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I was red hot on Sunday afternoon.
What? Oh, heck no! I don’t play football. Instead, I was scorching in the hot sun, watching the Philadelphia Eagles during their training camp practice. It was a very enjoyable experience, but thanks to sunburn, my body isn’t feeling as thrilled. Nevertheless, that’s not important at all. I figured it would be an ideal opportunity to write down some of the things that caught my attention on Sunday afternoon, as well as putting a fantasy spin on it.
Emphasis on Running Backs; LeSean McCoy to benefit
Throughout all of the offensive drills, I continued to notice a trend. Running backs on this unit are being asked to be able to catch the ball out of the backfield. Many times during camp, McCoy would get a ton of first reads from whoever was under center. The running backs as a whole were working on their pass-catching ability quite often during practice, which really isn’t a surprise with Chip Kelly calling the shots. Also, considering the injury to wideout Jeremy Maclin hurts an already pedestrian wide receiving corp, McCoy will likely be asked to catch the ball even more. Sure, DeSean Jackson is scary explosive, but to me, he’s a one trick pony. If he doesn’t burn the corner covering him, he’s not going to play a factor. I don’t think it was just a coincidence that the Eagles were looking to get their backs catching the ball. During his final two years at Oregon, DeAnthony Thomas caught 91 balls under Kelly. McCoy will be busy in all facets of the game.
Michael Vick will win the starting job
For a while, all signs were pointing towards sophomore Nick Foles winning the starting quarterback job for the Eagles. However, after watching the team’s first preseason game, camp, as well as just going with my gut instinct, I am very confident that Vick will enter Week 1 under center. Obviously, Vick fits the mold of Kelly’s typical style of offense, but that isn’t the only reason why I believe he’ll win the job. From watching him during camp, Vick really does look good. Simply put, yes, but it’s true. His arm strength looks as good as ever, the deep ball was solid, and of course, the scrambling ability is still very present, despite being 33-years old. He looks good, but let’s just hope he can stay healthy. If he does, however, look for some top-12 upside, especially in Kelly’s offensive scheme.
Adam Pfeifer is a featured fantasy sports columnist for Rant Sports.
You can follow him on Twitter @aPfeiferRS.
