Eagles vs Falcons Preview

By: Steve Johnson and Mike Duncan

Quarterbacks
Edge- EAGLES
 While both teams are strong here, the edge definitely goes to the Philadelphia Eagles.  There is perhaps not a more dynamic player in the NFL than Mike Vick.  Vick is going to get nothing but better as he continues to mature in this offense.  Matt Ryan is a nice young Qb who had an underrated year statistically last year.  However, he needs to become more consistent.  Michael Vick is capable of taking over a football game while Ryan is more of a game manager.  This should be an excellent battle to watch as Mike Vick is coming back to the place where it all started for him and Ryan and the falcons will be looking to bounce back from a very poor week 1 showing at Chicago.  

Running Backs
Edge - EAGLES
Once again the edge goes to the Philadelphia Eagles, although the Falcons ball carrier is no slouch himself.  Shady Mccoy and the Eagles offense are a perfect match for each other.  Mccoy's blend of agility, quickness and pass catching ability make him one of the most dangerous RBs in the NFL.  Coming of a an excellent week 1 showing, he should have another strong performance in the Georgia Dome.  One other note pertaining to Mccoy is that he is averaging a ridiculous 8 yards per carry on turf at dome stadiums in his career.  Michael Turner is a powerful bruising RB that will present problems for the Eagles poor run defense.  This will be the key for Atlanta to win the game.  While Turners skills have certainly declined as of late, look for Atlanta to give the eagles a heavy dose of Michael Turner out of the gate too keep the clock running and the Eagles offense off the field.  Mccoy is the better RB but Turner will be the key to the Falcons success come Sunday night.  

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Edge - PUSH
Both teams have excellent WR corps.  The Falcons have a top tier WR in Roddy White and a rookie WR in Julio Jones who has massive potential.  Tony Gonzales is an aging TE but has sure hands and can still be a threat in the middle of the field.  The Eagles have one of the most explosive WRs in the NFl in Desean Jackson.  He is not, however, as complete a WR as Roddy White.  Jeremy Maclin, the Eagles number 2 is a more complete WR while still offering big play ability.  The problem with Maclin is the fact that he missed the entire training camp and preseason due to an illness.  He is healthy now but it may take him a few games to get back into game shape and top form.  Jason Avant provides a dependable inside target and Steve Smith should provide even more weaponry once his injured knee gets closer to 100%.  For now, it is fairly even but once Maclin plays a few more weeks and Steve Smith gets healthy, the Eagles should have a clear cut advantage. 

Offensive Line
Edge - Falcons
There is some serious concern along the Eagles offensive line.  Rookie first rd pick Danny Watkins, someone expecting to contribute right from the start, is not yet ready so he will likely be inactive.  Meanwhile, the Eagles are starting 2 journeymen G's and a rookie C.  Last week was the first time the OL for the Eagles was able to play together.  Pro Bowl LT Jason Peters is a bit banged up some that may be something to watch.  The Philly OL should improve as the weeks go by but for now there is definitely legitimate concern.


Defensive Line
Edge - Eagles
The additions of Cullen Jenkins and Jason Babin proved to be huge pickups last week as the Eagles recorded 5 sacks. Darryl Tapp's sack and Juqua Parker's fumble recovery for a touchdown was a huge momentum booster for the Eagles. The Eagles will be without Tapp this week, out with a Pectoral injury, which could hurt the Eagles great rotation they have keeping their players fresh. The big splash for the Falcons this offseason was bringing in DE Ray Edwards, but Edwards was hardly noticed last week in their loss to the Chicago Bears. To make matters worse they lost DT Jonathan Babineaux with a torn MCL and also are without starter Corey Peters. 


Linebackers
Edge - Falcons
To say this is an advantage for the Falcons is an understatement. The Eagles linebackers are young and undersized, look for the Falcons running game and TE Tony Gonzalez to try to exploit them. After the first 2 drives last week, the Eagles linebackers didn't play terrible, but that was without Running Back Steven Jackson. However the Eagles can stack the box with secondary help. The Falcons have a very solid linebacker corp in Curtis Lofton, Stephen Nicholas, and second year man Sean Witherspoon, who led the team with 10 tackles last week. The Falcons struggled last week tackling against the Bears, but it won't get any easier trying to tackle the Eagles quick and elusive offensive weapons.


Secondary
Edge - Eagles
Forget what ESPN's KC Joyner said, he's a moron. The Eagles might have 3 corners better than either of the Falcons corners. That's not a knock on the Falcons corners, Dunta Robinson is solid, but the Eagles just have 3 playmakers at that position. Local product and Shippensburg grad Brent Grimes is a good playmaker at times but there's a reason he was targeted more than any corner in the league last year, and it's not because he's a shut down corner. Rodgers-Cromartie and Asomugha are still learning the defense, but can pretty much stay with anyone 1v1. Samuel already knows the defense, just choses not to run it, he has a worse gambling problem than Michael Jordan. Expect him to bait Ryan into a pick.


Special Teams
Edge - Falcons
The Eagles are running with 3 rookies on Special Teams in Alex Henery, Chas Henry, and returner Dion Lewis, so the Falcons have the advantage here. Eric Weems is a good returner and don't be surprised if he runs a a big one back with the lack of special teams coverage the NFL faced in week 1. The Falcons coverage units did a good job on Devin Hester last week. Matt Bryant is an experienced kicker and could make a difference in this game. 


Coaching
Edge - Eagles
Say what you want about Andy Reid's in game decision making but nobody is better at setting up a gameplan during the week than Reid. The Eagles also have an all star coaching staff with the additions of Howard Mudd and Jim Washburn, and Marty Mornhinweg is one of the better assistants in the NFL. Mike Smith is also one of the better head coaches in the league, and keeps his players playing hard. This should be a good matchup to watch Sunday.


Mike's Take:
When its all said and done the Eagles will simply have to much firepower on offense and plenty of talent on defense to stop the Falcons.  
Final Score 27-17 Eagles     
Steve's Take:
The Falcons are a good team, and they will be fired up for this game after coming home from a loss to the Bears. With that being said, Mike Vick has made it clear he wants this game, and his teammates want it for him. The Eagles are just the more talented team. 
Final Score: 31-24 Eagles