Bits & Pieces

Quick hitters today:

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Saw this item on SI.com about how the Eagles should make the playoffs this year.  Great.  So long as we don't become the designated "sleeper" team that always ends up underachieving, all this outside love is a sign things are on the right track.

With that said:

Secondly, the Eagles used the offseason to improve their pass rush, something that was lacking last year. Adding DE Chris Clemons from the Raiders gives Eagles premier pass rusher Trent Cole some relief from the double teams he faced last season. With the added rush, the Eagles are hoping to improve on their paltry 19 takeaways in 2007, which was last in the league. Pressuring the passer means turnovers and I expect the Birds to be vastly improved in this area.

First of all, the pass rush wasn't great, but it wasn't terrible either.  The Eagles managed 37 sacks last year, good for a tie for 9th-best in the league.  Not awesome, but any time you're top 10, that's not terrible.

Secondly, I evidently screwed something up in the numbers -- or the stats changed? -- but back in January I looked at where the rush was coming up short.  It wasn't the defensive ends.

Finally, can we please put to bed the notion that Trent Cole was double-teamed all the time last year?  Search here and here for two times I specifically watched every play to see what people were doing against Cole.   (Do a page search for "double"). 

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Trevor Laws' brother emailed me yesterday to ask if I would link to the web site he's (re)built for one of the newest Eagles. 

I would strongly suggest checking out the media page (because it's always fun to watch professional football players singing a capella) and the blog, which looks like it might actually be updated semi-regularly with items that are more interesting than, for example, this.

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Finally, you really should check out this YouTube clip that a Penn State blogger put up on his site while announcing his vacation.  It's not football-related, but it pretty much made my day yesterday.  Listened to it about 20 times.

Comments

[shlynch]

Amen to your point about Cole and the DEs. Though I would point out that Lombardi was probably going out of his way to give the finger to his former employers in Oakland as much as he was trying to make a point about the Eagles.

[Me]

Good point :)