Howie Roseman speaks about how being "all in" worked out for the Eagles last season.

Andy Reid still sees no reason to say anything to anyone about the Eagles 2011 season, but general manager Howie Roseman is speaking.

He is with other members of the Eagles organization (not including Reid) in Alabama to scope out possible draft picks at this year’s Senior Bowl. Interviews from Roseman with the Daily News and CSNPhilly left me with opposite impressions of the GM. The former made me think, hmm, maybe he gets it. But the points brought up to CSN’s Reuben Frank sounded largely like the usual chatter from teams wanting to put a positive spin on a disappointing season. » Continue reading “Howie Roseman Talks Draft, Grigson, Giants And More”

There have been lots of lists highlighting the best players in various categories in the NFL as of late. Here’s a run down of how some of the Eagles have fared.

The ever-busy Pro Football Focus put together a list of the 20 best and 20 worst hands in the NFL.

The good news? Jason Avant came in as the 16th best wide receiver in the league. The bad news? DeSean Jackson was at the bottom of the list.

Per CSNPhilly,

While Avant is listed in the site’s Top 20, Jackson, unfortunately, resides in the Bottom 20. The 76th best at catching the ball — you know, the receiver’s primary responsibility — Jackson posted a “drop rate” of 13.43, failing to secure 9 of 67 balls thrown his way. By comparison, Avant dropped only 3 of 54.

You can find the full analysis here.

Next up: Football Outsiders put together an All Pro Team featuring three Birds: RB LeSean McCoy, DT Cullen Jenkins, and OT Jason Peters.

Here is what was said about the players via Bleeding Green Nation:

RB: LeSean McCoy, Eagles
McCoy led the NFL in rushing value according to DYAR, and moreover, he did it despite turmoil along most of the Philadelphia offensive line. We try to estimate how much rushing yardage can be attributed to offensive line blocking as opposed to the running backs with a stat called Adjusted Line Yards. Philadelphia was just 26th in ALY, but Philadelphia was second in Second Level Yards per carry (yards gained 5-10 yards from the line of scrimmage) and fourth in Open Field Yards per carry (yards gained 11-plus yards from the line of scrimmage).

LT: Jason Peters, Eagles
The one bright spot on the Eagles’ offensive line. FO’s J.J. Cooper tracked every sack in the NFL this year and found only one for which a Peters blown block was directly responsible. In addition, LeSean McCoy had his best rushing success running around left end.

DT: Cullen Jenkins, Eagles
Jenkins’ average tackle on a running play came after a gain of just 0.7 yards, the best figure in the league. He also added 5.5 sacks.

Last but not least, ProFootball Weekly released its all NFC list, which featured LeSean Jackson and Jason Peters. No Eagles defensive players were included.

Here is PFW’s full list.

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Eagles players reflected on the season that was and took the opportunity to highlight the best among them.

LeSean McCoy was named as the MVP of the team’s offense for obvious reasons–breaking team records and leading the league in number of touchdowns will do that for you.  Jason Babin was named the most valuable for Philadelphia’s defense for his 18 sacks, the most for an Eagle since 1992.

And though he missed the last four games due to injury, Colt Anderson was given special team MVP honors for his importance to that unit this season.

One year later: No looking back

David Akers is one of those players who, regardless of where they go, will always be a Philadelphia Eagle. The former Eagles kicker showed Philadelphia several times this season that he is the fabulous player that he always was, earning yet another Pro Bowl berth this year.

A year after being let go by the team that was his home for a dozen years, Akers is doing just fine in San Francisco. In fact, one could argue that he got the better end of the deal, as the 49ers went 13-3 on the season (including a defeat of the Eagles) and earned a bye for the first week of the playoffs, now preparing to face the Saints in the NFC Divisional round.

More important than all of that? Akers’ young daughter Hally, who had a tumor on her ovary discovered around this time last year, is now cancer free.

Good on ya, David.

Who do you want back in 2012?

As the Birds are done for the season, fans have plenty of time to think about who they want to see back in Eagles green next season. And who they overwhelmingly do not.

Philly.com conducted a poll of Eagles fans and the results are in. A number of offensive players are overwhelmingly wanted back by fans for 2012 by overwhelming majorities: 98.1% want to see LeSean McCoy back (um–duh. Who exactly were the 1.9% who said otherwise?); 98.4% want to see Brent “tough guy” Celek return; and 97.8% are looking forward to seeing what Jeremy Maclin can do in 2012.

On defense, the players who fans said they most want to see return include Trent Cole at 98.4%; Cullen Jenkins with 98.1% of votes; and  95.5% saying they want to see Jason Babin back in an Eagles uniform.

On the other end of the spectrum, only 7.5% of fans want to see Vince Young back (again I ask, who are these people?). The next lowest scoring Bird was Victor Abiamiri, who has been extremely unlucky with regard to injury, with only 7.8 wanting to see him back next year.

The full results are featured and broken down here. The article features a comparison of, where applicable, support for a return for the 2011 season versus that for 2012.

Also featured is fan support for Philadelphia’s front office, including owner Jeffrey Lurie. Which seems a little silly to me, as he’s never going to un-own the team based on what we think, but I suppose the point of the exercise wasn’t to bog things down in reality/fact.

As I’m sure you’re wondering, 49.3% of respondents want to see Andy Reid return in 2012–which is actually almost an 8% increase over last year.

Go figure.

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Ah, you can feel it in the air. The cold temperatures that indicate that we are in the throes of winter, no longer in the fall. Fall is football weather. The winter means that the season is coming to a close.

That reality is happening all too soon for the Eagles. No run at the playoffs means that we will all sit back and watch some other team ride off into the sunset with the Lombardi trophy once again.

Actual news about the team is decreasing and speculation increasing at proportionate. But as there is a game on Sunday, there is still football news to report. So here goes.

Injuries

RB LeSean McCoy did not practice today due to that ankle sprain he suffered in Dallas. Thankfully his injury is not a high ankle sprain, but it is not yet known if he will be able to play in Sunday’s season ending game. CB Asante Samuel also didn’t practice because of his continuing hamstring issue. Andy Reid said on Wednesday that “it would be a stretch” for Samuel to play on Sunday.

Unfortunately, strong safety Kurt Coleman was added to injured reserve on Wednesday after an MRI showed that he had suffered a partial tear to his biceps. It has yet to be determined if Coleman will require surgery.

Changing places

Coleman’s injury means that rookie Jaiquawn Jarrett will start on Sunday against the Redskins. Jarrett is, of course, excited at the opportunity, and feels that the season has adequately prepared him for this opportunity. Said Jarrett,

“In the beginning of the season, there was a lot going on, it was a learning process. I’m still learning as of today. You never stop learning. So I’m more comfortable today than I was four months ago.”

Pointless game?

If you’re wondering whether there is any point trying to recover from your New Year’s hangover in time to watch the Eagles play on Sunday, Cullen Jenkins presents a compelling argument as to why the Birds’ final game  of the 2011 season actually does mean something. That whole notion of momentum.

“Even if you look at Green Bay, what we did at the end of the season last year and that carried over with them into this year, and that’s happened to us a couple times out there when I was there. So I think it’s something that, especially for the young guys or the people coming in is that you kind of get a taste of that winning like, ‘Man, we won four games straight, we can do this.’ So then for all of the young guys their approach for next year will be wanting to go through that again, they don’t want to go through the losing part, and then they know that we have the ability to do that.”

There are so many factors that change from one season to another, and such a long stretch from one season’s end to another’s beginning that I’m not sure I buy the notion of momentum carrying from one season to another. Especially when momentum has only propelled you to a record of 8-8. But, Cullen makes it sound good so I will keep that in mind as I desperately look for aspirin on New Year’s Day and watch Sunday’s the game in bed.

Cullen Jenkins quote provided via the Philadelphia Eagles.

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Congratulations to RB LeSean McCoy, OT Jason Peters, and DE Jason Babin–these three Eagles are headed to the 2012 Pro Bowl! All three players will start for the NFC in their respective positions.

Two other Eagles received notice as alternates: DT Cullen Jenkins is a first alternate, and Corner Nnamdi Asomugha is a second alternate.

LeSean Shady McCoy:

McCoy is enjoying one of the finest seasons in the history of the franchise, setting team records and leading the league in touchdowns (20) and rushing touchdowns (17), while becoming the first Eagle ever to score in nine straight games. His 1,309 rushing yards rank second in the NFL behind Maurice Jones-Drew (1,437), and he has amassed a league-leading 102 first downs and 48 rushes of 10-plus yards. He has surrendered just one fumble all season, despite ranking fourth in the NFL in rushes (273), offensive touches (321) and scrimmage yards (1,624). Originally a second-round draft choice out of Pittsburgh in 2009, McCoy became the fifth player in Eagles history to eclipse 1,000 rushing yards in back-to-back seasons, while setting the team mark for most rushing (3,026) and scrimmage yards (4,241) in his first three campaigns. His career 4.8-yards per carry also ranks as the highest average ever by an Eagles running back.

Jason Peters:

Originally a rookie free agent signing in 2004 out of Arkansas, Peters has emerged into one of the elite tackles in the league, earning his fifth consecutive Pro Bowl nomination (tied with Browns T Joe Thomas for longest streak among NFL tackles) and becoming the second tackle in team history to make it to three straight (Frank Kilroy – 1953-55). He ties Tra Thomas (2002-03, 2005), Bob Brown (1966-67, 1969) and Kilroy for the most appearances ever by an Eagles tackle. In 2011, Peters has anchored an offensive line that paved the way for the NFC’s leading rusher, while ranking third in the NFL in total offense (399.7) and fifth in rushing yards per game (146.7). The Eagles 30 sacks allowed this season are the team’s third-fewest since sacks became an official stat in 1982. Peters, who was acquired in a trade with the Buffalo Bills during the 2009 offseason, has started in 40 games for the Eagles.

Jason Babin:

Babin ranks second in the NFL in 2011 with a career-high 18.0 sacks, trailing only Jared Allen (18.5), and contributing to a relentless Eagles pass-rush that sits atop the NFL with 49 sacks. His sack total this year is currently tied for the third-most ever by an Eagle, trailing only Reggie White (21.0 in 1987) and Clyde Simmons (19.0 in 1992). Only 16 players in NFL history have ever amassed more in a single season. This is Babin’s second-straight selection after racking up 12.5 sacks as a member of the Tennessee Titans in 2010. He is one of just three players (DeMarcus Ware, Tamba Hali) to have at least 12 sacks in each of the last two years. His 30.5 quarterback takedowns during that span are second behind Ware’s 33.5. Prior to those last 31 games, Babin had registered just 17.5 sacks in 66 games. Originally a first-round draft choice of Houston in 2004, Babin spent time with the Texans (2004-06), Seahawks (2007-08), and Chiefs (2008) before joining the Eagles in 2009. He re-signed with the Eagles as a free agent prior to the start of the 2011 season.

Screenshot of the Eagles website after the announcement of the Pro Bowl roster.

» Continue reading “These Eagles Are Headed To Hawaii!”

Ouch.

Despite a little tenderness, Mike Vick was back at Eagles practice on Thursday. And he fully expects to be on the field come Sunday.

Vick gave an update on his progress, saying

“I’m feeling better. I sat out practice Wednesday just to give my body some rest and try to get me to 100 percent by Sunday. I’m just taking my time with the whole process. It’s a little sore when I throw, but I can tolerate it. I’m getting treatment every day and it’s getting better.”

Excellent news. But how about protecting yourself a little bit more when you’re playing by, I don’t know–sliding–when the time is right? Vick wanted no such talk, saying “there are better things to talk about than whether or not (he’s) sliding.”

Really? Are there better topics than how the starting quarterback of a team that has just invested heavily in said QB plans to protect himself from further injury? Alrighty then.

Vick clearly indicated that the assertion  last week‘s assertion that he was going to slide isn’t going to happen. Not that any of us truly believed that it would…

“It’s my style of play. I take a lot of hits, but it doesn’t affect me. When I was a kid, I used to play football in the backyard. I must have gotten hit about a million times out there, same thing in Pop Warner, and so on. Getting knocked to the ground is as natural as walking to me, it’s nothing.”

Two broken ribs seems pretty serious to me but clearly Vick’s mind is made up.

In good news (hopefully) on the injury front T Todd Herremans (ankle) and DT Cullen Jenkins (groin) , and WR Jeremy Maclin (hamstring, shoulder) were back in practice today, but on a limited basis. DE Darryl Tapp remained out of practice due to a fractured rib.

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Sure, Mike Vick played on Sunday in Miami but let’s not forget: He is still nursing two broken ribs. And the Eagles’ offensive line did him no favors by allowing him to be sacked 4 times in that game. So it was no surprise when Mike Vick said at his post game presser that, despite his extra padding,  he was in pain.

Along those lines, it shouldn’t be too shocking to hear that Vick did not practice on Wednesday.

Head coach Andy Reid stated that Vick “was a little tender from the game [but] not as bad as before.”

He needs a little extra time to heal. Fair enough.

Center Jason Kelce realizes that some of the problems with the o line on Sunday contributed to Vick’s soreness.

“He is still sore. I was talking to him about it [on Tuesday]. He’s taken a lot of shots; he extends plays, that’s always been his M.O., extending the play, making something happen . . . Sometimes you’re going to take some beatings. Early on in the year, we got him hit way too much . . . There’s only so many hits a guy can take in a year.”

Indeed. So let’s try to keep it together this week, mmkay o line? » Continue reading “Mike Vick Sidelined,Trent Cole Fined”

The Eagles revealed today via their Facebook page that 5 Eagles players are in the  top 5 in their categories for Pro Bowl voting:

 LeSean McCoy (2nd), Jason Babin (2nd), Cullen Jenkins (3rd), Nnamdi Asomugha (3rd) and Kurt Coleman (5th).

LeSean McCoy at number two? Aw hell naw. And so few Eagles overall in the top for their positions. We must fix this!

Have you voted for your favorite Eagles yet?  Go here to cast your votes and help your favorite players get some recognition around the league and a trip to Hawaii to boot.

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Playoffs?!

The biggest talk of the NFC East is the Cowboys’ loss to the Giants in Sunday Night Football. Dallas had been alone in holding the top spot in the division, and their loss represented a measure of hope for the Eagles for getting into the playoffs. Let’s be very clear about this: It is incredibly unlikely that this will happen. But there’s a chance. There is also a chance that I will be discovered for my true inner pop star diva tomorrow, but that too is highly doubtful.

You should know this: For anything to be possible, the Birds need to win out. And winning against the Jets on Sunday will be a challenging proposition . Also keep in mind that their longest winning “streak” this season has been two games. Four would be a stretch.

The Eagles would need both the Giants and the Cowboys to lose this weekend in order to still be in the hunt. ESPN’s NFC East blog does a terrific job of outlining all of the possibilities for what may happen in the next few weeks, noting the following:

If the Eagles win their next two games, the Cowboys lose to the Bucs next week and the Giants lose to Washington and the Jets, the Eagles would clinch the division with a Week 17 victory over the Redskins regardless of the Giants-Cowboys result. » Continue reading “Eagles Briefs: Keeping Hope Alive; Steve Smith to IR”

Photo via philly.com

I haven’t picked apart Juan Castillo for his pointless press conference performances, as I’ve been more concerned about the fact that he has no idea how to do his job. But his interviews do nothing to dispel the notion that he knows little about his job as defensive coordinator.

Castillo has certainly learned from Andy Reid how to interact with the press, fond of saying the empty phrase “we have to do a better job,” just like his boss. Um, do a better job at what, Juan? That whole playing defense thing? Tackling and such?

Here are some samples of how well Castillo demonstrates his aptitude (cough, cough) at his job at his presser on Thursday.

On why the defense was not ready for RB Marshawn Lynch:

“They had a couple of good runs that they made. You know what, he ran the ball well, and I’ve got to do a better job preparing our guys.”

On the defense seeming to have taken a step back over the last two games:

“We felt pretty good after the Giants, and you see that the Giants have a pretty good offensive ballclub, they scored 35 points on the Packers, you know, so we felt pretty good coming in against a New England team. We didn’t play as well as we needed to, and likewise with Seattle. What we’re hoping for is, it’s all about preparation, getting the guys prepared, and we can do a better job and win the game against Miami.”

One more question for you, Juan. You seem quite fond of the notion of preparation. You’ve had damned near an entire season. At what point do you expect everyone to be fully prepared?

Castillo’s most articulate comment came when asked about his job security and the report that came out this week that Andy Reid could keep his job on the condition that he fire Castillo:

“My job is to prepare for Miami. I feel like we have a good plan, and that is really the thing that I worry about. Our guys work hard, we want to win the game, we want to beat the Dolphins. We’re still in it. They’re letting us stay in this thing, and work hard to get better today. We worked hard, we had a good practice today. Today’s nickel. We have a good plan. Again, we talk about how important practice is, and preparation, go through this and then we’ll beat the Dolphins, and then we’ll worry about the next week. Really, that’s the most important thing right now for me.”

You have to wonder how this will all play out, and if Castillo will be allowed to finish off the season. It seems outrageous to allow it, but at the same time the defense is so bad does it really matter at this point? There’s no time for another DC to make any significant impact. » Continue reading “Say What? Juan Castillo Speaks to the Eagles Woes on Defense”