The Eagles moved the ball well last Thursday Night against the Jets but they made too many mistakes to win the game.  Kevin Kolb started the game and he was efficient completing 13 of 21 passes for 138 yards.  A.J. Feeley finished up this game completing 13 of 25 passes for 143 yards with 1 TD pass and 2 interceptions.  He also carried the football 4 times for 15 yards (3.8 ypc).  Lorenzo Booker led the Eagles in rushing in this game with 36 yards on 11 carries (3.3 ypc) with a TD run.  He also was busy in the passing game as he caught 7 passes for 57 yards (8.1 avg).  Correll Buckhalter pitched in with 18 yards rushing on 3 carries (6.0 ypc).  WR Michael Gasperson was the leading receiver against the Jets with 80 yards on 3 grabs (26.7 avg).  Fellow WR Brandon Childress had a good game also catching 4 passes for 37 yards (9.3 avg) including a 3-yard TD grab.  The Eagles finished up with 81 yards rushing on 23 carries (3.5 ypc) in this game and they also completed 26 of 46 passes for 281 yards.

The Eagles defense was led by linebacker Joe Mays who had 13 tackles.  DE Bryan Smith also had a solid game with 11 tackles and 1.5 sacks.  The Jets finished up with 120 yards rushing on 34 carries (3.4 ypc) and they also completed 16 of 28 passes for 166 yards.  The Eagles finished up the preseason with a so-so 2-2 record.

The Eagles looked good in all three phases of the football game in a nice win at New England last night.  Donovan McNabb was very sharp last night for the Eagles as he completed 13 of 17 passes for 180 yards with 1 TD pass (7 yards to WR Jason Avant) and 0 interceptions.  Kevin Kolb finished the game looking solid as he completed 9 of 14 passes for 106 yards.  Brian Westbrook got his work in last night as he led the Eagles in rushing with 39 yards on 9 carries (4.3 ypc).  Ryan Moats was also busy carrying the football 9 times for 27 yards (3.0 ypc).  Tony Hunt pitched in with 16 yards on 6 carries (2.7 ypc) last night.  Rookie WR Desean Jackson had another great game for the Eagles as he caught 4 passes for 67 yards (16.8 avg) and he also returned a punt 76 yards for a TD.  WR Michael Gasperson also had a decent game for the Eagles with 2 catches for 57 yards (28.5 avg) last night.  The Eagles finished up with 110 yards rushing last night on 30 carries (3.7 ypc) and they also completed 22 of 31 passes for 280 yards.

Linebacker Joe Mays and safety Sean Considine led the way for the Eagles’ defense last night with 8 tackles apiece.  Safety J.R. Reid was also impressive last night with 6 tackles and a sack.  Rookie safety Quintin Demps had a night to remember for the Eagles as he had 5 tackles and he also returned a kickoff 101 yards for a TD.  The Patriots finished up with 65 yards rushing on 20 carries (3.3 ypc) and they also completed 22 of 34 passes for 254 yards.

The Eagles will be without WR Kevin Curtis for at least the next 6-8 weeks due to sports hernia surgery.  This is a tough injury for a WR as Curtis might likley not be close to himself even when he is ready to return to action.  The Eagles could be in very big trouble at WR as Reggie Brown is also banged up.  Hank Baskett and rookie Desean Jackson could both wind up with huge roles in the Eagles’ offense for this year.  The Eagles really need Curtis to get healthy and heal quickly as he is a big part of the offense of the Eagles.

The Eagles have been getting their young players a lot of action during this preseason and the results have been positive.  2nd year QB Kevin Kolb is off to a decent start this preseason as he is putting distance between himself and veteran A.J. Feeley on the depth chart.  Kolb has completed 26 of 48 passes (54.2%) for 236 yards passing with 1 TD pass and 1 interception (66.0 QB Rating).  As good as Kolb has looked, second year running back Tony Hunt has been better.  He has carried the football 11 times for 97 yards (8.8 ypc) with a TD run as he is trying to move up the Eagles’ depth chart.  Rookie WR DeSean Jackson is leading the Eagles with 12 catches for 122 yards (10.2 avg) and he has also returned 8 punts for 49 yards (6.1 avg) during the preseason. 

The Eagles’ defense has also been playing very well this preseason.  They have only allowed 200.5 yards of offense per game and 14.5 points per contest.  The most impressive thing about the defense is that no one player is really standing out which means they are playing well as a team.  The Eagles hope the defensive effort continues into the regular season.

The final score is mis-leading in last night’s game as the backups outscored the Panthers 24-3 in the fourth quarter to win.  Donovan McNabb did not look sharp last night as he completed 11 of 24 passes for 98 yards.  2nd year QB Kevin Kolb completed 14 of 27 passes for 155 yards with 1 TD pass (33-yarder to Greg Lewis) and 1 interception.  He also carried the ball 1 time for 11 yards last night.  Holder/Punter Sav Rocco attempted a pass on a fake field goal and it was intercepted and returned 78 yards for a TD by cornerback Richard Marshall of the Panthers.  2nd year RB Tony Hunt was outstanding for the Eagles last night as he carried the football 5 times for 79 yards (15.8 ypc) with a 51-yard TD scamper.  Lorenzo Booker pitched in with 25 yards rushing on 6 carries (4.2 ypc) against the Panthers.  Brian Westbrook rushed for 14 yards on 5 carries (2.8 ypc) last night and he also caught 2 passes for 17 yards (8.5 avg).  Rookie WR Desean Jackson had a nice game leading the Eagles last night with 7 catches for 71 yards (10.1 avg).  Greg Lewis also had a solid game with 3 catches for 44 yards (14.7 avg) with a 33-yard TD grab from Kevin Kolb.  Kevin Curtis pitched in with 4 grabs for 35 yards (8.8 avg) last night.  The Eagles finished up with 139 yards rushing on 22 carries (6.3 ypc) last night.  The Eagles also completed 25 of 52 passes for 247 yards last night. 

Linebacker Justin Roland was the leader on a outstanding effort by the Eagles’ defense last night as he had 3 tackles, recovered a fumble and he intercepted a pass that he returned 74 yards for a TD.  The Panthers finished up with 78 yards rushing on 27 carries (2.9 ypc) and they also completed 20 of 33 passes for 134 yards last night.

Last year the Eagles suffered a lot of injuries but they surged at the end of the season winning their last three games setting themselves up with some momentum heading into 2008.  Andy Reid has made the Eagles into a contender almost every season as he learned well from Mike Holmgren in Green Bay.  Reid has been the head coach of the Eagles for 9 years now and he has compiled a 88-56 record (61.1%) during the regular season and he is also 8-6 (57.1%) is the post season.  The NFC East is a very tough division top to bottom but Reid is a master tactician who should have them ready to play every single week giving the Eagles a legit chance to return to playoff form.

The Eagles have released 37-year old DT Kimo Von Oelhoffen which could signal the end of his NFL career.  He played in 8 games (1 start) with the Eagles last season and he only made 2 tackles.  Von Oelhoffen has now played in 197 games in his NFL career and he made 356 tackles, defensed 14 passes, had 26.5 sacks and he forced 4 fumbles.  Don’t look for anyone to pick him up because of his age and the Eagles won’t miss him.

This was a defensive battle earlier tonight in Pittsburgh.  Donovan McNabb played well in the first half of the game as he completed 10 of 13 passes for 97 yards with 1 TD pass.  Kevin Kolb replaced him and he was o.k. completing 12 of 21 passes for 81 yards.  A.J. Feeley appeared out of whack tonight completing only 6 of 14 passes for 51 yards.  2nd year back Tony Hunt was busy carrying the ball 6 times for 18 yards (3.0 ypc).  Correll Buckhalter also had a decent game with 18 yards rushing on 6 carries (3.0 ypc).  He also added 3 catches for 15 yards (5.0 avg) tonight.  Lorenzo Booker pitched in with 16 yards on 4 carries (4.0 ypc) in his debut with the Eagles.  Rookie WR Desean Jackson led Eagles’ receivers with 5 catches for 51 yards (10.2 avg) in his first game in the pros.  The Eagles finished up with 61 yards rushing on 20 carries (3.1 ypc).  They also completed 28 of 48 passes for 210 yards against a tough Steelers’ defense.

Linebackers Akeem Jordan and Joe Mays led the way for the Eagles tonight with 6 tackles apiece.  Rookie DT Trevor Laws also had a solid first game in the pros with 4 tackles and a sack.  The Steelers rushed for 118 yards on 35 carries (3.4 ypc) tonight.  They also only attempted 16 passes completing 9 of them for 71 yards.  The Eagles defense was outstanding but they need the offense to convert yards into points.

The Eagles need 33-year old David Akers to rebound from a rough 2007 season in which he left a lot of points on the field.  Akers played in all 16 games for the Eagles last season and he connected on 24 of 32 (75%) field goal attempts.  Akers also converted all 36 of his extra points.  Akers seems to be starting to look his age and the Eagles can’t afford him messing up in 2008.  Akers has now played in 141 games in his NFL career and he has made 197 of 244 field goals (80.7%).  Akers has also made 308 of 312 extra points (98.7%) in his career.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  C

The Eagles appear four deep with decent TEs for 2008.  It all starts with 28-year old L.J. Smith who has been one of Donovan McNabb’s favorite targets in the past.  He needs to stay healthy to be effective however which he wasn’t very often last year.  Smith played in 10 games for the Eagles last season and he caught 22 passes for 236 yards (10.7 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Look for Smith to rebound with a big season in 2008.  Smith has now played in 73 games in his NFL career and he has caught 194 passes for 2,227 yards (11.5 avg) with 15 TD grabs.

23-year old Brent Celek had a solid rookie season in 2007 for the Eagles.  Celek played in all 16 games for the Eagles last season and he caught 16 passes for 178 yards (11.1 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Look for Celek to have a decent season if he can hold off Kris Wilson and Matt Schobel for playing time.

26-year old Kris Wilson was brought in as a free agent during the offseason from the Chiefs where he was playing a lot of fullback.  Wilson is a good blocker in the running game and he has good hands despite not having the speed to go deep.  Wilson played in all 16 games for the Chiefs last season and he caught 24 passes for 180 yards (7.5 avg) with 1 TD grab.  He also carried the football 3 times for 7 yards (2.3 ypc) last season.  Look for Wilson to get his fair share of the playing time at TE for the Eagles but it will be mostly be on running downs.  Wilson has now played in 46 games in his NFL career and he has caught 42 passes for 345 yards (8.2 avg) with 4 TD grabs.  Wilson has also carried the ball 4 times for 13 yards (3.3 ypc) in his career.

29-year old Matt Schobel appears to have the odds stacked against him as far as playing time goes in 2008.  Schobel played in 15 games for the Eagles last season and he caught 11 passes for 108 yards (9.8 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Unless there is an injury it might be hard for Schobel to move up on the depth chart.  Schobel has now played in 94 games in his NFL career and he has caught 115 passes for 1,260 yards (11.0 avg) with 12 TD grabs.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  C