De’Anthony Thomas was one of the most explosive players in all of college football under the guidance under former Oregon head coach Chip Kelly. There was simply no telling just how much damage the dual threat could do when he got his hands on the football. Surely, he kept opposing defensive coordinators up at night on his way to compiling 45 catches for 445 yards and five touchdowns in helping Oregon to a successful season that was capped with its Fiesta Bowl victory over Kansas State. But Thomas was also potent rusher too. He carried the football 92 times for 701 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2012. His diverse skill set was frequently displayed and undoubtedly critical to the success of the potent Oregon attack.

So why does this matter for the Eagles? Well, because the Eagles have an explosive and dynamic player on their roster that just may be able to reprise the role of Thomas at the professional level. Enter DeSean Jackson.

Jackson, who was on his way to enjoying perhaps his best statistically efficient season with the Eagles in 2012, saw his season cut short due to injury. But Jackson was clearly refocused in 2012 and now is Kelly set to make the 26-year-old one of the focal points of his offense.

So just how will Kelly get Jackson involved?

“Misdirections, man. Motion me around, keeping the defenses off-guard,” he said. “Talking on the phone with him, he’s very excited to get his hands on me.”

Jackson evens says that he’s spoken to Thomas about playing for Kelly.

“I think his offenses are very dynamic. De’Anthony Thomas, ‘Black Mamba,’ he’s actually like a little brother,” he said. “He’s been kind of telling me some things about how I should be excited, moving me around throughout the offense, get the ball in my hands . . . I’m very excited, and I’m ready for it.”

While Jackson isn’t likely to be carry the football like Thomas did at Oregon, it certainly appears that the former Cal product won’t be lobbying for more touches this season. Just a hunch.

Dec 2, 2012; Arlington, TX, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Nick Foles (9) hands the ball off to running back Bryce Brown (34) during the game against the Dallas Cowboys at Cowboys Stadium. The Cowboys beat the Eagles 38-33. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

When the 2012 NFL regular season draws to a merciful close and head coach Andy Reid finally bites the proverbial dust, owner Jeffrey Lurie and General Manager Howie Roseman have a massively important decision to make on who will be the guiding force for this franchise for the foreseeable future.

While there are of course many factors to consider, chief among them is what type of offensive scheme that coach will look to implement, and how that correlates to the talent already in place here.

As fans who have paid even scant attention over the past 14 years know, Andy Reid and his right hand man, offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg, prefer a scheme centered on the principle of throwing the ball, throwing it some more, and then when all else fails and the ship seems to be sinking quickly and quietly, throw it again.  And then maybe if there’s time left in the fourth quarter, with the game clearly out of hand, get the running back his obligatory and pointless touches.

But with a new head coach comes hope of a new and potentially significantly different offensive philosophy.  The NFL game at this point is built around the passing attack and scoring points (see: New England, where the Patriots have averaged a league-high 35.8 points a game, while running 883 offensive plays, also a league-high), so in this sense Andy and Marty weren’t too far off the path of the sane and successful.

However, running to set up the pass, as opposed to throwing to set up the run, a staple in Reid’s years here (except for those few beautiful seasons early in his tenure when Brad Childress was the Offensive Coordinator and the offense featured the “three headed monster” of Duce Staley, Brian Westbrook and Correll Buckhalter) could be a novel, and with the players currently in place, prudent way for the new coach to direct the Eagles offense to points and wins.

Consider:

-Nick Foles…Big, young, physically capable and continuously improving (hopefully).  Would do well as (at the very least) a game manager and ball protector in the mold of Alex Smith for the 49ers earlier this season.  (For those about to lose their minds and grip on the seat in which they’re sitting, it goes without saying that a healthy Mike Vick, if he was brought back on a substantially reduced deal, could also excel in a situation like this.  Concussion and overall health issues still linger though.)

-Bryce Brown…Speed, strength, vision, decisiveness, balance.  Combined with LeSean McCoy next season could be part of a potentially amazing backfield as their attributes project to complement each other nicely.  The issue of course is whether or not he can curb his propensity to lose the ball at crucial times.  Sound like any other ultra-talented Eagle we know?

-Stanley Havili…Underrated and under-utilized young fullback.  Good, and improving, blocker with enough talent to add a threat of running/receiving out of the backfield.

-Dennis Kelly…Improving young tackle.  Currently does his best work as a run blocker/mauler, but has held Ryan Kerrigan, Anthony Spencer and Charles Johnson to just six QB hurries the past three weeks (h/t to John Breitenbach).  At the moment projects as a very good swing tackle when Jason Peters and Todd Herremans return, but there’s certainly potential for more.

-Danny Watkins…The forgotten, and often beleaguered (fire)man.  Former first round pick who in Howard Mudd’s scheme has turned into something of a bust, but who would almost assuredly excel (do better) in scheme built around running the ball, as run blocking is his strength.

-Riley Cooper…Emerging third year red zone threat/special teams ace with deceptively good speed and great size/strength.  Combined with Jeremy Maclin and DeSean Jackson, would be a good complement to one another.  Has starter potential, possibly allowing Jackson to be utilized in more creative ways to exploit match ups.

-Brent Celek…Reliable receiver and blocker with great toughness and RAC skills.  Show’s up game in and game out and does his job.  The question mark at tight end is Clay Harbor.  The coaches seem almost allergic to allowing him on the field.  Is this a product of their displeasure with his play or simply their desire to get three wide receivers on the field as much as possible?  It should be noted that two tight end sets are the Eagles least productive personnel groupings.

The NFL is built on speed, so I’m in no way asserting that the Eagles should go to a form of offense not seen since the 50’s (Also known as the “3 yards and a cloud of dust” offense).  But, as with many things in life, balance is key.

Size and strength should be just as important as speed.  A good combination of these three attributes is imperative and too often in the Andy Reid era the team has skewed far in the direction of speed, to the detriment of their ability to do many of the small but extremely necessary things like convert short yardage situations or score in the red zone.

Running an offense similar to this in the most recent loss to the Cowboys, albeit a simplistic version born out of injuries and the need to play rookies, yielded the Eagles their highest offensive output of this dismal year.  Not the most yards, mind you, the most points.

But after two seasons of watching the Eagles gobble up yardage only to stall and oftentimes lose possession of the ball in the red zone, an offense built around size and strength as much as it’s built around speed could be a potent and welcome change.  Especially as teams go lighter on the defensive side, highlighting speed over strength to combat the elite passing games developing around the league.

Note: Just wanted to throw a link out there to Tommy Lawlor’s blog, http://www.Igglesblitz.com.  The man does amazing work and is a must-read for myself, and any other truly diehard Eagles fan.

• Philadelphia Eagles (3-4) at New Orleans Saints (2-5)
• Mercedes-Benz SuperDome
• New Orleans, Louisiana
• 8:30 PM Eastern
• ESPN

What Happened Last Week?

The Eagles suffered a humiliating 30-17 home defeat at the hands of the undefeated Atlanta Falcons. In Todd Bowles’s first game as the Eagles’ defensive coordinator, the Falcons were able to score on each of their first 6 drives. The rout was punctuated by Falcons WR Julio Jones beating high-priced CB Nnamdi Asomugha badly on a go-route down the sideline for a 63-yard touchdown. The fans serenaded the team with boos and chants of “Fire Andy!” during the game, but Reid announced that Michael Vick will remain the starting QB for tonight.

Meanwhile, the Saints didn’t fare any better in Denver. Peyton Manning eviscerated the Saints’ much-maligned defense this season to the tune of 305 passing yards, 3 TDs, and a 138.9 passer rating as the Broncos won by a score of 34-14. Drew Brees had his worst game of the season, completing just 52% of his 42 passes for 213 yards, 2 TDs, and an INT. Those numbers were padded by a late TD pass to TE Jimmy Graham when the score was already 34-7.

Oct 28, 2012; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick (7) passes the ball during the fourth quarter against the Atlanta Falcons at Lincoln Financial Field. The Falcons defeated the Eagles 30-17. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-US PRESSWIRE

What To Watch For:

• When The Eagles Have The Ball: 

It seems like I say this every week, but look for the Eagles to run the ball a little more against the Saints’ 32nd-ranked run defense tonight. The offensive line has struggled to protect Michael Vick in the passing game, and the offense has undergone dramatic changes as a result. Last week, the offense didn’t attempt a pass longer than 15 yards down the field. It’s become a dink-and-dunk attack, but that should be remedied against the Saints’ porous defense. In addition to ranking last against the run, they rank 31st against the pass. If Vick and the Eagles offense don’t have a season-best day today (amazingly, the most points they’ve scored all season is 24 in Week 2 against the Ravens), look for changes to be made before next week’s Cowboys game, starting with Michael Vick. The Saints defense hasn’t held an opponent to less than 27 points all season, so look for the Eagles offense to have a big game.

Key Matchup: Michael Vick vs. Saints safeties. Vick and the Eagles will likely be looking to air the ball out tonight, so Saints safeties Malcolm Jenkins and Roman Harper will need to take away the deep balls to Desean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin. If they succeed, we could see more of the same sluggish offense from last week.

September 23, 2012; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints strong safety Roman Harper (41) and linebacker Curtis Lofton (50) break up a pass in the endzone intended for Kansas City Chiefs tight end Tony Moeaki (81) during second half of their game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the New Orleans Saints 27-24 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-US PRESSWIRE

• When The Saints Have The Ball

With running back and pass catcher extraordinaire Darren Sproles out for the Saints tonight, look for their already-32nd ranked running game to struggle. That should (theoretically) play right into the Eagles’ hands since the defense’s strengths are supposed to be pass rushing and cornerback play. However, the pass rush has been anemic this season and while DRC has been excellent, Nnamdi has been underwhelming. Brees makes quick decisions and gets the ball out of his hands extremely fast. The Eagles secondary will need to be on top of their game tonight to try to keep him at bay and the defensive line needs to step up and start getting some pressure on Brees.

Key Matchup:

Tie: Demeco Ryans and Mychal Kendricks vs. Jimmy Graham and Nnamdi Asomugha vs. Marques Colston

September 30, 2012; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles outside linebacker Mychal Kendricks (95) and middle linebacker DeMeco Ryans (59) celebrate after the game against the New York Giants at Lincoln Financial Field. Philadelphia Eagles beat the New York Giants 19-17. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey G. Pittenger-US PRESSWIRE

Graham is an all-world tight end, second only to New England’s Rob Gronkowski. He’s a matchup nightmare for any defense, and as Brees’s favorite target the combination of Kendricks and Ryans need to try to contain him. Kendricks will be able to run with Graham better than Ryans but gives up much more in terms of size, while Ryans is slower but is a surer tackler. They’ll probably give each of the two linebackers an opportunity to cover Graham. If they can neutralize Graham or limit his effectiveness, a Saints offense already missing Darren Sproles will suffer even more.

Oct 28, 2012; Denver, CO, USA; New Orleans Saints tight end Jimmy Graham (80) is unable to make a reception as Denver Broncos safety Rahim Moore (26) and safety Mike Adams (20) defend in the fourth quarter at Sports Authority Field. Mandatory Credit: Byron Hetzler-US PRESSWIRE

Nnamdi had some high-profile struggles against Julio Jones last week, but I think he’ll rebound this week against Marques Colston. Jones is a big receiver, but he’s also a burner (ran a 4.39 40 ). Nnamdi can jam well at the line, but his recovery speed has abandoned him since coming to Philadelphia. Colston is a big receiver at 6’5, 225, but isn’t as fast as Jones. Nnamdi should be able to use his physicality more this week and limit Colston’s effectiveness, the operative word here being should.

Oct 28, 2012; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha (24) along the sidelines prior to playing the Atlanta Falcons at Lincoln Financial Field. The Falcons defeated the Eagles 30-17. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-US PRESSWIRE

Prediction:

Saints 35, Eagles 31. I think the offense puts up points tonight but the defense struggles mightily against Brees. A QB of his caliber picks apart defenses if he is given time to think and throw, and I predict the Eagles’ offensive line fails to put pressure on the QB once again.  Vick buys himself another week as the starter with a solid performance, but Andy Reid takes another step towards losing his job after the season. Fun times in Philadelphia.