Philadelphia Eagles Wide Receiver Steve Smith: 2010 Year in Review and 2011 Outlook and Beyond

2010 Year in Review

With the recent acquisition of Steve Smith from the New York Giants, he certainly adds a wrinkle to the receiving corps of DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, Riley Cooper and Jason Avant.  He’s no Plaxico Burress that’s for certain as Steve Smith’s record as a wideout for the New York Giants has been spotty at best and negligible at worst.  For the New York Giants, he was quickly replaced by Hakeem Nicks and Mario Manningham.  Compared to either of them during the 2010 regular season, with both nearly having 1,000 yards receiving yards and at least 9 touchdowns for both of them, he was left with 529 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns.  He was a shadow of what he was in 2009.

In his 2009 regular season, Steve Smith had his best performance as wideout for the New York Giants.  In that season, he had 1,220 receiving yards and 7 touchdowns.  With his 1,220 total receiving yards for that season, he was ranked 8th among wide receivers.  And, with his 7 touchdowns, he was tied for 20th in the company of Indianapolis Colts Austin Collie, Baltimore Ravens Derrick Mason and Dallas Cowboys Roy Williams.  Compared to his other seasons with the Giants in 2007, 2008 and 2010, he has been a dismal failure of a wideout, barely receiving any production whatsoever.

2011 Outlook and Beyond

On the roster chart currently, he is one of the backup wideouts to Jeremy Maclin.  What his role in the new scheme of the Philadelphia Eagles has yet to be seen, as he is gradually recovering and is expected to practice by week 1 of the regular season.  That is hopeful news but it should be tempered.  With Eli Manning, he was a reliable third-down wide receiver, but he was also placed behind Plaxico Burress and Amani Toomer in the depth chart of the New York Giants.  And now, he’s in the same situation yet again with the Philadelphia Eagles.

If and when he recovers completely during the 2011 regular season, he will make an splash with the Philadelphia Eagles, but it might be small at best.  He certainly lacks the speed of DeSean Jackson nor the persistence of Jeremy Maclin.  For now, he remains a viable goal-line target at best due to his physical stature, and that is perhaps his best role on this team.  However, with that in mind, he’s also competing for catches with potentially Eagles tight end Brent Celek.  Perhaps the only thing going for him is Jeremy Maclin’s unknown illness.  Who will recover first and fastest?  It appears that currently Steve Smith has the lead.

2011 Fantasy Football Wide Receiver Prospect

Steve Smith is an interesting gamble at best, but is he worth it?  Some gambled on Sidney Rice of the Minnesota Vikings last season, but it didn’t come through as expected.  For this season, Steve Smith is a bit like Sidney Rice of the previous fantasy football season minus the upside — really.  True, he’s on an explosive pass-happy offense.  Unfortunately, he’s got competition in his rear view mirror, lots of it.  Jason Avant and Riley Cooper are two of the most notable.  He’s worth a gander in the later rounds of the fantasy football draft, but it will take a person with a lot of moxie to gamble on this one.  I would leave him as waiver wire fodder for now.  If he becomes a starter over Jeremy Maclin, which I sincerely doubt, he’s worth a solid to high-end WR2 optimistically with a dash of upside.  Again, Steve Smith remains a gamble and a large one at that.

Philadelphia Eagles Wide Receiver Jeremy Maclin: 2010 Year in Review and 2011 Outlook and Beyond

2010 Year in Review

Philadelphia Eagles Jeremy Maclin played second string to DeSean Jackson in 2009 during the tenure of Donovan McNabb.  He’s been more than an adequate wideout for the Eagles offensive machine but had a breakout season during the 2010 regular season, excelling past his teammate DeSean Jackson in terms of touchdowns and receptions.  Maclin absolutely dominated the Atlanta Falcons during the early part of the season with 159 yards on 7 receptions and 2 touchdowns to lead the Eagles to a victory of 31-17.  On top of that, he had 22.7 yards per carry of which his longest was an 83-yard reception.  In that complete obliteration of the Washington Redskins of the score of 59-28, Maclin contributed 90 all-purpose yards and a touchdown.  The following game against the New York Giants, he dominated with 120 receiving.  Then began his fall as the New York Giants, the Dallas Cowboys, and the Chicago Bears and the Houston Texans kept him under 75 yards a game and 11.2 yards per catch. On the bright side, he did manage to score three touchdowns in those four games. However, not all this was Maclin’s doing.  At that point, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick was battered as defenses caught on to his tendencies.  Vick withdrew into his former shell as a rushing quarterback as defenses blitzed consistently.  Maclin did improve somewhat when the team faced the Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card game.  He had 73 receiving yards on 3 receptions and 24.3 average yards per catch.  Unfortunately, he was kept out of the endzone when the Philadelphia Eagles lost 21-16.  In 2009, he was  a low WR2 at best, but in 2010, he improved to a solid to high-end WR2/low-end WR1.  In fact, his 10 touchdowns ranked seventh among wideouts, and his 964 accumulated total receiving yards during the regular season ranked him 19th among wideouts.

2011 Outlook and Beyond

Compared to his 2009 rookie season with the Philadelphia Eagles organization, Maclin had six more touchdowns and 191 more receiving yards. He improved his ranking as 54th among wideouts in touchdowns to seventh which is a great improvement.  His 773 yards during his rookie ranked him 43rd.  However, his receiving yards led him in the company of potent San Diego Chargers wideout Malcolm Floyd and Indianapolis Colts invaluable wideout Pierre Garcon during his rookie season. During his 2010 season, Maclin was in the company of breakout Tampa Bay Buccaneers wideout Mike Williams. Maclin has begun maturing as a wideout, but his athleticism and speed won’t break his teammate DeSean Jackson.

Jeremy Maclin still has about three years on his contract with the Philadelphia Eagles.  However, he should still have productive seasons with Michael Vick at the helm as they have some sort of chemistry.  Jeremy Maclin’s productivity will have direct impact on others, most notably tight end Brent Celek and his teammate DeSean Jackson.  Maclin is the preferred target of Vick over Celek and Jackson during the 2010 regular season.  I expect the trend to continue into the 2011 season minimally as long as Michael Vick stays around.  Maclin will remain productive and effective wideout on the fantasy football roster.

2011 Fantasy Football Wide Receiver Prospect

Jeremy Maclin has shown that he has become an effective cog in the Philadelphia Eagles offensive machine, but his productivity heavily remains on the health of Michael Vick, as do the other Eagles wideouts.  I wouldn’t draft a wideout too early during the 2011 fantasy football season however.  He should remain a solid WR2 to low-end WR1 throughout the 2011 season, but there may be surprise fantasy football wideouts that you can pick off the waiver wire that might more than adequately be as productive and serve as a substitute.  Remember Denver Broncos Brandon Lloyd, Buffalo Bills Steve Johnson and Kansas City Chiefs Dwayne Bowe among others.  Most of these wideouts were not chosen first and immediately on draft day.  This has been the trend for the past three or four seasons as free agency has leveled the playing field. The 2011 fantasy football draft should be no different.

NFL and the NFLPA Lockout Countdown: Lockout Day+62, or The Age of Television

With a week of legal clockwork grinding in the background, there hasn’t been significant progress of the NFL-NFLPA lockout.  The NFL said that U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson ignored the potential harm to the league and to the contract discussions by lifting the injunction in a briefing sent to the 8th District Court of Appeals in St. Louis.  The 8th District Court, in light of this, has put on temporary hold on the order, meaning that the NFL and the NFL players trade association are currently in a state of limbo.  That means no more contract negotiations during free agency or participate in sanctioned workouts.  However, many players have taken their own initiative to hold workouts, including Dallas Cowboys Tony Romo and New Orleans Saints Drew Brees.

Splitting attention with the NFL’s appeal, U.S. District Judge David Doty held a two-hour hearing on the splitting of the $4 billion in television revenues, which the NFL players want $707 million in damages due to renegotiated television contracts by the NFL that would permit the league to still get paid despite the lockout. Doty ruled in favor of the NFL players on March 1 declaring that the renegotiated contracts failed to “maximize revenues” for the players.

As these legal proceedings has gone on, the NFL players have made significant moves on their own.  Former Minnesota Vikings quarterback Brett Favre had declared that he has officially retired and “done with football.”  We have heard this same song and dance twice before, and I wouldn’t hold my breath quite yet.  Even despite his lackluster performance in 2010, with 2,509 yards passing, 11 touchdowns and a below-average 69.9 quarterback rating, he might still make a comeback again.  Not entirely out of the picture since the NFL has yet to formally declare this upcoming season open.  However, the disastrous sagas of Jenn Sterger and the other women last season would certainly hinder him.

One intriguing note came from the Seattle Seahawks as Matt Hasselbeck and Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell held discussions about his return to the team once the work stoppage ends. With him potentially returning, the flip-flop duo of Matt Hasselbeck and Charlie Whitehurst of last season’s Cinderella team would return on the roster.  This veteran didn’t have his best season last year until honestly the final game of the regular season against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Wild Card game against the New Orleans Saints and their NFC title game against the Chicago Bears.  In their last game, Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler exploded with 4 touchdowns and a 111.3 quarterback rating.  However, Seattle Seahawks Matt Hasselbeck himself did pretty well, too.  He had 3 touchdowns and a 94.3 quarterback rating against one of the tougher defenses in the league last season.

There were some other player news locally.  Boxer Bernard Hopkins ripped into former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb saying that McNabb was essentially born pampered and made some off-handed racial remarks as well.  But this is nothing more than what some boxers do best, stir the pot to cause some commotion.  Other boxers have done the same in the past, similar to Muhammad Ali had done to his competitors Joe Frazier and George Foreman.

After all this legal limbo this week, the NFL and the NFL players trade association are still in quite a legal stalemate.  These courts have to wait until the final decision has been made by the National Labor Relations Board as the Board’s mandate will directly impact their own.

NFL and the NFLPA Lockout Countdown: Lockout Day+55, or the NFL Players Workouts and Their Briefs

Although brief and short last Friday, the some of the NFL players did get an opportunity to work out at their facilities, but the NFL team owners filed a brief in the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis as a countermeasure against U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson‘s order to lift the lockout.  They argued that Nelson’s injunction was federal interference when the Norris-LaGuardia Act stated that federal courts should not impose themselves in labor negotiations.  As expected, the players “trade association” said that the NFL team owners have caused irreparable damage from the work stoppage.  However, the appellate court has granted a temporary stay, reinforcing Nelson’s original injunction to lift the lockout. The appellate court in St. Louis consists of judges Steven Colloton, Kermit Bye and Duane Benton, and they will be deciding whether the stay will be permanent.  There is hearing scheduled June 3 with David Boies representing the league and Thoedore Olsen representing the players.  This is expected to take another six to eight weeks, should it be decided that these three judges will rule on the entire appeal.  By that time, it should give U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson and the National Labor Relations Board sufficient time to make their decisions on their respective cases.

In the meantime, the NFL players have begun their training although not sanctioned by the teams.  New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees led nearly 40 players to a training camp of sorts at the Tulane facilities. New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez is leading his training camp in California.  Denver Broncos safety Brian Dawkins has led workouts in the Denver area. Young Cleveland Browns quarterback Colt McCoy held his workouts in Austin, Texas.  Lastly, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo is hosting his in an undisclosed location with 40 players in attendance.

In light of this, Judge Nelson does not remain optimistic that the 2011 season will open on time.  However, the NFL schedule currently has taken that into effect.  On the bright side, these private workouts scheduled by the leaders of the respective NFL teams will hinder some from causing legal trouble during their free time.  And for some of the fans, including myself, there are signs of light at the end of the tunnel, but it looks like we have to remain patient while the courts and attorneys sort themselves out.  These briefs won’t be short as their name implies…

NFL and the NFLPA Lockout Countdown: Lockout Day+48, or the Nelson Imposition

With all these legalities going on, the NFL Draft has officially begun for each of the respective teams as they wheel-and-deal to get the best upcoming rookies on their rosters.  Despite these festivities, these legal cases will still go on as Nelson expects an immediate appeal at the 8th District of Appeals in St. Louis. However, U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson has imposed the lift on the lockout on the NFL team owners.  These owners, of course, are appealing the ruling, but it does give hope to the players and their fans that the season may start on time — maybe.  The Draft will proceed although not with confusion.  The state of the use of the team facilities has been put on hold as the team owners seek clarification.  Additionally, the free agency contracts tendered in March before the work stoppage will be enforced using 2010 rules.  Lastly,  NFL’s free agency, should the lockout proceed after the appeal, could fall into a mess as players will be falling under two different contract litigations. Until the Appellate Court resolves Nelson’s ruling, the NFL is in a state of legal mire although the Nelson’s ruling has given players and fans early success.  This success may be short-lived and may cause irreparable damage in the long-term.

For now, the first day of the NFL Draft has proceeded with little hitch.  The rookies from the NCAA has at least determined which team they will potentially join.  This will give the coaches minimally ideas for gameplans as they will know where the new players will potentially fit.  For the Philadelphia Eagles, they should fill in the offensive line first and holes in their defense.  The offense, although highly potent and explosive, can take care of itself this potential upcoming season.  DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, Brent Celek and LeSean McCoy are all fairly young in their respective positions, and wideouts DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin are maturing nicely.

Until then, football fans will have to wait until May 16th until any significant progress will happen, unless there’s another round of mediation.

2011 Philadelphia Eagles Regular Season Schedule: Game-By-Game Analysis

Despite the work stoppage still in effect in the NFL, the NFL has chosen to release regular season schedules for the teams, after their initial release of the schedules of pre-season games.  The Philadelphia Eagles will have a bumpy road ahead of them, even though the first half of the schedule is easier than the second half of the schedule after their bye in week 7.  Similar to their pre-season schedule, fair majority of their opponents will either have a dominating defense or powerful running back or a sordid combination of both which will test the Eagles on both sides of the ball.  Michael Vick will have  his health possibly tested in week 3 against the New York Giants, week 9 against the Chicago Bears, week 11 against the New York Giants again and especially week 15 against the New York Jets.  These defenses won’t bend easily to Michael Vick, much less break, with their blueprints from the New York Giants, the Dallas Cowboys and the Green Bay Packers.

Now to the game-by-game analysis of the Philadelphia Eagles regular season:

Week 1: Philadelphia Eagles @ St. Louis Rams

This is an intriguing game as the Philadelphia Eagles will face the St. Louis Rams offense, led by budding quarterback Sam Bradford, and steady and sturdy running back Steven Jackson at home.  I imagine  Steven Jackson will be the primary force of the Rams offense against the Eagles in this game as he was ranked eighth last season in total rushing yardage at 1,241.  Don’t forget that the Rams, especially their defense,  plays particularly well at home who won five out of eight games at Edward Jones Dome last season.

Week 2: Philadelphia Eagles @ Atlanta Falcons

This is a tandem of one of the better developed quarterbacks Matt Ryan and one of the better running backs in the league, Michael Turner.  After the Eagles face the physical running of Steven Jackson, they will have to contend with the speed of Michael Turner.  Turner capped last season by ranking third in rushing yardage with 1,371 behind Houston Texans Arian Foster and Kansas City Chiefs Jamaal Charles.  Lastly, Matt Ryan had a fairly impressive 91.0 quarterback rating last season and with receiving threats in Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez, both could pose problems in the Eagles secondary.  Roddy White himself produced elite numbers last season as he had 1,389 receiving yards on 115 receptions and was ranked second overall.

Week 3: New York Giants @ Philadelphia Eagles

This game is a NFC East rivalry against an opponent that developed and refined the blueprint to stop against the revived Michael Vick last season.  This is also the same defense that crippled a number of quarterbacks in the opening weeks of the previous season before Commissioner Roger Goodell stepped in to limit the number of concussions and injuries.  The Giants still have the tandem running backs of Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs which produced the sixth-ranked overall rushing offense.  Ahmad Bradshaw, by himself, was ranked ninth last season in total rushing yardage with 1,235 yards on 4.5 yards per carry.  Let’s not forget these wide receivers of the Giants.  The receiving corps of Hakeem Nicks, Steve Smith and Mario Manningham are all threats down the field, although Nicks is the better of the three and getting better.

Week 4: San Francisco 49ers @ Philadelphia Eagles

With the new coach in Jim Harbaugh, formerly of the Stanford Cardinals, the San Fransisco 49ers could undergo a heavy overhaul in both offense and defense.  Perhaps Eagles fans might get a showing of former Eagles running back Brian Westbrook, but most likely not.  The Eagles will have to contend with a healthy running back in the name of Frank Gore.  Although he hasn’t been an elite rushing threat since ranking third overall in rushing yardage in 2006, there are still sea legs on this veteran running back. One of the primary issues with the 49ers will be their quarterback situation.  I imagine that sometime before the regular season starts, this situation will be resolved quite quickly with Jim Harbaugh as their new head coach.  He won’t make the same mistake as his predecessor, Mike Singletary.

Week 5: Philadelphia Eagles @ Buffalo Bills

This should be one of the Philadelphia Eagles easier games, but then again, this isn’t the same Buffalo Bills of the past.  They were competitive last season, and they won’t simply roll over.  Their defense was ranked third against the pass, but unfortunately, they were last in their division with a meager 4-12 record last season.  Their quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick found a potent wide receiver Steve Johnson who had two games against the stiffer defenses of  two notable opponents of the Baltimore Ravens and the Chicago Bears last season with 130+ yards and one against the disorganized Cincinnati Bengals.

Week 6: Philadelphia Eagles @ Washington Redskins

This was the same opponent last season which Micheal Vick absolutely dominated with a score of 59-28 on November 15th.  It was an unforgettable night for the Eagles team and their fans.  However, things have changed. Their quarterback Donovan McNabb has been released, and former Chicago Bears quarterback Rex Grossman has taken over.  Although most of their offense and defense was ranked the bottom of last year, they found a glimmer of hope in their running back Ryan Torain.  Again, in this upcoming season, Ryan Torain may become a factor in Mike Shanahan’s offense.

Week 7: Bye Week

With this season going at full steam by now, Eagles quarterback Michael Vick has not endured any physical defenses aside from the New York Giants.  He should still be in good health, and Eagles coach Andy Reid shouldn’t have to resort to his backup, whoever he may be.  The Eagles record at this point should be 5-1 or at worst, 4-2.  In terms of injuries suffered during the Eagles pre-season, like every pre-season it seems, most of these players should have recovered at this time, and the Eagles should have a nearly healthy roster.  However, the second half of the schedule is not quite as easy as the first.

Week 8: Dallas Cowboys @ Philadelphia Eagles

This is the same defense last season that nearly perfected how to hinder Michael Vick.  However, the offense this time quite possibly won’t be led by Jon Kitna.  Instead, Tony Romo should be at the helm once again.  Despite his occasional flaws, on and off the field, he should perform much better than Jon Kitna.  With wide receiver Miles Austin and the Cowboys backfield of Marion Barber, Felix Jones and Tashard Choice blossoming, Jason Garrett’s offense will be one to contend with.  The Cowboys rushing defense performed admirably last season as it was ranked 12th.

Week 9: Chicago Bears @ Philadelphia Eagles

This may a potentially dangerous outing for Michael Vick as he faces the taut Chicago Bears defense led by Brian Urlacher.  After the criticism of their quarterback Jay Cutler for leaving their conference game last season due to an injury, Cutler performed above average with 3,274 yards passing, 23 touchdowns and a 86.3 quarterback rating.  Let’s not forget that Cutler does have his moments.  Last season, he beat the Eagles 31-26 in week 12 in a stunner of a game.  The Bears offensive coordinator Mike Martz found their running back Matt Forte after half the season was over, and again, Forte should become a factor in establishing the run against the Eagles.

Week 10: Arizona Cardinals @ Philadelphia Eagles

This could potentially become an intriguing game should Kevin Kolb or maybe Donovan McNabb be traded to this team.  With their quarterback and backfield problems, their only shining star was wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald.  Despite all these problems with the Cardinals, Larry Fitzgerald managed to ranked eighth in total receiving yards with 1,137.

Week 11: Philadelphia Eagles @ New York Giants

Like last season, it would be interesting to see if Michael Vick can pull another Miracle at the Meadowlands.  If the Eagles won the earlier game in week 3, I imagine the New York Giants could possibly win this one or vice versa.  After this game, Michael Vick could be hinting of potential injuries as this defense will remain unforgiving.

Week 12: New England Patriots @ Philadelphia Eagles

Not only will the Philadelphia Eagles be facing last season’s MVP New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, they will face the varied offense of BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Danny Woodhead, Deion Branch and Wes Welker.  Although Michael Vick was in the running as last year’s MVP, this season will test whether he can remain consistent throughout the season.  If this game doesn’t show if Vick can demonstrate consistency,  Tom Brady will show him how.

Week 13: Philadelphia Eagles @ Seattle Seahawks

The Philadelphia Eagles first trip to the West Coast as they will face the Cinderella team of last season, the Seattle Seahawks.  With their veteran quarterback Matt Hasselbeck and wide receiver Mike Williams, Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll found ways to defeat the New Orleans Saints in their Wild Card game last season and remain somewhat competitive in their final loss against Chicago Bears in their divisional title game. Pete Carroll has shown he can will his team to win, and the Philadelphia Eagles could potentially face one dangerous and adaptive opponent.  Compounding the fact that the Eagles don’t fare well on the West Coast, this could play to the Seahawks advantage.

Week 14: Philadelphia Eagles @ Miami Dolphins

Another road game…but this time, a return to the East Coast against the Miami Dolphins.  With the entire offense in shambles, the Miami Dolphins offense wasn’t much of a threat.  Neither running back Ronnie Brown or Ricky Williams posed much of a threat like in previous seasons. However, the Dolphins defense was surprisingly effective.  They were ranked eighth against the pass and seventh against the rush last season.  Even if the Dolphins lose, I imagine that Michael Vick could be in for some jarring by the Dolphins defensive backs.

Week 15: New York Jets @ Philadelphia Eagles

New York Jets coach Rex Ryan’s defense was formidable last season.  It was ranked sixth against the pass and third against the rush.  The New York Jets defeated both the Indianapolis Colts and New England Patriots in the playoffs, but they could not defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC title game. Their rushing tandem of LaDanian Tomlinson and Shonn Greene produced an effective rush as they were ranked fourth overall in total rushing yardage.  Facing this defense may not be desirable as it will be stifling and physical for Michael Vick and the Philadelphia Eagles offense.  Even the wide receiving threats of DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin may face considerable problems.

Week 16: Philadelphia Eagles @ Dallas Cowboys

The Eagles will face Jason Garrett’s Cowboys team again.  Again, I envision this game as a split.  With the Dallas Cowboys adapting to incoming blueprints from earlier games in the season with Michael Vick, this could be another long afternoon for the Philadelphia Eagles.

Week 17: Washington Redskins @ Philadelphia Eagles

With Mike Shanahan of the Washington Redskins still coaching, the Redskins team, however, will still remain mediocre without any potent offensive additions.  Not to discount the Redskins entirely, however, as Rex Grossman may show moments of brilliance, but whether at FedEx Field or Lincoln Financial Field, the Redskins can’t overcome their deficiencies.

2011 Season Forecast

I predict for this upcoming season a record 10-6 for the Philadelphia Eagles realistically.  Optimistically, they can possibly pull off a record of 11-5.  In either case, they should have a winning record and possibly enter the playoffs again.  Whether Michael Vick remains healthy through the end of the regular season, I remain tentative.  Lastly, given the parity in the league and the coaching changes in some of these teams, my prediction remains highly speculative and should be taken with a grain of salt.

Philadelphia Eagles Quarterback Michael Vick Earns AP 2010 NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award

Starting quarterback of the Philadelphia Eagles Michael Vick has earned Associated Press 2010 NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award.  He received 29.5 out of a possible 50 votes to earn this Comeback Player Award.

When he was with the Atlanta Falcons, during his last season in 2006 before serving prison time for his illegal dogfighting ring, he had 75.7 quarterback rating on 20 touchdowns and 13 interceptions on 2,474 passing yards.  His best rating while with the Falcons was in 2002 with an 81.6 quarterback rating with 16 touchdowns and 8 interceptions on 2,936 passing yards.

This season, after dealing with the quarterback controversy with Kevin Kolb and contending with injuries, Vick had a quarterback rating of 100.2 on 21 touchdowns and 6 inteceptions on 3,018 yards passing. He also rushed for 676 yards and 9 touchdowns.  Compared to last year, serving as a decoy under Donovan McNabb, Michael Vick only had a quarterback rating of 93.7 on 1 touchdown and 86 passing yards.  Since Donovan McNabb’s departure and release from the Washington Redskins, Michael Vick is the only reasonable choice as starter for next season, and his upcoming franchise tag dictates as such.

However, not to beat a dead horse, Michael Vick still lacks leadership and comraderie on the sideline.  Even with DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin, Vick does not have the responsiveness that Donovan McNabb had. Also, he steals away the rushing touchdowns and experience that LeSean McCoy needs.  And I won’t even get into the dispute earlier this season with tight end Brent Celek.

Nonetheless, Michael Vick did deserve the award this season.  On the other side of the coin, Associated Press unanimously voted New England Patriots 2010 NFL Most Valuable Player Award for his brilliant performance this season. If Tom Brady was selected 2009 Comeback Player of the Year Award and he was successful this year, perhaps it can give Michael Vick and the Philadelphia Eagles a slight glimmer of hope — or slight delusions thereof.  Whenever next season begins, the Eagles organization will have a lot of question marks.  Michael Vick’s award won’t eradicate that.

Terrell Owens Wants to Join the New England Patriots: The Twitterland Shuffle

In the land of Twitter, Terrell Owens has suggested that he wants to become a New England Patriot.  Well, after the New England Patriots loss to the New York Jets, this may not be the time to push his idea.  The compounding of the loss to the New York Jets currently and with Terrell Owens reminding them of their past mistake with now Tennessee Titans Randy Moss, this idea won’t pass by coach Bill Belichick.

However, he still has talent.  This season, Owens had 983 yards receiving, 9 touchdowns and 13.7 yards per reception. He was also ranked 18th overall in receiving yardage, in the company of Philadelphia Eagles Jeremy Maclin and Chicago Bears Johnny Knox.

But his outlandish and rowdy behavior won’t sit well with either the Patriots locker room or especially, head coach Bill Belichick.  Since Owens has pissed the likes of the Philadelphia Eagles and the Cincinnati Bengals, this won’t go well on his resume either.  Terrell Owens can pipedream all he wants for now, but he may and should become nothing more than Randy Moss II in the future — a quiet decoy on the team.

The 5 Philadelphia Eagles Going to the Pro Bowl: How They Stack Up by the Numbers

The current Pro Bowl count has already indicated that the Pro Bowl starters for the Eagles will be quarterback Michael Vick, cornerback Asante Samuel, tackle Jason Peters and kicker David Akers. Fantastic wide receiver DeSean Jackson will be on reserve.

The Pro Bowl is scheduled to be played on January 30, 2011 at the Aloha Stadium in Hawaii at 7 PM EST. This is scheduled a week before the Super Bowl, so unfortunately, there will be a scattering of those Pro Bowl players attending — and there are those who won’t attend.

Quarterback Michael Vick

Based on current statistics, Michael Vick is currently has currently 21 passing touchdowns, 3,108 yards and has a 100.2 quarterback rating.  Additionally, as a rusher, he has 9 rushing touchdowns and averaging 6.8 yards per carry.  Given that the Pro Bowl game is three weeks away, Vick has a chance to heal for the Pro Bowl game, but he faces some tough defenses into the playoffs.  With the Green Bay Packers knocking on the door, it could be a chance to face linebacker Clay Matthews and its physical line.

Currently, Michael Vick is ranked 4th among quarterbacks in terms of quarterback rating, with Tom Brady of the New England Patriots with a 109.8 rating.  In terms of passing yardage, Brady is ranked 6th with 3,701 yards and Vick is ranked 18th with 3,018 yards.  On the bright side, Michael Vick is ranked 33rd among rushers with 676 yards, ahead of Miami Dolphins Ricky Williams and Seattle Seahawks Marshawn Lynch.

Cornerback Asante Samuel

Eagles cornerback Asante Samuel was also elected to be a starter for the Super Bowl.  With the Eagles, he ranks mid-pack with 26 total tackles. The devastating Quintin Mikell leads the team with 88 total tackles.  Meanwhile, Samuel  does lead the team — and the league — with his 7 interceptions presently. Much like he was a threat when he was with the New England Patriots, he has done the same for the Philadelphia Eagles, comparable to the numbers he had with the Patriots in 2007.

Tackle Jason Peters

Tackle Jason Peters has just registered 2 total tackles to date.  He ranks on the bottom for the Philadelphia Eagles defense for making an immediate impact.  But he’s got a ticket to the Pro Bowl…

David Akers

David Akers leads the league currently with 136 points among kickers.  The second place is being held by Sebastian Janikowski of the Oakland Raiders.  Akers is currently on pace to meet or exceed his 2008 record with 144 points. Statistically, he has been much more efficient than 2008, however.  He’s currently averaging 83.3 percent while in 2008, he averaged 82.5 percent.   

DeSean Jackson

The Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson had made an impact this season much like last season’s.  He is currently ranked 9th among the league’s wide receivers with 1,056 yards and 6 touchdowns.  Denver Broncos Brandon Lloyd tops the league with 1,375 yards and 10 touchdowns, and his counterpart, Dwayne Bowe of the Kansas City Chiefs, is currently ranked 8th but leads the league with 15 touchdowns to date. Compared to the league, however, he does lead in one significant statistic — yards per reception. He currently leads with 22.5 yards per reception, with Mike Wallace of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Brandon Lloyd following with 20.2 and 19.1 respectively.

For the Philadelphia Eagles, he leads the team in yardage with 1,056 currently, but he has only 6 touchdowns compared to Jeremy Maclin‘s 10.  But Jackson is second again with 114 targets for Jeremy Maclin to his 96. However, Jackson’s a devastating threat after the catch with 22.5 yards per reception, and he leads the team.  Surprisingly, Riley Cooper comes second with 18.5 followed by Jeremy Maclin with 13.8.   

Philadelphia Eagles vs. Houston Texans: NFL Week 13 Pre-Game Analysis

Quarterbacks:

One of the better matchups to date, with Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick suffering from a bad case of the fumbles and Houston Texans quarterback Matt Schaub erratically performing.  Both have potent offenses with elite wide receivers. Texans quarterback Matt Schaub has 15 touchdowns, 7 interceptions and a quarterback rating of 92.6 overall so far. Eagles quarterback Michael Vick has 13 touchdowns, 1 interception and a quarterback rating of 106. Based on performance and the fact that he won’t be under much pressure, I believe Michael Vick and the Eagles have the edge.

Running Backs:

Arian Foster of the Houston Texans has been the big consistent surprise this season.  He has 12 touchdowns, averaging 5.1 yards per carry and 1,147 yards to date. His reliever Derrick Ward has also contributed 3 touchdowns. The Eagles LeSean McCoy has 6 touchdowns, 5.0 yards per carry and 779 yards to date. Arian Foster and the Texans get a huge edge in this game, and Foster have faced tougher defenses before and did fairly well against them.

Wide Receivers:

These will be the stars of the game.  Houston Texans’ Andre Johnson has 5 touchdowns, 869 yards and averaging 13.4 yards per reception.  The Eagles wide receivers Jeremy Maclin and DeSean Jackson have a combined total of 13 touchdowns, a combined total of 1,430 yards and averaging 17 yards per reception between the both of them. The Eagles get a tremendous edge.

Tight Ends:

The Eagles Brent Celek has 287 yards, 3 touchdowns and averaging 11.0 yards per reception. Houston Texans’ Joel Dreessen has 336 yards, 4 touchdowns and averaging 15.3  yards per reception.  This could be a push, as I see no reason for Michael Vick to resort to Brent Celek as a safety valve in this game and Joel Dreessen is merely a fourth option in the Texans offense.

Defenses:

Another interesting matchup. Houston Texans are ranked 31st against the pass and 1oth against the rush.  The Eagles are ranked 12th against the pass and 13th against the run.  However, last week, a surprisingly accurate Jay Cutler gashed the Eagles secondary. Matt Schaub should be capable of the same, as he put 2 touchdowns against the buckling Tennessee Titans. However, Michael Vick should be capable of feasting upon this passing defense easily, and Arian Foster should be more than capable of tearing up the Eagles running defense, if Matt Forte of the Chicago Bears can put up 100-plus yards.  This is a push, with a slight edge leaning toward the Eagles.

Coaches/Intangibles:

Coach Andy Reid will seemingly always favor airing the ball, and this may be the game to do it. Texans coach Gary Kubiak favors the pass but has a potent running game. In this game, Kubiak should resort to a balanced offense, similar to the Chicago Bears. I believe the Texans will get the edge, since Kubiak has more resources at his disposal.

The Edge:

Big game…31-28 Philadelphia Eagles, but the last drive should determine the winner of this bout.