[Ed. Note: Promoted from the FanPosts.]

I feel like the comments on this one are going to be epic.

The 2015 Eagles schedule seems to be skewed. NFC East excluded, the tougher teams the Birds will face are concentrated toward the second half of the season. The combined 2014 wins of the first 8 games is 56 compared to the last 8 with 63. Remove the NFC East and the numbers a bit more skewed because we play the Cowboys twice in the first 8, an average of 6 wins versus 9 wins. I decided to draw the line at the bye week and go game by game to defend my assertion that the new and improved (?) Chip Kelly Eagles can potentially start the season undefeated going into the bye. This is a long write up, and you can read this in one three ways:

Read the whole thing from top to bottom because you were the guy in school that jacked up the grading scale for the rest of us. Read just the BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front) for each game and read the game write up if you think I'm crazy. Finish with the summary ("The Bye"). Skip straight to the bottom for comments... I've probably lost you already. See you down there.

I, ATL_birdgang, do solemnly believe that we the Eagles can, nay WILL, be 7-0 by the bye week and I will tell you how. Caution, serious optimism and possible homerism supported by a few illusions of grandeur below.

Week 1: Eagles @ Atlanta

BLUF: 31-17 Eagles. Falcons are still piecing it together and need a few more seasons to get the roster right. Meanwhile, the Eagles' offense hasn't skipped a beat, and our D, well... the secondary isn't as bad as last year and the front 7 will show that they are still a dynamic force.

Let's face it. I am an Eagles fan in Atlanta and I cannot wait to attend this game. The last time the Birdz played here a stadium full of green and red 7 jerseys watched Michael Vick carry the Eagles to a 3rd quarter 31-21 lead, when he left the field with a concussion. Make Kafka did what he could, but... you know, he's Mike Kafka... and the Eagles lost the game in a heart-breaker. I am going to enjoy watching the retooled Eagles showcase what this team will be all about.

NFL pundits have given this one to the Falcons, but I can't see it. The Falcon's complete lack of a run game (24thin the league in 2014) is part of the reason. They've attempted to address the run game in the off-season by adding free agent fullback, Collin Mooney, formerly of the Tennessee Mariotas. They also drafted halfback Tevin Coleman in the 3rd round of this year's draft. Reports are that he and the completely unproductive Devonte Freeman will split reps this season, but there were no offensive line changes that will alter the one dimensional offense. That said...

The one dimension the Falcons have on offense is pretty serious. Julio Jones is a beast. Roddy White, though declining, is still a threat, Justin Hardy could make an impact, and Matt Ryan is a top tier QB. Their 4th ranked passing offense is nothing to sneeze at. As I stated in my previous article, our secondary is a question mark. Though improved from last year (because how could you not), the game will be an early test on how they can handle elite WRs. Our safeties (whomever they may be) and LBs can handle Jacob Tamme and Tony Moeki. Combined they're a far cry from Tony G, who's one handed grab broke my heart in 2011. I'll also mention that Kyle Shanahan breathes no fear into the hearts of NFC East defenses that are familiar with his body of work.

On the other side, I see no drop in production for the Eagles offense. Take into account that the Eagles have had the first and third ranked rushing offense for the past two years under Chip. Yes, that included Shady (or Salty depending on where you stand), but consider that under Andy they were 13th the year prior. The Falcons were 21st against the run in 2014. They added Vic Beasley who's more of a pass rusher than anything else (not sure his impact will mean anything against "The Franchise"), but the defensive minded coach's scheme will be. That's the X-factor. How will this new coach alter the way the Falcons' defense plays ball? Chip will certainly exploit last year's worst pass defense in the NFL. Jalen Collins was a big step in building a solid secondary, but like us, they have a few holes. Unlike us, the Falcons' defense isn't strong enough elsewhere to make up for it.

WEEK 2: Dallas Cowboys @ Birdz

BLUF: 77-0 Birdz! Ok, seriously... 38-24 Eagles. No more toast!

God, I hope this is a blackout game.

I'm going to ignore the Thanksgiving game last year and focus on the second Eagles vs. Cowboys game because it highlighted the team's weaknesses. The Eagles' have since been improved/removed and the Dallas strengths have been tempered during the offseason.

Dallas started the game strong on a botched kick return. Murray runs 3 times to get into the end zone. That left a bad taste for the rest of the game. 7-0

Eagles go 3 and out.

Romo passes all over our secondary. 6 short and intermediate throws that exploit the secondary. Spoiler: It includes a pass interference penalty by Cary Williams and Bradley Fletcher getting beat by Dez Bryant. Shocker, I know. 14-0

Eagles go 3 and out.

Eagles D makes a stop (finally), but Williams gets a penalty on 3rd down. I know, I know, "he never gets those". Next play Fletcher gets burned by Dez for a touchdown. Déjà vu? 21-0

Eagles' first productive drive comes in the 2nd quarter. Some hefty tight end work and a good run by Shady led to a short run touchdown by Chris Polk. 21-7

Eagles' second productive drive comes with some strong tight end play again, but ends with Parkey knocking in a 47 yarder (love that guy). 21-10

Eagles start closing the gap after a long 72 yard pass to Maclin (gonna miss that guy) that leads to a Chris Polk touchdown. 21-17

Big defensive stand leads to a Romo fumble recovered by Fletcher Cox. Sproles score a touchdown. 21-24 it just got real.

Next Dallas possession the defense looks like their playing catch up. Romo is slinging the ball for 22, 11, and 22 yards at a time, and Murray gets another touchdown. 28-24

Sanchez looks unphased. He slings the ball across the middle to Ertz, off of his finger tips and into the waiting hands of an overrated Cowboys defender. FML. They turn it into 7 by... no way... Bradley Fletcher got burnt. 35-24

Next Eagles possession, despite the highlight that makes us believe in Josh Huff, we only get 3. 35-27

The rest of the game is a slew of turnovers, field goals and penalties not worth mentioning. The recap was long, but the point simple. Our mistakes are gone and our strengths remain. Maclin has been replaced (we hope) and we absconded with Murray. The short is that we are a team better suited to play this game again with a much different outcome.

The Cowboys O-Line likely stays playing at the same high level, but the run game diminishes significantly. Our improved secondary gives the pass rush more time to get to Romo and that front 7, the sole highlight of the 2014 Eagles defense, wreaks havoc. Their defense has been improved with the addition of Byron Jones and Randy Gregory, but our run game is going to be too much for the young players to make a difference. The question mark is whether our pass game will lose potency with the loss of Jeremy Maclin (he did have 4 catches for nearly 100 yards this game) and the, even slight, improvement of the Dallas secondary. Hands down, the hardest game of the pre-bye week games.

WEEK 3: Eagles @ Jets (Battle for the Real Gang Green)

BLUF: 20-13 Eagles. Todd Bowles needs more time to get his team together. This is a defensive battle and could very well have more combined sacks than any other game this season. We win because Geno turns the ball over more than we do.

Say what you will about Chip's offseason moves, but the Jets went some what under the radar in making some big moves of their own. Brandon Marshall is going to be a guy that the Eagles D is going to have to account for. Revis, though a bit older, showed that he is still elite last year with the Pats. Cromartie remains a solid #2 corner if he can beat out Buster Skrine who is no slouch himself. Leonard Williams was revered by some as the best player in the draft this year and he managed to fall to the Jets at #6. Add him to a front that includes Mohammed Wilkerson and Sheldon Richardson and you easily have a front 3 that rivals any other in the league. Let's face it, The Jets did what they had to do in the offseason, and they did it well.

The win comes from the combination of Geno Smith's inconsistency, Todd Bowles' lack of offensive prowess, and an interesting situation in the run game. Yes, I'm aware that they were a top 3 rushing unit last year. Their 3 main backs rushed for 1625 yards combined, the rest was a combination of Geno Smith, Mike Vick, and Percy Harvin. The run game is going to be critical for the Jets to be successful against the Birdz and I'm not sure that Chan Gailey is enough of an offensive strategist to assist the defensive minded Bowles in scheming a balanced offense. The addition of Brandon Marshall should assist the league's last ranked pass offense step up. But with Geno's inability to ‘drown out the noise', I think the Eagles' D has a strong showing.

That Jets' defense, though...

Listen Linda. Those boys hit, they fly to the ball, the secondary is strong and talented (with the exception of Jarrett), and we better be on our game. We have the upper hand because there won't be enough tape on Bradford and his tendencies in Chip's system and the Jets D will still be getting their feet under them. The run game will be impacted by the previously mentioned front 3, but the Jet's linebacker group is less intimidating. There will be opportunities to break a big one every now and then. I just hope that's enough. Another tough win for the Eagles, but it will be about the offense playing smart and the defense forcing turnovers.

WEEK 4: Eagles @ Washington

BLUF: 42-17 Eagles. The WFT always manages to sneak up on us with a win, but this won't be it. After a tough defensive match up the Eagles will enjoy a thorough roasting of a division rival in their own house.

I imagine RGIII will be starting the season again, even after being benched in favor of 2 guys who should only be playing in my flag football league. Alfred Morris is a solid back and the O-Line addition of Brandon Scherff, who will presumably play RT, will certainly help the run game. Washington has decided that they want to get bigger and stronger up front and the power running game is going to be a good match up for the Eagles front 7. We were at our best against the run and the WFT will be playing into our strength.

Pierre Garcon was the primary target of the Washington passing game last year and I don't think that will change. He makes good catches and runs solid routes underneath. DJax is still DJax and is a threat to us when streaking over the top. No More Toast! Theoretically, we have corners that won't allow the speedster to get behind them, and without the deep ball DJax is a non-issue. In the 6 games DJax had more than 100 receiving yards in 2014, he had at least one catch of 50 yards or more. When he was not allowed to play the deep ball, Jackson was contained. The WFT lost 80% of the games where he was contained (which may not mean too much considering they lost 67% of the games where he had the deep plays).

Not to be dismissive, but this is a game that will showcase why the Eagles made the trade for Sammy the Bull. The Washington pass defense ranked 30th in the league last year and in the off-season there were some additions. Some key signings added some D Line depth, and the secondary added Dashon Goldson, Jeron Johnson, and Chris Culliver. Culliver is the only one who is a clear upgrade over the previous cadre of DBs. Just as in the Dallas game, the question will be whether our WRs are as good as they were in 2014 and whether a slightly improved WFT secondary can slow them down. My thought, is no.

This is going to be one of those games during the year when the fans get fired up watching the game. Big touchdown plays, deep passes, big hits, and a good solid showing by the Birdz on both sides of the field. This is also the point when the bandwagon starts to fill up....

WEEK 5: Saints at Philly

BLUF: 31-24 Eagles. The Saints are in rebuilding mode and it will show. Not saying they will tank the season, but they certainly will be heading for an early draft pick. No Jimmy Graham? Drew Brees on the downswing? Kenny Stills gone? The lack of offensive weapons will hurt the Saints and I don't think C.J. Spiller is enough to help.

Alright, let's give the Saints a pat on the back for snagging Brandon Browner. Combined with Keenan Lewis, Kenny Vaccaro (didn't he get benched?), and Jairus Byrd the Saints could have an above average secondary. They drafted a couple of linebackers who may or may not see the field this year on a defense that ranked 28th overall. Unless they can figure out how to get exponential returns on the addition of Browner and the return of Byrd, the Saints look to repeat their atrocious defensive numbers from 2014. It's not all about the secondary either. The Saint's D gave up more than 130 yards per game against the run last year. Keep in mind that they play in the NFC South and were playing against Doug Martin (494), Steven Jackson (707 yds), Jonathan Stewart (809), not slouches, but not superstars either. Against the 3 headed monster of Murray/Mathews/Sproles the Saints are going to have to stack the box, and I'm not even sure that will work.

Brees will find himself struggling to find targets to toss to. In 2011, his top receivers were Graham, Colston, and Sproles. In 2012, Colston, Moore, and Graham. In 2013, Graham, Colston, and Stills. In, 2014, Stills, Colston, and Graham. In 2015, Colston is all he has left. Brandon Cooks shows promise and could make big strides as the WR2 for the Saints, but Brees no longer has the reliability of Jimmy Graham creating mismatches for him to exploit. Consider that Graham accounted for nearly 20% of Brees' targets in 2014 and 30% of the team's touchdown passes. Our defense's ability to capitalize on this will be critical.

C.J. Spiller is going to be the primary back for the Saints. He and Mark Ingram make a great 1, 2 combo, but not one that the Eagles front 7 should have trouble with. Mark Ingram has yet to rush for over 1000 yards and now that he will be splitting reps with Spiller, I doubt that he will get the chance. Playing the Eagles won't help him get there either.

I'm not saying this is a gimme, but the Saints aren't going to be a sleeper team this year. Any TV talking head who disagrees is (probably smarter than I am about this stuff) most likely basing it off of Drew Brees' name alone.

WEEK 6: Giants @ Philly

BLUF: 42-31 Eagles. OBJ and Cruz as a tandem are scary. Eli throwing to them? A little less scary.... A little. This one could be a shootout. But with no one of any particular value running the ball, the Giant's one mono-dimensional offense will be limited.

The Giants are a consummate roller-coaster of wins and losses. Who knows how their season will go? The Coughlin reign may be over after this year, but the last time the masses demanded his retirement, he went on to win a Superbowl. I don't see that being the case this year. Coming off of a season with Eli and company having a middle of the pack offense, the production of two of the league's most exciting receivers has to stay dominant in order to stay competitive. It is quite unlikely that the combination of Rashard Jennings and Shane Vereen will do much to improve the Giants' 23rd ranked rushing game. This means that Bill Davis can and will release the hounds on Eli. The pass rush will be in full effect, and Brandon Graham will earn his paycheck. 3 sacks by BG this week... maybe 4.

On the other side of the ball, the Giants' defense was ranked right there with the Eagles at ‘pretty awful'. Ours was against the pass and theirs was against the run. This game will put the Eagles strength in the run game against a defense that improved their secondary but not their front 7. I expect that Chip will challenge this weakness play after hurried play. Expect many, many "injury" timeouts. The Giants are the worst at this.

When this one ends, the NFL channel is going to jump all over Chip's N@T$.

WEEK 7: Eagles @ Carolina

BLUF: 24-13 Eagles. Make no mistake, Cam was hurt when we destroyed them last year, but when healthy, the man can flat out play. We'll be dealing with the injury bug at this point and facing a stout defense. It will be a closer one than we expect, but Parkey comes through big for us. (Note: start him in fantasy.)

I'll keep this one short. The Panthers have one of the most dynamic defenses that we are going to face. Not just in the first 7 games, but in the whole season. In the last match up the Eagles were able to capitalize on the 5 turnovers the defense created. 17 of the Eagles 45 points were off of turnovers. When faced with a long field, the offense seemed to sputter quite often. There was zero run game. OK, that's an exaggeration; there was 37 yards of run game between 3 rushers. The Eagles will have to do better than that to pull off a win here. The 45-17 score seems like more of a complete whoopin' than it was. It was, in fact, primarily on the defense.

Cam hasn't had a reliable offensive line since Auburn. Michael Orr got owned by the Eagles pass rush in our victory over the Panthers last season. Barwin alone had 3.5 sacks in that game. Guess who is moving over to left tackle to protect Cam's blind side? What happens when it's Brandon Graham coming around the edge instead? In the last match up, The Eagles front 7 combined for 9 sacks. 9! The only place where we've been able to maintain continuity from last season is the front 7(6 remain) and they will be facing, for the most part, the same o-line. The defense will pressure Cam all day. Sacks and turnovers will dominate the day. (Note: start the Eagles D in fantasy.)

THE BYE

In the 7 games before the bye week, the eagles play 4 repeats from 2014 where we went 5-2. The three other games are against teams that ranked towards the bottom of the league. None of the games are gimmes, this is the NFL after all. So don't confuse my confidence for hubris. The Eagles have to stay healthy. We don't win these games with Mark Sanchez chucking the ball or Ryan Mathews taking to majority of the snaps. The secondary has to make the improvement that we all expect them to and the front 7 needs to maintain their productivity from last season. The receiver corps needs to pan out. If Miles Austin beats out... well, anyone... then that's not going to speak volumes for our young talent. Last, and probably most important, Chip has to have been correct about Sam Bradford. That gamble has to pan out. That's a lot of "ifs", but all those smoothies have to be worth something. Right?