Are the 2009 Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl Ready?

There's a certain buzz about this Eagles team. A buzz that has give fans the evil thought that, "This IS the year!" Now don't get me wrong, I'm all for optimism, but mostly in the form of, "This COULD be the year."

Many times over, we have been fooled into thinking that this season is our time, only to have a big playoff loss pie smashed into our dumbfounded faces.

But this year seems different. The Eagles were surprisingly aggressive in the offseason. Surprisingly offensive minded. Armed with the thoughts that they were a couple of playmakers away in 2008.

This offseason saw the addition of a true fullback, Leonard Weaver. The addition of one of the league's most underrated safeties, Sean Jones. And the addition of offensive playmakers through the draft. Receiver, Jeremy Maclin and running back, LeSean McCoy.

Let's also not forge the addition of possibly the best left tackle in the game today, Jason Peters.

But we also must remember, the departed. The longtime veterans who left everything they had on that field every Sunday, Brian Dawkins, Tra Thomas, and Jon Runyan.

With those players gone, the obstacles facing this club may outweigh expectations.

Defensive expectations:

Jim Johnson's crew is expected to turn in another stellar performance in '09. It's safe to say that this is a better, more experienced group than last year. The young linebackers have had another year to ease into the system. Quintin Mikell is emerging as one of the top safeties in football.

The front four are stocked with youth and will be no doubt bringing the heat again. Trent Cole's leadership and the development of Victor Abiamiri and Bryan Smith at even more talent to an already stout unit.

The secondary, minus Dawkins should again be one of the top in the league. Asante Samuel has had another year to get familiar with one of the most complex systems in the league and the addition of Sean Jones adds more firepower and playmaking ability to an already dangerous group.

And how could we forget, the linebackers. One of the youngest groups in the league, led by middle linebacker, Stewart Bradley. Bradley, among others, will be expected to raise his game to a new level. 

With Chris Gocong evolving into a dynamic run stopper, and Akeem Jordan continuing his development on the weak side, there is no reason not to think this group can become one of the league's elite.

 
Offensive Expectations:

Again, expectations will be amazingly high for this offense in 2009. Though, they finished in the top ten in yards in '08, they were arguably the NFL's most inconsistent unit.

We all know the situation at quarterback, Donovan McNabb is the man, that is unless another catastrophe occurs and the heir apparent Kevin Kolb sees action. We all want to see that, right? About McNabb.

There is no excuse for his struggles this time. He has two tight ends who have great potential. He's got a very talented group of receivers, and a backfield that has the ability to make big plays, and move the chains.

In the backfield, there is talent across the board. Andy Reid and company finally added the true fullback this team has lacked since Jon Ritchie, in Leonard Weaver. Another plus is the addition of rookie slasher, LeSean McCoy. If the offensive line can jell in time for the regular season, this rushing attack should see a significant improvement in 2009.

At receiver, expectations are higher than recent years, given the additions made in the past two seasons. The Eagles have speed across the board with DeSean Jackson, Kevin Curtis and rookie Jeremy Maclin. The possession receivers, Avant and Baskett, should receive a push from Reggie Brown, who could easily be on the brink of being cut.

Some games, they looked unstoppable. Others, they looked fresh off of an all-nighter. The offensive line lost two of its leaders in Tra Thomas and Jon Runyan. But gained a tremendous talent in the form of All-Pro left tackle Jason Peters. The O-line also added hybrid guard/tackle, Stacy Andrews, brother of left guard, Shawn Andrews.

Defensive obstacles:

One obstacle comes along the defensive front seven. If Victor Abiamiri beats out Juqua Parker at left defensive end, it will give the Eagles the youngest front seven in all of football.

The maturity of that front seven could make the difference between the defense turning in a performance similar to what they did in 2008, and a performance like 2006 where the Eagles defense ranked in the lower half of the NFL in all rushing categories.

The secondary will need to overcome the loss of Brian Dawkins, as well as jell together as a group. With all of the new additions (Ellis Hobbs, Sean Jones, Rashad Baker, Byron Parker) gelling is the most important thing. Quintin Mikell will need to establish his leadership on this defense even more.

Offenseive obstacles:

Donovan McNabb has a few new toy's to play with in his offense. Jeremy Maclin, LeSean McCoy and Cornelius Ingram to name a few. The catch is, these guys are rookies. It may take them until six, seven, maybe eight weeks into the season to really make an impact on this team, and by then, they could be in a big hole.

The offensive line lost two of it's leaders in Runyan and Thomas, but added two talented replacements (Peters and Stacy Andrews). Can this unit gell the way the 2008 crew did? Only time will tell.

The receivers will need to overcome the amazing amount of dropped passes that has grown season-by-season. The growth and development of Maclin and DeSean Jackson should see those drops decrease, but it is up to the other players in this group to keep the drops in check.

At running back, the obstacle will be LeSean McCoy adjusting to the speed of the NFL. Coming out of the Big East, where defenses are known for being weak, there will be a significant learning curve.

Expectations are extremely high right now for this group of Birds'. A lot of people already projecting win/loss records at 12-4 to 14-2, to me that is absurd. I see this team as an 11-5 group, given the strength of the division in 2009.