| 25 August 2010
vs 
Eagles vs. Chiefs
Friday, August 27, 8 PM ET
TV: ETN (6abc)
Radio: 94 WYSP
Sirius 121
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This is the biggest preseason game of all, Game # 3, often referred to as the Final Dress Rehearsal for the projected starting units by coaches. I expect a real long look at the offensive starters, especially the O-Line with guard Todd Herremans adding more push and better timing with his comeback. We'll also see QB Kevin Kolb get to mix in a few more flavors besides vanilla in his play-call selection...but don't expect too many new plays to be revealed.
The defensive starting lineup will include two rookies: safety Nate Allen and LDE Brandon Graham making his first start ever as an Eagle. That's pretty exciting to me based on how many personnel changes have come down on the defense over the past year. 
Brandon Graham
Nate Allen
This is a huge night coming up Friday for these two defensive rookies in particular, since their eventual success as starters will affect how the Eagles can flex their zone coverages and blitzes behind a stronger rush on opposing QB's...and that could change a lot of the current power rankings in the NFC. The point should be made that a lot of our QB pressure and sacks in the past came from blitzes. It’s extremely helpful to the Eagles D and less predictable for the opposing offense if we can get consistent pressure from the front four. Graham’s gonna help with that a lot if he's in the same rotation at LDE as Juqua Parker, who let us not forget had a solid year of his own in 2009 ...
Interesting angle to consider: most assume the Eagles' D wasn’t that good last year, because
1) the D unit was on the field for a lot of plays and bent for a lot of yards;
2) we played Dallas three times and N.O. once, both of whom were in the Top 3 offenses last year, and we got lit up big time in all four games; and
3) the final two games we played (against the #2 Offense in the NFL) we looked horrible due to matchup problems , accumulated injuries and a few other problems.
Fact is, by NFL stat rankings or by FO (Football Outsider) rankings, the Eagles were middle of the pack, in fact, better than average on defense in 2009, based on a lot of factors. So how much difference can two rookies like Allen with his free safety talents and Graham with his bull-rush talents really make to a unit that has MLB Stewart Bradley back at a high level anyway?
One of the best takes I've seen on this issue came from Ed Van Chimp in a fanmail reply to a JimmyK article over at Bleeding Green... "Sacks and pressure are not the same thing Jimmy, think about those sacks... Most of them came off of the blitz or a special package like the Joker. How often could we get a sack when we rushed 4? Heck we didn’t even hurry the QB when we rushed 4... I don’t care that much about sacks. I care much more about getting consistent pressure on the QB and hitting him to disrupt the overall passing game. If we do that, the sacks will come and the turnovers will skyrocket. I am so excited for this defense this year, imagine Asante taking risks with safety help instead of being on an island…. that makes this defense a force to be reckoned with."
That's the angle I'm hoping we'll follow and the difference two contributing rookies can make to the Birds when they go up against the Chiefs offense Friday night. The Kansas City offense is greatly improved and will be a tough test for the new Eagles D. The Chiefs gave the longest look yet to their starters last week, keeping the first-team units in throughout the first half of their 20-15 loss to Tampa Bay. When the Chiefs had possession, anything seemed possible, according to Kansas City Star beat writer Kent Babb . Wide receiver Jeremy Horne could become that surprise playmaker that every other team seems to find, but never the Chiefs. Dwayne Bowe could emerge as the No. 1 receiver that the Chiefs have been waiting years to mature. And Matt Cassel could become the reliable quarterback the front office envisioned when it acquired him last year and signed him to a long-term contract.
Those possibilities looked something like reality last Saturday night, especially on a touchdown drive in the first quarter. The Chiefs stole momentum with Javier Arenas’ 54-yard kickoff return, and seven plays later, Cassel found Horne in the end zone.
“We got in a rhythm and capitalized,” Cassel said.
Then the Chiefs had to play defense, and the optimism started evaporating. The defensive front was porous for a second consecutive week, and the pass rush failed to sack an opposing quarterback.
The old steadies even struggled, cornerbacks Brandon Flowers and Brandon Carr making mistakes the Chiefs simply cannot afford. Flowers whiffed on an open-field tackle attempt, and Buccaneers wide receiver Michael Spurlock didn’t stop running until he reached the end zone on a 53-yard touchdown. And credit Carr with the dubious distinction of being flagged for illegal contact in the first half but without preventing a catch.
“Just trying to make a play; didn’t make a play,” Flowers said. “When you try too hard, when you try to jump routes or sit on routes — not necessarily what I did on that play — you can’t try to force turnovers too much, because you’ll get out of position.”
The Chiefs’ defense wasn’t supposed to be an intimidating force, but reality isn’t easy to digest. The team’s draft class was, again, made with an emphasis on defense; taking defenders with two of its top three picks. The Chiefs’ top two picks last year were defensive ends Tyson Jackson and Alex Magee — neither of whom causes sleepless nights for opposing quarterbacks — and the year before that, lineman Glenn Dorsey was the team’s top selection.
Kent Babb's final scouting tip to Eagles fans watching Friday night: Add that Haley hired defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel, and really, the Chiefs should have a formidable unit that at least appears to be improving. But the inside linebackers are continually in flux, the line rarely overachieves, and that leaves a young and talented secondary that doesn’t have much support when it has a long night.
The Eagles new "Boy Dogs" on defense are trying to correct a malaise very similar to that of the Chiefs ... with Graham and Allen starting as rookies, I'll be watching Friday night to see if we finally have a leg up on the front-four-pressure challenge.
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Writer's Note: We plan to feature a lot more from Philly's favorite wine writer, Jeff Alexander, whose work with the Examiner is always a treat . If you saw Jeff's work highlighted in a Dick Vermeil special report here at Eagles Eye not long ago, you know his talent with words and his taste for solid affordable wines...and that he's also no stranger to Philadelphia sports, hoagies or lagers. My goal is to get Jeff to write a wine review that somehow disproves the common belief that all Eagles fans drink only beer...
Jeff Alexander
Jeff Alexander is an enthusiastic appreciator and collector of wines who believes keen palates are earned, not born. He is also an advanced photographer who hosts the website jeffalphoto.com, a marathoner and PR professional who has traveled to many worldwide destinations and drained them of wine. He lives in the Philadelphia area and credits his understanding wife for tolerating his obsessions.
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