For NFL fans, there is no offseason. If we aren’t firmly ensconced in the analysis of week to week games in the fall and winter, we’re constantly striving to figure out how our teams can get better, who can be signed to fill the holes that left last season ring-less, or how to maintain success. And then of course, even though we know what teams we’ll be facing in the coming season, the announcement of the NFL schedule triggers the immediate scrutiny of the rugged roads our teams will go down in the quest for a Super Bowl title.

For Philadelphia Eagles fans, the release of the 2012 schedule will trigger arguments — some with negative undertones, some with blind enthusiasm. We love to debate football in Philly. Sadly for us, the debates usually surround the reasons why we’re left without a parade down Broad Street. Eagles fans will dig to the deepest recesses of failure if they think an answer to why we haven’t tasted Super Bowl glory could be unearthed. This year is no different. Here are three quick thoughts about the 2012 Philadelphia Eagles’ schedule, and a copy for your office cork board:

PRIME TIME PLAYERS

The Eagles are one of eight teams that will play five prime time games in 2012. Three are at home, which will delight the Birds’ tailgating faithful, but more than likely dismay the majority of employers in the Philadelphia area. The Eagles see division rival and the reigning Super Bowl champion New York Giants on a Sunday night in Week 4. They host Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers on a Monday night in late November (26) and the Cincinnati Bengals on a rare Thursday tilt, December 13. The Carolina and Cincinnati games are part of three prime time games the Eagles will play in an 18-day span. Sandwiched in the middle of those games is a Sunday night showdown against the Dallas Cowboys in Texas. The Birds will also visit the Big Easy on Monday night, November 5, to see the New Orleans Saints.

TEAMS GETTING PLENTY OF REST BEFORE SEEING THE BIRDS

There is an uncommon anomaly in the Eagles schedule that has them playing four games against teams that are coming off their bye week. One of those games will be against the Atlanta Falcons at home, and the Eagles will also be coming off the bye. Andy Reid is 13-0 after the bye week, just about the only results in Reid’s coaching tenure that no Eagle fan can shake a stick at. The Eagles also play the Detroit Lions, Pittsburgh Steelers and Washington Redskins when they’ll have a couple weeks to prepare. Perhaps even more disturbing is that the New York Giants will have ten days to prepare for their Week 4 meeting with the Birds on a Sunday night in Philly. And worse still, the Cowboys will have ten days to prepare coming off their Thanksgiving game before facing the Eagles at home the next Sunday night. The Eagles will be coming off a short week, having played the Carolina Panthers at home the previous Monday.

THE WHOLE THING IS A CRAPSHOOT

If the Eagles 2011 season taught us anything, it’s that the NFL is an ever-changing beast. There are new teams rising to power, and powerful teams looking long in the tooth. Reading down the Eagles schedule and seeing a string of names like Giants, Steelers, Lions, Falcons, Saints and Cowboys in consecutive order certainly looks daunting, but until each individual week comes, it’s hard to discern just what you’re facing. The Giants were 9-7 last year and got hot at the right time. Who knows what they are this year. The Steelers defense is aging and not the “curtain” it used to be. The Lions game could be a track meet. The Falcons are off the bye. The Saints could be in total disarray after “Bounty-gate.” And if you can’t get up for the Cowboys, you don’t deserve to be wearing green. Nevertheless, let the scrutiny begin.

Philadelphia Eagles Regular-Season Schedule (All times Eastern)

Week 1: Sunday, Sept. 9, at Cleveland Browns, 1:00 PM FOX

Week 2: Sunday, Sept. 16, Baltimore Ravens, 1:00 PM CBS

Week 3: Sunday, Sept. 23, at Arizona Cardinals, 4:05 PM FOX

Week 4: Sunday, Sept. 30, New York Giants, 8:20 PM NBC

Week 5: Sunday, Oct. 7, at Pittsburgh Steelers, 1:00 PM FOX

Week 6: Sunday, Oct. 14, Detroit Lions, 1:00 PM FOX

Week 7: BYE

Week 8: Sunday, Oct. 28, Atlanta Falcons, 1:00 PM FOX

Week 9: Monday, Nov. 5, at New Orleans Saints, 8:30 PM ESPN

Week 10: Sunday, Nov. 11, Dallas Cowboys, 4:15 PM FOX

Week 11: Sunday, Nov. 18, at Washington Redskins, 1:00 PM FOX

Week 12: Monday, Nov. 26, Carolina Panthers, 8:30 PM ESPN

Week 13: Sunday, Dec. 2, at Dallas Cowboys, 8:20 PM NBC

Week 14: Sunday, Dec. 9, at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1:00 PM FOX

Week 15: Thursday, Dec. 13, Cincinnati Bengals, 8:20 PM NFL NETWORK

Week 16: Sunday, Dec. 23, Washington Redskins, 1:00 PM FOX

Week 17: Sunday, Dec. 30, at New York Giants, 1:00 PM FOX

Pete Lieber is a freelance writer and Philadelphia sports enthusiast. He’s already put Ws and Ls next to every game on the list above, and he plans to change those prognostications 15 times before Week 1.

SOURCE:

NFL.com

espn.com

Whether or not the Philadelphia Eagles make the playoffs, at least they showed for one game precisely what the whole season was supposed to look like in Sunday’s 45-19 thrashing of the New York Jets in front of a delighted crowd at Lincoln Financial Field.

For a team that had been 1-5 at home and has found every way imaginable to blow leads, Sunday’s cathartic win proved to the Eagles they could be that good and had they been anywhere near that level for most of the season, a playoff berth would be already clinched, not still a dubious proposition.

“You think back on the season and you get frustrated because there was a lot of games that we should have won hands down that we didn’t win, whether it was because of turnovers or just lack of performance on offense in certain areas. ” quarterback Michael Vick said. “For the most part, we played good football all season when you think about the games that we’ve lost and the games that we’ve won and how they’re been decided. So it kind of gets frustrating.”

The Birds even overcame three turnovers — two special-teams disasters, a muffed punt by Curtis Marsh and a kickoff return fumble by Dion Lewis — that could have been game-changers and a rare LeSean McCoy fumble — and still hammered the Jets.

So the question: was Sunday the real Eagles or just a mirage against a Jets team that couldn’t have been much worse for large stretches of the game (one stat: New York had eight penalties before halftime) and saw several of its best players, notably wide receivers Plaxico Burress and Santonio Holmes, be either non-factors (Burruss) or actively negative to their own cause (Holmes)?

“The difference in the last two weeks has been getting off to fast starts,” defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins said. “You get out there and you don’t dig a huge hole for yourself early. Once we start getting on teams and we start carrying that momentum over, we’re just trying to finish the games. Not get up and then lose the momentum and then let them back in the game.”

The defense, led by Jason Babin’s sacks (he’s averaging over a sack a game over his last 30 games after posting three Sunday) and improved play from linebackers Casey Matthews and Brian Rolle and safeties Nate Allen and Kurt Coleman, has been on a roll the last two weeks.

But is that the real Eagles defense? The Jets were so awful it was hard to tell and the week before the crippled Miami Dolphins had to run journeyman quarterback J.P. Losman out there for much of the game; Dan Marino he was not.

Given that the Birds’ defense was shredded the two weeks before by New England and Seattle, doubters still exist — and they should. The offense has impressed as well, but, again, the Dolphins aren’t much of a test and the Jets can’t cover tight ends or rush the passer.
 
Getting Vick back has been enormous — Vince Young did not see the field well, lacked precision and was a turnover machine — and the emergence of Brent Celek as a big-play receiver has been a huge boost. So has an offensive line that seems at last to be playing together and cutting out the penalties that were setting them back.

“The (offensive line) did a good job,” Eagles head coach Andy Reid said Sunday. “The offensive line was stout in there. They did a nice job.”

So are these the real Eagles? Have the ups and downs evened out now to produce the team everyone thought would be there all along?

“That’s a hard thing to pinpoint because as a coach, you’re so optimistic.” Reid said Monday. “You’re teaching, and you’re pushing and you’re studying and doing all those things. You don’t look at the highs and the lows and that part. You go in and you get yourself ramped up for each game knowing there’s going to be success. That’s the frame of mind that you’re in.”

The Eagles face another situation Saturday where their playoff hopes could be ended by the time they hit the field in Dallas at 4:15 p.m. If the New York Giants beat the Jets at 1 p.m., the Eagles cannot win the NFC East.

“Anything’s possible in the NFL,” Reid said. “I realize that, I’ve been around long enough to understand that. I’m a huge Jets fan this week.”

Vick said all the Birds can do is live every moment like it’s a decisive one.

“You have to kind of tell yourself, just continue to live in the moment because there’s nothing you can do about the past,” he said. “The past is the past and the present is the present. The future is the present. So you just have to continue to keep the faith.”

The Eagles have faith they will have a future — a playoff future. They’d have already wrapped one up, though, had the team that walloped the Jets Sunday shown up earlier this season.

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BOSTON (CBS) – The CBSBoston sports team makes their predictions for the New England Patriots tilt against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Andy Gresh, 98.5 The Sports Hub

This is a very dangerous game because Philadelphia has a lot of weapons. Luckily we don’t know ultimately what Vince Young is going to give them. Some might say this is a trap game, but I don’t think so.

Gresh & Zo Whiteboard: Multi Looks From Eagles Offense

I think the Patriots are very aware of how good Philadelphia is, and being on the road makes them focus more. Pressure Vince Young in the pocket, force him to throw but don’t let him beat you deep. I know, easier said than done, especially with this secondary.

Still, I see a Patriots win, 31-27.

Scott Zolak, 98.5 The Sports Hub

The biggest game was the Sunday night matchup; by beating the Giants, Philadelphia all of a sudden it takes the trap game element out of it. Belichick’s got a week of telling this team ‘hey we got beat by a physical Giants team who in turn got beat by Philadelphia with their backup quarterback.’

Read: Pats-Eagles Matchups

Even though it is Vince Young, I think Vick is a more dynamic player. Young can make plays, but I think he is hesitant to run at times because he’s so worried about staying in the pocket. You saw what the Jets defense can do to this offense when it’s not ready to play. Take a shot at Asante Samuel because he will take chances, and if anybody knows this corner more so than anybody it’s Bill Belichick.

Levan Reid, WBZ-TV Sports

This could be one of the most talented teams the Patriots have faced all year.  They are stacked on both sides of the ball and they have a home run hitter in DeSean Jackson on special teams.

Read: Levan Reid’s Patriots Blog

The Pats will have to have a fast start in this one and this could actually be the last true test they have on the schedule.  I was tempted to take the Eagles because Philadelphia has their backs up against the wall.  But I think the Pats know, this is their last test.

The offensive line needs a good showing and this Eagles defense can test them.  I would not be surprised if the Pats lost this game, but I am picking them to win.

Dan Roche, WBZ-TV Sports

The Patriots face arguably the most talented team they’ve seen all season long in the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.

Offensively, I think they caught a break with the Nnamdi Asomugha injury/scare in practice on Thursday. Tom Brady will have to be a lot sharper in this one than he was against the Chiefs last weekend. If Brady is on from the get-go then the Patriots should be able to prevail in what could be an awesome football game. The Eagles have become much tougher to run against and they have 10 different players with at least one sack so protection will be key. Defensive Tackle Cullen Jenkins and Defensive End Jason Babin are beasts, so look for them be chasing Brady all day long.

Defensively, the Pats will have their hands full with the NFL’s leading rusher LeSean McCoy. The Pats haven’t faced this tough a back since maybe Fred Jackson of Buffalo and Darren McFadden/Michael Bush of Oakland. Add in, a strong WR corps led by Jeremy Maclin(if healthy) and DeSean Jackson and it could be a tough day for the steadily improving Patriots defense. And, either Michael Vick or Vince Young at QB will be tough.

The Eagles should have a much better than 4-6 record and unfortunately for the Patriots, Philly is now fighting for its playoff life on a weekly basis.

For the first time all season I am picking against the Pats: Philly 31-20

Walt Perkins, WBZ NewsRadio 1030

The Patriots go up against another NFC East team on Sunday. They’ll face the Eagles in Philadelphia and be looking to improve upon their 7-3 record. The Eagles take a 4-6 record into the contest.

The comments during the week from Foxboro laud the Eagles on both sides of the football. Nothing new there, as bulletin board ammo coming from New England is akin to Bayes Theorem flowing from the lips of Ndamukong Suh.

The Eagles have their share of talented players. But as we have seen throughout our lives, a collection of talented individuals does not a team make. 

The Patriots may have caught a break on Thanksgiving when Eagles cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha went down in practice with an apparent left knee injury. Asomugha had to be taken from the field on a cart. Naturally, the Eagles have offered no information as to the extent of the injury although a teammate said it was not as bad as it looked, whatever that means (I’m not a doctor but I play one on the football field).

Of course, we are talking about the Patriots offense. The Philly cornerbacks may be a mute point given Tom Brady’s favorite targets, besides Wes Welker who plays in the slot, are his talented tight ends.  I don’t think we will see Asante Samuel covering Rob Gronkowski or Aaron Hernandez.

Patriots running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis is healthier than he has been in a month (toe) and should produce anywhere from 80-100 yards on the ground, getting the tough 2 or 3 yards when he is asked to.

Patriots 36, Eagles 17

Tune in to the Patriots-Eagles matchup Sunday afternoon at 4:15pm on 98.5 The Sports Hub and WBZ-TV. Pregame coverage begins on WBZ at 11:30am Sunday morning with Patriots Gameday, followed by 98.5′s coverage beginning at 1pm. Tune in after the game for all the postgame reaction and analysis on 98.5, and over on MY TV38 on Patriots Fifth Quarter

Read More: Michael Vick (QB – PHI), Vince Young (QB – PHI), Philadelphia Eagles, New England Patriots

Philadelphia Eagles QB Michael Vick will miss his second consecutive game this Sunday after suffering broken ribs in a loss to the Arizona Cardinals, according to Comcast Philly.

According to their team source, Vince Young will make his second straight start at quarterback for the Eagles.

Vick threw on Tuesday and said on Thursday he was improving, but coach Andy Reid has already told Young that he will start, according to the report.

Young guided the Eagles to victory last week against the New York Giants and will face stiff competition this weekend as well.

When the season began, this was expected to be a showdown between two of the league’s best teams, possibly even a Super Bowl preview. However, due to injuries and poor play, the Eagles sputter into the game with a 4-6 record and need to win-out in order to have a chance at the playoffs.

For more on Vick and the Eagles, visit Bleeding Green Nation.

I can understand the temptation, and all the reasons for the Philadelphia Eagles to hold out hope that Michael Vick and his broken ribs can play quarterback for them Sunday night against the New York Giants. Their season is all but over, and one more loss — especially to the Giants — will extinguish all hope. Andy Reid is hearing it from all sides as angry fans ignore his outstanding pre-2011 résumé and insist he be fired for this year’s failures. Vick himself set a goal to play in all 16 games (and, he hoped, more) this season. Take all of this into account, and you can understand why they might even be tempted to push Vick to play.

But Vick wasn’t healthy enough to practice Wednesday. And it sounds as though, even if he’s ready to play Sunday, he’d be doing so in considerable pain and discomfort. And that’s just one reason the Eagles would be smart to just sit him down for this week and let Vince Young or Mike Kafka play against the Giants.

For the record, please understand what I’m advocating here and what I am not. I’m not going to go over the lunatic cliff with Skip Bayless and say Vick needs to be benched in favor of Young. I believe that Vick should get a week off and the right to reclaim the job the following week. I believe that starting Young, who doesn’t know the offense, or Kafka, who’s just not very good, dramatically reduces the Eagles’ chances of winning Sunday’s game. Could they win it? Of course. You can run on the Giants, and you can stop their offense if you cover their receivers. I’m not saying the Eagles should give the game away. With LeSean McCoy and all of the talent they have on defense, they could design a game plan that de-emphasizes the quarterback for one week and might have a chance to work. They should take their shot for one week and then go back to Vick, because a healthy Vick is still the Eagles’ best chance to win all of the remaining games on their schedule, which is what they need to do if they have any hope of getting back in the playoff hunt.

But Vick is not healthy, and we watched him play Sunday with this injury, and it was ugly. Throw into the mix the fact that the opponent is the Giants, whose defensive game plan each week is to try and knock the quarterback out of the game and who especially like to whack away at this particular quarterback, and it makes even more sense. The Giants are going to try to hit Vick as hard and as often as they can, and if he’s playing with a couple of busted ribs, he’s at greater risk of a more severe injury if the Eagles send him out there against Justin Tuck, Jason Pierre-Paul & Co.

Sure, he could put that Kevlar vest on. And sure, Tony Romo played half of this season with his own broken ribs healing under such a vest. But Romo was playing for something. Vick and the Eagles, realistically, are not. To pretend otherwise at the potential expense of a quarterback in whom they have as much invested as they do in Vick would be irresponsible.

Vick may make this easy for the Eagles. He may just be in too much pain to play effectively Sunday night, in which case they have no other choice. But if he’s pushing to play, it would be wise for the Eagles to take a deep breath, a step back and think of the bigger, longer-term picture. Considering his injury, the opponent and the standings, it’s just not worth the risk to put Vick in this game Sunday night. Give the guy a week off and let him come back and finish the season on a strong, positive note. At this point, the Eagles have little, if anything, left to lose for 2011. They need to be thinking about 2012 and beyond.

As the rivalry passes the century mark this Sunday (as far as head-to-head matchups are concerned) the Philadelphia Eagles’ linebackers have a big job ahead of them.

It’s safe to say, if there are two main things the Philadelphia Eagles (2-4) have to deal with this Sunday: it’s stopping the talented Dallas Cowboys’ (3-3) strong rushing game, while keeping an eye on arguably the NFL’s best tight end, Jason Witten(notes).

Despite the Eagles having Witten, along with Dez Bryant(notes) and Miles Austin(notes) to worry about, look for them to concentrate on Dallas’ run game this Sunday. It’s their main concern.

No one knows this more than Defensive Coordinator Juan Castillo.

[Related: Philadelphia Eagles quite aware of DeMarco Murray]

Before the bye week, the Eagles did a good job run-stopping the Washington Redskins holding them to just 42 yards rushing.

“…there’s different kind of schemes,” Castillo said of the difference between the Cowboys’ rushing attack and the Redskins, ” There’s outside zone scheme [and] even though people make a big deal [about it] all outside zone schemes are basically the same; some people run it better because they do it more. [There's] inside zone schemes…The Redskins were basically an outside zone scheme [and] that’s what they did and they were pretty good at that because that’s what they did. The Cowboys use a little bit of each scheme so we’re having to take time [to study and] we’re fortunate we had Monday where we worked on a certain part of their running attack.”

Despite their success on th ground, the Eagles gave up 95 yards on six receptions, to the Redskins’ tight end, Fred Davis(notes), his longest being 31 yards.

Castillo did agree that the Cowboys’ receivers will be the most physical his defense will probably see all season. He offered a suggestion as to why the Cowboy’s running game is so successful.

“I think that’s why Jason [Garrett] is trying to run the football” Castillo said, “because if they’re successful running the ball and you have to put, basically eight guys in the box, you’re going one-on-one, now you’re playing up to what he wants to do. So I think that’s the key. I think that’s why he’s trying to run the football.”

Rookie, DeMarco Murray(notes), will certainly be a part of that attack on Sunday. Murray carved up the St. Louis Rams’ defense, rushing for 253 yards averaging 10 yards per carry, on his way to breaking the Cowboy great, Emmitt Smith’s single game record.

“You know,” Castillo said, “watching him, he broke a lot of tackles. He’s fast; elusive. I mean, in the Rams game he looked special.”

No doubt, the Eagles’ defense has a tall task at hand. Being they have the secondary they have, it definitely comes down to stopping the run.

[Related: Cowboys Coordinator, Rob Ryan, declared Eagles an "all-hype" team.]

“I think the first thing you have to do,” Castillo continued, “it’s been done a long time in the NFL—is stop the run. You know, once you stop the run, then you go to the second step and have to start taking care of those great skill guys that they have. But the first thing that we have to do is we have to stop the run.”

Trent Cole(notes), who suffered a knee injury looks to be back in for Sunday’s game, as he fully participated in Wednesday and Thursday’s practices.

“We’ve talked about Trent before” Castillo said, “he’s a special guy [with] just all of his energy in the huddle. And then, he plays at a high level. I mean, him and Jason [Babin]…You know, it’s different and both of those guys are at that speed… they bring everybody up to their pace.”

Possibly, Cole’s return can vamp up the Eagles’ energy levels, and cause some problems for Dallas.

The game will be on Sunday Oct. 30, at 8:20 p.m. EST, in Philadelphia.

Vincent Heck is a life-long resident of the Philadelphia area, and a featured ‘Fan View’ blogger on Yahoo! Sports. Follow him on Twitter: @HeckPhilly

Follow Yahoo! Local’s Yahoo! Philly on Twitter: @YahooPhilly

View Vincent Heck’s article archive.

Source: Philadelphia Eagles’ Press Release

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

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By BOB GROTZ
bgrotz@delcotimes.com

PHILADELPHIA – Eagles head coach Andy Reid said through a spokesman Tuesday he’s not hiring a defensive consultant.

Reid also indicated he hadn’t even considered the consultant thing, the point of an ESPN report Monday night. Presumably the consultant would have come aboard during the bye week.

An NFL source wouldn’t discount the report, insisting it infers Eagles upper management is testing Reid’s authority over his coaching staff starting with rookie defensive coordinator Juan Castillo.

Just four teams are allowing more points per game than the Eagles (26.4 average), who under Castillo rank 15th in total defense (352.0 average).

Reid awkwardly fired defensive coordinator Sean McDermott last year shortly after saying McDermott – the successor to the late Jim Johnson – would be back in 2011. The news shocked veteran Eagles players in that the defense was short of talent after being decimated with injuries.

The addition of Castillo, previously the line coach, was another shock.

Eagles management implied McDermott, now the coordinator for the Carolina Panthers, didn’t have enough talent based on its offseason plan.

The Eagles added Pro Bowl-caliber cornerbacks Nnamdi Asomugha and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, as well as defensive linemen Cullen Jenkins and Jason Babin, the latter of whom also made the Pro Bowl.

While Babin (seven), Jenkins (five) and the Eagles (16) are among the NFL leaders in sacks, they have just five takeaways. Only three teams have forced fewer turnovers.

Before the Eagles assembled the high-priced talent, Reid needed a defensive coordinator. The only candidate Reid and Eagles management both were comfortable with was Jim Mora Jr., according to a source. He wanted to stay in the broadcasting booth, however. Continued…

o

Looking at the work of the Eagles’ last three opening-day starters at quarterback this season isn’t too pretty.

The numbers:

Player Comp. Pct. QB Rtg. TD INT W-L

Michael Vick 62.1 85.3 8 7 1-4

Kevin Kolb 58.7 77.1 5 6 1-4

Donovan McNabb 56.8 80.8 4 2 1-4

Seems there’s a significant drop-off between what the Eagles actually have at quarterback and what they’ve convinced everyone else they have.

o

NOTES: Eagles are 1 1/2 point underdogs this Sunday despite having won nine of their last 11 starts at FedEx Field, including four of the past five. The average margin of victory in those nine victories is 13.9 points. … Offensive tackle King Dunlap played well in the loss to the Bills. The same could be said of rookie right guard Danny Watkins after a rocky start. Watkins is a lock to start again this week. Though head coach Andy Reid said Pro Bowl left tackle Jason Peters (hamstring) was a stretch to play this week, a source said the player was showing no signs of the injury after a day of rehab Monday … Eagles Pro Bowl defensive end Trent Cole (calf) also is a stretch to play this week, per Reid.

By BOB GROTZ
bgrotz@delcotimes.com

PHILADELPHIA – Eagles head coach Andy Reid said through a spokesman Tuesday he’s not hiring a defensive consultant.

Reid also indicated he hadn’t even considered the consultant thing, the point of an ESPN report Monday night. Presumably the consultant would have come aboard during the bye week.

An NFL source wouldn’t discount the report, insisting it infers Eagles upper management is testing Reid’s authority over his coaching staff starting with rookie defensive coordinator Juan Castillo.

Just four teams are allowing more points per game than the Eagles (26.4 average), who under Castillo rank 15th in total defense (352.0 average).

Reid awkwardly fired defensive coordinator Sean McDermott last year shortly after saying McDermott – the successor to the late Jim Johnson – would be back in 2011. The news shocked veteran Eagles players in that the defense was short of talent after being decimated with injuries.

The addition of Castillo, previously the line coach, was another shock.

Eagles management implied McDermott, now the coordinator for the Carolina Panthers, didn’t have enough talent based on its offseason plan.

The Eagles added Pro Bowl-caliber cornerbacks Nnamdi Asomugha and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, as well as defensive linemen Cullen Jenkins and Jason Babin, the latter of whom also made the Pro Bowl.

While Babin (seven), Jenkins (five) and the Eagles (16) are among the NFL leaders in sacks, they have just five takeaways. Only three teams have forced fewer turnovers.

Before the Eagles assembled the high-priced talent, Reid needed a defensive coordinator. The only candidate Reid and Eagles management both were comfortable with was Jim Mora Jr., according to a source. He wanted to stay in the broadcasting booth, however.

o

Looking at the work of the Eagles’ last three opening-day starters at quarterback this season isn’t too pretty.

The numbers:

Player Comp. Pct. QB Rtg. TD INT W-L

Michael Vick 62.1 85.3 8 7 1-4

Kevin Kolb 58.7 77.1 5 6 1-4

Donovan McNabb 56.8 80.8 4 2 1-4

Seems there’s a significant drop-off between what the Eagles actually have at quarterback and what they’ve convinced everyone else they have.

o

NOTES: Eagles are 1 1/2 point underdogs this Sunday despite having won nine of their last 11 starts at FedEx Field, including four of the past five. The average margin of victory in those nine victories is 13.9 points. … Offensive tackle King Dunlap played well in the loss to the Bills. The same could be said of rookie right guard Danny Watkins after a rocky start. Watkins is a lock to start again this week. Though head coach Andy Reid said Pro Bowl left tackle Jason Peters (hamstring) was a stretch to play this week, a source said the player was showing no signs of the injury after a day of rehab Monday … Eagles Pro Bowl defensive end Trent Cole (calf) also is a stretch to play this week, per Reid.