Brace yourself, Iggles fans, the Doug Pederson Era debuts tonight.
Will he be the second coming of Andy Reid? Or leave us pining for Chip Kelly?
As for the Carson Wentz era? Well, you'll have to wait for that, at least until the second half.
Pederson has made it clear this is still Sam Bradford's team. And the former No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft will be behind center when the Birds kick off the preseason against the Buccaneers tonight at 7 at the Linc. Bradford likely will play only a series or two, and he will be followed by Chase Daniel. Wentz, who the Birds moved up to take with the No. 2 pick in the draft, will get the bulk of the workd in the second half.
Keep your eyes on Bradford. No, I'm not going to relive the hype that exploded after Bradford's stirring 10-for-10 performance vs. the Packers last preseason. That didn't mean much. Bradford struggled at the start of the season. But he turned that around and was playing as well as any QB in the league in the last seven games of the season.
Last year I went out on a limb and predicted Bradford - if he could stay healthy - would be the NFC Offensive Player of the Year. I was off by a year. Again this is all predicated on Bradford's ability to stay on the field, but if he does, it says here he has a monster year, leading the Eagles to the NFC East crown with a 10-6 record.
At the same time, he will put the Pederson, Howie Roseman and the Eagles brass in a bit of a predicament. They have made it pretty clear that Wentz in the team's future.
So what do they do after Bradford lights it up this year?
We're about to find out.
For another view of what to expect tonight and this season, check out beat writer Bob Grotz's column.
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