The Philadelphia Eagles season is finally here!!! Sunday’s will not be the same for the next 17 weeks, and we could not be happier. After a long and interesting off season, the Birds are back in the nest and ready to pave the way on the road to victory. Expectations are at an all time high this year for the players and coaching staff as they look to improve upon a disappointing 8-8 record last season. Montco Happening is proud to serve up the skinny on our new and improved roster, one that will be hittin em’ high and low all season long. We know Montco bleeds green with us, so check out why we feel this will be one of the most exciting years in a while for our green machine, Go Birds!
Our QB’s
For now, we are remaining cautiously optimistic about Mike Vick thus far. Although he was projected to be bigger, faster and stronger this season, his 12 snap pre season appearance didn’t tell us much. A new state of the art kevlar vest is supposed to keep him on the field and injury free, so like we said, cautiously optimistic. If for some reason #7 goes down, his back up Nick Foles, a rookie QB from Arizona, has proved to be one of the best stories for the Birds this off season. His accuracy, decision making and hunger to improve has got us believing! Worst comes to worse, the veteran third stringer Trent Edwards handled the ship well when given the chance, and he beat out Kafka for the position. Naturally we hope it doesn’t come down to a rookie QB or Trent Edwards, but if Vick gets hurt the season won’t be a wash. The Eagles are deeper in that position than most people might give us credit for. Our receivers have all the speed in the world, we just need some accuracy and smart decision making by our QB’s and coaching staff.
New Additions
Mychal Kendricks: This rookie linebacker looked good in his pre season debut at strong-side LB. This second round draft pick has an unbelievable amount of talent, and showed as much heart as he did skill with his time on the field so far. We’re excited to see him pluck some balls out of the air all season long.
Fletcher Cox: This defensive tackle from Mississippi State was a phenom in college, putting together stats that might even help make Juan Castillo look good this year. He will learn a lot from Cullen Jenkins, and is poised to be a force on defense. His athletic ability and versatility are what made him a first round pick for the Eagles, and we believe he’ll live up to the hype.
DeMeco Ryans: Acquired from the Texans this off season, DeMeco is here to plug a much needed hole in our defense. His injuries have raised questions as to whether he can be the three down back that the Eagles hoped he would be, the jury is still out. If he can get it together and overcome nagging medical issues, he will be a huge asset to the run stop.
Brandon Boykin: This rookie is raw but his play making ability has got the birds fans buzzin. Hopefully he will give a boost to our special teams threat and be used in other specific positions throughout the year. He’s got speed that will create havoc on the field especially if used at CB, so as long as he watches the veterans and continues to learn and develop, he will be a special player for us this year.
Bryce Brown: Another rookie that looks promising behind Shady and Dion Lewis, he gives us more depth at RB which has been missing since the days of Westbrook, Buckhalter, and Deuce. We hope this will be the year of a new three headed monster. Bryce is more of an up and down runner, so his smash mouth style of running will be a nice contrast to McCoy and Dion Lewis’s speed and moves. So far his size and strength have looked impressive, so we are betting that Andy will find ways to insert the young talent.
Offense
LeSean McCoy: We all now Shady is the man, this fan favorite will have his best season yet
DeSean Jackson: Got paid in the off season, so he should be running faster than ever this year!
Jeremy Maclin: Despite an unforeseen illness last year which hurt Maclin’s playing time, he still put together a solid season and health permitting will only improve game after game this year. He is much more reliable and consistent than DeSean and should put together a breakout season.
*Jason Avant, Damaris Johnson, and TE Brent Celek will be adding to the offensive firepower with sure hands. Collectively they will rack up a ton of yards while spreading opposing defense thin.
Defense
Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie: His defensive presence is vital to our success this year, especially because of our weakness at the Safety position. He should be solid and reliable as usual and had a strong but expensive off season. He will be giving QB’s and wide receivers nightmares this season.
Nnamdi Asomugha: Is expected to play up to his potential this year, and seems to have settle into the system after a mediocre 2011 season.
*Jason Babin who didn’t play this pre season, and Trent Cole will be making game changing plays as always, with the help of Derek Landri and Akeem Jordan.
Fortunately for the Birds we start our season at a less than average team in Cleveland. It should be a great chance for our boys to gain some confidence in week 1.
2012 Schedule-Our Projection
Week 1 @ Cleveland Browns *Win
Week 2 vs. Baltimore *Loss
Week 3 @ Arizona *Win
Week 4 vs. Giants *Win
Week 5 @ Pittsburgh *Loss
Week 6 vs. Detroit *Loss
Week 7 Bye Week
Week 8 vs. Atlanta *Win
Week 9 @ New Orleans *Win
Week 10 vs. Dallas *Win
Week 11 @ Washington *Win
Week 12 vs. Carolina *Win
Week 13 @ Dallas *Loss
Week 14 @ Tampa *Win
Week 15 vs. Cincinnati *Win
Week 16 vs. Washington *Win
Week 17 @ Giants *Loss
11-5 this season sounds good to us! Go Birds!!!
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