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Thu., June 20
Did the Eagles do enough in the offseason to catch up to the Rams? In some ways, they got a little less talented. Sure, you can't go wrong
when you add Blaine Bishop. The guy is a winner. But the defense isn't as
good without Jeremiah Trotter. And they are thinner on the offensive line
without Bubba Miller, who went to New Orleans. The problem by not adding depth is that Hank Fraley has to come through at center and Barry Gardner
has to come through at middle linebacker. But what if one or both of those
players get injured? The Eagles have $9.9 million of salary-cap room, yet they added very little.
They are still too reliant on Donovan McNabb being the main focus of the offense.
What if Duce Staley gets hurt again? The loss of Correll Buckhalter for the
season with a knee injury was huge and needed to be answered with a veteran
insurance policy. It's nice to manage the cap to free up money to sign the
stars to future contracts, but the Eagles are clearly the best team in the
NFC East and one of the best in the conference. They need to go for it now
instead of saving their cap dollars.
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Following last season's trip to the NFC championship game, the Eagles are expecting even bigger things this season. With a superstar quarterback in Donovan McNabb, a trip to the Super Bowl is the preseason goal.
That said, the Eagles have been relatively inactive this offseason. Offensively, they've done almost nothing. Barring any injuries or a starting change at the wide receiver position, the starting lineup will remain relatively the same. The biggest news was the torn ACL suffered by Correll Buckhalter in an offseason minicamp. Buckhalter had an impressive rookie campaign (586 yards rushing) and would have been a big part of the offense this year.
Because of Buckhalter's injury, there was some sentiment in Philadelphia to add a veteran running back. But for now, the Eagles seem content with Duce Staley. They did, however, make a strong run at former Tampa Bay running back Warrick Dunn, who opted to sign with the Falcons, and also showed interest in Dorsey Levens and Ki-Jana Carter.
The biggest move on the defensive side of the ball was the decision to cut ties with Pro Bowl linebacker Jeremiah Trotter. After negotiations produced more animosity than progress, the club decided to rescind the franchise tag designation on Trotter, making him an unrestricted free agent. He signed with the Redskins, setting up an interesting situation where the Eagles will have to face their former star middle linebacker twice this season. Trotter, 25, was the Eagles' leading tackler each of the last three seasons.
The Eagles lost another starter from their linebacking corps when Mike Caldwell left for Chicago. Barry Gardner will replace Trotter in the middle, with Shawn Barber taking over for Caldwell. There is actually some sentiment that the new group of linebackers will improve a run defense that ranked 18th in the NFL against the run last season. Philadelphia tried to sign Hardy Nickerson to play middle linebacker, but he chose Green Bay despite reports of a higher offer from the Eagles.
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EAGLES AT A GLANCE
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Duce Staley rushed for
604 yards last season. |
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2001 record: 11-5
Team rank: Defense (7th); offense (17th)
Eagles team news |
Strong safety Blaine Bishop was signed as a free agent to take over the starting job that belonged to Damon Moore. The Eagles released Moore, who suffered a torn ACL in the loss to the Rams in the NFC championship game. Bishop, who missed most of last season with a foot injury, has been hampered this offseason by a sprained ankle. Bishop is a solid player, but his injury status has to be a concern.
For a complete list of all the players Philadelphia has signed and lost so far this offseason, click here.
How they drafted
The Eagles were clearly focused directly on the Rams (and maybe to a lesser extent the Redskins and Steve Spurrier) when they used their first three picks on defensive backs -- Lito Sheppard, Michael Lewis and Sheldon Brown. While the Eagles already have one of the NFL's better secondaries, there are some age issues and they know to reach the Super Bowl they will have to go through the Rams' high-powered aerial attack. Sheppard is a play-maker who could see immediate time as a nickel back. Sheppard could also help on special teams, returning punts. Running back Brian Westbrook (third round) is an interesting choice. The local product from Villanova might have gone a little too high, but he's a good receiver who could see some time in third-down situations.
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Fantasy Focus
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Because of offensive philosophy and poor running, Duce Staley had more receiving yards (626) than rushing (604) last season. With backup Correll Buckhalter out for the year, Staley will get most of the carries this season. Unfortunately, Staley was ineffective running last year, averaging just 3.6 yards. Coach Andy Reid emphasizes the pass more than the run, so expect Staley to be catching a lot of passes out of the backfield. Since Eagles running backs had only four rushing touchdowns last season, look for Staley (who ran for two) to surpass 1,000 total yards but not score much. That's why William Green and Travis Henry seem more promising than Staley, who could drop out of the top 20 runners taken in fantasy drafts.
-- Roger Rotter, Fantasy editor
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For a complete list of the Eagles' draft picks, click here.
Unfinished business
The Eagles could still be in the market for a backup running back. With Buckhalter out and Staley injury prone, the Eagles would be wise to add some depth at the position. They could still be interested in Levens, and Jamal Anderson is still available. But that doesn't seem to be a priority right now. One position battle to keep an eye on is at defensive end, where second-year player Derrick Burgess could challenge Brandon Whiting for the starting spot. Burgess had six sacks in his first season and is also considered a decent run-stopper. Watching how the wide receiver position shakes out over the next few months will be interesting and could determine how much better the Eagles are. James Thrash was a good addition before last season, but Philadelphia needs more out of second-year player Freddie Mitchell and third-year player Todd Pinkston. One of those guys needs to step up and be a difference maker.
Outlook for 2002
It's hard to tell if the Eagles had a successful offseason. They lost arguably their best defensive player in Trotter and didn't do much to boost the offense. That said, they have McNabb and they are clearly the class of the NFC East and will be among the NFC's elite. If they can get a little bit more out of the wide receiver position they should be improved. Super Bowl expectations are not unreasonable for a team that could win 12-plus games.
Peter Lawrence-Riddell is the NFL editor for ESPN.com.
