So, the iggles weren't able to land Fitzgerald. It's a disappointment. It would have gone a long way to strengthen our offense, but offense can only take you so far..... The Eagles defense is going to be an intricate part in restoring our dominance in the NFC.
So we start making some moves. We release Jevon Kearse. The next day we sign Asante Samuel. The following week is the same. We cut Takeo Spikes, and sign Chris Clemons.
Now what? The Eagles need to address some immediate, as well as some impending concerns on defense.
Here are our 2007 number according to the NFL. The Eagles were 10th in the League on Total Defense, 18th against the Pass, and 7th against the Run. However the Skins, Cowboys, and G-Men were all ahead of us. All of the above went to the playoffs.
I am not sure what to make of the issue at linebacker. They released Jeremiah Trotter last year, moved Omar Gaither to middle linebacker, and signed Takeo Spikes. Since they released Spikes they are going to move Gaither back to outside linebacker. So there is an immediate need at middle linebacker. I imagine that the Eagles with address this in the draft. I make this assumption based on the fact that they released Trotter, and moved Gaither to over because he was younger and better in pass coverage. If the Birds are looking to get younger they may be less inclined to address it in free agency.
Of the top 5 middle linebackers in this years draft class it appears that only 1 or 2 of them may go in the first round USC's Keith Rivers and Tennessee's Jerod Mayo. There is a deeper pool of talent at outside linebacker in this years draft, that they could look to convert to mlb or just move Gaither back.
The Eagles are not void, but need to address the secondary, mainly the Safety position. Brian Dawkins is good, but he is showing signs of his age. Sean Considine, J.R. Reed, and Quintin Mikell have rotated through the position, because of injuries and performance. Depending on what happens with Lito Sheppard, there has been talk of moving Sheldon Brown to the Safety position.
I like the idea of the Eagles drafting Kenny Philips from Miami in the first round as the eventual replacement of Dawkins. Lito Sheppard is the lynch pin of the strategy that Eagles will take in addressing issues in the secondary.
I think that for the most part the Eagles won't be doing much to address the Defensive Tackle and Defensive End positions. They signed Chris Clemmons from the Raiders to replace Kearse. There are questions about what is going to happen with Mike Patterson, but they appear to have a solid front 4.
Enough of what I think... I would now like to open the floor to the panel. What's your take on improving our defense?