A little late to be starting up the Eagles preview, but it’s not like we had the normal lead-in to the season this year. I’ll try to motor through these and get them done by the opener on September 11th (less than 3 weeks away. Wow).
We will start with the skill position folks.
Depth Chart
The company line continues to be that Jeremy Maclin will be ready to start the season in Week 1. Considering he still hasn’t seen the practice field, consider me skeptical. Steve Smith could be a dynamite 4th WR if he can retain his 2009 form but again, skeptical.
Either way, along with Celek, this is one of the deepest groups in the league, especially if Riley Cooper shows improvement in his 2nd year.
Most Important Player - Brent Celek
DeSean Jackson is a big play threat, but he only caught 47 balls last year. Jeremy Maclin and Steve Smith’s health status is still uncertain and Riley Cooper is still a wild card. Michael Vick is going to need a consistent threat to get the ball too, and I think that can be the criminally under-utilized (in 2010) Brent Celek.
Celek went from catching 76 balls in 2009 (for 971 yards and 8 TD) to only 42 (511 yards and 4 TD) last year. He is a very athletic and talented tight end who should benefit from having big play threats on the outside. Whether this is a Vick issue or a Reid issue, I think the last piece to our offense is making sure that Celek gets more involved in 2011.
Biggest Question
Can Jeremy Maclin play at a high level?
We now know that Jeremy Maclin doesn’t have a life-threatening illness, but the question remains, is his body in football shape? This unit looks a lot different with Maclin in there at #2 and Maclin has been excellent (and somewhat underrated) in his first 2 seasons.
Division Ranking
1. Philadelphia (Jackson, Maclin, Avant/Smith, Celek)
2. Dallas (Miles Austin, Dez Bryant, Kevin Ogletree, Jason Witten)
Bryant is the wild card here, but showed signs of being a big-time force last year. However, it’s possible his mental issues could hold him back. Witten remains one of premiere tight-ends in the league and will continue to give us fits.
3. New York (Hakeem Nicks, Mario Manningham, Michael Clayton, Travis Beckhum)
The Giants aren’t very far behind the Cowboys here with the emergence of Hakeem Nicks. Only Larry Fitzgerald, Randy Moss and Nicks had 1,000 yards and 10 TD in a season before their 23rd birthday (since 1980). It will be interesting to see if Travis Beckhum can step into Kevin Boss’ spot.
4. Washington (Santana Moss, Jabar Gaffney, Anthony Armstrong, Chris Cooley)
Not a bad group here, but Moss isn’t quite as good as the other #1′s.
Final Thoughts
This could be an elite group for the Eagles, or a disappointing one. Chances are that they wind up somewhere in between. Jackson is in a contract year (if he doesn’t get signed soon) and should have another explosive season. If Maclin and Smith are healthy, this could be an unstoppable group. With Jackson’s contract, Maclin and Smith’s health, Cooper’s potential emergence and Celek’s potential resurgence, there will be a lot of eyes on this group in 2011.
Pete. The problem with celek is he dropped too many balls last year and Vick (and perhaps Reid) lost some confidence. It seems like he couldn’t catch the ball and take a hit anymore. It may not be easy to catch a ball when the safety is wallopping you but that is what the great TEs do.
This is do or die year for Celek. Hopefully he starts out well or Clay be replace him by game 7.
Don’t forget about Donald Lee. He knows how to play the position and is an above average blocking TE.
Speaking of blocking, I think that was another factor (along with the dropped balls) that contributed to Celek’s drop off last year. Hopefully the RT/RG situation improves this year and he can get off the line a bit more often.