If Celek doesn't work out, I hear L.J. Smith is available.


Something is not right with Brent Celek this season. It might be a lack of effort, it could be a nagging injury we don't know about, or it could be something as simple as a funk, but Celek has been invisible all year long.

For the season (11 games), he has 23 receptions for 237 yards and two touchdowns. To put just how bad that is in perspective, Celek had 24 receptions for 245 yards and two touchdowns after just three games last season.

This season, Celek has never had more than four catches, 47 yards, or one touchdown in a single game. Celek's lowest reception total in 2009 was two, in 2010 he has gone with a single catch twice in the past three weeks.

You get the picture. It hasn't been pretty.

The question now is whether or not the team continues to wait on Celek to revert to his 2009 form or go in a different direction. Fortunately for Celek, the only other options are a journeyman like Garrett Mills or the rookie Clay Harbor. Unfortunately for Celek, both of those options are starting to actually look like options.

Mills is more of a blocker than a pass-catcher, so he doesn't really fit as a starter. Harbor, on the other hand, seems like the perfect fit in Andy Reid's offense. He's a quicker, lean guy who has good hands and has shown flashes that he's an adequate blocker.

Harbor has already seen one start this year, but it resulted in only one catch. However, that one catch was still more than Celek had in that same game.

If I was Andy Reid, I might consider tossing Celek on the bench for at least a quarter, maybe even an entire half of a game. Maybe if he sits on the bench and has to watch Harbor start in his place he might be motivated to actually catch the ball.

And make no mistake, he had plenty of opportunities early, he just didn't cash in. Kevin Kolb looked for Celek every other time he dropped back, but even Kolb began losing faith in Celek after a few drops.

Michael Vick showed in Atlanta he likes throwing to the tight end as Alge Crumpler went to a couple Pro Bowl, but he seems to have also lost faith in Celek.

Celek is spending more time as a blocker because of the troubles the offensive line was having, but it would stand to reason then that he'd want to make more of his lessened opportunities. But instead we're seeing more drops from him than we saw last year and a guy who has gone from play-maker to bum seemingly in no time.

Reid is usually loyal to a fault, but I don't know how long he can keep Celek as the starter. He is obviously the most talented guy on the team, but his head doesn't seem to be in it this year and the offense is playing short-handed most of the time.

This Vick-led offense is second in points scored and is fast enough to give defensive coordinators nightmares with LeSean McCoy in the backfield and DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin out on the edges -- now just imagine how dangerous they'd be with a half-productive tight end.
Continue Reading...

Is Ingram's signing an indictment of Brent Celek?


The transactions continue to keep coming out of the NovaCare complex.

Earlier this week, the team announced the release of reserve running back Joique Bell and defensive end Pannel Egboh off the practice squad. To take Bell's spot, the team signed safety Colt Anderson off Minnesota's practice squad.

And now, to take Egboh's spot on the practice squad, the team has announced the return of former fifth-round pick Cornelius Ingram.

It's an interesting move since it took so long for the Eagles to make it. I thought, as I assume others did, that Ingram would be a guy immediately brought onto the practice squad after he failed to make the final cut-down, but they let him float in free agency instead.

Ingram has great size (6'4", 245) and is a phenomenal athlete, but ACL tears over the past few seasons have really hit the brakes on what could have been a productive NFL career.

Now, he's fighting like hell just for the chance to be a body in practice.

But is it possible this move is more than just a body for the practice squad? On FOXSport's "NFL Buzz" section on Yardbarker, Adam Caplan writes that "it's doubtful that Ingram will get signed to the 53-man roster this season since Philadelphia already has three tight ends that they seem happy with."

But how happy are they? Brent Celek continues to be non-existent, Garrett Mills is nothing more than a blocker, and Clay Harbor has been active for one game all season long. So really, how happy can they be?

I'm not saying I think Ingram is going to take Celek's job, but just seeing another tight end on the team could be a slight push to Celek and the rest of the tight ends.

And if Ingram can stay healthy and develop, that would be a huge bonus.
Continue Reading...

Michael Vick will make everyone on the field better.


Football is a sport that requires all 11 guys do their job, but with Michael Vick as the man for the Eagles the other 10 guys on offense will find that their job is a whole lot easier.

Let's start with the running backs. With Kolb under center, a defense would have no problem squeezing the inside gaps and using their outside linebackers to keep contain. Stuffing the middle means the back hits a wall of defenders, or he tries to bounce outside and has to deal with the outside linebackers.

But with Vick, that all changes. Now the defensive ends must be aware of what Vick is doing and adjust themselves accordingly. Instead of being able to play the 'C' gap but squeeze down to 'B', they're forced to stay outside of the tackle and make sure Vick doesn't boot to the outside.

We saw what this does for the running game against the Detroit Lions. Because the Lions' defensive ends were so worried about keeping contain, it meant the defense was down two defenders when it came to playing the run.

It ultimately led to LeSean McCoy's first 100-yard game and three touchdowns.

For the receivers, it allows for a couple of things. First, the cornerback is usually trying to peak at Vick to see what he's doing so he doesn't get caught with his back turned. If that corner looks at Vick and loses either DeSean Jackson or Jeremy Maclin for just a second, they can be five yards away running wide open.

And secondly, Vick's ability to extend the play behind the line of scrimmage means the corners have to cover longer, which is a clear-cut advantage for the offense. Most defensive backs have a difficult time covering Jackson and Maclin for only three or four seconds, much less seven or eight seconds as is often the case with Vick.

It's even better for the Eagles' tight end Brent Celek. If the corners want to keep an eye on Vick, it means the linebackers and safeties will have both eyes on Vick and will be worried about stopping him first.

Celek, already a smart player and good route runner, should be able to take full advantage of this and come down with some easy receptions in the middle of the field.

Lastly, we've seen how Vick helps the offensive line. The interior of the line will especially appreciate Vick and all the things he can do with his legs since now fewer people will notice when they completely blow it on all 'A' gap blitzes.

Nick Cole is especially at fault for this, but the youth and inexperience of Mike McGlynn certainly doesn't help. He will get better at making the line calls as the season goes on since that's something that can only be learned through experience, but Cole would be a very scary weak link on the line if Kolb were still under center.

We saw Donovan McNabb get victimized because of a weak interior line, so Kolb would have had absolutely no chance. Vick, on the other hand, will make them look better with his ability to evade the inside blitz and get outside the pocket.

I'm going to keep hoping for the day Andy Reid announces Cole has been relegated to the bench in favor of Reggie Wells, but until then Vick's athleticism should prevent a total disaster.
Continue Reading...

Don't worry Brent, we'll be watching you closely.


They say it takes three years to evaluate a draft class, so now with the 2009 season in the rear-view mirror the 2007 class has had their three years. However, it might not be fair to look back on this class just yet.

Kevin Kolb, the first Eagles' selection in '07, has only started two games in those three years while he waited behind Donovan McNabb. Only now is he getting the opportunity to show what he can really do as he will have a full offseason as the team's starter and will have, at least, 16 games to prove his worth.

Stewart Bradley and Brent Celek, taken in the third and fifth rounds respectively, have each shown flashes of superstar ability, but must do it again if they're going to be taken seriously as elite players in this league.

Both did very well in their first seasons as the starters, but anyone can have one good year and then fall off. These two young guys have a lot to prove, but with far different circumstances surrounding them.

While Celek simply has to show that he can replicate his '09 season, Bradley faces a much more difficult challenge in returning from a major knee injury. A year removed from his Pro Bowl-caliber season, he will have to show that the injury hasn't hampered his progress as a player and have an even better season than he did in '08.

Then, there's Victor Abiamiri.

Like Kolb, Abiamiri was a second-round pick, but he's done even less than Kolb has in his three years in Philadelphia.

Abiamiri is constantly hurt, and when he is finally healthy he's all-but nonexistent on the field to the point where I sometimes forget he's on this team. If he can't find a way to stay healthy and meaningfully contribute, he is going to find his way out of town and desperate to find a team that will take him.

The Eagles have shown faith in him over the past couple seasons, but after the trade for Darryl Tapp it looks like the Birds are prepping for life after Abiamiri and view any contribution from him as a plus.

It's got to kill any competitive player when you're being counted on to produce and can't, but it's got to be even worse when nothing is expected of you at all.

The Eagles other picks -- Tony Hunt (third round), C.J. Gaddis (fifth round), Rashad Barksdale (sixth round), and Nate Ilaoa (seventh round) -- are no longer on the team and, as far as I know, are no longer in the NFL.

So, needless to say, not a whole lot will be expected from them -- unless we count their boss at Nationwide or State Farm.

Kolb, Abiamiri, Bradley, and Celek will all play a vital role in the upcoming season, and if they're able to make an impact it would make for a very successful draft class, despite the four other failed picks.

And by the way, Kolb, Bradley, and Celek all came from picks collected when the Eagles traded out of the first round with the Dallas Cowboys -- a move heavily criticized by everyone, including myself.

But if all three of those guys go on to be the stars the Eagles expect them to be, would you really trade any of the three for Anthony Spencer?
Continue Reading...

How much will Cornelius Ingram contribute in 2010?


Cornelius Ingram may have had the highest expectations of any fifth round pick ever take by this team -- or any team for that fact.

Ingram is a guy who showed that he had what it took to make it big at the next level during his days at Florida, and probably would have been a first round pick last year were it not for an untimely knee injury that cost him his senior season.

As a result, he slid all the way to the fifth round where the Eagles snagged him up. But because of the success of fifth round picks in the past (Omar Gaither, Trent Cole, Brent Celek), he was expected to come out and contribute immediately.

That, of course, did not happen as he once again tore his ACL -- most likely due to complications from his previous surgery. He was put on IR in the middle of training camp and became an afterthought.

Now, however, he says that the knee is "feeling good" and that he should be 100 percent ready to go for 2010. The only question now is, where does he fit in with this offense and how much can he contribute behind Celek?

Personally, I think he can contribute a lot. He's an incredible athlete with the speed and hands to play either tight end or receiver. He also has the size (6'4, 245) to be a huge threat in the redzone. Teams will not have a nickel or dime corner, linebacker, or safety who will be able to cover him well enough to shut him down.

His blocking could still use some work, as is the case with most young tight ends, but his receiving ability will become obvious very early in the season. I believe he will not only see time as a tight end, but also as a fourth receiver or in the slot when Jason Avant needs a breather.

I'm not saying he's going to wind up in the Pro Bowl, but I don't believe it's out of the question for him to chip in with 30-40 receptions, 400-500 yards, and four or five touchdowns. That's a bit of a liberal guess and it's with the assumption that he'll get the playing time I believe he deserves, but he will definitely contribute.

Reid has had a lot of success drafting in the fifth round, and I expect Ingram to be the next guy with that same sort of success story.
Continue Reading...

Another year, another Pro Bowl snub for Sheldon.


When the Pro Bowl rosters were announced, I was looking to see how many Eagles were on the roster. Six made it onto the All-Star roster, but it was the two who did not make it that really stuck out to me.

Trent Cole, Asante Samuel, Jason Peters, Leonard Weaver, DeSean Jackson, and David Akers were all voted onto the team (with Jackson actually making it twice -- something never done before), and all were deserving.

However, the absence of Sheldon Brown and Brent Celek continues to show that the Pro Bowl is nothing more than name-recognition and not actually looking at the numbers.

For instance, the two guys who made it ahead of Celek at tight end were Vernon Davis and Jason Witten. Davis deserves the Pro Bowl nod as he's put up some gaudy numbers this year even with inconsistencies at quarterback.

Witten, on the other hand, is currently sitting with a highly-unimpressive one touchdown. Not in just the last three weeks or in the latter portion of the season, but in the entire season Witten has accounted for exactly one touchdown.

His 88 receptions for 954 yards is certainly impressive, but this game is about getting into the endzone and it's something that Witten simply has not done this season.

It is, however, not without precedent. Back in 2o06, Witten was selected to his third straight Pro Bowl off of 64 receptions for 754 yards and one touchdown. If that is a Pro Bowl year then there are some backup tight ends who are being snubbed.

It proves that this is nothing more than name-recognition, but year after year we'll continue to point out who got snubbed in the hopes that the voting process will someday be refined. It won't, but we push forth anyway.

But back to Celek.

His 69 receptions and 875 yards aren't quite up to par with Witten, but his eight touchdowns dwarf Witten's one and should have gotten him a Pro Bowl nod. Not only is he putting up great numbers, but he's doing it in an offense with a lot of distribution and it's his first full year as a starter.

The kid got robbed in favor of a much more recognizable name; So is the Pro Bowl process.

Sheldon Brown will be joining Celek in the corner with the rest of the snubs, but Brown getting snubbed was expected. He's not a flashy guy who does a dance every time he makes a tackle or intercepts a pass, but he's a guy who gets it done better than most.

He's a shutdown corner in this league when very few of them exist. He's never had a lot of interceptions, but that was because quarterbacks did not want to throw his way, and receivers did not want to get in his path.

He's one of the few complete corners and the fact that he gets snubbed year in and year out is a travesty. Players will say that they don't care about the Pro Bowl and all of those other things, but when you're up for an honor that you feel you deserve and you never get it, it will begin to wear on your psyche -- at least a little.

Brown, outside of London Fletcher, may be the most underrated player in the league. The fact that neither of these guys have ever earned a Pro Bowl nod is a testament to the several flaws that occur in the process.

But hey, there's always next year, right?
Continue Reading...

Someone find the monkey that fell off Vick's back.


After not scoring a single touchdown all season long, Michael Vick accounted for two today. He ran his first one in from five yards out, and his second one came through the air on a pass to Brent Celek where Vick rolled left, and threw the ball all the way back across his body to the right.

Before that, Vick hit Reggie Brown on a 43-yard bomb to set up the touchdown pass. The ball was a bit underthrown, but Brown was able to come back to it, fight through a defender called for interference, and come down with the catch.

Unfortunately, Vick injured his right thumb and gave way to Kevin Kolb for the rest of the fourth quarter. Had Vick not been injured, he probably would have been allowed to take the reps for the rest of the game.

It's almost a story too good to write. Vick comes back into the league with a lot of hype, but once he gets his shot, we find out that there may have in fact been too much hype.

He didn't produce a whole lot all year long, causing many writers and bloggers, nationally or local, to ask if the Vick experiment was a waste of time.

So in the midst of all the pessimism surround Vick's season and the future of his career, he comes back to where everything started in Atlanta and scores his first two touchdowns of the season.

He didn't save the game, he didn't throw for 300 yards or rush for 100, and he didn't look like the Pro Bowl-caliber athlete that he was before his run-in with the law, but he looked like a guy who can be a key cog for this team in the final month of the regular season and into the playoffs.

The Mike Vick experiment hasn't failed, it's just taken a little while before the Eagles saw results.
Continue Reading...

Celek's got his deal, but D-Jack's won't be so easy.


First it was Winston Justice, now it's the young tight end Brent Celek. Justice signed a four-year extension last week and Celek was next in line with a six-year extension this week.

Even coming off a poor game was not enough to deter the front office from ensuring that this kid would spend a good chunk of his career as a Philadelphia Eagle. He's a former fifth-round pick out of Cincinnati (sounds like another good player the Birds have) who came in with very little expectations, but has quickly become one of the best young tight ends in the league.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, and with the Eagles, we probably won't know the numbers for quite some time. In fact, we're all still wondering about the numbers for Justice.

Some other players who need resigned, Jason Avant, Leonard Weaver, Sean Jones, and Brodrick Bunkley, have not seen their contracts get reworked and, as far as I know, are not even in talks.

Chris Gocong's contract is also coming to an end soon, but I'm not so sure about resigning him. He's been a pretty decent player during his time here, but it seems like he hasn't gotten any better since day one.

He came in as an average linebacker, and hasn't seemed to get any better since.

The Birds seemed to be trying to lock up young players to long-term deals and below market value, so expect to see a couple others get reworked in the next few weeks and before the season is over.

It's a trick the Eagles have been pulling since this front office was assembled, and it wouldn't be a surprise to have a few unhappy, underpaid players in the next few seasons.
Continue Reading...

Who's more valuable, Brent Celek, or Fraction Jackson?


After eight weeks of the season, the Eagles are sitting at 5-3 overall with a 2-1 record in the division. It's not a bad place to be at the half-way point, but the Eagles, as well as their fans, understand that 7-1 bounced off this team's fingertips.

A combined eight points between their two losses is the only thing keeping them from having complete control of the NFC East, but they're still in the mix and with a number of players getting healthy, are in good position to make a push in the back eight of the season.

There are a number of players who have stepped up in all three phases of the game, allowing this team be in the position they're in now. So, let's take a look at this team's MVP's at the half-way point of 2009.


Offense: DeSean Jackson, WR

Jackson has already doubled his number of receiving touchdowns from his rookie season with four, and two more touchdowns -- one on the ground and one on a punt return -- to bring him to six total.

26 receptions for 530 yards and four touchdowns has him on pace for 52 receptions for 1,060 yards and eight touchdowns -- not a bad season for a second-year receiver. However, those will be difficult numbers to reach if he doesn't increase that catch total. At the moment, he's averaging over 20 yards per reception which will be very difficult to keep up.

Add his receiving numbers to his versatility to the run the ball on the end-around or the wildcat, and you've got a special player.

Jackson figures to be a deep, big-play threat for the rest of the season, but will need the rookie Jeremy Maclin to step up and starting getting more separation to draw the double team away from Fraction Jackson.


Defense: Trent Cole, DE

With 7.5 sacks on the season, Cole is on his way to a 15-sack season -- a stat that should be plenty to get him to his second Pro Bowl, and would be a career high by 2.5 sacks. Cole has always started off fast but faded at the end, so it will be important for him to keep up this kind of production and finish with at least 14 sacks.

Not only has he been great against the pass, but he's been fantastic against the run. Whether teams run at him or away from him, he's doing a wonderful job of shadowing the runner and bringing him down immediately.

His entire game is coming together beautifully, and he now deserves to be mentioned among the top defensive ends in the league in the same breath as Dwight Freeney, Julius Peppers, John Abraham, and others.


Special Teams: Eldra Buckley, RB

Ellis Hobbs has been decent returning the ball, David Akers has done a good job of putting points on the board, and Rocca has been good but inconsistent. Eldra Buckley, however, has been by far the best performer on special teams.

He's consistently the first guy down the field for kickoff coverage, and if he's not making the tackle he's forcing the return man inside so that someone else, usually Akeem Jordan or Tracy White, to make the tackle.

Buckley is showing why he's on this team and his competition in training camp, Lorenzo Booker, is floating around the free agent wire.


Most Improved Player: Brent Celek, TE

Celek, only halfway through the season, is already looking at career bests for the season. With 40 receptions, 486 yards and four touchdowns, he should be on his way to his first Pro Bowl in only his third NFL season.

At this pace, Celek will finish with 80 receptions, 972 yards, and eight touchdowns. Those are unbelievable numbers for a tight end that, if he can pull it off, should put him in the conversation for one of the best young offensive talents in the league.

Just to show how much he's improved, let's look at his first two season.

Rookie season (2007): 16 receptions, 178 yards, one touchdown
Second season (2008): 27 receptions, 318 yards, one touchdown

This season, even if he disappears in the second half of the season, he's going to blow those numbers away. He is most definitely the most improved player on this team, if not of the entire league.
Continue Reading...

Cornelius Ingram is the second Bird to suffer a torn ACL.


Philadelphia Eagles tight end Cornelius Ingram has a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee that will sideline him for his rookie season according to Reuben Frank.

Ingram, who was drafted in the fifth round of this year's draft, missed the entire 2008 season with the Florida Gators in his final year at college with a torn ACL in the same knee.

The Eagles had him take a MRI this morning in which the results showed that he had a torn ACL. It was first characterized as knee swelling according to Frank.

Losing Ingram is huge for the Birds as they were relying on him backing up first-year starter Brent Celek at tight end. They weren't just hoping for him to be a capable backup, but to also make plays too.

The only other options at tight end on the roster are Matt Schobel and Eugene Bright—neither of which are having great camps. For one, Schobel hasn't been practicing, and Bright hasn't shined but will only gain experience.

This makes the decision not to pony up a second round pick to acquire future Hall of Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez, who was traded to the Atlanta Falcons, even more mind blowing.

UPDATE: Eagles have signed Rob Myers, rookie free agent tight end out of Utah State. In order to make room for the tight end, Punter/Kicker Ken Parrish was cut.

Continue Reading...

Hopefully Leonard Weaver blocks like this all year long.


As a former lineman, it’s painful to watch running backs and tight ends attempt to block. Backs and tight ends do the natural things like running and catching, so a skill like blocking is foreign to them for the most part.

First off, whenever we talk about backs blocking, everyone wants to know about LeSean McCoy and how he’s doing. He’s certainly improving with every practice, but he still has a long way to go.

The thing that really sticks out to me when I watch these guys block is that almost all of them want to stop their feet, and just attempt to push guys. Rather than getting into their man and moving their feet, they want to play patty-cake.

The key to blocking a man on the move like that is to engage him, and never stop moving your feet. If your feet stop, you become extremely vulnerable to a spin move, or having them simply run around you.

What a lot of the guys want to do is come up to the blitzing man, stop, and give him a forearm or shoulder shot, then move to wherever the guy bounces.

Attempting to block like this is going to get McNabb killed.

The discouraging part was that every single back and tight end was doing this, even a guy like Leonard Weaver, although it wasn’t nearly as bad. Weaver would come up, stop his feet, and throw the forearm and give the shoulder shot, but from there he was very good at recovering and sticking with the man.

The point is that there shouldn’t have to be a recovery time. If he would step up and engage the man, the guy blitzing loses all momentum, and will have a difficult time getting around.

Surprisingly enough, Lorenzo Booker probably had the best form of any of the backs. However, he just doesn’t have the power to stop most guys. A corner or safety he would probably be able to control, but a linebacker would plow him right over and keep moving.

Kyle Eckel and McCoy were probably the worst about stopping their feet. Eckel was made to look silly a couple times because he would stop his feet and watch the guy just run around him. Even diving at him, Eckel could barely get a hand on his man at times.

McCoy was a bit better than that, but was very susceptible to an inside move, and the defensive guys picked up on that right away, exploiting it on several occasions. He did, however, stop an inside attempt by Gaither, and was able to ride Demps around the quarterback.

Brent Celek was pretty decent at just riding the man around in a big loop, which at least shows that he’s keeping his feet moving, but also shows that he doesn’t know how to use his hands to punch at the guy, and must lack the upper-body strength to stop a blitzing man.

Eldra Buckley was not impressive, getting knocked over a few times, and Eugene Bright looked like he could hold his own.

My suggestion would be to send these guys to Juan Castillo for a day and let him show them the basics. Otherwise, McNabb could be running for his life.
Continue Reading...

Celek leaps over some Cardinals defenders this past season.


Brent Celek may be an unknown nationally, but Eagles fans have been eagerly anticipating his emergence. If you did not know, it is a brand new era at the tight end position in Philadelphia.

McNabb has always looked to his tight ends in clutch situations—partly because he had mediocre receivers, and partly as a primal instinct.

McNabb to Lewis and pre-sports hernia L.J. Smith was a staple of the Eagles passing offense. In the 2008 regular season, the tight end was nearly invisible. In 2009, Eagles fans have a new look aerial group at tight end.

Brent Celek emerged as the starter at tight end in the playoffs last season and led the team in receptions during that period.

In revamping the Eagles offense for 2009, a justifiable excitement has developed. Brent Celek becomes a prospective X-factor for the Eagles, along with rookies Jeremy Maclin, LeSean McCoy, Cornelius Ingram, and free agent acquisition Leonard Weaver.

It has been a couple of years' worth of L.J. Smith ineffectiveness that lead the Eagles to the forward-thinking decision of passing the torch to the young Celek (aka "Magnum P.I.").

Celek doesn't have blazing speed. He runs a 4.7-second 40-yard dash, but he is elusive for his size and speed, and he runs and finishes hard. More than anything, he is an old-school prototype tight end in the vein of Chad Lewis, Jason Witten, and Chris Cooley.

Celek has nice hands and tremendous vision for the field and open space that transcend measures and statistics. This kid is a very good football player, and he produces.

"Once you get out there in a game and see some of the things you can do to a defense, you think I can do this week in and week out," Celek said. "I think I had an opportunity there and took advantage of it. I played the best that I could. There were some situations where I was in good situations and I made some decent plays. I just have to do that on a continuous basis."

McNabb now has a talented group of receivers, receiving backs and a go-to tight end that he had been missing during L.J. Smith's most recent campaigns.

Celek is going to have a better opportunity to produce than Chad Lewis, as the 2009 corps of complementary targets at receiver and out of the backfield are potentially lethal to opposing defenses and should accordingly draw the attention.

Defenses have to take care to watch Brian Westbrook, DeSean Jackson, Kevin Curtis, Hank Baskett and Jeremy Maclin whenever they are on the field. The player they will look past most often is Celek, and he has the game and quarterback respect to make teams pay.

Cornelius Ingram is the Eagles’ rookie tight end who may cut into the production of Celek just a bit. He's a monstrous athletic talent that the Eagles will look to take advantage of having on their roster.

Both Celek and Ingram are somewhat questionable in the blocking department, but they are in the good hands when it comes to blocking instruction.

Blocking is a combination of heart, athleticism and technique. Celek and Ingram have the heart and athleticism and Andy Reid and offensive line coach, Juan Castillo, are the best in the business at developing technique.

Both players are aware that coming into this season, the No. 1 question on the minds of the coaches regarding tight end is, "Can these guys block?"

Celek and Ingram have been proactive in working on this aspect of their game and Eagles fans will be treated to a substantial improvement over L.J. Smith and Matt Schobel's lackluster blocking efforts.

Additional points of interest with blocking at tight end include the promising progress of converted defensive end from Purdue, Eugene Bright, who I expect to supplant the relatively ineffective Matt Schobel at the third tight end position.

When thinking about a blocking tight end, I can't leave out the formidable option of lining up Jason Peters tight and eligible to receive. The Eagles are deep enough on the offensive line to slide a depth lineman like Max Jean-Gilles onto the field and let Jason Peters play his original position—yes, that's right—tight end.

One last wild thought is bulking up Hank Baskett. His speed and blocking technique with an extra 20 or 25 pounds would make for an incredibly dangerous tight end and more repetitions for the under-used receiver.

For now, the picture is clear. Celek is the man at tight end and McNabb has gone to him frequently when he has been in the game before. We will see a lot more of Brent Celek with the ball in 2009.

Expect Celek to have a tremendous season, most likely accounting for 600 to 800 yards receiving, and five to eight touchdowns as McNabb seeks him out.
Continue Reading...

Apart from the clamor that comes up every season for a No. 1 receiver here in Philly, the other need on everyone's list was a blocking tight end.

But is it necessary? Is a blocking tight end an absolute need?

Quite simply, no.

While they are definitely a breed of tight end more suited for teams like Pittsburgh, Tennessee, Baltimore, etc., they are by no means a necessity.

Take a team like Tennessee for example. Bo Scaife and Alge Crumpler are both primarily receiving tight ends. Not to take anything away from Scaife's ability to block, he's a decent edge blocker, but his real talent comes in catching the ball.

Heath Miller in Pittsburgh and Todd Heap in Baltimore are also primarily receiving tight ends who aren't completely incompetent blockers, they're also pretty decent at taking on a defensive end, outside linebacker, or blitzing DB.

So if those teams can get by without a blocking tight end, why would a team like the Eagles in a pass-first offense need a blocking tight end?

The answer is, they don't.

So what is essential to a good running game? What allows those teams to get by without a real blocking specialist at tight end?

The answer is a dying position in the NFL today: the Fullback.

Ahmad Hall, Dan Kreider, and Lorenzo Neal (for the Ravens in '08, now a Raider) are the keys to the successful running game of those three teams. Also a guy like Brad Hoover in Carolina and Madison Hedgecock in New York (Giants), just to name a few.

Every efficient running game will have a good fullback leading the way, where any average to below average running game will have a sub-par or no fullback at all, as was the case with the Eagles.

Dan Klecko stepped in and performed admirably. The man gave it his best shot and did what he could when called upon. He's a team player and deserves all the credit in the world.

However, he is not a fullback.

So even though the Eagles do not have a blocking tight end, what they do have now is a real fullback in Leonard Weaver.

Weaver is a triple-threat at fullback being able to block, run, and catch the ball. Before joining the Seahawks in 2005, Weaver was a college tight end.

As we have seen, the success of the running game leans on the offensive line (the Eagles now have the biggest average offensive line in the league), and the fullback.

Not the tight ends.

Andy Reid has already realized this, which could be why we saw the Eagles trade up and still skip out on drafting Brandon Pettigrew.

The point here is that the Eagles have the best of both worlds. The offense will be able to run thanks to the offensive line and fullback, and McNabb gets another weapon in Cornelius Ingram.

A couple big runs from Westbrook and a few touchdown receptions from Celek and Ingram, and this will no longer be an issue.

So even though the ineptitude of the tight ends, as far as blocking, was shown last season (especially Matt Schobel in the Bears game), the Eagles should be just fine with a new and improved offensive line and a real fullback.

Continue Reading...