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Let's get to the links...
How the 2013 Eagles Compared to the NFL Average - BLG, BGN
In case you missed it.
NFL playoff picks: Conference Championship round - JimmyK, Philly.com
Spoiler alert: Jimmy's predicting a Patriots and Seahawks Super Bowl.
Building blocks for Eagles defense - Paul Domowitch, Daily News
I'm not suggesting their defense still doesn't need a lot of work. They need to go out and get a difference-making pass-rusher this offseason, probably in the draft. They need to upgrade the safety position, probably in free agency, and, at the very least, add depth - a lot of it - at cornerback. They must get better on third down. But the building blocks are there.
Final Eagles Pass-Rusher Rankings - Sheil Kapadia, Birds 24/7
For most of the year, we kept track of how productive Eagles defensive players were when rushing the passer. With all 16 regular-season games and the playoff loss to the Saints in the rear-view mirror, it’s time for one final tally. Sacks, hurries and batted passes are tracked by the Eagles’ coaches. The Penalties column tracks instances when the defender forces an offensive holding or an intentional grounding call. Chances are tracked by Pro Football Focus. And I calculated the final column as the percentage of times a defender did something (sack, hurry, batted ball, forced penalty) to affect the passer, given the opportunities.
Eagles Honors - Tommy Lawlor, Iggles Blitz
Andy Reid will get lots of support for the job he did in KC. Big Red did great stuff for the Chiefs. But he also inherited a team that had a bunch of Pro Bowl talent already in place. KC went 2-14 last year because they had no QB play and a dysfunctional team. Romeo Crennel proved to be a bad coach. Reid traded for Alex Smith. That is the one huge move that had to be made. The top rusher and receivers all returned. Most of the OL was already in place. The top pass rushers, tacklers and cover guys returned. Reid got them to quit turning the ball over and they scored some TDs. KC also played one of the weakest schedules in the league. And they only beat 1 team with a winning record – the Eagles.
2014 AFC Championship: How the Broncos, Patriots built winning teams - Jason Chilton, SBN
Peyton Manning and Tom Brady lead every article about these two squads, and for good reason, but how did the Broncos and Patriots come by 52 other guys that would support their QBs en route to yet another epic clash?
2014 NFC Championship: How the Seahawks, 49ers built winning teams - Jason Chilton, SBN
If you'd asked fans before the season to pick which teams would be squaring off this weekend, Seattle/San Francisco/Denver/New England would likely have been the most popular combination chosen. That speaks to the obvious strengths of each squad's roster, and while they've each been built a bit differently they've all gotten most of the big stuff mostly right. We've taken a thorough look at how each one of these contenders was constructed, and we'll give you an in-depth look at what it took to assemble the NFL's most dominant squads. Some common components stood out, so we'll take a look at how each contender compared on these five key aspects of roster construction:
