About what I expected from this game.

[IronEagle]

I do think the Eagles will be slightly better than last season.

I question if the lack of tackling in camp affected the way the defense played.

[The Ref]

I do think the Eagles will be slightly better than last season.

Not so sure about that. They really do not have (m)any real players on D. This is likely gonna take three years to be competitive again.

The cupboard is really bare right now.

[Greenstealth]

I share that sentiment. The starting defense couldn't have looked much worse.

[IronEagle]

Not so sure about that. They really do not have (m)any real players on D. This is likely gonna take three years to be competitive again.

The cupboard is really bare right now.

You are saying the defense will be worse than last year? Don't you remember last year?

[Greenstealth]

outside of not quitting, what do you think was better? 334 yards given up by halftime.

[IronEagle]

outside of not quitting, what do you think was better? 334 yards given up by halftime.

Well they are starting from pretty much absolute zero here. It won't take much for the defense to do something more than absolute zero.

If I have a complaint, they forced no turnovers tonight.

I don't see how they can be much worse than last year. It almost has to be better by default or random chance.

[Dan Drives a Van]

I don't think we can judge the D as a finished product. We had Brandon Hughes starting at one CB, and Bradley Fletcher starting at the other, who may lose the starting job to Boykins.

In addition, they're still getting sense of what will work and what won't. There were a few different alignments tonight.

I also think the lack of tackling in camp means it'll take a couple of preseason games for the D to get used to laying hits.

Don't get me wrong, the D is not going to be good this year. I just don't think they'll be as bad as tonight would indicate.

[The Ref]

You are saying the defense will be worse than last year? Don't you remember last year?

Sadly I do, and yes that's what I'm suggesting. The talent is really bad, IE. Just with an eyeball test. I think the secondary is actually going to be worse than last year. There are a couple of guys on defense who will stick around for a couple of seasons at least, but my guess right now is that by the 2015 season, almost none of the current defenders will still be on the team. They need an almost complete rebuild. They stink, man. They stink. And some of them are ill suited for the 3-4 even if they're half-way decent in the 4-3.

[Damned Thing]

Ill-suited is correct--there's only so much you can do with a defense full of sow's ears.

Two years to contention, at best.

[Ellsworth]

Boykin looked decent in man. He may have a future.

Kendricks and Cox are def legit.

Cole looks like that former top fighter who lost all his $$ and ill advisedly takes one last fight against everybody else's advice.then, halfway through the fight he's getting pummeled, his family is begging his manager to throw the damn towel, his children are in hysterics, and everybody's praying he just doesn't get beat to death.

[ishimonster]

outside of not quitting, what do you think was better? 334 yards given up by halftime.

They were playing one of the best offensive schemes in the NFL though...

[slag]

You're right about Cole

He looked like a tourist trying to find someone to give him directions.

[OzEagle12]

They were playing one of the best offensive schemes in the NFL though...

I think Billicheck is a douchebag, but the anyone can see that Patriots are the best coached team in the NFL, and have been for years.

The one thing that gives me hope about Chip Kelly is that he and Billicheck are so friendly.

[Raptor]

Mixed feelings....

...what I know, the new players agreement with its lack of OTAs and lighter practices will hinder any team's skills never mind one that is starting with an all new staff.

That said I believe the defense this year will be better than last night but still be in the bottom half of the leagues. Gonna need another year to gather more talent and Davis is not impressive on his best days as a DC.

I was encouraged by the offense, the running game and oline should be fun too watch if was stay healthy.

The STs were improved but it would be hard to not improve over last year.

I'm encouraged, and want too see more.

[J_Cuz31]

That said I believe the defense this year will be better than last night but still be in the bottom half of the leagues. Gonna need another year to gather more talent and Davis is not impressive on his best days as a DC.

I'm willing to reserve judgment on Davis provided the defense shows improvement. My opinion is that this was the worst defense in the NFL last season and the worst Eagles defense I have ever seen as a fan.

When people say that the defense is as bad as last season I don't think they truly appreciate how horrible last season's defense was.

That said, while I appreciate what guys like Trent Cole did for this franchise it's gonna be somewhat interesting to see younger players take the jobs from the stale veterans who need to be put out to pasture.

Give it time, it's gonna take two years to unwind the tangled mess Reid left this franchise on the defensive side of the ball.