Eagles free agents: Who stays and who goes?

Now that the lockout is over, the Eagles have some work to do in free agency, starting with what they will do with their own free agents. With the removal of the transition tag on David Akers, the Birds now have 15 players set to be unrestricted free agents:

K David Akers
LB Stewart Bradley
G Nick Cole
LB Omar Gaither
S Antoine Harris
RB Jerome Harrison
CB Ellis Hobbs
G Max Jean-Gillis
LB Akeem Jordan
DE Bobby McCray
S Quintin Mikell
CB Dmitri Patterson
P Sav Rocca
LB Ernie Sims
G Reggie Wells

As for which of these players the Eagles will bring back, I wouldn't be surprised if they signed Rocca and let the rest leave town. The other player with the best chance to sign back is Bradley given how well he knows the system and how effective he has been when healthy. Jerome Harrison would be someone I hope the Eagles sign for another season but I can see him looking elsewhere so he can have a bigger workload. The only other player on the list that has any value to the Birds is likely Dmitri Patterson, who could be a nice depth piece in the secondary.

Given the linemen the Eagles drafted, the three offensive linemen, Cole, Jean-Gillis, and Wells are as good as gone. Akers will also be kicked to the curb with the drafting of Alex Henery. None of the linebackers besides Bradley will have a role with the Eagles, so Gaither, Jordan and Sims better look elsewhere for jobs.

Eagles vs. Packers Wild Card Game Inactives: No Bradley or Jean-Gilles

The Eagles and Packers have announced their inactive players for their playoff showdown:

Eagles: S Jamar Adams, LB Stewart Bradley, DT Jeremy Clark, G Max Jean-Gilles, T Austin Howard, CB Brandon Hughes, QB Mike Kafka, DE Bobby McCray

Packers: S Atari Bigby, G Evan Dietrich-Smith, CB Josh Gordy, DT Howard Green, FB Korey Hall, QB Graham Harrell, G Nick McDonald, LB Frank Zombo

The Eagles will be without two starters for this game as Jean-Gilles and Bradley are unable to go. Filling in at right guard will be Nick Cole, who hasn't started a game since Week 11. Filling in at middle linebacker for Bradley will once again be Jamar Chaney, who has done quite well considering he is just a rookie. There was some hope that Bradley would be able to play today but apparently his elbow just isn't strong enough for him to be effective.

This one promises to be a good one, folks. The Eagles and Packers are very closely matched and there should be plenty of offensive fireworks. Let's hope Michael Vick can work his magic. GO BIRDS!

Eagles lose Graham for the season, Bradley for a few weeks

The Eagles defense, which has hardly been rock solid this season, got some bad news today: rookie defensive end Brandon Graham will miss the rest of the season after tearing his ACL against the Cowboys last night. The Eagles believe he will need surgery and he will soon be placed on Injured Reserve. While Graham wasn't a starter, he did see significant snaps and had 3 sacks on the season. Look for Darryl Tapp and possibly Daniel Te'o-Nesheim to get increased playing time.

The Eagles got some better news with another injured defensive player as Stewart Bradley will not need surgery after dislocating his elbow. Expect Bradley to miss a few weeks and possibly the rest of the regular season but he should be good to go when the playoffs roll around. In his absence, don't be surprised if the Eagles go with rookie Jamar Chaney at middle linebacker instead of veteran backup Omar Gaither. Gaither was inactive against the Cowboys while Chaney seemed to hold his own after Bradley went down.

Finally, all signs point to Asante Samuel returning next week. With Graham and Bradley out, the Eagles will definitely need their playmaker back to help slow down the Giants offense.

Kolb, Bradley cleared to practice, should play next week

Michael Vick shouldn't get too comfortable with the idea of being the Eagles starting quarterback. According to multiple sources, Kevin Kolb and Stewart Bradley have passed concussion tests from an independent doctor, meaning both are going to return to practice next week.

Andy Reid has made it clear that, when healthy, Kolb is the starting quarterback. Regardless of what Vick does today against the Lions, expect Kolb to be under center for the Eagles in Jacksonville.

Eagles vs. Lions Week Two Inactives: Battle of the Backup QB's

The Eagles and Lions have announced their inactive players for Week 2 and, as expected, we have a pair of backup quarterbacks taking over:

Eagles: LB Stewart Bradley, CB Jorrick Calvin, LB Keenan Clayton, TE Clay Harbor, OL Austin Howard, QB Kevin Kolb, DE Darryl Tapp, DE Daniel Te'o-Nesheim

Lions: DE Cliff Avril, T Jason Fox, LB DeAndre Levy, G Manny Ramirez, RB Kevin Smith, QB Matthew Stafford, WR Derrick Williams, DE Willie Young

The Eagles are without Bradley and Kolb for at least this week as they deal with concussion issues. The injury of Kolb means that rookie Mike Kafka gets to suit up and be the backup quarterback. Let's hope Michael Vick doesn't get hurt. I'm a little surprised to see Clay Harbor benched in favor of Garrett Mills but the Eagles must like that Mills can also line up at fullback.

With Stafford out, the Lions will be starting Shaun Hill at quarterback. He will make plenty of mistakes if the Eagles defense puts enough pressure on him. The Lions defense will also be turning to a new starting linebacker and defensive end with Levy and Avril out.

While a game in Week 2 is never a "must-win", the Eagles really need to get the job done against the Lions and avoid falling to 0-2. Hopefully Vick makes the most of his chance to start and guides the Eagles to what should be an easy win. GO BIRDS!

Eagles lose injury-filled season opener

How does one even begin to describe the Eagles first game of the season? The first half was brutal, probably the worst possible way they could have started the season. The second half, though, was filled with enough bright spots that the Eagles look like they might have something they can build on. The fact that they only lost the game 27-20 to one of the best teams in the NFC gives you some hope that the Birds be competitive this season.

The game couldn't have started off any uglier, though. From a mountain of injuries to an ineffective offense in the first half to a bunch of stupid penalties, just about everything went wrong for the Eagles as they fell behind by 10 points. The offense was brutal, finishing with under 50 yards in the first half. From Michael Vick and Jeremy Maclin being the top two rushers to Brent Celek and DeSean Jackson being held catchless, absolutely nothing went right. The first half defense, on the other hand, looked good as they made a habit of getting after the quarterback and forced Aaron Rodgers to rush a number of his throws.

Of course, the inept first half offense was overshadowed by a ridiculous number of injuries. Both Kevin Kolb and Stewart Bradley suffered concussions but inexplicably stayed in the game for the rest of the half. Kolb and Bradley then were removed from the game at halftime, meaning Michael Vick took over at QB and Omar Gaither was back in the middle. Center Jamaal Jackson was also injured, missing the rest of the game with an arm injury. The early word from the Eagles on Jackson is that he tore his bicep and could be lost for the season. And, perhaps worst of all, Leonard Weaver's knee was destroyed early in the second quarter and all indications are that the Pro Bowl fullback will be done for the year. No matter how you look at it, losing both Jackson and Weaver will hinder the Birds offense. The drop-off to whoever the Eagles get to start in their place will make things difficult for the Birds to protect the quarterback.

Things went very differently for the Eagles in the second half after Michael Vick took over. While there isn't expected to be any quarterback controversy in Philly (Andy Reid has already said that Kolb will remain the quarterback if healthy), Vick put together quite a game, completing 16 of 24 passes for 175 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 103 yards. Much of the yards Vick compiled were against a Packers defense that was in prevent mode, so don't expect that kind of accuracy from him should he be playing full time. Frankly, the Packers didn't have any kind of gameplan to stop him, not even bothering to shadow Vick when he escaped the pocket. While some will call for Vick to be the new starting quarterback, Kevin Kolb has to be given more of a chance than one half of a football game. If Kolb is going to be the long term answer at QB in Philly he needs to be given more than just 30 minutes to prove it.

The defense also continued to play well in the second half. While they did give up a pair of touchdowns, they showed a ton of heart in the 4th quarter as they shut down the Packers offense and kept the Birds in the game. Much like the offense, it was difficult to get too good of a read on the defense because the Packers closed up the playbook after they got a big lead. Regardless, Nate Allen deserves mention for an interception in his first game with the Eagles.

Expect a week filled with a ton of Eagles news, from whether Bradley and Kolb will be able to play next week to how long Jackson and Weaver will be out. The Eagles will also need to look into signing another fullback to replace Weaver and get Mike McGlynn ready to start at center. While the Lions appear to be a weak opponent next week, when you have as many injuries as the Eagles do, no game is an easy win.

After just one game, it's clear this is going to be one crazy season, Eagles fans. Strap yourselves in, things are bound to get bumpy.
(Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

Eagles lose Kolb, Bradley due to concussions

It's getting ugly at Lincoln Financial Field. After losing Leonard Weaver, the Eagles came out with more bad news at the start of the second half: both Kevin Kolb and Stewart Bradley were out for the rest of the game due to concussions. Both Kolb and Bradley suffered concussions late in the second quarter but did return to the game. Apparently tests were run at halftime and the Eagles didn't feel comfortable putting either player back in the game.

Losing to the Packers was probably expected but no one expected all of the injuries. I can't imagine a worse start to the Eagles season.
(Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

Guest Post: Eagles Training Camp Observations

ATPS is happy to have Mark Trible back to write another guest post, this time on his observations at Eagles Training Camp:

As I made my yearly trip to Lehigh, my thoughts about this year’s Eagles team were unlike any other I’ve had in my life. I knew what I loved about this year’s team, and I knew what occupies the middle ground between disaster and success.

Kolb, Free Safety, Right Cornerback.

As Eagles fans, we’re familiar with these question marks by now, aren’t we? Despite my understanding of the questions on the team, I tried to go into my time at training camp with an open mind. I wanted to see what would jump out at me and give me some type of expectations for this season. For the last nine seasons, we pretty much knew what we would see from the Birds, and while it could be extremely comforting, it was also extremely boring. Now, we head into the 2010-11 campaign with a young team, a new quarterback, and hundreds of dollars worth of training camp merchandise. Well, I do anyway.

I attended an afternoon session of camp this past weekend, one that was non-contact, but nonetheless the team put together a pretty decent scrimmage. I looked for answers to the obvious questions, but also saw some positive things that deserve acknowledgment. Seeing as how I was on vacation, I wasn’t too cynical. I know, I’m disappointed in myself too. Here are some of the impressions while watching the team.

Kolb’s arm- I know that the predominant train of thought on Kevin Kolb is that he will be a more accurate passer than Donovan was, and his long range arm leaves something to be desired. After getting my first look at Kolb, I couldn’t be more impressed. His accuracy was excellent, and I was surprised at how good he looked throwing the deep ball. He hooked up with Jeremy Maclin several times, all of which were perfect. I probably saw Kolb throw 20-25 deep passes, and all but three or four were caught in stride, with excellent placement. One negative to the practice was that most of his deep passes were thrown on go routes, so I cannot vouch for his ability to hit the 20-30 yard crossing or out routes. All in all, I was extremely impressed with our new quarterback. Whether or not he has what it takes mentally and psychologically to run the team is a completely different can of worms. But, on mechanics and physical ability alone, he looked ready.

Nasty Nate Allen- Okay, so I don’t really want to go through another season with a combination of what feels like twelve different free safeties playing in the secondary. I felt it last year and all it did was rub salt in the open wound of losing Brian Dawkins. I went to camp feeling suspicious about all I had heard about Nate Allen and his prowess as a rookie to understand the defense. For all we know, that could be the same propaganda machine that we’ve heard for years by the Eagles. Jeremy Bloom was supposed to be pretty good if you all correctly remember what the organization told us.

Jeremy Bloom was a joke.

Nate Allen is no such thing (I’ll never mention the two in the same breath again, I promise).

Allen was in the middle of everything when he was on the field. He broke up pass after pass, and always seemed to be in the right place at the right time. He looked completely comfortable in the defense, much to my amazement. If I didn’t know he was a rookie before practice, I sure as hell wouldn’t have been able to tell after practice. I’m looking forward to seeing a whole lot more of Nate Allen this season. I have a strong feeling I won’t have to see two different free safeties this season. That’s a great feeling.

Jeremy Maclin- The one thing I noticed while closely observing Kolb during practice was that he loves to throw to Maclin. It seemed like every time number 18 was on the field, the ball was thrown in his direction. I don’t know if that was simply the way things worked out, but it seemed like Kolb and Maclin have excellent chemistry when they’re on the field together. No matter what the reason was, it’s certainly an encouraging sign for the young wide receiver and the team moving forward.

Ellis Hobbs- Hobbs seemed to hold his own most through most of practice; however he was involved in a couple of miscommunications that resulted in wide open receivers. With that being said, there was no contact in the scrimmage, so it was difficult for any corners to really shine. I’m not completely sure if the miscommunications were Hobbs’ fault or simply mistakes made by the safeties, but I was not impressed with Hobbs on the right side. I will be watching him closely throughout the preseason to see if that was an aberration. For the team’s sake, I hope it was.

Linebackers- After the scrimmage installment of practice was complete; the different positions broke into separate drills. I spent this time evaluating the linebackers. Fokou, Bradley and Sims did not participate in the drills. Basically, the drills were concentrated on pass coverage, with each linebacker covering another’s route. The routes started on the hash marks, much like tight end routes would. In watching the drills, it seemed like most of the linebackers were successful in coverage about 50 percent of the time. The exceptions were Akeem Jordan and Jamar Chaney. It’s hard not to think that Jordan will be starting at the SAM as the season opens, and I can’t help but believe that Chaney will find himself on the roster as well. He is extremely fluid and quick for a linebacker, something the birds sorely need when it comes to matching up against the tight ends in the NFC East.

Here are some less in-depth observations I also made upon my visit:

Mike Kafka looked pretty accurate, Michael Vick did not.

LeSean McCoy has the offense down to a T at this point, he looked great.

It’s great to see Stewart Bradley back on the field. He spent 20-30 minutes talking to Defensive Coordinator Sean McDermott after practice.

Chad Hall spent quite a bit of time running 40 yard sprints after practice. Whether he makes the team or not, I couldn’t help but be impressed with his work ethic.

Brandon Graham was always the first person on the field when the coaches called for substitutions. He was continuously sprinting on the field to his spots. He was far and away the most enthusiastic player I saw during practice.


*I also had an excellent fan experience with rookie safety Kurt Coleman and wide receiver Kelley Washington. I was lost on Lehigh’s campus and saw the two waiting outside the dorms, for food or a ride I suppose. I stopped and wished them luck. My high school was in the same district as Washington’s, so we struck up some good-natured trash talk. Suffice to say, I was impressed with the both of them as professionals and gentlemen. I’m rooting for both to make the roster this season.

Feel free to follow Mark on Twitter (@Mtrible) or shoot him an email (mtrible@vt.edu).

Eagles cut 2, reduce roster to 75

After cutting offensive lineman Chris Patrick yesterday, the Eagles still had to move four more players off the roster to get down to 75 players today. To do so, the Eagles made several moves, none of them at all surprising. First, the team placed both injured linebacker Stewart Bradley and Cornelius Ingram on IR, a move that puts them both out for the season. Then, the Eagles cut a pair of players, LB Charleston Hughes and S Brandon Harrison. Neither were likely to make the team and aren't even likely to be on the practice squad.

With these moves, the Eagles, as required by the league, are down to 75 players. The next cuts have to come by Saturday, when the Eagles have to drop 22 more players to get down to 53. For my projection of who will make the Eagles final roster, click here.

Stewart Bradley out for the season

When the Eagles let Brian Dawkins leave to the Denver Broncos, many thought the mantle of defensive leader was going to be passed on to middle linebacker Stewart Bradley. Bradley only just became the starter last season, but he quickly became a steadying presence and showed promising leadership skills. Unfortunately, it looks like the Eagles are going to have to come up with another plan for a defensive leader.

According to WIP 610, Bradley may be out for the season after suffering a torn ACL during the Eagles Flight Night, the Sunday night scrimmage open to fans. Brian Seltzer also confirms it via his Twitter, so it looks like Bradley is indeed lost for the year.

Now the question is who steps in at the middle linebacker position? On the Eagles unofficial depth chart on their website, Joe Mays is the backup at middle linebacker, so he could be an option. The best three LB's on the roster are Akeem Jordan, Chris Gocong and Omar Gaither, so the Eagles could also move them around to fill the three spots. No matter how they shake it up, however, losing Bradley is going to be a big blow. The Eagles should still have one of the better defenses in the league, but they are going to see a bit of a dropoff without their man in the middle.

First, Brian Dawkins leaves via free agency. Then, sadly, Jim Johnson passed away. Now, Stewart Bradley is out. This could be a rough year for the Eagles defense.