Quarterback Vince Young has called the Eagles a 'dream team' last summer when they were a popular choice in the NFC to make it to the Super Bowl. After 38 turnovers and a confusing defense that took almost all season to understand, the Eagles lost eight of their first 12 games, missing the playoffs for the third time in 12 years. After 14 seasons coach Andy Reid is feeling pressured after he was almost fired by owner Jeffrey Lurie because of the disappointing season. They did, however, finish strong last year, keeping Reid and the Eagles optimistic. They won their last four games, giving up 46 points in those games. Pro Bowl wide receiver DeSean Jackson and left guard Evan Mathis have been re-signed as their top free agents during this offseason. They've also traded linebacker DeMeco Ryans and had one of their best drafts this time around.
There are plenty of weapons in this Eagles offense run by Marty Mornhinweg with a west coast style. LeSean McCoy had a league best 17 rushing touchdowns last season and rushed for 1,309 yards. He caught at least 48 passes, one of five players on the Eagles team to do so. A huge vertical threat for the team as well as the league is Jackson, but quarterback Michael Vick is a dual threat in his own right. At the start of 2011, there was a lot of speculation as to how this offense would fair and by the end, they'd turned all of their negatives into strengths. The biggest problem coming into this season is taking a step back and looking at the 38 turnovers last season, second most in the league. The biggest problem was the 14 interceptions and losing four of 10 fumbles by Vick, five of his giveaways coming in the red zone. In third-down passing, fourth-quarter passing and passing against the blitz, he finished near the bottom and although he is critical to the teams success, keep in mind this is the last guaranteed year on his contract.
The Eagles led the NFL with 50 sacks last season when they adapted defensive line coach Jim Washburn's "wide-nine," style of play. Defensive end Jason Babin had 18 of those sacks while Trent Cole produced 11. Adding first-round defensive tackle Fletcher Cox and second-round pick linebacker Mychal Kendricks, they should be better this season overall. The Eagles believe Kendricks will be an effective blitzed while Ryans will be a solid anchor to the linebacker unit that has been the defense's weakest link. The Eagles gave up 27 touchdown passes last season even though they were leading the league in sacks last season as well as having two Pro-Bowl cornerbacks in Nnamdi Asomugha and Dominique Cromtartie. We'll assume it took a while for the secondary to adapt to defensive coordinator Juan Castillo's new scheme. Once season gets underway, it will become clear if trading Pro Bowl cornerback Asante Samuel is a good or a bad thing.
Special teams coordinator Bobby April took a lot of heat last year when they didn't re-sign Pro Bowl kicker David Akers and went with rookie Alex Henery instead. He did have a solid year with 24 of 27 field-goal attempts. Rookie punter Chas Henry was inconsistent and there was little from the Eagles return game.
Castillo was moved from offensive line coach to defensive coordinator last season and although his unit struggled early, they ended well. Now, with Ryan, Cox, and Kendricks in the lineup, Castillo will have no excuses to not come out on top this season.
2012 SCHEDULE
Week 1 9/9: Philadelphia Eagles at Cleveland Browns 1 p.m. EST, FOX Week 2 9/16: Philadelphia Eagles vs. Baltimore Ravens 1 p.m. EST, CBS Week 3 9/23: Philadelphia Eagles at Arizona Cardinals 4:05 p.m. EST, FOX Week 4 9/30: Philadelphia Eagles vs. New York Giants 8:20 p.m. EST, NBC Week 5 10/7: Philadelphia Eagles at Pittsburgh Steelers 1 p.m. EST, FOX Week 6 10/14: Philadelphia Eagles vs. Detroit Lions 1 p.m. EST, FOX Week 7 BYE Week 8 10/28: Philadelphia Eagles vs. Atlanta Falcons 1 p.m. EST, FOX Week 9 11/5: Philadelphia Eagles at New Orleans Saints 8:30 p.m. EST, ESPN Week 10 11/11: Philadelphia Eagles vs. Dallas Cowboys 4:15 p.m. EST, FOX Week 11 11/18: Philadelphia Eagles at Washington Redskins 1 p.m. EST, FOX Week 12 11/26: Philadelphia Eagles vs. Carolina Panthers 8:30 p.m. EST, ESPN Week 13 12/2: Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys 8:20 p.m. EST, NBC Week 14 12/9: Philadelphia Eagles at Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1 p.m. EST, FOX Week 15 12/13: Philadelphia Eagles vs. Cincinnati Bengals 8:20 p.m. EST, NFL Network Week 16 12/23: Philadelphia Eagles vs. Washington Redskins 1 p.m. EST, FOX Week 17 12/30: Philadelphia Eagles at New York Giants 1 p.m. EST, FOX
