Early Bird Special- a season prediction

Early Bird Special: a season prediction,Vincent Jackson Jerseys
The crystal ball remains out of focus. The third preseason game has yet to be played; that s tonight, in Kansas City. But here s the one surefire prediction about the Philadelphia Eagles season at this early date: Kevin Kolb will not be the problem.
There are plenty of other reasons to believe the Eagles will be in the 8-8/9-7 range. But Kolb, in his first year as the starting quarterback, is not one of them. He can make all the throws. He is not overwhelmed by his surroundings, as someone I know fairly well wrote and The coaches believe in him, as do his teammates.
Kolb also has a splendid corps of receivers, led by DeSean Jackson, who figures to take another step forward this season, his third. Jeremy Maclin and Jason Avant are worthy complements, and Brent Celek has Pro Bowl ability at tight end.
And the defense has to be better than it was in 2009. That unit s coordinator, Sean McDermott, has another year under his belt. Stewart Bradley is back at middle linebacker, after missing all of last season with an ACL tear. Rookies Brandon Graham and Nate Allen have already cracked the starting lineup at defensive end and free safety, respectively. And Ernie Sims, the hyper-aggressive linebacker who came over from Detroit in a trade, figures to be a plus if he can keep his personal-foul total out of double figures.
Which brings us to the Achilles Heel that is the offensive line. Left guard Todd Herremans, the best of the bunch, was on target to play tonight, after missing all of training camp with a bad foot. Center Jamaal Jackson is still recovering from knee surgery, and his return is unknown; might not be until October. Nick Cole, a valuable sub, has been out for a while with a bad knee of his own.
So you have Jason Peters and Winston Justice at tackle -- and they re OK. Just OK. You have Herremans at guard. And then you have, at least for the time being, an untested Mike McGlynn at center, with underachieving Stacy Andrews at right guard.
The crystal ball shows this much -- lots of pressure from opponents up the A-gaps, until the Birds can solidify things inside. They need Jackson back at something close to peak efficiency; they really sagged when he went down late last year. They need to figure out what to do at right guard; if Andrews can t cut it, Cole might be the best alternative, if and when he s healthy.
The other concern beyond that is the schedule. It s a bear. It starts with Green Bay, a likely Super Bowl contender, and ends with this gauntlet -- at Dallas, at the Giants, Minnesota, Dallas. In between there is a home-and-home with the Donovan McNabb-led Redskins and visits by the Colts, as well as the up-and-coming Falcons and Texans. Not an easy thing.
So even at this early juncture, that s the best guess: 8-8 or 9-7. Though Kolb should be good, provided they can keep him in one piece.