Eagles defeat Carolina 38-7, finish preseason 3-1
Coaching staff prepares for final roster cuts
PHILADELPHIA, PA - Preseason games don't generate much hype and fans look on passively knowing the outcomes really do not matter. To coaches, general manager and players fighting for roster spots though, these games, especially the final one, mean almost as much as a regular season game.
Saturday evening the Eagles finished off their preseason with a 38-7 thrashing for their NFC Championship game foes, the Carolina Panthers. While the game's outcome meant little for either team, there are several storylines that have evolved in the aftermath.
The backup quarterback spot was thought to be Sam Bradford's when the Eagles signed him during the offseason. However, after a 168 yard passing day for Logan Thomas, that decision does not seem so straight-forward. Thomas led the team with 539 yards passing in the preseason and was second to starter Daniel Adams in QB rating at 113.1. Thomas also ran the ball 11 times for 116 yards and three touchdowns.
The yards were third most for Eagle runners in the preseason and the three TD's tied for the team lead. Bradford has 10 years of experience, most of which came as a starter, but Thomas, entering his 7th year, made a strong case for himself to handle the backup duties. Unless Adams gets hurt its probably a moot point as Thomas is expected to get the majority of the regular season work in substitution packages similar to how Tim Tebow was used last year. If Adams does go down to injury again this year though, it could be an interesting story to watch.
At running back, Lamar Miller was signed to take over the starting role which seemed to relegate Duke Johnson, who started midway through last season and all through the playoffs, back to the #2 back. However, David Johnson, an offseason free agent signing, made a case for the primary backup duties by leading the team with 240 rushing yards and tying for the team lead with three touchdowns. David also averaged 4.8 yards per carry to Duke's 3.8. It is a small sample size, but the former Northern Iowa standout made the coaching staff's job very difficult after a 61-yard performance in the last game of the preseason.
Dri Archer also presents a difficult choice for the coaching staff. Archer was picked up early in the preseason to handle kick return duties should wide receiver Cedric Jones take on more of a role in the offense. Jones, though, only had two catches in the preseason and outperformed Archer on both kick and punt return duties (21.7 and 11.3 to 21.0 and 10.7). The Eagles can probably get away with carrying four halfbacks this season, but then what happens with Jones who excelled as a returner late last season and in the preseason but all but played himself out of significant time at wideout?
Eagles brass knew they were going to have a difficult decision when they signed fullbacks Bruce Miller and Bear Pascoe and tight end Craig Stevens as free agents. Miller was slated to be the starting fullback and nothing seems to have changed on that front. The decision now is whether to keep Pascoe, who is 6-5 265 and can play tight end, or Stevens (6-3 263).
Pascoe gives the Eagles versatility as he can backup Miller at fullback and also contribute as a great run blocker in three tight end sets. However, Stevens, who is the better pass catcher and a solid blocker, would give the Eagles a solid option to maintain their planned use of two tight end sets should either Zach Ertz or C.J. Fiedorowicz get injured (Ertz was injured last year and Fiedorowicz has a history of injuries). It is unlikely that the Eagles can afford to keep both Pascoe and Stevens so this decision will say a lot about how the teams feels about its top two tight ends.
Defensively, the majority of the preseason discussion focused around who would start at free safety. Jaiquawn Jarrett was signed in the offseason to compete for the starting job and provide some added athleticism to the position. Then the Eagles drafted Derron Brandon in the first round and immediately created a logjam at the position with Jarrett and last year's starter Marcus Gilchrist.
Gilchrist was seldom used in the preseason an all signs point to the Eagles departing with one of the few remaining holdovers from last year's secondary. That left Jarrett and Brandon left fighting for the starting spot. Brandon is the more athletic of the two and has tremendous upside as a starter. However, Brandon managed only seven tackles in the preseason and his only noteworthy play was an interception this week against Carolina. Jarrett, on the other hand, had 14 tackles and has nine years of experience, albeit almost all as a backup. This will be a crucial decision for the Eagles as they look to solidify one of the weak spots of the defense from a year ago.
The last of the tough decisions for Eagle coaches comes at linebacker where Tyler Cook and Rahmon Davis battled to replace Jerron Knight (moved to defensive end) at right outside linebacker. Cook was expected to get the starting nod heading into camp but Davis made the decision difficult with 13 tackles including five for a loss during the preseason. Cook had 12 tackles of his own but only one behind the line of scrimmage. Both players are young and athletic and the team probably cannot go wrong with either of them. No matter who misses out on the starting assignment, the Eagles can feel comfortable they have a two very solid young linebackers to build around for the future.
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