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"Seven Days Without Gambling Makes One Weak"
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Updated: July 28, 2006, 9:22 AM ET
Howard could give pass rush a boost
By Len Pasquarelli
ESPN.com
Archive
BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- Here are six observations on the Philadelphia Eagles, gleaned from training camp practices of July 25-26:
1.
It's hard to fathom, given the brilliant blitzing schemes conjured up by defensive coordinator Jim Johnson, that the Eagles would ever have problems creating pressure. But that was the case in 2005, when the unit registered just 29 sacks, sixth fewest in the league and down from 47 the previous season. The hallmark of Johnson's defense always has been the ability to manufacture havoc upfront, blitzing from every angle imaginable while maintaining sound coverage in the back end.
Because of injuries, though, Johnson never felt comfortable calling as many blitzes in 2005, and the result was a poor season. Statistically, Philadelphia ranked 23rd in overall defense. That is the unit's lowest ranking since 1999, Johnson's first season on the job. The Eagles surrendered 24.2 points a game, exactly eight more points per outing than they allowed in 2004, and much higher than the 16.6-point average of Johnson's first six seasons. During their five-year playoff run, 2000-2004, the Eagles' defense ranked among the league's top 10 on four occasions. Notable is that the defense never ranked lower than the Philadelphia offense in that stretch. So while much of the focus in this camp is on quarterback Donovan McNabb and the offense, the defense needs to improve, too. Resuscitating the pass rush is a priority.
| Darren Howard |  Defensive End
Philadelphia Eagles
Profile | | 2005 SEASON STATISTICS | | Tot | Ast | Solo | FF | Sack | Int | | 33 | 24 | 9 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
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Johnson is never going to abandon the blitzing schemes that have become his trademark. However, the Eagles need more heat from their front four, and hope that former New Orleans right end Darren Howard, the team's most notable free-agent addition, can provide it. Howard had a career-worst 3½ sacks in 2005, but played in only 12 games and essentially was banished by Saints officials for the final month of the season. He wasn't whole physically and, given the disastrous '05 season in New Orleans both on and off the field, his psyche wasn't particularly good, either. At least with the Eagles, in what has been a winning situation during head coach Andy Reid's tenure, Howard's mental outlook should be refreshed. Whether he has retained the freshness in his legs, after six years in the NFL and at age 29, remains to be seen. He has averaged only 11 appearances over the past three seasons and that is a matter of concern. And Howard never had great upfield explosiveness. But what was obvious in the first three full-scale practices of camp is that Howard remains a consummate technician, that he has more nuance to his repertoire, and uses his hands better than any other lineman on the roster.
"There are a lot of [physical things] you can lose in this game as you get older," Howard said Tuesday. "But if you've got solid technique, and maintain it, you can [extend] your career." In his first five seasons, Howard averaged 8.2 sacks and twice posted 11 quarterback knockdowns. The Eagles, who haven't had a double-digit sacker since 2002, probably would be thrilled if Howard finishes the season with 8-10 sacks. Many of Howard's sacks in New Orleans came when the Saints moved him inside to tackle on third down, where he was quicker than virtually every guard in front of him. In Philadelphia, he is expected to be deployed similarly. That will allow the Eagles to get emerging young rusher Trent Cole, who had five sacks as a rookie in 2005, onto the field.
The media was, admittedly, a tad skeptical when the Eagles signed Howard to a fat contract in the offseason. But in the first few days of camp, he certainly didn't look like a guy in decline, and appeared rejuvenated. The coaches hope that having Howard in the mix also will enhance the productivity of Jevon Kearse, who will move around more in 2006 as Johnson tries to disguise rush angles for him. Kearse averaged 12 sacks in his first three NFL seasons but, largely because of foot and ankle injuries, has averaged 6.6 sacks in the last four campaigns. In his two seasons with the Eagles, he had 7½ sacks each, and the coaches are looking for more from "The Freak."
Johnson also is looking for more pressure on the pocket from the inside, and 2005 first-rounder Mike Patterson, an undersized but super-quick tackle, might provide it. The goal was to pair Patterson with Brodrick Bunkley, this year's first-round selection, but the latter remains out of camp in a contract dispute. While the Eagles are growing perturbed by Bunkley's absence, no one is panicking yet. This team is very deep at tackle and another rookie, sixth-rounder LaJuan Ramsey of Southern California, has demonstrated promise early in camp.
2.
At least on the defensive backline, the middle linebacker position, manned by four-time Pro Bowl performer Jeremiah Trotter, is a strength. Make no mistake, in the early stages of camp, Trotter and free safety Brian Dawkins have been the Eagles' most vocal and emotional veterans.
But who will flank Trotter, who has averaged 125 tackles since rejoining the Eagles in 2004, at the outside linebacker spots? Uh, we don't know right now. And we're guessing that neither does the Philadelphia coaching staff. Second-year veteran Matt McCoy, a second-round choice in 2005, is running with the No. 1 unit on the weak side. But the former San Diego State standout didn't even dress for a dozen games as a rookie and saw scant action in the four games in which he did play. In McCoy's defense, Johnson's complicated scheme isn't exactly conducive to quick results for young players, and it generally takes a year or two for guys' heads to cease spinning. If McCoy can't get the job done, the Eagles could turn to another repatriated defender, Shawn Barber, who returned to Philadelphia as a free agent this spring after three years in Kansas City. Injuries have limited Barber to just 11 appearances over the last two seasons, though, and at age 31, he might be most effective as a nickel player.
The situation at the strongside slot isn't much more encouraging. The 2005 performance of seventh-year veteran Dhani Jones -- whose colorful bow ties, erudite mien and appearances on The NFL Network have earned the guy way too much attention -- was dismal. Rarely has a linebacker who registered 105 tackles, as did Jones last season (according to Eagles team statistics), looked so bad doing it. The Eagles are trying to convert third-round draft choice Chris Gocong from college defensive end to strongside 'backer, but the kid has a long way to go. He's got very little experience playing in a two-point stance and on Tuesday morning, in one of the few times he actually engaged a blocker, Gocong was easily driven three yards off the line of scrimmage. That incurred the wrath of linebackers coach Steve Spagnuolo, who apparently felt Gocong was playing too soft. Gocong had 41 sacks the past two years in college, and won the Buck Buchanan Award as the outstanding performer at the Division I-AA level, but his inexperience at linebacker has been telling. He might log time as a situational pass rusher, but doesn't look ready to line up as a regular.
The player for whom Johnson has harbored hope as a strongside candidate is Greg Richmond, but he spent 2004 on the practice squad and 2005 on the physically-unable-to-perform list. He has yet to register a snap in a regular-season game. It's still early but, outside of Trotter, linebacker appears to be a problematic area right now. And think about the irony here: The team's best linebacker basically had to beg the Eagles to take him back in 2004 after the Redskins released him. Good thing Andy Reid picked up his cell phone the day Trotter called to patch up their previous differences.
3.
Brian Westbrook is arguably the best receiver as a tailback in the NFL. His waterbug quickness in space, where opponents never quite seem to figure out how to cover him, makes him the Eagles' most compelling offensive playmaker. But there is still a question about whether Westbrook, or anyone else on the current roster, is a consistent threat as a running back.
Of course, no one got many rushing attempts anyway in 2005, when the Eagles threw the ball on a mind-boggling 64.4 percent of their offensive snaps. Reid has vowed to emphasize the run more in 2006 but, truth be told, he's always been a throw-first coach. Since he arrived in Philadelphia in 1999, the Eagles have logged 6,942 snaps and 58.5 percent of those have been pass plays. The closest the Eagles have come under Reid to establishing offensive balance was in 2002, and even then they threw 54.4 percent of the time. In three of seven seasons under Reid, the pass quotient has been more than 60 percent. Still, the Eagles, who statistically ranked 28th in rushing yards last season, and who averaged just 3.9 yards per carry, need some semblance of a running game. But because of injuries, Westbrook has never started 16 games in a season. And while his size (5-feet-8, 203 pounds) isn't as much a factor as some have made it out to be, the Eagles clearly consider it a factor, since Westbrook has averaged just 11.7 carries per start and has only two starts in which he posted 20 carries or more.
Because of his big-play skills as an all-around back, Westbrook is an exclamation point, but the guys behind him on the depth chart are still mostly question marks. The most experienced tailback, the star-crossed Correll Buckhalter, has missed three entire seasons in five years because of knee injuries. It was surprising that the Eagles activated Buckhalter from the physically unable to perform list so early in camp because, at least in the first three practices, he did not look very spry. Ryan Moats showed some flashes in limited playing time as a rookie in 2005, averaging 5.1 yards and scoring three touchdowns on only 55 carries, but that's not much of a body of work on which to make a strong enough assessment of him. The Eagles continue to tout the skills of Thomas Tapeh, who has fullback size (6-feet-1, 243 pounds) and reputedly tailback-caliber running skills, but he's been frequently injured and has played in only seven games in two seasons. Second-year veteran Bruce Perry runs tougher between the tackles than his size (5-10, 200) would indicate, but is inexperienced, with just 16 rushing attempts.
| L.J. Smith |  Tight End
Philadelphia Eagles
Profile | | 2005 SEASON STATISTICS | | Rec | Yds | TD | Avg | Long | YAC | | 61 | 682 | 3 | 11.2 | 48 | 269 |
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4.
During a Tuesday morning "team" drill, tight end L.J. Smith gathered in a pass in the short left flat, turned upfield, and absolutely annihilated backup safety Quintin Mikell with an ear-splitting collision that seemed to echo through the entire Lehigh Valley. The "de-cleater," in which Smith simply mowed down Mikell, certainly brought the throaty Eagles fans to their feet. It was also indicative, said offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg, of the manner in which Smith performed in the offseason.
A year ago, then-coordinator Brad Childress, now the Minnesota Vikings' coach, told ESPN.com that Smith was poised for a breakout season. The tight end responded with 61 receptions, which tied Westbrook for the team lead, and equaled Smith's total catches for the first two seasons of his career. His 682 receiving yards in 2005 were only 16 fewer yards than his previous two-year total. Now Mornhinweg is predicting even bigger things for the three-year veteran and former second-round draft pick. It will be difficult, given the quality of the tight end position in the NFC, for Smith to snag a Pro Bowl berth. But he clearly is developing into a Pro Bowl-caliber player.
"He's ready," Mornhinweg said, "to jump to an even higher level now." Smith is never going to be a great in-line blocker, a deficiency in general for Philadelphia at the position, but he has an innate feel for the passing game, how to find holes in a secondary, and how to uncover himself. He and McNabb seem to have crafted a comfort level and, in an offense that really has no big-time wide receiver and which prefers to spread the ball around, Smith could be a 70- to 75-catch player on an annual basis.
Another tight end the Eagles like, and who showed solid receiving skills early in camp, is veteran Matt Schobel, signed as an unrestricted free agent in the spring. Schobel had only 90 catches in four seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals, and his catches dropped every year in the league. But the Bengals rarely used a tight end on third down and the Philadelphia coaches think Schobel has skills that weren't effectively utilized in the past. There is some redundancy, though, because, like Smith, with whom he will often be used in tandem, Schobel isn't a very accomplished blocker.
5.
Another young player to watch is third-year right guard Shawn Andrews, the team's first-round choice in 2004, and a guy the Eagles like so much, they recently secured him through the 2015 season with a fat contract extension.
Andrews won't say how much weight he lost in the offseason but, prompted by the sudden death of a close friend, he's dropped 20-25 pounds and looks much trimmer. Literally and figuratively, it seems Andrews is prepared to take his game to a new level. On virtually every play the first two days of camp, he was several yards upfield, seeking out a second-level target to block. The guy is an absolute mauler, still big enough to engulf defenders, but with surprising deftness of movement. There will likely come a time, after Jon Runyan retires in three or four years, that Andrews will move out to tackle. But for now, he looks like one of the best young guards in the league.
6.
Like the three other franchises in the NFC East, the Eagles could finish anywhere from first to fourth place in the division. At the conclusion of their dismal 2005 season, the consensus seemed to be that the Eagles needed only some minor tweaks to rebound in 2006. Upon closer inspection, that might be an oversimplified and optimistic assessment, because there are still some holes to be filled and some areas of concern.
One obvious positive is that the intramural turbulence that marked Terrell Owens' short-lived tenure has been alleviated. But the reality is that Owens, when he wasn't publicly airing his grievances, was a game-altering playmaker. There's no guarantee that anyone, even second-year veteran Reggie Brown, who has embraced the mantle of No. 1 receiver, will be able to approximate Owens' numbers. How well McNabb responds, not only in coming back from hernia surgery but also rebounding from a year in which the personal attacks on him (publicly and privately) got ugly at times, is a key. And Johnson has to fix a defense that played without its usual swagger in 2005. There is talent on the roster, but a lot of pieces have to fit comfortably into the puzzle, and some things have to go right. Ownership, and the salary cap management of team president Joe Banner has, for years, kept open the window of opportunity for a Super Bowl title. But the window isn't quite as wide as it has been in recent seasons, and Philadelphia is no longer viewed as a sure-thing playoff team. It will be important for the Eagles to break from the gate quickly. Their schedule over the second half of the year is a grinder, and how's this for daunting: Philadelphia faces a stretch of three straight road games in December and all of them are against divisional foes. They are at Washington on Dec. 10, at the New York Giants on Dec. 17 and at Dallas on Christmas Day.
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07-27-06, 06:52 PM
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