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With T.O. gone, Eagles have one less headache
July 25, 2006
CBS SportsLine.com wire reports

BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- The Philadelphia Eagles improved team chemistry by subtracting Terrell Owens. Solving their other problems won't be as simple.

Coming off a dismal season in which they finished last in the NFC East and lost all six division games, the Eagles must address several questions in training camp.

How can they replace Owens' playmaking skills? Can quarterback Donovan McNabb return to his Pro Bowl form after the worst season of his seven-year career? Is injury-prone running back Correll Buckhalter healthy enough to fill the need for a bigger back?

Can the defense regain the nastiness that made it one of the toughest in the league? Who will emerge as the starters at two of three open spots at linebacker? Will the front line put any pressure on quarterbacks?

For the first time since making five consecutive trips to the playoffs, including four straight appearances in the NFC championship game and one Super Bowl, Philadelphia isn't considered a front-runner in the conference. Still, players and coaches aren't ready to call this a rebuilding season after a 6-10 record in 2005.

With McNabb healthy after missing the final seven games following surgery for a sports hernia, and several other key starters returning from injuries, the Eagles have a solid nucleus of veterans who've built a winning tradition in Philadelphia.

The team practiced in full pads for the first time Tuesday and is spending two extra weeks at Lehigh University this season instead of the usual 15 days or so, while also playing a fifth preseason game.

"I forgot about last season," defensive end Jevon Kearse said. "It's very imperative to get that behind us. We're telling ourselves because of what we did last season, we're going to be here in Lehigh two extra weeks, so we might as well use these two weeks to get better."

While Owens' disruptive behavior was a constant distraction last season, the star wideout was the best player on the field. He scored 20 touchdowns in his 21 games over 1½ seasons in Philadelphia. The Eagles don't have a receiver who can fill Owens' shoes, but McNabb has better targets this season.

Second-year pro Reggie Brown had a promising rookie year and likely takes over as the No. 1 receiver. Veteran Todd Pinkston is back after sitting out last season with a leg injury and free agent Jabar Gaffney showed potential during four unspectacular seasons in Houston. Coaches are excited about rookie Jason Avant, who had 169 catches at Michigan.

Even with Owens and McNabb playing together, the offense struggled at times, mainly because it became too predictable. Coach Andy Reid relied too heavily on the passing game, allowing teams to focus on stopping McNabb and containing Owens.

The Eagles have to emphasize running back Brian Westbrook, a Pro Bowl player in 2004. Ryan Moats showed flashes of his breakaway speed as a rookie and third-year pro Bruce Perry could work his way into the mix. If Buckhalter stays on the field, this group of backs could give the Eagles a more balanced offense.

"The urgency is always going to be higher," tight end L.J. Smith said. "Tolerate less mistakes and work harder. That's the attitude we're going in with."

The Eagles hope their offseason additions on defense can solidify a once-dominant unit. Free agent defensive end Darren Howard and rookie defensive tackle Brodrick Bunkley should bolster the pass rush. Bunkley, though, remains unsigned.

Pro Bowl middle linebacker Jeremiah Trotter could have two new starters playing next to him. Greg Richmond and rookie Chris Gocong are competing with incumbent Dhani Jones for the starting strongside linebacker spot. Shawn Barber and second-year pro Matt McCoy are battling for the weakside starting job.

The secondary, which sent three players to the Pro Bowl in 2004, had a subpar year mainly because quarterbacks had too much time to pass. A stronger rush up front should help cornerbacks Lito Sheppard and Sheldon Brown and safeties Brian Dawkins and Michael Lewis shut down receivers.

Notes
Pinkston sat out Tuesday's practices for precautionary reasons after experiencing some swelling in his right leg. Pinkston tore his left Achilles' tendon last year.
Rookie WRs Avant (knee) and Jeremy Bloom (hamstring) and fullback Thomas Tapeh (hamstring) also didn't practice.
A crowd of 6,157 came out to watch the first "live" practice.

AP NEWS
The Associated Press News Service
Copyright 2005-2006, The Associated Press, All Rights Reserved


The Eagles glory days are behind them. Removing T.O. isn't going to solve anything when the team has gotten older and received a big blow last year. I'm a strong believer of momentum, and last season and everything that happened took all of the Eagles momentum.

The Eagles didn't have him last year either and they still sucked. Why would this year be any different. Their D is the only thing stopping them from being on the bottom of the standings.

no they did not Improve

If Mcnabb, Brown, and Westbrook were playing the whole game they probably would have won.

The Eagles still need to recover from that collapse last season. They're not going to do well this year. I'd say they'll finish 8-8.

yeah but remember there record last year and those players arent that good just wait till the regular season starts and you'll see they wont be able to beat the cowboys for there division title

the eagles have not gotten better

How can they replace Owens' playmaking skills? Can quarterback Donovan McNabb return to his Pro Bowl form after the worst season of his seven-year career? Is injury-prone running back Correll Buckhalter healthy enough to fill the need for a bigger back? all these questions are hard but i can answer them. No!