Eagles sign Trent Edwards, say goodbye to Vince Young?

According to Adam Schefter, the Eagles have signed QB Trent Edwards to a one year contract.  Edwards, who has played for the Bills and Jaguars, was cut right before the beginning of the 2011 season by the Raiders and didn't take a snap all season long.  His most significant playing time came in 2008 when he started 14 games for Buffalo.

What is the significance of the Eagles signing a quarterback who didn't even play last year?  Well, with Mike Vick locked in as the starter and Mike Kafka locked in as the quarterback of the future, Edwards figures to compete for the veteran backup role.  Given that his skills fit the Eagles offense much better than the 2011 backup, Vince Young, this signing could be a signal that Young won't be brought back this season.  If that's the case, so long Young and thanks so much for all the "Dream Team" crap.

Stick a fork in 'em: Eagles embarrassed by Patriots

What started off promising quickly turned ugly as the Eagles blew an early 10-0 lead and got blown out by the Patriots, 38-20.  Here are a few of my thoughts on yet another poorly played game by the Eagles:

-The Patriots have a world-class offense but the Eagles defense was nothing short of terrible today.  From botched coverage to bad play-calls to undisciplined penalties, the defense wasn't even close to slowing down the Patriots attack.  It all starts with Juan Castillo, who somehow forget to come up with a game plan to stop Wes Welker, or any other Pats receiver for that matter.  Castillo is in over his head and completely overmatched by opposing offensive minds and needs to be fired ASAP.  Who would have thought that an offensive line coach wouldn't make a good coordinator?

-On that note, it's beyond clear that Castillo never should have been moved to the defensive coordinator spot.  The man responsible for that hiring has to be held accountable, as well, so it's finally time for Andy Reid to go.  Reid might yet be a great coach again but this team needs a fresh voice in the locker room.  They also need someone who will make a better play call on a 4th and 1 at the goal line.

-DeSean Jackson played yet another terrible game, dropping at least two touchdowns and failing to make big plays in big spots.  Jackson has cost himself millions of dollars with his terrible play and has basically played his way out of town.  He simply doesn't do enough on the field to be worth the headache.

-Vince Young was actually pretty respectable, throwing 400 yards as the Eagles went into catch-up mode in the second half.  He did have a few bad throws and an interception but Young filled in admirably for Michael Vick.  There is definitely no quarterback controversy, however, as this is Vick's team when he is healthy.

-Only 14 touches for LeSean McCoy?  Come on, Andy!

-The season is now over for the Birds.  No miracle Wild Card birth.  No miracle playoff run.  It's time to face reality, this team needs to hit the reset button.

No 4th quarter collapse this time: Eagles knock off Giants

The Eagles unpredictable season continues.  Without Michael Vick at the helm, the Eagles went into the Meadowlands and knocked off the Giants, 17-10, and kept their slim playoff hopes alive.  Here are a few of my thoughts on the game:

-Vince Young was pretty much what we thought he would be tonight.  He wasn't terribly accurate, wasn't always in sync with his receivers and showed very little arm strength.  None of that mattered, though, as Young showed quite a bit of poise in the pocket and made the right decisions and the correct throws when it mattered the most.  He looked most impressive on the 18 play, 80 yard game-winning drive as he made several 3rd down conversions look easy.  While there certainly won't be a quarterback controversy when Michael Vick gets healthy, Young showed that 4th quarter poise he has been famous for his entire career.

-The defense finally made a big stop with the game on the line.  After the Eagles took the lead late in the 4th, everything looked set up for a back-breaking Eli Manning-led touchdown drive.  The defense made the big play, however, as Jason Babin strip-sacked Manning and the Eagles sealed their victory.  It's going to take a lot more than one good defensive performance to make me believe in Juan Castillo but allowing the Giants to only score 10 points is quite an accomplishment.

-What are the Eagles going to do with DeSean Jackson?  He went from a huge goat for his taunting to a hero for his big punt return.  The Eagles have quite a decision to make about Jackson when it comes to his contract.  Do you pay him and live with the boneheaded mistakes knowing that you will still get the home run plays?  My answer to this question literally changes from play to play.

-LeSean McCoy got 26 touches but didn't bust out until a 60 yard game-icing run late in the 4th.  He's still the Eagles best offensive weapon and kept the Giants defense honest throughout the game.

-Why can't anyone on the Eagles cover Victor Cruz?  Seriously, come on, Nnamdi.

-The Eagles have almost no chance of making the playoffs (they would basically have to run the table), but at least this win allowed us to keep dreaming about that possibility.  With the Patriots on tap next week, it will at least be fun to see the Eagles play spoiler against teams ahead of them in the standings.  If the defense plays like they did tonight, perhaps they can pull off a miracle...

Eagles get back in the win column against the Skins

That was much more of what we expected from the Eagles.  Just like they did against the Niners, the Eagles had a 20-3 lead at halftime and allowed their opponent to crawl back; this time, however, they didn't let their inferior opponent come all the way back as they held on to win, 20-13.  Here are my thoughts on the game:

-That is the defense we thought the Eagles had.  They made strong tackles, forced turnovers, stopped the run, shut down the Redskins wide receivers and put pressure on the Redskins QB's throughout the game.  Sure, they were still unable to cover the tight end but you can't expect them to fix everything in one week.  While the Redskins offense isn't exactly a juggernaut, holding your opponent to just 13 points is an impressive feat in the NFL.

-The Eagles safeties came to play today.  While the safety position has been a revolving door of mediocrity for the Eagles this season, Kurt Coleman and Nate Allen both had big games for the Birds.  Coleman especially had a career day, picking off Rex Grossman three times.  If the Eagles can get play like this from their safeties, their defense will continue to shine.

-I've been calling for it every week and the Eagles finally listened: LeSean McCoy got a boatload of touches (28 carries and 2 catches) and proved once against that he is a beast.  Good things happen when they give Shady the ball so I can never understand why he ever has fewer than 20 touches in a game.  He is the most consistent weapon the Eagles have and the offense needs to be run through him at all times.  Plus, he hilariously popped Andy Reid in the gut near the end of the game.

-Michael Vick played a better game this week, making only one truly terrible pass that was picked off.  Much had been made about how the offensive line was going to struggle to hold up against the Redskins pass rush but Vick has just enough time to make plays with his arm and his feet.  Of course, he did get knocked out of the game briefly with what looked like a possible concussion, but he thankfully turned out okay.

-The Vince Young era started out brutally with a lame duck interception on his first pass.  For the guy that coined the "dream team" moniker, Young looks like a nightmare.  Pray for good health for Mike Vick.

-The bye week comes next for the Eagles, who can rest up, get their offensive line healthy and prepare for three very winnable games against the Cowboys, Bears and Cardinals.  Looking further down the schedule, the Eagles really only play two "good" teams, the Patriots and the Jets.  A playoff run isn't that ridiculous of a notion.  Yeah, I got sucked back in already.

Eagles and Rams Week One Inactives: Steve Smith active

The Eagles and the Rams announced the following inactive players for their Week One game:

Eagles: DE Phillip Hunt, S Jaiquawn Jarrett, T Winston Justice, CB Curtis Marsh, OL Julian Vandervelde, G Danny Watkins, QB Vince Young

Rams: WR Danario Alexander, S Jermale Hines, TE Michael Hoomanawanui, WR Austin Pettis, DE Robert Quinn, LB Jabara Williams, OL Tony Wragge

Surprisingly, Steve Smith is active and ready to go for the Eagles.  I wouldn't expect him to get a ton of playing time just yet.  Danny Watkins certainly has fallen fast, going from starter to not even being active.  With Justice not ready to play and Vandervelde scratched, the Eagles will go with only two backup linemen, Jamaal Jackson and King Dunlap.  Vince Young is still dealing with injury issues so Mike Kafka is the backup quarterback.

Here we go, Week One is finally here!  Many "experts" are picking the Rams to upset the Eagles but you can bet the "dream team" has plenty to prove.  GO BIRDS!

Vince Young hurt as Eagles wrap up preseason

The Eagles wrapped up their preseason with a victory over the Jets on Thursday night, winning 24-14. While the 4th preseason game is completely meaningless except for players on the roster bubble, the Eagles did get a small scare when Vince Young hurt his hamstring and had to leave the game. Young will have an MRI tomorrow but the initial speculation is that he should be healthy enough to backup Michael Vick in Week 1.

Prior to getting hurt, Young was solid for the Eagles, leading the team on two touchdown-scoring drives. Mike Kafka took over after Young got hurt and nearly also got knocked out of the game with a rib injury.

The preseason is finally over and the Eagles were lucky to escape with only a few minor injuries. With Week 1 just a week away, its time to get excited. Real football is back!

Vince Young to sign with Eagles

UPDATE: It's official, Vince Young will sign a one year deal with the Eagles tomorrow.

As one backup quarterback departs, another enters: according to a report from CBSSports.com, Vince Young is expected to sign with the Eagles. After getting officially released by the Titans earlier today, Young is a lock to join the Eagles and backup Michael Vick.

I'm completely on board with this move. While Young wasn't exactly a great starting quarterback in the NFL he will be the perfect backup for the Eagles. Not only does he have tremendous athletic ability but he also has 47 starts under his belt and can be trusted should Vick miss time due to an injury. In some ways, Young might be a lateral move from Kevin Kolb and certainly is a better fit for an offense designed around a scrambling quarterback like Vick.

Signing Young, despite his past locker room issues, is a no-risk move for the Eagles. He will learn the offense under Vick and not force the Eagles to completely change their scheme when the backup QB enters the game. So far, the Eagles deserve high marks for the moves they have made this offseason. Now if they can only get DeSean Jackson locked up....