PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

The 2009 season marked the beginning of the end of the Donovan McNabb era in Philadelphia, despite the 34-year old signal caller passing for 3,553 yards and 22 touchdowns while limiting his interceptions to only ten. The Eagles failure to make a deep run in last year’s playoffs combined with McNabb’s age and promising 26-year old Kevin Kolb waiting patiently in the wings finally pushed Andy Reid and the front office to make the long rumored move to make a change at the quarterback position, resulting in the trade of their longtime franchise quarterback to the Washington Redskins.   

Over the last two seasons, Kolb has used small windows of opportunity to validate the Eagles belief in him when they plucked him in the second round of the 2007 Draft, specifically two consecutive home games against New Orleans and Kansas City in weeks two and three of the 2009 season in which the former University of Houston product tossed for 391 yards and two touchdowns (with three INTs) and 327 yards and two scores, respectively.

Kolb steps into a favorable situation with numerous young talents at all of the Eagles skill positions.  DeSean Jackson (63 catches for 1,167 yards and nine TDs last year) is an established NFL star at the wide receiver position entering the mythical third season for wide receivers, and he has publicly stated how much he is looking forward to Kolb taking the reins of the offense.  On the other side, second-year receiver Jeremy Maclin, coming off a decent rookie year with 55 catches for 762 yards and four scores, will also benefit from the Eagles returning to a more traditional West Coast offense that will utilize more slant routes and quick passes taking advantage of his run-after-the-catch explosiveness. Jason Avant (41 catches for 587 yards and three scores) and the recycled Hank Baskett , the fifth-year receiver is back for a second tour with the Eagles after spending time with the Colts and Vikings in the last year, provide adequate depth in the receiving corps.

 LeSean McCoyand Mike Bell will comprise the dual running threat for the Eagles, with McCoy taking over the Brian Westbrook role as the primary component between the twenties and Mike Bell, the offseason free agent acquisition from the Saints to handle short-yardage and goal line duties.  McCoy (637 yards rushing, 40 receptions for 308 yards and four touchdowns) showed enough last year to hold genuine promise for fantasy football in 2010 (currently No. 18 in our fantasy football projectionslist), and should see his touches increase proportionately with Westbrook no longer in the way.  Given the expected successs of this talent-rich offense, Mike Bell will be well positioned for a ample supply of cracks at the goal line, making him a suitable third or fourth running back for fantasy teams in 2010.

Tight end Brent Celek emerged as one of the top, young tight ends in the game last season and his 76 catches for 971 yards and eight touchdowns got the attention of fantasy owners quickly. The fourth-year tight end currently ranks # 7 on the FFChamps C3 Projection list for tight ends, and there’s no reason to believe he won’t continue to get better with Kolb at the helm.

2010 Outlook:

Currently considered a sleeper candidate, Kevin Kolb, by the time fantasy drafts start taking place in late July and August, will be one of the more sought after entities at quarterback and should be a better than average No.1 quarterback for fantasy football squads in 2010.  McCoy, though likely to lose touchdowns to Mike Bell this year, will have more than enough opportunities with the ball to adequately fulfill one of the two starting RB roles in a fantasy lineup.  DeSean Jackson, as mentioned earlier, is primed for his best season yet, with the combination of Kolb, who he has already established a chemistry with, and entering his third season.  Jeremy Maclin will be a solid No. 3 or 4 receiver with upside for fantasy squads and TE Brent Celek will go off fantasy draft boards in the middle rounds and provide a feel-good option for fantasy owners in their starting lineups each week.