[Note by JasonB, 05/16/08 3:03 PM EDT ] promoted from fanposts

The hue and cry for a number one wide out has been fodder for Philly sports writers and fans since the 2003 NFC championship loss. Last year was particularly aggravating as the Birds offense seemed to march at will between the 20's but floundered once it found itself in the red zone. The Eagles were 6h in total offensive yardage, but 17th in points scored. What if the Eagles were the #6 in scoring too?Well, the sixth ranked scoring team in the NFL was the Jacksonville Jaguars who scored 25.7 points per game. The Eagles scored 21. Is the Jag's offense that much better than the Birds? Er, I don't think so. After the season, the familiar alarm bell again sounded. The wide receivers aren't good enough, but this time there was an accompanying call: trade Lito for Larry, Chad or Roy. Was it really the receiver's fault? Let's focus on the passing game and investigate the Eagle's track record under Andy Reid.

The table below shows receiving statistics subdivided by position for each of Andy Reid's Eagles teams except for his first (let's call that one an outlier).

Several interesting things are apparent. First off, 2007 was the best year in terms of number of receptions and total yards for the Eagles wide receivers in the Andy Reid era. Secondly, their TD production was above the yearly averages and compares favorably to the production in 2006 and 2004. This suggests that the receivers are not to blame for the Eagles struggles last year. In terms of production, the one position that was significantly off were the tight ends. We all know LJ was hurt and simply ineffective for much of the season, but with 3 more touchdowns from the tight end slot in the right games...

The Eagles run a West Coast Offense. It's an offense that spreads the ball around, getting everyone involved. Here perhaps there is no true #1 wide out, but in the West Coast Offense, does there truly have to be? The Eagles have potentially three decent #2s. If Curtis and Brown maintain (Curtis - 77 receptions and 1100 yards, Reggie - 61 catches and almost 800 yards) and Basket, Avant, and Jackson combine for 65 more, we're looking at similar production this year compared to last. Sure a true #1 would be nice, but the year we actually had one, the rest of the receivers became afterthoughts. In this offensive scheme it's important to keep the opposing defenses honest.

I would humbly suggest the Eagles have the weapons on offense to again explode next year. I'm excited by the addition of Kris Wilson and Lorenzo Booker. Brent Celek with a year under his belt will provide more options in the red zone. In fact, I think this group of tight ends has the potential to be the best the Eagles have ever had. Hank Basket is a Big Dude, I hope to see him beating up opposing DB's when we're down inside the 20. Why can't football start now?

First up, LJ Smith says that last year was just one big fluke...

L.J. Smith called it an aberration. Something that rarely happens twice. A bout of misfortune coupled with Murphy's Law.

He was referring to the sports hernia injury that sidelined him for most of mini-camp last season and required a second surgery in August and the late knee injury that, in total, rendered him useless for most of 2007.

Oh, did he mention that 2007 was supposed to be the walk year of his contract?

"It's one of those things where I like to look at it as a fluke," he said. "You don't want to ever have to have something like that happen again in your career."

Another guy who spent most of last year banged up was Todd Herremans, who doesn't want to blame injuries for his performance

"I don't want to blame it on anything," he said. "There's no excuse for technique breaking down. If I was getting overpowered or if I looked like I had a weak leg or anything, I don't think I really did. I think my focus just came away from my technique and what I was supposed to be doing out there.

"The way I look at it is, I need to be on the field because no one's job is ever secure," Herremans said. "That's the nature of the NFL. If you miss a couple games and someone comes in and fills for you and they start playing really well, you might be lost in the shuffle."

Herremans will be facing competition for a his starting job from Max Jean Gilles, who drew special praise from Andy Reid when he filled in for both Andrews and Herremans at points last year. Good news for Herremans is that Max Jean showed up 10 pounds overweight to minicamp...

Finally, at a Volunteers of America dinner Andy Reid said some nice generic stuff...

“You always make your number one goal to win the Super Bowl,” Reid said.

“There’s nothing you want to change in the attitude of the city. With the Eagles, yeah. The culture of the Eagles – people (now) want to win, they have won and they have an expectation of that.”

Not likely... fairly generic stuff from McNabb, but it was interesting to read what he said about Desean Jackson simply because he never really talked about the kid in mini camp.

He lists some of the usual questions he's gotten and his answers

Q: Did the team do enough this offseason to compete for a Super Bowl?

A: We have enough to compete right now. If there is a chance to continue improving our roster after June 1 than we should look at that too.

Q: Without any new offensive weapons, how will the team improve this year?

A: Having L.J. Smith healthy is a good start. We need to be more productive in the Red Zone and that's a part of the field where the tight end is crucial. When L.J. was hurt last year we seemed to get away from that too much.

Q: What about DeSean Jackson?

A: He impressed me with his speed and ability to catch the ball. Hopefully he will be able to shorten the field for us with his return ability on special teams, and stretch the field on offense with his speed.

I suppose the June 1 line is interesting. Clearly McNabbb is still looking for more pieces.

The Eagles Fancast boys chatted with Tommy Lawlor of Scouts Notebook about the Eagles draft. (Eagles Fancast)

Iggles Blog scored an interview with Eagles Kicker David Akers thanks to REEBOK. (Iggles Blog)

The 700 level has pics of some Eagles cheerleaders getting nude going green. (700 Level)

Here's a look at the state of sport in the city of Philadelphia ... Who do you think will be the team to break the drought? (Poor Sports)

I've talked about this before and I must say I wholeheartedly agree with Dave here ... Yet another Philly writer has written an "oh poor me" column about how hard his job is covering the Eagles. (Eagle Scout)

It's the offseason, which is why we see things like "The Rise and Fall of Koy." Was it a rise and fall or just a nondescript sputter... you decide. (Inside the Iggles)

Bounty Bowl has some comments on McNabb's latest inspirational t-shirt , which appears to be more of a novel than just a simple slogan. (Bounty Bowl)

The Eagles Chick is enjoying watching the Patriots squirm ... (Eagles Chick)

If you haven't seen this "Empire Strikes Barack" video yet... check it out. Hilarity. (Huge Tiny Mistake)

That said, I'd say this shirt best sums up my feelings on the political season... (Fortress of Pillows)

AJ Feeley's favorite receiver, Lofa Tatupu, was arrested for DUI . (The Big Lead)

It appears the Eagles may have lost their good luck charm , Jessica Simpson. (WWTDD)

Finally, I went to the Philadelphia Museum of Art this weekend to check out the Frida Kahlo exhibit which was great BTW... I decided to stay in the city Saturday night and had one of the best meals ever at Alma de Cuba on Walnut street. I highly recommend that place if you're looking for a great meal in the city.

Those were the words of Titans defensive line coach Jim Washburn

"He's a punch line of some jokes. In Philadelphia, he's a joke," Washburn said. "I still think he has some ability if he can stay healthy."

That article also noted what might have been a little bit of a shot at Kearse on the part of Jim Johnson...

"Yeah, I think it’s been a good offseason. If you get Asante and Chris Clemons, those are two playmakers," Johnson said. "I told our defense that we are on a three-game winning streak. We beat Dallas and New Orleans on the road and Buffalo here, and we didn’t really lose any players. We picked up some more players and had a good draft with what we wanted draft-wise, so you feel good and you feel positive."

Honestly, it's not as if JJ is lying. Kearse has more or less given the Eagles nothing the last two years. He was hurt most all of 2006 and was generally ineffective last year. By midseason the Phreak was actually not even making the active gameday roster....

But in his first few seasons here I didn't think Kearse was a huge let down. He certainly never posted the kind of sack numbers we all expected him to, but he did play an important part on the line especially in the superbowl year. That said, the excuses Jevon has been making since leaving Philly have been pretty laughable...

"I'm still the same player, but that scheme up in Philly was different. All I've got to say is proof is in the pudding, so I can't even talk about it. Just watch and see."

The scheme? He repeated this same excuse the day he re-signed in Tennessee... I'm not sure how a scheme predicated almost entirely on rushing the passer somehow hurt a pass rush specialst like Kearse, but if it makes him feel better to blame the scheme... so be it. The Titans don't seem to think it was all about the scheme, as it seems their plan is to use Kearse as a situational pass rusher.
 He may say he's "the same player" he was when he left, but the fact is that he's not. I like Jevon and always thought he was a good guy so I don't want to come off as bashing him here... but we have to be honest about where the guy is at this point in his career. Sorry Phreak...

It could be the Eagles says ESPN's Matt Mosley.. .

I realize the Jacksonville Jaguars would be the logical choice if you have them ranked behind the Colts in the AFC South, but let's go with something a little less obvious. The Eagles' season was doomed from the start last season because of the uncertainty of how starting quarterback Donovan McNabb would respond from ACL surgery and because of the family issues that plagued head coach Andy Reid.

But something funny happened over the last month of the season. The Eagles could have packed it in, but instead they started playing their best football. They should automatically be better on defense with the addition of All-Pro cornerback Asante Samuel. And the release of veteran Takeo Spikes will actually make them more athletic. Jeremiah Trotter's replacement, Omar Gaither, grew into his role as the season went on and I think he'll be a much more consistent player.

He goes on to talk about some more reasons why it could happen... It makes total sense, but then again it probably would make sense about several teams in the NFC. I'm just not convinced that anyone in the NFC is really head and shoulders above the pack.

The Saints look like they were primed for a real run and they fell flat last year. The Bears go the superbowl and fall flat. Those were the two teams in the NFC Title game in 06... I have no doubt that the same thing could happen again with a number of NFC teams that made the postseason in 07. Dallas has looked like it was on a upswing the past couple years, but then they can't win a playoff game and are getting old at certain positions. The Packers have a big bounce back year and then Favre retires. Anyone want to bet Aaron Rodgers will lead them to another 13-3 record? The Seahawks have hung around... but do they scare anyone? Would they have made the playoffs if they weren't in the NFC West? The Giants won it all, so you'd have to say they're the class of the conference... but they were no more than a wildcard last year and an 8-8 team the previous year. How many experts do anyone think will pick the Giants to repeat? Either as conference or SB champs?

Any of these teams could turn out to be better than I think... but that's the point. There are no Patriots or Colts in the NFC. There's a lot of mediocrity parity.

Some highlights

- Thinks Desean Jackson was the best WR in the draft "in terms of catching the football"

- He plays rookies when he thinks they're ready to play, thinks he has three this year that can play. It seems he counts Booker as one of those guys.

- They talk about Andy's snap at the media for only talking about the negative. Angelo askes if Andy understands why the media is negative, he blames it on the lack of a championship for 48 years(something he repeated several times). He also says the media and the city are seeing a decline in the team and that's making them negative. Reid responded by saying he doesn't see this and that Angelo is paid to stir up controversy. He jokingly(maybe?) suggested that the team and the media are partners because they're doing the games. Reid then challenged the WIP morning show to come out to practice and actually see the team and that if they did they'd come out feeling so much more positive. The sidekick then chimed in with a joke about Howard Eskin, implying that by coming to practice they would butt kissers. Hard to figure that one out...

- Angelo claims that he doesn't need to go to practice or talk to players because they never "give me much." He says Andy holds a lot of press conferences and doesn't say much. He claims that watching practice won't show him much. He asks Andy why he is not more open. Andy responds that he tells the media what they need to know and is as honest as he can be. Andy said that talking about the poor play of specific players publicly doesn't help them win.

- Angelo says the #1 concern of the fans is wide recievers and he doesn't understand Andy's philsophy about WRs. Andy gives a kind of generic answer where he says he likes the guys he has, they've added a guy that can help(Jackson), and that they all do different things. Andy blames the lack of production in the red zone on the lack of TE play they had rather than WR play.

- Angelo says he questions Andy's personal urgency to win now. Andy interupts and says "Stop, we're not waiting a year. We're going to win right now." Angelo asks if that's the case then why trade his first round pick? Andy says look at the package they got and the value they got in terms of Jackson and Laws. Hugh Douglas says they should have drafted Rashard Mendenhall or Kenny Phillips the safety from Miami. Andy said that's where evaluation comes in.

- Andy says that he hears that people wonder why if they spend so much money on CBs, then why not spend that same money on WRs? He says its the wrong wya to look at it. He's invested in playmakers. The corners are there not just to cover WRs, they're there to make plays and create turnovers. Andy says he sees all 3 corners he has as starters and that it's a "great situation." He doesn't understand why the media spent so much time focusing on the Lito situation. They respond by saying it's not the medias' job to be the Eagles PR team and only focusing on the positive, Andy says he understands that but at some point it's enough.

Hear the interview for yourself after the jump

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