myerstownherald.com

By ERIC FISHER
The Eagles are not ready for the start of the season.
I don’t recall ever having written those words about an Andy Reid-coach team. Not good enough? Yes. Missing pieces? Yes. Unprepared? No. Never.
Well, there was the 2007 season-opener against Green Bay, when Reid, after cutting return specialist Jeremy Bloom, threw Greg Lewis and J.R. Reed to the wolves. Neither had any previous game experience returning punts. Both fumbled punts that led to Green Bay points in an Eagles defeat.
Even 2007, however, pales in comparison to this season. Yes, there is still a question regarding who will return punts. But there are also questions about middle linebacker, safety and the offensive line.
The offensive line was the centerpiece of the Eagles’ offseason remodeling. Veteran tackles Tra Thomas and Jon Runyan were not re-signed. With much fanfare, the Eagles acquired Jason Peters from Buffalo to replace Thomas at left tackle. The Eagles also signed free agent Stacy Andrews to play right guard, with Shawn Andrews, Stacy’s younger brother, shifting to right tackle.
Although the Eagles denied it, one reason for acquiring his older brother and a former college teammate (Peters) seems to have been to make Shawn Andrews more comfortable. Shawn Andrews battled depression issues last year, then missed the rest of the season with a back injury.
There was great anticipation about this reconstructed offensive line. It was younger and, supposedly, much better at run blocking. The Eagles, as we all remember, struggled to convert third-and-short plays last season.
So how does the revamped offensive line look? We don’t know. Why not? Because we haven’t seen it.
Shawn Andrews did a tremendous impression of the invisible man during training camp. He injured his back during the first training run, then – poof! – he wasn’t seen again.
Peters and Stacy Andrews both missed time due to injuries during training camp. When Peters played, he looked rusty, mistiming snap counts and failing to pick up blitzes.
Preseason games are the time to shake off the rust, so Peters’ play in itself isn’t alarming. But Stacy Andrews didn’t see much action, either. Shawn Andrews didn’t take a single snap during a preseason game. Did I mention that left guard Todd Herremans suffered a stress fracture in his foot and will miss at least the first two games of the season?
Offensive lines require repetition to get their coordination and timing down. The Eagles’ projected starting offensive line, with two new starters and one player switching positions, hasn’t played one snap together yet. Quite simply, they aren’t ready to start the season.
The Eagles also have question marks in other areas. You try not to draw too many conclusions from watching preseason games, but neither the defense nor special teams appeared ready to start the season.
The defense enters the season with question marks at defensive end, free safety and middle linebacker. There was competition for playing time at all three of these positions. Competition is a good thing, except when nobody wins it.
Omar Gaither will start at middle linebacker, but did he win the competition? Not exactly. After starter Stewart Bradley was lost for the season with a torn ACL, the Eagles gave Joe Mays every chance to win the starting job. Mays, who will miss Sunday’s season opener against Carolina with a strained shoulder, failed to take advantage of the opportunity. Gaither, who lost competitions last year at middle and outside linebacker, won this job by default.
The same is true at free safety, a position formerly filled by all-pro Brian Dawkins. Neither Quintin Demps nor Sean Jones distinguished himself in the battle to replace Dawkins. Consequently, the starter will be rookie Macho Harris.
Defensive end is a similar story. The Eagles need a defensive end other than Trent Cole to pressure the quarterback. But the only defensive end to shine during preseason was Jason Babin, a cast-off acquired during the preseason. Victor Abiamiri “earned” the starting position.
This isn’t a season of despair – or at least it shouldn’t be one. The Eagles have plenty of talent, especially on offense. Quarterback Donovan McNabb and running back Brian Westbrook will have plenty of help. (Note that I’m not overly concerned that Westbrook didn’t take a snap this preseason. He should be fine.)
LeSean McCoy should give Westbrook a breather and provide a spark. Fullback Leonard Weaver should help the Eagles pick up those crucial yards on third-and-one. Rookie receiver Jeremy Maclin adds depth at receiver, where DeSean Jackson may be primed for a breakout season after an excellent rookie year.
The Eagles should be exciting, but their unprepared state as the season begins probably ensures they’ll be inconsistent. There are simply too many moving parts. Most of the starting offensive line, the defensive coordinator (Sean McDermott) and the starting free safety are all new. And we haven’t even discussed the Michael Vick experiment!
The height of inconsistency is to be good one week and bad the next – all season long. That sounds about right to me.
“Perfect inconsistency” adds up to an 8-8 season.