“I thought that guy, my hat is off to him. That’s a tough thing that he did. He’s not into excuses. I’m not into excuses, but just looking at it realistically – to replace a legend in Jim Johnson at the time that it took place, with a very limited offseason and doing what he wanted to establish in his way, and then with some of the coaching changes and new staff members and then with the players, some of the injuries that they had there. I just thought that he handled that whole thing so well and gracefully.”

You do have to agree with this to an extent. First of all, he was thrust into the position after the death of Jim Johnson. When this happened, you knew you couldn’t expect the Eagles defense to be made much better. Johnson was one of the best in the business and McDermott had tough shoes to fill. Speaking of tough shoes to fill, the Eagles were forced to find someone to step in for Brian Dawkins. This guy was a leader on the defense for over a decade and should find himself in the Hall of Fame someday. We all know how tough it would be to replace him, and then we saw first hand how tough it really was. It took three guys to try to fill the position and none of them were a long term solution. Looking at it now, you still have to wonder how the situation is going to play out.

Shoes that turned out just to be as hard to fill were Stewart Bradley’s. When he went on IR before the season started, I knew it was a big loss. However, I don’t think I realized just how bad it could be. McDermott fooled around with a million different lineups, brought back Jeremiah Trotter, and none of it worked. Bradley’s return to the middle next year will be huge and there will need to be some decisions made on how to fill out the other two spots.

McDermott was forced to deal with a lot of adversity this year, but I think he handled it all quite well. The last two games of the season definitely put our sour taste in our mouths but winning 11 games in the regular season is pretty impressive. You do have to give McDermott credit for the season he had; however, I’m interested to see what he can do to improve the unit for next seasons.

Please review the questions and provide your answers in the comments section!

1. What are your feelings on the return of Brian Dawkins?

2. Brian Westbrook should be back on the field Sunday. How do you see the Eagles using him and how many touches do you think he’ll get?

3. Denver’s defense has solid numbers in everything but stopping the run. Do you think Andy Reid will try to attack Denver on the ground early and often?

4. What do you think the key will be to stopping Denver’s offensive attack?

5. What will the final score be?

Here’s some quick team stats and league rankings:
Offense
Points per game: 19.6 (20th)
Yards per game: 336.4 (17th)
Pass yards per game: 216.3 (17th)
Rush yards per game: 120.1 (12th)

Defense
Points per game: 17.9 (7th)
Yards per game: 294.4 (3rd)
Pass yards per game: 177.5 (2nd)
Rush yards per game: 116.9 (22nd)

Offense
Kyle Orton – This guy was kind of Mr. Insignificant in the Jay Cutler trade as Cutler took the spot light in the deal. However, Orton’s team stands in a much better position than the 5-9 Chicago Bears. The Broncos offensive numbers don’t impress you, but they have done what they needed to pick up eight wins so far this season and are in playoff contention. Orton already has career numbers in yards and has a much better touchdown to interception ratio than he has in years past. He doesn’t have the best mobility, so I expect the Eagles to play their typical defense and try to get pressure on Orton early. Our defense did a good job of forcing turnovers last week and I feel they can do the same again this week.

Running backs – Lost in the shadow of the return of Brian Dawkins is former Eagle Correll Buckhalter who also spent a lot of time in Philadelphia. His impact wasn’t as large due to a rash of injuries, but he’s still a good football player. He is just four yards shy of setting a personal record in yardage and has recorded two 100+ yard games. We all know he is a very capable back and his 5.3 average yards per carry this year shows it. He’d be more productive but has shared a lot of reps with rookie running back Knowshon Moreno, a target many thought might land in Philadelphia before the draft. He is just 121 yards away from 1,000 and has averaged just over 20 carries in his last four games. Denver likes what he can do and the Eagles should expect to see a healthy dose of him.

Brandon Marshall – He isn’t called “the Beast” for no reason. Sure he has off the field issues, but once he steps on the field he is one of the best. He proved just how much of a beast he can be two weeks ago when he set a new NFL record for receptions in a game recording 21. It looks like he’s going to go over 100 receptions on the year and already has over 1,000 yards receiving with 10 touchdowns. Marshall will have to be watched closely if the Eagles plan to have any success. He is a game changer and is capable of big plays, much like DeSean Jackson. Also, he’s a huge target and will have a definite size advantage over the Eagles corners. If the Eagles can shut down Marshall, they should be able to find success.

Defense
3-4 Defense – The Eagles will see another 3-4 defense this week and seemed to struggle last week against the 49ers. Donovan McNabb moved around a lot in the pocket. Denver’s defense has the NFL’s leading sack man and will definitely try to apply pressure on McNabb. I hope Donovan can get some good reads on this defense and be able to see the blitz and react to the open areas. His receivers also need to read the blitzes and find holes in the defense. If Denver is getting to Donovan all day, it could be trouble.

Elvis Dumervil – This guy has just been killing quarterbacks this year. He leads the league and has recorded 15 sacks. Dumervil showed a lot of promise in 2007 when he recorded 12.5 sacks but then fell off in 2008 and only recorded five. Needless to say, he’s back and very dangerous. Along with his sacks he’s also forced three fumbles on the year. The Eagles are going to need to keep an eye on this guy and not let him control the line of scrimmage. We saw Donovan move around a lot last week but he seemed very hesitant to run. I hope he doesn’t hesitate to run this week because Dumervil very well may be chasing him around all day.

Brian Dawkins – Oh where to start. Everyone knows exactly what this guy brings to the table already. We’ve all seen him do his work for quite a long time. It seems there was doubts whether he would be able to play at the same high level now that he is older but it doesn’t seem to be effecting him. He’s second on their defense in tackles. Dawkins is still as intense as ever and it’s going to be very strange watching him compete against the Eagles offense.

Special Teams
Eddie Royal handles the return duties here and is a shifty little player with pretty good speed. This could potentially be a close game where a big play on special teams could mean a whole lot. The Eagles special teams can’t allow a big play and should look to make one of their own.

When Brian Dawkins was signed by the Broncos this past offseason, fans looked to the schedule, interested to see if the Eagles were to play Denver any time soon. Fate have it, the Eagles indeed are scheduled to play the Broncos, with it being Dawkins’ first year in the AFC. Everyone marked their calendar and now that day is creeping ever so close. It’s quite easy to forget about the game at hand and everything at stake and just reflect on Dawkins’ outstanding career in Philadelphia. The guy did everything this city asked him to do and then some. He was an awesome player, outstanding person, and natural leader. He was a great guy off the field, an incredibly competitor, and a fearsome hitter. He had his faults over the past few seasons, mainly his lack of coverage skills, but he was still a force in the run defense and was the unquestioned leader. For most fans, it hurts so bad to see him somewhere else. Brian Dawkins will be on the field Sunday and will look to do what he did so many times in Philadelphia, knock people’s heads off. Part of us is scared for the offense, and part of us hopes they can get a mismatch on him in coverage and burn him like we saw towards the end of his time in Philadelphia. We don’t know what will happen and will have to wait until Sunday to find out.

The loss of Dawkins has caused a HUGE hit to Philly’s defense. We’ve had some guys really step up and try and carry the burden, and for the most part, have done a great job. However, let’s take a look at our numbers in 2008, with Dawkins, compared to our numbers now, without Dawkins.

Average Total Yards Allowed / Game:

2008 – 274 / 3rd in NFL

2009 – 316 / 11th in NFL

Denver is currently ranked 3rd in the NFL. Was Dawkins the answer? A number of factors contribute to total yards allowed per game, but with Dawkins returning this week, this seems like the most obvious factor to fans right now. Let’s remind ourselves of just what else Dawkins did for our team. He became a 7-time Pro Bowl selection and 4-time All-Pro Selection during his tenure with the Eagles. Additionally, he became a member of both the Philadelphia Eagles 75th Anniversary team and 20/20 Club. In 2008, he broke Harold Carmichael’s record for games played, surpassing 180 games. By the end of his career as a Philadelphia Eagle, he had recorded a phenomenal 898 tackles, 34 interceptions and 21 sacks. In fact, Dawkins is one of four players in NFL history to earn 32 interceptions and 18 sacks, joining Leroy Butler, Rodney Harrison and Ronde Barber.

Come Sunday, most fans are going to cheer him louder than they probably ever have before. On the other hand, we have to imagine there will be a few that will boo him. We can think of about a few million reasons why this would happen. Although this is the NFL and it is a business, Dawkins always seemed like such a loyal player. He bled green for the past 12 seasons. Why would he have decided to go to Denver instead? There are always things that as fans we will never know. So, entering Sunday, let’s remember how much Dawkins has meant to this team, this city, and us fans. Let’s welcome him back home and let him know he’s still a treasured piece of Eagles history. However, despite all of that, we are Eagles fans first and foremost. We root for the symbol on the jersey first, the name on the back second. So, come game time, we will cheer for Dawkins in the pregame because he did some fantastic things for the team. Come kickoff, we want nothing more than for him to get flat out embarrassed by DeSean Jackson. Love the man, but come kickoff he’s the enemy.

We’d love to hear your thoughts on the return of Brian Dawkins – what it means to you and how you’d react to him entering the stadium.

The Denver Broncos come first in the last of two games. They were embarrassed by the Oakland Raiders recently, so these two teams will have something in common. Aside from this, they have two other things in common, two Philadelphia Eagle alumni in their roster – Correll Buckhalter and Brian Dawkins. Although second string to Keyshawn Moreno, Correll Buckhalter has had a couple of 100 yard games, albeit with poor defenses of the Oakland Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs. And Brian Dawkins still remains Weapon X, if not more. He’s sporting the orange color of Classic Wolverine’s suit and doing just about as damage for the Broncos third-ranked defense. Brian Dawkins won’t be happy when comes face to face with the Eagles tenth-ranked offense. The Philadelphia Eagles offense may be good, but the question remains whether they can contain a rabid, angry Wolverine. Unfortunately, the Philadelphia Eagles offense is no Brotherhood, and Donovan McNabb is no Magneto. Kyle Orton remains efficient with a 88.9 rating, and he has a major threat in Brandon Marshall. Brandon Marshall already has a 1,000 yard season, and will seek to only add to his totals. The Eagles 11^th ranked defense should be able to contain these threats; but Donovan McNabb will have to stare into the mouth of the Beast and escape both the sacks or interceptions that may come from Brian Dawkins.

Tony Romo and crew will be the Philadelphia Eagles last regular season opponent. Their third-offense with the compilation of Miles Austin, Roy Williams and the running back corps. Miles Austin has essentially become the Cowboys counterpart to the Eagles DeSean Jackson, although just not quite as versatile. He has become a dangerous weapon for Tony Romo and averages 17.2 yards per reception. Roy Williams is not too far behind him at 16.1 yards per reception. The three-headed running corps consists of Marion Barber, Felix Jones and Tashard Choice. Marion Barber is their consistent redzone threat. Meanwhile, Felix Jones remains the most potent Cowboys running threat, averaging 6.2 yards per carry, and Tashard Choice a close second at 5.5 yards per carry. The Philadelphia Eagles defense will have a challenge containing these multiple threats of the Cowboys. DeMarcus Ware and Terrence Newman are both integral parts of Cowboys 14th-ranked defense. The Cowboys defense is nowhere near the threat they once were, but they still remain dangerous.

Can the Eagles win both games against the Broncos and the Cowboys? Yes and yes. The catch is the gameplan that works for one won’t for the other.