What's your win prediction for the Eagles this season?

[Iggloo]

Just saying, you guys act like we got an elite QB. He has never been an elite QB in the NFL, and he has major injury concerns. That's reality.

The alternative was playing Nick Foles one more year and not trading valuable draft picks. We'll see if this gamble gets us a better QB than Nick Foles, but call it what it is: a gamble.

 

[eaglesnut]

Just saying, you guys act like we got an elite QB. He has never been an elite QB in the NFL, and he has major injury concerns. That's reality.

The alternative was playing Nick Foles one more year and not trading valuable draft picks. We'll see if this gamble gets us a better QB than Nick Foles, but call it what it is: a gamble.

No shit, and the payoff could be an elite QB. For the first time in most of our lifetimes. That's exciting. It may not come to fruition. So be it. We could finally have a real QB here that gets the ball out quick with perfect placement. What a joy that will be. Did you watch the Super Bowl? That's how you beat the good defenses in the playoffs.

 

[Iggloo]

The key word is could be. You guys are predicting 11- and 12-win seasons based on something that has never happened so far in the NFL, Sam Bradford being a healthy and elite QB.

 

[deerpathdave]

Just saying, you guys act like we got an elite QB. He has never been an elite QB in the NFL, and he has major injury concerns. That's reality.

The alternative was playing Nick Foles one more year and not trading valuable draft picks. We'll see if this gamble gets us a better QB than Nick Foles, but call it what it is: a gamble.

I agree its a gamble, but I also think that Foles and Sanchez were destined to fight it out for the starting job in training camp. There was not much difference in production between them last year. So if Foles loses that competition, he would end up backing up this year, and leaving the next with no compensation.

So they gave up Foles, a 2nd rounder and about $12M in cash. It is quite a gamble, but most of the gamble is the money, more than anything else.

If they stayed the course, I don't think anyone would be projecting more wins for them this year. I wouldn't project more wins for this team with Foles as QB than Sanchez.

This is the sort of Gamble a football guy (Kelly) takes that a businessman (Roseman) may not. They are Gambling Lurie's money for a possible increase in Football wins, with really very little downside in football wins, just a downside in cash. As a fan, that is the kind of gamble I want to see.

 

[Iggloo]

The second rounder could be high if Bradford stumbles and that bothers me.

 

[deerpathdave]

The second rounder could be high if Bradford stumbles and that bothers me.

If Bradford ends up not playing at all, they get a third rounder back. If he plays about half the time, they get a fourth. Plus, I don't think its all that high. This team can easily have a winning record starting Sanchez.

 

[deerpathdave]

The Eagles only have two losing seasons in the last 15 years. They are 132-88-1 over that stretch in the regular season. Seems like a losing season would be maybe a 7.5-1 long shot.

 

[packerzrule]

What's your win prediction for the Eagles this season?

 

[old duke]

My prediction of 12-4 is based upon:
Better QB. Sanchez is a good backup, but hopefully won't see much time, but if he does, he should improve on last year.
Better RBs - Murray, Mathews, and Sproles are downhill runners.
WR - more depth, and Agholor is an exciting WR with great YAC. Will be at least as good if not better, even without Maclin.
Good OL - Not as good as 2013, but still a good line.
Much improved defense: 2 CBs, more depth, still need a safety to emerge, but still an improved D. If we had a decent secondary last year, we would have won at least 2 more wins.
Special teams - the best in the NFL.

 

[eaglesnut]

The key word is could be. You guys are predicting 11- and 12-win seasons based on something that has never happened so far in the NFL, Sam Bradford being a healthy and elite QB.

So then he's due.

 

[deerpathdave]

So then he's due.

To me, I don't view Bradford's health to be absolutely mandatory for an 11-12 win season. What you want to do on a 53 man roster is build it up so there is as few as possible single points of failure. With Sanchez as a backup, I think they are capable of having success without Bradford.

To me the single biggest win drop for the season would be if Peters were to miss substantial time. Do you realize that since Peters got here, they are 48-20 when he starts, and 5-15 when he doesn't?

Obviously you want great depth across the board, but the Eagles biggest depth problem is not at QB. Sanchez came in last year and went 3-5, and I can only imagine he will be better after another year in this system.

 

[eaglesnut]

To me, I don't view Bradford's health to be absolutely mandatory for an 11-12 win season. What you want to do on a 53 man roster is build it up so there is as few as possible single points of failure. With Sanchez as a backup, I think they are capable of having success without Bradford.

To me the single biggest win drop for the season would be if Peters were to miss substantial time. Do you realize that since Peters got here, they are 48-20 when he starts, and 5-15 when he doesn't?

Obviously you want great depth across the board, but the Eagles biggest depth problem is not at QB. Sanchez came in last year and went 3-5, and I can only imagine he will be better after another year in this system.

He actually went 4-4 and it was pathetic. One of these days I'll dredge that thread back up with the statistics proving Sanchez didn't do a damn thing down the field.

Thanks for the numbers on Peters. Not surprising.

 

[deerpathdave]

He actually went 4-4 and it was pathetic. One of these days I'll dredge that thread back up with the statistics proving Sanchez didn't do a damn thing down the field.

Thanks for the numbers on Peters. Not surprising.

Yeah, Arguably the biggest reason why Andy Reid is gone is Peter's injury. They went 4-12 that year.

 

[deerpathdave]

He actually went 4-4 and it was pathetic. One of these days I'll dredge that thread back up with the statistics proving Sanchez didn't do a damn thing down the field.

Thanks for the numbers on Peters. Not surprising.

On Sanchez, we went back and forth on that thread and I really don't think it was as bad as you say. But for arguments sake, If Sanchez really was that bad, and they still went 4-4 with him, it kind of proves the point that this team is not that dependent on Bradford. Provide him another year in the system, an easier schedule and a better defense and its not at all unreasonable to go 10+ wins with Sanchez. I could see that with Sanchez, but could easily see 6-10 without Peters.

 

[Iron Eagle]

What's your win prediction for the Eagles this season?

....yeah...well, that's like, your opinion ......man.

 

[Clayton]

10-6 with Sanchez
Probably also 10-6 with Bradford

 

[Taz]

I really want to wait to see how this team looks in the pre season before I say what they are going to do. There has been so much change to this team. It could take some time for them to jell together. Plus we don't know who the starting QB is going to be, who is starting at wide receiver, LCB, Safety, who are the starting ILB. So much in flux. It could all pay off but I think we have to wait till we see this team in the preseason. They could be a twelve win team with their schedule and every single thing goes right, Bradford plays like the 1st overall pick in the draft, Mathews blossoms in year two to a number 1 receiver, Murray, Sproles and Mathews form the most deadly RB crew in football, Maxwell takes away one half of the field, Rowe steps in and is an average starter as a rookie and the ILB wreck havoc. However, if Sanchez or worse yet Tebow is the starter, Murray takes a major step back, Ryan Mathews gets hurt again, Maxwell does a DRC imitation and Alonzo and Mufasa don't come back healthy we could be looking at a 6-10 team.

 

[deerpathdave]

I really want to wait to see how this team looks in the pre season before I say what they are going to do. There has been so much change to this team. It could take some time for them to jell together. Plus we don't know who the starting QB is going to be, who is starting at wide receiver, LCB, Safety, who are the starting ILB. So much in flux. It could all pay off but I think we have to wait till we see this team in the preseason. They could be a twelve win team with their schedule and every single thing goes right, Bradford plays like the 1st overall pick in the draft, Mathews blossoms in year two to a number 1 receiver, Murray, Sproles and Mathews form the most deadly RB crew in football, Maxwell takes away one half of the field, Rowe steps in and is an average starter as a rookie and the ILB wreck havoc. However, if Sanchez or worse yet Tebow is the starter, Murray takes a major step back, Ryan Mathews gets hurt again, Maxwell does a DRC imitation and Alonzo and Mufasa don't come back healthy we could be looking at a 6-10 team.

I really don'y believe much in the jelling thing in pro ball. These guys are in the classroom now, working out together every day. In July, they get serious about training camp, then they play 4 preseason games. By the time September rolls around they should have had plenty of time to jell.

 

[SixthStreet]

Former Eagles exec Phil Savage, the guy who runs the Senior Bowl: 90% of teams were scared away by Bradford's injuries:

"Last August I went on a camp tour, he said. "I ended up in Earth City, Miss., watching the Rams, and Sam Bradford looked exquisite on the practice field. ... They were so excited about Sam Bradford because he really looked good. And less than two weeks later he basically wasn't touched and he goes down in Cleveland in a preseason game with that second ACL for the second time."

Former Eagles executive: Sam Bradford's ACL tears 'scared off 90 percent of teams' | NJ.com

That is just pure hyperbole and trolling. 90% of NFL teams is 29. So 29 NFL teams were trying to acquire Bradford and only got scared off because of injury? Laughable. Savage is trolling to stay relevant.

 

[petemily]

I agree its a gamble, but I also think that Foles and Sanchez were destined to fight it out for the starting job in training camp. There was not much difference in production between them last year. So if Foles loses that competition, he would end up backing up this year, and leaving the next with no compensation.

So they gave up Foles, a 2nd rounder and about $12M in cash. It is quite a gamble, but most of the gamble is the money, more than anything else.

If they stayed the course, I don't think anyone would be projecting more wins for them this year. I wouldn't project more wins for this team with Foles as QB than Sanchez.

This is the sort of Gamble a football guy (Kelly) takes that a businessman (Roseman) may not. They are Gambling Lurie's money for a possible increase in Football wins, with really very little downside in football wins, just a downside in cash. As a fan, that is the kind of gamble I want to see.

Might take a while for the new pieces to come together. But barring a rash of injuries I see a mid/late season run. A good one this time!