Let the battles begin for Eagles

By Lou DiPietro  |   Thursday, July 17, 2008  |  Comments( 5 )

Philadelphia Eagles
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It may be the middle of summer, but football season semi-officially begins in less than a week. For the Philadelphia Eagles, their seven-week odyssey to Opening Day commences July 21, when rookies and selected veterans report to training camp

With only two of the Birds’ draft picks – wide receiver DeSean Jackson and defensive tackle Trevor Laws – still without contracts at the moment, the group coming to Bethlehem, Pa., is all but finalized. And over the next seven weeks, some of those men will be fighting to be starters, while others will just be clashing for a job.

This week, we’ll take a look at the three biggest battles for starting positions.

CORNERBACK

Following up on last week’s look at where to line Lito Sheppard up, we would be remiss to not begin any discussion of training camp battles with “Cornergate.”

Right off the bat, Eagles fans know that one of the incumbents is definitely out of a starting gig. Thanks to the six-year, $57 million contract he signed in the offseason, Asante Samuel and his 22 career interceptions are guaranteed one spot. But will it be Sheppard or Sheldon Brown on the other side?

Sheppard is a ball hawk, but Brown is more physical and a better defender. Plus, the former South Carolina Gamecock has one trait his old SEC counterpart apparently hasn’t picked up – the ability to stay healthy. Brown has never missed a game in his six-year career, while Sheppard has only played a full 16-game slate once in that span.

Smart money says that Sheppard’s history of injury and inconsistent play makes him the odd man out. Stranger things have happened and there’s still a lot of time between now and Sept. 7 (Week 1), but it should be Brown and Samuel on opposite sides when the Rams' offense takes the field Opening Day. Sheppard won’t like it, but his talents may be best suited to being a nickel corner these days.

STRONG SAFETY

There’s a lot of talent in the Eagles’ defensive backfield, but the coaching staff isn’t quite sure what to do with it. This choice may be a lot harder, because strong safety was a multi-headed monster last year. The first half of the season saw Sean Considine manning the middle, but when a shoulder injury ended his year after eight games, Quentin Mikell and J.R. Reed stepped in to replace him.

Mikell really saw his stock rise last year thanks to his solid performance in relief of both Considine and Brian Dawkins. So much so, in fact, that he has been penciled in as the starter for now. Considine could easily reclaim his job, but much like Sheppard on the corner, he has health issues. The former Iowa Hawkeye has seen shoulder injuries prematurely end two of his three NFL campaigns, and the fact that it’s been the left shoulder both times compounds the worry.

There’s also another X-factor or -- more specifically -- a “Weapon X” factor. Dawkins will be 35 this season, and when his contract runs out after 2008, he could become a former Eagle. Coordinator Jim Johnson might be toying with the idea of moving Considine to free safety, as he is a big hitter and the brass is still high on him. The same applies to Brown, although he should be on the corner in 2008.

When all is said and done, it will most likely be Mikell on Opening Day, but don’t be surprised if both defensive backfield spots have a three-man rotation going by midseason.

FULLBACK

There will definitely be a new starter here in 2008. Thomas Tapeh, who spent the last four years in Philly, has joined former offensive coordinator Brad Childress in Minnesota.

That leaves newly acquired Luke Lawton, practice squad call-up Jason Davis and rookie Jed Collins to battle it out for the job. Inexperience is definitely the name of the game here, as Lawton – with 19 games to his credit – is the most experienced of the bunch.

All three, however, have their positives. Lawton, whom the Eagles gave up a conditional 2009 draft pick for, spent '07 with the Indianapolis Colts, a franchise that knows a thing or two about having an excellent running game. His stat line might not say as much, but Lawton is a physical presence who can block and play well on special teams. And besides, Tapeh wasn't exactly a big part of the offense.

Davis, meanwhile, is a bit more of a speedster and an excellent receiver. The latter is a skill that Eagles running backs tend to possess; they pretty much have to in order to succeed in a West Coast offense. He also knows Philly's system; consider that despite never taking an NFL snap, Davis has spent the past two seasons either on injured reserve or the Birds’ practice squad.

As for Collins, he’s a hybrid of his competitors. At 6-foot-1, 255 pounds, he is the biggest of the bunch. But he also is offensively skilled and quite versatile; originally recruited to Washington State as a linebacker, he played fullback for two years before switching to tight end as a junior. Last year, he snagged 52 passes for the Cougars, good enough for third on the team.

So which one will it be? Despite not having the size or system experience advantage, it will most likely be Lawton. His 2007 campaign was strong, and he is the best fit for what the Birds need in a fullback. It will definitely be an intense battle, as the Eagles traditionally don’t keep two fullbacks on the roster; and with five quality running backs in camp, this won’t be the year they break tradition.

Next week, we will take a look at the Eagles’ three biggest overall roster battles. How many halfbacks will make the squad? Which receivers will be looking for work elsewhere? Who gets nudged out of the D-line rotation? Stay tuned.
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About Lou DiPietro

Lou DiPietro is an accomplished freelance writer who is fascinated with all things sports. In addition to his duties at RealFootball365.com, Lou contributes to TheBleacherReport.com and Pro Wrestling Illustrated magazine, and has been featured on "The Sports Buffet with Matt West" on 1080-AM ESPN ...
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CommentsComments: 5  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
nhartman		12:44 PM
07/18/2008
I still think Shepard makes it out in a trade before the season starts. I don't know why Phil Savage hasn't been on the horn ...
No.2
LondonEagle		04:09 AM
07/19/2008
Personally, I am still hoping that with a new agent we might be able to trade Lito Sheppard and our R1'09 to the Lions for Roy ...
No.3
01:06 PM
07/24/2008
I think the eagles D will be upto any challenge they see this season. The O on th eother hand have two guys Westbrook and Mcnabb ...
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