It All Comes Down To This....

As I prepare to attend the Eagles Draft Party tomorrow afternoon, I have to keep myself trained to be calm and realistic.  I encourage all fans to do the same.  Having specific expectations of Andy Reid, Joe Banner and Tom Heckert can be detrimental to ones sanity.

What's going to happen? Even those who'll be in the war room can't predict that.  No matter what, I'm confident that big things will happen for this organization. 

Big enough to make us forget how Brian Dawkins and Tra Thomas departed. 

Big enough for Donovan McNabb to smile about his 'weaponry'.

Big enough to ignore Sheldon Brown's lack of satisfaction over his contract.

Big enough to say "this team has vastly improved from last year's NFC runner-up".

The rumors have spread and they have spread rapidly.  As quickly as they appear, these rumors end up squashed.  The sad part of this is, even the most credible sources haven't be particularly on target.  Because of this, it's important to stay focused on the official announcements(Remember when these sources said the Eagles are pretty much out of the running for Leonard Weaver?).

Regardless of these speculations, the Eagles have to make this weekend as positive as possible.  How can they not? Even after trading for Jason Peters last week, they still hold ten draft picks.  They still have a choice of veterans they can pursue via trade.  They still have enough expendable players to use to trade for more draft picks, increase draft spots and/or obtain those veterans they covet.  The Eagles can pretty much do whatever they want.

After the Senior Bowl, Combine, Pro Days, and interviews, the homework has been done.  Free Agency and trades have both addressed a key position and added draft picks.  The draft charts and scenarios have been jotted down and are still being tweaked.

We've watched legends leave for other teams.  We've questioned why veterans weren't even pursued.  We're still skeptical about players/deals that were made.  Having said that, the true climax of the NFL starts tomorrow at 4pm EST(actually before that if you count the pre-draft trades).  From the Eagles first pick to their last signing of an undrafted rookie, I expect them to address their holes responsibly.  We just have to be patient for approximately 48 more hours. 

Good things come to those who wait, and Philadelphia has waited a long, long time.