January 15, 2008
With the NFL playoffs entering the final stage and championship games looming, it's a good time to look back at the Eagles' 2007 season and what the team can do for the future.
For a die-hard fan, the season was painful to watch, not just because the team went 8-8 and missed the playoffs for the third time in nine years, but because the team had Super Bowl hopes before the season began.
The '07 season will be remembered as one where the Eagles were a few big plays and key injuries away from being the dominant team they can be.
Dating back to Week 1 in Green Bay, the Eagles have made costly mistakes at the wrong times losing them a lot of games, whether because of penalties, turnovers or bad clock management.
Injuries also plagued the team.
On defense, all-pro defensive backs Brian Dawkins and Lito Sheppard, the team’s top defensive playmakers, were in and out of the lineup all year, and when they were in you could tell they were struggling.
On the offensive side, quarterback Donovan McNabb spent half the season coming back from the bad ACL tear he suffered last year.
However, for all the darkness this year, there were many bright spots.
Toward the end of the season, McNabb started to look like the probowl QB he once was, as he seemed to move around better and put more confidence in his surgically repaired right knee.
New and young players showed some brilliant flashes of excellence; some of these players include Kevin Curtis, Takeo Spikes, Stewart Bradley, Brent Celek, Chris Gocong, Omar Gaither, Quintin Mikell, Trent Cole and JR Reed.
And, of course, let us not forget the historic season Brian Westbrook had. Westbrook not only led the league in total yards, but he also set franchise records in total yards and catches.
I truly believe the Eagles are only a few key players away from another run at greatness. On offense, they need one more explosive weapon to take some of the pressure off Westbrook and McNabb. Curtis is a great receiver, but getting someone like Bernard Berrien, a free agent from Chicago, would be a great upgrade.
On defense, Trent Cole is getting exhausted doing all the pass rushing. The Eagles should bring in another proven pass rusher who can help Cole get to the QB.
If the Chiefs don’t re-sign him, Jared Allen will be a free agent that the Eagles should consider picking up.
On special teams, the Eagles still lack an explosive return man. The Jeremy Bloom experiment failed, and Reno Mahe just doesn’t cut it. There are always some good, fast guys available in the draft. It would be a huge plus if the Birds could nab one.
The 2007 season will be considered a failure by many, and in my eyes it is as well. But we shouldn’t forget the good things that can help the Eagles next year and beyond.
