SB Nation - Macho Harris

Joselio Hanson rejoins Eagles

JasonB — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 13:00:35 -0000

A month ago Joselio Hanson was suspended for taking a banned over the counter diuretic.The four game suspension over and Hanson has rejoined the team and will be available this weekend against the Giants. Whether he'll play or not is still a question according to Reid.

"We haven't been able to do anything with him (for a month)," Eagles head coach Andy Reid said. "I just want to see where he's at. He's normally a hard worker, but he's been gone a month. I want to see what kind of shape he's in. I would hope that he'd be able to get back in there and go, but I'll have to see."

Assuming Hanson is in shape, his presence certainly won't hurt. Dimitri Patterson and Macho Harris didn't do a bad job in his absence, but another veteran back there is always helpful.

Eagles roll over Giants 40-17

JasonB — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 21:30:59 -0000

More photos » by Carolyn Kaster - AP

about 1 month ago: Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson celebrates with Eagles coach Andy Reid after Jackson scored a touchdown during the second quarter an NFL football game against the New York Giants, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2009, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

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The Eagles offense bounced back from a few sputtering performances while the defense continued it's dominance as the Eagles blew out the Giants to take over first place in the NFC East. While the Eagles offense still flashed that big play capability they've shown all year, they also showed an ability to run longer more methodical drives. While the Eagles' ability to run the ball certainly helped, the offensive line and especially Donovan McNabb also had big bounce back games which helped the Eagles establish a rhythm on offense that we haven't seen in weeks. The Donovan McNabb we saw today looked nothing like the inaccurate and indecisive QB we've seen since his return from injury. No doubt the time given to him by the line helped, but McNabb's ball placement was so much better this week. I honestly don't remember him making a bad throw all day.

There's no doubt that in years passed we've seen McNabb have these mini slumps only to respond with great stretches. Today's win seems to mark the end of his slump and the start of good things.

No discussion of why the Eagles dominated this game would be complete without a mention of the defense. Eli Manning was picked off twice in a game where the Eagles forced three turnovers and pressured him well all day and getting two sacks. Brandon Jacobs padded his stats toward the end of the game, but in general the Eagles bottled up the Giants round game as well. For me, the standout defensive player was Sean Jones. With rookie Macho Harris hurt, the free agent signing from the Browns got the start and responded with probably the best game from an Eagles safety this year. He hit receivers, hard, he running backs hard... I would almost say he reminded me of another Eagle safety, but to do would be sacrilege. So let me just say it's nice to see an Eagle safety hitting people hard again.

Big play offense in effect

The Eagles ripped off big plays through the air and on the ground this week. The big TDs were a 41 yard Leonard Weaver run, a 54 yard Desean Jackson catch, a spectacular 23 yard TD Jeremy Maclin grab, and a 56 yard LeSean McCoy run on a 3rd and 1 play. When things are clicking like today, there isn't many teams more exciting to watch than the Eagles.

Desean Jackson's 50+ yard TD ties him for the franchise record.

Top picks deliver big

You may notice in that list of big plays that the names of both of our top draft picks this year appeared. Jeremy Maclin finished the day with 4 catches for 49 yards and a fantastic TD catch while Shady McCoy had 82 yards on 11 carries.

Church bus was rolling

Leonard Weaver's performance was probably the biggest surprise of the day. With Brian Westbrook on the sideline we expected rookie LeSean McCoy to take the load, but in reality the carries were pretty even split between he and Weaver, who set the tone for the game with a 41 yard TD run on the Eagles opening drive. Weaver ran hard for 75 yards on 8 carries. While I still love Westbrook and can't wait to see him back, we learn more and more each week that the Eagles offense no longer relies on him.

Babin's boneheaded play

BGN favorite Jason Babin, who did have a sack today and generally did a nice job getting into the Giants' backfield.... made perhaps the dumbest play of the year so far. On a poorly struck Giants kickoff, Babin decided to try to catch the short kick rather than let it bounce(probably out of bounds). Not surprisingly the defense end couldn't catch it and fumbled the ball, which the Giants recovered and converted to 7 points.

About those points...

The Giants scored 17 points today, which marked the sixth time in seven games the Eagles defense has held their opponent to 17 points or less. That was always Jim Johnson's target for a good defensive performance.

A name you never heard today

Winston Justice. He went up against Justin Tuck today and surrendered no sacks. Any day where you never hear an offensive lineman's name is a good day. He denies it, but I'm fairly confident that Justice had this game circled on his calender for quite a while.

Final thought

Suddenly, we're all feeling pretty good about these Eagles? Two straight wins over division rivals, a big win over a team with a winning record, Donovan McNabb looks back on track, the defense is good... It's amazing what a difference a week can make. The fun continues next week as the Dallas Cowboys come to town. Should be a fun week.

Giants vs Eagles coverage

Giants vs Eagles recap

Giants vs Eagles boxscore

Big Blue View

Who's In and Who's Out: Giants @ Eagles

Bob_Q — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:00:06 -0000

More photos » by Manuel Balce Ceneta - AP

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As expected, Kevin Curtis and Victor Abiamiri will not be playing Sunday afternoon while they recoup from their knee injuries. Dimitri Patterson will also remain off the field while he recovers from his broken hand and quad injury. The big questions this week, though, are the status of Brian Westbrook and Macho Harris, who are both listed as questionable. Westbrook sustained a concussion last week against the Redskins, so it's hard to believe that Andy Reid will seriously risk his star player aggravating his injury. LeSean McCoy is likely to get the start, and should have his hands full with the Giants' dominant defensive line. Macho Harris didn't practice all week due to an ankle injury, and it is looking more and more like Sean Jones will take his place as starting free safety. This isn't as serious a loss though, as Jones is an experienced former starter who has a knack for always being around the ball. Refer to KingMcNabb5's article about Jones for more info.

On the Giants' side of the ball, three defensive starters will be on the sidelines: linebacker Michael Boley, defensive lineman Chris Canty, and cornerback Aaron Ross. This is a big blow to New York's dominant defense, and hopefully Donovan McNabb will be able to take advantages of the weaknesses in the secondary. Look for DeSean Jackson to continue his dominant performance with at least one touchdown. On the GIants' offense receiver Mario Manningham missed practice today with a shoulder injury and is listed as questionable. Over the course of the season, Manningham has emerged as a reliable target for Eli Manning and will definitely be a factor should he play Sunday night.

Interview with an Eagles Fan regarding the Redskins MNF game

KevinE — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:17:56 -0000

The equivalent of how Redskins fans feel towards their Front Office.

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It's time for another exciting installment of Interview with a Fan. A great friend of mine, Jimmy Mac, has lived in Philly pretty much his whole life, with a brief stint in Baltimore commuting from his time as Monty and Manager at Rosecroft Race Track in MD. So, gambling comes into play here. He's must have heard the "How many Super Bowls you got?" comeback from me at least 13.5 gazillion times, but with the current state of the Redskins, I've shelved that one for an undetermined amount of time. I hit Jimmy with 5 questions:

1.)    Why does Andy Reid refuse to run the ball?
2.)    How much does Witherspoon add to a depleted LB core?
3.)    Six weeks in, any regrets letting Dawkins go?
4.)    Has McNabb lost a step?
5.)    Barbaro trash talk and Game Prediction.

Hogs Haven: Philadelphia had 60 offensive plays vs the Raiders (a whopping 46 of them passes and just 12 of them runs) - despite the fact that Brian Westbrook gained 50 yards on just six carries. 0 Wildcat plays with Vick. The Raiders have a 28th ranked defense against the run (145.3 ypg)....any explanations why Andy Reid refuses to run the ball? This has killed the Birds it seems at least 1 game a year.

Andy Reid's game-plan versus the Raiders (as most cases against bad teams) is to take them out early with the pass, get a huge lead, and then run later in the second half. Obviously, the plan did not work. Here is Reid's biggest weakness as a head coach; it is making adjustments in-game when the original game plan did not work. Reid refused to run the ball and continued to throw the ball every down even though the Raiders can't stop the run and King Dunlap was getting literally run over by Seymour and McNabb was taking a beating. To most observers, this was unexplainable. Most every Eagle fan can explain it very simply: Arrogance. Reid refuses to make adjustments when things aren't working because he believes his way is the best way and he will go down with the ship throwing the ball. We have seen it for a decade and its sickening. The Eagles will either blow out teams or lose the game. Either Reid's initial game plan works and they win big or he will make no adjustments and the ship will sink. Simple as that.

Hogs Haven: It's now Week 7 and Macho Harris seems to be having a so-so year. What's your sentiment now on if the Eagles should have re-signed Dawkins?

The Trotter re-signing is basically the Eagles admitting they totally screwed up by not resigning Dawk. I don't think they brought back a 31yo LB who hasn't played in 2 years and couldn't run 3 years ago for his athletic ability. Harris will be a good player and isn't doing a bad job on the field as a rookie.

Hogs Haven: How much does the addition of Will Witherspoon help the Birds this week? I'm glad to see someone else suffer with Trotter besides the Redskins, but Witherspoon does have good skills covering TEs, which is basically the Redskins only offensive weapon.

Witherspoon will be an upgrade at MLB if he shows up Monday and doesn't get hurt in pre game warm-ups. Why Trotter was on the field in obvious passing downs is unbelievable. So is not knowing how many timeouts you have and getting a delay of game in the hurry-up 2 minute drill. But I digress, some things you just can't answer. It's a safe assumption the Redskins offensive game plan will be revolve around Cooley.

Hogs Haven: McNabb always gets away from the first pass rusher...the first Raider was getting him to the ground. Are you noticing anything about McNabb that makes you think he has lost a step?

McNabb hasn't lost a step. To me, I've seen this a few times throughout his career. When the O-line is getting beat and McNabb is getting knocked around and sacked, he seems to me that he starts to expect it every time he drops back and almost willfully takes a sack even though he may have been able to escape that first rusher with a little maneuvering. It's very annoying.

Hogs Haven: What do you think will happen first...the Eagles win a Super Bowl or the Barbaro comes back from the dead and wins the Triple Crown?

Not sure about Barbaro, but I would guess that if Vegas were to set a line on who would win a Super Bowl first, the Eagles or the Redskins, it would be somewhere around Eagles -100,000 and Redskins +750,000. What a cluster **** you got going on down there. I almost feel bad for you guys, almost.

[Switching to IM]

Hogs Haven: Prediction...

Jimmy: 34-14. I think it would be a very close game if we won last week, id even say the skins outright. Since we lost, you will get buried. Reid off a loss is really, really good.

Hogs Haven: 14 will be our 3rd down conversion % or sacks against. We can't score against D's that give up 400+ yards a game ON AVERAGE. I can't wait to see what a top 5 team Defense does...3 of our current 5 offensive lineman were either undrafted or out of the league last year.

Jimmy: 14 pts because cooley will have a big game. You will be down big and won't go for a FG and maybe a turnover, TD. If the Skins get blown out, they'll get a meaningless late TD.

Hogs Haven: I'll take the under at 11.

Laurinaitis not even considered for NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month

VanRam — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 17:03:14 -0000

More photos » by Al Behrman - AP

St. Louis Rams linebacker James Laurinaitis was not nominated for the league's Defensive Rookie of the Month, despite better stats than some of the nominees.

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Welcome to the St. Louis Rams, James Laurinaitis, where you'll be playing in obscurity no matter how good you are.

The NFL announced their Offensive and Defensive Rookie of the Month awards, giving the honors to Jets QB Mark Sanchez (huge surprise) and Lions S Louis Delmas.

In their official press release, the league cited Delmas' 17 tackles and his fumble recovered for a TD, which must have been the difference maker. He also has three passes defended.

Laurinaitis, besides significantly improving the Rams linebackers, has 25 tackles (one less than rookie leader LB Brian Cushing) and one fumble recovered.

Ok, so you can make the argument for Delmas over Laurinaitis. Here's the real slight: Laurinaitis wasn't even nominated for the award. Instead a kicker, Rey Maualuga and four others were nominated. Here's the list with the official write up for each player from the NFL's official press release:

Dallas kicker DAVID BUEHLER (fifth round, USC), who tied for the NFL lead with seven touchbacks as the Cowboys’ kickoff coverage unit ranked third overall.

Houston linebacker BRIAN CUSHING (1st round, USC), who has started all three games and leads the team and all NFL rookies with 26 tackles.

Seattle linebacker AARON CURRY (first round, Wake Forest), who started all three games and had 15 tackles, one sack and a forced fumble.

Philadelphia safety MACHO HARRIS (fifth round, Virginia Tech), who started all three games and had nine tackles and one pass defensed.

New Orleans Saints cornerback MALCOLM JENKINS (first round, Ohio State), who had five special teams tackles, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.

Cincinnati linebacker REY MAUALUGA (second round, USC), who has started all three games and ranks fourth on the team with 15 tackles.

I have a single comment for this HUGE oversight: bulls@#t. How can you justify this list without Laurinaitis' name on it? One thing that might factor into the decision, none of these teams are 0-3. Still...it's pretty dubious based on that alone. Laurinaitis' stats hold up to any of these guys.

Rey Maualuga nominated for NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month

Kirkendall — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 16:13:13 -0000

On the same day that it was announced that the AFC Defensive Player of the Month was our very own Antwan Odom, Rey Maualuga was considered and nominated for the September NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month. Maualuga has started all three games this season, ranks fourth on the team with 15 tackles, has also recorded a sack and forced two fumbles. Not a bad start for a guy that 31 other teams passed up on, some twice.

The award eventually went to Detroit Lions safety Louis Delmas, who recorded 17 tackles, three passes defensed and a fumble recovered and returned 65 yards for a touchdown. Other nominations, aside from Maualuga, include:

Dallas kicker DAVID BUEHLER (fifth round, USC), who tied for the NFL lead with seven touchbacks as the Cowboys’ kickoff coverage unit ranked third overall.

Houston linebacker BRIAN CUSHING (1st round, USC), who has started all three games and leads the team and all NFL rookies with 26 tackles.

Seattle linebacker AARON CURRY (first round, Wake Forest), who started all three games and had 15 tackles, one sack and a forced fumble.

Philadelphia safety MACHO HARRIS (fifth round, Virginia Tech), who started all three games and had nine tackles and one pass defensed.

New Orleans Saints cornerback MALCOLM JENKINS (first round, Ohio State), who had five special teams tackles, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.

On the offensive side, Mark Sanchez won rookie of the month. No Bengals players were nominated -- not that we have a rookie doing much on offense anyway.

Eagles win comfortably 34-14 over Chiefs

JasonB — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 20:04:55 -0000

More photos » by Michael Perez - AP

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The game was a blowout. Kevin Kolb was sat down in the second half. Jeff Garcia was inserted into the game.

If you had been given all those facts and not the final score... who would you have said won this game? Probably not the Eagles... but the boys in green were victorious on the back of a dominating defensive performance and a great showing from QB Kevin Kolb.

The Eagles defense from week one reappeared sacking Matt Cassel 3 times and holding Kansas City to just under 200 yards of total offense. The offense was equally terrific scoring 30+ and racking up 420 yards of total offense. In his second career start Kevin Kolb was 24 of 34 for 327 yards, 2 passing TDs, and a rushing TD. Most importantly he didn't turn the ball over. He looked like a starting NFL quarterback out there, and a pretty good one at that. Actually, Kevin Kolb is the first QB in NFL history to throw for over 300 yards in his first two starts.

Much more after the jump

Action Jackson in full effect

Another great game from Desean Jackson. As of this writing he is leading the league in receiving today with 149 yards on 6 catches and a TD. His touchdown pass came on a quick slant that was threaded between two guys, Desean broke one tackle and then split the KC safeties as he streaked down the middle of the field for a TD. It was a quintessential west coast offense TD. Quick slant, run after the catch, touchdown.

Fearsome front 7

The Eagles front 7 were absolutely stifling. They ate up any run that came their way, and any time Cassel dropped back to pass he had someone in his face. It was amazing to watch after what happened last week. It didn't even look like the same team. They were absolutely dominant.

Maybe the best stat you'll hear today

If we put aside that last meaningless fumble by Garcia at the end of the game... The Eagles offense had no penalties, gave up no sacks, and didn't turn the ball over once. We saw a disciplined, smart, and effective Eagles offense in what was their best performance of the year to date. There's still improvements to be made, 3rd down efficiency could be better and they settled for FGs a few times... but those complaints are minor in the context of the game today. The Eagles were dominant throughout.

Return of the Rocca

Over the first couple weeks of the year, Sav Rocca had been wildly inconsistent. He hit a boomer one play and shank on the next... Special teams coach Ted Daisher challenged Rocca this week and Sav responded with a really solid game. Speaking of special teams... the penalties that plauged them last week were gone.

Rookie watch

The Eagles started 3 rookies today, including Jeremy Maclin and Lesean McCoy for their first NFL starts. Maclin had 4 catches for 33 yards, McCoy looked very good rushing for 84 yards at 4.2 per attempt and a TD. Macho Harris added 4 tackles.

Gotta give it up to Brent Celek

Anyone who regularly reads the site knows I had my doubts about Celek coming into this year. It's not as if I thought he was a bad player, I just thought we could really upgrade the TE position... Now? I'm not so sure. Celek has had a fantastic start to the year and turned in yet another great performance today. 8 catches, 104 yards, and a TD. He's clearly a favorite target of Kevin Kolb and the amount effort he puts in on every play is impressive. Celek seems to have taken the next step this year, he's been fantastic. Right now, he's leading all NFL TEs in catches.

What they're saying - Eagles win over Panthers

JasonB — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 14:59:03 -0000

More photos » by Rick Havner - AP

3 months ago: Carolina Panthers' Jake Delhomme, bottom, is sacked by Philadelphia Eagles' Mike Patterson (98) and Omar Gaither (96) in the third quarter during an NFL football game in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, Sept. 13, 2009. (AP Photo/Rick Havner)

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Panther's QB Jake Delhomme on the pressure brought by the Eagles' defense

"That's what they (the Eagles) do," Delhomme said. "We knew they were going to bring pressure ... We need to respond to that. If you think there was a lot of pressure this week and we didn't do too well with it, we are going to see a lot of it next week."

Fullback Brad Hoover on the same

"They're a pressure defense, so it's not that we weren't expecting it. They just hit us on some things to which we weren't able to adjust," said fullback Brad Hoover. "They got us and bit us."

Might one of things they weren't expecting be Trent Cole rushing up the middle? Chris Gocong says "I told you so" about the surprises on defense.

"I've been telling you guys for a while now, but you wouldn't listen," said a chuckling Chris Gocong about the potential of the defense. "It's still Jim (Johnson)'s defense, but it's streamlined. It's real aggressive, very aggressive. We've known it for a while. We haven't shown too much of our blitzes in the preseason, and we know what we had going in, so we were kind of expecting things. But that was a great first performance for us, I'm really proud of the defense."

Much more after the jump

Omar Gaither attributed the success of the D to McDermott's playcalling

"A few of the things that (coach McDermott) did came up big for us," said middle linebacker Omar Gaither, "A lot of those big plays were things that he's changed. And obviously with our personnel ... it worked out well for us."

Victor Abiamiri on scoring the first TD of his career and the first of the Eagles' season.

"Trent made one heckuva play. I was just there to scoop and score. The ball was just sitting there, right there, I just picked it up," said Abiamiri, who made his second-career start. "It was a great start to my season. I'm hoping to build on it. I hope it's just one of many."

Omar Gaither talked about how the Eagles shut down one of the NFL's best rushing attacks.

"That first drive he was bouncing a lot. We know he likes to bounce outside, but we didn't know how much he wanted to get out there," Gaither said. "We came back and regrouped for the second drive and we were able to get him stopped."

Macho Harris on starting his first NFL game

"When I walked out there I was a little emotional because it was my first start in a professional league," Harris said. "I dreamed of playing this game on Sundays, so it was emotional for me in the beginning of the game, but other than that, it was great."

Desean Jackson on his 85 yard punt return for a TD.

"The punt-return team did a great job of setting me up," Jackson said. "I got a good crease and I hit the crease, and from there I saw the punter and I just made him miss."

Desean also talked about his future in the wildcat offense.

"The Wildcat is not going to go anywhere," Jackson said. "I'll be back there with Mike and without him."

Finally, Panthers' WR Steve Smith probably summed up his team's performance the best.

"Offensively, we just sucked. Let’s be honest," receiver Steve Smith said.

Panther Paw Prints - 2009 Season Kick-Off Edition

Jaxon — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 13:28:59 -0000

So what seemed like an eternity away last January has finally arrived. The Panthers can finally put the horrid finish of 2008 behind them and begin afresh with a home opener against the NFC contender Eagles. This edition of Paw Prints starts with some news from the Panthers locker room:

Darin Gantt's Panthers Blog | The Herald - Rock Hill, SC
It speaks to Pep's reputation in the locker room to have been voted a captain after doing everything he could to leave here earlier in the year.

Does it really? I'm still trying to figure this one out. Don't get me wrong, I love the notion of Pep being a leader on this team but he's never given that indication before. Has Peppers actually decided that he WANTS to be a leader?

Munnerlyn ready to man returner's spot - CharlotteObserver.com
Rookie cornerback Captain Munnerlyn said Wednesday he expects to be the Carolina Panthers' punt returner in Sunday's season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles. Munnerlyn said he was told before practice he'll fill the role and he had about 10 repetitions catching punts.

Let's put some sticky stuff on his fingers please. Seriously, I think Munnerlyn will do well. The kid has done some growing up and presents the best opportunity to break a nice return at this point now that Mark Jones is out of the picture for the moment. In another line up move, its being reported TE Jeff King will start over upstart Gary Barnidge. What? Did you forget Fox's preference for veterans to a fault?

It looks like Jeff King has won back the starting tight end spot he briefly lost in training camp. King, the starter since 2007, is one of three tight ends on the roster, along with Gary Barnidge and Dante Rosario. "We all compete and we all want to be on the field," said King. "But someone else controls that."

There are those in Pittsburgh who think the Panthers got a steal in signing DT RaShon 'Sonny' Harris. Read the comments after the post via the link below.

NFL from the sidelines: Sonny Harris gone
The Carolina Panthers must have liked what they saw of Sonny Harris Thursday night as much as I did. The Panthers signed Harris to their 53-man roster.

Just like last season the Panthers lead off with a Super Bowl contender. Well according to Fox Sports anyway.

NFL - - FOX Sports on MSN
1. At the beginning of the year, my Super Bowl pick is always based on emotion. I'm picking the Philadelphia Eagles. Donovan McNabb and Andy Reid deserve a Super Bowl title after agreeing to take on the Michael Vick rehabilitation project. I've always been a huge McNabb fan. He personifies class. I've never been that big on Reid because he hasn't given McNabb the necessary supporting cast. Well, Reid and McNabb stepped up big for Vick. McNabb can show Vick how to prepare like a professional. If he's willing to listen to and learn from McNabb and Reid, Vick could be the NFL's most valuable trade option during the 2010 offseason and be in position to land another lucrative contract.

Here's a clay pigeon.. err...Eagles with a target on his back

Eagles rookie (FS Macho Harris) thrust into starting role | Philadelphia Inquirer | 09/10/2009
"Against tight ends, they're a little physical and big, so I have to bring a little more weight with that. I have to use my speed and quickness to beat them. I'm physical. I consider myself a physical player. The physical part is no problem, but what I have over them is my speed and quickness. At free safety, you get to be around the ball a lot. At corner, you get one or two shots a game and you have to make the best of it."

Panthers OC Jeff Davidson will get major grief from this site if he fails to try and exploit the rookie CB converted to FS...The Panthers have a few admirers of the o-line in the Quaker State:

Paul Domowitch: Panthers' offensive line works well together | Philadelphia Daily News | 09/08/2009
"Half of being a good offensive line is knowing each other and knowing how each other plays," said the Panthers' Pro Bowl left tackle, Jordan Gross. "We got that out of the way last year. There's really no excuse for us not to be a good unit, and hopefully, build off what we did last year."

NFL Power Rankings places the Panthers at #18. Someone please tell me what the resignation of the Richardson boys has to do with what happens on the field? No end to the disrespect.

NFL Power Rankings topped by Patriots, Steelers, Packers - Don Banks - SI.com
Carolina Panthers Another team I've obviously lost confidence in since late July. The Panthers looked dreadful in their 0-4 preseason, and then there's this whole messy deal of owner Jerry Richardson firing both his sons from team management. It's hard to see some sort of championship vibe rising out of all that. Starting the season with Philadelphia, at Atlanta, at Dallas may ensure this thing keeps right on snowballing.

Think beating the Eagles will change?

Eagles vs. Panthers: Blogger Q&A

Jaxon — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 17:01:31 -0000

More photos » by Matt Rourke - AP

3 months ago: Philadelphia Eagles running back Brian Westbrook looks onduring practice at the team's NFL football training facility in Philadelphia, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2009. The Eagles open the season on the road against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, Sept. 13. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

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Starting with this post every week before a Panthers game I will trade questions with the opposing teams SBN blogger. Week one has me engaging JasonB over at Bleeding Green Nation. You can read his questions to me and my answers here. Also, if you have any additional questions please add them in a comment and I'll try to get Jason or any other Eagles fan to answer them in the thread. So here we go:

Question 1. When talking about the Eagles you have to start with QB Donovan McNabb. Is McNabb still in his prime and does he still have the full confidence of his team and fan base? How should the Panthers keep McNabb from having a good game?

JasonB: Yeah, in fact I'd say this is the most drama free offseason as far as McNabb is concerned that we've had in years. He's coming off two straight healthy seasons, he finished last season well, signed a new contract in the offseason, and seems poised to have a good year.

As far as how to stop him, I'd say you do what you'd do to stop any QB. Bring pressure and make him uncomfortable in the pocket. McNabb has never been one to throw many picks, but he will hold onto the ball too long on occasion. I would also to be efficient with your blitzes. McNabb isn't the same kind of threat to take off an run like he was early in his career, but he's still very elusive in the pocket and very good buying himself a few extra seconds to make a play.

The Panthers beat the Eagles in 2003 on their way to the Super Bowl. Maybe another victory of the Eagles will be the start of another such journey!

Question 2. Ever since the departure of Terrell Owens the Eagles receiving core has had been singled out as the Achilles heel of the offense. How do you think the current receiving unit rates with the additions of DeSean Jackson last season and Jeremy Maclin this year? Will the WR's deliver this season and be a strength on offense?

JasonB: I think it's the best WR corps the Eagles have ever had under McNabb and that includes the year TO was here. Certainly TO is better than any one guy in this group, but from top to bottom I think this year's group is much better. DeSean Jackson set pretty much every Eagles rookie WR record last year, Kevin Curtis had 1,000 yards in this offense just two years ago, Jason Avant has developed into a fantastic 3rd down WR, and now we've added Jeremy Maclin. Maclin certainly still has some learning to do after coming into camp late and playing in a spread offense in college, but there's obviously tons of raw talent there. Add in the fact that the depth of the group includes some decent players like Reggie Brown & Hank Baskett plus a surprise rookie in Brandon Gibson and I think it's a really good group.

McNabb and the passing game will be an early test for the Panther secondary. I've seen McNabb when he is ‘on' and it won't be pretty if the Panthers continue with soft zones and give him time to throw.

Question 3. Stopping RB Brian Westbrook is always a focus of the opposing defense. Is Westbrook healthy and can we expect a full workload from Westbrook? How much will we see of rookie RB LeSean McCoy?

JasonB: Well, they say he's healthy. He says he's healthy. He hasn't played at all in the preseason, but he has been practicing and working out for a couple months. Basically all indications are that he's ready to go and will be given a full load, but until we actually see him take the field finally it's really hard to predict what he'll do.

I think LeSean McCoy will get his touches, maybe 7-10?

Sounds like the path Jonathan Stewart took this preseason. We can only wait to see how both players respond.Fortunately for us Stewart is the back-up versus the starter.

Question 4. Moving to defense the departure of S Brian Dawkins has received a lot of scrutiny. Has he been adequately replaced or so you think the secondary will struggle without him? Who is the leader of the defense now?

JasonB: The Eagles secondary is still pretty talented. They've got really good corners in Samuel. Brown, & Hobbs and they've got a really good strong safety in Quintin Mikell who was a pro bowl alternate & last year. It was announced this week that rookie Macho Harris will start at FS, so that's obviously going to be a question mark. He did play well in preseason, but you never know with a rookie. The interesting thing is that Dawkins spent most of the second half of last year playing 3 safety sets where he would no longer play the centerfield type FS position he always has. He just didn't have the speed for it anymore. So while Macho Harris will play FS, he's not exactly going to play the same role as Dawkins did(and was very effective at) last year. We're not sure if that role will even exist.

The leaders of the defense are the same they were last year. Asante Samuel is a major vocal guy, Sheldon Brown is the elder statesmen, Quintin Mikell handles the press conferences. There's a lot of veterans on that unit and there was never one guy who was the only designated leader. Dawkins was certainly among the leaders.

The Panthers should be targeting the rookie FS Harris with 3 WR sets that split the zones. Let's see if the Panthers can take advantage.

Question 5. Give us a game plan for the Panther offense. How should they attack the Eagles defense to win this game?

JasonB: If I had to pick two things that the Eagles' defense has struggled with at times, its screen passes and throws to the TE. They come hard on the blitz and can be susceptible to those quick slip screens to the backs... and the Eagles' linebackers have struggled to cover TEs for years.

The Panthers have focused on getting the TE down the field and certainly have the RB's to run screens all day long. Sounds like a winning formula to me.