An Apology to the Eagles

I think the Philadelphia Eagles just transformed their team into a legit Super Bowl contender.

I recently wrote an article called, "Three 2008 NFC Playoff Teams Who Won't Be Back." This was a speculation piece that called out the Cardinals, Falcons, and Eagles for a lack of truly effective offseason movement.

The Falcons have still only made one impact signing, nabbing veteran ILB Mike Peterson to replace the departed Keith Brooking and Michael Boley at LB. They have made no efforts elsewhere on either side of the ball, letting four defensive starters on a playoff team leave for no compensation.

(Update: The Falcons trading a second round pick for TE Tony Gonzalez was F***ing brilliant!!!) 

The Cardinals have still made no impact signings, other than the few of their own FA's I called them out on—DE Bertrand Berry and TE Leonard Pope.

They signed RB Jason Wright away from the Browns to fill the void left by RB J.J. Arrington. I only mention this because Edgerrin James wants out even though he just played in a Super Bowl and makes $7.5 million a year. Seems like a harsh reality in the current economy.

They also signed FB Dan Kreider, which fills a starting role and brings some more of that bad Pittsburgh blood to the desert.

Now on to the Eagles.

I criticized them for trading Lito Sheppard, not replacing Tra Thomas, letting the face of their defense walk for a modest $3 million paycheck, and not upgrading at any position. However, they made an earthshaker of a move, literally, in the recent days that has completely changed my mind and alters the draft considerably.

The Eagles recently traded for stud LT Jason Peters. If his young age (27) and ability to play 10 more years is taken into consideration, I would say he is the top T in the league besides Walter Jones (even when he's morbidly wounded, he completely dominates people).

Jason Peters was not drafted out of college, worked his way onto the Bills roster, and developed into a premier tackle. The Bills, unable to come to terms with his $10 million+ a year contract, unloaded him for first, fourth, and sixth round picks. I would say it was a great trade for both sides.

Peters replaces longtime T Tra Thomas, who had been very good for the Eagles, but there is no doubt Peters represents a huge upgrade and can stay where he is for at least the next six years.

The Eagles now feature what I believe is the top young OL in all the land, with Peters, Todd Herremans, Jamal Jackson, and the Andrews brothers playing side by side.

They boast a top QB and RB with the duo of Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook and have a true playmaker at FB with Leonard Weaver, completing an incredibly solid line and backfield.

Now their WRs are not the league's best, but they do have DeSean Jackson and Kevin Curtis, who can stretch the field. With their running game they won't have to pass that much and should do a more than adequate job when they have to.

They are solid on the defensive line at all four slots, and their only weak spot is at linebacker. They have some ability and youth there, so they can only go up in terms of performance, and I expect all of them to step it up after reaching the NFC Championship game with a 9-7 record.

They let S Brian Dawkins walk and traded CB Lito Sheppard, who was relegated to dime duty at the end of last season, for a second and a fifth round pick.

They signed S Sean Jones to start at safety, and he adds youth and playmaking ability to the secondary. They already boast CBs Asante Samuel and Sheldon Brown, which is why they were able to trade Sheppard.

They have either replaced or upgraded at every position that has walked thus far. You can never replace a Brian Dawkins, but adding Jones gives them a younger, more athletic presence who can prove himself with his one-year deal as Dawkins' true heir.

The Eagles still have a first round pick, and two second round picks, putting them in a more than ample position to trade up if desired.

They have no positions that are crying and bleeding with the words "help me!" As has been the usual trend in Philly, they could always use a true No. 1 WR. I remember once upon a Terrell Owens they were playing in the Super Bowl.

They could use a LB. Any of the three USC LBs would be worthy of one of their first three picks and could probably walk in and start.

If I were the Eagles, I would find a way to land WR Anquan Boldin. He would give McNabb the dominant target he has been begging for, with justifiable reason. He would force defenses to double him, account for the play action even more, and leave Curtis and Jackson open. He will still catch anything that comes his way.

He is worth the T.J. Houshmandzadeh contract he is seeking, every penny, and it seems like a perfect fit.

This seems somewhat unlikely to occur though, after the Peters trade, but this offense always seems to be a WR away from the Super Bowl.

My apology to all other Eagles fans, I didn't think they had the balls to go out and trade for a guy like Peters. I think now that he's happy, on a very successful team, and is in the long term really playing for another contract (33), he will perform at his highest level. I truly believe he makes that much of a difference to an offensive line.

Now let's see if they can go out and get that final piece in the WR puzzle, and give McNabb his second helping of a T.O.