following reviewing the depth chart, Andy Reid and Howie Roseman usually determine the team’s needs as the first step following the season. Reid would assess where the club is short in talent, and the Eagles would proceed from there.
Despite drafting the best player available, the Eagles have two significant needs on the team: improving the offensive line and finding a right cornerback to complement Asante Samuel. Because of the draught and free agency, which the Eagles appear to be aggressive in, this Eagles club will look drastically different come opening day.
Michael Vick made the jump to actually becoming a starting quarterback. With Atlanta, if the first option was not there for Vick, he automatically tried to gain yards with his legs. In Philadelphia, Vick finally learned to look at his second and third options.
Vick made the correct decisions on most plays and was particularly effective throwing on the run.
Vick will continue to improve as he will go into the season guaranteed the starter unlike last year, when he had to practice with the second teamers in training camp.
He is currently a top 10 quarterback in the league, but I would not be surprised if people start to call him an elite QB.
Backing up Vick could be Kevin Kolb. Kolb though is expected to be traded.
Even if trades are not allowed before the draft, it has been reported that the Eagles would be willing to trade him for 2012 picks. In this situation, the Eagles could acquire even more picks.
If Kolb does remain in Philadelphia, he would be the best backups in all of football. He may not have the strongest arm, but he is accurate and was a good decision maker in the pocket. Though he does not have Michael Vick elusiveness, Kolb showed he was a pretty mobile quarterback. With great weapons surrounding him, Kolb could be a top quarterback.
If Kolb is traded, the Eagles would have Mike Kafka as backup.
Kafka will be only 24 years old at the start of next season and will enter his second year in the NFL.
He was drafted in the fourth round of 2010 NFL draft. A few draft experts, including Mel Kiper Jr., rated Kafka as the fifth best quarterback in last year’s class.
In the preseason with the Eagles, Kafka struggled, though. Only in the Chiefs game did Kafka show his smart, savvy quarterbacking skills. In that game, he had 115.2 passer rating and threw for a touchdown.
In a poll I conducted a month ago, I asked Eagle fans if Kafka was ready to become backup to Vick. Out of the 406 votes, 51% voted yes.
LeSean McCoy ascended to stardom last season as the team’s featured back. Though I might have Eagle bias, I consider McCoy the third best back in the league only behind Adrian Peterson and Chris Johnson.
McCoy may not have elite speed, but he has good enough agility to break open huge gains. He can run with power and run over safeties. He may have some of the best hands for a running back in all of football.
McCoy caught 78 balls last season and was one of Vick’s top targets when he was pressured.
When he came out of Pittsburgh, McCoy’s blocking skills were poor, but last season the Eagles trusted him greatly, and he responded in a great way. McCoy was physical and smart enough to understand complex blitz schemes.
The second-stringer is Jerome Harrison, who like Kolb is one of the best backups at running back. Harrison’s downfall in Cleveland was his lack of blocking skills, but he showed his great explosiveness in limited playing time with the Eagles.
Harrison is a free agent and is expected to leave because he was underused in Philadelphia. Andy Reid had another great weapon in the arsenal, but he was almost never utilized.
Eldra Buckley is a decent option at running back, especially with his nice physical style of running. His lack of speed and explosiveness limits his potential. Buckley is valuable to the special teams.
