Rushing game is legit, and Beason is legit. Smith gets it done.

Peppers might be more of a problem than he is a pass rushing threat this season.

As for Brown, I never liked the guy. I don’t trust ends from FSU, nor do I trust ends that are a full half an inch under 6’2. Brown, as you probably know, is both.

The defensive wasn’t that big of a handful last season, and with a potentially disgruntled Peppers, I don’t foresee them getting a whole better.

What are the biggest challenges the Panthers will have to overcome against a new, young Eagles team?

First off, the secondary. Eagles have arguably the best corner tandem in the league. Jake Delhomme needs to make sure he throws it to the guys with the right color uniforms on. This problem can be compounded by the pass rush. Your line needs to give him to time to be able to make better decisions.

And to counter act your rushing attack, last season the Eagles did allow the 4th fewest rushing yards per game last season. Smith is going to have to be a factor to take attention and defenders away from stopping the run.

Then your D has to contain the air attack of the Eagles. With McNabb spreading the ball around to Jackson, Curtis, and the other WRs, dumping the ball off to Westbrook, and hitting a TE in Celek, who showed enough late down the stretch for fans to be excited about.

I have read on a couple different places that the Eagles should be worrying about the Panthers but I am not maybe because the season is still far away but as long as we stop the run I don’t see Delhomme beating us through the air.

As far as the toughest team we will face that is a tough one I will go with the Giants although without Plaxico I feel we are a bad matchup for them.

Question for you… 5 years, $42.5 mil for Jake Delhomme. a 34-year-old, mediocre QB?

Not trying to be a jerk – This is legitimate question… What the hell are they thinking?

The only thing that honestly worries me about this game is that the Eagles start the season slow and they need to be prepared the Panthers are a good team.

Few times last we overlooked team that were beatable but lost to (Bears, Redskins x2, Bengals…).

The Panthers’ offense can be very scary. DeAngelo Williams lead the NFL last season in rushing touchdowns (18). He also had a 5.5 yard per carry. By comparison, Adrian Peterson had a ypc of 4.8. Steve Smith is bloody insane. He played in only 14 games but manage to get 14,21 yards (3rd in the league).

Jake Delhomme, on his good days, can be very good for the Panthers. He posted a yard per attempt of 8.0-8.9 in four games, 9.0-9.9 ypa two games, and 10.0+ ypa four games. Ten games of 8.0+ By comparison, Drew Brees post only a 8.0 ypa game 3 times, Peyton Manning post a 8.0+ ypa in six games, and McNabb had four games of 8.0+ ypa. Jake can also be clutch when needed – Week 1 of last seasons, two seconds left against the Chargers, down 19-24; Jake threw a pass that we between two defender and hit his tight end for a 14 yard game winning touchdown pass. In short, dude can screw you over if you overlook him.

The Panthers’ offense can be completely terrifying. Their defense…not so much.

The Panthers’ D ranked 18th in total defense (two spots above the lousy Packers’ defense), 16th in pass defense (dead middle for average), and 20th in rushing defense (one spot above Bengals’ rushing D). Julius Peppers, possible their best player on defense, doesn’t want to be there in Carolina. Last year, he posted 14.5 sacks; year before that, 2.5 sacks. As Eagles fan, we know an unhappy defensive player can suck badly (see Lito Sheppard). If Peppers goes all 2007 season on Panthers again, that defense will not be good at all.

If prepared properly, our offense should run over the Panthers’ defense without too much of a problem. The main focus of the game is going to be our defense against the Panthers’ offense. And remember, last season we got ran over by couple of rushing teams (first Redskins and Giants games come to mind).

I say if Panthers score 21 or less points we win. They score 31 or more points, we lose. Anywhere between is equal chance for either team.