Eagles Gab

The final week of preseason football has arrived and I’m sure everyone is excited. In just over a week, the regular season will kick off and the NFL will be in full swing. However, we still have one more preseason game to get through and there is a lot on the line for a number of players.

Here are some of the match-ups I’ll be looking at tonight:

Eagles Rush Offense vs. Jets Rush Defense
Eldra Buckley definitely has the edge for the third running back position right now, but he will need to solidify that position tonight. Although the third running back will be primarily used on special teams, I still want to have a guy on the team who can run the ball if needed.

I think Mike Bell might see some action tonight and I’d like to see him step up and do something, especially since he won’t be up against a first-team defense.

Eagles Corners vs. Jets Receivers
The guys that we see starting the game will be guys who are battling for the nickel position. I’ve like what I’ve seen out of Dimitri Patterson and Trevard Lindley so far this season, and I’d like to see them to play at a high level tonight.

Patterson seems to have the inside track to the nickel corner position, but we did see Lindley take some snaps for Ellis Hobbs last game. Joselio Hanson was a guy I had high hopes for but he seems to have fallen off the map.

Eagles Special Teams vs. Jets Special Teams
There will be roster spots that are won and lost tonight based on special teams performance. That’s a fact. The bubble players should know this, and should realize that they’re going to have to give everything they’ve got on special teams tonight.

We should see a lot of guys trying to make plays tonight. Those who succeed will find themselves on the roster, those who don’t will not.

Mike Kafka vs. Jets Defense
Kafka will get the opportunity to play the entire second half tonight. He is a guy we’ve seen do some pretty nice things this preseason. The play that obviously sticks out is his touchdown throw to Riley Cooper last Friday to win the game for the Eagles.

In 2011, it’s more than likely that Vick will no longer be on the roster so the Eagles will have a decision to make for their backup quarterback position. Will Kafka be the guy or will they go out and get someone else. Tonight is just one more test for him to prove that he can be the number two guy.

What match-ups will you be looking for tonight?

If you’ve been paying attention to the Eagles preseason at all, you may have noticed a key ingredient of their offense that is missing. That is of course, tight end Brent Celek.

In Kevin Kolb’s two starts last season, he and Celek developed quite a relationship. Celek was his go to guy. However, that hasn’t been the case during the preseason, and I’m not the only one who has noticed.

For an inexperienced quarterback with a shaky line, the tight end can often be used as a safety valve. Kolb is yet to take much advantage of the tight end position this preseason, and I’ve hardly noticed Celek on the field at all. The most memorable thing he’s done this preseason is drop a pass in the end zone.

I have the feeling that this trend won’t continue through the regular season. Celek is too good of a player and will see a lot of mismatches with linebackers. Kolb knows that he is a great option because he has used him in the past.

Looking at it from a different perspective, it might be a good thing that Celek has had a quiet preseason. Last year was a breakout season for him and he’s now on every defensive coordinators radar. Hopefully, with his lack of production in the preseason, he’s fallen off the radar a little bit.

Should we be concerned by Celek being seemingly invisible this preseason? Probably not. However, if this trend continues through the first few games of the regular season, it should cause a huge lack in production to the Eagles offense.

Yesterday, we told you that Charles Scott had been traded to Arizona. However, we never discussed why the Eagles chose to make this move.

When the Eagles drafted Scott this year, I was a bit surprised. I was not surprised because they picked him; I was surprised he was still on the board at that point. Scott was a guy that had a great junior season but had his senior year cut short by an injury. My vision of Scott was the big bruising back who could help solve the short yardage problems we’ve seen the past few seasons.

However, as Training Camp moved further along, the Eagles had different plans for Scott. The team chose to start giving him reps at fullback and he transitioned into the position full-time. Scott obviously wasn’t competing for a starting position with Leonard Weaver on the roster, and it was hard for him to see a lot of playing time as the team runs a lot of single-set back formations.

Scott also failed to show that he could catch the ball out of the backfield which is very important ability for any back on the Eagles roster to have.

With all those things in mind, Scott was a long shot to make the roster. There was a chance he may land on the practice squad, but his odds of being on the game day roster weren’t very high. However, his chances in Arizona are much higher. They lost their starting fullback so he’ll have a much better chance making the squad there.

In return for Scott, the Eagles received Jorrick Calvin. Calvin is a cornerback who is also a return specialist. The corner position is somewhere the Eagles could use more help, and they’re also not set on a return guy this year.

This isn’t to say that Calvin has a great opportunity to make the team, but I think he has a better chance than Scott did.

The Eagles have made another roster move today. Due to a nagging knee injury, the team decided to place Ricky Sapp on the injured reserve list for the year. To fill his spot, the Eagles added Pannel Egboh.

On Egboh via Philly.com:

Egboh (6-6, 287) spent the 2009 training camp with the 49ers but was released prior to the start of the regular season. He spent the final four weeks of the 2009 campaign on the Texans’ practice squad. The Texans waived Egboh Sunday.

Egboh played at Stanford, appearing in 40 games and recording 98 tackles, 15.5 sacks and three forced fumbles. The 49ers signed him as an undrafted free agent.

The Eagles have traded fullback Charles Scott to the Cardinals for cornerback Jorrick Calvin in a swap of rookie draft picks.

Calvin was selected one pick behind Scott in the sixth round. Calvin played one season at Troy but was academically ineligible last year. He had two interceptions and 76 tackles in 12 starts in 2008. Calvin also returned kickoffs and punts.

Scott was a running back at Louisiana State, but was moved to fullback in Philadelphia. He had one carry in three pre-season games.

The Daily News reports that Eagles guard Todd Herremans played with a slight ankle sprain.

Eagles guard Todd Herremans played Friday night for the first time in the preseason, having been kept out for what the team said were precautionary reasons, after he experienced soreness in his repaired left foot. Herremans took the field for Sunday’s first practice since the preseason game at Kansas City, but he left early. Coach Andy Reid said Herremans has a slight ankle sprain, on the ankle not attached to his surigcally repaired foot. He stepped on someone’s foot, Reid said. Probably not a huge setback, like something involving the repaired foot could be, but another delay in getting Herremans ready for the season.

The Eagles saved some players from having to wait around to get their pink slips, as the team today announced a couple cuts. Here are the players gone thanks to Pro Football Talk:

Gone are guard Zipp Duncan, safety Ryan Hamilton, offensive lineman Greg Isdaner, linebacker Simoni Lawrence, and receiver Jared Perry. Next Saturday, those five will be joined by 23 more.

Each week I’ve been previewing that match-ups I’d be looking for in each game. This week is special because we will be able to focus a lot on the starting match-ups. Here’s what I’ll be looking for.

Eagles Red-Zone Offense vs. Chiefs Red-Zone Defense
This is something I was looking for last week but failed to be pleased with. The Eagles first team offense is yet to score a touchdown this preseason; however, I believe tonight will be the night for many reasons. To start, this is the longest (and will be the longest) that the starters will play in the preseason. They’ll be on the field for three quarters so they should have more chance. Second, they have a bit of experience of being on the cusp but failing to punch it in. You learn from experience right? Let’s hope so. Last, it’s the Chiefs. This is a team we lit up last season, and I don’t see any reason why it can’t be done again.

Eagles Defensive Ends vs. Chiefs Offensive Tackles
Brandon Graham is now officially a starter and Trent Cole is still a beast. With the two taking all the first team reps together, the Eagles should be able to get some serious pressure on Matt Cassel. They are relentless players and may very well get better later in the game when the big offensive tackles are starting to wear down. I want to see them disrupt the backfield early and often tonight.

Nate Allen vs. Himself
How awesome was it to see Allen bounce back last week after getting run over by Cedric Benson? After this play, he was able to come on a safety blitz, getting in Carson Palmer’s face and forcing him to throw an interception. He was also able to give Benson a little redemption pop later in the game.

When asked about the situation later in the week, Allen said you have to have a short memory. He displayed just that. He’s a young guy and he’s going to make mistakes. However, I want to see him continue to do what he did last week: forget about it and move on. The kid has plenty of star qualities and has the potential to be a great safety in this league.

Eagles Special Teams vs. Chiefs Special Teams
I’m still not happy with the special teams. Bobby April is a great coach and I think we should have a great special teams unit in 2010 because of it. However, we aren’t at that point yet so I want to see some improvement this week.

What matchups will you have your eyes on?