We’re finally here! Eagles football is back on our screens as the Indianapolis Colts travel to Lincoln Financial field to face the Philadelphia Eagles in the pre-season opener. It’s set to be the perfect way to kick off the four game pre-season for both teams and it may well be a match up we could see in the post-season. But for the birds, there’s a lot more on the line than just warming up.
We’ve already discussed the five big things to watch out for, but here’s the lowdown on everything else this weekend.
Tebow Time…kind of
The main story coming out of Philly is that starting Quarterback Sam Bradford will not play against the Colts. Much to the QB’s distress, Chip kelly has undoubtedly made the right call, as discussed in our article here. That means that it will be Tim Tebow taking the majority of reps, with Sanchez and Barkley all getting the chance to strut their stuff. As we eluded to in the article, this is a great way to judge the potential of the entire team. If a receiver is dangerous when receiving passes from three different Quarterbacks, then he is obviously going to pose a huge threat come week one, for instance.
A standing ovation for the best running back in franchise history
Ah we almost forgot! Frank Gore, the Eagles legend is returning to the Linc in a Colts uniform. The running back who amassed 0 minutes, 0 touchdowns, 0 yards and 0 receptions for a combined total of 0 looks to stunt the Eagles D..somehow, something tells me his ideas will be cut short..a bit like his move to Philly.
Runnin through the six with injury woes
The Eagles will be tested thoroughly though. It’s not just Sam Bradford they will be missing, but:
Kiko Alonso
DeMeco Ryans
Mychal Kendricks
Zach Ertz
Earl Wolff
Jerome Couplin
are all at least doubtful if not unavailable. It’s almost like a simulation for the birds as they have to face injury woes, some of which may come back to haunt them in the regular season. If the Eagles can show resilience on a Defense that’s looking light and concede minimal points, then again it’s a very promising sign.
Returning as rivals
Another interesting fact is that there will be two former Eagles playing at the Linc…for the Colts. Trent Cole and Todd Herremans will line up against their old team’s new Offense in what should be a noteworthy encounter. Herremans should earn the start as they go into the season and whilst Mathis is still recovering from his injury, Cole should also sneak into the starting lineup. For fans, it will be a platform to judge the off-season. If the Eagles completely torch Trent Cole then they will have their faith in Chip Kelly reassured.
Leaping for safety
Walter Thurmond’s transition to safety will be a very interesting thing to watch out for. Thurmond is expected to take no more than ten snaps but will play those reps against a Colts Offense that is stacked with weapons. He has been looking great in practice, along with Byron Maxwell was one of the big names brought in to bolster the Defense. , Thurmond is expected to revitalise this Eagles D so a solid outing here could really spell success.
Another day another..nickel
Where the real battle lies though is within the war for the starting Nickel Spot. It did belong to Boykin..and then it belonged to Shepherd and now, who knows? Eric Rowe is expected to take a huge chunk of snaps like the confident Jaylen Watkins. Watkins didn’t exactly light the NFL on fire last season and Rowe has a considerable height advantage over most slot receivers. This is going to play vastly in his favour, but don’t discount Denzel Rice to take a few snaps and turn a few heads.
AGHOLOR ACTION
Of course, no preview would be complete without mentioning Nelson Agholor. Whilst he hasn’t taken a huge percentage of reps with the first team in comparison to the likes of Josh Huff, that won’t matter considering the QB’s he has shared the most reps with will be taking the snaps in the game. You cannot discount this mans explosiveness. Byron Maxwell spoke very highly of his speed and claimed that if he breaks free, there’s no stopping him. Pitting that against a much weaker corner in Greg Toler for instance..and it spells destruction. I just hope the groundsman is ready with a new layer of turf because the USC starlett is about to rip this layer up! He’s set to take a lot of receptions on Sunday and is possibly the most exciting prospect on the Eagles roster.
Talking of receivers, watch out for Riley Cooper’s role in the game. With such a stacked roster of Wide Receivers, Chip Kelly could well experiment with some different lineups. Matthews, Huff, Agholor and Austin will all be vying for as many yards as they can..Cooper’s spot may not be directly in danger, but he definitely needs to step it up a notch.
Get “Luck”y
That pun will never not be used will it? The Birds will open their preseason against arguably the hottest Quarterback in the NFL. The Colts are Superbowl contenders for sure, giving the Eagles a baptism of fire, as referenced in our Maxwell article. If the Eagles can stop Andrew Luck from exploding, they can stop anyone. If they can keep Phillip Forsett at bay alongside T.Y. Hilton..they will be more than prepared for Julio and Roddy a few weeks later. The game carries a lot of potential for both teams and the Eagles will look to state their intentions very early on.
Prediction
In all honesty this is a very difficult game to predict. The Eagles were able to see off the threat last year and the team has been strengthened significantly by then in just about every area. Expect both teams to score a couple of touchdowns, Andrew Luck had a tendency to move his team down the field with his gruff signal calling, drawing offside penalties. The Defense needs to be a lot more disciplined, but with new leaders and a revamped secondary..the rotation of Colts QB’s are going to struggle. The Eagles should kick off their pre-season with a win.
Indianapolis Colts 17-27 Philadelphia Eagles
