Relax People, They are Rookies!

Is it me or does it seem like everybody expects these rookie quarterbacks to come out and light it up from the get go?  Every time I read an article about a rookie qb, be it Cam Newton, Andy Dalton, Blaine Gabbert or whoever, people expect them to go step for step with the elite quarterbacks of the game.  This is in spite of the fact that they have had much less time to practice due to the lockout.  

Blaine Gabbert went 11 of 23 for 96 yards against a decent Falcon defense and PFT (Profootballtalk.com) is stating that he failed to close the gap. Well David Garrard, who did not fare much better, has been in this league for quite some time and put up similar numbers vs a defense that probably played a very vanilla style defense.  The fact that Gabbert played as good as a veteran qb who has had success at this level, is closing the gap.  He has been practicing for less than a month and is just getting used to playing at this speed.

Even if these rookies sit for a year, what is the harm?  Let them develop like they used to and think long term instead of short term.  It could be worse, you could be the Redskins looking to tank a season.

People Need to Slow Down with Eagles

Can Vick Stay Healthy?

Full disclosure, I am somewhat a fan of Andy Reid and the Eagles as it was funny how people always under appreciated both when they went to 4 straight NFC championships along with losing a Super Bowl by 3 points to the team of the decade, the New England Patriots.  This is probably the same reason I have a soft spot for Donovan McNabb as well, who I thought doesn't get enough credit as he is never been a top 3 guy, but he has been a constant winner and good enough.  Anyway, back to the point of this post, which has to do with the Eagles.  I thought they were the only team that could have beat the Packers last year and came a terrible pick away by Vick away from that happening.  That being said, they have added some valuable pieces, but they are not head and shoulders above the rest.  Their offense is pretty much the same and the biggest factor is Vick staying healthy.  He gets beat up fairly often and this offense is pretty average without him as they have Mike Kafka as their backup, who I think could be good but not take them to the next level good.
Defensively,  Jason Babin and Cullen Jenkins will be the true key to their success.  The Eagles have had a tough time stopping the run in the past and this could finally be the answer.  As far as Nnamdi and DRC being added, that really only matters against teams such as the Saints and the Packers.  I don't see any of the three being on the bench so I still think Asante gets traded as they can't keep all 3 of these guys unless they create a new defense.  They will be good, but they didn't do anything that has made them some unstoppable force.  It will be interesting but I don't even think it is a shoe-in for them to get over 10.5 wins, which Vegas has them at.  If you are looking for locks in that regard, I like Houston going over 8.5 wins and Arizona going over 7 wins.  Take those to the bank.

Editor's note:  I know Vince Young is on this team, I would rather see Kafka be the backup than VY.