Last year the Eagles suffered a lot of injuries but they surged at the end of the season winning their last three games setting themselves up with some momentum heading into 2008.  Andy Reid has made the Eagles into a contender almost every season as he learned well from Mike Holmgren in Green Bay.  Reid has been the head coach of the Eagles for 9 years now and he has compiled a 88-56 record (61.1%) during the regular season and he is also 8-6 (57.1%) is the post season.  The NFC East is a very tough division top to bottom but Reid is a master tactician who should have them ready to play every single week giving the Eagles a legit chance to return to playoff form.

The Eagles have released 37-year old DT Kimo Von Oelhoffen which could signal the end of his NFL career.  He played in 8 games (1 start) with the Eagles last season and he only made 2 tackles.  Von Oelhoffen has now played in 197 games in his NFL career and he made 356 tackles, defensed 14 passes, had 26.5 sacks and he forced 4 fumbles.  Don’t look for anyone to pick him up because of his age and the Eagles won’t miss him.

This was a defensive battle earlier tonight in Pittsburgh.  Donovan McNabb played well in the first half of the game as he completed 10 of 13 passes for 97 yards with 1 TD pass.  Kevin Kolb replaced him and he was o.k. completing 12 of 21 passes for 81 yards.  A.J. Feeley appeared out of whack tonight completing only 6 of 14 passes for 51 yards.  2nd year back Tony Hunt was busy carrying the ball 6 times for 18 yards (3.0 ypc).  Correll Buckhalter also had a decent game with 18 yards rushing on 6 carries (3.0 ypc).  He also added 3 catches for 15 yards (5.0 avg) tonight.  Lorenzo Booker pitched in with 16 yards on 4 carries (4.0 ypc) in his debut with the Eagles.  Rookie WR Desean Jackson led Eagles’ receivers with 5 catches for 51 yards (10.2 avg) in his first game in the pros.  The Eagles finished up with 61 yards rushing on 20 carries (3.1 ypc).  They also completed 28 of 48 passes for 210 yards against a tough Steelers’ defense.

Linebackers Akeem Jordan and Joe Mays led the way for the Eagles tonight with 6 tackles apiece.  Rookie DT Trevor Laws also had a solid first game in the pros with 4 tackles and a sack.  The Steelers rushed for 118 yards on 35 carries (3.4 ypc) tonight.  They also only attempted 16 passes completing 9 of them for 71 yards.  The Eagles defense was outstanding but they need the offense to convert yards into points.

The Eagles need 33-year old David Akers to rebound from a rough 2007 season in which he left a lot of points on the field.  Akers played in all 16 games for the Eagles last season and he connected on 24 of 32 (75%) field goal attempts.  Akers also converted all 36 of his extra points.  Akers seems to be starting to look his age and the Eagles can’t afford him messing up in 2008.  Akers has now played in 141 games in his NFL career and he has made 197 of 244 field goals (80.7%).  Akers has also made 308 of 312 extra points (98.7%) in his career.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  C

The Eagles appear four deep with decent TEs for 2008.  It all starts with 28-year old L.J. Smith who has been one of Donovan McNabb’s favorite targets in the past.  He needs to stay healthy to be effective however which he wasn’t very often last year.  Smith played in 10 games for the Eagles last season and he caught 22 passes for 236 yards (10.7 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Look for Smith to rebound with a big season in 2008.  Smith has now played in 73 games in his NFL career and he has caught 194 passes for 2,227 yards (11.5 avg) with 15 TD grabs.

23-year old Brent Celek had a solid rookie season in 2007 for the Eagles.  Celek played in all 16 games for the Eagles last season and he caught 16 passes for 178 yards (11.1 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Look for Celek to have a decent season if he can hold off Kris Wilson and Matt Schobel for playing time.

26-year old Kris Wilson was brought in as a free agent during the offseason from the Chiefs where he was playing a lot of fullback.  Wilson is a good blocker in the running game and he has good hands despite not having the speed to go deep.  Wilson played in all 16 games for the Chiefs last season and he caught 24 passes for 180 yards (7.5 avg) with 1 TD grab.  He also carried the football 3 times for 7 yards (2.3 ypc) last season.  Look for Wilson to get his fair share of the playing time at TE for the Eagles but it will be mostly be on running downs.  Wilson has now played in 46 games in his NFL career and he has caught 42 passes for 345 yards (8.2 avg) with 4 TD grabs.  Wilson has also carried the ball 4 times for 13 yards (3.3 ypc) in his career.

29-year old Matt Schobel appears to have the odds stacked against him as far as playing time goes in 2008.  Schobel played in 15 games for the Eagles last season and he caught 11 passes for 108 yards (9.8 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Unless there is an injury it might be hard for Schobel to move up on the depth chart.  Schobel has now played in 94 games in his NFL career and he has caught 115 passes for 1,260 yards (11.0 avg) with 12 TD grabs.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  C