Reasons for Pessimism Regarding New-Look Eagles
As a new season falls upon the National Football League, Philadelphia Eagles fans are ringing in the new year with hope, optimism, and dreams of a successful 2015 campaign.
Part of the success has to do with the freshness of the team now occupying Lincoln Financial Field. Had Jeff Lurie approved new Kelly green jerseys, many wouldn’t even recognize the Eagles as the same team that missed the playoffs in 2014. After exchanging quarterbacks with the Rams, replacing one star running back with another, and overhauling a defense that played mediocre football last year, head coach Chip kelly has stamped his own philosophy into the Eagles. Now, as general manager, coach, and, as many would say, “genius,” Kelly begins another quest in search of the elusive Lombardi trophy.
The Eagles put on a show in last month’s preseason shenanigans, wining their first three gams convincingly against 2014 playoff participants. The defensive front-seven stuffed the run throughout the three games, and the secondary took the ball away from three prolific passing attacks. Offensively, newcomer Sam Bradford shined in weeks two and three, lighting up the Packers for three touchdown passes on ten throws. The Eagles ran that ball well, and the offensive line—which parted ways with two veteran starters—opened up impressive running lanes for new backs DeMarco Murray and Ryan Mathews.
While some fans have already proclaimed this team a possible Super Bowl contender, it’s time to inject a dose of reality into the situation. In psychology, positivity bias is a term used to describe one’s tendency to rationalize flaws to avoid negative emotions and thoughts about a subject relating to themselves. Fans experiencing positivity bias when discussing the new look Eagles need not look farther o see why this team may fall short of expectations.
First of all, the success of the Eagles offense is bounded to the performance of the offensive line. Back in 2014, the line lost many key starters early in the year. As a result, Kelly had to play backups like Andrew Gardner, David Molk, and Dennis Kelly in more prominent roles. Now that veterans Todd Herremans and Evan Mathis have left, the line is even thinner than last year. If any of the starters get hurt, the team is instantly down to the likes of Molk, Kelly, or the young Josh nerds to fill the void. Additionally, Andrew Gardner is already starting at right guard, and with Lane Johnson still not a fully established player, the right side of the line may struggle.
Defenses will attack the weaker right side, forcing the Eagles to use half the field for both run and pass plays. Kelly will likely have to keep Brent Celek in the game for extra blocking, meaning the Eagles will be short one skill position player to run routes. This will slow down the offense, and make it much more predictable. Overall, the weakened offensive line may sprout a repeat of the early days in 2014, when the offense was missing on action.
Defensively, depth is a key issue at outside linebacker. With longtime great Trent Cole off to Indianapolis, Brandon Graham and Connor Barwin are the only prove players left at the position. Behind them is the enigmatic Marcus Smith, who—despite his first round selection last year—has failed to live up to the hype of his draft slot. Smith made fewer tackles than even quarterback Nick Foles last year, and has suffered through a hamstring injury throughout the preseason. Various coaches have seen na improvement in Smith, as he seems to have put on uncle and gained a better grasp of the defense.
Vinny Curry will likely have a larger role in the linebacker rotation, but if one of Barwin or Graham goes down, the defense is going to have a lot of trouble rushing the passer. Against teams like New England, Dallas, Detroit, and New Orleans, the Eagles will be torched if they don’t apply a solid rush on the quarterback.
In the secondary, the loss of JaCorrey Sheppard seems to be taking a toll on the coaching staff and roster planning. Shepard was likely prime for a big role in the defense, maybe even a spot as the nickel cornerback. With Brandon Boykin traded just before the Sheppard injury, and the lack of improvement from second-year man Jaylen Watkins, defensive coordinator Bill Davi only has a few toys left to play with.
Behind the high-priced byron Maxwell and former Dolphin Nolan Carroll, the Eagles kept rookie Eric Rowe, veteran E.J. Biggers, and underrated free agent Denzel Rice. Rowe struggled n the preseason, and was beat in all four games. Biggers showed flashes, but also struggled against the Packer offense, which was missing Aaron Rodgers. Rice wasn’t even drafted this year, so to expect him to serve as the third corner seems unrealistic.If the Eagles can’t find a suitable nickel corner, the team is certainly going to struggle against the smorgasbord of passing offenses on the schedule.
With all these flaws still yet to be solved, fans ought to remain cautious in their optimism for the upcoming season, While there’s a lot to like, there’s also a lot to be nervous about. But if there wasn’t, if we knew all the answers, then would it really be fun to watch the games at all?
Here’s to an exciting 201 season, and to the Eagles hopefully answering all these concerns with a big shiny trophy in February.
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Categorized:Eagles