53-year old head coach Andy Reid is a really solid coach in the regular season but the Eagles are going to expect much more in the playoffs this year.  The Eagles finished up 10-6 last year before getting bounced in the playoffs by the Packers.  Reid is 118-73-1 (61.8%) in his first 12 years during the regular season.  He is also 10-9 (52.6%) in the post-season.  The Eagles are going to have a really good offense again in 2011.  Defensively, the secondary is going to be the best in the NFL, but the front seven will determine whether or not the Eagles will have a dominating defense overall.  It’s all up to Reid to mold his very talented roster, because a one and done in the playoffs just won’t cut it this year.

The Philadelphia Eagles might try to run the ball a little bit more in 2011.  23-year old Lesean McCoy will be the main man in the running game for the Eagles once again in 2011.  He played in 15 games (13 starts) for the Eagles last year and he carried the ball 207 times for 1,080 yards (5.2 ypc) with 7 TD runs.  McCoy also caught 78 passes for 592 yards (7.6 avg) with 2 TD grabs in what were essentially extended handoffs.  McCoy is a very tough runner despite his size and he has very underrated speed as he can get down the field.  McCoy has now played in 31 games (17 starts) in the first two years with the Eagles and he has carried the ball 362 times for 1,717 yards (4.7 ypc) with 11 TD runs.  He also has caught 118 passes for 900 yards (7.6 avg) with 2 TD grabs so far in his NFL career.

29-year old Ronnie Brown was signed to backup Lesean McCoy in 2011.  Brown played in 16 games (all starts) for the Dolphins last year and he carried the ball 200 times for 734 yards (3.7 ypc) with 5 TD runs.  He also caught 33 passes for 242 yards (7.3 avg) last season.  Brown is a good all-around back and he should fit right in with the Eagles.  Brown has played in 76 games (71 starts) in his first six years in the NFL and he has carried the ball 1,128 times for 4,815 yards (4.3 ypc) with 36 TD runs.  He has also caught 184 passes for 1,491 yards (8.1 avg) with 2 TD grabs so far in his career.

20-year old rookie Dion Lewis will be the Eagles’ #3 RB in 2011.  He is on the small side at 5’7″, 193 pounds but he’s tough for his size.  I don’t see him developing into much more than a 3rd down back in the NFL.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE EAGLES RBS IN 2011:  B+

31-year old lefty tossing QB Michael Vick is hoping for a nice encore in 2011 after stunning everyone (except himself) with his level of play last year.  Vick played in 12 games (11 starts) for the Eagles last year and he completed 233 of 372 passes (62.6%) for 3,018 yards with 21 TD passes and 6 INTs (100.2 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 100 times for 676 yards (6.8 ypc) with 9 TD runs last year.  Everyone always knew that Vick could run the ball, but he shocked everyone with his accuracy throwing the football.  It will be interesting to see in 2011 if last year was a career year for Vick or just the beginning of a very nice run with the Eagles.  Vick has now played in 98 games (78 starts) in his first 8 years in the NFL and he has completed 1,169 of 2,115 passes (55.3%) for 14,609 yards with 93 TD passes and 58 INTs (80.2 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 653 times for 4,630 yards (7.1 ypc) with 32 TD runs so far in his NFL career.  Vick is now 46-31-1 (59.7%) as a starting QB so far in his NFL career.  Vick has never played as good as he did last season, so the Eagles are praying that it wasn’t a mirage.

The Eagles signed 28-year old Vince Young to a 1-year deal to back up Michael Vick.  Young played in 9 games (8 starts) for the Titans last year and he completed 93 of 156 passes (59.6%) for 1,255 yards with 10 TD passes and 3 INTs (98.6 QB Rating).  Young also carried the ball 25 times for 125 yards (5.0 ypc) last year.  Young has a very similar skill set to Michael Vick, so he should be more than able to run the offense if need be.  Young has now played in 54 games (47 starts) in his first five years in the NFL and he has completed 689 of 1,190 passes (57.9%) for 8,098 yards with 42 TD passes and 42 INTs (75.7 QB Rating).  Young has also carried the ball 264 times for 1,380 yards (5.2 ypc) with 12 TD runs so far in his NFL career.  Young is 30-17 (63.8%) as a starting QB so far in his NFL career.  If Young has his head on straight this year, he will revive his NFL career just like Vick did.

24-year old Mike Kafka wasn’t viewed as quite ready to be the #2 QB this year, that is why Vince Young was signed to a 1-year deal.  Chances are that Kafka will be ready to be the #2 QB in 2012 and beyond for the Eagles.  He will do a lot more watching and learning in 2011.

23-year old Jerrod Johnson is a undrafted rookie out of Texas A&M.  He has a really strong arm and he will have a good chance of sticking with the Eagles on the practice squad.  That could change though if one of the top 3 QBs on the Eagles gets hurt before the season starts….which would make him the #3 QB.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE EAGLES QBS IN 2011:  A

The Eagles had some issues with the pass defense last night but their offense was outstanding.  Kevin Kolb was efficient completing 6 of 11 passes for 95 yards.  He also carried the ball 2 times for 15 yards (7.5 ypc) last night.  Michael Vick looked pretty good too as he completed 11 of 17 passes for 119 yards with 1 INT.  He also ran the ball 6 times for 50 yards (8.3 ypc) with 1 TD run.  Mike Kafka got his first taste of the NFL last night by completing 3 of 7 passes for 76 yards.  RB Martell Mallet was a workhorse for the Eagles last night as he carried the ball 15 times for 60 yards (4.0 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He also caught 3 passes for 18 yards (6.0 avg).  Lesean McCoy got his work in last night carrying the ball 8 times for 30 yards (3.8 ypc).  Rookie WR Riley Cooper looked good in his first shot in the NFL catching 3 passes for 61 yards (20.3 avg).  WR Chad Hall also had a solid game catching 2 passes for 60 yards and he carried the ball 2 times for 22 yards.  The Eagles finished up with 211 yards rushing (5.1 ypc) and 285 passing last night as they had possession of the ball for 40:41 of the game!

Safety Kurt Coleman led the way for the Eagles’ D last night with 6 tackles and 1 pass defensed.  Linebacker Keenan Clayton was also very busy finishing up with 4 tackles, 1 sack, 1 tackle for a loss and 2 QB hits.  The Jaguars finished up with only 14 yards rushing (1.6 ypc) but they also threw for 302 yards last night.

The Eagles are hoping that a return to health with spark 27-year old CB Ellis Hobbs to get back to being the electric return man he used to be.  Hobbs played in 8 games for the Eagles last season and he returned 20 kickoffs for 481 yards  (24.1 avg).  Hobbs has now played in 71 games in his NFL career and he has returned 125 kickoffs for 3,394 yards (27.2 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  I think he will have a good year returning kicks and give the offense good starting position in 2010.

24-year old Victor “Macho” Harris might be sticking to safety more after last season.  He played in 15 games for the Eagles last year and he returned 19 kickoffs for 394 yards (20.7 avg). 

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE EAGLES KICKOFF RETURNERS in 2010:  B+

The Eagles look to have a very rugged and tough offensive line for the 2010 season.  LT Jason Peters should be much better than he is.  He is a much better run blocker than a pass blocker so Kevin Kolb might need eyes in the back of his head in 2010.  LG Todd Herremans is the best run blocker the Eagles have.  He’s also a solid pass blocker and he could play tackle if the need ever arises for the Eagles.  Jamaal Jackson is a solid center when healthy but he tore his left ACL last season and it’s up in the air as to whether he will be ready for week #1 or not.  The Eagles hope that Jackson is ready to go so they can start Nick Cole at RG instead of center.  Cole is a good RG but a very average center.  If Cole has to play center, Stacy Andrews would likely start at RG.  Winston Justice finally cashed in on his talent last season.  He was a solid blocker in both the running and the passing game in 2009.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE EAGLES O-LINE in 2010:  B

52-year old head coach Andy Reid has been very successful in his career but he hasn’t had to bring in a young QB in quite some time.  It will be interesting to see if he’s still up to the challenge.  The Eagles were 11-5 (68.8%) during the regular season before getting thumped 34-14 by the Cowboys in the playoffs.  The Eagles are 108-67-1 (61.7%) under Reid in the regular season during his 11 years in charge.  They are also 10-8 (55.6%) in the post season including a tough loss in the 2004 Super Bowl.  The Eagles have most of their players back except Donovan McNabb so if Reid can coach up Kolb they might be a surprise team in the NFC.

35-year old kicker David Akers still has a strong leg.  He played in 16 games for the Eagles last season and he made 32 of 37 field goals (86.5%) and he was 43 of 45 on extra points good for 139 points.  Akers has now played in 173 games in his NFL career and he has made 262 of 321 field goals (81.6%).  He has also made 396 of 402 extra points in his NFL career good for 1,182 points.  With Kevin Kolb taking over at QB the Eagles can’t afford to leave points on the field making Akers even more important than he has been in the past.  I think he’s still up for the job.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR EAGLES KICKERS in 2010:  A-

23-year old Desean Jackson is the most explosive WR in the NFL.  He can score from anywhere on the field at any time.  Jackson played in 15 games (all starts) last season for the Eagles and he caught 63 passes for 1,167 yards (18.5 avg) with 9 TD grabs.  He also carried the ball 11 times for 137 yards (12.5 ypc) with 1 TD grab last year.  Jackson has now played in 31 games (30 starts) in his first two years with the Eagles and he has caught 125 passes for 2,079 yards (16.6 avg) with 11 TD grabs.  He has also carried the ball 28 times for 233 yards (8.3 ypc) with 2 TD runs in his career.  Desean Jackson might make Kevin Kolb look pretty good in 2010.

22-year old Jeremy Maclin gives the Eagles another speed merchant to team with Jackson.  Maclin played in 15 games (13 starts) for the Eagles as a rookie last season and he caught 55 passes for 762 yards (13.9 avg) with 4 TD grabs.  Look for Maclin to have a much larger role in the Eagles’ offense in 2010.

27-year old Jason Avant finally stepped up for the Eagles last season.  Avant played in 16 games (9 starts) last season for the Eagles and he caught 41 passes for 587 yards (14.3 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  He has now played in 54 games (23 starts) in his four years in the NFL and he has caught 103 passes for 1,299 yards (12.6 avg) with 8 TD grabs in his career.  Avant will be a solid #3 WR for the Eagles in 2010.

27-year old Hank Baskett likely will enter the season as the Eagles #4 WR.  Baskett played in 12 games (0 starts) for the Colts & Eagles last season and he caught 5 passes for 34 yards (6.8 avg).  He has now played in 59 games (11 starts) in his four years in the NFL and he has caught 76 passes for 1,080 yards (14.2 avg) with 6 TD grabs.

Keep your eyes on rookie WR Riley Cooper out of Florida.  He’s a big guy at 6’3″, 222 and he has a good set of hands.  He could pass up Baskett on the depth chart before the season starts.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE EAGLES WRs in 2010:  A-

25-year old Brent Celek had a breakout season for the Eagles in 2009.  He played in 16 games (15 starts) for the Eagles last season and he caught 76 passes for 971 yards (12.8 avg) with 8 TD grabs.  Celek has now played in 48 games (26 starts) in his three years in the NFL and he has caught 119 passes for 1,467 yards (12.3 avg) with 10 TD grabs.  A good TE is a young QBs best friend so Kevin Kolb will be looking Celek’s way a lot in 2010.

2nd year TE Cornelius Ingram missed all of his rookie year due to injury.  He is a good pass catching TE and he has nice size at 6’4″, 245 pounds so the Eagles will likely use him a lot if he is healthy.

25-year old Martin Rucker is likely going to be the #3 TE for the Eagles in 2010.  He last played in the NFL in 2008 with the Browns.  Rucker played in 5 games (1 starts) in 2008 for the Browns in which he caught 2 passes for 17 yards (8.5 avg). 

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE EAGLES TEs in 2010:  B+