Philadelphia Eagles 2009: Who Dares, Wins

Living in the NFC's shark-tank division constantly forces the Philadelphia Eagles to bring out their "A-game" in order to win the division and/or make the playoffs. But with the other teams in the NFC East having all made some big and bold moves, the Eagles will have to fight and scrap for every NFC East win in 2009.

Heading into next season, the Eagles already have a few things going against them; defensive coordinator Jim Johnson will be on an indefinite leave of absence as he battles against cancer, and several key players from seasons past (Brian Dawkins, Lito Sheppard, LJ Smith, etc.) have been let go.

One player who is still around is QB Donovan McNabb, who, against all odds, managed to play a full season last year. McNabb's place as the starter is now more secure than it was this time last year, and even if contract extension talks fail, Kevin Kolb still hasn't shown enough potential to make McNabb expendable for a team built to win now.

Philadelphia drafted Jeremy Maclin with their first pick in the 2009 draft, giving the Eagles a bona-fide playmaker at WR for the first time since "The Player" and Buffalo's newest problem Terrell Owens was in town. The loss of Smith and Correll Buckhalter have also been offset by the drafting of Pitt RB LeSean McCoy Florida TE Cornelius Ingram. Gambling on youth to give the Eagles that extra Super Bowl push may be risky, but the potential for fireworks out of all three rookies is certainly there.

Johnson's abscence wiill put more pressure on head coach Andy Reid to pay attention to the defensive side of the ball, but that shouldn't have an effect on the offensive play-calling. The Eagles have the 9th-toughest strength of schedule in 2009, and with tough trips to Carolina, San Diego and Atlanta beckoning, Philadelphia could be in trouble early if they don't take care of business at home.

Best Case Scenario: Johnson returns sooner rather than later, Maclin and DeSean Jackson turn into a dynamic duo for McNabb, McCoy becomes the "thunder" to Brian Westbrooks' "lightning", and the young defense holds up.

Worst Case Scenario: McNabb gets injured/ becomes disgruntled, opposing defenses pile the front against Westbrook, rookies all fail to contribute, defense suffers without the previous veteran leadership.

Prediction: Maclin gets the job done in his rookie season, freeing up space for Westbrook to  put up MVP-like numbers. McNabb holds up  for another season, and the Eagles  finish in a tie for the NFC East title at 11-5.