The experts say....

[Rey]

I haven't seen many people making any bold predictions on the Eagles record or talking Super Bowl. Most of the talk seems to be about the team's outlook improving due to the moves ... that'a about it. Did anyone see the kind of year the Cowpokes had last season coming before it happened? Did anyone see Carolina reaching the Super Bowl 2 seasons ago? There's no set formula or order to the sport ... you just never know year to year. As a fan you always keep that optimism.

 

[Premium]

What you have just described.. is the definition of a "FAN" and why you are not seen as one.

Our WR's are clearly better and improved than last year, with solid reason to be optimistic.

Our QB has a tremendous work ethic and has already exceeded expectations with no reason to think his development doesn't continue. ANY Qb usually improves in year 2, and there is plenty of evidence to suggest we have a guy that has a strong work ethic and a lot of skillset to improve with.

Our CB's simply cannot be any worse. So the expectations of 2 CB's picked in what is one of the best CB classes in awhile being better is almost a sure thing. Tons of upside to be much better. Probably in year 2 more so than this year - but even in year 1, they should be better. Now we get to find out how much.

The rookie DE only adds to a line that got tons of pressure last year. There is no reason to suggest he won't be a great addition. The fact he beat reggie whites record in college is only evidence for reason for optimism.

You are asking for sure things. By your definition, you will never be happy until after the fact. But fact remains, there is a TON of reason for any true fan to be optimistic about this team. No one is expecting a super bowl run this year. But we are optimistically able to fight for this division and make the playoffs. We are improving and headed in a good direction after Reid left our defense in shambles, and Chip Kelly in short time then killed our money situation and our offense. So it is reasonable to realize it will take a few years to build back. And everything looks like it is going in a great direction now.

Any true fan would be optimistic about what we have going on here. You see no reason for optimism, and seem to do nothing but bring out the criticism. I am a very critical thinker myself and have no problems looking past kool aid. I was a Reid supporter a the start until year 3, when I turned against him for reasons that he continued to illustrate the rest of his time here. I was a chip Kelly supporter at the start and stated I had 1 concern - which ended up being the case and the very thing that led him to decimating our best players. Point is - I'm a FAN and I believe the best and look for the best, even with a critical eye. You allow your critical eye to look for the bad only from the very start and in reality, makes you no different than a non fan. And I don't believe it is because your incapable of being a fan, as evident by your continued support of Chip Kelly despite overwhelming evidence of his ineptness at the pro level. So you know how to be a fan, you simply chose not to be. And that is why you are not accepted here as a fan.

You should really appreciate me more...without my participation, the posts go way down and most of those are usually just an echo chamber of agreement.

 

[eaglesnut]

I haven't seen many people making any bold predictions on the Eagles record or talking Super Bowl. Most of the talk seems to be about the team's outlook improving due to the moves ... that'a about it. Did anyone see the kind of year the Cowpokes had last season coming before it happened? Did anyone see Carolina reaching the Super Bowl 2 seasons ago? There's no set formula or order to the sport ... you just never know year to year. As a fan you always keep that optimism.

I like our chances. If Wentz can speed up the curve just a little this offense could be killer by the end of the year. And the defensive line can make this whole defense a top unit if Schwartz can scheme up something that works on the backend. Neither is a guarantee, but there is certainly the possibility that things start off good and keep rolling. Last year was completely disrupted by the early bye and then losing Lane.

 

[I miss Dawkins]

You should really appreciate me more...without my participation, the posts go way down and most of those are usually just an echo chamber of agreement.

and by not disputing one word, I'm glad we can both agree. So don't start whining on here about how you don't get any respect or that your not actually an eagles fan. There is a reason you are treated like a cowboys fan trolling.

 

[I miss Dawkins]

I like our chances. If Wentz can speed up the curve just a little this offense could be killer by the end of the year. And the defensive line can make this whole defense a top unit if Schwartz can scheme up something that works on the backend. Neither is a guarantee, but there is certainly the possibility that things start off good and keep rolling. Last year was completely disrupted by the early bye and then losing Lane.

We have great upside. Making the playoffs this year would be a success to me. Winning one or winning the division would be incredible. I really like our upside, and I'm super excited about what Wentz can possibly become for us.

 

[Premium]

Football Outsiders projects Eagles to have toughest 2017 NFL schedule

More expert analysis has the Eagles facing the Leagues toughest schedule. The NFC East overall faces the West divisions which means tough defenses and long road trips. Add in an extra loss or two for the NFC East teams and you may see only one NFC East team make the playoffs this year.

 

[djm]

The same experts picked the Cowboys to finish last in East a year ago. No question we have a difficult schedule but you could still have 2 team from the East in there.

 

[Premium]

1. Experts are often wrong.

2. Fans are usually irrationally optimistic. Especially in the off-season.

Both statements are true.

Still the best predictors of the future is the past with rational analysis of the changes impact on the future. At best though there is still high variance which gives the fans what they want the most...hope.

As for the experts (the true ones that put skin in the game), they make out as well by being right more often than wrong, which gives them what they want the most....money.

 

[old duke]

I think the only bad part of the schedule is the west coast trips. Otherwise, I think we'll be fine, and win 9 or 10 games.

 

[SixthStreet]

The real experts, the handicappers, have the Cowboys at 9.5 wins, the Giants 9, and the Eagles 8.5. This division is a lot closer than the casual fan thinks, and that includes these jokers that write "power rankings". The Eagles aren't far behind the Cowboys.

2017 NFL season win total over/under picks for NFC East: Eagles soar, Cowboys sink

 

[Premium]

The real experts, the handicappers, have the Cowboys at 9.5 wins, the Giants 9, and the Eagles 8.5. This division is a lot closer than the casual fan thinks, and that includes these jokers that write "power rankings". The Eagles aren't far behind the Cowboys.

2017 NFL season win total over/under picks for NFC East: Eagles soar, Cowboys sink

Predicting the Division Winner to get 9.5 wins falls right in line with the tough schedule theme with only one team making the playoffs. It is a close division though as noted which means any one of these teams could emerge.

 

[PhillyGreen]

A 49ers fan gloating about the Eagles position in the power rankings. How stupid is that?

The big problem here DPD is that you have an expectation of the Eagles that most of us here do not. As Eagles fans we hope the Eagles will go to the Superbowl and win it. That is what we root and cheer for. As intelligent Eagles fans we realize that we may not have the talent to win the Superbowl just yet. The Eagles are currently rebuilding, trying to fix the mess that fucking moron Chip Kelly created. The Eagles were never Super Bowl contenders under him and he jettisoned all the talent the Eagles had. So right now we are on track to be better and real contenders next season. I do not expect a Superbowl next year but expect at least a playoff win.

The Eagles have the toughest schedule in the NFL. That is more than likely the main reason they are ranked where they are. I actually have them ranked near 15 when you compare their talent with the rest of the NFL. The 2017-2018 Eagles are better than the 2016-2017 Eagles. If you don't thinks so point out why. You complain a lot but all of your arguments are illogical. As a team for the upcoming season explain why we are not better than last year. Try to be specific. Conjecture is useless and makes you look dumb.

 

[Premium]

A 49ers fan gloating about the Eagles position in the power rankings. How stupid is that?

The big problem here DPD is that you have an expectation of the Eagles that most of us here do not. As Eagles fans we hope the Eagles will go to the Superbowl and win it. That is what we root and cheer for. As intelligent Eagles fans we realize that we may not have the talent to win the Superbowl just yet. The Eagles are currently rebuilding, trying to fix the mess that fucking moron Chip Kelly created. The Eagles were never Super Bowl contenders under him and he jettisoned all the talent the Eagles had. So right now we are on track to be better and real contenders next season. I do not expect a Superbowl next year but expect at least a playoff win.

The Eagles have the toughest schedule in the NFL. That is more than likely the main reason they are ranked where they are. I actually have them ranked near 15 when you compare their talent with the rest of the NFL. The 2017-2018 Eagles are better than the 2016-2017 Eagles. If you don't thinks so point out why. You complain a lot but all of your arguments are illogical. As a team for the upcoming season explain why we are not better than last year. Try to be specific. Conjecture is useless and makes you look dumb.

Philly you need to chill a little with your assumptions about me and just enjoy the conversation. This thread is really not about your or mine opinions (they both are probably worthless), but an understanding of what experts in the media or the betting world think of the team and attempting to understand why they view it that way. In your second paragraph you more or less stated expectations in the same range with the experts.

Your analysis is convoluted though as you rank the team 15th with the toughest schedule. And of course only 12 teams make the schedule, so this conflicts with your expectations in the first paragraph for not only making the playoffs but having a playoff win. Which one is it?

I as always find the discussion by yahoos on a message board that Chip Kelly is a moron as being ludicrous. By comparison, we are much more likely to be morons than Chip Kelly when it comes to football. After all he has made a lifetime career out of football and done quite well for himself. No reason to re-hash all the threads that walked one by one through his personnel moves. Bottom line is his record is a mixed bag that is far from as cut and dry as you believe. Its common practice to throw the fired coach under the media bus on the way out the door to take the blame for the organization's failures. Not particularly fair, but it comes with the territory along with the eight figure severance package.

 

[PhillyGreen]

Philly you need to chill a little with your assumptions about me and just enjoy the conversation. This thread is really not about your or mine opinions (they both are probably worthless), but an understanding of what experts in the media or the betting world think of the team and attempting to understand why they view it that way. In your second paragraph you more or less stated expectations in the same range with the experts.

Cry me a river. You come here on an Eagles forum.....you are not an Eagles fan....and post a thread that is obviously a gloating thread. Why? I have no idea. What makes it so dumb is that they only dropped one spot from the previous ranking. So the fuck what. I am only calling you out on who you are. An attention whore that needs to feel important. Did you post this thread on all the team forums in hopes of having a good football debate? I am pretty sure the answer is no. You are not an Eagles fan and tend to always post negatively about them. So expect backlash when you post. It is not going to change. If I go to the Cowboys forum and do the same thing......post a link gloating because the Cowboys dropped one spot the bashing would be relentless. Hell....it would be the case no matter what team forum I did that on.

Your analysis is convoluted though as you rank the team 15th with the toughest schedule. And of course only 12 teams make the schedule, so this conflicts with your expectations in the first paragraph for not only making the playoffs but having a playoff win. Which one is it?

Convoluted? Then you obviously lack intelligence to even have this debate. So what if the Eagles have the toughest schedule in the NFL? The power rankings you listed did not any criteria so I am guessing why they rankings are the way they are because to be honest when I look at it I actually see crap rankings. I never once said I based my rankings based on strength of schedule. I ranked the Eagles based on 32 teams and of those 32 how many are the Eagles better than.

I as always find the discussion by yahoos on a message board that Chip Kelly is a moron as being ludicrous. By comparison, we are much more likely to be morons than Chip Kelly when it comes to football.

Because he is a moron. I base that opinion on his knowledge of being an NFL head coach. I base that opinion on his ability and knowledge of picking the correct players for his team. Chip Kelly has probably forgot more about football than I will ever know. As a college coach Chip Kelly if he made a full career of it could go down as one the greatest to ever coach in the NCAA. That does not take away from the fact that at the higher level which is the NFL he is an idiot.

 

[Premium]

Despite what they say, Eagles are building to win now

Interesting to note that the Eagles have the League's oldest roster.

Jalen Mills appears set to be Eagles starter in 2017 | PFF

Jalen Mills evidently graded out as the worst cornerback in the NFL last season.

 

[Frizzle]

Despite what they say, Eagles are building to win now

Interesting to note that the Eagles have the League's oldest roster.

Jalen Mills appears set to be Eagles starter in 2017 | PFF

Jalen Mills evidently graded out as the worst cornerback in the NFL last season.

Not too concerned about the Eagles and their roster age, as many of the older guys are on short deals (over 50% were 1 year deals we signed over 8 guys over 25 years old).

Mills will be our nickel corner by mid season.

 

[Premium]

Not too concerned about the Eagles and their roster age, as many of the older guys are on short deals (over 50% were 1 year deals we signed over 8 guys over 25 years old).

Mills will be our nickel corner by mid season.

Gotta give Howie and Jeff credit for trying. They sign alot of veterans and spend all there money (as well as next years). Corner seems to be the big hole. They are relying on Mills and Robinson as the penciled in starters and hope that Douglas and Jones can be starting before the year is out.

 

[SixthStreet]

Mills is going to be a good player. Not many rookie CBs come in and lock down their man from day 1 these days, especially without a monster pass rush. Mills flashed as a rookie, and that's pretty solid for a 7th rounder and about what you can expect. He will be better this year.

 

[Frizzle]

The veterans signed to more then 1 year deals will be 30 or 31 when the contract expires. We signed 1 guy to a 3 year deal who is 32 iirc and that's Wiz who is a C and NFL offensive lineman normally can expect solid play from them for the first 7 years and a plateau or a drop off starting in their 8 - 12th season. After their 12th season the a severe decline is inevitable.

 

[PhillyGreen]

Despite what they say, Eagles are building to win now

Interesting to note that the Eagles have the League's oldest roster.

Just because a reporter claims they are not rebuilding does not make it so. The Eagles average age was 27 years old last season. That was not the oldest roster in the NFL according to this. FOOTBALL OUTSIDERS: Innovative Statistics, Intelligent Analysis | Snap-Weighted Age: 2016 NFL Rosters The article does mention at the end of the season though so if the Eagles picked up some veteran help that could explain it.

With all of that said the average age is really a moot point. The majority of the teams in the NFL had an average age of 26 or higher.

Jalen Mills appears set to be Eagles starter in 2017 | PFF

Jalen Mills evidently graded out as the worst cornerback in the NFL last season.

I think it has been repeatedly pointed out by everyone in the world that the Eagles had problems at CB. This is only evidence of what everyone said. Something the Eagles have addressed.

Again....rebuild mode. They addressed it and the 2018-19 season will probably have him jettisoned by better CB's that were drafted. He is just filling a spot for now unless he gets a lot better.