Fred Dryer. Fred Astaire. Fred Gwynne. Fred Rogers. That’s right … I’ve done it at last. The very first ever (you might want to be sitting down for this) … Open Fred!
Staff writer Steve Fini takes a look at five key players in Sunday’s must-win game for the Eagles in Buffalo.
Nnamdi Asomugha (CB/Eagles) – If you ask die hard Eagles fans, the happiest day this year outside of a child’s birth, was probably the day they got to hear those three little words–”Eagles signed Nnamdi”. In that same breath, they envisioned the Eagles scoring at will offensively, their opponents panicking and throwing tons of passes, and Asomugha and company shutting down those teams on their way to a deep playoff run. Boy, how times have changed.
Now, the discussion is more about Asomugha being overrated than him being one of the best free agent signings in franchise history. Personally, I still feel he is a top-flight corner in this league. Watching him against the Falcons in week two and the way he covered their dynamic receivers was a thing of beauty. Eagles defensive coordinator Juan Castillo has been under a lot of scrutiny of late, particularly because he’s failed to play to Asomugha’s strengths. That has to change this week.
This week he is up against (I can’t believe I’m about to say this) the prolific Bills passing attack. Whether he is covering Stevie Johnson, Donald Jones, or David Nelson, he needs to step up. Moreover, he needs to be put in a position to step up. Hopefully, Castillo has come up with a game plan that helps Asomugha do that. If not, the criticism of this big free agent signing will only continue to gain steam.
Danny Watkins (RG/Eagles) – Welcome to the NFL, Mr. Watkins. After being inactive for three of the first four weeks of the season, Watkins gets his first career start. I wrote earlier this week that Kyle Devan, the Eagles’ former starting right guard, had one of the worst games by an Eagles offensive linemen in recent memory. … [