August 18, 2015
The Eagles’ front seven is already considered to be pretty stout, and the bad news for opposing offenses is that Billy Davis’ unit only seems to be improving. For example, nose tackle Bennie Logan is getting better and better in between Fletcher Cox and Cedric Thornton up front. The Colts’ first team offense had zero success running the ball on Sunday, mainly because Logan was in the backfield on every play. Most of the beats took notice:
Bennie Logan is dominating the inside (and the Colts center) on run downs. #Eagles
— Jeff McLane (@Jeff_McLane) August 16, 2015
The Colts might need a better center than Khaled Holmes, based on how Bennie Logan has been engulfing him.
— Les Bowen (@LesBowen) August 16, 2015
Bennie Logan already has like 50 tackles and there are still over 7 minutes left in the first quarter.
— Brandon Lee Gowton (@BrandonGowton) August 16, 2015
So did Chris Burke of Sports Illustrated:
No player this week produced a better showing than Logan did on his handful of snaps against the run. The Eagles' bulky nose tackle manhandled Indianapolis's interior blocking when the Colts tried to establish their run game. On its first three possessions, Indianapolis mustered just 15 yards on nine rushing attempts. The usual preseason caveats apply—the Colts kept their play calling extremely vanilla—but Logan was a man among boys.
And last but certainly not least, Tommy Lawlor of Iggles Blitz:
If you had never seen the Eagles play, you would think #96 was the best player on defense. He controlled the middle of the line and made it darn near impossible for the Colts to run the ball. Logan was credited with three tackles, but that doesn’t come close to telling the story of how well he played.
1. The Eagles’ underrated defensive line: No practice yesterday, but Jimmy wrote about how Logan, Cox, and Thornton are underrated as a group. I completely agree. Sports Illustrated didn’t even have them pegged among the Top-10 defensive lines.
2. Tebow vs. Barkley: Mullin wrote about the third-string quarterback battle to end third-string quarterback battles.
3. Rookies stepping up: It’s obviously still very early, but the 2015 draft class looks promising.
The Schein Nine: Adam Schein, NFL.com
Schein is bullish on the Eagles if Sam Bradford can stay healthy, which he (like everyone else) has major reservations about. Otherwise, he is not a fan of the Birds’ quarterbacks:
Look, I've seen the Mark Sanchez movie many times. I know how it ends. So do Eagles fans, who saw the signal caller come up short in a season-crushing, three-game losing streak to Seattle, Dallas and (gasp) Washington last December. Meanwhile, Matt Barkley is Matt Barkley, Tim Tebow is Tim Tebow. (See: non-answers at the position.) Thus, Kelly desperately needs Bradford's best ability to be his availability in 2015.
Overall, I really like what Kelly did this offseason, revamping the roster in an aggressive -- but largely wise -- manner. If Bradford is healthy, I like the Eagles to win the NFC East. But I acknowledge that's a major roll of the dice. And if Bradford isn't healthy -- if Philly doesn't get solid play at the game's most important position -- the extreme makeover falls flat.
All-22 Review: Colts Vs. Eagles: Greg Cosell, Eagles.com
In case you’re at work and may want to put some headphones on, this is a video from the team’s website. The Eagles are fortunate that NFL Films is nearby, because Cosell really knows his stuff. In this video alone, he highlights Brandon Graham’s pass coverage, packaged plays, and a couple of Barkley’s better throws.
Cowboys leading an O-line arms race in the NFC East: Jason Reid, ESPN
While the Cowboys have the best offensive line in the division, I’m not sure I agree with Reid’s premise that Chip Kelly is in a hurry to catch up with them. The Eagles haven’t selected a lineman in the past two drafts:
His multifaceted, up-tempo approach only works if the line is in sync. Right tackle Lane Johnson, Kelly's first pick in Philly, has been solid since his first camp. Kelly inherited All-Pro left tackle Jason Peters. Having great bookends is a good place to start, and Kelly's run game has been effective even as he has juggled a mix of mid- to lower-tier quarterbacks.
On the eve of a new season, there's so much to like about the line play in the NFC East. The Joneses still have the most impressive house on the block, but remodeling is occurring all around them.
Parkey's 2 missed kicks no cause for concern, Kelly says: Zach Berman, Philadelphia Inquirer
Know who didn’t look good on Sunday? Cody Parkey, that’s who:
Parkey won the job and made the Pro Bowl in his first season. But his 2015 preseason opener included a missed extra point from 33 yards away and a 34-yard field-goal try that hooked right. Kelly's reaction?
"Let's not hit the panic button on Cody right now," said Kelly, who will not bring in competition for Parkey.
Follow Rich on Twitter: @rich_hofmann
