It Won't Be the Offense

I like where he's coming from here:

Philadelphia Eagles (8-8): Boy, this certainly is a leap of faith.

I strongly considered going with the Washington Redskins here, but decided that if the Redskins aren't convinced regarding Jason Campbell's current level of performance, then my skepticism should prevail.

So, let's assume Donovan McNabb won't suffer a season-ending back injury while looking over his shoulder at Kevin Kolb and Brian Westbrook manages to avoid space-alien abduction. If the latter occurs, the addition of Lorenzo Booker might ease the doom until Westbrook is returned to our planet.

But the big reason for optimism (delivered with a side order of skepticism) is rookie receiver DeSean Jackson, who was the nation's biggest tease while at Cal.

If Jackson can catch the ball -- and not be forced to play against USC -- his big-play potential will work wonders in Philly. We're pretty sure he can catch kickoffs and punts; at worst, he should be quite the threat in those areas.

The defensive additions include big-ticket item Asante Samuel lining up at corner, with rookie Trevor Laws capable of creating traffic jams from his defensive tackle spot. You may remember Laws as one of the few Notre Dame players who refused to be grotesquely overmatched last season.

But if the Eagles are going to be a legitimate Super Bowl threat this year, it's going to be because of the defense, not the offense.

Now I don't expect the offense to be bad, but unless McNabb can find (and stay at) his very highest level for the entire season, I don't expect this offense to be world-beating.  Good, certainly, but not historically good.

But take a look at that defense and tell me where you see the holes.  Free safety?  Maybe, but I wouldn't bet against Dawk being on a mission this year.  Strong safety?  The answer should be found somewhere among Mikell, Considine and (my favorite) Reed. 

The defensive line has depth and talent and the linebackers can run.  And how are you going to complete a pass against three cornerbacks all playing with chips on their shoulders?  These guys should match up well with Dallas and feast on Washington and New York.

If the Eagles pull off some kind of defense/offense swap (read: Lito for Johnson) then maybe the balance shifts, but right now I have a feeling we're looking at a summer of talk about the offense and a winter of domination by the defense.