Sep 7, 2008 11:46 am US/Eastern
Eagles Kickoff 2008 Season Against The Rams
PHILADELPHIA (AP) ―
The Philadelphia Eagles were the only NFC East team that
failed to make the playoffs last season. Now they expect to win the division.
A healthy Donovan McNabb should play a big role in that
quest, and he'll begin his 10th season under center for the Eagles on Sunday
when they open against the St. Louis Rams.
The 31-year-old McNabb enters the season at full strength,
unlike last year when he was coming off ACL surgery. Late in the 2007 season,
though, he started playing like the scrambling star quarterback of his Pro Bowl
years before injuries derailed his career.
"I felt good this preseason," McNabb said.
"To be healthy, obviously, is important, but nothing overwhelming. I've
approached this preseason, maybe, a whole lot differently, because of my health.
... It's an important season for all of us."
The Eagles ended last season with three straight wins behind
McNabb's resurgence, but it came too late. Their 8-8 record was the worst in
the NFC East while the New York Giants won the Super Bowl, Dallas
won the division and Washington
earned a wild-card spot.
"We beat the Cowboys last year. The Redskins, we should
have beaten them the first time. The Giants, we should have beaten them both
times," McNabb said. "It's not just teams in our (division), it's the
NFC, period. I feel like we can compete with all of them.
"If you ask those teams, they'll tell you the same,
that we have the type of team you have to look out for."
McNabb rediscovered his scrambling ability last season as he
got healthier, rushing 29 times for 166 yards in his final six starts. However,
he missed two games and most of another due to a sprained ankle, marking the
fourth straight year he played less than a full season.
His production again proved vital to Philadelphia's success. In six losses, McNabb
completed 57.3 percent of his passes for 1,231 yards with four touchdowns and
three interceptions. In seven wins - games he finished - he completed 66.9
percent for 2,059 yards with 15 TDs and two interceptions.
Some consider Brian Westbrook to be just as important for Philadelphia. He led the
NFL with a franchise-record 2,104 total yards from scrimmage and became the
first Eagles rusher with back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons since Duce Staley in
1998-99.
The Eagles signed Westbrook to a new deal during the
offseason to keep the All-Pro happy, something the Rams had to do with star
runner Steven Jackson.
He was a holdout until signing a six-year, $44 million deal
on Aug. 20, with St. Louis
realizing he's needed to have any shot of bouncing back from a 3-13 record. Jackson, coming off his
third straight 1,000-yard season despite playing only 12 games, is expected to
carry a full load in the opener.
"He's ready to go," Rams coach Scott Linehan said.
"He's gotten in two weeks of real solid conditioning along with the reps.
We're going to play him like we always do. He looks like his same old self to
me."
Jackson
can be as important to the passing game, having recorded 90 receptions in 2006,
just as Westbrook did last season to lead the Eagles.
While Westbrook remains one of McNabb's top targets, Philadelphia was
criticized for not adding an impact wide receiver via free agency, especially
considering the only year it made the Super Bowl during McNabb's tenure was
Terrell Owens' only full season with the team.
Second-round pick DeSean Jackson could help, but Kevin
Curtis is out following hernia surgery, Reggie Brown is doubtful for this game
with a hamstring injury and neither projected starter is considered a No. 1
receiver.
The defense, though, made a big addition by signing former
Patriots All-Pro cornerback Asante Samuel to a $57.14 million, six-year
contract. Samuel joins a talented secondary - former Pro Bowler Lito Sheppard
isn't even starting after the team failed to trade him - led by veteran safety
Brian Dawkins.
Plus, Chris Clemons was signed after having eight sacks as a
reserve for Oakland last season, giving Philadelphia a solid pair
of defensive ends along with Pro Bowler Trent Cole.
"This is one of the most excited I've been going into
the season," Dawkins said. "In 2004 (when Philadelphia made the Super Bowl), I was
jacked up because I felt great about that year. I feel great where this team is
headed right now."
The Rams certainly appeared to be going in the wrong
direction last season, finishing with the NFC's worst record and the
franchise's worst since 1991.
However, injuries were a big part of that debacle. Jackson
and starting quarterback Marc Bulger each missed four games, and All-Pro tackle
Orlando Pace sat out all but one. With all of them healthy, and new offensive
coordinator Al Saunders taking over, there is hope the St. Louis offense will
return to the glory days of earlier this decade when it was among the most
feared in the NFL.
"I think when you see the attitude, our ability to run
and protect up front, there's a lot of positives you can draw from in what's
going to be a really good offense," Linehan said.
The defense, though, remains a concern. The Rams allowed 27.4
points per game last season, second-most in the league, and is counting on a
lot of youngsters.
They took Michigan
defensive end Chris Long with the second overall pick in this year's draft and
he's joined on the line by 2007 first-rounder Adam Carriker. The secondary
includes safety Oshiomogho Atogwe, who topped the NFC with eight interceptions
in 2007 in his third NFL season, and cornerback Tye Hill, a first-round pick in
2006.
"You worry about injuries and depth and we've got a lot
of young guys," defensive coordinator Jim Haslett said. "But it could
be a good group."
These teams last played in 2005 and the Eagles won
17-16
(© 2008 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
