Eagles in flight: ascending or descending?

By Os Davis  |   Tuesday, July 18, 2006  |  Comments( 4 )

Philadelphia Eagles
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With the way parity works in the NFL today, most franchises seem to enjoy an arc of success. This time period may be just a few years, as in the rise and fall of the high-flying Kurt Warner/Marshall Faulk St. Louis Rams "dynasty"; the Rams went from 4-12 in 1998 to the No. 1 offense three years running and two Super Bowl appearances to 7-9 in 2002 and the beginning of the team's dissolution. In contrast, after 24 mostly-lean post-Lombardi years, the Green Bay Packers became serious contenders, playing in two 'Bowls from 1995 to 2004 and only today declining. And on the third hand are the Arizona Cardinals, who...oh, never mind.

In short, when discussing the fortunes of most NFL teams, we argue as to whether the team is on the ascent or in decline. "The New England Patriots may be in the Super Bowl this year!" may be tempered with "come on, they've been losing key components for years. They're going down." The Detroit Lions fan may argue that his guys are (finally) on an upswing, and that the Bears may not merely run away with the NFC North. Even the Pittsburgh Steelers' backers have got to be wondering how much is left there and if/when rebuilding might happen. And the Cardinals...oh, never mind.

But what of the Philadelphia Eagles? Just two years after their Super Bowl appearance, it is difficult to discern just what sort of flight pattern the birds might be in this season. With the NFC East looking as contentious as it often does, the uncertainty about a Philly upswing/downswing merely muddies the crystal ball further. As of this writing, listed on the Philadelphia roster are 15 members of the 2001 Eagles, many of them products of the Andy Reid system. That year marked the first of Philly's four consecutive NFC championship appearances and a whopping 48-16 regular season record. Last year, the squad nearly identical to the Super Bowl Eagles went 4-5 until QB Donovan McNabb went down, and 2-5 thereafter.

So, what'll it be this year for Philly? Contenders or pretenders? Solid mix of veterans and rookies or uncertain team in flux?

In the building-for-the-future column, the Eagles' brain trust can take pride in the draft-day performance, ranked pretty much across-the-board as one of the best in 2006. DE Chris Gocong, OG Max Jean-Gilles, WR Jason Avant and special-teamer Jeremy Bloom have all recently signed, most for a span of around four years. Early buzz on the Eagles' first two picks, DT Brodrick Bunkley and OT Winston Justice, has been high, and both these guys may well start in 2006.

While the receiving corps is a veritable fountain of youth, few of the nine WR's currently listed have experience in the Reid/McNabb game plan. Six-year man Todd Pinkston, the old man of Philly receivers at 29, is still around, but he missed the entirety of 2005 with an injury. Current Eagle receivers not named Pinkston have accounted for a combined total of 72 McNabb career completions. Reggie Brown has been called "the team's top wide receiver threat," but those more conservative are taking a wait-and-see attitude on him.

The drafting of Bunkley was designed to address uncertainty the Eagles may be feeling on the defensive line, with the DE and DT spaces on the depth chart a scrum of veterans, rookies and the untested bucking for position.

At DE, Jevon Kearse most likely has a starting spot locked, as does former New Orleans Saint Darren Howard, who was signed to a fat five-year contract. Kearse is a question mark, with 2005 numbers hinting at a decline in a career that never lived up to the expectations set in 1999 and 2000: Only three times did Kearse top four tackles last year. After Kearse and Howard, the pecking order must be determined among youngsters Darrell Lee and Gocong, veterans Jerome McDougle and Juqua Thomas. McDougle sat out all of 2005, thanks to a gunshot wound; Thomas got a one-year extension despite somewhat lackluster play.

At DT, a lot of eyes will be on Ed Jasper. The 33-year-old ten-year man will be the subject of much "How much gas is left in the tank?"-style speculation before the season kicks off. Jasper is a risky new addition to the Eagles, whose front office guys clearly felt the position needed bolstering. Still tough enough or not, Jasper must be looked upon as a fragile, quick-fix solution to a larger problem. Bunkley is thought to be the long-term answer; should the youngster continue to impress, lots of time will be his.

The thinking on the Jasper signing and (to a far lesser extent) the Bunkley drafting has got to be a bit confusing for some Eagle fans, though: Still kicking around in the Philly camp are Keyonta Marshall, Mike Patterson, Sam Rayburn, Darwin Walker and young LaJuan Ramsey. What gives and what, pray tell, are the Eagles not telling us about a defensive line lineup that looks so powerful on paper?

And then there's the question of the aging quarterback corps, but that's another can of worms for another time...

- Stay with the Philadelphia Eagles' flight pattern at Realfootball365.com
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About Os Davis

Os Davis has taken a twisted route to get to RealFootball365.com in his nearly 17 years in professional writing, working in any number of capacities in the sportswriting, news reporting and film criticism worlds. In print media, Os has served as editor at a few publications, including Albuquerque's...
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CommentsComments: 4  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
Jeff		03:41 PM
07/18/2006
I appreciate the Eagles preview, but I don't think that the author really spent much time preparing or thinking about the Eagles....
No.2
NWP		02:31 AM
07/19/2006
Cocong is a linebacker, not a defensive end. (Moderator's note: his name is Chris "Gocong"..not Cocong. He played defensive end...
Avatar
No.3
Os Davis		08:24 AM
07/19/2006
Hi, NWP. Thanks a bunch for your comments. As writer, i'd like to throw out a few responses if i may... "(1) ...Winston Justice...
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