A Revamped Philadelphia EaglesTeam Poised for Big Season

After a crushing loss to the Cardinals in last year’s NFC Championship game, their fourth such loss in five attempts within the last eight years, how would the Eagles go about their off-season? 

Would they make a strong, honest effort at becoming a better team, finally allowing them to win a Super Bowl title that has long eluded the franchise?

While we won’t know for sure until the season starts, there remains no doubt that Andy Reid and the Eagles have finally realized that the time to win is now.

Despite winning two playoff games, the Eagles’ erratic regular season exposed several critical problems, including an anemic short-yardage game and a lack of playmakers. An inexplicable defensive meltdown in the final game of the year after the offense had waged a frantic comeback left Eagles’ fans with a terrible taste in their mouths as the season came to another disappointing ending. 

But, with off-season additions Leonard Weaver, Stacy Andrews and Jason Peters, and athletic draft picks Jeremy Maclin, Lesean McCoy, and Cornelius Ingram, the 2009 Birds are now taking shape as one of the strongest in the league.

The Eagles finished second in the NFC East last year behind the New York Giants and earned themselves a wild-card berth. Looking at the 2009 squad, you have to believe that the franchise has positioned itself to be even better than last year. 

With the type of weapons the Eagles now have on offense, and with a defense that finished in the top five in the league, it’s easy to see the Eagles ending up as one of the top teams in the league again this year. 

A revamped offensive line, with two new starters and a third veteran, Shawn Andrews, moving to a new position, gives McNabb & Company one of the biggest, strongest lines in the league to work behind. 

Add to the mix FB Leonard Weaver, and the Eagles should have a greatly improved running game, especially in those critical short yardage situations. Combined with the playmakers that have been added on the offensive side of the ball, this year’s offense should be one of the most dangerous in the league. 

And another year of playing together at a high level will only serve to make Jim Johnson’s defense even stronger.

The road to a Super Bowl will not be easy, though. Since the additions of Stacy Andrews and Jason Peters, some in the media have predicted that the Eagles will have the best offensive line in all of football. 

However, it remains to be seen if the newly formed line can produce on the field.  Continuity and familiarity with the big men up front is essential, and it is unclear whether they can build that type of rapport in the short amount of time before the season starts. 

If these guys are able to get on the same page quickly, though, they have the potential to be one of the best run and pass blocking lines in the NFL.

While rookies Maclin and McCoy were highly touted coming out of college, the fact remains that they are still rookies. And Cornelius Ingram, who some have proclaimed as the steal of the draft, did not play last year while recovering from a torn ACL. 

Can these youngsters come in and have the immediate impact that Desean Jackson had last year?  If anything can be taken from a rookie minicamp where hitting is not allowed and no one is wearing pads, it is obvious that Andy Reid and his staff are doing everything they can to make sure these three rookies are ready to contribute right from opening day. 

However, we won’t truly know how they’ll respond until the season starts in September.

On the defensive side of the ball, it is impossible to overlook the departure of S Brian Dawkins.  While he was undoubtedly at the tail end of his career, he was the heart and soul of not only the defense, but of the entire team.

The loss of Dawkins, one of the most beloved players in franchise history, was felt like an earthquake throughout the entire city.  Production-wise, the Eagles should be able to replace his on-the-field contributions with second-year man Quintin Demps and free agent pickups Rashard Baker and Sean Jones. 

But you can’t measure leadership in statistics, and B-Dawk was the unquestioned leader of this team.  How will the team respond without him?

Despite the need to integrate the new offensive linemen and the expected reliance on rookies, on paper at least, it is hard to imagine the Eagles not improving upon 2008’s 9-6-1 record, with as many as 12 wins not out of the question. 

If everything falls into place, and Donovan McNabb continues to put up the kind of numbers he has over his entire career, look for the Eagles to compete deep into January, as they have almost every year in the Andy Reid era. 

Optimistic Eagles fans are counting on the team playing into February.