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.

Preseason Week 3 Recap: Eagles

Last night the Eagles were able to rebound from an embarrassing performance against their cross-state rivals, the Pittsburgh Steelers, with a 24-14 defeat of the Cleveland Browns.  While there were obvious improvements in many facets of the team, the offensive line still struggled to protect Michael Vick.  Because of this, Vick was forced to check the ball down to his backfield and tight ends the entire time he was on the field.  Rookies Jason Kelce (C) and Danny Watkins (RG) made their share of novice mistakes throughout the first half, but it comes with the territory of being a rookie in the preseason.  Kelce would, however, open many fans eyes with an phenomenal effort getting downfield to throw Ronnie Brown a great lead block to allow him to get into the end zone on the team's first touchdown.  Michael Vick was unable to complete a pass to WR DeSean Jackson but managed to complete 7 passes to RB LeSean McCoy.  Vick also had a rushing touchdown in the first half.  Andy Reid displayed his creative play calling on a 4th and 1 in the first quarter when he gave Clay Harbor a tight end reverse to get the first down.    For the second time this preseason the Eagles special teams blocked a field goal, this time it was Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie getting his hand on the ball.  Casey Matthews showed why the team has entrusted him to be their starting middle linebacker at times against the Browns, making a few great run stopping tackles.  Fellow rookie LB Brian Rolle took over for Matthews in certain passing situations, however.  Vince Young took over after halftime, and like Vick, scored on a QB scramble.  The reserve offensive line did an adequate job of protecting Young and Kafka in the second half (once Browns rookie DT Phil Taylor exited the game).  Overall, the team looked leaps and bounds better than last week against the Steelers, but they still have a ways to go before anyone can consider them to be "super bowl ready".

Insightful look at the Pitching of the Florida Marlins from NL Beasts

A promised Marlins pitching update from our friends at NL Beasts

ESPN Wants to Make You Think Today...

What if Michael Vick was white?  Hypotheticals are easy to ask, but even easier to answer if you ask me.  A hypothetical question has an even more hypothetical answer to it.  Would Vick have been given a lesser prison sentence if he was white?  Would he ever have been involved in dog fighting at all if he had a different skin tone?  Would he be in the NFL if he were white?  The list of questions could go on and on, and to be honest,  we'll never know for sure the answer to any of them.  But since ESPN has raised the question, I'll take my shot at answering it to the best of my ability.  


I am a white, male, 18 year old college student enrolled at a predominantly white university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  I have owned a dog through the majority of my childhood, but I have loved the Eagles my entire life.  Ever since my parents bought me Madden 2002 for Christmas when I was 8, I was addicted to anything and everything related to football.  I didn't buy the 2003 version of the game because I didn't have any money for the game, and to be honest, I enjoyed updating the roster myself.  I was just that kind of kid.  But when the 2004 version of the game came around I found myself becoming bored with the older version of the game and decided I wanted to get the latest one.  Of course, Madden 2004 was the year Michael Vick graced the cover.  I remember I went to Best Buy the day the game was released with my grandparents (my parents were celebrating their wedding anniversary in San Francisco at the time) and I don't think I've ever played a game more thoroughly in my life.  I payed "franchise mode" religiously and I would always choose the Eagles, but my first roster move was always to trade Donovan McNabb and a draft pick to the Atlanta Falcons for Michael Vick.  There was no player more exciting and more superior in Madden 2004 than Michael Vick.  

My perception of Vick was solely based on his insane athletic ability and the fact that he graced the cover of my favorite video game.  Thats it.  I could care less that he was black. Or had cornrows. Or anything else that ESPN might think had influenced my perception of him as a person.  I had grown up only knowing one QB for the Philadelphia Eagles, Donovan McNabb.  Hearing ignorant people talk about how "black quarterbacks" can never be successful because they have an "athletic skill set" has always left me confused and shaking my head.  How can skin color influence the way a quarterback preforms in big, pressure filled moments?  It can't.  When Vick was first indicted on n a federal conspiracy charge for his alleged role in a dog fighting ring, I didn't know what to make of it.  Being a middle class white teenager from a Philadelphia suburb, I had no idea dogfighting really went on.  I'm quite a naive person, I know.  However, the more I began to learn about where Vick grew up I began to understand the cultural differences between West Chester, PA and Newport News, VA.  Allen Iverson, perhaps my favorite athlete of all time, is from the same area as Vick and I feel as though I am able to understand Vick's mentality as an athlete because of my frequent exposure to Iverson throughout my childhood.  Being a dog lover because of my attachment to my family dog, Jackson, I didn't disagree with the sentencing Vick received following his trial.  However, I am a firm believer in "second chances", or as I like to refer to it "getting back into the workforce".  


If someone is willing to employ you, despite the marketing maladies and PR hits they may endure, they should be able to employ you. That being said, I was absolutely blindsided when the Eagles announced during their preseason game of the 2009 season that they had signed Michael Vick.  Blindsided and confused.  I was beginning to get fed up with McNabb's consistent lack of production in "crunch time" (note: nothing to do with skin color, as I mentioned earlier)  but I supported the team drafting Kevin Kolb in the 2nd round of the draft in the season prior.  Where was Vick going to fit in?  Was he just a gimmick player?  Were the Eagles going to try to flip him to a team in the offseason for a draft choice after taking the PR hit?  Nothing about the signing seemed to add up in my mind, but I was still all for it.  Sure enough though, the Eagles used Vick in a limited role during the season  (which seemed to hurt Donovan's feelings, or ego,  at times) and attempted to see what they could get on the open market for him at the end of the season.  Nobody nibbled at the Eagles' asking price for Vick.  So what did the Eagles do?  They trade their long time franchise QB who had won more games than any other Eagles' QB in history in Donovan McNabb to the division rival Washington Redskins.  Then everything would fall right into place for Vick from there. Kevin Kolb would enter training camp as the start and leave the Green Bay game week 1 as a backup.  Vick goes on to have a season worthy of MVP consideration and now Kolb is in Arizona with a $63 million dollar contract.  


I thoroughly enjoyed watching Michael Vick play for the Eagles last season.  Every time he took the ball from under center I knew there was potential for a big play to happen.  Not one time did I think to myself "I really wish Vick were white so I could view him differently."  I saw Vick as the most exciting player in the NFL who had recently come out of jail because he was found guilty of committing unlawful dogfighting activities.  He was looking for a job and it just so happened that it was the team I support which gave him an opportunity.  The only color I care about with Michael Vick is the midnight green on his helmet.      

Orlando Scandrick Gets Paid

The Cowboys believe they have one of the top nickel cornerbacks in the NFL on their roster in Orlando Scandrick, and paid him accordingly today.  Dallas gave Scandrick a 5 year extension worth $27 million with $10 million of that guaranteed.  Scandrick had a 6.8 YPA average in the 2010 NFL season, good for 29th in the league among qualified cornerbacks, which certainly makes him worthy of such a lucrative extension for a nickel corner.  Scandrick's could also see an expanded role is Terrance Newman has any type of setback in his recovery from a groin injury.

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National League Beasts provides analysis, recaps, and general news from the Phillies, the East, and from around the league.  

Joe Banner: Steve Smith Likely to Come Off of PUP List Before Start of Regular Season

Today on 610 WIP Sportsradio in Philadelphia, Joe Banner joined Howard Eskin to discuss all things Eagles.  Banner said that newly signed WR Steve Smith (formerly of the division rival New York Giants) will come off of the PUP list before the start of the 2011 season, barring any setbacks in his rehab from this point.  He also said there isn't much likelihood that CB Asante Samuel will be dealt because, to this point, keeping Asante outweighs anything they have been offered in return.  Banner also said this about the prospect of Sameul going to aid New York Giants secondary because of recent injuries: "You won't have to worry about that."

New Look Redskins Running Game

Can newly signed Tim Hightower be the next successful RB in Mike Shanahan's system?

With former starting RB Clinton Portis now out of the picture in Washington, the Redskins entered training camp for the 2011 season with an open competition for the position.  Mike Shanahan has produced more 1,000 yard RB's than any other coach in the league. Terrell Davis, Travis Henry, Rueben Droughns, Clinton Portis, Tatum Bell, Mike Anderson, the list goes on and on. Last season, Ryan Torain got plenty of game action after Portis went down with an injury and did a decent job filling in.  His play, however, was very inconsistent.  He had great games against the Colts, Buccaneers, and Bears but struggled to put up anything more than average numbers against any other team.  He averaged a respectable 4.5 yards per carry last season, although only on 164 attempts, but he only caught 18 passes in the 10 games he played.  The Redskins also drafted RB Roy Helu from Nebraska in the 4th round of this years draft, and Helu does have the measurables to be a starting running back in this league (4.40 40 yard dash time, 6 feet tall 219 pounds).  Former Arizona Cardinals RB and goaline star Tim Hightower was also signed by the Redksins following the NFL lockout.  Hightower may not have the best pure running and ball carrying ability out of this group, but he does have 2 skills that set himself apart from the rest of the pack: his aforementioned ability to get the ball into the endzone around the goaline and great pass catching hands.  With Chris Cooley's knee injury his status for the season opener is in serious question and Hightower could provide a great check down option for either Beck or Grossman to begin the season.  Without Cooley as a safety valve, an inexperienced starting QB is going to need somewhere short to go with the ball when he feels pressure in the pocket or his first read is being covered downfield.  Hightower is also the best pass protecting back in the mix for the job, which could further set him apart from everyone else on the team.  Hightower should begin the season as the 'Skins starter, but Roy Helu could begin to see more and more action as the season progresses, especially if the Redskins struggle.

Vick to be on ESPN the Magazine Cover

Carousel at RT?

Last season, the Eagles struggled to solidify the right side of their offensive line.  Every week it seemed as if a new player was being inserted into the line and there was never any consistency.  As a result of this, Michael Vick was forced to run for his life far too many times and took an unnecessary amount of extra hits throughout the season. And it showed.  Late in the season Vick became really banged up whether it was a thigh contusion or an ankle injury, etc. something was always prohibiting him from playing at 100%.  Winston Justice and King Dunlap both spent time at RT last season and Nick Cole and Max Jean-Gilles fluctuated at RG.  There is no doubt in my mind that Vick rarely had confidence that his blindside would be protected for the majority of the 2010 season, and solidifying the right side would increase his production tremendously.  This season, rookie RG and 1st round pick Danny Watkins is projected to be the starting RG and fill that hole in the line immediately.  Following a small absence from training camp at Lehigh after the lockout because of a contract negotiation, Watkins has looked solid at the guard position, but not without the usual rookie faults.  Overall though, Watkins should be solid enough to hold down the position (barring injury) all season for the Eagles.  The right tackle position on the other hand...not so stable. At least for now.  Winston Justice is still rehabbing and getting into game shape, but even so, is he the best solution at RT?  The team signed Ryan Harris away from the Broncos a few weeks ago and he looked good in the team's first preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens but he was unable to play in the second preseason game against the Steelers because of back spasms.  The aforementioned King Dunlap  started against the Steelers this past week and by many accounts looked fine at RT.  The team is saying Dunlap is the starter as of this very moment, but the position battle is clearly still open.  I have a very hard time believing Dunlap will be the starter for the majority of the season because A) he does not fit new offensive line coach Howard Mudd's size and skill set for RT and B) he has frequent health problems.  Ryan Harris, if his back checks out fine, has much more upside and makes more sense for the Eagles to employ at RT this season.  He is a more complete tackle than both Justice and Dunlap and his size and speed are a much better fit for Mudd's blocking style.  The Eagles right side of the line will look very different once again this season, but they'll need to keep a consistent line intact if they want to protect their franchise QB Michael Vick. Especially on his blindside.

I Thought He Said Top 10 QB...

Last week Eli manning surprised many NFL fans when he responded to a reports question on whether he was a top 5 NFL QB with this, “Yeah, I think I am.” (It’s ok to laugh at Eli, I did too). If I were to ask you to make a top five list I’m almost certain it would contain any combination of five of these guys: Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Phillip Rivers, Mike Vick, or Aaron Rodgers. But before we sit around and ridicule Eli and make fun of the man let’s take a look at how he actually compares to the rest of the league. The first stat that everyone looks at is Quarterback Rating where Eli was ranked a staggering 17^th for 2010, this stat has been much maligned over the past few years however which makes sense considering Peyton Manning is only ranked at 10. Accuracy has always been the most important tool in rating a quarterback, in the two accuracy statistics (completions, and completion percentage) Eli ranked a respectable 8^th in completions and 9^th in percentage. Efficiency is always important in a quarterback and in Eli’s case he is once again top 10 in attempts (8^th) and yards per attempt (10^th), once again not top 5 though. For his part, however, Eli does put up results finishing 5^th in passing yards last year and 4^th in Touchdown passes in 2010. It’s pretty clear that Eli is a top 10 quarterback which is nothing to be ashamed of, but also no reason to think you’re top 5. Now comes the time to make fun of people. There is one stat that Eli finished number one in last year and that would be interceptions thrown, Asante Samuel says thank you. Eli also cracks the top 5 in another figure, salary, Eli finished 2^nd last year behind Tom Brady. Hey Jerry Reese, how’s that salary cap looking?

With Romo Back in the Saddle, are the Cowboys Contenders Once Again?

After breaking his left clavicle on October 25, 2010 in a Monday Night Football game against the New York Giants, Romo would not play in another game during the 2010 season.  The Cowboys would go on to finish 6-10 and start Jon Kitna and Stephen McGee to finish out the season.  Both Quarterbacks underwhelmed the fan base with their on field production last year, and Miles Austin could never develop a rhythm with either QB like he had with Romo.  So, with Romo back behind center this year and calling the signals once again, are the Dallas Cowboys legitimate title contenders like they were considered in years prior?  There are certainly bright spots on offense that stand out for the Cowboys.  Dez Bryant should take a major leap forward in his sophomore season in the league and we should see many touchdown connections between he and Romo this season.  With Marion Barber now backing up Matt Forte in Chicago, Felix Jones will have an expanded workload this season.  While he is undoubtedly talented and has excellent open field speed, he has a very difficult time staying healthy.  The sky is the limit for Jones if he can stay on the field this season, but if he misses significant time throughout the season I'm not sure Tashard Choice or rookie RB Demarco Murray from Oklahoma can shoulder the load for the Dallas Cowboys offense, putting even more pressure on the back of Tony Romo.  Looking at how the Cowboys defense is shaping up, there are, once again, obvious bright spots but a few glaring weaknesses as well.  Demarcus Ware is a phenomenal player and the unquestioned leader of the Dallas D.  However, the defensive line in front of him is very young, unproven and quite suspect.  Ware could struggle to reach the QB with the ease and success that he is used to this season if the defensive line plays poorly in front of him.  With the health of Terrance Newman in question to start the season, the Cowboys secondary also has many question marks.  Are the safeties (Gerald Sensabaugh and Abram Elam) solid enough in the defensive backfield to employ a younger CB in Newman's place if need be? I'm not sold yet.  While Mike Jenkins can appear dominant at times in a season, he is quite inconsistent.  If the Cowboys defense can get pressure on the QB and Felix Jones can remain healthy for the entire season the Cowboys could certainly have a successful season, but what is the likelihood these things fall into place? I'm not ready to buy in....yet.

Mike Patterson Is Back!

Eagles Defensive Tackle Mike Patterson will make his return to football in Thursday's game against the Browns. Patterson has been out since August 3rd when he suffered a seizure on the field right as practice was starting. Patterson was later diagnosed with a brain AVM and the possibility of season and potentially career ending surgery was thrown around at the time, but it is now clear none of that will be happening. This will certainly be a shot of life into the Eagles run defense which was torched last week versus the Steelers. All football related matters aside it is very good to see Mike is healthy following such a scary moment just weeks ago.

Nightmare Scenario: The Eagles Run Defense

All the talk leading up to the start of the new NFL season has been about the “dream team” the Philadelphia Eagles have put together. While Howie Roseman did go out there and make the moves to put together, on paper, one of the best looking teams in the entire NFL. With the additions of CB’s Nnamdi Asomugha and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie via trades and free agency it seems very likely that teams will have a very hard time passing against the Eagles secondary this year something that was a big problem last year. However, there still is one side of this unit that could turn this “dream team” into a nightmare season, the run defense. Last year the Eagles averaged giving up 4.2 yards per carry, 110.4 yards per game on the ground, including a staggering 6 games of 130 rushing yards or more, numbers that left the Eagles run defense in the bottom half of the NFL last year. Too add insult to injury, the Eagles also lost 4 out of their top 5 tacklers from last year in the offseason. Moise Foku and Jamar Chaney two guys who played about half of the year last year due to the starters being injured or playing poorly will get their crack at starting for the first time in their careers. Neither of these players came highly touted out of college but they have shown some glimpses of potential in their playing time last season. Filling in for Quentin Mikell at safety will be Kurt Coleman, a seventh round pick in the 2010 draft out of Ohio State. Kurt doesn’t have too much playing time under his belt, we know Kurt is a hard hitter but can he be smart enough to be in position to make the hit. Dimitri Patterson had the fifth most amount of tackles for the birds last year with 50 but his replacement, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, was one of the worst tacklers in the NFL last year, yes even worse than Asante Samuel. The biggest move in the defense, however, has to be the loss of Stewart Bradley in the middle in favor of rookie fourth round pick Casey Matthews. Casey comes to the Eagles from the University of Oregon where he led the Ducks defense all the way to a tough loss in the BCS National Championship Game. Matthews has the bloodline and the physicality for him to be a top linebacker in this league, but as we saw in the Steelers game he still has a lot of work to do and will be forced to learn on the fly this season. Defensive Tackles Trevor Laws and Mike Patterson, both run stoppers, have had their share of injuries in the pre-season although they look able to play in week one. The Eagles heightened ability to stop the pass is very critical, especially in today’s NFL, but if they can’t stop the run all of that work could be all for not.

Madden 12 Club 100 On Sportsnation This Week

This week you can vote for which players will receive 100 ratings in certain categories.  Voting closed yesterday for the QB accuracy vote but today you can vote for which player will receive a 100 elusiveness rating.  Eagles running back LeSean Mccoy is eligible for the vote today, Cowboys WR Dez Bryant is eligible for the spectacular catch vote on thursday and Eagles WR DeSean Jackson is eligible for the speed vote on friday.  Madden fans, make your vote count this week!

Injury Bug Eats Away at Giants' Secondary

As if the loss of 2011 first round draft pick CB Prince Amukamara for the first few weeks of the season due to a broken foot wasn't  a big enough blow to their secondary, last night the G-men lost two more corners for the entire season last night.  Terrell Thomas and Brian Witherspoon were both placed on IR today after both corners tore their ACL's in last night's preseason game against the Chicago Bears.  Thomas is regards by some as the most talented cornerback on their roster and is coming off a terrific season where he posted career highs in tackles (101), fumble recoveries (4) and tied a career high in interceptions with 5.  Witherspoon's role with the team was significantly less than Thomas' but he could have had an impact in the Giants' kick return game and also could have provided depth in the secondary.  The depth of the Giants' secondary is now in serious question and is an obvious concern for the organization heading into the season.  Barring any new transactions, the Giants will enter the season with Corey Webster and Aaron Ross as their starting cornerbacks but beyond that it is hard to tell who could be the team's nickel and reserve corners.  The team is holding open tryouts for their secondary this week.  The top available CB on the market, Kelvin Hayden (formerly of the Colts), is unlikely to sign to a minimum contract, making it very unlikely the Giants would court his services.  CC Brown is still unemployed...

*Update*
Tom Coughlin said today that he believes second round draft pick Marvin Austin's injury will end his season.  Austin was going to be a part of a defensive tackle rotation for the Giants.  Very disappointing news because Austin missed his entire senior season at North Carolina last year because he received improper benefits. It continues...

Redskins QB Competition

It might be hard to imagine the Redskins having an unstable QB situation heading into the 2011 season after trading a second round pick for Donovan McNabb a year ago. But one year later McNabb was dealt to the Minnesota Vikings once the lockout ended and the Redskins need a new signal caller on offense once again.  Rex Grossman started a few games at the end of last season following Head Coach Mike Shanahan's benching of Donovan McNabb.  Rex put together 3 very mediocre and turnover filled games to close out the 2010 season for the Redskins, but nonetheless he is still in consideration for the starting gig in Washington.  His competition? Former Miami Dolphin's second round pick John Beck.  Beck has been aggressively trying to win the job right from the start.  He showed up to the Redskins' practice facility immediately after the lockout ended, but was told he had to wait until the next day to begin preparing for the 2011 season.  Beck is much more mobile than "Sexy Rexy" but has significantly less experience.  After all, Grossman has been to a Super Bowl, albeit because of a great Chicago Bears defense, but he's been to a Super Bowl nonetheless.  In the preseason thus far, both Grossman and Beck have started a game and each have had successful outings as the starter, perhaps with Beck slightly outperforming Grossman.  Head Coach Shanahan is keeping the starter for opening day a secret for now but I think its Beck's job to lose at this point.  The mobility he showed in the second preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts would be enough for me to separate the two competitors.  Look for Beck to start the season for the Redskins, but he could find himself on a very short leash as the season progresses with Grossman anxiously sitting on the bench,

Michael Vick 2011 Season Outlook

Michael Vick mania.  It all started on one night in September during the 2009 pre-season.  Donovan McNabb was still in town and Kevin Kolb was being groomed and coached as an eventual replacement to the most successful Quarterback the city of Philadelphia has ever seen.  Vick showed flashes of his obvious athleticism throughout the 2009 season, but it wasn't until week 1 of the 2010 NFL season when the Eagles (led by starting QB Kevin Kolb) faced off against the Green Bay Packers at Lincoln Financial Field.  Clay Matthews, brother of current Eagles starting rookie MLB Casey Matthews, would knock Kevin Kolb out of the game with a concussion and thats all she wrote.  Vick would never look back after leading the team for a few scoring drives (behind a horrific offensive line no-less) against Green Bay and would go on to have a great year for the Eagles (especially statistically), though an injury riddled one.  All season long Vick showed how much of a more complete Quarterback and overall improved football player he had become, posting a career best 21 TD to 6 INT ratio as well as a 100.2 QB rating.  What does all of this mean for Michael Vick's 2011 production?  It means that for the first time since being released from prison, Vick had an entire offseason to go though (albeit locked out) with a  starting QB's mentality.  This training camp he was finally the unquestioned starter of the franchise and he looked very impressive all throughout camp at Lehigh University.  With the amount of offensive weapons at Vick's disposal this season like Shady Mccoy, DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, Brent Celek, Ronnie Brown and potentially even newly signed WR Steve Smith at some point this season (formerly of the New York Giants) Vick is poised to have a monstrous season with this Eagles' offense.  But Vick is by no means a sure thing.  He did wear down towards the end of the season after taking an insane amount of hits due to a wildly inconsistent offensive line.  The Eagles are hoping to stabilize the line this season with newcomers on the right side of the line, Danny Watkins (acquired in the 1st round of this years NFL draft) and Ryan Harris (signed in free agency from the Denver Broncos).  The team may also choose to go with rookie center Jason Kelce over the team's veteran (and much larger) center Jamal Jackson.  New offensive line coach Howard Mudd prefers smaller and quicker offensive lineman, especially in the middle of the line so seeing Kelce start this season would make sense from Mudd's philosophical stance.  All in all, the positive things Michael Vick could do this season are almost unimaginable if he and his line stay healthy and consistent.

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Here at NFC East Playmakers, we are just a few broke college kids who would rather stay up late debating sports related statistical anomalies on twitter than do our homework.  All of our writers on the site have a plethora (s/o to Doris) of knowledge within the realm of the NFC East.  The Eagles, Giants, Redskins and Cowboys will all have content pertaining to them on this site.  Whether its the latest signing but the self proclaimed "Dream Team" or its one of our writers speculating how the Cowboys will shuffle their secondary around this season, we'll be covering it.  We hope to bring plenty of humor, odd news from around the NFL, and anything else awesome about the greatest sport on earth, football.  We'll be updating the blog shortly with posts as often as we can so please stay tuned.  Thanks!