In a city that is known for cheering for injured players from the opposition, booing Santa Claus and demanding perfection from its superstars, it will be interesting to see how the Philly faithful treat the new guy the first time he shows any signs of weakness. The Philly faithful were always looking for more out of Donovan McNabb and many asked for his exit from the blue-collar town. Well, those people got their wish as he moved on to Washington, leaving Kevin Kolb to be the man under the spotlight.
The biggest and most obvious question about the Philadelphia Eagles is: How does Kevin Kolb handle being a starter for the first time in his career? Anyone from the Eagles will tell you that he’s ready to handle the pressure and has the ability to make people forget about McNabb. He certainly has a couple of young and exciting receivers to throw to in DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin. Brent Celek also has emerged to be a good option at the tight end spot. The old adage goes, “The backup quarterback usually is the most popular player in town.” Does Kolb keep that level of popularity?
The running game now lies solely in the hands of LeSean McCoy after the departure of Brian Westbrook. McCoy will have to improve on a rookie season in which he gained 650 yards rushing, but with an impressive offensive line in front of him and an offense that relies much more on the passing game, being a 1000 yard rusher isn’t absolutely necessary.
Defensively, the biggest key to success will be their secondary and more specifically, their cornerbacks. Asante Samuel is still one of the best corners in the NFL as he picked off 9 passes last season. Ellis Hobbs is pretty solid as well and their safeties are veterans that won’t make too many mistakes.
However, the front seven for this defence may be the downfall for this team. Trent Cole is a nice piece at the defensive end spot, but the other three all have question marks. Brodrick Bunkley needs to start showing why he was a first round pick a few years ago and 2010 first-round pick and Michigan grad, Brandon Graham, will have to step up immediately to help out with a good pass rush.
The linebackers are all veterans, but the problem is that all three starters don’t have the ability to be game-changers. As the numbers will suggest, this defence was in the middle of the pack in all major categories.
Two players to look out for in camp are Michael Vick and Ernie Sims. Vick was such a distraction for this team a year ago with his return to football, but with so much attention on Kolb becoming the new starter, how much playing time does Andy Reid give to Vick? As for Sims, he’s coming off his first season with less than 100 tackles. With only 49 tackles in 11 games last season, has Sims already hit a wall only after four years in the NFL? The Eagles certainly hope not.
2010 Prediction: 9-7