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2009 Team Report: Philadelphia Eagles

Quarterbacks

Starter: Donovan McNabb
Backup(s): Michael Vick, Kevin Kolb, A.J. Feeley

Starting QB: Donovan McNabb had gone three seasons without finishing as a Top 10 fantasy QB but that all changed last year, as the Eagles franchise passer threw for a career high 3,916 yards and 23 TDs en route to a seventh place fantasy ranking. It's hard to believe McNabb's bounce-back season was almost derailed in a Week 12 benching against the Baltimore Ravens. It's quite possible, had backup Kevin Kolb played well in the second half, McNabb's time in Philadelphia might have come to an end. Instead, he played a full 16-game season for the first time since 2003, andthe Eagles made it to the NFC Championship game for the fifth time in 10 years. As long as he can stay healthy, McNabb is going to be among the better fantasy options. He knows the offense inside and out, Andy Reid loves to throw the ball, and McNabb's supporting cast appears fortified for a title run.

Backup QB: The Eagles backup situation seemed set until the middle of August, when the team surprisingly signed Michael Vick to a 2-year contract. Vick, fresh off a prison term, excelled in a free flowing version of the West Coast offense in Atlanta but it's unclear whether he'll be given the chance to be McNabb's game day backup. This does raise questions about the Eagles commitment to Kevin Kolb as the future of the position. There are defining moments in life. For Kevin Kolb, one of those moments came at the start of the second half of Week 12 contest against the Ravens last year. McNabb had played miserably, and Reid handed the reins over to the young second year signal caller out of Houston. Unfortunately, Kolb struggled in completing 10-of-23 passes with two interceptions and a measly 73 yards. Whether Kolb can successfully execute the West Coast offense remains an enormous question mark, but the Eagles coaching staff appears to have confidence in him. A.J. Feeley, a long-time Eagles backup and emergency starter, rounds out the QB roster.

Running Backs

Starter: Brian Westbrook
Backup(s): LeSean McCoy [R], Lorenzo Booker
Fullback(s): Leonard Weaver

Starting RB: After two MVP-caliber seasons, Brian Westbrook came back to Earth a bit in 2008. After leading the NFL with 2,104 yards from scrimmage in 2007, Westbrook failed to crack the Top 10 last year with 1,338 yards. He failed to crack the 1,000-yard rushing mark and his receiving totals (54 receptions, 402 yards) marked five-year lows. What Eagles fans and fantasy owners need to ask themselves is whether this hearkens to the inevitable fall-off that all great runners endure at some point in their career or whether Westbrook can bounce back behind a rebuilt offensive line. It would be unfair to characterize Westbrook's 2008 season as disappointing though, considering he finished as the 10th best fantasy back in standard scoring. He had at least 100 yards from scrimmage or a TD in six games. Westbrook certainly remains an above average weapon; it's just a matter of whether he can regain his status as an elite difference maker. Unfortunately, surgery in June to remove spurs in his ankle casts a shadow over any return to fantasy prominence.

Backup RBs: Barring the addition of another veteran, the Eagles are dangerously thin at the RB position. The Eagles used a second round pick in the April draft on LeSean McCoy, who will need to be a quick study because the Eagles have few options behind him, particularly if Brian Westbrook doesn't make a speedy recovery from offseason ankle surgery. At 5'11, 198 pounds, McCoy is a bit undersized but is a well-rounded runner who doesn't shy away from contact. He's capable of getting to the second level and, unlike many rookie RBs in this class, has great hands. For now, Lorenzo Booker is the third RB, but he did absolutely nothing to distinguish himself last year, averaging a paltry 2.6 yards per carry.

Fullback: The Eagles have had a revolving door at fullback the last few seasons but hope to have solved that problem with the addition of Leonard Weaver. Weaver signed a one-year deal to join the Birds after spending three seasons in Seattle. Weaver played in a similar offense and should assimilate quickly. While a solid blocker, Weaver's value comes from his ability to make occasional plays on offense. Weaver has averaged 4.5 yards per rush and 9.1 yards per reception thus far in his career, and the Eagles hope to use him in a variety of ways.

Wide Receivers

Starters: DeSean Jackson, Kevin Curtis
Backups: Jeremy Maclin [R], Reggie Brown, Hank Baskett, Jason Avant

Starting WRs: The Eagles have not been shy about drafting wide receivers, contrary to popular sentiment. The problem is most of the Eagles choices haven't panned out, whether it is Todd Pinkston or Freddie Mitchell or most recently Reggie Brown. But the team ended its hard luck last season with the selection of DeSean Jackson. Jackson is small (5'9, 169 pounds) but plays much bigger. Cut from the same cloth as the Panthers' Steve Smith, Jackson is fearless, has great hands and runs laser-sharp routes. His crisp routes and undeniable after-the-catch ability thrust him into the Eagles lineup faster than expected. Jackson became the first rookie in almost 70 years to open the season with back-to-back 100-yard games and ended the season with 912 yards on 62 catches. If Jackson can correct the inconsistencies and lack of focus he showed at times, he should be a perennial 1,000-yard threat. It's unclear whether Kevin Curtis will ultimately start opposite Jackson, particularly if Curtis has another setback following a February procedure on the same sports hernia that hobbled him last season. When healthy, Curtis provides Donovan McNabb with another 1,000-yard threat and a sure-handed option that can get yards after the catch.

Backup WRs: Donovan McNabb wanted more playmakers and the Eagles listened, trading up to the 19th pick in the first round to select Jeremy Maclin. According to some post draft reports, Maclin was the top ranked rookie WR on a majority of NFL draft boards [ahead of Michael Crabtree]. Whether that's true or not, Maclin was coveted for his explosive open field abilities. Unlike DeSean Jackson, Maclin isn't a finished product. He must improve his route running and will need to adjust to the complexity and minutiae that comes with the West Coast offense, but he'll be on the field quite a bit. It's just a question of whether he plays in 3WR sets out of the slot or earns a starting role as Jackson did a season ago. Rounding out the corps is a trio of veterans: Reggie Brown, Hank Baskett and Jason Avant. The Eagles probably won't keep all three in which case Reggie Brown will need to reestablish his value. Technically a starter at times last year, Brown has fallen short of expectations and is no longer viewed as a difference maker. Avant and Baskett are inexpensive, hard-working veterans who have both made huge plays at opportune moments. They're well suited as backups.

Tight Ends

Starters: Brent Celek
Backups: Cornelius Ingram [R], Matt Schobel

Brent Celek has done more for the Eagles than fans had any reason to expect. A fifth rounder out of Cincinnati two seasons ago, Celek was considered a back of the roster prospect. But injuries and inconsistent play from L.J. Smith forced Celek into a more prominent role and he did enough to earn 11 starts in his first two seasons. With Smith now a Raven, Celek is the odds-on favorite to start for the contending Eagles. Celek doesn't do anything particularly well, but is a smart and attentive player who has found a role making first down catches in the middle of the field. Eagles fans hope that his breakout 10-catch performance in the NFC Championship game is a harbinger of things to come. In case it's not, the Eagles drafted his likely successor in Cornelius Ingram. Ingram is an uber athletic pass catcher who fell in this year's draft because he missed the 2008 season with a knee injury. Ingram is a former University of Florida shooting guard and has a higher ceiling than any TE in the Reid era. Veteran Matt Schobel rounds out the roster for now, but the Eagles may look to upgrade as the preseason progresses.

Place Kicker

David Akers : After three straight sub-par years, David Akers rebounded in 2008. He hit 82.5 percent (33 of 40) on field goals. Within the seven missed kicks, the two short attempts were blocked and three were from 50+ yards. Akers made 10 of 15 field goals from 40+ yards, after having made only two of 10 the year before. His 65.8 yard average on kickoffs and 17 touchbacks were both career highs. Akers played in all 16 games the last three years after missing four games due to injury in 2005. After five consecutive years in the Top 10 in kicker scoring, the Eagles sagged into the 20s during 2005 through 2007 before finishing third last year.

Kick and Punt Returners

Kick Returners: Quintin Demps, Ellis Hobbs, Jeremy Maclin, DeSean Jackson, Lorenzo Booker, Kevin Curtis, Jason Avant

Safety Quintin Demps averaged 22.4 yards on 22 returns for UTEP in 2007. He quickly beat out RB Lorenzo Booker for the lead kickoff returner role last summer and went on to have a strong rookie season (52 returns, 25.3 avg., 1 TD). He'll have strong competition for that job this year from trade acquisition CB Ellis Hobbs, who took over the Patriots' starting role late in 2006. He was their primary kickoff returner in 2007 (35 returns, 26.0 avg.) and set the NFL record for longest kickoff return with a 108 yard TD. He gain led New England last year (45 returns, 28.5 avg., 1 TD). And if that wasn't enough for the Eagles, they added one of the best return specialist prospects in this year's draft. First round draft pick WR Jeremy Maclin amassed 2049 yards on kickoff returns and scored twice during his two years at Missouri. Potential backup include WR/PR DeSean Jackson who had two career kickoff returns at California, and one for 12 yards with the Eagles last year. RB Lorenzo Booker had troubles hanging on to the ball last preseason and then did not have any kickoff returns in the regular season. The Rams experimented with using WR Kevin Curtis on kickoff returns in 2006 year (9 returns, 20.9 avg.). WR Jason Avant had one kickoff return for 13 yards last year.

Punt Returners: DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, Quintin Demps, Brian Westbrook

DeSean Jackson averaged 16.7 yards on punt returns over the course of his college career, and scored a Pac-10 record six TDs. He delivered for the Eagles in his rookie season handling all but two of their punt returns (50 returns, 8.8 avg., 1 TD). Jeremy Maclin was equally explosive on punt returns in college, scoring three times. He'll challenge and/or share time with Jackson this year. Quintin Demps averaged 13.3 yards on 15 punt returns during his senior year in college. RB Brian Westbrook is still an explosive punt returner; however he is busy doing other things so he is not utilized often on special teams (4 returns, 19.8 avg. in 2007). Demps and Jackson led the Eagles to a 6th place finish in fantasy returns last year, up from 17th and 26th the previous two years.

Offensive Line

Projected Starters: LT Jason Peters, LG Todd Herremans, C Jamaal Jackson, RG Stacy Andrews, RT Shawn Andrews
Key Backups: T Fenuki Tupou [R], G Max Jean-Gilles, T Winston Justice

The Eagles have changed both starting tackles this season, so there could be a few growing pains. On paper, however, this can be a very strong group. Jason Peters and Stacy Andrews are excellent additions and should help the Eagles improve both this season and into the future. Shawn Andrews appears to have a handle on his depression issues. With his brother and fellow former college roommate (Peters) around, Andrews has more people to rely on this season. He should be able to anchor the right side of the line.

Team Defense

The high pressure scheme of Jim Johnson helped the Eagles to perform as one of the most consistent fantasy defenses in the league last season, generating 48 sacks and 29 turnovers, seven combined defensive and special teams touchdowns and solid finishes in points against and yardage allowed. They narrowly edged out Baltimore and Pittsburgh for the top overall finish in the scoring system used for FBG rankings. The Eagles lost veteran leader Brian Dawkins in free agency, but gained veteran CB Ellis Hobbs in a trade with New England and playmaking safety Sean Jones via free agency. The team returns a talented and deep defensive line, led by Trent Cole, who had 59 solo tackles and nine sacks in 2008. Stewart Bradley and Quentin Mikell will anchor the back seven along with a host of playmakers in the secondary. Expect this defense to again put up a solid number of sacks and takeaways and finish among the Top 10 fantasy units.

Defensive Line

Starters: DT: Brodrick Bunkley, Mike Patterson; DE: Trent Cole, Victor Abiamiri
Backups: DT: Trevor Laws; Dan Klecko DE: Chris Clemons, Juqua Parker, Darren Howard (DT), Bryan Smith, Josh Gaines

Starting DL: The Eagles are poised to repeat their approach to their front four from last season. They are a different kind of team when it comes to managing their defensive line. While Brodrick Bunkley and Mike Patterson are your starters in the middle, it is just as likely to see Trevor Laws or Juqua Parker in the lineup simply because the Eagles like to change their line as often as a hockey team makes a line change. Philadelphia like to change DEs even more often, and they have good depth after Trent Cole, a Top 5 fantasy DE for the second year in a row. Cole's sack numbers went down, but the Eagles overall had a good team total with 48, third best in the NFL. Backup Chris Clemons was a key contributor to that total with a team high 10 sacks, and Juqua Parker was another big addition to the stats with 45 tackles and five sacks. The sleeper on this team is Victor Abiamiri, scheduled to be playing first string after an injury cost him all of 2008.

Backup DL: With Jim Johnson's aggressive defense, the Eagles like to use eight (or more) players for their front four throughout the game. This means that the backups are almost as likely to see snaps as the starters, so look for Darren Howard, Chris Clemons, Trevor Laws and Juqua Parker most contests. All the defensive ends for the Eagles are capable of putting up fantasy relevant stat lines in any given week.

Linebackers

Starters: MLB Stewart Bradley, WLB Akeem Jordan, SLB Chris Gocong
Backups: WLB Omar Gaither, MLB Joe Mays [R], SLB Tank Daniels, Moise Fokou, Tracy White

Starting LBs: Philadelphia is prepared to continue to grow their young linebackers again for 2009, but with one change. Last season Omar Gaither started on the weak side, but mid-season the Eagles switched to Akeem Jordan and their defense went on to be far better in the second half. Jordan looks poised to start the year over Gaither, who now becomes the swing linebacker to back up both Jordan and Stewart Bradley in the middle. Bradley led Philadelphia in tackles in 2008 with 108 tackles (86 solo) but just one sack. He patrols the middle but does not offer much in the way of a pass rush. Look for Bradley to have the coveted "green dot" and captain a defense that is in dire need of leadership after safety Brian Dawkin's departure for Denver. Gocong is a sold athletic linebacker and good in coverage, but he needs to pick that up a little more to stay on the field in nickel passing situations. All three starters have good tackling and quickness, a plus for the Eagles who have been known for overlooking the position as a whole in previous seasons. These three could be a solid point of strength for several years to come for Philadelphia.

Backup LBs: The Eagles' depth immediately improved just through the competition between Jordan and Gaither. Unfortunately the depth drops off quickly, as both Joey Mays and rookie Moises Fokou are relative unknowns. Should injuries come to the Eagles' linebackers, this defense could be in big trouble.

Defensive Backs

Starters: CB: Asante Samuel, Sheldon Brown; S: Quintin Mikell (SS), Quintin Demps (FS/KR)
Backups: CB: Joselio Hanson, Ellis Hobbs (KR/PR), Jack Ikegwuonu, Victor Harris, Courtney Robinson; S: Sean Jones (FS), Rashad Baker, Reshard Langford

Starting DBs: The biggest news this off-season for the Eagles' defense was the loss of Brian Dawkins in free agency. Many expected Dawkins to return, but Denver put a contract in front of him that he could not turn down. The Eagles lost their starting strong safety, but more importantly he was the team's emotional heart and soul on defense. Now Philadelphia most fill that void on the field and off. The heir apparent to Dawkins is Quintin Mikell, who posted solid fantasy numbers as the "free safety" last season -- but Philadelphia does not truly play a free and strong safety scheme. Both safeties can move into the box or play center field, making them almost interchangeable from a fantasy outlook. At cornerback the Eagles sent away Lito Sheppard for a conditional draft pick from the Jets, but they still have a very strong starting lineup and solid nickel and dime cover corners. Asante Samuel leads the club at corner for big plays, but Sheldon Brown is the solid and dependable corner who often draws the tougher receivers.

Backup DBs: Safety Sean Jones joined the Eagles in free agency, forcing many to speculate to his role going forward. Mikell and Quentin Demps will try and keep Sean Jones off the field until nickel and dime situations, but all three are solid options. Former Virginia Tech Hokie Victor "Macho" Harris was selected in Round 5 in April and has the skill set and mindset to be a Dawkins-type safety. He has great special teams skills and will contribute mostly on special teams for at least one season. At cornerback the Eagles continue to add ex-Patriots, this time trading in April for Ellis Hobbs. Between Ellis Hobbs and Joselio Hanson, the Eagles have four good corners who could all start for most teams.

Last modified: 2009-08-13 19:55:05