Peeking At The "Final" Depth Chart

First of, kudos to the organization for the new site design.  I'll eagerly await Bounty's expert opinion on the matter before forming my final judgment, but I like straight away that this is a much cleaner look.  It had been increasingly difficult finding stuff on the old page.

As I was clicking around, I came across the new depth chart.  There's nothing earth-shattering there, but it's worth mentioning:

• Jason Avant is listed as Kevin Curtis' backup.  Hank Baskett is the #3 at that position.
• DeSean Jackson makes his triumphant appearance on the depth chart as Reggie's understudy.
• No backup LT listed, unlike last year when WJ got both spots.
• The DE situation is a complete mess.  On the left side, we have JP and two injured guys.  On the right it's all the healthy bodies. 
• When you see it in black and white, four cornerbacks -- one named Lito Sheppard -- doesn't look all that comfortable.  Good thing they have two CBs on the practice squad and the guy with the impossible to spell name on PUP.

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Other items:

• The "virtual museum" isn't quite there yet, but the idea shows some promise.  Love the old highlights.
• Donovan for some reason feels the need to defend Todd Pinkston and Freddie Mitchell: "DeSean did some great things, but, like I said, the other guys (Pinkston and Mitchell) did some great things too. We can't overlook the fact that Todd did a great job for us. He also led the league, I believe, in catches over 20 yards in 2004. Freddie did a great job for us in the slot."
• Westbrook's been here, what, seven years?  And he's still saying something like: "With having (WR) Kevin (Curtis) out, we might depend on the running game a little bit more and put a little bit more pressure on the running backs and receivers to step up a little bit to make more plays and make up that difference for Kevin."   Suuuuuure.

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And of course the big news:

On how he is going to line up the wide receivers: "I'm going to leave (WR) DeSean (Jackson) at Z and just leave it that way."

On who he is going to play at the X: "We'll mix guys in there."

Uh, guys ... if Andy's press conference is to be believed, DeSean Jackson is currently your #1 wide receiver.

Comments

[Paul]

By AR leaving Desean in a position that pretty much makes him our #1, isn't this the conformation we've all been looking for in regards to him? I mean, you'd have to be lacking a pulse not to have gotten excited over this kid based on the preseason, but in the back of our minds (and out of AR and Donovans mouth's) we always had a little reservation that it was the preseason. But when you head coach has seen all the tapes and been to all the practices says "yes, he is worthy of the #1 spot", that's a pretty big thumbs up.

What happens when Curtis comes back if Desean goes for 10/100/2 on Sunday and consistenly plays like out #1 receiver? Is Curtis our slot receiver? I know it seems like a demotion but I've always thought he would be perfect in the slot with his route running and guts.

[Paul]

(I suck at spelling)

[Tracer Bullet]

I've heard Abrimiri is back lifting weights. Has Reid said anything about his possible return?

[Andrew]

What happens to Curtis? Curtis is the X receiver, or split end. This move doesn't affect him.

Reggie Brown is the Z, or Flanker, since he normally lines up on the offensive right, which is the normal strong side of the formation with the tight end.

[Derek]

It's a legitimate question though. Absent evidence to the contrary, I'll go to my grave believing the Eagles promised Curtis he wouldn't be a slot guy if he came here as a free agent.

But if your top three guys are Curtis, Brown and Jackson ... and if all three are on the field at one time ... maybe you play it straight with Curtis - X, Jackson - Y, Brown - Z ... but there's certainly an argument to be made that it makes sense to leave Jackson in place (assuming he's had success) ... and then at that point it's a question of who's better in the slot vs. outside, which clearly to me would be Curtis.

[Paul]

I actually think Desean at the X, Reggie at the Z, and Curtis in the slot makes absolutely perfect sense. Desean would be outside to stretch the field and for short yardage catches that give him great YAC opportunities. Reggie as the flanker to support with mid level routes, and pick apart any zone coverage. And finally, Curtis in the slot running precise short to medium routes all while exploiting mismatches in coverages all game long (see: Wes Welker, 2007).

Now this is dependent on Desean playing well and proving himself, but the possibility for the best (overall) Eagles receiving corp. in a long time is there.

[Me]

The Eagles have made it pretty clear they see Jackson as the future at the Z spot. That gets him off the line, away from the jam, and able to move around a bunch.

I guess we'll see about that whole strong-side run blocking thing...

I also think Jackson's speed may be a bit more stop/start than a guy like Pinkston, who was more straight-line fast. The key with Jackson might be getting him the ball early, so he can do his thing, rather than late, after he's blown by the guy. But that's just my initial impression.

[Andrew]

The Y receiver is the Tight End. Unless the Tight End comes off the field in a 3-wide set (unusual), the slot receiver is not the Y. He's usually replacing the fullback.

As to Curtis in the slot, why? Because he's white? I mean seriously, what other similarity does he actually have with Wes Welker?

Curtis' best games have been as a wideout, not a slot receiver. Weeks 3 to 11 of 2005, when he replaced Bruce, he put out 40 receptions, 593 yards and 6 TD's. Last year for the Eagles in 16 games it was 77 receptions for 1110 yards and 6 TD's. As the slot guy in St. Louis for 38 games, he had 96 receptions for 1121 yards and 7 touchdowns.

So as a wideout, he gets 14.6 yards per reception and 1 TD every 9.8 receptions, while as a slot guy he got 11.7 yards per reception and 1 TD every 13.7 receptions.

Why would you want to put him in the slot?

If anything, Reggie Brown is better suited to be the slot guy going over the middle in traffic simply from his size.

[Derek]

Because no one on the inside could cover him.

Curtis is good on the outside and I certainly wouldn't bench him for the other guys, but if you go three wide receivers it makes perfect sense for him to move inside because:

1) Jackson won't know all the positions this season and if he finds a spot where he works, leave him there.

2) Curtis' one limitation is that he doesn't have quite the superior athleticism you're looking for in a true, top-shelf #1 wide receiver. That wouldn't be an issue at all in the middle where he'd be matched up against nickel backs, linebackers and safeties.

3) Curtis does everything out there perfectly. He runs impossibly crisp routes and ends up exactly where he's supposed to be. On third-and-seven, that's a guy I like having in the middle of the field.

[Paul]

"As to Curtis in the slot, why? Because he's white? I mean seriously, what other similarity does he actually have with Wes Welker?"

I knew someone was going to make this assumption. Yes, they are both white but there similarities are far deeper. They both are extremely good route runners and have the mentality necessary to go over the middle. Both have a nose for open space on the field and getting there to provide an outlet for his QB. I don't think either of them have that second gear that's needed in order to stretch the field.

I know Jackson isn't a prototypical #1 and has the size more for the flanking position, but until we get a big receiver who is a legitimate threat, he might end up being out best option.