3 minutes ago, aptosbird said:

Does anyone else have a feeling the Eagles take a step back this year? There is a glaring hole in the middle of the defense and question marks at RB, OL, and WR. There is a lack of depth at many positions that a few key injuries will expose. I think they have been able to stay remarkably healthy, so I am hoping that continues.

I like the direction the Eagles are going in but this year will not be a repeat of last year. From the looks of the schedule, I believe the Eagles will be playing from behind more than last year that will show up in the statistics. I expect more passing yards, and less rushing yards. Overall, I expect the record to drop. How much remains to be seen....but I am not as optimistic as others...I think the following 24 season is going to be the Eagles year.

Depends what you consider a step back. A step back from wins or a step back as far as place in the division? I think the Eagles are the top team in the NFC, no matter the defensive replacements. This offense is just too good. They might not go 14-3 again but I think they win 11-13 games and still take the East. 

Just look at the Chiefs last 7 years, all 1st place in the AFC West. They won between 10 and 14 games but finished 1st every year. Their step back from losing the SB was losing the Conference Championship the following year. The AFC is much more competitive than the NFC. I just don't see many NFC teams challenging the Eagles right now.

2022	14-3-0	1st -- AFC West	3-0 - Won Superbowl	Andy Reid	Roster / Stats
2021	12-5-0	1st -- AFC West	2-1 - Lost Conference Championship	Andy Reid	Roster / Stats
2020	14-2-0	1st -- AFC West	2-1 - Lost Superbowl	Andy Reid	Roster / Stats
2019	12-4-0	1st -- AFC West	3-0 - Won Superbowl	Andy Reid	Roster / Stats
2018	12-4-0	1st -- AFC West	1-1 - Lost Conference Championship	Andy Reid	Roster / Stats
2017	10-6-0	1st -- AFC West	0-1 - Lost Wild Card Playoffs	Andy Reid	Roster / Stats
2016	12-4-0	1st -- AFC West	0-1 - Lost Divisional Playoffs

13 minutes ago, aptosbird said:

Does anyone else have a feeling the Eagles take a step back this year? There is a glaring hole in the middle of the defense and question marks at RB, OL, and WR. There is a lack of depth at many positions that a few key injuries will expose. I think they have been able to stay remarkably healthy, so I am hoping that continues.

I like the direction the Eagles are going in but this year will not be a repeat of last year. From the looks of the schedule, I believe the Eagles will be playing from behind more than last year that will show up in the statistics. I expect more passing yards, and less rushing yards. Overall, I expect the record to drop. How much remains to be seen....but I am not as optimistic as others...I think the following 24 season is going to be the Eagles year.

 

As long as Hurts stays healthy this team will have the best record in the NFC.

Start of the year could be shaky with the new OC and DC figur8ng things out but the start of the schedule isn't too tough outside of the Vikings so they should be able to find their footing by the time the schedule kicks into actual challenging waters in mid-October.

Boy, ESPN is cleaning house today. No more Suzy Kolber. Someone check in on Joe Namath

2 minutes ago, RememberTheKoy said:

 

As long as Hurts stays healthy this team will have the best record in the NFC.

Start of the year could be shaky with the new OC and DC figur8ng things out but the start of the schedule isn't too tough outside of the Vikings so they should be able to find their footing by the time the schedule kicks into actual challenging waters in mid-October.

I was one of the loudest in questioning if Hurts could be the guy last year. It's incredible to think that he only had 22 passing TD's last year. There's no reason he shouldn't clear 30 this year. Big part of that is Goedert staying healthy and having a WR3 who can catch though. 

17 minutes ago, aptosbird said:

Does anyone else have a feeling the Eagles take a step back this year? There is a glaring hole in the middle of the defense and question marks at RB, OL, and WR. There is a lack of depth at many positions that a few key injuries will expose. I think they have been able to stay remarkably healthy, so I am hoping that continues.

I like the direction the Eagles are going in but this year will not be a repeat of last year. From the looks of the schedule, I believe the Eagles will be playing from behind more than last year that will show up in the statistics. I expect more passing yards, and less rushing yards. Overall, I expect the record to drop. How much remains to be seen....but I am not as optimistic as others...I think the following 24 season is going to be the Eagles year.

Depends what we realistically consider to be "a step back".

I think it's very doubtful the Eagles win 14 games, but I do expect them to win the division at 12-5 and contend for the #1 seed in the NFC.  There aren't any obvious successors to that spot in the NFC.  The Niners have a big question at QB and are replacing their DC again.  The Vikings/Lions aren't dominant, McCarthy is taking over playcalling for DAL, and the NFC South is a weak division.  Every other contending NFC team has serious question marks of their own.

The Eagles biggest obstacles will be health and their new coordinators.

2 minutes ago, bpac55 said:

I was one of the loudest in questioning if Hurts could be the guy last year. It's incredible to think that he only had 22 passing TD's last year. There's no reason he shouldn't clear 30 this year. Big part of that is Goedert staying healthy and having a WR3 who can catch though. 

And that's the biggest question going into this season....has Hurts progressed enough to win while running a pass first offense? I think he will need to pass more due to the schedule....playing from behind at times.

9 minutes ago, bpac55 said:

I was one of the loudest in questioning if Hurts could be the guy last year. It's incredible to think that he only had 22 passing TD's last year. There's no reason he shouldn't clear 30 this year. Big part of that is Goedert staying healthy and having a WR3 who can catch though. 

 

I think it just depends on what they want to do in the redzone.  They are so dominant down there when they want to run and teams having to cover our WRs on passing plays opens up lanes for Hurts to just run it in himself.  Might be wrong but I'm guessing most of the passing touchdowns came from outside of the red zone, or at least outside of the 10 yard line.

I would bet on those passing TDs going up this year though.  I think teams will try to overcompensate to shut down the run in the redzone meanwhile I think Hurts is just going to continue to improve and be more confident as a passer.

8 minutes ago, aptosbird said:

And that's the biggest question going into this season....has Hurts progressed enough to win while running a pass first offense? I think he will need to pass more due to the schedule....playing from behind at times.

 

I'd say so.  Anytime the Eagles needed to pass to win last year they were able to do it.  He was lights put as a passer in the Super Bowl. Besides that his only other loss was to the Redakins where he hit AJ Brown in his hands that was picked off but usually a play AJ catches.  He hit Quez down the field for a completion that Qiez then fumbled.  He hit Goedert for what I believe was a first down that Goedert fumbled after an absurd face mask head twist that wasn't called.  So it wasn't like a lack of being able to pass the ball cost them, just that they were due for a loss and anything that could go wrong was going wrong.

13 minutes ago, bpac55 said:

It's incredible to think that he only had 22 passing TD's last year.

It seemed as though quite a few big plays came up just short of the end zone and left us with 1st & Goal.  Rather than passing CDs, drives that moved the ball through the air were finished with Hurts (or someone else) taking it in on the ground.

I don't know stats on that, btw.  It just felt that way.  It seemed noticeable.

2 minutes ago, aptosbird said:

Does anyone else have a feeling the Eagles take a step back this year? There is a glaring hole in the middle of the defense and question marks at RB, OL, and WR. There is a lack of depth at many positions that a few key injuries will expose. I think they have been able to stay remarkably healthy, so I am hoping that continues.

I like the direction the Eagles are going in but this year will not be a repeat of last year. From the looks of the schedule, I believe the Eagles will be playing from behind more than last year that will show up in the statistics. I expect more passing yards, and less rushing yards. Overall, I expect the record to drop. How much remains to be seen....but I am not as optimistic as others...I think the following 24 season is going to be the Eagles year.

I do not, I think they get back to the big game and my gut says they win it. But I can't help to look at Cook sitting out there as being such a really nice fit. He automatically establishes your run game behind the best line in the game. Swift can be the change up which suits him perfectly. Gainwell would stay based on contract. You then could make the hard decision between Penny & Scott later on in camp depending on how things play out between play and injuries, both here and around the league. I would like to just keep all 5 because I really like all of them and they all bring something unique to the table but that wouldn't be likely. Looking at both contracts for Penny & Scott trade post June 1st, either can be traded with a bit of savings and a fraction of dead money. 

As far as LB and S. I do want one of each. Deion Jones is a talented player. A one year deal for depth purposes if anything makes sense. We are tissue paper thin at the position with guys starting with limited NFL field experience. Kwon Alexander is another outside backer with experience that shouldn't cost much and Rashann Evans would be a solid back up/fill in to Dean. Safety, I would sign S Duron Harmon. He had a nice year last year and is best in coverage which seems to be our most current need with our current room. 

2 minutes ago, aptosbird said:

Does anyone else have a feeling the Eagles take a step back this year? There is a glaring hole in the middle of the defense and question marks at RB, OL, and WR. There is a lack of depth at many positions that a few key injuries will expose. I think they have been able to stay remarkably healthy, so I am hoping that continues.

I like the direction the Eagles are going in but this year will not be a repeat of last year. From the looks of the schedule, I believe the Eagles will be playing from behind more than last year that will show up in the statistics. I expect more passing yards, and less rushing yards. Overall, I expect the record to drop. How much remains to be seen....but I am not as optimistic as others...I think the following 24 season is going to be the Eagles year.

Yes, but I often lean towards a pessimistic viewpoint. I will admit it is a very good team on paper and it wouldn't be a major shock to get back to the SB, but I don't think it will happen. My biggest concerns for the year:

*The defense is not going to be good. I think this is an easy one to predict due to a combination of things. 1) We are set to face very good offenses this year. 2) I don't trust the LB's or S's much at all. 3) Losing Hargrave and filling in his absence with a rookie while also expecting more out of Jordan Davis while also trying to reduce Cox's snaps is going to be a problem and we are going to have a hard time getting push up the middle. 4) Who knows what to expect out first year Desai but I'm guessing we start off rocky and by time everyone is getting on the same page, the brutal part of the schedule starts. 

* We have 4 projected starters that will be 32 or older, which doesn't count a key contributor like Graham because he's a role player. 

* I am very skeptical of the RG position. I think it's going to be a very obvious weak point in the offensive line. I also don't love the depth there in the event of injuries.

* Speaking of which, injuries. Eagles do their best to avoid these but often times, they are unavoidable. I'm expecting regression to the mean here. 

36 minutes ago, bpac55 said:

I was one of the loudest in questioning if Hurts could be the guy last year. It's incredible to think that he only had 22 passing TD's last year. There's no reason he shouldn't clear 30 this year. Big part of that is Goedert staying healthy and having a WR3 who can catch though. 

One big reason would be that teams still can’t stop the Rugby scrum. So it may be 25 passing 15 rushing again

Todd McShay was one of the people let go by ESPN today. Draft coverage next year will be different for them.

@Godfather and @hputenis queef on each other 

Why couldn't one of today's ESPN firings have been Steven A. Smith?

Not that I ever really watch that channel anymore outside of highlight reels.

He just seemed like a logical candidate.

3 minutes ago, EaglePhan1986 said:

@Godfather and @hputenis queef on each other 

 

3 hours ago, Iggles25 said:

Got a new flat top grill recently. Been making really tasty smash burgers and chicken sandwiches on it.

It's going to be the bees knees during the football season.

My summer goal is to attempt a somewhat authentic beef cheek barbacoa if I can find beef cheeks anywhere. I'm not going to do the super traditional method of digging a hole and burying it, but figured I'd try smoking on my Webber and wrapping in banana leaves for the last part of the cook. 

16 minutes ago, EaglePhan1986 said:

@Godfather and @hputenis queef on each other 

My vaginal blood farting keeps you and others in check. 

7 minutes ago, LeanMeanGM said:

My summer goal is to attempt a somewhat authentic beef cheek barbacoa if I can find beef cheeks anywhere. I'm not going to do the super traditional method of digging a hole and burying it, but figured I'd try smoking on my Webber and wrapping in banana leaves for the last part of the cook. 

Check out any local butcher shops in your area. We have a small Italian market near us that usually has them. Surprisingly, I saw them at Sam's Club too a while back.

52 minutes ago, Iggles25 said:

Why couldn't one of today's ESPN firings have been Steven A. Smith?

Not that I ever really watch that channel anymore outside of highlight reels.

He just seemed like a logical candidate.

Do they even play highlights anymore?

I watch ESPN during college football season as they still have an OK, but not great pregame show and day of games.

2 hours ago, Ipiggles said:

You do realize the difference between coming through the border legally, and just coming across as an"asylum seeker" (illegal immigration) the truth is, yeah there were requirements doing it legally, but zero when you waltz across the border into texas illegally. Those people didnt have vaccination status coming in. 

Asylum seekers are legal immigrants until the question of whether they are granted asylum is decided.  Let's not conflate immigration issues with the benefit of the vaccine.  The clip suggested the vaccine wasn't effective because people entering the country were not required to get it.  That is objectively false as anyone entering with a visa prior to March of this year had to have proof of a vaccine.  It was then suggested that it was immigrants.  Again, that's not true.  In order to apply for pemanent residency they have to have the vaccine.  There is also a program in place to offer vaccines including the Covid vaccine any immigrant.  These programs have to be funded and they are bound by Federal law.   To suggest there is some conspiracy to only require US citizens to get the vaccine is just dumb. The vaccine was effective and remainst the best tool fighting the disease. 

 

I need to see this because I just cannot picture it at all

20 minutes ago, bpac55 said:

Do they even play highlights anymore?

I watch ESPN during college football season as they still have an OK, but not great pregame show and day of games.

The highlights are bare bones compared to what they used to be. I will tune in to see the baseball ones during the season looking for players to add to my fantasy teams.

Forgot about college football. Definitely tune in during that time of year.

Guess I meant I don't watch any of their morning or afternoon sports shows. That sports talk stuff is reduced nowadays to yelling and pandering.

14 minutes ago, LeanMeanGM said:

I need to see this because I just cannot picture it at all

The legend of Nick Foles grows...

2 hours ago, bpac55 said:

Depends what you consider a step back. A step back from wins or a step back as far as place in the division? I think the Eagles are the top team in the NFC, no matter the defensive replacements. This offense is just too good. They might not go 14-3 again but I think they win 11-13 games and still take the East. 

Just look at the Chiefs last 7 years, all 1st place in the AFC West. They won between 10 and 14 games but finished 1st every year. Their step back from losing the SB was losing the Conference Championship the following year. The AFC is much more competitive than the NFC. I just don't see many NFC teams challenging the Eagles right now.

2022	14-3-0	1st -- AFC West	3-0 - Won Superbowl	Andy Reid	Roster / Stats
2021	12-5-0	1st -- AFC West	2-1 - Lost Conference Championship	Andy Reid	Roster / Stats
2020	14-2-0	1st -- AFC West	2-1 - Lost Superbowl	Andy Reid	Roster / Stats
2019	12-4-0	1st -- AFC West	3-0 - Won Superbowl	Andy Reid	Roster / Stats
2018	12-4-0	1st -- AFC West	1-1 - Lost Conference Championship	Andy Reid	Roster / Stats
2017	10-6-0	1st -- AFC West	0-1 - Lost Wild Card Playoffs	Andy Reid	Roster / Stats
2016	12-4-0	1st -- AFC West	0-1 - Lost Divisional Playoffs

The NFL is competitive.  As much as we may like Hurts, he is not Mahomes. The Eagles look like the strongest team in the NFC now but injuries and a long season make repeating difficult.  The Giants have improved and the Cowboys are still a good team.  The Eagles could end up as a wild card team instead of hosting a playoff game.  I tend to think the big factor would be injuries rather than just the team playing worse.  They have a harder schedule and because of that will have a harder time getting the #1 seed.