Eagles football is back.
With the 53-man roster set, the second-year quarterback officially named the starter, and the Sept. 12 opener in Atlanta in clear view, it's time for a new season in Philadelphia.
And this one arrives with a combination of excitement, uneasiness, and the potential to pique the curiosity of a city that wants something to believe in, and the dawn of a new era of Eagles football.
How good will this season end up? Is the new coaching staff young and gifted, or just young? Is the current quarterback the long-term quarterback? How many wins can we realistically expect?
Allow me to get the ball rolling with 21 takes on the 2021 Eagles.
1. The Eagles aren't the organizational tire fire some tried to portray all offseason.
"The owner is too involved!"
"The general manager can't be trusted and often needs to act like the smartest guy in the room."
"The franchise has no direction!"
Utter a negative phrase about how the Eagles are run, and odds are that it was uttered on WIP in the months following a disastrous 2020 season. It's understandable. It's also wrong. The Eagles may not run things in a conventional football sense. Their coaching hires may make you scratch your head. Jeff Lurie truly may be too involved, and too similar to Jerry Jones.
But it works. The Eagles formula almost always leads to sound decisions, competitive teams and seasons that we believe can end in January. There's something to be said for trusting the track record of the Lurie-Roseman Eagles.
2. Jalen Hurts is going to prove his doubters wrong, and give the Eagles a very difficult decision to make next offseason.
No NFL quarterback is being slept on more than Jalen Hurts entering the season, and I am perplexed by how so many are missing the boat.
Save your worries about his completion percentage. Making any sort of declaration about accuracy with such a short sample of throws would be like thinking a .150 hitter was awful or .400 hitter was terrible after the month of April in a MLB season. Instead, focus on these two Hurts nuggets:
-No rookie quarterback since 2009 posted a higher yards per completion than Hurts' 13.8. He made big plays with his legs and arm.
-On a per play basis, the Eagles offense (with the same shaky offensive line and subpar group of skill players) functioned 22 percent better after the switch to Hurts last season. With Hurts under center, the Eagles averaged 5.73 yards per play. That's roughly on par with last year's Saints. Before the switch to Hurts, the Eagles were averaging 4.70 yards per play, effectively on par with last year's Jets.
I don't know where Hurts will rank among starting quarterbacks when the season ends, but I'm sure he'll be high enough (and still cheap enough) to give Roseman pause about trading for an expensive veteran.
3. Nick Sirianni continues to win me over.
I can't be the only one that's done a 180 on Sirianni. The opening press conference was a disaster. The next couple times we heard the new Eagles coach talk weren't pretty either. But when it's about ball, Sirianni actually seems in control. He coaches hard, something this group needed more of. A Colts reporter told me that Frank Reich used to call Sirianni "his Sean McVay," as in the next great coach that he had under his wing. I'm excited to see what he's all about.
4. I have changed my tune on Doug Pederson's departure.
I was always a Doug guy. I defended the ex-Eagles coach, going so far as to wanting the Eagles to rehire him in the aftermath of his firing and before Sirianni was announced as the next coach. But after seeing the energy and enthusiasm of the new coaching staff, I now believe the move was the right one. Pederson looked fried last year. The Eagles needed new ideas and energy.
5. Jonathan Gannon is a future head coach.
If it's possible, I'm even more impressed with Jonathan Gannon (or JG as he seems to prefer) than Sirianni. The new Eagles defensive coordinator comes across as detailed and sharp. If his background with Mike Zimmer is any indication of how his unit will play, expect havoc and turnovers. Philadelphia is going to like this guy.
6. Howie Roseman had a really good offseason.
Dealing away the worst quarterback in pro football for two good draft picks. Signing Eric Wilson and Anthony Harris to one-year deals. Trading down to land an extra future first-round pick in the NFL Draft. Finding a more-than-capable, cheap backup quarterback last week for a small price. Clearing salary cap space without losing a single important player. It's OK to amidt how good of an offseason the Eagles GM had.
7. Depth, not high-end talent, is my biggest concern heading into the season.
No team in the NFL has more dead cap money in 2021 than the Eagles. Nearly $50M in cap room is dedicated to players no longer on the roster. That's bad. It doesn't mean this team is, but it will compromise depth. In a 17-game season, it could (and just might) be this team's undoing.
8. No team in the NFC East has a better combination of offensive and defensive line play than the Eagles.
Whenever someone is down on this team, remind them of this. Sometimes we overcomplicate football. The Eagles will be strong in the trenches on both sides of the ball. Period.
9. The Eagles have two of the four best quarterbacks in the division.
Here's how I'd rank the 2021 NFC East quarterbacks:
1. Dak Prescott
2. Jalen Hurts
3. Ryan Fitzpatrick
4. Gardner Minshew
5. Daniel Jones
10. The 17th game could be a huge Eagles advantage if the NFC East comes down to one game.
Remember this one down the line. This year's 17th game will feature NFC teams traveling to an AFC Divisional counterpart that finished in the same place in the standings last year. So, this year pivots the NFC East vs. the AFC East. The matchups (based on last year's divisional standing):
Washington Football Team at Buffalo. Dallas at New England. New York at Miami. Eagles at Jets.
That could be a full one-game swing for the Eagles in the NFC East standings.
11. Expect a slow start, with Week 5 at Carolina looming as a pivot point for the season.
I won't be surprised if the Eagles start 1-3 vs. Atlanta, San Francisco, Dallas and Kansas City. A Week 5 road trip to Carolina will be the key to turning around the season.
12. The Eagles will win one game no one sees coming, and lose one that drives everyone crazy.
My guesses: Win vs. Tampa Bay in Week 6, loss at Detroit in Week 8.
13. Moving on from Carson Wentz will soon be looked at as addition by subtraction.
(Well) below average quarterback. Poor leader. Not mentally tough. Wentz, and the often absurd hope that he would turn into a different player, suffocated the fun out of watching the Eagles over the last couple seasons. I hope he stays healthy so the Eagles can accrue a first-round pick in 2021. I doubt he'll succeed. In fact, I'd guess he's a backup quarterback or out of the league by 2023.
14. Kenneth Gainwell will steal Miles Sanders' job by November.
Get aboard the Gainwell Hype Train. Seats are filling up fast.
15. Brandon Graham is two seasons away from a special distinction.
Only seven players have played in more games in an Eagles uniform than Graham. At 159, the veteran defensive lineman is 29 games behind David Akers. Health permitting, Graham will become the all-time Eagles leader in games played late in the 2022 season. What a great Eagle.
16. The Gardner Minshew trade was a smart one, even if a quarterback controversy seems inevitable.
I'd be surprised if Hurts played poorly enough to lose the job to Joe Flacco or Minshew. What wouldn't surprise me: Hurts, a running quarterback that doesn't shy away from contact, getting banged up. Minshew plays a game or two, wins a game or two, and we have ourselves an old-fashioned quarterback controversy. Again.
17. Josh Sweat is poised for a double-digit sack season.
The last Eagles defensive end drafted by the Eagles to record 10-plus sacks in a season: Trent Cole. That changes this year.
18. Darius Slay is the x-factor for the entire defense.
Slay was a disappointment in his first year in Philadelphia. Mr. Big Play didn't really make any plays, and got torched by opposing No. 1 wide receivers. The front four will be excellent. The linebackers are improved. Harris and Rodney McLeod make a good safety tandem. Games will come down to Slay's play.
19. If Hurts sticks, two names to watch for in next year's NFL Draft: Kayvon Thibodeaux and Derek Stingley Jr.
In a perfect world, Hurts solidfiles himself as the 2022 quarterback. That would give the Eagles two (or three) picks to use to potentially move up into the top five of the 2022 NFL Draft for a player at another blue-chip position. Stingley Jr., the best cornerback in college football, could finally solve a decade long hole. Thibodeaux, the best pass rusher in college football, could be a pure defensive end or a SAM linebacker/pass-rushing monster in Gannon's scheme.
20. NFC East order of finish: 1. Eagles 2. Cowboys 3. Washington Football Team 4. Giants
21. Final record: 9-8
