Cincinnati Bengals: Five Factors Behind Their Impressive Start, Part One

Last May, I conducted an article discussing five factors for the Cincinnati Bengals to help reach the playoffs in 2009.

As we approach Week Nine of the regular season, the Bengals are in excellent shape to make a strong run at the playoffs with a 5-2 record, all while sitting at the top of the AFC North standings.

As the team gets ready for a home matchup against the Baltimore Ravens, I thought it would be fun to conduct a five-part series with five more reasons why the Bengals have been successful this season (including a few factors from the original article).

The first factor behind the Bengals early success is the return of quarterback Carson Palmer, who appears to be at full strength again and better than ever.

One of the main reasons why the Bengals finished 4-11-1 last season was because of the absence of Palmer, who was limited to playing in just four games because of a torn ligament and tendon in the elbow of his throwing arm. Without him, the Bengals struggled to get anything going on offense, finishing dead last in total yards per game (245.4) and points per game (12.2).

With a healthy Palmer back in the lineup, the offense is back where it should be. The passing game (224.7 yards per game) and running game (134.7 yards per game) both rank the Bengals in the top 10 for each category.

Palmer is arguably coming off one of the best performances of his career after finishing 20-of-24 for 233 yards and five touchdowns in a win against the Chicago Bears. For the year, he’s thrown for 1,608 yards and 13 touchdowns, all while displaying the type of leadership skills the Bengals needed to get where they are now.

Three of the Bengals five wins have come from game-winning drives on the team’s last offensive possession of the game, which would not have been possible without Palmer.

Not only did he manage to direct the Bengals offense through the air, but he did it on the ground with his feet. 

In an overtime win against the Cleveland Browns, Palmer scrambled 15 yards on a fourth-and-11 to help set up the game-winning field goal. The following week, he found himself in a similar situation against the Baltimore Ravens.

On a fourth-and-one with less than two minutes to play and the Bengals down 14-10, Palmer scrambled up the middle for six yards to keep the team’s hopes alive. Eight plays later, he threw the game-winning touchdown to wide receiver Andre Caldwell to give the Bengals a 17-14 lead and eventually, the victory.

Without a healthy Palmer, it’s difficult to imagine the Bengals coming off the bye week with a 5-2 record. He’s been a major factor in the team’s success this season and without him, these “Cardiac Cats” would not be where heading into the second half of the regular season.

This article can also be found at the new WhoDeyBengals.com

For questions or comments, email Dan Parzych at djp746@gmail.com

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Marvin Lewis’s Hot Seat Has Cooled Down Thanks to Bengals’ 5-2 Start

Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis appeared to be on the hot seat prior to the start of the 2009 season.

As the Bengals enter the bye week in first place of the AFC North with a 5-2 record, Lewis’s hot seat seems to have cooled down and he has his team in the perfect position to make a strong run at the playoffs.

Throughout his career as head coach with the Bengals, Lewis has been criticized for his lack-of-discipline towards his players. The team has built a reputation over the last couple of years for all of the trouble their players have seen with the law. Even cornerback Leon Hall was arrested last April for driving under the influence.

Ever since Lewis took the Bengals to the playoffs in 2005 for the first time in 15 years, the team’s gone 19-28-1 the three seasons since. Part of the reason why the seventh-year head coach seemed to be on the hot seat so much was because of the type of talent he had on offense each season, which was similar to the same one from a few years ago.

Quarterback Carson Palmer was the leader on offense. Chad Ochocinco was the top target at wide receiver. Even T.J. Houshmandzadeh was a solid option as a No. 2 wideout.

Now, Palmer and Ochocinco are currently with the team, but Houshmandzadeh parted ways after signing with the Seattle Seahawks during the offseason. However, the Bengals wasted little time finding his replacement after signing Laveranues Coles from the New York Jets.

It may be just seven games into the 2009 season, but this Bengals offense already has the potential to be just as good, if not better, than the same offense from the 2005 season. Not to mention they have to be satisfied with the way their defense has performed thus far, allowing just 18.3 points per game this season.

At 5-2, the Bengals are in solid shape to make a strong run at the playoffs with a favorable schedule. Of their nine remaining games, they still have to play the Oakland Raiders, Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, and Kansas City Chiefs, who have a combined record of 5-22.

As long as the “Cardiac Cats” can continue finding ways to win with an offense and defense both ranking in the top 10 overall in the NFL, it’s safe to say Lewis’ hot seat has cooled down in Cincinnati. Lewis knew how well his team was capable of performing.

After a few seasons of frustration, he’s finally got his team right where he wants them and feels much better about his job security. 

Be sure to go to the new WhoDeyBengals.com!

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Philadelphia Eagles Have Finally Landed a Top Wideout in DeSean Jackson

This article can also be found at NFLTouchdown.com

Tom Brady has Randy Moss. Peyton Manning has Reggie Wayne (and had Marvin Harrison for a while). Even Steve Young had Jerry Rice to help make his life easier.

In the NFL, a team has a better chance of winning when their quarterback has a dominant wide receiver to throw the ball to. For the Philadelphia Eagles , they have managed to be successful for most of this decade despite all of the years they lacked a true No. 1 wide receiver.

Throughout Donovan McNabb’s career (other than the Terrell Owens saga), the Philadelphia Eagles have never had that true No. 1 wide receiver that sets them apart from the other 31 teams.

James Thrash. Todd Pinkson. Freddie Mitchell.

All three of these players made up the receiving corps for the Eagles during their three NFC Championship appearances from 2001-2004 (Owens was part of the team when they reached the NFC Championship in 2005).

These players may of had a decent game for the Eagles every once in a while, but neither was ever considered a true No. 1 wide receiver for McNabb to throw to. With the help of a strong defense, McNabb was able to do just enough on offense to help the Eagles post just one losing record so far this decade (6-10 in 2005).

Ever since the departure of Owens, McNabb has been looking for that dominant go-to player at wide receiver. In his 11th season with the Eagles, he may have finally found that true No. 1 wide receiver again in DeSean Jackson.

Jackson had two key plays during the first half in the Eagles 27-17 victory over the Washington Redskins Monday night. Along with a 67-yard score on a wide receiver reverse, he hauled in a 57-yard touchdown from McNabb with less than two minutes to play in the first half.

Without the heroics of Jackson, one could argue that the Eagles may have fallen to the Redskins considering they were already without running back Brian Westbrook, who left the game in the first quarter because of a concussion.

Jackson’s performance against the Redskins is only a small part of the type of impact he’s provided the Eagles with so far this season.

In Week One against the Carolina Panthers, he returned a punt 85 yards for a touchdown. The following week against the New Orleans Saints, he hauled in a 71-yard pass to provide quarterback Kevin Kolb his first career touchdown pass.

He also managed to record a career high in receiving yards with 145 against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week Three, including a 64-yard touchdown in which he displayed his speed by breaking through the defense.

Through six games, Jackson has hauled 21 receptions for 423 yards and three touchdowns. Without his effort on offense and special teams, the Eagles would not be sitting at 4-2 with a chance to take first place in the NFC East if they defeat the New York Giants this upcoming weekend.

Week after week, Jackson has continued to make big plays against his opponents while emerging into the star player he worked so hard to become this offseason. He wanted to show the rest of the league that his first season, where he set an Eagles record for a rookie with 912 receiving yards, was no one-year wonder.

DeSean Jackson is the real deal in Philadelphia. Ever since his first game against the St. Louis Rams last season, he has emerged into the type of No. 1 wide receiver the Eagles have spent years searching for.

The Eagles and their fans have to be excited about what the future holds for Jackson. If he’s making this much of an impact in only his second season in the league, imagine the type of player he could develop into a few years from now and how dangerous he can become.

Dan Parzych Is the Eagles Fan Voice for NFLTouchdown.com

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Fantasy Football: NFL MVP Week Seven

This article can also be found on FantasyPros911.com

Each week, Dan Parzych will take a look at the top performers in the NFL with Parzych’s 2009 NFL MVP, whether they are at quarterback, running back, wide receiver, or tight end.

Along with the best performers each week, be sure to check out Parzych’s 2009 NFL LVP, in which he covers the Least Valuable Players each week in the NFL. Here are the results for Week Seven of the 2009 NFL regular season.

Quarterback: Carson Palmer, Cincinnati Bengals

Despite the team’s early success, Cincinnati Bengals QB Carson Palmer still seemed capable of reaching a playing level that would make him one of the top quarterbacks in the league. After Sunday’s victory against the Chicago Bears, it’s safe to say he showed us why he should be considered a top-five quarterback in the NFL.

Not only did Palmer throw five touchdowns against a Bears’ defense struggling with injuries, but he completed 83 percent of his passes, finishing 20-of-24 for 233 yards. He found WR Chad Ochocinco in the end zone twice, helping him reach his second-straight 100-yard game for the first time in two years.

Palmer’s performance against the Bears seemed as close to a perfect game a quarterback can have in the NFL. If he continues to use the weapons he has on offense, there’s every reason to believe the Bengals will be playoff contenders and finish at top of the AFC North standings.

Running Back: Shonn Greene and Thomas Jones, New York Jets

For the record, it was a close call at running back after the performance Cincinnati Bengals RB Cedric Benson displayed against his former Chicago Bears teammates, rushing for a career high 189 yards and a touchdown. However, this award goes to two players who single-handedly could have defeated the Oakland Raiders on their own.

New York Jets RB’s Shonn Greene and Thomas Jones easily took advantage of the NFL’s 30th ranked rushing defense. Greene replaced the injured Leon Washington, who is out with a broken leg, and rushed for 144 yards and two touchdowns. On top of that, Jones finished with 121 yards and a touchdown.

Overall, the Jets finished with 316 total yards on the ground and became the first team in 34 years to record 300 yards rushing in two straight games. Washington may be out for the remainder of the season, but the Jets have to feel confident with the potential of Greene and Jones sharing carries at running back.

Wide Receiver: Miles Austin, Dallas Cowboys

There was once a time where many questioned whether or not Dallas Cowboys QB Tony Romo would survive without having WR Terrell Owens to throw the ball to. Thanks to the play of WR Miles Austin the last two weeks, it appears Romo will be just fine in Dallas.

After a stellar performance against the Kansas City Chiefs—where he hauled in 10 receptions for 250 yards and two touchdowns—Austin put on an encore performance this week to help the Cowboys in a 37-21 victory over the Atlanta Falcons. He caught 10 receptions for 171 yards and two touchdowns, ringing up his total to 421 yards and four touchdowns the last two games.

In just two weeks, Miles has emerged into a serious fantasy football threat at the wide receiver position. Look for Romo to continue to use him as a weapon on offense since WR Roy Williams has yet to live up to all the hype.

Tight End: Vernon Davis, San Francisco 49ers

Ever since he was drafted out of the University of Maryland, San Francisco 49ers TE Vernon Davis had yet to live up to his potential in the NFL. After Sunday’s performance against the Houston Texans, he is finally developing into the type of threat the team has been waiting for.

Even though the Texans won, Davis put on the type of performance that could only be described as dominant. He may have only brought in seven receptions and 93 yards, but he managed to score three touchdowns from 49ers QB Alex Smith.

After Sunday’s performance, Davis has already surpassed his career high in touchdowns and has six on the season. He is slowly becoming the type of tight end who can be a dangerous wide-receiving threat, similar to San Diego Chargers TE Antonio Gates.

If the 49ers are lucky, he may turn out to be even better and emerge into one of the top tight ends in the NFL.

Defense: Pittsburgh Steelers

Last season, the Pittsburgh Steelers defense dominated opponents all season en route to their sixth Super Bowl in franchise history. On Sunday, they put on a performance well enough to take down the previously undefeated Minnesota Vikings.

Despite surrendering 17 points to the Vikings offense, the Steelers defense scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to help seal the 27-17 victory. Steelers OLB LaMarr Woodley returned a 77-yard fumble for a score while ILB Keyaron Fox picked off Vikings QB Brett Favre and ran it back 82 yards for the score.

Now that Steelers SS Troy Polamalu seems to be fully recovered from his knee injury, there’s no reason why this defense shouldn’t perform well on a weekly basis.

They were dangerous last season, and they appear to be dangerous once again. Don’t be surprised if this isn’t the last time the Steelers defense makes this list.

 

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

If Kolb Started Last Week, Would The Eagles Have Defeated The Raiders?

As we approach Week Seven of the 2009 season, the Philadelphia Eagles are still scratching their heads trying to figure out what exactly went wrong in their 13-9 loss to the Oakland Raiders last Sunday.

The Eagles failed to take advantage of a Raiders’ rushing defense ranked 26th in the NFL, rushing the ball just 14 times. On top of the few amount of rushing attempts, quarterback Donovan McNabb felt pressure all day as he was sacked six times and unable to help the offense find the end zone.

With the recent loss, many have once again questioned McNabb’s ability to lead the Eagles to a come-from-behind win in the fourth quarter. Throughout his career, he has been  criticized for his inability to lead a game-winning drive, including the famous attempt from Super Bowl XXXIX where the Eagles lost to the New England Patriots 24-21.

In last weekend’s game, the Eagles found themselves in a 4th-and-4 situation in Raider’s territory late in the game. Instead of completing a play for a first down to keep the team’s hopes alive, McNabb under-threw a pass deep to wide receiver DeSean Jackson, which was considered by some as the final dagger for any hope of a comeback against JaMarcus Russell and company.

After watching McNabb’s under-thrown pass to Jackson, it brought back many unpleasant memories of other failed attempts at a fourth quarter comeback. One memory that comes to mind was last year’s NFC Championship game against the Arizona Cardinals when he under-threw a pass to wide receiver Kevin Curtis that could have kept the team’s comeback hopes alive.

The main question spinning through the minds of Eagles’ fans this week is whether or not the Eagles could have defeated the Raiders had Kevin Kolb played. Even though the “what if” factor is tough to apply to the NFL, one can’t help but wonder what would have happened.

While McNabb rested a broken rib during Week Two and Three, Kolb stepped in and became the first quarterback in NFL history to record over 300 yards passing in his first two starts. In the two starts against the New Orleans Saints and Kansas City Chiefs, he finished 55-of-85 for 718 and four touchdowns.

It may have been just two games, but Kolb’s performance against the Saints and Chiefs made the city of Philadelphia more comfort with their supposed future franchise quarterback. With McNabb’s horrendous performance (22-of-46 for 269 yards), the argument can be made that the game may of had a different outcome had Kolb been the starter. There most likely would have been fewer passes over and under-thrown to the Eagles’ wide receivers.

Unfortunately, the week has passed and there is nothing the Eagles or McNabb can do about the loss to the Raiders. All they can do from here is focus on their next opponent, the Washington Redskins.

However, it’s still fun to think “what could have been” if Kolb had started considering this is one of those games the Eagles will be kicking themselves about for the rest of the season.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

If Kolb Started Last Week, Would The Eagles Have Defeated The Raiders?

As we approach Week Seven of the 2009 season, the Philadelphia Eagles are still scratching their heads trying to figure out what exactly went wrong in their 13-9 loss to the Oakland Raiders last Sunday.

The Eagles failed to take advantage of a Raiders’ rushing defense ranked 26th in the NFL, rushing the ball just 14 times. On top of the few amount of rushing attempts, quarterback Donovan McNabb felt pressure all day as he was sacked six times and unable to help the offense find the end zone.

With the recent loss, many have once again questioned McNabb’s ability to lead the Eagles to a come-from-behind win in the fourth quarter. Throughout his career, he has been  criticized for his inability to lead a game-winning drive, including the famous attempt from Super Bowl XXXIX where the Eagles lost to the New England Patriots 24-21.

In last weekend’s game, the Eagles found themselves in a 4th-and-4 situation in Raider’s territory late in the game. Instead of completing a play for a first down to keep the team’s hopes alive, McNabb under-threw a pass deep to wide receiver DeSean Jackson, which was considered by some as the final dagger for any hope of a comeback against JaMarcus Russell and company.

After watching McNabb’s under-thrown pass to Jackson, it brought back many unpleasant memories of other failed attempts at a fourth quarter comeback. One memory that comes to mind was last year’s NFC Championship game against the Arizona Cardinals when he under-threw a pass to wide receiver Kevin Curtis that could have kept the team’s comeback hopes alive.

The main question spinning through the minds of Eagles’ fans this week is whether or not the Eagles could have defeated the Raiders had Kevin Kolb played. Even though the “what if” factor is tough to apply to the NFL, one can’t help but wonder what would have happened.

While McNabb rested a broken rib during Week Two and Three, Kolb stepped in and became the first quarterback in NFL history to record over 300 yards passing in his first two starts. In the two starts against the New Orleans Saints and Kansas City Chiefs, he finished 55-of-85 for 718 and four touchdowns.

It may have been just two games, but Kolb’s performance against the Saints and Chiefs made the city of Philadelphia more comfort with their supposed future franchise quarterback. With McNabb’s horrendous performance (22-of-46 for 269 yards), the argument can be made that the game may of had a different outcome had Kolb been the starter. There most likely would have been fewer passes over and under-thrown to the Eagles’ wide receivers.

Unfortunately, the week has passed and there is nothing the Eagles or McNabb can do about the loss to the Raiders. All they can do from here is focus on their next opponent, the Washington Redskins.

However, it’s still fun to think “what could have been” if Kolb had started considering this is one of those games the Eagles will be kicking themselves about for the rest of the season.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

If Kolb Started Last Week, Would The Eagles Have Defeated The Raiders?

As we approach Week Seven of the 2009 season, the Philadelphia Eagles are still scratching their heads trying to figure out what exactly went wrong in their 13-9 loss to the Oakland Raiders last Sunday.

The Eagles failed to take advantage of a Raiders’ rushing defense ranked 26th in the NFL, rushing the ball just 14 times. On top of the few amount of rushing attempts, quarterback Donovan McNabb felt pressure all day as he was sacked six times and unable to help the offense find the end zone.

With the recent loss, many have once again questioned McNabb’s ability to lead the Eagles to a come-from-behind win in the fourth quarter. Throughout his career, he has been  criticized for his inability to lead a game-winning drive, including the famous attempt from Super Bowl XXXIX where the Eagles lost to the New England Patriots 24-21.

In last weekend’s game, the Eagles found themselves in a 4th-and-4 situation in Raider’s territory late in the game. Instead of completing a play for a first down to keep the team’s hopes alive, McNabb under-threw a pass deep to wide receiver DeSean Jackson, which was considered by some as the final dagger for any hope of a comeback against JaMarcus Russell and company.

After watching McNabb’s under-thrown pass to Jackson, it brought back many unpleasant memories of other failed attempts at a fourth quarter comeback. One memory that comes to mind was last year’s NFC Championship game against the Arizona Cardinals when he under-threw a pass to wide receiver Kevin Curtis that could have kept the team’s comeback hopes alive.

The main question spinning through the minds of Eagles’ fans this week is whether or not the Eagles could have defeated the Raiders had Kevin Kolb played. Even though the “what if” factor is tough to apply to the NFL, one can’t help but wonder what would have happened.

While McNabb rested a broken rib during Week Two and Three, Kolb stepped in and became the first quarterback in NFL history to record over 300 yards passing in his first two starts. In the two starts against the New Orleans Saints and Kansas City Chiefs, he finished 55-of-85 for 718 and four touchdowns.

It may have been just two games, but Kolb’s performance against the Saints and Chiefs made the city of Philadelphia more comfort with their supposed future franchise quarterback. With McNabb’s horrendous performance (22-of-46 for 269 yards), the argument can be made that the game may of had a different outcome had Kolb been the starter. There most likely would have been fewer passes over and under-thrown to the Eagles’ wide receivers.

Unfortunately, the week has passed and there is nothing the Eagles or McNabb can do about the loss to the Raiders. All they can do from here is focus on their next opponent, the Washington Redskins.

However, it’s still fun to think “what could have been” if Kolb had started considering this is one of those games the Eagles will be kicking themselves about for the rest of the season.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Bengals-Bears: All Eyes on Cedric Benson in an Intense Matchup

For any die-hard NFL follower, there are certain matchups that stand out in the schedule each week during the regular season—matchups that will make any fan want to watch if their team isn’t playing at the same time.

Last week, fans around the league tuned in to watch the New Orleans Saints square off against the New York Giants since it was a matchup between two undefeated teams. A few weeks before, the matchup between the Green Bay Packers and the Minnesota Vikings stood out from the rest considering Brett Favre would be facing the team he spent 16 years taking snaps with.

As Week Seven approaches, there are a handful of games—Vikings-Steelers, Cardinals-Giants, and Falcons-Cowboys—that should display intense matchups between playoff- caliber type teams looking to come up victorious.

As fascinating as these matchups appear, Sunday’s game between the Cincinnati Bengals and Chicago Bears is beginning to draw interests from around the league thanks to running back Cedric Benson.

On Sunday, this matchup has gained interest since Benson will be dressed as a Bengal and square off against his former team who drafted him with the fourth overall pick in 2005.

The Bears and the city of Chicago would love nothing more than to see Benson struggle against his former team considering how his three-year tenure has been considered a “bust” by some.

Benson would love nothing more than to run all over the Bears defense after the way he feels he was “treated” when he was with the team. According to a recent report from CBSSports.com , he claims the organization did everything in their might to prevent him from signing with another team.

With all of the emotions flowing  between Benson and his former team, why wouldn’t Sunday’s matchup between the Bengals and Bears be one of Week Seven’s best?

The Bears and their fans have to be frustrated with the way Benson acted—both on and off the field—during his short tenure with the team. After such high expectations coming out of Texas, he was nothing short of a major disappointment for the Bears.

In three years with the Bears, Benson played in just 35 games, rushing for 1,593 yards (45.5 yards per game) and 10 touchdowns. In the 18 games he’s played with the Bengals the last two seasons, he has already rushed for 1,278 yards (71 yards per game) and six touchdowns.

Through the first six weeks of the season, Benson ranks third with among all running backs with 531 yards, averaging 4.2 yards per carry. He has played a major role in the Bengals’ success this season at running back and appears to be a different type of player we saw in the past.

He may be a changed man and learned from his past, but that doesn’t mean the Bears and their fans have forgiven Benson for the type of player he was from 2005 to 2008.

If you’re a fan from the Cincinnati or Chicago area, expect an intense matchup between the Bengals and Bears on Sunday as all eyes will be on Benson. Even if you’re just a football fan in general, this should be one of those hyped-up games to tune into if you’re looking for a fun game to watch.

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For Eagles to Be Contenders, Andy Reid Needs To Balance Play Calling

On paper, last week’s matchup against the Oakland Raiders seemed like one of those “easy” wins for the Philadelphia Eagles.

Instead, the Eagles left Oakland in disbelief, wondering how they could have lost to a team that seemed to be far from the type of talent they had.

After averaging just over 31 points per game through Week Five, the Eagles struggled to get anything going on offense in a 13-9 loss to the Raiders.

The Eagles entered Sunday’s game with a chance to move closer to the New York Giants (5-1) in the NFC East standings after their 48-27 loss to New Orleans Saints. Now, they enter Week Seven with a 3-2 record and open up divisional play with a Monday night matchup against the Washington Redskins.

So what exactly went wrong for the Eagles last Sunday?

After looking over the statistics, it’s obvious Eagles Head Coach Andy Reid needs to do a better job balancing the number of rushing and passing plays called each game. While Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb threw the ball 46 times, the Eagles ran the ball just 14 times.

The question being asked in Philadelphia this week is why would Reid choose not to take advantage of a weak Raiders’ rushing defense?

The Raiders rank near the bottom of the standings by allowing 145.3 yards per game on the ground, good for 28th in the NFL. With decent weapons at running back in Brian Westbrook and LeSean McCoy—along with other players like Michael Vick, DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin to use with the Wildcat formation—the Eagles should have pounded the ball against the Raiders’ defense.

Instead, the Eagles’ running game managed just 71 yards on the ground in 14 attempts.

McNabb found himself throwing the ball more than he would have liked to, finishing 22-of-46 for 269 yards and zero touchdowns. He may not have turned the ball over, but he felt the pressure from the Raiders’ defense all day as they recorded six sacks.

If the Eagles want to make themselves contenders in their division and the rest of the NFC, they need to figure out a way to balance out the play calling with running and throwing the ball. Otherwise, the city of Philadelphia may be scratching their heads over future losses similar to the one from Sunday.

Unfortunately for the Eagles and their fans, this isn’t the first time Reid has been criticized for not running the ball. Throughout his career with the Eagles, he has built a reputation as a coach who loves to throw the ball.

Hopefully, last week’s loss is a wake-up call for Reid, and will teach him that adjustments in the balance of play calling need to be made for the offense before it’s too late.

 

Dan Parzych Is the Eagles Fan Voice for NFLTouchdown.com

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Philadelphia Eagles Hoping to Catch Encore Performance From Jeremy Maclin

When former Missouri WR Jeremy Maclin was available after the first 18 picks in the 2009 NFL Draft, the Philadelphia Eagles knew they needed to make a move quickly to draft a player they never expected to be available late in the first round.

After a trade with the Cleveland Browns, the Eagles selected Maclin with the 19th overall pick in the draft.

There were high expectations for Maclin considering the type of career he had at Missouri with the Tigers. In just two years, he hauled in 182 receptions for 2,315 yards and 22 touchdowns.

If he could live up to his potential playing alongside wide receiver DeSean Jackson, the Eagles had every reason to believe quarterback Donovan McNabb would have enough weapons to become one of the top offenses in the NFL.

After a slow start the first three games of the season, Maclin finally had his breakout performance the Eagles and their fans have been waiting to see ever since the season started. Last weekend against the Kansas City Chiefs, Maclin recorded his first career touchdown in the NFL when he hauled in a 51-yard touchdown from McNabb—which coincidentally happened to be his first pass since coming back from a crack-ribbed injury that kept him sidelined since Week 1.

To add to his impressive first career touchdown, Maclin would later haul in a 40-yard touchdown in the final two minutes of the first half. Overall, he finished the game with six receptions for 142 yards and two touchdowns. This was the type of player the city of Philadelphia was hoping for when the Eagles selected him last April.

If Maclin could perform this well on a weekly basis as a No. 2 wideout, the Eagles offense will have a huge advantage against opposing defenses for the rest of the season.

Hopefully, Maclin will find a way to have another strong performance this weekend when the Eagles head to Oakland to take on the Raiders, who have the 15th best passing defense in the NFL and arguably one of the best cornerbacks, Nnamdi Asomugha.

Maclin is expected to make the start Sunday since wide receiver Kevin Curtis is returning, but is still working his way back from a knee injury he’s been dealing with most of the season.

With the Raiders defense focusing on stopping Jackson, the Eagles have every reason to believe Maclin could have a strong encore performance after his breakout game against the Chiefs. And if he continues this trend for the remainder of the season, there’s plenty to be excited about in the City of Brotherly Love.

Dan Parzych Is the Eagles Fan Voice for NFLTouchdown.com

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

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