3 Storylines To Follow In Eagles Training Camp

Entering this year’s training camp, the Eagles are facing more uncertainty than they have in nearly a decade. They’re a team that’s unaccustomed to such questions; they’ve typically been one of the more solid franchises when it comes to predicting the upcoming season. But this is a new crop of Eagles. They’re younger and have much more to prove than the veteran squads of a few years ago. Can they still be as successful as those teams were?

Here are three questions that will follow the Eagles into training camp:

1. Can Kolb establish himself as the leader of the Eagles’ offense? This is perhaps the most polarizing issue facing the Eagles. A good portion of their fanbase are still wondering if Kolb can bring the same success as Donovan McNabb. Their misgivings are warranted: Kolb is still an unknown for the organization. Sure, he’s shown some promise in the preseason and some limited regular season play; and the report from OTA’s is that he’s showing plenty of the emotion that a team wants to see in its future franchise QB. But taking command of an NFL offense doesn’t happen overnight and, even for the most talented, it’s a daunting task. Kolb has a tough assignment ahead of himself.
2. Can Sean McDermott get the Eagles defense back on track? After the passing of revered defensive coordinator Jim Johnson last summer, many wondered if the Eagles defense would remain a fearsome force under McDermott’s oversight. As it turned out, it didn’t. By the end of 2009, the Eagles’ elite pass rush had quieted and the secondary couldn’t pick up the slack. The absence of safety Brian Dawkins was all-too noticeable as opposing receivers torched the unit for some big plays. But in his second year, McDermott is looking to put his group’s poor performance in the past with the help of some impressive rookies: Michigan DE Brandon Graham and South Florida safety Nate Allen. Both players could have the talent and potential to reenergize the Eagles suddenly lagging defense.
3. Will the offensive line rebound from its poor showing in 2009? Towards the end of 2009, this group really started to fall apart. They gave up 40 sacks, 12 of which came in the team’s last three games. According to the  Football Outsiders ranking system, if you take that sack total that as a percentage of total offensive snaps in 2009, Eagles’ QB’s were getting sacked 6.6% of the time (that ranks 20^th in the NFL). Jason Peters, a prized acquisition of the Eagles in the ’09 offseason, was one of the worst offenders, giving up 7 sacks and getting flagged for 11 penalties. That kind of performance won’t fly, especially with a brand new QB lining up under center. If the Eagles offense is going to have any success in 2010, this unit is going to have to be much more effective.

That’s quite a “To-Do” list for a team that’s been one of the most consistent contenders in the last decade. But it’s certainly not insurmountable. The Eagles still have arguably one of the most talented rosters in the league and one of the most experienced coaching staffs as well. If they’re are able to remain competitive this season, it won’t necessarily be a surprise.

But what are your thoughts? Is it too optimistic to think that the Eagles might have an outside shot at competing this year? Or am I not being optimistic enough?