POSITION-BY-POSITION: WIDE RECEIVERS

With the NFL Draft less than two weeks away, it is time to assess another position that is up to much debate on this Eagles squad: wide receiver. In the pre-and-post-T.O. eras, the greatest point of contention amongst the fans has been Andy Reid's offense needs the true, number one wide-out it has always lacked in order produce on a high level consistently. On a team that throws the ball as much as the Eagles, and in the key situations in which Reid puts the ball in the air (Third-and-short, goal line, leading late in the fourth quarter) it would make sense for the front office to pursue the very best pass catchers. The very success of the offense depends on it. However, throughout his tenure, with one exception, Reid has stayed true to a philosophy where he spreads the ball around to a group of receivers in order to prevent the defense from keying on a single go-to guy. This strategy has been deployed with varying outcomes over the years. When the Eagles offense has clicked using the array of receivers, it is hard to argue with the spread the ball around philosophy. But at crucial point in the season, as well as in Reid and quarterback Donovan McNabb's careers, the glaring need for a play-making receiver has made itself obvious. No Eagles fan will ever have the memory of the abuse Todd Pinkston and James Thrash took against Ricky Manning, Jr. and the Carolina Panthers game in the 2004 (2003 season) NFC Championship. These two marginal talents were shut down in every sense of the word, and the Eagles lost their third straight NFC title game, 14-3. This, of course, is the game which spurred Reid and the Philadelphia front-office to change their philosophy in not only acquiring a premier receiver in 2004, but a premier receiver who had a reputation as a showboat and a bit of a prima donna. Enter Terrell Owens. The starters went 13-1 in the regular season, cruised through the NFC playoffs and finally made a Super Bowl appearance. Of course after that, T.O. went crazy, neither the front office nor McNabb helped matters much and here the Eagles are in 2008, still looking to fill the shoes of the greatest playmaker to ever catch a Donovan McNabb pass.
2008 was an almost comically inconsistent year for the Philadelphia Eagles, and because scoring points in Andy Reid's offense is based on the receivers ability to catch passes, it is safe to say the receivers were the most inconsistent group in green last season. Donovan McNabb set a career-high for passing yards in 2008 with 3,916. McNabb also threw the third highest number of touchdowns in his career, 23. With strong statistics from the QB, from afar one may not see the play of the receivers as a problem. But on a team that threw 606 forward passes (fourth highest in the league), the offense failed to produce a 1,000-yard receiver (DeSean Jackson, 912 receiving yards, lead the Eagles). Furthermore, no receiver nor tight end caught more than 62 passes (Jackson) or 3 touchdowns (TE L.J. Smith and Hank Baskett each recorded 3 TDs). Despite these pedestrian numbers, the Eagles did have two players finish in the top ten in one statistic in the NFC, among names such as Terrell Owens, Marques Colston and Steve Smith. This statistic is, of course, dropped passes. Both L.J. Smith and DeSean Jackson dropped 6 balls, tied for tenth in the conference. The Eagles, as a team, were also among the league leaders in this statistic.
But to be inconsistent, a group must have good times to match the bad. Kevin Curtis, who gained over 1,100 yards in 2007, started in only 8 games this past season. But once Curtis was able to return to the lineup after recovering from a sports hernia, he displayed some of the chemistry with QB Donovan McNabb that allowed him to lead the Birds' receiving corps in receptions, TDs and yards in '07.
2008 also saw the beginning of a career of a potential superstar. Second round draft pick DeSean Jackson emerged as the top playmaker in Andy Reid's offense. Jackson, in his rookie season, lead the Eagles with 912 yards on 62 catches in 15 starts. Jackson became the first rookie receiver to make a legitimate impact in Reid's tenure. Although Jackson was inconsistent with his ability to make grabs in big situations (remember December 21 @ Washington), he did make great strides in becoming McNabb's go-to guy, and his bobble-catch for a touchdown in the NFC Championship to give the Eagles a 25-24 lead in the 4th quarter showed what kind of big-play potential the former Cal star truly possesses. Jackson's performance in 2009 will go a long way in determining how effective the offense can be.
Jason Avant and Hank Baskett also continued to grow into their roles as possession receivers, recording 32 and 33 receptions, respectively, and combining for 5 TDs. Coach Reid and offensive coordinator Marty Morningweg finally showed the ability to use Baskett's 6'4" frame and star high-jumping ability to their advantage, and called several fade routes in the end zone for Baskett, who recorded a career high 3 TDs. The continued use of Baskett as a big target for #5 will be another big factor in the success of the passing game.
The tight end play was largely a disappointment for the Eagles in 2008. Incumbent starter L.J. Smith was in-and-out of the lineup due to injury and below average (even for Smith's standards) play, and by the playoffs, second year man Brent Celek had solidified himself as the top TE. Celek, a 2007 5th round pick out of Cincinnati, started 7 games in the regular season and showed flashes of Pro Bowl talent. But the playoffs is where Celek shined brightest. Through three playoff games Celek caught 19 passes for 151 yards and 3 scores, including a 10 grab, 2 TD performance in the NFC Championship game. The loss of Smith to free agency should not be a huge blow to this offense, especially with the emergence of Celek as the Chad Lewis of the future.
Even though the Birds have not made a move for a receiver in free agency, and the draft is still looming, the team improved its receiving corps quite a bit, already, this off-season. The trade of WR Greg Lewis to the Patriots for any sort of compensation has t be one of the great steals in NFL history. Lewis' absence from the receiving depth chart has greatly improved the talent of the group; truly addition by subtraction. Reggie Brown is another interesting case. He saw his playing time decreased in 2008, thanks largely to the rise to prominence of rookie sensation DeSean Jackson. Brown set career lows in games started (3), receptions (18), yards (252) and touchdowns (1). Brown was deactivated for several games in 2008, including the NFC Championship in Arizona. Brown's place on this team in 2009 is in doubt, and he will have to fight for his roster spot.
The team will address the receiving corps at some point this off-season. With trade rumors circulating about Anquan Boldin, Chad Johnson and Braylon Edwards and the Eagles possessing 12 draft picks, including two in the first round, there are moves to be made. The Eagles may opt to draft a receiver rather than trade for a veteran. This tactic may have been seen as a mistake by fans in the past, as Reid's Eagles have never successfully developed a receiver, but again, DeSean Jackson's emergence as bona fide playmaker has changed many people's minds.
In attempting to come up with a final analysis of the 2009 version of the Philadelphia Eagles' receiving corps, legendary actor-coach Gene Hackman keeps coming to mind, with a classic quote from The Replacements: "If nothing else, they should be fun to watch".