I've had 2 jerseys over the past decade+. I had a Brian Dawkins jersey since right around the turn of the century (got in on B Dawk earlier than most). I went with just one jersey over the Dawkins era, and have since made it my own little thing to just have one active jersey at a time. When Dawk left for Denver, I retired it, along with all the memories of food stains, tears in the fabric (some small, some large), the aroma of Powers, and waking up the next morning in it wondering if the Eagles had won or not. After Dawk, I went with the hard-working, good-from-out-of-nowhere undrafted free agent Quintin Mikell. Well, Q is now a Ram, so I'll be shopping yet again.
Without further ado, since there are so many new faces on this Eagles team, I present your complete 2011 Eagles jersey buyers guide:
| Player | # | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alex Henery | 6 | Huge leg, potential is there to hit a 60 yarder at the end of a game for the win, Matt Bryant style. | Don't be that guy. |
| Michael Vick | 7 | If you don't know the pro's of Michael Vick's game, shame on you. | Risk of an overnight stay in the pokey for beating the shit out of someone from PETA that has thrown an egg at you or something. [Note by JimmyK, 08/12/11 11:34 AM EDT ] - GAH!!!! A great point from the comment section that someone from PETA wouldn't throw an egg. Oops! |
| Vince Young | 9 | Big fan of his work at UT? | It's a bad thing if Young actually gets to play. |
| DeSean Jackson | 10 | With apologies to Chris Johnson, there isn't a player in the league that's more of a threat to score anytime he touches the ball than DeSean. | You'll be one of literally thousands at the stadium wearing #10. Contract still unsettled. |
| Steve Smith | 12? | Only an option if you live in the NYC Metropolitan area and you're interested in pissing off Giants fans. | One year deal. Knee. |
| Riley Cooper | 14 | He's dreamy. | People may call your sexual orientation into question (I know I know - That's not PC anymore). Also, if you're a white guy, you have to be careful about buying another white guy's jersey. I went to a Jets game years ago, and like half the stadium was wearing Wayne Chrebet jerseys. I mean, he was a nice player and all, but you'd think he'd won an MVP or something - Something about that smacked of racism in a weird way. |
| Chad Hall | 16 | Fixes jets. | You run the risk of being mocked at the tailgate if he doesn't make the team. |
| Johnnie Lee Higgins | 17 | My buddy's name is Rich Higgins. Ask him to be your friend, and have him wonder why the hell 500 people suddenly want to be his friend. Anyway, it would make sense for him to buy this jersey. | It wouldn't make sense for anyone else. |
| Jeremy Maclin | 18 | True up-and-coming WR in this league with all sorts of potential... | …I think (I hope). |
| Player | # | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joselio Hanson | 21 | You'll be the only guy in the stadium wearing this jersey. | The majority of Eagles fans think he sucks (wrongfully). Plus, I don’t see it, but plenty of people out there think he'll be traded. |
| Asante Samuel | 22 | The President CB! Emerging as one of my favorite Eagles ever. The man just doesn't shut up for a second in practice. | Tons of people have this jersey. Plus, he probably only has two years left as an Eagle. DRC's contract ends after the 2012 season. They're not going to pay big money to 3 CB's.... I think. |
| Ronnie Brown | 23 | Loved this guy out of Auburn. Does everything well. | Like VY, if he's on the field for an extended period of time, something bad happened. Plus, he's on a year deal. Is he an Eagle in 2012? If he plays well, he may be looking for that big payday in 2012. If not, the Eagles won't bring him back. |
| Nnamdi Asomugha | 24 | 2nd best CB in the game. Super intelligent. Charitible. | Might be the top selling Eagles jersey this year. |
| LeSean McCoy | 25 | Darkhorse MVP candidate this season. Yeah, you read that right. OK, very darkhorse. Like, if the horse were literally painted with the darkest can of paint Home Depot has, and the horse was hiding under your house on a moonless night. But I think he's going to light it up this year. Looked phenomenal in camp last year, and looked even better this year. I'm not sure if there really are a ton of McCoy jerseys out there. I mean… I've seen them and all, but you'd think there'd be more. Plus, he's chippy, and he makes fun of Osi Umenyiora on twitter. What's not to like? | Can't really think of anything. |
| Jaiquawn Jarrett | 26 | Huge hitter. Highlight reel potential. Local kid. | Rookies are always a risk. |
| Nate Allen | 29 | Young, smart player. Should be on the team for a long time. | Popular "off the beaten track" jersey purchase this time last year, not so much this year. Injury concerns. |
| Colt Anderson | 30 | Special teams tasmanian devil. | May not make the team. |
| Curtis Marsh | 31 | My camp darling. | Can't own the jersey of the 5th/6th CB on the roster. Just can't. |
| Owen Schmitt | 32 | Smashes himself in the head with his own helmet. | If you own this jersey, there's a good chance you own a General Lee figurine. |
| Jorrick Calvin | 38 | Haha, just kidding. | |
| Kurt Coleman | 42 | Underdog to make the team last year, eventually started and played well. Very Quintin Mikell-ish in that regard, except that he got drafted, albeit late. | If Jaiquawn Jarrett is awesome, you may not see much of Kurt. |
| DRC | 45 | Maybe the best athlete on the team. | 45, Dom? Why? Terrible number for a corner. |
| Jon Dorenbos | 46 | Watched him squirt Chas Henry in the nuts with a water bottle in camp this year. Instant fan. Hot wife (not that that does you any good). Maybe you can trick her into thinking you're Jon? | He's a long snapper. |
| Casey Matthews | 50 | Rookie signal caller of the D. | If he's good, EVERYONE is going to buy this jersey. If he's not good, well… you don't want it in the first place. |
| Jamar Chaney | 51 | Lots of people are saying that Chaney is the best pass defending linebacker in Philly since Carlos Emmons. People forget how good Carlos Emmons was. Huge praise. Star potential, in his own non-highlight reel kind of way. | Can't think of anything, really. He might not be good? I personally think this one is a slam dunk. |
| Moise Fokou | 53 | Great BGN nickname: MoFo | Kind of a "blah" player. I mean, I like MoFo and all, but is he really going to make a bunch of plays like… say… 20-30 other Eagles? |
| Brandon Graham | 54 | The kid needs your support. | ACL tear, microfracture surgury. Oof. |
| Darryl Tapp | 55 | Tore up camp ths year. Looked fantastic in first preseason game. | Maybe just put a ghetto looking "Tapp" over your old Stew Bradley jerseys. On second thought, don't do that. |
| Keenan Clayton | 57 | Emerging playmaker on the D. | May never be more than a nickle linebacker. |
| Trent Cole | 58 | The hunter! Crazy eyes - they're like a grayish light blue. Very scary looking guy. | Can’t think of anything. |
| Jason Kelce | 62 | Another guy with a new great nickname: The Hedgehog. | Even if he's making waves in camp and might win the starting job over J Jax, it's probably a little fiscally irresponsible to buy a rookie 6th pick center's jersey. |
| Danny Watkins | 63 | He was the first qualified person to attend to Mike Patterson, when Patt suffered a seizure during camp. | Rookie risk. |
| Ryan Harris | 64 | May be a starter. | Needs more info. |
| King Dunlap | 65 | Only makes sense if you're 7'2. | Probably getting cut. |
| Jamaal Jackson | 67 | Only holdover from the 2004 SB team. | 31 years old, and facing stiff competition from the kid. |
| Anthony Hargrove | 68 | Great story. Google him. | Role player only. |
| Jason Peters | 71 | One of the best LTs in the game. So many people have been saying that he's overrated for so long that he is now underrated. Kinda the reverse Quintin Mikell effect. | There's just something about him. I don't know what it is. |
| Winston Justice | 74 | Player rep, for you union guys. | Probably on his way out of the starting lineup. |
| Todd Herremans | 79 | Owns a creepy van. Maybe the most underrated player on the team . Pro Bowl snub last year - Probably getting in this year. | Nothing. Very strong candidate. |
| Jason Avant | 81 | Quietly awesome. Not enough people out there with JA jerseys. | Logjam at WR could mean fewer snaps. |
| Brent Celek | 87 | Going to be the Eagles TE for the foreseeable future. | Like Nate Allen, this was a hot jersey this time last year. Has cooled off. Needs another big year before giving strong jersey consideration again. Has to stop doing the weak-ass Cowboys-esque first down signal. |
| Antonio Dixon | 90 | Like Hargrove, another great story. The guy was effing homeless. Hard not to root for him. | Probably needs to put more than half a season together before you go out and spend big money on his jersey. |
| Trevor Laws | 91 | Going to make plays this year in the wide 9. | Limited snaps. |
| Jason Babin | 93 | For the tribal tattoo enthusiasts. I picture Mac from It's Always Sunny being a big Babin fan. | One good season in the pros brings about a certain (small) level of risk. |
| Charles Noonan | 94 | It would just be funny to have a Noonan jersey. | Currently the most likely player on the entire 90 player roster to be cut. |
| Victor Abiamiri | 95 | If you're hoping to get hit by a truck or something, maybe Abiamiri's bad luck will rub off on you. | Need I explain? |
| Cullen Jenkins | 97 | Almost the forgotten new guy. | Painful memories of the Packers ending the Eagles season last year, and injuring half the team Week 1. |
| Mike Patterson | 98 | As the old saying goes: You don't know what you've got until you see your guy having a seizure on the field. Also, I have a friend that has a Patterson jersey that has "Mike Patterson" spelled out in its entirety on the back. Always popular among the tailgating crowd. | Doesn't really make plays, in the traditional sense. "Just" shuts down the middle of the line in the run game. Career may be in jeopardy. |