skills. The line will wear you down, the defense will still be physical, and they might put another 10-14 a game up from big plays.

It's just getting it down and doing the reps now. The actual yards and game plan are there for Reid, the QB is there, this has got to be a great time for them.

They need to get back down to the business of winning, they've been good as anyone this decade. The team is reloading to stay on top of their conference.

Jones will be the other safety.Demps will return kicks,if he can beat out Maclin or Hobbs.Demps horrible game against the Cards,and the fact that Kurt Warner is still Laughing at him shows he is a special teamer and nothig more

The Eagles didn't just lose a great player and leader in Brian Dawkins, but they lost the face of their franchise. They lost their identity. He was fierce. He was a competitor. He was intimidating. He was their enforcer.

Maybe from a media/marketing standpoint, the face of the Eagles is McNabb. But in NFL circles, when you thought of the Philadelphia Eagles, you thought of Brian Dawkins.

He was a leader, not only in word, but by the example he set in his preparation and how he played like there was no tomorrow. He left everything out on the field - every game, which is the best example you can give to younger players.

While there are other players who can yell and jump around and get other players jacked, there is only one Brian Dawkins, who led more by example than by anything else. He will be missed, and is easily my favorite Eagle of all time.

I see a lot in Q that reminds me of Dawk back in the day. My hope is that Q, Demps, Asante, Sheldon, Stew, Cole, Bunk, and Patterson all learned from Dawk, and will carry that forward.