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Rick Gosselin: Eagles have scheduling edge over Cowboys
02:34 AM CDT on Sunday, August 8, 2010
By RICK GOSSELIN / The Dallas Morning News
rgosselin@dallasnews.com
Advantage: Eagles
If the Eagles emerge as the team that pushes the Cowboys for supremacy in the NFC East, Philadelphia will have a huge scheduling edge. The Cowboys visit four Super Bowl contenders this season: Green Bay , Houston, Indianapolis and Minnesota. The Eagles play those same four teams at home at Lincoln Financial Field. The Cowboys also play the defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints. The Eagles do not.
Happy returns
Speaking of the Eagles, they acquired J.J. Arrington last week in a trade with the Denver Broncos . Philadelphia has three players who have returned kickoffs for touchdowns in their NFL careers: Ellis Hobbs , Quintin Demps and Arrington. In fact, all scored touchdowns on kickoffs in 2008. Demps ran one back 100 yards against Baltimore, Hobbs 95 against the Oakland and Arrington 93 against the Cowboys. Hobbs also had a 108-yard return against the New York Jets in 2007. Don't look for the Eagles to finish 30th in the NFL in kickoff returns like last season.
Dolphins dealt blow
The Miami Dolphins lost fourth-round draft pick A.J. Edds last week with a season-ending knee injury. Edds was the best coverage linebacker in the 2010 draft, and the Dolphins were banking on him playing on passing downs this season. He will be missed in those two games against New England when Tom Brady is throwing to Kevin Faulk , those two games against Buffalo when Trent Edwards is throwing to C.J. Spiller and when the Dolphins visit Ray Rice and Baltimore. Edds intercepted five passes at Iowa last season.
Al Davis was famous for his "vertical stretch" passing offense with the Oakland Raiders. But there's been very little vertical of late and even less stretch. The Raiders have ranked in the bottom four in the NFL in passing each of the last four seasons. The Raiders took quarterback JaMarcus Russell with the first overall selection of the 2007 draft, but he was a bust and the Raiders bottomed out in 2008, finishing last in the NFL in passing. Davis released Russell in the off-season and traded for Jason Campbell . He gives the Raiders hope. The Washington Redskins finished 16th in the NFL in passing with Campbell taking the snaps last season.
02:34 AM CDT on Sunday, August 8, 2010
By RICK GOSSELIN / The Dallas Morning News
rgosselin@dallasnews.com
Advantage: Eagles
If the Eagles emerge as the team that pushes the Cowboys for supremacy in the NFC East, Philadelphia will have a huge scheduling edge. The Cowboys visit four Super Bowl contenders this season: Green Bay , Houston, Indianapolis and Minnesota. The Eagles play those same four teams at home at Lincoln Financial Field. The Cowboys also play the defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints. The Eagles do not.
Happy returns
Speaking of the Eagles, they acquired J.J. Arrington last week in a trade with the Denver Broncos . Philadelphia has three players who have returned kickoffs for touchdowns in their NFL careers: Ellis Hobbs , Quintin Demps and Arrington. In fact, all scored touchdowns on kickoffs in 2008. Demps ran one back 100 yards against Baltimore, Hobbs 95 against the Oakland and Arrington 93 against the Cowboys. Hobbs also had a 108-yard return against the New York Jets in 2007. Don't look for the Eagles to finish 30th in the NFL in kickoff returns like last season.
Dolphins dealt blow
The Miami Dolphins lost fourth-round draft pick A.J. Edds last week with a season-ending knee injury. Edds was the best coverage linebacker in the 2010 draft, and the Dolphins were banking on him playing on passing downs this season. He will be missed in those two games against New England when Tom Brady is throwing to Kevin Faulk , those two games against Buffalo when Trent Edwards is throwing to C.J. Spiller and when the Dolphins visit Ray Rice and Baltimore. Edds intercepted five passes at Iowa last season.
Al Davis was famous for his "vertical stretch" passing offense with the Oakland Raiders. But there's been very little vertical of late and even less stretch. The Raiders have ranked in the bottom four in the NFL in passing each of the last four seasons. The Raiders took quarterback JaMarcus Russell with the first overall selection of the 2007 draft, but he was a bust and the Raiders bottomed out in 2008, finishing last in the NFL in passing. Davis released Russell in the off-season and traded for Jason Campbell . He gives the Raiders hope. The Washington Redskins finished 16th in the NFL in passing with Campbell taking the snaps last season.