Michael Vick used the D-word to describe the Eagles’ prospects this year. He said dynasty instead of dream team to compare the 2012 Eagles to the storied 49ers, Packers and Cowboys Super Bowl teams he admired while growing up.
Vince Young’s dream team label seemed to have cursed Philadelphia last season. The dynasty tag might not, now that the Eagles have had a full offseason and look forward to a quiet training camp. The problem is that every other team has the same advantage and now the Eagles have a D-word target on their back like last year, especially to the New York Giants who’ve won two more Super Bowls than the Eagles have in the last five seasons.
Vick put the nasty in dynasty for Philadelphia. Dynasties and dream teams are best spoken of in past tense.
Michael Vick isn’t the only Eagles offense player who will be affected by the loss of left tackle Jason Peters. RB LeSean McCoy will be less effective running to the left. The Eagles locked in McCoy with a five-year extension after he carried the team with over 1,300 yards and 20 touchdowns as the passing game struggled.
McCoy adds versatility to a potent offense. Nobody mentions Brian Westbrook anymore, but the Eagles don’t want McCoy to be as essential as last season. Vick and the receivers have to be more effective for Philadelphia to win the division.
But, the pressure will still be on McCoy, says the Philly Inquirer’s Chad Gaff. The coaches thought McCoy’s pass blocking was subpar. Philadelphia does not have a credible back up, so McCoy will be on the field in passing situations.
Tom Jackson at the Eagles Eye Blog says McCoy reminds him of Barry Sanders, as much for their no-nonsense touchdown celebrations (Sanders had no celebration) as for their running styles.
Mike Freeman of cbssports.com hears inside the Eagles locker room that WR DeSean Jackson might take a step backwards from last season, which was a step backwards from the previous season. It seems Jackson is not matching Michael Vick’s offseason efforts to dig into the playbook to be full go for the season.
That has to be disappointing, if true. The Eagles re-signed Jackson to a five-year, $51 million contract last spring after tagging him as their franchise player. Jackson acted out his unhappiness over not receiving a contract extension during the 2011 season. The new rumor may show that Jackson can’t handle success.
Forbes Magazine ranked the Eagles as the NFL’s seventh most valuable sports team at $1.1 billion, and 14th most valuable in the world.
