Now or Never for the Eagles?

The following article is a spinoff from the article, Questions Regarding the Top 10 NFL Stories. This article is a solely concentrated on the Philadelphia Eagles as it is set to appear in my Philadelphia-based school's newspaper.

The Philadelphia Eagles, one year removed from the Terrell Owens debacle, went into the season with expectations to bounce back. The Eagles got off to a hot start with a 4-1 record. Things took a turn for the worst when they went 1-3 the next four games, topped by a freakish injury to Donovan McNabb during a week 11 game against the Tennessee Titans. Just when all hope was lost, backup quarterback Jeff Garcia stepped up and led the team to a 10-6 record winning the NFC East. With Garcia gone and clean slate for the 2007 Philadelphia Eagles, will this season be one for the ages? Let’s take a look at the top five questions concerning the midnight green and silver this season.

5. Will the defense show a significant improvement from the past two seasons?

The 2006 Eagles defense was ranked 15th in the league. While not bad, the defense could certainly use improvement from last year. In order to improve this, the Eagles made a few off-season moves, most notably acquiring LB Takeo Spikes from Buffalo. Spikes, coming off Achilles heel injury two years ago and a quad injury last year, is a question mark just as the rest of the line-backing corps. LB Jeremiah Trotter, age 30, is now practically playing without cartilage in his knees, and strong-side linebacker, Chris Gocong, is an inexperienced young defensive tackle turned linebacker.

With a 4-3 defense that loves to blitz, the bigger issue the Eagles have is the defensive line. The team was ranked 26th in rushing yards allowed last season. The ACL injury that kept DE Jevon Kearse out for most of the season, is a definitely a contributing factor, however the rest of the guys, namely fellow DE Darren Howard and the departed DT Darwin Walker, failed to step up as well. This year, the Eagles are counting on sophomore DT Brodrick Bunkley to help bring pressure on opposing quarterbacks and running-backs. Bunkley was the Eagles’ first round draft pick last year, but due to a camp hold-out, Bunkley never became comfortable with the Eagles’ system. With a year of experience on the field and at training camp, look for Bunkley to become an important part of the Eagles’ defense this season.

Another issue with the defense is depth in the secondary. In the off-season, the Eagles lost SS Michael Lewis and CB Roderick Hood to free agency. Sean Considine will take Lewis’ spot this season and has shown that he can play the position well. FS Brian Dawkins is the heart of the Eagles defense but is aging at 33 years old. Should his current Achilles heel injury prove to be a problem, the only guy to back him up is 5th round pick, C.J. Gaddis out of Clemson. As far as the cornerbacks go, after Lito Sheppard and Sheldon Brown, there isn’t much depth. CB William James has shown that he maybe able to start this season, but he is not quick enough to keep up with better receivers.

4. Can McNabb stay consistent this season?

After suffering two injuries the past two seasons, QB Donovan McNabb has become unreliable. So much so that it provoked the Eagles organization to draft quarterback Kevin Kolb with their first pick this past draft. McNabb is no doubt the face of the franchise and the Eagles will need him to stay healthy if they want to compete for the championship this season.

Not only does McNabb have to stay healthy, but he must also be more consistent. In the first five games last season, McNabb threw 11 touchdown passes while throwing only one interception posting a quarterback rating of 107.78. In the next five games, McNabb threw 7 touchdown passes while throwing five interceptions posting a quarterback rating of 76.32. McNabb cannot be this inconsistent if he wants to bring a championship to Philadelphia. At times McNabb can be considered one of the best quarterbacks in the league; at other times he looks like a backup trying to become familiar with the system.

3. Who is the #1 option at receiver?

One of the biggest losses for the Eagles in the off-season was #1 option WR Donte’ Stallworth. With Stallworth gone, McNabb will have to find a new #1 option. WR Todd Pinkston, who was a key part of the team when the Eagles made the NFC Championship game three years in a row, is now with the Washington Redskins. Many have big hopes for third-year WR Reggie Brown. He has shown great improvement over the past couple of years; last season he led the team with 816 receiving yards and 8 touchdown catches. He will most likely be the favorite target however, do not count out sleeper WR Hank Baskett. Now in his sophomore year, Baskett did not put up big numbers last season, (464 yards, 2 touchdowns) but he has made some incredible plays at times and was a big part of the reason why the Eagles won games last season against the Dallas Cowboys and the Atlanta Falcons.

TE L.J. Smith was also a favorite to help McNabb out this season but due to multiple injuries, including the most recent aggravated sports hernia he suffered during camp, in which he had surgery for earlier in the off-season, he will not likely be available for most of the season. With his timetable unknown, backups Matt Schoebel and rookie Brent Celek will have to pick up the slack. A side note to the receiving team, head coach Andy Reid loves to run the screen, so RB Brian Westbrook may get a lot of receiving yards as well.

2. What will be the key contributing factor to the Eagles offense?

Last season, RB Brian Westbrook finally broke 1,000 yards rushing for the first time in his career due to head coach Andy Reid’s deferral of play calling to offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg and their willingness to let Westbrook rush the ball far more often than he had in the past (240 attempts in 2006, 156 attempts in 2005). What does this mean to the Eagle’s offense in 2007? Look for Westbrook to play the biggest role in the offense this year, not McNabb.

Westbrook has become a reliable back that can run the ball through holes in the line and around the line, catch the ball, and block. This, along with one of the league’s best offensive lines, will result in Westbrook to post up big numbers this season at the prime of his career. Reid allowing Westbrook to run the ball more often will also help McNabb’s durability as he will not have to take as many hits as in the past. Defenses will also be confused by the improved running game when concentrating their efforts on McNabb.

1. How will the Eagles fare this season?

Perhaps the most important question regarding the Philadelphia Eagles is obvious; how will they do? They have both the schedule and weapons to be great. For the first time in McNabb’s career, the Eagles have a well balanced attack with a great passing game, running game, defense, and most importantly, experience. Key games against the Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys, New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks, and New Orleans Saints will show everyone how serious the Eagles are this season.

With McNabb at the age of 31 in November, it is widely accepted that he only has a few years left in him. A Vince Lombardi Trophy for the city is well overdue after failed attempts in late 70’s and early 80’s, late 80’s and early 90’s, and throughout the new decade. One has to wonder whether this season is now or never for the Philadelphia Eagles.

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