so are we ready to talk about next year yet?

[MURP]

I agree RJS.

One thing that really stands out to me is the total lack of playmaking ability of Dhani Jones and Keith Adams.   I mean, these guys have been non existent for 99% of the season.   The stats are mind boggling really.  Dhani and Ketih COMBINED have 1 Int, 3 passes defended, 0 Sacks, 0 Forced fumbles, 0 fumble recoveries. 

[rjs246]

Dhani and Ketih COMBINED have 1 Int, 3 passes defended, 0 Sacks, 0 Forced fumbles, 0 fumble recoveries. 

Holy shtein. I had no idea. That farging blows.

[Syracuse]

They sucked big time yesterday. The LB's need a considerable upgrade.

[MDS]

there wont be. im surprised the eagles spent money on trotter. isnt it their policy to not value to the linebacker position?

[PhillyandBCEagles]

Well we definitely need to address the OL, since Runyan and Thomas aren't exactly spring chickens anyway.  I've been saying for the last year that I'd like to get a legitimate SLB and move Dhani back to WLB, so hopefully that will happen next spring.  The DE's aside from Kearse are all giant question marks--Cole has looked great and hopefully won't just be a flash-in-the-pan, Kalu is Kalu, Thomas is Thomas, McDougle will be a question mark--if we can get one of the marquee DEs in the draft (Kiwanuka or Williams) we should do it but I don't think we should reach for a guy later in the 1st round.  We should be fine at DT, Patterson will pick his play back up.  And the secondary will be fine once the pass rush is addressed, although we could use some additional depth at CB. 

On the offensive side of things we obviously need to bring in the best WR we can but other than that I don't think we need too much aside from the aforementioned line (we need to seriously think about taking a franchise LT in the 1st or 2nd round of the draft).  If Gordon can be counted on for Dallas-like production every week this helps a lot as it lets us put Westbrook back on PRs.  I'd also like to see Moats get worked into the offense more.  Backup TE is also an issue since Chad won't be around forever.

[MURP]

there wont be. im surprised the eagles spent money on trotter. isnt it their policy to not value to the linebacker position?

to some degree yeah.  but you dont always have to spend huge bucks to find good players.  Carlos Emmons was a great player for the Eagles, but didnt cost a fortune when they picked him up.  Shawn Barber was great the year he was here but they didnt want to overpay for him, which KC ended up doing. 

And they say they dont value LB's, but they have taken one in the 2nd round three times since Reid has been the coach.   Too bad they have just chosen sucky LB's.   They need to do something at OLB.  Those guys are just not up to the task.

[MDS]

there wont be. im surprised the eagles spent money on trotter. isnt it their policy to not value to the linebacker position?

to some degree yeah.  but you dont always have to spend huge bucks to find good players.  Carlos Emmons was a great player for the Eagles, but didnt cost a fortune when they picked him up.  Shawn Barber was great the year he was here but they didnt want to overpay for him, which KC ended up doing. 

And they say they dont value LB's, but they have taken one in the 2nd round three times since Reid has been the coach.   Too bad they have just chosen sucky LB's.   They need to do something at OLB.  Those guys are just not up to the task.

what, you are not a quentin caver fan?

[BigEd76]

They didn't spend that much on Trotter...less than $3M a year...

[rjs246]

Not valueing the linebacker positions sure has turned out well for the team so far.

[PhillyPhreak54]

I agree that they need LB upgrades.

But until the philosophy on the LB spot changes there will not be any studs unless they get one on the cheap or in the draft.

Big money = DTs, DEs, CBs
Penny pinching = LBs & S

[FreakisaKearseWord]

We all know Kearse is way overpaid and you can't be talking about penny-pionching on safeties unless you're talking about all of them. Michael Lewis and Brian Dawkins as starters is probably the best strong/free safety duo you'll find on one team.

[Eaglez]

The problem with figuring out what this team needs to address in the offseason is that the things that have broken down for this team (pressuring the QB, secondary play, O-line play) have been traditional strengths for this team.

Is this year an abberation or do we really need to think about whether Lito and Lewis are going to be detrimental to the defense? Will this team remember how to run block next year, or do we have to address the O-Line? Are Trent Cole and Jevon Kearse going to be consistant, or are they going to be pressuring the QB one week and completely invisible the next? If you had never watched this team and sat down and reviewed film from this year, you'd have to say that they need to replace half of the secondary, that they have no depth at DL and that two-thirds of the linebacker corps should be launched into the endless depths of space. But as fans we know that this same personel group (for the most part) has been a fantastic defense in the league.

Let the frustration and nonsense begin!

I agree. The whole defense had one huge brain fart this year. What sucks is that Dawkins isn't getting any younger and he's not having a particularly great season either. I didn't really hear his name called all game or anyone even mention him on a stop. You know the defense is playing poorly when you don't hear about Dawk.

This defense has talent but I do think they need help at the OLB position and they need better quality depth at the DL. I don't think they need wholesale changes in the secondary and I still have faith Litoast, Sheldon, and Mike can still get it done and play at a pro-bowl level. For some reason, either injuries, confidence, lack of a consistent pass rush, or a combination of all of those plus something else is contributing to their horrible season.

The best friend of a CB is a consistent pass rush. It allows them to get into a rhythm and have a feel for pass coverage and when to take risks. When a QB consistently has 5-6 seconds to throw the ball its hard to hold coverage for very long, especially if they decide to bring 9 and leave you on an island.

[Don Ho]

I agree RJS.

One thing that really stands out to me is the total lack of playmaking ability of Dhani Jones and Keith Adams.   I mean, these guys have been non existent for 99% of the season.   The stats are mind boggling really.  Dhani and Ketih COMBINED have 1 Int, 3 passes defended, 0 Sacks, 0 Forced fumbles, 0 fumble recoveries. 

That is pathetic!  Put Sims and Ena back in already.  Adams belongs back on Special Teams.

[MadMarchHare]

Yeah, I'm glad we went stud at DE and DT.

[rjs246]

Yeah, I'm glad we went stud at DE and DT.

Seriously. If we had to address those two positions in the early rounds, again, it could have screwed our whole draft.