FLY LIKE AN EAGLE…TO THE DRAFT BY MUEED KUMANDAN

FLY LIKE AN EAGLE… TO THE DRAFT BY MUEED KUMANDAN

With the latest struggles that the Eagles have been facing, much of the spotlight has been on Vick’s performance and Andy Reid's coaching; however, there are various assets that the Eagles struggle to perfect.

Quarterback: The Eagles have many problems, yet Michael Vick is the center of these problems. After 8 weeks, Vick has a 77.7 QBR with 10 touchdowns and 9 interceptions, which is subpar; but who can blame him. Vick has been sacked 27 times and has lost a total of 149 yards, encompassing 10 fumbles (5 of them lost).  

Running Back: This season, Lesean Mccoy has had 623 yards with 2 touchdowns and 4.3 yards a carry. His longest rush was 34 yards and has only had 6 carries with over 20 yards, but we can go back to the lack of a productive o-line. In addition, he has 30 receptions for 148 yards and 3 tds. Rushing-wise, Mccoy is capable of putting up better numbers to help Vick out, but their o-line needs to step up. Their other rb is Bryce Brown, whom does not have any tds and has rushed for 105 yards. This is another reason their offense has struggled. They do not have an effect 1 2 combo at rb, which can also help Vick out.   

Tight End: Brent Celek only has 1 td with 33 receptions and 436 yards. Really? Their other TE, Clay Harbor, was targeted 18 times and has 1 td. They have weapons but they need a better offensive gameplan.    

Offensive Line:  Dunlap has been playing good but he has been missing key blocks for Vick to hurry up. Evan Mathis has been slacking. Reynolds tries to do too much and gets knocked over. The rookie Kelly has an ankle issue and starts off well but needs to work on finishing games. The same thing with Herremans.

Defensive Line/Linebackers: After 9 weeks, this team has 11 sacks. They are on pace to put together 22 sacks by the end of the year. They are ranked 31^st in sacks. How is your defense inconsistent in producing sacks when you have Ryans, Cole, Jenkins, Cox, and Babin on your defense? Castillo has to use his players better because their guys are underperforming. Last season, Babin was 3^rd in the NFL in sacks with 18. So far this season, he has 3.5 sacks. Cole has 1.5 sacks. Unacceptable!

Secondary: Nate Allen gets burned on just about every Play-Action Pass. With only 24 tackles and 1 pick, Nnamdi has fallen short of expectations. He takes up 1/3 of their payroll too. Rodgers-Cromartie is another corner that bites on pump fakes. He has 24 tackles and 3 picks which isn’t too bad though. 

Special Teams: I enjoyed the trickery during Monday’s Saints and Eagles game. Too bad it didn’t count. Eagles are ranked 30^th in punt return average. They only have 3 returns that were more than 7 yards, the longest was 13. They are 26^th in Kick-Return Average, 28^th in Punt Coverage 25^th , and 23^rd in net punting average. Yeh, this special teams is that bad!

So through statistical evidence, I conclude that it is unfair to blame Vick for their recent struggles. Eagles’ defense and O-line have to step up to have any chance in making the playoffs. Only time will tell!