The Philadelphia Eagles made one of the boldest moves in the 2014 NFL off-season thus far by releasing their three-time Pro Bowl wide receiver DeSean Jackson. Jackson came off a career year catching nine touchdowns for just over 1300 yards.
Many Eagle fans are very concerned with the current state of the franchise given the release of their star wide-out. Despite this, the Eagles are in great shape even without Desean Jackson for a number of reasons. Here are the Top 3:
1st – Chip Kelly, the first-year coach who left the University of Oregon to take the Eagles coaching job, did a credible job leading the team to 10-6 and winning the NFC East. Coach Kelly brought a diverse, run and gun, style offense that he had successfully implemented at the University of Oregon. His odd formations, gutsy play calls, and out of the box coaching all played in the Eagles favor as many of the opposing teams were unfamiliar with their game plan.
2nd – QB Nick Foles, who after taking over for Michael Vick due to injury, led the Eagles with a 8-2 record as a starter, with 2891 yards on 203/317 (64%) passing for 27 TD, 2 INT, and a league-best 119.2 QB rating. For a second year quarterback to put up these remarkable numbers and have incredible pocket presence is truly a blessing for the Eagles franchise.
3rd – Running back LeSean McCoy ran for over 1607 yards on 314 carries averaging 5.1 yards a play and scoring nine touchdowns. McCoy, is a threat from the backfield as well as a receiver adding two more touchdowns and gaining 539 yards averaging, while averaging 10.4 yards per reception. Along with all of these amazing stats McCoy had accumulated, he is reliable in the fourth quarter when the team needs him most. When the Eagles needs a first down to seal the game, McCoy can get the job done and this is just one of the many reason why the Eagles are in good shape for the upcoming 2014-2015 season
The Eagles are not resting on their laurels and have been busy in the off-season acquiring running back Darren Sproles and safey Malcolm Jenkins. With Chip Kelly’s run and gun offense and running a lot of screens for the running backs, the addition of Sproles can really help take some of the pressure of McCoy and help the Eagles out in a variety of ways.
In addition, Zach Ertz, who is an up-and-coming tight end for the Eagles, bailed Nick Foles out of trouble on more than one occasion last year. Jeremy Maclin, who is coming off an ACL tear in his right knee, is very well positioned to benefit from Chip Kelly’s offense. Maclin was the number two receiver to Jackson when he was on the team so it will be very interesting to see how Maclin will step up and make things happen with his big play ability. And which Eagle fan could forget about Riley Cooper and the huge asset he was to Nick Foles as they two of them connected to score many an Eagle touchdown.
In conclusion, the Eagles understand that their defense may not be the best in the league and that they will get scored alot, however, Chip Kelly knows how to run an offense and prepare his team. Speaking of defense, one player, in particular, Demeco Ryans, has become the captain of that defense and will lead the way going forward.
So all in all, I believe the Eagles and their fans are in much better shape than many pundits believe and with the 2014 NFL draft coming up soon, the Eagles can really make a big splash and help grab even more additions than the solid roster they have now.
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Main Photo by Drew Hallowell/Philadelphia Eagles/Getty Images
