Philadelphia Eagles Mid-Week Report

There is a lot to talk about Philadelphia Eagles wise, despite the team being 4-10 and most fans counting down the days until the end of the season. Still, Eagles fans aren’t going to abandon their team just because of one bad season. If they aren’t going to make the trip to the Linc, they will be at home watching on FOX. This is just how this fan base is wired. There is a lot to look forward to in 2013 for Eagles fans. Not only are there several quality coaches out there to replace Andy Reid as the head coach, there is also a great deal of quality coordinators out there. Norv Turner, Chan Gailey, Pat Shurmur available as offensive coordinators while Rex Ryan, Lovie Smith, Ray Horton, Chris Hoke, Dick Jauron and Romeo Crennel are the top notch defensive coordinators. Can you imagine if the Eagles hired Chip Kelly and he hired Norv Turner and Rex Ryan as his coordinators? That would make his transition into the NFL a lot smoother than most college coaches have had. LeSean McCoy and Michael Vick have both been cleared to play. LeSean McCoy will start while Michael Vick will be the third string quarterback. Some fans are upset that McCoy is starting and playing on Sunday. How long has it been since McCoy has played? Shady is a great running back and the combination of him and Bryce Brown could be deadly. Both backs need work on their ball security, but I am excited to see what they can do together in the same game. Vick probably doesn’t play again this season. He won’t be a part of the future plans and the Eagles gain nothing by him playing except a worse draft pick(if he played well). This season has been the result of nothing but injuries, poor fundamentals and bad decisions from the past two seasons. The Eagles are a pass happy team that decided to keep and give $100 million to a quarterback that isn’t built for that type of offense. Would things be different if Kevin Kolb was still here and Michael Vick was dealt during the 2010 season? The wide-9 and Jim Washburn completely crippled this defense for the last 28 games. The defense hasn’t given up the big play over the middle since Washburn was fired. The defensive line scheme called for pretty much everyone but the defensive line to stop the run. The defense practically begged the offense to run screens and draws all game long. When your weaknesses are that obvious, you aren’t going to win a lot of games. The Eagles can still have success going forward with a press coverage. They just need to give better safety help and let the front six or seven handle the run. Nnamdi Asomugha really is only suited for press coverage. The corners have been great at times this season. It might be in the team’s best interest to keep the press coverage and Nnamdi around for another season, although it will take Nnamdi accepting a restructured salary. The Philadelphia Eagles are tied for the third worst record in the NFL. They currently would pick 4th in the 2013 NFL Draft. The Oakland Raiders are also 4-10 and have a slight edge over Philly based on strength of schedule, but the Eagles do have a chance to win the tiebreaker if both teams finish 4-12. The Lions are the other 4-10 team, but probably won’t win the tiebreaker versus either team or finish 4-12. Andy Reid’s final home game is Sunday. Will he get any cheers or just be booed for three hours? Will his troops rally and get him a big home win or have they already given up? I could see a close game where the Eagles come out on top or I could see the Redskins just blasting the Eagles for four quarters, again. It’s hard to feel bad for Reid. He is a beloved member of the coaching community who will get another head coaching job in the NFL within two or three weeks of the season’s end. San Diego has been a possible destination, but Kansas City and Buffalo are good destinations as well. Both teams have some talent, but have been lacking a quarterback for a long time. Why not hire a quarterback guru like Reid? It’s important to note the Stanford locked up it’s head coach David Shaw long-term. That means he wants to stay at his dream job for a long time. Bad news for the Eagles, but great for Shaw. He is a terrific coach and would have been my first choice for the Eagles. After Shaw, Chip Kelly, Mike McCoy and Mike Zimmer are my favorite candidates. The coaching rumors are going to really heat up the second the final quarter ends in Week 17.