The Eagles Will be Running to an NFC East Title in 2009

For all of the crazed Philadelphia Eagles fans who have been clamoring for the offense to run the ball more, this could be your year. 

Mind you that the Eagles are not going to revert to a 1940's style of play and pretend as though the forward pass has not been adapted yet, but with the moves and draft picks made this offseason things are lining up for the Eagles to have a stronger running game.

Not only do the Eagles have what it takes to run the ball but they will bedazzle the eyes when they do. 

Brian Westbrook is of course already in the bag of Andy Reid's tricks. Teams should be wary of Westbrook lining up with the wide receivers, but he is also tough to stop when he comes out of the backfield. With Westbrook, the Eagles have as close to a resemblance of Barry Sanders that they could possibly have. Westbrook's ability to change directions and avoid on coming tacklers at the blink of an eye, make him like the Lions all-star.

Until recently though it was up to Correll Buckhalter to be the go to guy on short yard situations, or to just give Westbrook a break.  No longer can the Eagles rely on Buckhalter though as he has signed with the Denver Broncos.  Now lining up in the more traditional full back position will be Leonard Weaver, who signed from the Seattle Seahawks.

Weaver is a signing that should not go overlooked.  With Weaver the Eagles make a significant upgrade in the backfield and now possess a player that can block well and pound out much needed short yardage.  Including Weaver in the short yardage packages will reduce the amount of times Donovan McNabb attempts a play action pass.  Defenses were never surprised when the Eagles would pass on third down and one or two yards to go.  Now they must focus on stuffing the run.  Perhaps then the Eagles can be more dangerous on the trick plays.

But as if the Eagles ground game has not improved enough, the drafting of LeSean McCoy is further proof that the Eagles will commit to the running game more in 2009.  McCoy may not see a huge work load early in the season, but if he can make strides in training camp he can be a terrific asset to the offense early on. Similar in style to Westbrook, McCoy can make the offense lethal with speed and the ability to change directions on a whim.

Fittingly you can expect Reid to have some trick plays up his sleeve, such as wide receiver sweeps featuring DeSean Jackson, one of the more fascinating players on the field every time he is out there.

Are the Eagles going to run the ball in 2009? 

Yes Eagles fans, they are, and they have the players to elevate the level of play doing so en route to an NFC East division title.