CHIRPING BIRDS

In honor of Eagles training camp starting today, here is my early evaluation of the Birds' roster......


Quarterback-  Carson Wentz or bust. He had a good year in his rookie season, coming out of the box blazing with three straight wins, then tailing off later in the year.

Once OT Lane Johnson was suspended, Wentz began to have "happy feet" behind a patchwork offensive line. Once Johnson returned it was amazing how Wentz improved.

Baring in mind that Wentz really didn't have a pre-season ( he was hurt in the first exhibition game), and he was named starting QB only a week before the regular season opener, Wentz did all right.

With a year of experience under his belt, he should do better. Add  more weapons with a vastly improved receiving corps, and a legitimate third down running back, and Wentz should shine.

He's got to stay healthy If Wentz goes down, back-up Nick Foles is capable but there's a reason why he couldn't cut it as a starter in Philadelphia, St. Louis and Kansas City. If Wentz succeeds the Eagles can be great with another draft or two, certainly playoff contenders. If Wentz fails, then the franchise is set back a decade and GM Howie Roseman- among others- gets fired and owner Jeff Lurie starts over again.

Running Back- Improved with Blount on board. Will Smallwood come back form his injury? How much does Sproles have left in the tank, as both a rusher and a receiver? Will Marshall make a contribution? What about rookie Darnell Pumphrey?

The Eagles will again be primarily a passing team. but they should be able to run the clock out late in games, picking up first downs, with their current crop of running backs.

The future every- down rusher may not be on the roster yet. The next priority in hte 2018 draft may be that guy.

Wide Receiver- Should be so much improved. Can't wait to see Alshon Jeffery and Torry Smith- the big, possession-type receiver and the speed burner the team has needed since DeSean Jackson left. It will be interesting to see what the two rookies WRs , Gibson and Hollins, contribute. Will Nelson Aghalor be involved at all,plus does he catch the damn ball and finally show why the Birds drafted him in the first round?

I won't think about life at wide -out after this season. The team still needs a future fast , young receiver for Wentz to grow with. If Jeffery has a good year, hopefully he is signed with a long-term contract.  If not, the Birds can move on from his one-year deal and look to the future.

Tight Ends- Will Zach Ertz finally live up to his potential and be a Pro-Bowl quality tight end? Or is he what we have seen so far- average? With these new receivers spreading the field, Ertz should find more gaps and open spaces in the middle. Ditto Brent Celek. He's getting up there in age, but Celek can still make a play now and then. And what about Trey Burton? He showed promise last season.  The tight ends should flourish this season. If not, it may be time to look in a different direction.

Offensive Line- Maybe the strength of the team. Lots of depth. Advantage having Lane Johnson back for the entire year. Can never have too many O-linemen. The line may not be Cowboy-quality  but it ain't bad.

Center will be interesting. Undersized Jason Kelcey had problems last season. If he gets off to a bad start with stupid penalties and poor pass protection, the fans will go nuts. Jason Peters may not be what he once was because of age, but if he doesn't break down, he solidifies the line.

Defensive Line- Another strength. Newly-acquired Tim Jerrigan should be an upgrade, as will first round selection Derrick Barnett. The Eagles will need to get a consistent pass rush to off-set their weak secondary.

Fletcher Cox needs to step it up, as does Vinny Curry. Both got contract extensions and both had sub-par years. Will Connor Barwin be missed?

Linebacker- A good starting unit, but if any of the starters go down, look out. Not much depth here. Mychael Kendricks has been halfway out the door several times, even he remains an Eagle and could prove valuable with the lack of depth. He would probably flourish in a new setting, but right now the Eagles need him. Plus he's a good trade chip down the road.

Middle Linebacker Joe Walker is back form a devastating injury. The team was high on Walker last year. before his injury. A trade or addition through the waiver wire near the start of the season wouldn't surprise me

Defensive Backs- The supposed weak-link of the team. The Eagles are solid safeties but their defensive backs look shaky at  best. Will the fans be lamenting this year about the secondary giving up big plays again?

Again, the front seven need to add a consistent pass rush to the defense, basically just to take heat off the weak secondary. Here is another part of the team that needs upgrading.



Scary when second year guy Jalen Mills is the guy you count on  to shut down Dez Bryant or Odell Beckham Jr. Hopefully there are more pleasant surprises than patchwork emergencies.

Special teams- Sproles should still be the primary punt returner. If Smallwood doesn't do kick-offs, maybe one of the speedy rookie receivers or Pumphry takes the job.

Caleb Sturges was a solid kicker last season. In fact, if Pederson doesn't screw-up the Cowboy game at Dallas, Sturges may have had an even bigger impact on the year. Punter Donnie Jones is pretty consistent.

Coach- Make-or-break season for Doug Pederson. He's gotta win at least 9 games to keep his job in my mind. A losing record, or even a mediocre 8-8 slate gets him fired, especially after the front office went out and improved the wide receiver position.

I liked Pederson's aggressiveness last year, but you gotta know when and when not to be aggressive and take risks. The Dallas game was plain stupid,e specially after the squad fought so hard to put themselves in a position to ice the game late with a field goal, and Pederson screws it up but calling a really dumb play to mess up third down, then refusing to try a long field goal ( even though Sturges made a 50-yarder earlier in the game) and punting the ball back to the Cowboys instead ( who eventually erased a 10-point deficit with less than six minutes remaining and won the game in overtime).

Make the playoffs and Pederson is a God in the city. Miss the playoffs and he's a bum. That's the bottom line of being head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles.