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September 12, 2005

Official Philadelphia Eagles Season Preview

Guess what I think the Eagles are going to win?

Aw man, this Monday night thing is just a killer. As, ahem, noted earlier, I'm pretty excited about the return of football. And although I definitely enjoyed yesterday's slate of games, I still don't feel like the season has actually begun. And that's because it hasn't. The NFL schedule-makers have cruelly put my most favorite of franchises in the Monday Night slot in Week One. As if waiting seven months for football isn't enough! It's like landing after a 12-hour flight and then waiting half an hour on the plane because of problems with the jetway. Ugh. And this is the second time in three years this has happened (and I did not enjoy the results the last time).

But here we are. Time for real football starring the Birds. My thoughts on the coming season and my participation therein:

1991 All Over Again?: as lovely as the offense played last season, something always seemed a little awkward about the Eagles being such a strong offensive team. That is, sure, it's really awesome to have a team (after a lifetime of waiting) that has an easy time scoring points, but it somehow didn't feel like the Eagles. I mean, I'll take the sweet offense, but there's nothing cooler than having a nasty defense. (This is what I grew up with; of course it's what I want.) I think this might be the best/ nastiest defense of the Andy Reid era (and they've already had a couple good ones). I think the secondary -- which was already the best in football -- will be even better (three of the four starters are just kids!). I think Jim Johnson has had a year to think about what to do with Jevon Kearse (and I like the idea of doing tricky things with the Freak). I think Trotter is a monster who toughens them up against the run (see also: second half of last season). I think they'll miss Corey Simon, but not as much as Corey might have hoped (also, Corey Simon looked ginormous in a Colts uniform -- yikes). I'm psyched to watch it.

Brian Westbrook Has Seen The Future...: ...and the future's name is Ryan Moats. I really hope Westbrook gets his deal. It's a short list of players who have actively "won games all by themselves" for the Eagles in the past three years, and Westbrook is on that list. You could give him the money just for that. He's got Number 5 going to bat for him (keeps calling him the ultimate weapon, much, I'm sure, to Number 81's dismay) in press conferences, the fans love him, and he absolutely changes the game for the Birds whenever he's on the field. And they're still not going to pay him. Much like the see-ya they gave to Mr. Staley once Westbrook showed up, I have a hunch that they're going to give the same treatment to Westbrook, and it's because they believe in Ryan Moats. (Does that officially count as "an ironic twist" or does it just "suck"? Sigh.) It's a cruel business this pro football.

Dread Injuries!: of course injuries can wreck any team's season, but I feel pretty good about most of the depth on this team. I think the scariest spot is Left Tackle -- if Tra Thomas can't go this year, the Birds will have to stick a rookie out there. On Number 5's blind side. Not good.

Pssst...Number 5 Is Still Getting Better: not to belabor the point, but I think it's worth noting that the Eagles quarterback has not yet played his best football. He's still getting better. Just don't act all surprised when it happens.

Dave Spadaro Eats Lunch, Surfs Internet: so I got suckered into buying the Eagles video. $24.99, no less. This might the lamest product I've ever bought from the Eagles. I guess you get somewhat spoiled by the production value and quality that NFL Films churns out, but this thing was pretty discount. Let's just say you spend a lot of time hanging out in people's living rooms as they shout at their TVs. I mean, that's cool and all, but I didn't need to spend $24.99 on it. Still, if the thing has any redeeming qualities, it's the few snippets of behind-the-scenes footage with the players, which actually showed me things I hadn't seen before. (Watching Brian Westbrook grit his teeth through a photo shoot was absolutely priceless; like when Ali G -- in his Bruno getup -- interviewed that Alabama running back.) The most interesting part was watching TO trying to get Number 5's attention on the sidelines -- it very much looked like Number 5 had the hammer in that relationship and that TO was the younger sibling tugging on his pants. Very interesting indeed.

Some Pie Charts, Maybe A Regression Or Two: one of the nice things about rooting for a strong NFL team is the amount of content the media will generate in re: said team. Beyond daily consumption of the Philly papers, the video on the Eagles site, and WIP over the web, we also get a ton of ink and time from ESPN (Sportscenter, PTI, etc) and SI. Of course, much of said coverage has had to do with Messrs. Owens and McNabb and who forgot to call whom regarding what they were wearing the junior prom, but hey, I'll take the extra attention. The downside to all the coverage is that I end up reading the same things three or four times. This gets extra frustrating when I've actually watched the press conference that ends up being quoted in all the stories. Sigh. Still, it all makes me wish there was some sort of tracking mechanism that could tell me -- by topic area -- exactly what media content I spend my time consuming, such that I could get a little report at the end of the year that broke it all out for me (like with the year-end summary your credit card sends you). Oh wait. I actually don't want that.

My Garden State: following the Super Bowl, I was completely committed to picking up a new TO shirt for fall 2005. But then he started saying untoward things in re: Number 5 and threatening team chemistry and whatnot, and so I had to turn my back on him. (Yes yes, it's an elaborate imaginary world that I inhabit.) With Number 81 out of the picture, I decided that I needed to go defense. The obvious pick was Dawk. But when the best Eagles fan you know has been sporting a Number 20 for a few years now, you can't go and steal that caller's thunder. But I liked the idea of the secondary. Took a long hard look at Lito Sheppard -- thought the Number 26 actually looked pretty cool, and he's wrapped up long-term. But I wanted something with, how do you say, a little more kick. I have some anxieties in re: his long-term contract situation, and I don't really love the for-who-for-what legacy of the number, but I'm a simple man and I like dudes who hit. The pick? Number 32. M. Lewis. In the green.

My Garden State and Macrohard: the dress code is pretty lax round these parts, but I still don't have the confidence to wear the shirt to work. Not yet. Maybe later in the fall, when I have a better feel for things. But it is in the back seat of the car to allow for a quick change prior to the drive home. In the short term, I'm at least using my Eagles travel mug for coffee consumption (though this thing is in pretty bad shape; might be time for a new one).

In Which I Predict The Eagles' Record: I've, ahem, scanned "a few" NFL Previews over the past month or so, and I've been amazed at how timid most of the predictions are. Very few people seem willing to predict that any team will finish better than 11-5. Which seems odd to me, especially given the records that the dominant teams have posted in recent years. I'm willing to go one better than 11-5: I think the Birds go 12-4. I think they'll drop two games in the division, lose to some crappy NFC West team by accident, and lose to the Chiefs. They'll host two playoff games, win 'em both, and then win the Super Bowl. (I may have predicted similar things in the past. Once or twice.)

In which I describe who will meet the Eagles in the Super Bowl: so as brutal as it is to listen to taunts from Boston fans about the Patriots, losing to them is not actually the worst-case scenario. The worst-case scenario is losing to the Colts. The reason? The sheer volume of Payton-Manning-Can-Control-The-Tides-And-Poop-Ice-Cream commentary will make my brain explode. It will actually kill me. Dead on the spot. Football gods, please don't let this happen.

Oh Right, The Game Tonight: two things frighten me in this game: (1) the Falcons do tricky things with their offensive line (Alex Gibbs is the best offensive line coach in the past 15 years -- he's the guy responsible for the whole "anyone who plays RB in Denver rushes for 1,500 yards" thing) and churn a lot of yards between the tackles and (2) the Eagles give up a special teams TD. Other than that, I feel really good about this game. Other teams might fear the Falcons's speed on the turf, but the Birds are plenty fast. Also, after the inevitable pre-game hug for the cameras, I imagine that certain offensive players are going to be very excited about scoring touchdowns. Very excited. (I love properly aligned incentives!) I think Jim Johnson is inside Mike Vick's head and that Vick still isn't the player everyone thinks he's going to be. And I'm just not sure that the Falcons will be able to stop the Eagles from scoring. I think the Birds win going away. Eagles 30, Falcons 17.

Posted by thatkid at September 12, 2005 10:58 AM under Philly , Sports

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Posted by: PJD at September 13, 2005 12:14 AM

Posted by: Thorles at September 13, 2005 7:27 AM

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