We're back for four downs on the Eagles defense with Jason from Bleeding Green Nation.  The Eagles have a perenially solid defense that flys under the radar.  Given the 49ers offensive struggles we'll have to keep an eye on the Eagles defense.

NN: Mike Nolan was praising Jim Johnson in his Wednesday press conference.  Is there anything in particular we should know about the scheme Johnson brings?  Will we see a lot of exotic blitzes or is the defensive line sufficiently strong enough to create enough pressure?

BGN: Whether the front 4 is getting pressure or not Jim Johnson is likely to bring pressure from everywhere. It's basically his MO, especially when facing a young QB. I fully expect him to send blitzers from every which we he can in an attempt to confuse O'Sullivan.

NN: Given the hefty contract Asante Samuel received, expectations were certainly high.  How has he fared so far?  Isaac Bruce has been the best wide receiver threat so far, so will we see Samuel on Bruce all day or just whomever is on his side of the field?

BGN: Samuel has a couple of interceptions... so far so good with him. It's kinda hard to gauge the impact of a corner in just a few games. I doubt you'll see him on Issac Bruce all day, generally the Eagles don't play matchups with DBs and WRs. They tend to leave their corners covering one side of the field. So depending on where Bruce lines up he could see Samuel, Sheppard, or Brown.

NN: In your Q&A with Hogs Haven the issue of RB and TE coverage was brought up.  The Eagles seem to be struggling in that department.  Given that, how do you see the Eagles trying to stop Frank Gore in both the rushing and passing games?

BGN: I think our struggles against TEs and RBs in coverage is a by product of the blitz. When teams have had success with those guys, it's been on screens and quick dumps that are designed to counter act the Eagles blitz. So my only hope is that when they do blitz, they blitz smart and always be watching for the screen.

As for stopping Gore on the ground... until last week the Eagles hadn't let a team rush for more than around 70 yards. Their run d against some good backs(Steven jackson, Forte, Barber, Willie parker) was stifiling... but last week Clinton Portis racked up 140 yards on us... So many of us are certainly paying special attention to what they do against Gore this weekend. What is the real Eagles D? The one who was leading the NFL in rush defense over the first 4 weeks, or the one we saw last week? I think the important thing will be to seal off the edges. Even the Redskins, who ran all over us, weren't able to get much up the middle where the Eagles are very solid. When they've struggled it's been on the edges. If the 49er TEs and OTs are able to seal off the Eagles LBs on the edges Gore could have big day.

NN: In the recent past the Eagles defense always seems to be solid without getting a lot of media attention.  Aside from Brian Dawkins, Asante Samuel and maybe Sheldon Brown my knowledge of the Eagles defense is rather limited.  Is there one guy, aside from those three who could make a big impact this Sunday?

I'll say Stewart Bradley. He was a 3rd round pick out of Nebrask last year and won the starting middle linebacker job this year. So far he's really been exceeding our expectations. He's a big, fast run stopping guy in the middle and is really growing into one of those field generals you love to see as and anchor of your defense. If Frank Gore has a bad day on Sunday, it'll probably be in large part to Stewart Bradley.

Thanks again to Bleeding Green Nation.  The Eagles will definitely be a tough opponent.  While this is anything but a guaranteed win, the 49ers really need to avoid a long losing streak right now.

Both Nolan and J.T. O'Sullivan spoke with the media earlier today and addressed some of the issues the offense will face on Sunday.  When I posted Nolan's post-game comments, one issue you guys mentioned was the lack of discussion about the offense.  So, this is certainly somewhat timely.  Normally I roll out Nolan first, but given the criticisms of JTO I thought it was better to go with him first.

J.T. O'SULLIVAN
On Asante Samuel: "You have to understand that you’re going against a good secondary across the board. It’s a veteran group. It’s a lot of guys that can make plays. Him in particular: everybody’s kind of aware of how he got there and that sort of thing. But it’s something that we’re not going to…we’re aware of where there best players are and conscious of it, but we’re not going to not do what we do, if that answers your question. Everybody in this league is pretty good. There are definitely elite players and he’s one of them. So we’re aware of it, but we’re still going to…we’re not going to close off one side of the field and say, ‘We’re not going to do this.’ We’re going to play our game, and we understand that he’s a very good player. We’re going to have to raise our level."

On whether the defenses have done anything different to lead to 5 INTs in 2 weeks: "I don’t think so. Do you want me to answer the question of why I think there are more picks in the last two weeks? Is that what you’re…?"

On whether defenses are guessing the primary receiver and taking him away: "No. I think I do a pretty good job of understanding what the reads are, checking the ball down and things like that. It’s just a matter of protecting the ball, being conscious of the fact that obviously turnovers are bad but I’m not going to become trigger-shy and start to question my judgment. If I see something, I’m going to throw it to the open guy."

On the difficulty of getting Vernon Davis incorporated into the offense: "I don’t know if I’m the right guy to answer that question." (Fooch: Interesting response)

On his on-field relationship with the Duke: "I think Vernon is an absolute pro. Nobody works harder out here. The last couple weeks we’ve been staying after and I’ve been getting a better feel for him just the last couple weeks. But I’ve had a good feel for him. I don’t know how you can not have a good feel for someone who is that athletic and that fast down the field. We’re just going to keep trying to get him involved as much as we can."

Mike Nolan after the jump...

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Last season we ran an offseason feature titled Know Thy Enemy.  It was used to analyze upcoming 49ers opponents in a general sense before things have really come into focus.  If you do a search for Know Thy Enemy, you'll notice they showed up in June, July and August, meaning before, during and after training camp.  As we get closer to each matchup during the regular season there will certainly be plenty of discussion.  For now though I just wanted to help us all get a better idea of who the 49ers will be contending with in 2008.  Half the equation for the 49ers success will be determined on the other side of the field and this will get us in the swing of things. 

Today we'll be looking at the Philadelphia Eagles.  The Eagles are represented by JasonB over at Bleeding Green Nation.

Overview
The Eagles finished 2007 with 3 straight wins, but it was not quite enough as they finished 8-8 and 1 game back of the final playoff spot.  Donovan McNabb had a pretty solid season, but once again lacked that big play receiver the team has missed since TO forced his way out of town.  Kevin Curtis was very solid (better than anything the 49ers had), but there just is this sense of a lack of a big play threat.  Brian Westbrook remained the biggest offensive weapon on the Eagles, finishing with over 2,100 total yards.  Statistically the Eagles finished 8th in team offense and 13th in team defense and yet they couldn't hang with the contenders.  The backbreaker came when they lose three straight to New England, Seattle and the New York Giants.

Additions
The Eagles made some serious moves this offseason that should vault them into contention.  In free agency they backed up the Brink's truck to land Pro Bowl cornerback Asante Samuel.  Lito Sheppard seems to be holding out due to anger over his existing deal, so if he does end up getting shipped out of town, Samuel would certainly be an upgrade.  Aside from Samuel, the Eagles have solidified some depth needs in adding Chris Clemons, Rocky Boiman and Joselio Hanson.

As for the draft, Mel Kiper gave the Eagles a C+, but all things considered, I think they deserve better than that.  They dealt their #1 to Carolina for a 2nd and 4th rounder as well as a 2009 #1.  They snagged a solid defensive tackle in Trevor Laws and then saw a playmaker in Desean Jackson fall right into their laps in the second round.  Jackson has plenty of question marks in terms of durability and attitude, but his upside is tremendous.  Furthermore, as a rookie, while he may struggle at wide receiver, he will get a good shot at contributing in the return game, a speciality of his at Cal.  Throw in a trade for RB Lorenzo Booker and they've added some serious talent.

Substractions
The Eagles did not suffer any major losses.  They cut Jevon Kearse and Takeo Spikes, both of whom are on the down sides of their careers.  They franchised LJ Smith to avoid losing him.  If a deal doesn't get done soon Lito Sheppard could be on his way out of town, but Eagles fans don't seem too concerned about that.

2008 Questions & Answers
Donovan McNabb is healthy so it comes down to how much he has left in the tank.  He is 31 and a 10-year veteran of the league.  While his rushing numbers are not like they were in his prime, he is a still a threat to scramble.  If he can stay healthy, this team could be very dangerous.

What kind of impact will Desean Jackson have on this team?  If he continues the special teams success he had at Cal, he could very well win rookie of the year on that alone.  However, beyond the return game, I'm very curious to see how Andy Reid uses Jackson in the offense.  Considering much of the rest of the offense returns intact, Jackson could be the X-factor on offense.

Will the secondary come together and what will happen with Lito Sheppard?  While there seems to be some disgruntled fans when it comes to Sheppard, if they can get him into camp with Samuel and the rest of that secondary, they could field a pretty damn good secondary that would scare even the best of quarterbacks.

vs. San Francisco
The 49ers could come into this game anywhere from 2-3 to 0-5 (could be a tough early going).  The Eagles have added some talent to a team that finished solidly last year, which would not bode well normally.  However, considering the defenses on the table, I could see this turning into a low-scoring defensive battle.  The secondaries are well-matched and I think that could be the difference in this battle.  I don't think the 49ers pull out victory on this day, but I do think they put up a respectable performance before succumbing 24-16.  Feel free to throw out any predictions on this matchup.  I'm sure I'll change my mind many times in the coming months.