Nav22
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I posted this analysis at the Philly board (scout.com), let me know what you think...
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This was originally meant to be a reply in the "How Do You Think The Eagles Will Do In 2006-2007?" thread, but I figured I might as well make it a new thread. Here's how I see YOUR Eagles and MY Cowboys matching up, as of now.
Defense...
Linebackers... Trotter's very good, but Barber and Dhani Jones are average. Barber is 31 and hasn't done anything since hurting his knee a couple years ago. He might not even make it to "average". We have Akin Ayodele and Bradie James inside (both should be very solid), with Demarcus Ware and Kevin Burnett outside. I'm not sure if Burnett is ready, we may need to pick up another LB (maybe Rocky Boiman from Tennessee). Ware obviously has the potential to be an absolute beast, starting next year. It's close, but I'd give the Cowboys the edge for now at LB.
Cornerbacks... I'd give the Cowboys CB tandem the edge over Philly's, simply based on last year's play. That could all change depending on the pressure applied to the opposing QB, but for now it's only fair to give Newman/Henry the nod. Oh, and Aaron Glenn is a better nickel CB than Roderick Hood.
Safeties... Keith Davis sucks and we haven't signed outside help at FS yet (Marcus Coleman is most likely on the way), so I'll give Philly's safety tandem the edge. Dawkins is getting up there in years, but he's still Dawkins. And Lewis is a very capable SS. If Coleman steps in and is solid at FS, it could change into a draw. Roy's just too much of a beast "in the box", and a solid FS would allow him to camp out there for 4 quarters.
D-line... Walker and Patterson are decent inside, although Patterson has potential to get much better next year. Kearse is overrated, but he's still pretty good. Darren Howard is a major x-factor. He'll turn 30 in November, and has missed 15 games in the past 3 years. He's coming off a pretty horrible year, but maybe he'd do better with a better supporting cast next year. If he can emerge as a consistent pass-rushing threat who beats the one-on-ones, the Eagles front 4 has a chance to do some serious damage. But if he's the Howard of 2005, your D-line could struggle again. Cowboys D-line consists of Jason Ferguson at NT, Greg Ellis/Marcus Spears/Chris Canty/Kenyon Coleman rotating at DE. Spears and Canty were rookies and both have potential to make strides next year... but how big will these strides be? If they can become consistently stout DEs, our D-line can also do major damage. This one's a tough call... I'll say it's a draw, simply because there's too many unknowns.
On to the offense...
Quarterbacks... McNabb vs Bledsoe... I'll try to keep this short and sweet. When healthy, McNabb's the better player. I still think Bledsoe's the better PASSER when he has a brick wall protecting him, but McNabb's the player I'd want behind center in any other scenario. He can also use his legs to get him out of trouble and buy extra time to find receivers downfield, and Bledsoe is...well... a statue. Jeff Garcia also gives you a legit, proven backup, something the Cowboys sorely lack. Advantage: Philly. (side note: this could easily change if McNabb isn't 100% healthy from his sports hernia).
Running backs... Westbrook vs Jones... I'm giving Westbrook the edge here, just because Julius didn't show me much last year. Westbrook proved himself even further last year. He's not the conventional RB I'd want for the Cowboys, but he's very good in Philly's system. Julius, Julius, Julius... *sigh*... He still has major potential IMO based on his rookie year and the Carolina game last year... but I'm far from sold on him. He needs to stay healthy and play consistently well for 16 games next year, otherwise I'm all for the Cowboys looking for a new starter in 2007. Marion Barber and Ryan Moats both had their moments last year, so the backups are a draw at this point. And I honestly don't know much about Josh Parry, so I can't comment on whether or not he's better than Lousaka Polite. Polite's not very good, so it wouldn't take much anyways.
Wide Receivers... Terrell Owens has agreed to terms; he's a Cowboy. Our #2 WR (Terry Glenn) is better than your #1, whoever that is. I won't waste time explaining this one. Advantage: Dallas.
Tight Ends... Witten vs LJ Smith. Again, no need to explain this one. You'd have to be a major homer to disagree with me here. Smith did have a break-through year, however, so I wouldn't be COMPLETELY shocked if he reached Witten's level in '06. Advantage: Dallas. Matt Schobel and Ryan Hannam also give both teams recently-signed solid depth.
O-line... Thomas, Hicks, Fraley, Andrews, Herremans... solid unit minus Herremans. Cowboys starters are Adams, Allen/Kosier, Johnson, Rivera, and Jason Fabini (recently signed). Fabini fills a major void at RT, Allen might be gone which would make Kosier the starter at LG, and we're solid at the other 3 spots. Philly gets the edge since their starters have all played with each other, while the Cowboys could be starting at least 2 new parts. Continuity can be huge for an O-line.
Special teams...
Kicker... David Akers vs ? at kicker... we don't have one yet. If we get Vanderjagt or Vinatieri, Dallas gets the edge. If we get Josh Brown, it's a draw. Akers had a SLIGHTLY better overall FG% than Brown, but 60% of Brown's attempts were from 40+ while only 50% of Akers' were from 40+. Brown just better not pull any more chokejobs like he did in the Super Bowl.
Punter... Johnson vs McBriar. McBriar had the better average, Johnson had the better net average... draw? Sure, why not.
Returners... As far as the return game goes, you guys had the better punt returner while we had the better kickoff returner. Reno Mahe's 12.8 punt return average was much better than any of our guys', while Tyson Thompson's 24.5 average on kickoffs was better than Hood's 23.7, but not by much. Philly gets the return game edge. They were also better in opponent's kickoff and punt returns.
Coaching...
Reid's a good one, but he's no Parcells. Jim Johnson is better than Zimmer at DC, and I'll call the OCs a draw since Morningweg is no Brad Childress. Todd Haley (passing game coordinator) and Tony Sparano (running game coordinator) were both with the Cowboys last year, so there shouldn't be much of a learning curve there. Advantage: Dallas.
So there it is. Yes, I was very bored. Tallying them up, the totals come out to...
5 for Dallas
5 for Philly
2 draws
1 question-mark (kicker)
Obviously these totals are majorly skewed (ex: punter isn't nearly as important as QB). Not to mention the season's still almost 6 freakin months away (somebody shoot me).
Feedback welcome, obviously.
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This was originally meant to be a reply in the "How Do You Think The Eagles Will Do In 2006-2007?" thread, but I figured I might as well make it a new thread. Here's how I see YOUR Eagles and MY Cowboys matching up, as of now.
Defense...
Linebackers... Trotter's very good, but Barber and Dhani Jones are average. Barber is 31 and hasn't done anything since hurting his knee a couple years ago. He might not even make it to "average". We have Akin Ayodele and Bradie James inside (both should be very solid), with Demarcus Ware and Kevin Burnett outside. I'm not sure if Burnett is ready, we may need to pick up another LB (maybe Rocky Boiman from Tennessee). Ware obviously has the potential to be an absolute beast, starting next year. It's close, but I'd give the Cowboys the edge for now at LB.
Cornerbacks... I'd give the Cowboys CB tandem the edge over Philly's, simply based on last year's play. That could all change depending on the pressure applied to the opposing QB, but for now it's only fair to give Newman/Henry the nod. Oh, and Aaron Glenn is a better nickel CB than Roderick Hood.
Safeties... Keith Davis sucks and we haven't signed outside help at FS yet (Marcus Coleman is most likely on the way), so I'll give Philly's safety tandem the edge. Dawkins is getting up there in years, but he's still Dawkins. And Lewis is a very capable SS. If Coleman steps in and is solid at FS, it could change into a draw. Roy's just too much of a beast "in the box", and a solid FS would allow him to camp out there for 4 quarters.
D-line... Walker and Patterson are decent inside, although Patterson has potential to get much better next year. Kearse is overrated, but he's still pretty good. Darren Howard is a major x-factor. He'll turn 30 in November, and has missed 15 games in the past 3 years. He's coming off a pretty horrible year, but maybe he'd do better with a better supporting cast next year. If he can emerge as a consistent pass-rushing threat who beats the one-on-ones, the Eagles front 4 has a chance to do some serious damage. But if he's the Howard of 2005, your D-line could struggle again. Cowboys D-line consists of Jason Ferguson at NT, Greg Ellis/Marcus Spears/Chris Canty/Kenyon Coleman rotating at DE. Spears and Canty were rookies and both have potential to make strides next year... but how big will these strides be? If they can become consistently stout DEs, our D-line can also do major damage. This one's a tough call... I'll say it's a draw, simply because there's too many unknowns.
On to the offense...
Quarterbacks... McNabb vs Bledsoe... I'll try to keep this short and sweet. When healthy, McNabb's the better player. I still think Bledsoe's the better PASSER when he has a brick wall protecting him, but McNabb's the player I'd want behind center in any other scenario. He can also use his legs to get him out of trouble and buy extra time to find receivers downfield, and Bledsoe is...well... a statue. Jeff Garcia also gives you a legit, proven backup, something the Cowboys sorely lack. Advantage: Philly. (side note: this could easily change if McNabb isn't 100% healthy from his sports hernia).
Running backs... Westbrook vs Jones... I'm giving Westbrook the edge here, just because Julius didn't show me much last year. Westbrook proved himself even further last year. He's not the conventional RB I'd want for the Cowboys, but he's very good in Philly's system. Julius, Julius, Julius... *sigh*... He still has major potential IMO based on his rookie year and the Carolina game last year... but I'm far from sold on him. He needs to stay healthy and play consistently well for 16 games next year, otherwise I'm all for the Cowboys looking for a new starter in 2007. Marion Barber and Ryan Moats both had their moments last year, so the backups are a draw at this point. And I honestly don't know much about Josh Parry, so I can't comment on whether or not he's better than Lousaka Polite. Polite's not very good, so it wouldn't take much anyways.
Wide Receivers... Terrell Owens has agreed to terms; he's a Cowboy. Our #2 WR (Terry Glenn) is better than your #1, whoever that is. I won't waste time explaining this one. Advantage: Dallas.
Tight Ends... Witten vs LJ Smith. Again, no need to explain this one. You'd have to be a major homer to disagree with me here. Smith did have a break-through year, however, so I wouldn't be COMPLETELY shocked if he reached Witten's level in '06. Advantage: Dallas. Matt Schobel and Ryan Hannam also give both teams recently-signed solid depth.
O-line... Thomas, Hicks, Fraley, Andrews, Herremans... solid unit minus Herremans. Cowboys starters are Adams, Allen/Kosier, Johnson, Rivera, and Jason Fabini (recently signed). Fabini fills a major void at RT, Allen might be gone which would make Kosier the starter at LG, and we're solid at the other 3 spots. Philly gets the edge since their starters have all played with each other, while the Cowboys could be starting at least 2 new parts. Continuity can be huge for an O-line.
Special teams...
Kicker... David Akers vs ? at kicker... we don't have one yet. If we get Vanderjagt or Vinatieri, Dallas gets the edge. If we get Josh Brown, it's a draw. Akers had a SLIGHTLY better overall FG% than Brown, but 60% of Brown's attempts were from 40+ while only 50% of Akers' were from 40+. Brown just better not pull any more chokejobs like he did in the Super Bowl.
Punter... Johnson vs McBriar. McBriar had the better average, Johnson had the better net average... draw? Sure, why not.
Returners... As far as the return game goes, you guys had the better punt returner while we had the better kickoff returner. Reno Mahe's 12.8 punt return average was much better than any of our guys', while Tyson Thompson's 24.5 average on kickoffs was better than Hood's 23.7, but not by much. Philly gets the return game edge. They were also better in opponent's kickoff and punt returns.
Coaching...
Reid's a good one, but he's no Parcells. Jim Johnson is better than Zimmer at DC, and I'll call the OCs a draw since Morningweg is no Brad Childress. Todd Haley (passing game coordinator) and Tony Sparano (running game coordinator) were both with the Cowboys last year, so there shouldn't be much of a learning curve there. Advantage: Dallas.
So there it is. Yes, I was very bored. Tallying them up, the totals come out to...
5 for Dallas
5 for Philly
2 draws
1 question-mark (kicker)
Obviously these totals are majorly skewed (ex: punter isn't nearly as important as QB). Not to mention the season's still almost 6 freakin months away (somebody shoot me).
Feedback welcome, obviously.