The Sun Came Up

***

Last night's disaster is still pretty painful today, but life must go on. The offseason has started. Be patient, though. Don't expect changes or moves to happen any time soon. We have to wait for certain dates until the team can actually make some moves. The uncertainty with the CBA situation makes even those dates uncertain.

There is a lot of anger with the Eagles players and coaches right now. That's to be expected, but it skews reality. We went 11-5, our best record since the SB season of 2004. We had one of the youngest teams in the NFL. We had some serious injury issues. We overcame the youth and injuries to have a strong season. This team is headed in the right direction.

Changes are needed. Not wholesale drastic changes. There is a lot more right than wrong with the Eagles. For that reason we can feel pretty good. The flip side of that is that going from good to very good can be the hardest progress to make. Think of the actual football field for comparison's sake. Moving the ball between the 20s is one level of difficult. Moving it inside the Red Zone is much harder. That's the difference between building a winning team and a championship team.

Where do we need to improve? The secondary is the group that needs the most help. FS is unsettled. Joselio Hanson struggled the last few weeks. Most distressing was the play of Sheldon Brown. Pro Bowl snub? Gimme a break. Last night he wasn't even a solid starter. I'm not sure what to make of this. Did injuries just catch up to him over the last month? Did facing a good passing attack just expose some issues that have been here a while?

The coaches know the answers to these questions better than us. Sheldon wanted a new deal last summer. I can't see the Eagles giving him a raise. My question is whether we think about moving him around. Could we move him to the slot? There is always the long discussed possibility of moving him to FS. One of the problems that Sheldon developed this year was taking risks. I think watching Asante had an effect on him. The problem is that Asante is a freak when it comes jumping routes. He's quick. He is very good at anticipating plays. He also has great hands and ball skills. Sheldon isn't gifted in these areas. He's okay, but nothing like Samuel.

If the team thinks Sheldon simply wore down due to injury then we are okay with the starters. We need to add a couple of CBs in the draft to act as insurance and to develop for the future. I mentioned Hason earlier. Dallas got the best of him a few times. We need to push him to be better.

I'm not going to get into all the possibilities at CB and FS (or other spots). We'll have plenty of time to discuss draft targets and possible FAs or trade targets.

The next position that is a major concern is LDE. Juqua Parker is an adequate starter, but we need better. He could be a very good backup. We need someone on that side who can consistently pressure the passer. This could be done through the draft or a pro personnel move.

The other area that needs help is the running game. Shady McCoy is going to be a very good runner. Leonard Weaver is a good FB and runs well from the one back set. Brian Westbrook probably played his last game as an Eagle last night. The fact he was used so little last night is writing on the wall. I'd like to see us bring in a runner that is in the 215-225 pound range. That way we can have a RB with some size running behind Weaver in the I-formation.

In 5 of the last 6 games our RBs totaled less than 80 yards. I'm not counting Vick's yards in those totals. He did get some RB-like carries. I think the McCoy/Weaver combo is a good foundation, but we need another quality back in the mix. We must be able to run the ball effectively against good defenses.

I'm sure many of you will talk about LB problems. That group will get a huge boost with the return of Stewart Bradley. Will Witherspoon will be the WLB. Yesterday we rotated Chris Gocong and Moise Fokou at SAM. I thought that combination worked pretty well. I'm certainly open to adding a LB, especially an impact type player, but I think that is a longshot.

The OL should be better next year when Stacy Andrews is healthy and better adjusted to our style of doing things. Jason Peters should be better. Maybe Winston Justice can improve. The big question will be what happens at C. Jamaal Jackson has a torn ACL and has to be considered a question mark for September. Nick Cole was somewhat disappointing at C, but he would have a lot of practice time to work out some kinks. Mike McGlynn also deserves a chance to fight for that job. I doubt the Eagles make an outside move, but never say never.

Donovan McNabb's future is going to be a great subject of debate over the next 6 to 8 weeks. I'm not super happy with Donnie right now, but I want to re-watch part of the game and study his season as a whole before making any pronouncements. There is a definite argument to dealing him, but you better be darn sure when talking about trading a franchise QB.

To sum everything up I can only think of two words...Go Vikings!!!

(for this week at least)
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