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-