Archive for August, 2010

Make no mistake, the Eagles linebackers this year are far better than last season.  The trio is probably as good as Philadelphia has had since Jeremiah Trotter was in his prime.  Perhaps most importantly, all three – Stewart Bradley, Ernie Sims and Akeem Jordan – can play every snap. “Big.  It really is big.  And this gets back to us being healthy, for the most part, right now,” said defensive coordinator Sean McDermott.  “We got banged up in a game the other night.  But, for the most part, we’re healthy.” That means McDermott can capitalize on the versatility of a [...]

The Eagles beat the Chiefs 20-17 after Mike Kafka found Riley Cooper for an 18-yard touchdown pass with 23 seconds left in the fourth quarter of Friday’s preseason game.  Unfortunately for the Eagles, the true headlines did not involve the final score. Defensive end Trent Cole left the game with a  sprained ankle and will undergo an MRI on Sunday morning, while star wide receiver DeSean Jackson strained his neck on the first play from scrimmage and did not return.  Reid said Jackson was held out for precautionary reasons.  Center Mike McGlynn also left the field with an undisclosed injury, [...]

As the Eagles take on the Chiefs tonight in preseason game number three, there are still many areas in which the Birds need to improve before the start of the regular season.  Here are five things to pay special attention to in tonight’s preseason game. 1. Red Zone Offense – The Eagles first string still hasn’t scored a touchdown, despite moving the ball well until reaching the red zone. Philadelphia has made numerous small mistakes to cause issues inside the 20, and without much playing time to be had in the fourth preseason game, the first-stringers need to punch it [...]

To get a better idea of what’s going on with the Chiefs, I spoke with Patrick Allen of Arrowhead Addict. To see the other side of our conversation and what I had to say about the Eagles, you can check out Patrick’s article. Be sure to visit ITI this evening as well, when I’ll give you five things to watch closely during tonight’s game. Preseason or not, the Eagles need to build some confidence in the offensive red zone, so this will be an important exhibition game. The Chiefs have a few things to improve as well, as Patrick and [...]

Each week we’ll be putting up a 30 minute show on Thursday morning. You are welcome to download the file by right clicking below and choosing Save Target As. If you prefer to listen here on the site, click the play button to the left of the link and the player will pop out for you. Enjoy, and leave a comment! Weekly Show #2

When the Eagles signed right guard Stacy Andrews to a six-year contract worth 38.9 million dollars in 2009, they weren’t planning on making him a backup. Fast forward 18 months and the 6’7, 342 pound guard isn’t guaranteed a starting spot.

Observers of the NFL often discuss offensive players that can give defensive coordinators nightmares. The Eagles may have a defensive duo that can do the same to offensive coordinators in Trent Cole and Brandon Graham.

For the second game in a row, the Eagles first-string offense failed to score a touchdown.  The Kevin Kolb-led starters had just one trip to the red zone, coming at the end of the first half.  The Birds ran four plays inside the 20, starting from the eight yardline and ending at the eight yardline.  This week we break down all four plays to find out what went wrong. 1st and Goal at the 8: The Eagles came out in a Wildcat formation with LeSean McCoy prepared to take the direct snap.  While many Eagles fans have questioned the teams [...]

After two preseason games, the Eagles first-string offense still hasn’t found the endzone.

The Eagles trail the Bengals 7-6 at halftime in what has been a preseason game full of errors. Philadelphia committed five penalties for 27 yards while Cincinnati racked up 45 penalty yards on six infractions. Bernard Scott scored the lone touchdown of the game on a six yard run set up by a 43-yard reception by Terrell Owens. Philadelphia made just one trip to the redzone and had a touchdown reception by Jason Avant waved off due to an illegal procedure penalty. Kevin Kolb connected on 11 of 17 passes in the first half for 126 yards, no touchdowns and [...]

The Eagles and Bengals are locked in a scoreless tie after one quarter in a preseason game marred by penalties and turnovers. Each team has one turnover, with Dimitri Patterson intercepting a Carson Palmer pass and Jonathan Fanene recovering a Jeremy Maclin fumble. The Bengals have also committed three penalties for 15 yards. The Eagles offensive line is struggling to establish a running game, with just six yards on five carries.

With one preseason game in the books, things are starting to come into focus for the Eagles.  That doesn’t mean a few big questions don’t still loom though.  The first-string defense only played six snaps against Jacksonville, so the focus tomorrow night will be on evaluating that side of the ball.  The offense struggled mightily in the red zone and will be looking to gain consistency in that area.  Below are the top five things to watch tomorrow night against Cincinnati. 5. Ellis Hobbs – Does the Eagles second corner really have anything to prove?  The fans and media think [...]