SPANISH HARLEM – Today is the first game of the regular season, finally the real games start and hopefully fans get distracted from the political aspect of football that has many people picking sides… YEEA RIGHT! While some people have quit watching the sport, there are still a lot of us that will live and die with every win and lose our teams go through.
I for one, loved the Philadelphia Eagles winning the Super Bowl in one the best offensive games you will ever see in any game… period. This year they won’t be able to surprise teams, as they loaded again and ready for a prime run to another championship. It won’t be easy because it is truly difficult to be repeat champs in the NFL in this era of free agency but they have as a good a shot as anybody if things go right. Today I will discuss 2 of those aspects that need to take effect for the Eagles to hoist another Lombardi trophy to their mantle.
Health
Carson Wentz will not start the first regular game of the season, that will be Nick Foles. It was paramount to the coaching staff to be cautious with Wentz because he is the franchise quarterback and while Foles had a great playoff and championship run, he doesn’t have superior skills that Wentz had shown last season before getting hurt. Carson is a mobile quarterback in the pocket that can create more time for receivers, he really took a leap in that department from year 1 to year 2. His knowledge of the plays and his ability to run an offensive had him as an early favorite to win the MVP before the injury and many people think , if healthy, he will become one of the best players in the league once again. Foles was good, no really good when he was most needed but he is not the future of this franchise, that guy is Carson Wentz.
The offensive line is one of the oldest in the league and when healthy, they are one of the best groups in football. Jason Peters will be back to lead these guys for probably the final time and it will be imperative to keep Wentz upright when he is ready if they want to be one of the best teams in the league. Lane Johnson and Jason Kelce are some of the best players at their respective positions so keeping this unit together will be key in making their offense great once again.
Defense Line/Rushing The Passer
What made this team so good last year was their ability to rush the passer. Getting sacks are good but it’s also crucial to collapse the pocket and make other quarterbacks uncomfortable. Those situations lead to bad throws, interceptions and/or turnovers which disrupt and cause ciaos for offensive coordinators. The Eagles have one of the best defensive lines in the league and added another all star in Michael Bennett that will add depth to a crew that rotates players on a consistent basis. It was essential last season to keep guys fresh and this year will be no different, expect this gang to be one of the reasons this team excels again.
That’s it. Leave a comment and come back tomorrow for something stellar again. Also, you can find us on Twitter @BuddyDiaz19, @MeetTheMatts & @Matt_McCarthy00, Instagram @MeetTheMatts and like our Facebook pages, Meet The Matts & Buddy Diaz.
