EAGLEMANIACAL.com

THREE weeks ago I took heat from some fans when I said that Guard would be a problem for the Eagles this year. At the time Evan Mathis was still an Eagle, but I said he wouldn’t be for long, and I was right. No miracle there, since the Eagles had been doing everything to make that a reality. Also I’d already said that last year. (Said that about Todd Herremanns too.)

Fast forward three weeks and now it’s clear that “the roster currently has a major problem at offensive guard.”  Oh really?? You don’t f****n’ say.

Look, the point of this article isn’t to say I told you so. Well, it’s not the whole point. The primary point of this article is to brace my fellow fans. Honestly, at this point regardless of anything the Eagles do between now and Week One, the Guard position will still be a problem in 2015. Let me break it down to a point beyond debate.

We’re stuck with bad options: There are better players out there than the guy we’re signing today (John Moffitt), but each of them comes with a drawback that would preclude a wise team from investing long-term in them. Unlike Moffitt who has to prove that he’s back, the remaining players may be reluctant to play just one year in a scheme they don’t know.

All of our depth is bad: Were signing Moffitt today with the hopes that we’re getting a steal. That however only pans out if he starts. That means we have to start him to get any value out of him. Starting him means that we have to sit either Matt Tobin or Allen Barbre. So Tobin will sit.

Hey! Here’s a great question. If you’re willing to bench your starter for a guy who just spent 2 years on his couch, what does that say about your starter? Here’s another question. If you have to sign a guy off his couch instead of elevating someone else on your roster, what does that say about your depth?

GAME TIME! QB Sam Bradford needs a pocket to step up into, right? This is where it gets contentious between me and some fans. Some fans assume that the line will just come together since they’re all professionals. Those fans are pinheads.

The offensive line needs to communicate well to be able to function well. These guys hardly know each other, and their first significant live action won’t come until Week Three of the preseason. Oh, and by the way, the defensive players they’ll be facing are also professionals; and our division is returning mostly intact units manned by players who DO know each other.

We’re already at a disadvantage here both from a time and talent perspective. There is simply no way to catch up in 2015. When the Draft ended without a Guard being selected, the position’s 2015 fate was just about sealed. Now we’re getting signings like Jared Wheeler and John Moffitt served up to us. The pinheads can pretend to like it if they wish, and they can polish that turd to a high gloss if they like, but the truth is unless we trade for some SERIOUS help, Guard is dead weight for our team this year.