Now that July has arrived, Training Camps are just around the corner. The Eagles are the first NFL team to begin, starting on July 22nd. And by July 26th, the Training Camps are rolling. Along with the Eagles 22nd start, the Cowboys and Jaguars begin Jul7 27th.
The Eagles have rookies that they’re banking on being successful right out of the gate, the Cowboys and Jaguars need to solve their 3rd receiver position battles, and Blaine Gabbert has every chance to succeed this year.
Rookie Watch
The Eagles, in my opinion, had a fantastic draft based on my value board and in assessing their needs, but many of their high picks have question marks. Fletcher Cox should be an impact pass rusher with room to grow, but how will he fit in the Eagles rotation? Also Mychal Kendricks is an explosive and quick twitch linebacker, but can he sort through traffic well enough to be the run defender they need? Vinny Curry and Brandon Boykin are both undersized for their defensive end/cornerback positions, and will be asked to fill situational roles (3rd down rusher for Curry, nickel cornerback for Boykin). Can they step up as rookies? Eagles may have gotten great value, but their picks need to step up for this team to be a Super Bowl contender.
As for their rival Cowboys, they seem to have a safer crop of rookies. Morris Claiborne steps in as likely one of the Top 10 man coverage cornerbacks in the NFL as of now. He desperatly adds a much needed secondary threat to give this pass rush some better chances. Excited to see how he steps up in practice. And speaking of that pass rush, the team added 5-technique Tyrone Crawford, who’s outstandingly powerful, and Kyle Wilbur as a rush linebacker. Both, along with undrafted free agent and favorite of ours Adrian Hamilton, could all play a role this year. And finally, it’s rare for a late rounder to be asked to make a big impact, but receiver Danny Coale will be asked to be the team’s slot receiver early in camp. We’ll see if he can step in and fill that role.
And finally, the Jaguars, the team in need of the most help from their young players of this group, is already sweating out their first round pick in Justin Blackmon after his aggravated DUI charge. They are banking on him developing with Blaine Gabbert for the future. If Blackmon struggles early, it could be another long season for Blaine Gabbert. After him, two defensive players in defensive end Andre Branch and linebacker Brandon Marshall likely won’t asked to be elite rookies, but both are versatility athletes who play well in space.
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Top Position Battles
Eagles – Dion Lewis vs. Bryce Brown vs. Chris Polk
LeSean McCoy is the feature back for the Eagles and will need to be the consistent offensive presecen, as Michael Vick hasn’t been able to stay healthy and DeSean Jackson/Jeremy Maclin can’t stay consistent. However, it’s important for the Eagles to keep McCoy’s carries as low as possible without losing production for three reasons: He’s their future, they can’t afford him getting hurt, and the Eagles are expecting to play 17+ games this season. Lewis is the incumbant, but he’s nothing special. Bryce Brown has great talent but has major consistency/character issues. Polk is the most capable, but he has a serious injury that caused him to fall out of the draft. For the Eagles sake, one of them needs to step up.
Jaguars – Lee Evans vs. Mike Thomas vs. Cecil Shorts
Whether the Jaguars are happy with it or not, Justin Blackmon and Laurent Robinson need to be solid starters this season. It may be risky, but the Jaguars need to assume that will happen or they can already start considering who they’ll take with their top 3 pick in next year’s draft. Assuming both of those become solid starters, the 3rd receiver (excluding Marcedes Lewis) will likely be the determining factor on if Gabbert has a poor, solid, or great season. Lee Evans has shown to be a very solid receiver in Buffalo, so he may be the favorite. The team also brought back Mike Thomas and has shown that Cecil Shorts is likely a part of their plans. Whoever wins this “battle” may be asked to catch 30+ balls this season.
Cowboys – Danny Coale vs. Dwayne Harris
Similar to the Jaguars, the Cowboys have two set starters (much better than the Jaguars) in Dez Bryant and Miles Austin. Both are Pro Bowl good. But after those two, it may be hard for Tony Romo to rely on an aging Jason Witten to be a consistent 3rd option each and every game. Losing Laurent Robinson will be tough for Romo, especially in the red-zone, but he has two young receivers can could thrive in a different way from Robinson. Dwayne Harris has decent length as a receiver and can be a great run after catch in traffic receiver along with some vertical ability. And Danny Coale is a downfield slot option with great body control, focus, and consistent routes in the middle of the field. Both need to have some impact this year, but for late round picks, asking more than 25 catches a season is a lot of pressure.
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How Can That Eagles Defense Improve To Help Vick’s Offense?
Michael Vick was special last year when he was healthy. And with LeSean McCoy, one of the 3-4 best running backs in the NFL, and playmakers like DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin, the offense should be able to put up points and stay productive. However, that wasn’t the concern with the Eagles last year for the most part. It was the defense.
The run defense struggled at times last year, giving up 140+ yards to Marshawn Lynch and 100+ to Evan Royster. They finished in the middle of the pack in the NFL in run defense last year, and with their undersized unit that struggled to contain runs up the middle, it’s up to rookies Fletcher Cox and Mychal Kendricks to add some new blood. But this team will need the combination of those two young rookies as veterans if they hope to contain the Shanahan rushing attack, the Cowboys DeMarco Murray/Felix Jones combo, and the Giants rookie David Wilson.
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Pressure on Blaine Gabbert to Improve
I felt sorry for Blaine Gabbert when the Jaguars selected him in the 2011 draft. I knew he’d be asked to play early, something he wasn’t built for, and that team didn’t have the offensive pieces in place for him to thrive. But, he’s the quarterback of this team now, and he’s the unquestioned starter.
He has franchise quarterback ability, no doubt in my mind. But what people need to realize is that quarterback success is almost equally split between talent and situation. His situation last year was rough for a developing quarterback. With Justin Blackmon and Laurent Robinson at receiver, their crop got better. Not much, but at least it’s two bigger options for Gabbert.
He has the talent to be great, and I hope Jaguars fans can realize that. Quarterbacks generally need fan and ownership support to be great. If he gets that support and one/both of those new receivers can step up this year, Gabbert will earn that respect for the future and will quickly make people forget his struggles as a rookie.
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