The good, bad and undecided about the Eagles

I usually do not put a lot of time or effort into watching or analyzing preseason football games, however, this year is a little different. Because of injuries, the Eagles have been sending large waves of backups and rookies onto the field early in the first two exhibitions.
As a result, I have found myself very interested in these meaningless games, and I can say that I have seen some very encouraging things, but also a few terrible things.
The good:
The backfield: With Brian Westbrook slowly making his way back from knee surgery, I have been pleasantly surprised with how well the backfield has performed in his absence. Second round draft pick LeSean McCoy has led the way for the Birds, gaining 59 yards on 15 carries, despite running behind a group of injury replacements. More importantly, he has hauled in five passes, and showed some nifty moves on a 19-yard screen pass.
Free agent acquisition Leonard Weaver looks like he could make a real difference for the Eagles this season, especially in short-yardage situations. He picked up a nice first down on a 3rd-and-1 against the Patriots, and also flashed some of the pass-catching ability that he became known for in Seattle, where he caught 59 passes over the last two seasons.
Assuming Westbrook is healthy, and throwing in the fact that Eldra Buckley may have knocked Lorenzo Booker off the team, this group is talented enough to force the Eagles to run the football this year.
The defensive tackles: I know that if you look at the stat sheet, it will say that Brodrick Bunkley and Mike Patterson have combined for only four solo tackles and two assists, but they have dominated the line of scrimmage. If you go back through the last two games, there have been quite a few times when either player was in the backfield forcing a running play outside or flushing a quarterback out of the pocket. If they keep finding their way into the backfield, it would make things far easier for our untalented linebackers.

The bad:
Linebackers: A lot of people have been concerned about this group since Stewart Bradley blew out his knee during a fundraiser a few weeks ago, but I have been concerned about the weakest part of the defense since February. Bradley does have the potential to be a good player, but as a group, these guys are terrible. Last year, Bradley, Chris Gocong, Akeem Jordan and Omar Gaither came up with just 5.5 sacks, 3 forced fumbles and 1 interception. This year, all I have seen from the linebackers is wide open tight ends, and I expect more of the same as we approach the regular season.
The offensive line: I know this group has been more decimated by injuries than any other part of the team, but the backups are professional football players fighting for jobs. There is no reason for eight penalties from the offensive line in two preseason games.
In the first game, they did an excellent job opening holes for McCoy and Buckley, but against the Colts, they were constantly being pushed around. The running backs gained just 22 yards on 16 carries against the Colts because the offensive line looked like they were still running non-contact drills.
Jeremy Maclin: I didn’t expect Maclin to perform as well as DeSean Jackson did during his rookie season, but Maclin has shown more reasons for why he slipped in the first round than reasons why he was taken in the first round.The 19th pick in the draft has muffed two punts and shown none of the explosiveness that I was looking for, even against backups and guys who won’t be in the NFL in two weeks. He needs to focus on what he does best and show why the Eagles can finally cut Hank Baskett or Reggie Brown.
The undecided:
Michael Vick: I would not expect to see anything fancy out of the Eagles when Vick is on the field for these last two preseason games. I am guessing that Andy Reid will have him run the offense as a pocket quarterback, but not do anything special. If Reid is smart, he will not allow teams to get any film on Vick that they couldn’t get from his time in Atlanta. He shouldn’t show his hand on any non-quarterback formations or plays that Vick will run during the regular season.
Overall, if these are the Eagles that show up on Sept. 13 against Carolina, it is going to be a long season. Luckily, Westbrook, Trent Cole, and most of the offensive line should be on the field that day, and the Panthers will see why the Eagles are going to be a dangerous team this year.
***
Like the “On the Edge” blog? Hear more of my opinions about Philadelphia sports every Friday at 3:30 p.m. on WBCB 1490 AM during the Coffee with Kahuna show. This week, we’ll talk about the Eagles’ third preseason game, along with the red-hot Phillies bats and another blown save by Brad Lidge.