 Unless fourth-year quarterback Kevin Kolb is a complete failure, the Philadelphia Eagles figure to have a very potent offense in 2010, and although this is kind of a transitional year for them, Philly could certainly make the playoffs. However, the question remains if they have enough in their stable to overtake the Cowboys. How will they pass protect against DeMarcus Ware, Anthony Spencer, and Jay Ratliff? And if rookie first-round pick Brandon Graham cannot thrive immediately – defensive ends can take some time adjusting to the NFL – getting to Dallas' Tony Romo may continue to be of concern. With Donovan McNabb now a Redskin, things will be left up to Kevin Kolb who has only two starts under his belt. Even Kolb was highly impressive in one of those two starts (24-of-34, 327 yards, and 2 TDs versus KC in Week 3), he is still fairly unknown. However, based on how he has played so far and what his strengths are, he seems to be a better fit for the current Eagles offense than McNabb. Kolb may not be as physically gifted as McNabb or possess Donovan's his deep accuracy, but he does make quick decisions and maintains great intermediate accuracy – the two main traits needed to succeed in any West Coast system. McNabb had neither. Kolb also already appears to have a greater command of this team, with young players like DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin coming to him for guidance on the sidelines instead of McNabb. Leadership is paramount in the NFL, and it looks as though Kolb has mastered the concept that McNabb never could. The Eagles should come off the bus throwing the ball this season, so Kolb could easily rack up more than 4,000 yards in 2010. He certainly has the weapons to do so; Jackson and Maclin are a prolific receiving duo, while Brent Celek is one of the top tight ends in the league and Jason Avant is also a much underrated slot receiver. As at quarterback, Philadelphia will be starting a new running back; rookie LeSean McCoy rushed for 637 yards (4.1 average) and also caught 40 passes for 308 yards. With Brian Westbrook gone, count on the athletic McCoy getting his hands on the ball at least 300 times in 2010. The one problem with the Philadelphia Eagles' scoring attack is their offensive line, which was one of the two major reasons the Cowboys were able to sweep this team in their three matchups last year. The Eagles simply could not keep DeMarcus Ware, Anthony Spencer, and Jay Ratliff out of the backfield, and unfortunately things have not changed much in this area. Jumping to the other side of the ball, the inability pressure Tony Romo is where you will find the other problem the Eagles had in trying to better the Cowboys. When Philadelphia traded up from the 24th to the 13th pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, it was assumed they would select Earl Thomas, but they instead chose Michigan's Graham. If not for his physical traits of being 6' 1" and having short arms, the defensive end would likely have been a top-five pick. Graham was tremendous at getting to the quarterback and shutting down the run in college and he also excelled in the Senior Bowl; his motor never stops, and the Eagles plan on him being a complimentary bookend to Pro Bowl right end Trent Cole, who has 40 sacks since 2006. With left end addressed, defensive tackle remains a weakness up front, but while that spot definitely needs to be upgraded, it is nothing compared to Philadelphia's back seven. Cornerback is huge weakness, as the Eagles traded away their top corner, Sheldon Brown, to Cleveland. This leaves Asante Samuel and Ellis Hobbs as the starters, and while Samuel is a perennial Pro Bowler due to his high interception numbers, he is easily one of the worst tacklers in the NFL. Hobbs, on the other hand, simply is not very good. The Philadelphia Eagles did address another 2009 liability, free safety, by using the 37th overall pick on Nate Allen, who projects as a talented playmaker and will play next to Quintin Mikell, a second-team All-Pro in 2008 who spent too much time covering the mistakes of Macho Harris and Sean Jones last year. Linebacker was yet another area of weakness last season, mainly due to star inside linebacker Stewart Bradley tearing his ACL in training camp; Bradley has been practicing in minicamps and is ready to play in 2010. The 2010-11 schedule fairs pretty well for this team, as it seems as though all of their tougher games – the Packers, Falcons, Colts, Texans, Vikings, and three NFC East teams – are at home, while all of their easy contests – against the Lions, Jaguars, 49ers, Titans, and Bears – are on the road. Get your Philadelphia Eagles tickets now and help kickoff a new era at Lincoln Financial Field when Kevin Kolb takes the first snap of the season.
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