First Half Thoughts (Eagles v Jets)

Offense:
- A.J. is slingin' the rock! AND holding onto is WAY TOO LONG! Taking hits AND fumbling...DANG fella...He must think he's got the 1st-string O-line in there...Where's that internal clock that tells a QB to get rid of the ball?
- Tony Hunt looks like a keeper. I know its all second-string, but he looks sharp and powerful.
- WR Avant had a helluva catch down the sideline (31 yard gain on 3rd and 25)
- The red contact lenses (worn by a few Eagles players) may cut down on the glare, but they are creepy.
- Kolb enters the game early...seems like Kolb's early series are a little rough. He seemed to find his groove in the 2nd quarter. His dad is a HOOT.

Defense:
Didn't get much work in the 1st quarter. Seems like the game-clock just ain't stoppin' (Good).
The Q HITS! OK Quintin Mikell can hit....anyone else like to see him replace Considine???? I can see the threads forming already (ed. note: yup they're there already).
Juqua Thomas is for real. I talked about him being a key guy to re-sign this off-season. It certainly looks like a good move now. I also love the fact that even though he signed a decent extension, he's hasn't slowed down. No "fat wallet" syndrome that seems to affect some guys when they get their first big signing bonus.


Special Teams:
- Hmmm, punting competition aside...Is place-holding going to decide the Eagles punter?the Eagles have flubbed two 46-yd FG attempts so far. The first was a poor snap - and Rocca couldn't save the hold....
The second was a good snap - hold got down - and Akers missed the kick. Hmmm, I wonder what the replay will show? Were the laces forward? YES...dang it.
Eagles finally convert a FG! With the pressure on, Rocca got the snap down and spun.
You know the Eagles got the chance to try that 3rd FG because a TD was called back. I think that's the only time I've ever been happy to see 7 points converted into 3....
- Punt coverage sucked on the first punt....WTF? Are our ST going to suck again this year? They've gone from a strength that helped propel us to the Super Bowl in 2004 (2005 is awash) to a base-line average group with notable deficiencies in 2006. This 2007 group isn't all the impressive either. What the fuck is wrong?
- Kickoff coverage sucked too.

Eagles' Subs Stepping Up

With Friday night dispelling most of the angst I had concerning Donovan's knee, I thought it would be appropriate to look at some other players who are filling in for star Eagles players currently "on the shelf"

Quintin Mikell - None bigger here folks. Little "Q" is filling in for my all-time favorite Eagle - Brian Dawkins. Our All-Pro safety is experiencing some Achilles tendinitis and I'll be damned if that doesn't concern me some. Concern NOT worry. I am not declaring his career over. Personally I would like to see him able to suit up and get in a little bit of action, just to get in a some live game prior to the start of the season. But if he can't....Well look, I don't want to start thinking about life after "#20" just yet, alright...With that out of the way - I think the Eagles' F.O. decision to retain the services of Quintin Mikell could pay off this season. Q has done well. True, its not the same, but as Bob Brookover writes - Mikell, entering his fifth season, is a player whose stock has steadily risen with the Eagles. Not only has he emerged as the most valuable player on the special teams; he also has become valuable enough that defensive coordinator Jim Johnson will create packages to get the safety on the field this season. Mikell will likely play the same hybrid linebacker role safety Michael Lewis had in passing situations last season.

Juqua Thomas - Filling in for Jevon Kearse, Juqua Thomas had himself a heckuva game the other night. Kearse's absence may have been merely precautionary (and I believe it was), but the man is still coming off a serious knee injury. Setbacks are a way-of-life with those sorts of things, but I couldn't help but notice - Juqua brought the same motor he had last year - it looks like he going to try and make it hard for J.J. to keep him off the field. He probably won't start, but a more-than-solid year might make a fellow, pricier vet like Darren Howard or Kearse expendable in 2008.

Brent Celek - Who knows how long L.J. will be hampered by this nagging "sports hernia" thing. I hope its not very, but I have to say this - I am very encouraged by the play of rookie TE Brent Celek. I mean this dude has some skills. He's caught almost everything thrown his way (something with which L.J. still shows occasional signs of trouble) and has been able to hit some deeper passes over the middle (talking 16-20 yard range). Will this team be better offensively with L.J. - no doubt. Will we be even more dangerous lining up Celek a few times and zapping unwary defenses - hell yeah.

Max Jean-Gilles - I saved the worst for last. We fans simply do not know what exactly is wrong with All-Pro Guard Shawn Andrews. He gave a very cryptic response the other day, with has led to a slew of worrying about whether or not Andrews availability for the 2007 season (and beyond) is in doubt. Big Red says he expects Andrews back to start the season. I hope so. Max Jean is a big boy in his own right - but the Eagles line has NOT run-blocked well this preseason. And at some point, we are going to need to run the ball. For a variety of well-documented reasons: protect McNabb's knee/health by not passing so much, protect McNabb's knee/health by not passing so much, and protect McNabb's knee/health by not passing so much. Perhaps, more importantly, the Eagles surge last year was led by Brian Westbrook and a renewed emphasis on offensive BALANCE. To keep that going, we need to run....These preseason games have shown we can pass, I'd like to see us show we can run. This is the question mark - if Andrews misses more time than any of us would like - can Jean-Gilles step up. Will it be Scott Young?? We fans have lauded the Eagles O-line for its depth...so far the run-game results have not been encouraging. Hmmmm, come back soon Shawn.

Now I think we'd all agree: Philly fans would/are going to be a LOT more positive about the Eagles' prospects for 2007 once we have Andres, Dawk, Kearse and L.J. back on the field, but I have to give the front office credit - we made the right moves to assure the team has the depth not to collapse without them.

Mikell Returns to the Nest, Who's Next? and What about Donte' ?

Well the title to the story is Eagles sign 1 of 2 key players. Back-up safety and special teams captions Quintin Mikell signed a 4 year extension just a couple of days before the start of free agency. This is good news for Birds fans. While it weird to talk about having key defensive free agents after a definite down year for the Eagles defense, I whole-heartedly believe that Mikell is part of the solution.

[What the problem you ask: deadwood like Jerome McDougle and Dhani Jones sucking down roster spots and a defensive system that has to be a tad too complex if we can hardly EVER have ANY rookies able to contribute...Look other teams in the NFL get significant contributions from their draft picks, but for the Eagles it always seems to take a couple of seasons before we really know...]

But that is a different rant. This is the sentiment we all too little of from many players: "To me, more money doesn't necessarily mean more happiness. I've established myself here, I know the system, I know the coaches and they know me. I have a family here and a child on the way. It didn't make a whole lot of sense for me to make a move. I'm happy where I am, so why rock the boat?" Good on ya Quintin. Its nice to see a player realize that even at back-up money, they'll probably make more in a few years than most American will in their entire lives.

This isn't to say that I think players should throw thoughts of money to wind and accept whatever the Birds offer. That's just plain dumb. But I think for some players there is a right place, right time, right system that shouldn't be ignored.

But wait a minute...wasn't the title 1 of 2 key players? I bet you might think the other key player is WR Donte' Stallworth. Well if you do, you haven't been paying much attention. For the sportswriters/Eagles FO appear to believe that Donte's agent is going to nab him some ridiculous FA offer sheet and that the Birds will let him spread his wings. Moreover, the Eagles appear to be concentrating on ensuring DE Juqua Thomas (who's got a motor like Trent Cole, and played consistently well last year) doesn't fly the coop.

Again, looking past the oddity of thinking anyone on this defense (beside Dawkins) is "crucial," I have to say that keeping Juqua, if it happens, is a positive move. He was one of the few bright spots on an underachieving D-Line last year. Having him and Cole locked up for the next 4-5 years would provide the Birds the flexibility to continue their D-Line rotation AND perhaps shed an under-producing veteran (yeah I'm thinking about you Darren Howard) if they continue to disappoint after the 2007 season. It would also pave the way to shitcan the useless Jerome McWaste-of-time. Can we finally call it a career on that bust? Go and grab another DE in the draft (first day, second day, doesn't matter, if Juqua stays, its not a priority position for this year). Which bring to my final point about the Birds, if Juqua stays, then pending what the Eagles do about the WR position, we'll be a in a lot better position to gauge their potential draft strategies.