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Philadelphia
EAGLES
2002 Record: 12-4
Head Coach: Andy Reid
39-25 overall, 4-3 postseason
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TEAM LEADERS
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Passing
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Donovan McNabb
211-361, 2,289 yards, 17 TDs, 6 INTs
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Rushing
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Duce Staley
269 carries, 1,029 yards, 5 TDs
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Receiving
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Todd Pinkston
60 catches, 798 yards, 7 TDs
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Kicking
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David Akers
30-34 FGs, 43-43 PATs, 133 points
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Schedule | Roster |
Statistics | Stadium
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By B. Duane Cross, SI.com
Is this the season when Eagles fans stop looking forward to next year? Is this the season when Philly doesn't lose (or, as lame excuses go, doesn't runs out of time) when it matters most? Time will tell.
But for starters, don't bet the farm that the Eagles will rule the NFC East roost in '03. There are too many question marks, beginning with DEs N.D. Kalu and Derrick Burgess ... also known as the men who will replace Hugh Douglas. Burgess' career got off to aa promising start (six sacks in 2001), but a foot injury limited him to only one game last year. And on draft day, Philadelphia used two of its first four picks on DEs -- Miami teammates Jerome McDougle and Jamaal Green.
Offensively, QB Donovan McNabb is the constant, and RB Duce Staley is healthy (though maybe not long for Philly with the return of Correll Buckhalter). Leading receivers Todd Pinkston and James Thrash return, but one question that looms is, "Where is Freddie Mitchell?" After a slow start in 2001 (21 catches, 283 yards and 1 TD), he regressed last year to 12-105-0 and missed six games.
Still, it comes back to Philly's D. Another injured starter, DT Hollis Thomas, returns, but he'll have to work to supplant either Corey Simon and Darwin Walker. The linebackers also have a new look, with Nate Wayne and Mark Simoneau taking over for Shawn Barber and Levon Kirkland.
While the other three teams in the division clearly took steps forward, Philly either a) took a step back, or b) hopes to keep pace with the return of injured players. Either way, Eagles fans may again look for next year this year.
RB Jon Ritchie -- The Eagles' ground game gets an injection of toughness in Ritchie, who signed after five seasons with the Raiders. Duce Staley and Correll Buckhalter will enjoy running behind Ritchie, who also is adept at catching the ball out of the backfield.
DE Hugh Douglas -- Arguably the most high-profile offseason target, Douglas' departure leaves a huge void for Philly to try to fill. Over the past three seasons, he averaged double-digit sacks.
QB Donovan McNabb -- He hurt many fantasy owners last year by missing the last six games of the season with a broken leg. But he was a fantasy monster the first 10 games, throwing for 17 TDs (including four after he broke his leg against the Cardinals) and rushing for six more. The yardage totals are usually modest (he had no 300-yard games last year) given his solid but unspectacular receiving corps, but twice he ran for more than 100 yards, which guarantees big fantasy points. That potential to run and pass for lots of touchdowns makes him among the top three or four quarterbacks in fantasy football today.
WR Freddie Mitchell -- The former first-round pick has great speed and could be a playmaker, but all Hollwood's got to show for it so far in his career is 33 catches for 388 yards and one score over two seasons. He'll likely to continue to play third fiddle behind James Thrash and Todd Pinkston. While there could be a lot of balls to go around in Philly, Mitchell may not get as many chances as he thinks he should.
RB Correll Buckhalter -- He missed all of last season with a torn ACL suffered during minicamp, but before that, he was on his way toward unseating the erratic Duce Staley as the team's starting running back. In 2001, he averaged 4.5 yards per carry and scored a couple of touchdowns in limited duty behind Staley. If he's fully healed from that knee injury, he's got a great chance at stealing the starter's job and be a put up solid fantasy points behind a solid Eagles offense.
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>> Eagles will make the playoffs because ...
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Donovan McNabb. With all due respect to Philadelphia's backup QBs, the Eagles in January will only go as far as McNabb takes 'em.
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>> Eagles will miss the playoffs because ...
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Philly's defense cannot overcome the loss of Douglas, which is not that far fetched. This defense will be tested throughout the season.
| Philadelphia Eagles |
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| Signed |
From |
Lost |
To |
| TE Mike Bartrum |
Re-signed |
LB Shawn Barber |
Chiefs |
| QB Koy Detmer |
Re-signed |
CB Al Harris |
Trade w/ G.B. |
| FB Jon Ritchie |
Raiders |
P Sean Landeta |
Rams |
| LB Nate Wayne |
Packers |
RB Brian Mitchell |
Giants |
| LB Mark Simoneau |
Trade w/ Atl. |
S Blaine Bishop |
Released |
| FB Kevin Clemens |
-- |
G Doug Brzezinski |
Panthers |
| K Carlos Martinez |
-- |
LB Barry Gardner |
Browns |
| P Kyle Richardson |
Vikings |
DE Hugh Douglas |
Jaguars |
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FB Cecil Martin |
Raiders |
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RB Dorsey Levens |
Giants |
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WR Dameane Douglas |
Chiefs |
| Unrestricted |
Restricted |
| TE Jeff Thomason |
DT Darwin Walker |
| S Rashard Cook |
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| P Lee Johnson |
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| LB Levon Kirkland |
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| WR Antonio Freeman |
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| 2003 Draft Picks |
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| Rd. |
Pick |
Player |
Pos. |
School |
| 1 |
15 (15) |
Jerome McDougle |
DE |
Miami (Fla.) |
| 2 |
29 (61) |
L.J. Smith |
TE |
Rutgers |
| 3 |
31 (95) |
Billy McMullen |
WR |
Virginia |
| 4 |
34 (131) |
Jamaal Green |
DE |
Miami (Fla.) |
| 6 |
12 (185) |
Jeremy Bridges |
OT |
Southern Miss |
| 7 |
30 (244) |
Norman LeJeune |
S |
LSU |
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