Throughout July, we’ve been unveiling our all-time Eagles team.
We enlisted the help of Eagles reporters Reuben Frank and Dave Zangaro, Quick Slants hosts Derrick Gunn and Barrett Brooks and Quick Slants producer Mike Mulhern to handle the voting.
Each voter ranked his top five players at 16 different positions. A 1st-place vote was worth five points, a 2nd-place vote was worth four, and so on.
Up today: Kickers
Complete voting:
1. David Akers = 25
2. Jake Elliott = 16
3. Tony Franklin = 8
4. Gary Anderson =7
5. Tom Dempsey = 6
6. Alex Henry = 3
6. Paul McFadden = 3
6. Cody Parkey = 3
9. Sam Baker = 2
9. Roger Ruzek = 2
The breakdown: Interesting that nine different kickers got votes, and only David Akers and Jake Elliott were named on all five ballots. Tony Franklin finished third but was only mentioned on three ballots. Gary Anderson was fourth but only mentioned on two ballots. Akers was a unanimous top choice, and Elliott was a distant second, with three seconds, a third and a fifth.
Did we get it right? It’s not easy comparing kickers from different eras, since kicking accuracy has improved so dramatically over the years. Paul McFadden was the 6th-most most accurate kicker in NFL history after 1987, his 4th NFL season. He’s now 93rd. Alex Henery was 6th after three seasons. He’s now 34th. Cody Parkey was 8th after three seasons. He’s now 17th. But Akers, a 6-time Pro Bowler and two-time all-pro, is the unquestioned best in Eagles history. His penchant for clutch kicks, his big leg, his willingness to stick his nose in and make a tackle and his longevity — 16 NFL seasons, 12 in Philly — make him an all-timer.
Complete team:
QB: Donovan McNabb
RB: LeSean McCoy
WR: Harold Carmichael
WR: Mike Quick
WR: Tommy McDonald
TE: Zach Ertz
OT: Jason Peters
OT: Lane Johnson
OG: Brandon Brooks
OG: Bucko Kilroy
C: Jason Kelce
DT: Fletcher Cox
DT: Jerome Brown
DE: Reggie White
DE: Clyde Simmons
ILB: Chuck Bednarik
OLB: Seth Joyner
OLB: William Thomas
CB: Eric Allen
CB: Troy Vincent
S: Brian Dawkins
S: Bill Bradley
P: Donnie Jones
PK: David Akers
Up next: Returners
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