Written By Bob Cunningham Here are the camp battles on the Eagles offensive side.
Center – Jamaal Jackson vs. Nick Cole
Jackson has been the starter at center ever since 2006 when he beat out Hank Fraley for the spot and even having the competition showing up on the cover of SI magazine (pictured above).
After two sub-par seasons from Jackson, who played like a Pro Bowl guy in 2006, the Eagles coaching staff and fans have put him on notice. At this rate, Jackson may find him on the SI cover again. However this time he may not like the outcome.
Cole impressed the staff (and the fans) last year by filling in for Max Jean-Gilles who was filling in for Shawn Andrews at right guard. Cole played extremely well and really surpassed expectations by playing well in the run and pass.
He really helped to calm the nerves of an anxious city after seeing a Pro Bowl right guard and his backup both go down with season-ending injuries. Cole is a good player and certainly deserves his shot.
Starter: Jamaal Jackson – This may be a surprise, but overall I believe Jackson is the best player here. Granted, he hasn't played well over the past couple of years, but that could have been because of the lack of competition. Yes he should have been able to perform regardless, but competition pushes players to play better. He knows he's on a short leash.
Dark Horse Candidate(s): Mike McGlynn
Battles Not Determining A Starter:
Wide Receiver – Jeremy Maclin vs. Reggie Brown vs. Hank Baskett
This is assuming that Curtis and D-Jack have the one and two spots locked up, with Avant having time guaranteed somewhere.
Maclin, this year's first round pick, is a guy who may take a couple years to develop, or he'll be an instant sensation. The reason he may take a couple years is because of the offense he ran at Mizzou. I don't think the kid ran a single intermediate route, something a receiver must do a lot in the west coast offense.
He will be a good receiver, whether that is '09 or as late as '11, we'll just have to wait and see. His success will be contingent upon learning the playbook. From there, it's all on his talent, and there's no shortage of that.
Brown may be as good as gone in the minds of Philly fans, but I'm not so sure that Reid & Co. feel the same way. There's a reason they made him a second round pick, and he's shown flashes of that throughout his short time here in Philly.
In his first two years, he accumulated 89 receptions, 1,387 yards, 12 TD's, and one rushing touchown for 13 total. That's not bad for your first two years in the league.
2006 was by far his best season with 46 receptions for 816 yards and nine total touchdowns, including one rushing. He looked to have the speed, the burst, the hands, and the football intelligence to be a successful receiver in the league.
Even in 2007 he had a pretty good year, with a career-high 61 receptions for 780 yards and four touchdowns.
The point being that I do not believe Reggie should be cut or traded or whatever else because he comes out and has one bad year, the first really bad year of his career. He was banged up last year, and should be given another shot to compete.
When healthy, I believe Reggie has a very high ceiling. He may never become more than a two or three, but he certainly warrants a spot on this roster and another chance to prove himself.
Baskett is a guy who I feel is extremely underutilized. They have not used him in positions where he would be a fantastic asset, such as the redzone. The guy is 6'4" and a huge target. They thought enough of him to trade for him as an undrafted rookie free agent before he had even gone to mini-camp, so they must have had a plan for him.
He's a good combination of size and speed, as evidenced by the fact that he's only one of six players in NFL history to have two or more touchdown receptions of 90+ yards.
Battle Winner: Jeremy Maclin – DeSean Jackson's success last year has hopefully opened Reid's eyes to the fact that receivers can contribute right away. As I said, Maclin may be a bit raw in the route-running department for the first year, but that's something that can be coached up. He's got too much talent to sit on the bench.
Dark Horse Candidate(s): Brandon Gibson (after talking to some people from WSU, it would appear that Gibson may be a steal in the sixth), Shaheer McBride
Running Back – Lorenzo Booker vs. Kyle Eckel
Booker was not given a large role in the backfield last year, and therefore was not able to do much, only getting on the field during garbage time of a huge win. Booker was brought in because of his similarities to Brian Westbrook with the thought being that he could spell Westbrook.
That never came to fruition, and now Booker's place on this team is being questioned, especially with the addition of second round pick LeSean "Shady" McCoy. However, having sunk a fourth round pick into him, Booker will get every chance to succeed before being let go.
Eckel was a mid-season signing, and like Booker, did not get many opportunities. However, unlike Booker, Eckel made the best of his opportunities. He was brought in as a fullback, but used more as a big running back for short-yardage situations.
While he did a good job on offense and special teams, Eckel may not have a place on the roster because of the signing of Leonard Weaver from Seattle. Reid does not like to usually have the same kind of player at the same position, but both of these players fit into that category.
Battle Winner: Kyle Eckel – This is a close call, but I believe Eckel edges Booker here because of his ability to also play special teams. Eckel is a blue-collar guy who Reid will fall in love with because he'll stick his nose into any pile, and player, and will run fearless on the field.
Eckel may be similar to Weaver, but it boils down to contribution, and he will contribute more between offense and special teams, whereas Booker would only play offense. Reid already has a Westbrook-clone in McCoy.
I believe Booker can be a good player, and will be a good pickup for another team after being released in a numbers game.
Dark Horse Candidate(s): Eldra Buckley, Walter Mendenhall
All of these battles warrant some attention, as they will shape the team not only for next year, but years to come. This is the most important time of the year for teams around the NFL to find out what they have on their roster.
The Eagles are no different.
Stay tuned, it promises to be an exciting time.
