It's Finally the Philadelphia Eagles' Year

Of all the teams that look like Super Bowl contenders this year, the Eagles are the one that has the greatest chance to win it.  

They may not look like the strongest team on paper, but their history of playing at a high level at the end of the season combined with them being due for a lucky break or two this year more than offsets that, and a tough schedule that features eleven opponents with .500 records or better a year ago also doesn’t hurt when it comes to preparing for a deep playoff run.

You do not necessarily have to be the best team to hoist the Vince Lombardi Trophy, but just have to be playing your best football when January rolls around and have a little bit of luck on your side.

Its Philadelphia’s turn to receive some luck in the playoffs this year, as they certainly didn’t get any in their 32-25 loss to Arizona in the NFC Championship game last January.

Obviously you also have to have a roster full of playmakers on offense and defense to be the last team standing, and the Eagles have that, as they not only line up with the deepest group of cornerbacks in the league, but also their most dangerous receiving core since 2004 and a quality spell back to the always underappreciated Brian Westbrook in rookie LeSean McCoy.

Philly’s offense could end up being more potent than they were five years ago when Terrell Owens donned the midnight green for one season, as speedy wideouts DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin will stretch the field and allow for possession receivers like Hank Baskett, Kevin Curtis and Jason Avant to get open underneath, with Westbrook posing the same threat that he always does in the flats and over the middle.

And in the ground game, Westbrook will still be as dominant as ever thanks to the Eagles sturdy offensive line, and thanks to McCoy will also be able to stay fresh and healthy throughout the season.

Plus with Michael Vick joining the team most likely by week three, offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg has the option of running a potentially effective wildcat offense with him and McNabb or a variety of trick plays featuring Vick lining up all over the field.   

And its not like McNabb will have to put that many points on the board in the first place, as Philly’s third-ranked defense in the league from a year ago has gotten stronger with the additions of corner Ellis Hobbs and rookie free safety Macho Harris.

The D may no longer be led by their late-great coordinator Jim Johnson, who passed away this past July after a battle with melanoma, but his successor, Sean McDermott, and his squad will represent him well.

They'll continue to get to their opponents’ quarterback via a great pass rush from the defensive line and blitzes from all over that will generate numerous fumbles and countless interception opportunities for shutdown cornerbacks Asante Samuel (who is better than Oakland’s Nnamdi Asomugha) and Sheldon Brown.      

The Eagles will also have an advantage in the playoffs in four months because of the fact that lining up against the Giants, Cowboys and Redskins a combined six times to go along with five other opponents that won at least eight games last year will force them to play at a high level every week, and thus get better and better as a team, much like the Steelers were helped by a tough schedule last year.  

And while the Patriots, Chargers, and Saints feature offenses that are more dangerous than a motorized vehicle operated by Marshawn Lynch, their secondaries aren’t good enough to win a Super Bowl (I don’t see the Steelers winning the Super Bowl this year because of how hard it is to repeat).

The New York Giants won’t beat out Philadelphia for the NFC East crown, nor have a shot at a ring, until they find two consistent replacements for Plaxico Burress and Amani Toomer.  

I don’t have any concerns about Philadelphia though, and I feel that the playoffs will finally be friendly to them in 2010 so long as their receiving core can make big plays in big situations and their defense can generate the dominant pass rush that they always had under Johnson.

If those things happen, then the city of Brotherly Love will win it’s first-ever Lombardi trophy on Feb. 7 in Miami.