2009 Philadelphia Eagles Expectations

I am quite sure that my expectations, and the team's expectations are the same. Win the Super Bowl. But to do that, these are the key things we HAVE to accomplish.

First, and this with all due respect of Brian Westbrook, we have to establish a running game without Brian Westbrook. While history says, opposing defenses have struggled with this, it is imperative we have someone else to help carry the load back there.

Brian is most effective when he can run and catch, but can he be healthy throughout the season? Is LeSean McCoy the player we hope he is? Will Lorenzo Booker match what his counter-part at FSU, Leon Washington, has done for the Jets?

If not, we may be screwed. The recent surgery Brian had may turn out to be more serious than they let on. As Andy Reid mentioned, the timing is bad. I know the impeccable shape Westbrook is in, but is that enough to get him ready for Week One?

With the departure of, yes, also injury prone, Correll Buckhalter, we have a hole in the backfield, which I am sure McCoy and Booker can fill. Well, he must fill it because Brian needs to be healthy all season, for us to be serious contenders of the title game. And that means cutting down his reps per game.

One other area of concern for me is the wide receiver position. Yes DeSean Jackson played very well his rookie season, and we did draft Jeremy Maclin, but we did not go after that big receiver I know we, all as fans, wanted.

Even with Kevin Curtis and Reggie Brown being healthy right now, I'm not sure that's enough. Jason Avant and Hank Baskett really have to show up, and step their game this year as well.

Reggie Brown is a half season away from becoming an official bust. I was very happy when we drafted him, but so far, he has produced very little. And must show us he can do the job.

Don't get me wrong, with the emergence of Avant and Baskett, other teams would be drooling over the shot to say their receiving corps consisted of DeSean Jackson, Kevin Curtis, Reggie Brown, Jason Avant, and Hank Baskett, If we can get some production out of all of them.

But we so very badly needed a big guy out wide. We have guys with the size, they just have to learn to use it. And use it well. Some say you need a "number one reciever," but if this corps plays like we all know they can, all at the same time, we will have a roster of No. 1's.

Defensively, the only thing that concerns me is the health of Jim Johnson. Who, to me, is THE greatest defensive coordinator of all-time. But I know his staff is very capable, and anyone who has had a chance to work with Jim has learned a great deal, and will give us another great season on that side of the ball.

Will there be a drop off in production from safety left by the loss of Brian Dawkins? Yes. Will it hinder our defensive production? No offense Dawk, but no. We have very capable guys back there that know the position well, so no need to worry.

Outside of the previous concerns about the offense, my main concern with our team this year is play-calling. In the past we have been pretty iffy on when to call a run late in the game and when to keep passing.

In 2007 Akers missed the game-winning field goal against the New York Giants after we drove the ball down the field through the air, got within "field goal range" (not a knock on Akers, love the guy, played soccer against him in high school), and called three straight runs.

Akers missed the field goal by two inches. And I have seen the same sort of play-calling in at least three other games since.

Letting Brian Dawkins sign with Denver will haunt us for years to come (maybe just two, but still), maybe not on-the-field as much, but definitely in the locker-room. Donovan may be the face of the organization, but Dawkins was the leader in the locker-room.

No knock on McNabb, he has shown he deserves to be our guy without as doubt in my mind, but that kind of leadership cannot be duplicated. And when it gets rough, and it will get rough, who can be the player the whole team looks to and asks, "what do we do?"

I look for a year better than last, and hopefully worse than the next. If we are firing on all cylinders there is no way we don't win the NFC East. Go on to the NFC Champ game, and bring the trophy home to the good guys. But if we tie the Bengals again (I know we don't play them this year, this is a euphemism) we will not meet my expectations.

As a side note, I attended said Bengals' game, and it hurt worse then when I shattered my wrist, so please, Philadelphia, let's not do that again.