Eagles vs Jets Preview

The fourth pre-season game in the NFL is traditionally known to the fans as the least important one. It's the one in which late round rookies and some veterans compete for the various back up spots on the team. Thursday's Jets-Eagles game however is shaping up to be not your typical fourth pre-season game. For the Jets it will be the status quo in terms of starter playing time, one drive if any time at all for Mark Sanchez and the crew. Keep in mind that Hurricane Irene set their game with the Giants all the way back to Monday night meaning the starters would be playing on just two full days rest. The real intrigue in this game rests on the Eagles sideline where Andy Reid and his crew are still trying to get ready for the regular season. On the offensive side of the ball revievers Jeremy Maclin and Steve Smith have yet to get any substantial time on the field while both still say they will be ready for game one next week. Offensive line issues are still prevelant, stop me if you've heard this before, with positions and personel changing almost daily with almost no time to work it all out. On the other side of the ball we have a defense that has seemed very jeckel and hyde so far this pre-season with good preformances against the Ravens and the Browns but a terrible game against the Steelers. While they will be playing against back up offenses it is still necessary for the first team to get the work in so they can become more comfortable with the new Juan Castillo defense for the regular season. Trust me, I would never ever ever EVER reccomend watching pre-season football especially week 4 of the pre-season, but if you have nothing better to do on Thursday night then give this game a look.

A Washington Redskins Update

Following the Redkins' third preseason game, there is still no definitive starter at QB.  Head Coach Mike Shanahan said he will not announce the opening day starter for the Redskins until just before their week 1 matchup.  Grossman took all of the snaps with the first team in the 3rd preseason game and he looked decent.  He threw a touchdown pass to Santana Moss on one of the four drives he led.  His competition, John Beck, also threw a touchdown pass (as well as an interception) in four series of work with the second stringers.  Shanahan said he is waiting for someone to "separate themselves" from the competition before he names his starter.  Redskins fans should eagerly wait the announcement from their head coach a few days following the team's 4th preseason game.  A depressing note for Redskins fans following the 3rd preseason game was the news that second round pick DE Jarvis Jenkins will miss his rookie season after he tore his ACL during the game.  Jenkins joins Cardinals RB Ryan Williams as the first two second round picks to be lost for the season with ACL injuries.  Tim Hightower has all but locked up the job as the 'Skins starter at RB this season after averaging 6.8 yards per carry (170 yards on 25 carries) and scoring two rushing touchdowns thus far in the preseason.  Hightower's superb play should be extremely encouraging for Redskins fans, especially after the inconsistency of the running game last season and the uncertainty of the QB situation right now.

Site Update

Maybe some of you have noticed already...but we've been toying around with the design of the site this weekend.  We've added new links and ways to share the page on the top, bottom and right side of the page to help popularize the blog (and cure boredom during Hurricane Irene).  I'm happy to announce that we've passed the 1,000 page view mark!  Thanks to everyone who has supported the sites so far.  Tell your friends, tell your family, coworkers, peers, like the Facebook page, recommend it on stumbleupon, etc.  We appreciate any support we get!  Thanks again everyone.

Eagles Shuffle Offensive Line

Today the Eagles made the decision to move starting left guard Todd "The Toddfather" Herremans to right tackle to help solidify Michael Vick's blindside.  Evan Mathis, signed at the beginning of training camp, will take over the vacancy left by Herremans at left guard.  Mathis has started 22 games in his 7 year NFL career, but he has played in a total of 58 games over those 7 seasons.  He hasn't allowed a sack in the past two seasons he spent playing for the Bengals.  Jason Kelce is still listed as the team's starting center, and it is obvious that Offensive Line Coach Howard Mudd prefers his athleticism and quickness to Jamal Jackson's size and experience.  Jason Peters will remain as the starting left tackle and rookie Danny Watkins remains slotted at right guard.  So from left to right the line looks like this: Jason Peters, Evan Mathis, Jason Kelce, Danny Watkins, Todd Herremans.  To me, this line should be a HUGE improvement over the line that as been in place thus far in the preseason.  I'm not a fan of King Dunlap. At all.  His massive stature is his only attribute because he possesses no skill or technique at the tackle position.  I've been a long time believer that Todd Herremans could flourish at a tackle position in the NFL, so he'll finally get his chance to enter the season as the starter at right tackle.  Once Kelce and Watkins begin to work out their rookie flaws and get more reps at their respective position, the line could be very solid.  The key to Michael Vick's success this season took a big step forward today.

Jeremy Maclin and Steve Smith Return to Practice

This morning, before the onset of Hurricane Irence, Jeremy Maclin was taken off of the illness-reserve list and Steve Smith was taken off of the PUP list.  Because Smith was removed from the PUP list, he cannot be placed back on the list if he were to suffer a setback in his rehab so the Eagles appear to be very confident that he is healthy and ready to play.  Maclin returned to practice about a week after being cleared to resume football activity because of a strange virus.  There is a chance that both wide receivers could play against the Jets in the fourth preseason game.

Giants Add a Veteran in the Secondary

The Giants, in desperate need of veteran depth at cornerback thanks to their recent injuries, have signed former Atlanta Falcons cornerback Brian Williams.  Williams, now 32, played in all 16 regular season games for the Falcons last season and had 47 tackles, 1 sack and no interceptions.  Williams, at this point in his career, is not going to be a game breaker in the secondary but could provide useful depth for the Giants.   He could find himself stepping into an immediate role in nickel coverage because of injuries to Terrell Thomas and Brian Witherspoon (both season ending ACL injures) as well rookie Prince Amukamara (broken foot, expected to miss first quarter of the season).

Eagles Shopping Hanson?

The Philadelphia Eagles are reportedly shopping Joselio Hanson around the league.  This shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone because of the plethora of cornerbacks on the Eagles' roster at the moment.  They'll likely only be able to fetch a mid-late round draft pick for the nickel specialist because of his current salary, however, I would like to see the team package Hanson with something else (most likely a pick in the 2012 draft) and pick up a very solid RT or depth at outside LB.  I will update this post  as we learn more about any potential suitors for Hanson's services.