Philadelphia Eagles 2010 Season Preview

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08/18/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In a league where parity reigns supreme, the Philadelphia Eagles have stood out as an enviable model of consistent excellence over the past decade, capturing eight postseason berths, five NFC East titles and conference Championship Game appearances and one Super Bowl trip during the 2000's.

The two driving forces and constant presences behind that remarkable run have been quarterback Donovan McNabb and head coach Andy Reid. But with one half of that accomplished duo now having taken his skills to another city, the 2010 Eagles will be banking that a major change in leadership can translate into the same level of success the franchise has grown accustomed to in recent years.

Reid sent shockwaves through the NFL world when he traded McNabb, the team's offensive catalyst for the last 11 seasons, to the division-rival Washington Redskins in April. The move had less to do with the Pro Bowl signal-caller's advancing age and extensive injury history, it was more an emphatic declaration of the team's confidence that fourth-year pro Kevin Kolb is ready to step in and fill the shoes of the most decorated quarterback in the Eagles' 77-year history.

While he certainly doesn't possess the experience and track record of his predecessor, Kolb will be entering a situation that is neither foreign nor unappealing. The 26-year-old has been groomed to be McNabb's heir apparent ever since the Eagles spent a second-round pick on him in the 2007 draft, and eclipsed 300 passing yards in a pair of early-season starts as an injury fill- in last year. And with an impressive cast of playmakers at his disposal in young wide receivers DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin, tight end Brent Celek and sophomore running back LeSean McCoy, a Philadelphia offense that was one of the league's most explosive attacks in 2009 could very well be equally as dangerous with its new triggerman at the controls.

McNabb wasn't the only organization stalwart to be cut loose during an eventful offseason. Philadelphia bid adieu to standout running back Brian Westbrook following two straight injury-plagued campaigns, while consistent cornerback Sheldon Brown was traded to Cleveland as part of a defensive remodeling that could place as many as four new starters in the Week 1 lineup.

The Eagles did undergo an uncommon amount of roster turnover for a team that won 11 regular-season games a year ago, with the intended objective to inject an influx of youth to the remaining core personnel. Philadelphia selected a league-high 13 players in April's draft, with rookies such as defensive end Brandon Graham and safety Nate Allen expected to immediately serve as key contributors in their debut seasons to help offset the veteran departures.

That mild youth movement, along with the insertion of a relatively green quarterback under center, may suggest that the Eagles are viewing 2010 as somewhat of a rebuilding phase. There still seems to be enough talent on board for another serious playoff run, however, provided the new charges can show they're equipped to handle their expanded roles.

Below we take a capsule look at the 2010 edition of the Philadelphia Eagles, with a personnel evaluation and prognosis included therein:

2009 RECORD: 11-5 (t1st, NFC East)

LAST PLAYOFF APPEARANCE: 2009, lost to Dallas, 34-14 in NFC Wild Card

COACH (RECORD): Andy Reid (108-67-1 in 11 seasons with Eagles, 108-67-1 overall)

OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Marty Mornhinweg

DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Sean McDermott

OFFENSIVE STAR: DeSean Jackson, WR (63 receptions, 1167 yards, 12 TD)

DEFENSIVE STAR: Trent Cole, DE (57 tackles, 12.5 sacks)

OFFENSIVE TEAM RANKS: 22nd rushing, 10th passing, 5th scoring

DEFENSIVE TEAM RANKS: 9th rushing, 17th passing, 19th scoring

KEY ADDITIONS: QB Mike Kafka (4th Round, Northwestern), RB Mike Bell (from Saints), RB J.J. Arrington (from Broncos), WR Kelley Washington (from Ravens), WR Hank Baskett (from Colts), DE Brandon Graham (1st Round, Michigan), DE Darryl Tapp (from Seahawks), DE Daniel Te'o-Nesheim (3rd Round, Washington), OLB Ernie Sims (from Lions), S Nate Allen (2nd Round, South Florida)

KEY DEPARTURES: QB Donovan McNabb (to Redskins), RB Brian Westbrook (to 49ers), WR Reggie Brown (to Buccaneers), WR Kevin Curtis (released), TE Alex Smith (to Browns), OL Shawn Andrews (released), DE Jason Babin (to Titans), DE Chris Clemons (to Seahawks), DE Darren Howard (released), LB Chris Gocong (to Browns), LB Will Witherspoon (to Titans), LB Jeremiah Trotter (not tendered), LB Joe Mays (to Broncos), CB Sheldon Brown (to Browns), S Sean Jones (to Buccaneers)

QB: Reid wouldn't have shipped out his longtime field general, especially within the division, without having unwavering faith that Kolb's (741 passing yards, 4 TD, 3 INT in '09) time has come, and the team's new starter has displayed good poise, accuracy and a grasp of the offense in his small sample of playing time. How he'll handle the rigors of a playoff race in the cold winter months is something that's yet to be determined, however. The Eagles do have a seasoned backup in three-time Pro Bowler Michael Vick (86 passing yards, 1 TD), although the controversial lefty was noticeably rusty in limited action upon returning from his forced two-year exile from the league last season. The former Falcon did flash his trademark speed and elusiveness during the preseason, though, and should give opposing defenses something extra for which to prepare out of the Wildcat packages. Philadelphia may have obtained its No. 2 man of the future in April's draft, when the club chose heady Northwestern grad Mike Kafka in the fourth round.

RB: Replacing Westbrook, one of the league's premier offensive weapons in his heyday, will be no easy task, but the Eagles did like what they saw out of the shifty McCoy (637 rushing yards, 4 TD, 40 receptions) as both a runner and receiver during his rookie year and are prepared to make the 22-year-old a focal point of the offense. The team also signed ex-Saint Mike Bell (654 rushing yards, 5 TD, 4 receptions) during the free-agency period, with the rugged 225-pounder slated to be utilized as a between-the-tackles complement to its new feature back. Versatile fullback Leonard Weaver (323 rushing yards, 15 receptions, 4 total TD) is also back to serve as a lead blocker and change-of- pace alternative, with holdover Eldra Buckley (44 rushing yards, 1 TD) battling ex-Cardinal J.J. Arrington and 238-pound rookie Charles Scott (6th round, LSU) for what may be one final reserve spot.

WR/TE: Kolb should have plenty of options to choose from when he drops back to pass, as Philadelphia boasts great depth and speed at the wide receiver positions as well as a field-stretching tight end in Celek (971 receiving yards, 8 TD), the team's leader with 76 catches last season. The unit's big- play producer is Jackson (63 receptions, 1167 yards), a true burner who averaged better than 18 yards per grab and scored six of his nine touchdowns from 48 yards or more. Maclin (55 receptions, 4 TD), the Eagles' first-round pick in 2009, can get downfield as well and quickly emerged as a sound No. 2 wideout for the offense, while the unheralded Jason Avant (41 receptions, 3 TD) is both a sure-handed and savvy slot receiver. Good-sized rookie Riley Cooper (5th Round, Florida) will be given an opportunity to work as the fourth receiver, with veterans Kelley Washington (34 receptions, 2 TD with Baltimore) and Hank Baskett (ex-Colts) brought in to compete as fall-back choices and special-teams contributors. Keeping Celek healthy is vital, as the Eagles lack experience behind him. The backup tight ends in camp were Cornelius Ingram, who missed his entire rookie year with an ACL tear, and raw 2010 fourth-round pick Clay Harbor (Missouri State).

OL: The offensive line has traditionally been a strength under Reid's watch, but the Eagles enter 2010 with more question marks surrounding that area than in years past. Sturdy center Jamaal Jackson tore his ACL near the end of 2009 and may not be ready for the early portion of this season, while steady left guard Todd Herremans missed five games last year with a foot problem and sat out part of camp with a recurrence of the injury. Stacy Andrews, an expensive free-agent signee last spring, was expected to be the regular right guard but wound up being beaten out by career backup Nick Cole. Philadelphia is in better shape at the tackle spots, where left-sider Jason Peters has gone to three straight Pro Bowls and Winston Justice held his own in his first year starting on the right side. The Eagles would like Andrews to reclaim a starting job and allow Cole to work as the main understudy at guard and center, with returnees Max Jean-Gilles and Mike McGlynn lending further interior depth. Third-year pro King Dunlap was the swing tackle last year, but he's got a fight on his hands from promising undrafted rookie Austin Howard.

DL: The Eagles love to stockpile pass-rushing defensive ends, an integral element to coordinator Sean McDermott's aggressive scheme, and took three of them in this past draft in Graham (1st Round, Michigan), Washington's Daniel Te'o-Nesheim (3rd Round) and Clemson product Ricky Sapp (5th Round). The youngsters will be part of a rotation headlined by the disruptive Trent Cole (57 tackles, 12.5 sacks), whose 42 sacks since 2006 are the third-most among NFL players. Tenth-year vet Juqua Parker (34 tackles) added a career-best eight takedowns in 2009 and should also get his share of snaps, with former Seahawk Darryl Tapp (49 tacks, 2.5 sacks) in the mix as well after coming over in an offseason trade. At tackle, returning starters Brodrick Bunkley (37 tackles, 1 sack) and Mike Patterson (55 tackles, 1.5 sacks) are effective run- stoppers who will probably be spelled again by ex-Notre Dame standout Trevor Laws (10 tackles) and Antonio Dixon (15 tackles, 1 sack).

LB: This area was an unsettled mess for most of last season, with McDermott constantly juggling the starting lineup in an effort to find the right combination. This figures to be a more settled group in 2010, with middle linebacker Stewart Bradley having made a successful comeback from a preseason knee injury that cost him the entire year and speedster Ernie Sims (49 tackles), a former first-round pick of Detroit, acquired in April to hold down the weak side. The Eagles ranked fourth in run defense with Bradley manning the middle in 2008, and his absence helped trigger the team's drop-off in that category last year. Special teams ace Akeem Jordan (71 tackles, 1 sack) and sophomore Moise Fokou (39 tackles) are competing to start on the strong side, with fifth-year man Omar Gaither (30 tackles, 1.5 sacks) a valued reserve capable of playing all three spots.

DB: The Eagles entered camp with some uncertainty in the secondary, where the club must replace the trusty Brown as well as fill the void caused by perennial Pro Bowl free safety Brian Dawkins' shocking free-agent departure prior to last season. The team does believe it's found a gem in second-round choice Allen, a rangy and instinctive defender who will be asked to make an immediate impact at Dawkins' old position alongside strong safety and 2009 leading tackler Quintin Mikell (90 tackles, 2 INT, 13 PD). Ellis Hobbs (11 tackles), a former starter in New England who missed half of last season with a neck injury, is the leading candidate to supplant Brown at right cornerback, with proven ball-hawker Asante Samuel (40 tackles, 16 PD) entrenched as the left-side starter. Joselio Hanson (47 tackles, 2 INT, 0.5 sacks) and second- year converted safety Macho Harris (41 tackles) will be used primarily in nickel and dime situations, with holdover Quintin Demps (14 tackles, 1 INT) and rookie Kurt Coleman (7th Round, Ohio State) adding safety depth. Samuel tied for the NFL lead with nine interceptions last season and the Eagles garnered 25 picks as a team, but surrendered 27 touchdowns through the air.

SPECIAL TEAMS: Philadelphia has one of the game's elite punt returners in DeSean Jackson, who averaged a league-best 15.2 yards per runback and scored two touchdowns last year, as well as a very reliable kicker in David Akers, the team's longest tenured player now that McNabb is gone. The 12th-year Eagle earned a fourth career Pro Bowl nod in 2009 after converting 32-of-37 field goal tries and remaining solid on kickoffs. Native Australian Sav Rocca (42.4 avg.) and Jon Dorenbos will reprise their roles as the punter and long snapper, respectively, with Demps (25.8 avg.), Arrington and Hobbs (24.1 avg.) all vying to become the main kick returner along with newcomer Chad Hall, a former Air Force star who's been out of football the past two years while serving a military commitment.

PROGNOSIS: The Eagles seem to have their share of preseason skeptics, based largely on Kolb's limited snaps at the quarterback position. Keep in mind, however, that Philadelphia still sports a terrific receiving corps and a defense with potential for improvement now that Bradley's back in the fold and McDermott has a year of experience under his belt as a coordinator. The biggest obstacle to a possible third straight postseason trip may not come from a personnel standpoint, but from a daunting four-game stretch to end the regular season in which the Eagles will face reigning NFC East champ Dallas twice in addition to a home date with NFC North titleholder Minnesota and a road clash with the New York Giants. How Reid's squad is able to navigate that challenging sequence of games may ultimately determine if Philadelphia will remain a contender in 2010.