PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

2012 Odds:
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Odds to Win NFC East: 6/5
Odds to Win NFC Championship: 5/1
Odds to Win Super Bowl XLVII: 10/1
Regular Season Wins Over/Under: 10

2012 Preview:
Offense:
Philly has returned to a relatively balanced offensive attack, finishing middle of the pack in run/pass balance in 2011. The running game really took off after the arrival of offensive line guru Howard Mudd last season, and they’re now one of the league’s most effective zone-blocking teams. Head coach Andy Reid admitted that LeSean McCoy was overworked last season, so look for him to get closer to about 70 percent of the team’s reps rather than the 80-plus percent he got last year. Either Dion Lewis, Bryce Brown or Chris Polk will pick up the rest. All four backs are capable of playing three downs. McCoy will get the vast majority of the team’s red zone touches.

The Eagles’ West Coast is aggressive attacking downfield. Despite last year’s issues, DeSean Jackson downfield is still this team’s No. 1 option, especially when quarterback Michael Vick is able to buy time with his legs. Tight end Brent Celek emerged as a legitimate No. 2 target underneath, though Jeremy Maclin could have a bigger role now that he’s entering training camp 100 percent healthy. Every once in awhile, they’ll have a game plan specific to slot receiver Jason Avant, but his role will be limited as long as their top three pass catchers are healthy. They also feature McCoy and the backs heavily in the screen game. When they throw near the goal line, they look to run some sort of play-action or other misdirection and get the ball primarily to Celek.

Defense:
The loss of Asante Samuel hurts the Philadelphia defense, but plenty of talent remains in the secondary, most notably shutdown corners Nnamdi Asomugha and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. There’s also plenty of talent up front with DEs Jason Babin (18 sacks) and Trent Cole (11 sacks). Babin made a great decision following DL coach Jim Washburn back to Philly to play in the “wide nine” formation, and it resulted in six multi-sack performances in 2011. Philly’s blitz-happy scheme keeps defenses from doubling Babin, and the presence of Cole, one of the NFL’s most consistent defensive linemen, helps open things up even more. The weakness of this defense in 2011 was the linebacking corps, which is where former Texans LB DeMeco Ryans comes in. His best years in Houston were as a 4-3 middle linebacker before the Texans switched to a 3-4 a year ago. A likely three-down 4-3 MLB in Philly, he’s a solid bounce-back candidate and, as long as he can remain healthy, the productive middle man the Eagles have been lacking since Jeremiah Trotter.

Key Offseason Moves:
ADDITIONS
QB Trent Edwards (did not play in 2011)
C Steve Vallos (from Browns)
T Demetress Bell (from Bills)
G Mike Gibson (from Seahawks)
LB DeMeco Ryans (from Texans)
CB Kevin Thomas (from Colts)
S O.J. Atogwe (from Redskins)
P Mat McBriar (from Cowboys)

SUBTRACTIONS
QB Vince Young (Bills)
RB Ronnie Brown (Chargers)
FB Owen Schmitt (Raiders)
WR Steve Smith (Rams)
T Winston Justice (Colts)
C Jamaal Jackson (retired)
DE Juqua Parker (Browns)
DT Trevor Laws (Rams)
LB Greg Lloyd (Colts)
LB Moise Fokou (Colts)
CB Asante Samuel (Falcons)

2012 Schedule:
2012 Schedule Strength: 20.69 (7th toughest in NFL)
Week 1 - at Cleveland
Week 2 - Baltimore
Week 3 - at Arizona
Week 4 - New York Giants
Week 5 - at Pittsburgh
Week 6 - Detroit
Week 7 - BYE WEEK
Week 8 - Atlanta
Week 9 - at New Orleans
Week 10 - Dallas
Week 11 - at Washington
Week 12 - Carolina
Week 13 - at Dallas
Week 14 - at Tampa Bay
Week 15 - Cincinnati
Week 16 - Washington
Week 17 - at New York Giants

StatFox Take: Although the Eagles play the seventh-hardest schedule in the NFL, they actually have the easiest slate in the NFC East with the other three division foes ranking first, second and third in schedule strength. Philadelphia has been a top-notch franchise since 2000 (Andy Reid’s second season as head coach), making the playoffs in nine of 12 seasons and winning at least 10 games in eight of those campaigns. The Eagles finished strong in 2011 with four straight wins to close out the season, and if Michael Vick stays healthy, they can certainly live up to their billing as the favorite to win the NFC East.
Prediction: OVER 10 wins (+110)

All NFL Previews

AFC North
Baltimore Ravens
Cincinnati Bengals
Cleveland Browns
Pittsburgh Steelers

AFC South
Houston Texans
Indianapolis Colts
Jacksonville Jaguars
Tennessee Titans

AFC West
Denver Broncos
Kansas City Chiefs
Oakland Raiders
San Diego Chargers

NFC East
Dallas Cowboys
New York Giants
Philadelphia Eagles
Washington Redskins - Monday, August 20

NFC North
Chicago Bears - Tuesday, August 21
Detroit Lions - Wednesday, August 22
Green Bay Packers - Thursday, August 23
Minnesota Vikings - Friday, August 24

NFC South
Atlanta Falcons - Saturday, August 25
Carolina Panthers - Sunday, August 26
New Orleans Saints - Monday, August 27
Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Tuesday, August 28

NFC West
Arizona Cardinals - Wednesday, August 29
San Francisco 49ers - Thursday, August 30
Seattle Seahawks - Friday, August 31
St. Louis Rams - Saturday, September 1