A Philadelphia Eagles Blog

Granted, one game doesn’t mean too much. But Eagles fan know — or hope they know — the 2008 Eagles team.

With that said, lets take a quick look at the other three teams in the NFC East and their order of finish.

Dallas Cowboys

Even I’ll admit that the Cowboys are probably the best team on paper in the NFL, but unfortunately for the Cowboys, paper match ups don’t exactly win games. Of course, if things go horribly wrong, they may not even end up in first place at all. The Cowboys went 13-3 last season — largely unaffected by injury — but like the 2005 Eagles, they may soon be in for a reality check. Other than that, bar any major injuries, they seem to be even better than last season, and are of course huge favorites in the NFC.

New York Giants

The Giants are an interesting team which I do not want to count out of anything. Nobody expected them to win the Super Bowl last season, but I get the New York Times and just about every day the headlines of the Sports Section are screaming about the Giants still not getting the respect they deserve. My gut feeling coming into the season was that the loss of their two best DEs would do them in. I expected them to limp to a sorry 8-8 or 7-9 record and miss the playoffs. On the other hand, they may still be better than we think, and a 2-0 start is a good way to kick off the 2008 campaign.

Washington Redskins

Another interesting team, but one that I actually do not have too much confidence in. Last season, the Giants showed us how important the ends are, and I know that the Redskins have got a pretty good pair. So it’s not the defense I’m worried about, but instead the offense. I never did think that switching offenses on a young QB like Jason Campbell would do them any good, and so far it surely hasn’t done them any help. As the season progresses, Cambell will probably become a detriment to an otherwise solid team.

All said and done, this could leave the Eagles anywhere from third to first place, all depending, of course, on injuries. The showdown in Dallas tomorrow night will be big in terms of setting standards in the division; if the Eagles are to somehow take first place, they would have to do so by winning tomorrow’s prime time matchup. Ultimately, in my mind, there’s no way the Eagles will miss the playoffs two years in a row, so this season I see the Redskins being the odd team out.

With that said, ARE YOU READY FOR SOME MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL?! E-A-G-L-E-S, EAGLES!!!

Arguably, no fans are as loud as Eagles fans, and these past few weeks were no exception. It is indisputable that no fans screamed louder, gnashed their teeth in frustration, or publicly ripped their team more than Eagles fans did this past off-season in their vain attempt at a No. 1 wide receiver.

How ironic.

Now, with Week One in the books, we can look back and laugh. Because, which ever way you slice it, here are the facts:

1. The Eagles were the only team in the league to have three receivers who each had 100 yard games.

2. It was only the second time in franchise history the Eagles’ wide receivers accomplished such a feat.

3. It was the only time in league history a combination consisting of or anything like two undrafted free agents and a rookie reached that prestigious goal.

4. It was also the first time a trio of these likes each had a play for over 45 yards – Hank Baskett for 90, DeSean Jackson for 47, and Greg Lewis for 76.

Wow.

Wasn’t it just a couple of day ago that we were complaining about the Eagles wide receivers? Wasn’t it us who said they had no big-play capability? So much for that. So what if it was against the St. Louis Rams, a team with one of the worst pass defenses in the league. It won’t be the worst team the Eagles will face this season, nor do they have the worst pass defense.

Now, with the forthcoming returns of Reggie Brown and Kevin Curtis, the Eagles’ wideouts suddenly become a position of depth, a noticeable strength. And hopefully they can prove themselves once more against Dallas, when it really counts, and chase away any last shreds of doubt in the minds of Eagles fans about the current Eagles’ wide receiving corps.

I know, I know. You looked at the title and said to yourself: “Michoel Botwinick, you heartless S.O.B., Kevin Curtis is unquestionably the Eagles best wide receiver and is extremely vital to the team.

But is he?

True — he’s been the Eagles best wideout since T.O., but what exactly has he done in terms of creating match up problems, or stretching the field for D-Mac? While Donte Stallworth didn’t exactly put up the numbers that Curtis did, he did make the other receivers next to him better, and why? Because he spread out the field, created match up problems, and generally took some of the pressure off his fellow wide receivers. Remember, that was the year in which Reggie Brown had a breakout season.

In other words, he made the whole corps better, something that Curtis did not do.

Furthermore, Curtis would be a second or third wide receiver with most teams, where he be largely ineffective. Remember St. Louis when he played behind Torry Holt? And those years were supposed to be the prime of his career.

But still, what does Curtis’s injury do in terms of helping the Eagles’ already shoddy wide receiver corps? Here are the top three possibilities:

1. First of all, DeSean Jackson will have to be utilized more. I know Andy Reid has an unpleasant habit of not playing rookies, but how can you ignore this guy?! Already a standout wide receiver at Cal — in addition to his electrifying punt returns — he is clearly the play maker that McNabb has been asking for. And the more touches that D-Jax gets, well we’ll see… But I see great things coming.

2. Reggie Brown came to the Eagles with high hopes three years ago, but hasn’t quite been what he was cracked up to be when the Eagles drafted him in the second round in 2005. He did, however, have a great year in 2006, playing behind Stallworth, but received diminished attention with the arrival of Curtis in the next year. Now we will see what he can do in a starring role, and if his college tapes prove correct, he may be in for an excellent year. The talent is definitely there, that’s for sure.

3. Unless you hadn’t been listening to Philly sports radio around the time of training camp, you may have heard rave reviews about Hank Baskett’s red zone capability. I mean, you look at a guy who is 6′4 and can jump 7 feet high and you see the potential. While he may not be a major factor in the offense other than the red zone, he can definitely be a huge asset in terms of getting 6 points on the board.

The basic premise of these three points is that by the time Kevin Curtis does come back, in about a month or so, Donovan McNabb will have greater confidence in his current set of wide receivers. And then McNabb will depend on Curtis less, spread the field more, and correctly implement the West Coast offense.

And if not…

Well, one of these two things will have to happen:

1. The Eagles will have to finally get a true No. 1 wide receiver. And that’s always a good thing!

2. The Eagles will have to give the ball to Westbrook more. Which, of course, is fine with me, as that would mean a more balanced attack. Just makes you wonder how much longer Westbrook can accommodate being the centerpiece of the Eagles offense…

Or…

The injury plain sucks. Another wasted season. Oh well.

However, with the recent game against the Rams, I doubt any Eagles fan will have to worry about another wasted season. Especially with DeSean Jackson, Hank Baskett, heck, even Greg Lewis playing the way they did! Now lets just see if they can keep it up against the Cowboys…