The Linc - Eagles Building A Foundation Through the Draft

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The Eagles' 2012 and 2013 draft classes could be the franchise's foundation - JimmyK, Philly.com
In the 2010 and 2011 drafts, the Eagles selected 24 players. Only 9 of them remain with the team, and 2 of the 9 (Curtis Marsh and Julian Vandervelde) had previously been cut by the team, but found their way back. The 2nd round pick in 2011, Jaiquawn Jarrett, lasted one season in Philly. The 1st round pick, Danny Watkins, lasted just 2. The Eagles' poor drafts in 2010 and 2011 are well documented by now, and they set the team back, helping lead to the Eagles' regime change. However, the 2012 and 2013 drafts look to be very promising, with the Eagles getting major contributions from the players taken in those drafts. In addition to young star players like LeSean McCoy and DeSean Jackson, the following players from those drafts may be the core around which the Eagles will build going forward.

Making Sense of the Eagles - Tommy Lawlor, Iggles Blitz
Just how good are the Eagles? A 6-5 record isn’t very compelling. They haven’t played a great schedule or beaten any top flight teams. You can easily make the case that this Eagles team is basically a step above mediocre.

How Much Of It Is the System? - Tim McManus, Birds 24/7
Nick Foles currently leads the league with a quarterback rating of 128.0. That’s 10 points higher than Peyton Manning and 20 points higher than Aaron Rodgers. He has 16 touchdowns and zero interceptions. He has started five games, and has been awarded NFC Offensive Player of the Week twice. Impressive, obviously. How much of the credit goes to the quarterback, and how much goes to the system?

Chip Kelly making naysayers look bad - Jeff McLane, Inquirer
The old guard of the NFL doesn't like to see a newbie come into its league and have immediate success, and Simms said something without much support and something he likely will regret. After 11 games and enough of a sample, Kelly has proved that his way works, and when defensive coordinators make adjustments, he's sharp enough to counter their moves.

Eagle Eye In The Sky: Redskins Review - Fran Duffy, PE.com
Sunday’s win was monumental for a number of reasons. It was the first home win in over a year. It was over a division rival. It gave the Eagles first place in the NFC East. It was a great way to go into the bye week. One thing that stood out to me, however, was how it really was a full team effort that led to victory. The offense, defense and special teams all made major contributions at critical stages of the game to get the win, and that was something that really goes a long way down the stretch in December. Offensively, you saw a great effort unit-wide, but especially from quarterback Nick Foles, who made great decisions in the run and pass game all day long and took care of the football. Defensively, Fletcher Cox played one of the best games of his young career and was all over the field. Bennie Logan stood out as well, chasing down plays from the back side and defeating blocks at the point of attack in the run game. Connor Barwin, Cedric Thornton and DeMeco Ryans continued their high level of play. On special teams, Donnie Jones was simply fantastic. Coverage was again suffocating, with players flying down the field and bringing energy to the third phase of the game.

Donnie Jones finishes record day with a bang - Andy Schwartz, CSN Philly
Jones' net punting average this season (40.9) is tops in team history, and his gross (45.4) is third. The 10-year vet entered the day tied for fifth in league history in net yards per punt (39.1) and seventh in gross punting average (45.5). He finished the day with a net of 50.7, a franchise single-game record (since the stat became official in 1976).

Gif Recap: Redskins Loss to Eagles via Titanic - Kevin Ewoldt, HogsHaven
The Redskins loss to the Eagles means Washington is now 0-3 in the division and 1-6 in the conference. What better way to summarize the end of the season than with animated gifs from the movie, Titanic?

More from Bleeding Green Nation:

• NFC East Standings Report: First Place Philadelphia Eagles
• Philadelphia Eagles Week 11 PFF Grades: Nick Foles Leads The Way
• RG3: Eagles defense "knew what was coming"
• Eagles-Redskins Week 11 Snap Counts
• Week 11 Report Card: Eagles finally win at home despite Redskins comeback
• The Linc - LeSean McCoy Breaks 1,000 Yards