The Defense

[General_Failure]

Two things there. All those teams can run the ball, and they all have TEs they don't mind passing to.

[MURP]

no doubt about that, but if you dont have the deep ball threat it allows an average defense to focus on a short field... runs and dink and dunk passes. 

[PhillyPhreak54]

True.

It bugs the shtein out of me that they still don't have any real impact players at LB.

Akeem Jordan / Joe Mays & Omar Gaither / Chris Gocong

I long for the days of the rotating WILs each year, Trotter and Emmons.

[General_Failure]

no doubt about that, but if you dont have the deep ball threat it allows an average defense to focus on a short field... runs and dink and dunk passes. 

Even if they give up three yards per play, the Eagles defense is consistent for giving up rishing first downs in short yardage situations.

[ice grillin you]

I don't put any stock into records

exactly

if i hear someone say "preseason means nothing" again im gonna combust...maybe if youre talking to munson/reese/cole or that moron jihadist monk is this month you might have to throw that out as a disclaimer...but for the most part we all know preseason is worthless and are judging the birds on their roster and not how they played in 11 minutes vs the colts on thrusday

[mpmcgraw]

Right I'm the moron.

I'm the one who one minute said the loss of Stewart Bradley meant nothing because he sucks, but then when someone challenges you to why the defense will be worse said that the loss of Bradley and his leadership would be a loss.

Mhm.  Sure.

[ice grillin you]

when he got hurt it was about how good of a player he was and how replaceable he is....and i said the defense wont be tangibly worse because of his play...i mean hes a decent player at a non factor position...

now we are talking about leadership....thats a whole nother part of the game...by all accounts he was becoming the main leader on the defense and he was really getting the schemes down pat and making all the calls...its harder to replace that than it is to find a linebacker who can physical play the game as good as he did...but even at that i never said because stewart bradley got injured the leadership on the eagles is going to shtein...i simply included him in the mix with jj and dawk and the fatc that all three went out all at ounce (pour another one out for jjj tonite dunn)

stop trying to find every little thing people say and blindly pouncing on it....youre that cat that reads the first two sentences of a post then jizzes his undies cause you think you saw something that you could 'bust' someone on and reply without reading the rest of it and look like a fool....hence your idiocy yesterday about the defense

instead you should read what people say then think really hard about it reach into your hollow skull and try to formulate something intelligent on a football (or whatev er sport youre attempting to speak on) level...try this for a week or two and i think youll find youd be much less of an idiot on such matters

[mpmcgraw]

I dunno the fact that I just pissed you off enough to write a 5 paragraph (igy) post has me thinking I'm doing something right. 

Leadership beyond your coaches is completely irrelevent. 

Stewart Bradley is a good young MLB who's play will be missed especially compared to Joe Mays who apparently can only literally run forward.

[Rome]

They don't even play the regular defensive schemes during the preseason.  That's what makes the performances worth less than nothing.  Same goes for the offense too.

There's one thing to look for in preseason:  LACK OF INJURIES.

If that happens it's a total success.  Unfortunately for the Eagles it's been a total failure in that regard.

[QB Eagles]

Defensive coordinator Sean McDermott made the announcement Sunday that Gaither will work in the base 4-3 as the first-team middle linebacker this week in practice. As to who will start Thursday in the preseason finale against the Jets, no determination has been made. In fact, with two weeks to go before the start of the regular season, McDermott declared that the middle linebacker job is an open competition.

"open competition" = Gaither is the starter

[PhillyPhanInDC]

I was really pulling for Mays, but after watching him this preseason, he's god awful when he's gotta move laterally. Gaither isn't the thumper I'd like at the MIKE, but he's not going to be the glaring liability that I think Mays would be.

[PhillyPhreak54]

Agreed.

I was hoping Mays would be Trotter re-incarnated, but he isn't. Except for being a liability in coverage and guessing his ass off and shooting the wrong gaps. But Trotter could cover up those weaknesses (and JJ could cover them for him at times).

[General_Failure]

Those weaknesses were never covered up.

[Diomedes]

Those weaknesses were never covered up.

Nope, they were however forgotten in the ecstatic joy brought on by the awesome woodchopper routine, especially when it was performed after a tackle for loss with the Eagles down 16 points in the fourth quarter.

[Seabiscuit36]

It's funny, he cut wood as a kid