Friday, July 28, 2017

Expectations are Running High as Eagles Open Training Camp

Last year at this time, the Eagles were just a blip on the NFL radar screen when all 32 teams went back to work to prepare for the upcoming season. Doug Pederson was in place as the team’s new head coach in light of the failed “Chip Kelly Experiment” and Sam Bradford was in place as the incumbent starting quarterback while the Birds’ top draft pick Carson Wentz was relegated to No. 3 on the depth chart.

I distinctly remember having to search long and hard for any type of news on the team when it came to national sites such as NFL.com and ESPN.com. The Eagles were picked to finish last in their division and their projected win total stood at seven games. Both of those projections held true with a 7-9 record and last-place finish in Pederson’s first season as a NFL head coach, but the winds of change were in the air.

Flash forward to the present and the expectation level for the Eagles this season has moved in the right direction with a projected third-place finish in the NFC East behind Dallas and New York to go along with their projected eight-game win total. That may be the national view, but the bar has been raised much higher than that from the Philly faithful with summer camp in full swing.

Wentz showed flashes of greatness in his first 16 games as the Eagles new franchise quarterback, the defense took a big step forward last season under the guidance of Jim Schwartz as the team’s new defensive coordinator and you have to be impressed with the front office’s aggressive offseason moves to address some of its biggest needs. With the addition of offensive weapons such as wide receivers’ Alshon Jeffrey and Torrey Smith and running back LeGarrette Blount as free agents along with Derek Barnett and Rasul Douglas on the defensive side of the ball through the draft, there has been a major upgrade in personnel over the past few months.

The Eagles still have more questions than answers since everything looks good on paper and it still comes down to winning games on the field, but I do think it is safe to say that expectations are running high for bigger and better things from the Birds in 2017.

Saturday, July 15, 2017

Eagles Open Camp at Nova Care Center on July 24


Philadephia Eagles 2017 Summer Training Camp

Rookies: July 24

Veterans: July 26

First practice: July 27

Site: NovaCare Complex

Location: Philadelphia


The Eagles officially open their 2017 training camp on Monday, July 24 with rookies reporting to the Nova Care Center in South Philadelphia. The veterans are set to report two days later with the first full team practice scheduled for Thursday, July 27. It is an exciting time to be a Philly fan with the addition of free agent wide receivers' Alshon Jeffrey and Torrey Smith and running back LaGarrette Blount to the offense and rookie defensive end Derek Barnett and cornerbacks' Sidney Jones and Rasul Douglas to the defense via this year's draft.

Philadelphia went 7-9 in Doug Pederson's first year at the helm as head coach and the pieces are now in place for bigger and better things in 2017. While the Birds are not favored to win the NFC East this season behind both Dallas and the New York Giants, the ever-revolving spot at the top of this division has continually been up for grabs over the past several years. In fact, you would have to go all the way back to 2004 to find the last time that the reining NFC East Champion repeated as the top team the following year with the Eagles laying claim to their fourth-straight division title in a run that also included four-straight trips to the NFC title game and one run to the Super Bowl.

I may be a homer, but I like the Birds' chances to win the division this season as much as any other team in the NFC East. Dallas went from just four wins in 2015 to an impressive 13-3 last year behind a pair of rookies named Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott. The problem for the Cowboys this time around other than playing a first-place schedule is that they are not going to sneak up on anyone. Defensive coordinators have a knack for scheming against an opponent's top weapons on offense and both of these standouts could be headed for a sophomore slump. The Giants could be the team to watch in this division in 2017 after jumping up to 11 victories last year. This followed three seasons of a sub-.500 record so the big question heading into this year's campaign is which direction does New York go in 2017?

Washington has been an up and down team for the past few years. The Redskins won the NFC East title in 2012 with a record of 10-6 before plummeting to just three victories the following year. After going 4-12 in 2014, the Skins managed to win nine games the following season to claim the title again. Last year's 8-8 record puts Washington into a very interesting situation this year; however most of the NFL experts have the Redskins to bring up the rear in the NFC East this season.

It all gets started in late July in what should be one of the most interesting division title battles in the NFL this season.

Friday, July 7, 2017

Eagles to Add to Your 2017 Fantasy Football Lineup

Any true Eagles fans will add at least one or two Birds to their fantasy football roster even if there are some better players still available on the wavier wire from other teams. Last year I had tight end Zach Ertz on my fantasy team all season long and I jumped back and forth with Darren Sproles as one of my running backs. I went on to win the regular season, but my march to a championship ended in the first week of the playoffs.

There is still plenty of time to fine-tune your draft strategy for this year's fantasy football season, but I am already plotting as to which Eagles I plan to grab ahead of some of the other die-hard Philly fans in my league. I would definitely go with Ertz again as one of two tight ends, but my top target would have to be newly added wide receiver Alshon Jeffrey. I know of at least three other league members (you know who you are) that will be chomping at the bit to get the Eagles' new No. 1 receiver ahead of me, so I just might have to make him my first round pick. In all seriousness, he is probably the highest ranked fantasy player that Philadelphia has to offer.

Next on my list of targets would be running back LeGarrette Blount as another new offseason addition. He scored 18 touchdowns last season in New England and I could easily justify giving him a spot on my team even if this number gets cut in half in 2017. I am also open to picking up wide receiver Jordan Matthews a bit later in the draft. You already know that opposing defenses are going to scheme against Jeffrey and possibly even Torrey Smith which could open up some scoring opportunities for the Eagles' former No. 1 target in the passing game.

The big dilemma I will face is what to do about quarterback Carson Wentz. I know that someone else in my league will draft him, so I might have to make a bold move to draft him first. The added weapons this offseason add some serious value to his point potential. I still love Drew Brees or possibly Aaron Rodgers as my top signal caller, but I do not want to be that guy that missed the boat on the next big thing when it comes to fantasy football quarterbacks.