Games People Play 7-29-09

Veterans report to Eagles’ training camp today as another new football season begins with anticipation and curiosity. As in most recent years, Birds’ backers have reason for optimism and the ever-present causes for concern.
On paper, Philadelphia has improved in several key areas, but the grueling NFL season is painful and unforgiving as injuries invariably take their toll.
So perhaps the most important aspect of any training camp is the ability of coaches and scouts to identify players with potential who can be called upon to step in if and when the stars go down.
The Eagles are already dealing with the battle of wounded knee as superstar back Brian Westbrook, newly acquired guard Stacey Andrews, and former University of Florida tight end Cornelius Ingram all bring question marks to camp.
Leadership on defense is a potential problem as veteran coordinator Jim Johnson and long-time safety Brian Dawkins are no longer with the club. Sean McDermott takes over for Johnson and appears to have a strong work ethic to go along with a resume of 10 years climbing the coaching food chain and an impressive William and Mary degree on his wall.
It’ll be interesting to see how the D operates in early season crunch time situations.
Another defensive concern is the unhappiness of Sheldon Brown. The cornerback position appears to have some depth with ever-improving Joselio Hansen and former Patriot Ellis Hobbs. If rookie Macho Harris shows promise, Brown could be dealt prior to opening day.
The offensive line was re-worked as the Birds landed stud Jason Peters to man the vital left tackle position. Andrews and his younger brother, holdover Shawn, could dominate the right side of the line, although it’d be nice to see a recovering Jon Runyan re-signed as a back-up in case one or both of the brothers get injured or if Shawn’s depression issues resurface.
Even more important that Westbrook’s knee is the continued good health of quarterback Donovan McNabb. He’s on a two-year leash after having his contract upgraded, although not extended, this offseason. The team will rise or fall depending on the play of number 5, and everyone knows it.
The linebackers seem solid and the defensive line looks deep with a regular rotation of eight players. The problem may be that none of these athletes is a dominant performer. No one is a game changer.
Middle man Stewart Bradley has the potential to become a big time player. Trent Cole is a better than average end, but consistently wears down as the season takes its toll on his undersized body.
The running backs must be prepared to step in for Westbrook. Second round pick LeSean McCoy could be the key to the season. If he can produce, it’ll take a huge burden off of McNabb and the young receiving corps. If McCoy is a bust, the Giants could run away with the division.
Speaking of receivers, the selection of top pick Jeremy Maclin was out of character for Andy Reid, but respected football commentators throughout this region and nationally, believe Maclin is a stud. A dominant receiver to accompany last year’s second-round find, DeSean Jackson, will make the Eagles’ offense quite formidable.
Another facet of a formidable offense is an effective tight end to patrol the middle of the field and keep the safeties away from double covering the outside. Former Rutgers star L.J. Smith failed in Philadelphia despite his big and athletic body.
That leaves serviceable Brent Celek as the starter and the intriguing Ingram as a man to watch. Ingram appears to have the downfield speed this town hasn’t seen since Keith Jackson in the Buddy Ryan era.
Team owner Jeff Lurie and president Joe Banner deserve a ton of credit for getting the deals done to improve the roster. Reid and his staff must now teach their systems to the new players and blend the talent into a Super Bowl contender.
The pressure is always on the Eagles so they should be accustomed to the spotlight. This is Reid’s 11th year in Philadelphia. It’s difficult to imagine that he’ll want to do this much longer.
The time is now or possibly next year, before the window may finally be closed on this generation of Eagles.
Reach Rossi at joerossi61@comcast.net