INTRO: A new idea I had in order to help me go through the NFL team's rosters and examine all the personnel and coaching changes, etc., one-by-one. I'm going to look at two teams head-to-head in seven key categories (my bias on what is 'key'). The team that gets my vote in each category gets a 'win'…the first team to 4 wins moves on to the next round. Just a quick, hopefully fun, way to take the temperature of each team heading into the 2023 preseason.
The seven categories…it's actually six because one category is so important that it's worth double:
1-2) The quarterbacks comparison…the winner of this gets 2 wins, or if too close to call it could be a 1-1 split.
3) O-Line -- Judging which team has the better O-Line…the most critical aspect of a team after the QB.
4) Cornerbacks -- After O-Line, I think the most critical position is shutdown corners (or not having any).
5) Head Coach/Organization -- A battle of which coaches will get in the way less, to some degree but also an edge given to teams that will attract free agents or be a desired destination in trades…and what teams are filling the stadium for home games, etc. Everything rolled into one judgment call.
6) Offensive Weapons -- Which team has the better, scarier RB-WR-TE group.
7) Kicker -- If it comes down to #7, of course the kicker should make the determination...as the kicker often determines the winner of a 59+ minute war prior with a last second make/miss.
As we lead into each category and tap a winner -- I'm also listing the major add/loss for each team in the offseason so far, just to eyeball it as a list.
Is this a brilliant way to judge teams over another? Who knows! But it struck me as something fun to do while studying each team this preseason, after the majority of offseason moves have been made.
PHI major adds: DT Carter, OG Steen, LB N. Smith, SAF S. Brown, RB Swift
PHI major losses: DT Hargrave, OT Dillard, RB Sanders, OG Seumalo, LB Edwards, SAF Epps, SAF Gardner-Johnson, QB Minshew
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WSH major adds: CB Forbes, CB J. Martin, RB C. Rodriguez, OC Stromberg, LB Holcomb, QB Brissett
WSH major losses: OT Wylie, OG Gates, QB Heinicke
QB (2x): We all suspect Philly crushes here, and it starts off just that way. Obviously, Hurts v. Howell isn't even close.
Philly leads (2-0).
O-Line: Another 'not close', Philly has one of the top O-Lines in the game…and Washington does not.
Eagles up (3-0).
CBs: A couple promising rookies are set to start for Washington, but Philly has a great/experienced CB trio…all returning for 2023. Strong edge to Philly.
Eagles get the sweep (4-0).
HC/Organization: Most players and fans respect the Eagles organization, and free agents are good with going there. Washington's organization has a very bad image and a frustrated fanbase. Sirianni is liked by players…Rivera is respected, but not beloved to where players rush to play there. Sirianni and staff have more momentum than Rivera's staff in actual coaching ability/output. Easy edge to Philly.
Philadelphia extends it to a (5-0) lead.
Weapons: Washington has better RBs. Philly has better WRs. If it's close after RB-WR…then the Eagles win via having a much better TE situation. Slight edge/win to the Eagles.
Philly is up (6-0), looking for a clean sweep.
Kicker: Joey Slye has a big leg and has some promise…but has also bounced around the league the last few seasons. Jake Elliott has been a stable/solid kicker for years. Edge to Philly.
The Eagles clean sweep the Commanders (7-0).
