The Eagles have descended upon Lehigh Valley this week, and that can only mean one thing: The football season is upon us. It may be a little preliminary to bust out that cheesehead or dog mask, but the start of training camp is a simple summer reminder that Sundays will soon be transformed yet again. And for Philadelphia Eagles fans, it’s a subtle reminder that, much like the seasons, their team is changing too.

I expressed my discontent about moving McNabb (especially within the division) on many occasions. At the time, I was angry and dismissive of anything Eagles related for months, and it was an easy attitude to adopt because football was out of sight and out of mind, many months down the road. However, now that players have reported to Lehigh Valley, I find myself hanging on the daily updates, wondering what lies ahead for this new core of players.

I have to admit, though, it’s a very strange feeling to watch these early practices without seeing the players who laid the foundation of this team over the last decade. Last year it was hard enough to move on without Brian Dawkins, and then even more solemn when Jim Johnson lost his battle with cancer. It felt like the heart and soul of the defense had been ripped out. Now this year the Eagles move forward without McNabb and Westbrook, the two biggest offensive weapons perhaps in the history of the franchise.

Yes, the times they are a changin’. Andy Reid said it best when he gave a press conference following Monday’s practice: “There’s a little bit of unknown, which I kind of like. I like that. I think it’s

a great challenge, for the coaches and for he players. There’s some big name, proven players on this football team that aren’t here. And so it’s important that the young players on this football team step up and go.”

I can honestly say that, for once, Andy and I are on the same page. I don’t think that anyone, including the players and coaches on the Eagles, really know what this team is capable of, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The unknown can sometimes be scary, but it also means that there can’t be any unreasonable expectations. I have yet to come across anyone who is declaring this Eagles team the favorite to win the Super Bowl. In fact, many analysts have projected them in the 7-9, 8-8, or 9-7 range, which is fair.

But the benefit there is that this team can simply go about its business and learn to function together as a cohesive unit. And sometimes the unknown can really bring a team together by forming an “us against the world” mentality, when everyone has already ruled them out because of their inexperience.

Look, I’m not going to be the first to declare this team a Super Bowl favorite. It wouldn’t make any sense based on everything that I just mentioned. However, this team has talent, and a lot of faith is being put in Kevin Kolb. As much as Andy has frustrated the fan base over the years, he did manage to go against the grain on that fateful draft day to select Donovan McNabb, and although that moment was the first in a series of controversial McNabb moments in Philly, I sincerely doubt anyone on that day could have imagined that No. 5 would become the best QB in franchise history.

So if Andy Reid felt compelled to go against the grain in 2007 and draft a QB with the Eagles' first pick when they had so many other needs to fill, then I’m guessing that Andy saw something that made him feel as though this guy could be the heir apparent to the Pro Bowl QB he already had; a bailout plan if McNabb couldn’t get over the hump.

So, as the new season approaches, and I become more familiar with a new Eagles family that includes Kolb, Jackson, McCoy and Celek, it’s no wonder that there’s some kind of anxious excitement building. The torch has officially been passed, and it’s time to find out just exactly what kind of foundation this new generation of Philadelphia Eagles can lay. Much like Andy, I’m embracing the unknown.

-- SEAN JOHNSON
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While everyone else will be focused on Kevin Kolb and the defense, I'm going to be paying specific attention to LeSean McCoy and how he has progressed as a pass-blocker. It's an area of his game that was widely criticized entering his rookie season. But McCoy was never really put to the test, because it was easy to just make sure Brian Westbrook was the guy in to block on third down and other obvious passing situations.

Now that safety net is gone, and McCoy is going to be relied upon as the last line of defense for Kolb. McCoy has proven he can carry the ball and has good hands out of the backfield. All of that comes naturally since he has done it his entire life, but blocking is brand new to him. Hopefully he was taking notes while Westbrook was in town. If his blocking isn't up to snuff, don't put it past Andy Reid to stick him on the bench in favor of Leonard Weaver when the situation calls for it. Consider yourself on notice, LeSean.

-- BOB CUNNINGHAM
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Predicting what any team will do at the draft is a risky business. (Just ask Mel Kiper, who single-handedly had swarms of football fans cancelling their Saturday night plans to see how he’d react to his precious Jimmy Clausen freefalling down the draft chart.) But predicting what the Eagles will do on draft day is impossible. Just when you’re certain that they’ll be targeting a guy, they trade up or down in position or go in a totally different direction altogether. And that’s just fine, because Andy Reid and company have traditionally done well for themselves at Radio City. Like any other team, they’ve had a ton of busts, but, for the most part, they’re good at addressing key needs with players who can make an impact in the short term. This past weekend was no different.

Depending on who you talk to, the Eagles either struck out at the draft or made out very well for themselves in this draft. Reviewers seems to have wildly different feelings on first-round pick Brandon Graham; I’ve read that Graham is too small for his position and is “adequate at best” and I’ve also read that he’s a phenomenal player who will “be will be a 13-sack player in two years”

One thing is certain: The Eagles’ management effectively fooled everyone again. When everyone thought Earl Weaver would get the call, Graham did. I understand the concerns about the Michigan

standout, but clearly the Eagles have enough confidence in Graham’s raw athletic talent to overcome his height (6-1), and I’m fully trusting them on this one. The only thing I wasn’t crazy about was the price tag (two third-rounders in addition to swapping first-round picks), but then again, the Eagles had plenty of picks to play with, and if this guy was the apple of their eye, then I’m glad they got him.

On day two, the Eagles selected cornerback Nate Allen from South Florida, passing on Taylor Mays. As many already know, Mays would have likely gone in the first round of last year’s draft but did not declare, which seemed to be a mistake because it gave teams (and subsequently, critics) the opportunity to find holes in his game –- which they did. So instead, the Eagles took Allen, in part because of the inside scoop they had from ex-Eagle turned graduate assistant coach J.R. Reed.

Unfortunately for Allen, he’ll spend his entire career being compared to two Eagle legends: Donovan McNabb, who was traded for the pick that netted Allen, and Brian Dawkins, whose shoes Allen will be looking to fill. But setting aside unfair comparisons, Allen seems like an athletic guy who will be able to pick up schemes well.

In the third round, the Eagles went with Washington DE Daniel Te'o-Nesheim, which is a bit baffling. With so many defensive needs, and having taken a DE in the first, I didn’t really understand why Te'o-Nesheim got the call. But having said that, I like the pick: Just one look at this video is enough to convince me that this guy has a motor that just doesn’t stop once he steps onto the field.

On the final day of the 2010 draft, the Eagles had a handful of picks, and over the course of the day those picks became personified by Northwestern QB Mike Kafka, Clemson OLB Ricky Sapp, Florida receiver Riley Cooper, TE Clay Harbor of Missouri State and Ohio State safety Kurt Coleman. In my mind, the Eagles were the big winners on day three. Sapp was lauded by many as a second-round pick, and Cooper has the potential to be a dependable red zone target. I wasn’t the only one impressed with the Eagles final day at the draft –- John Clayton of ESPN echoes my sentiments.

Will all of these players turn out to be NFL regulars? Probably not. But the Eagles, who have been consistently good for the better part of the last decade, had some major needs entering this draft, and they wisely used a majority of their picks to begin rebuilding a defense that has been uprooted in the last two years. Like anything else, only time will tell, but for doing their homework, showing up prepared, and executing a gameplan, the Eagles receive a B+ for their 2010 Draft.

-- SEAN JOHNSON
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Setting The Stage For 2010 NFL Draft




The view of the draft stage from press row:


Pre-Draft Buzz From The Press Box, Radio City 2010




The view from the draft stage:



Firing Up The Crowd At 2010 NFL Draft




Lawrence Taylor greets Rod Woodson in the gathering of legends:



New York Fans Boo Dan Marino




Jim Brown, Jerry Rice and Barry Sanders are among the legends honored on stage:


Bucs Pick Gerald McCoy Hugs It Out With The Commish




The Chiefs Are On The Clock




ESPN's Adam Schefter makes a point in the press box between Twitter updates and on-camera appearances:


New Browns CB Joe Haden Wants LeBron To Stay In Cleveland




Bills pick C.J. Spiller gets swarmed by cameras as he moves from the green room to the stage:


Jets Fans Meet "The Draft Queen"




The Professor works the press box:


Eagles And Giants Fans Face Off




Eagles Fans React To First-Round Pick




The NFL salutes the U.S. military:


Jets Fans React To The Selection Of CB Kyle Wilson

Cheering at the draft can build an appetite. Check out the line at the snack bar:



-- ERIC HERD, SEAN JOHNSON, BRANDON KOPCEUCH, TERRY LONG
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According to Tony Pauline's (of SI.com) player rankings, the Eagles had a fairly successful draft with six picks he would rank as value picks, and three guys he would call a reach. A reach, of course, being a player taken before his projected grade, and a value being a player taken after his projected round.

Four picks, according to Pauline, were right where they should be. Brandon Graham (DE - 1st round), Nate Allen (FS - 2nd round), Daneil Te'o-Nesheim (DE - 3rd round), and Keenan Clayton (4th round) were all spot on according to their grade.

Mike Mayock, however, had a sixth or seventh-round grade for Te'o-Nesheim. But, for our purposes, let's stick with what Pauline says -- mainly because it looks better.

The reaches, for some odd reason, all came in the fourth round. And some of them, specifically Clay Harbor, were very bad.

Trevor Lindley, the first pick of the Eagles' four fourth-round picks, got a sixth-round grade from Pauline. Mike Kafka, the quarterback out of Northwestern, had a fifth-round grade, and Harbor had an astounding seveth-round, or free agent, grade.

The Eagles must have seen something they like in Kafka, because there were a few quarterbacks still available that were universally ranked higher. John Skelton, a guy they really seemed to like, and Tony Pike were still on the board at the point Kafka was drafted, making it look even more like a reach.

Lindley is another perplexing pick. He seems to play a lot like Asante Samuel, a guy who, by all accounts, drives defensive coordinator Sean McDermott crazy with his freelance style of play and his refusal to play press. Lindley doesn't have the superstar syndrome that Samuel seems to have, but he has the same downfalls as Samuel.

Harbor is a guy I know very little about, but there doesn't seem to be many "experts" that have him as a good pick so early in the draft, so it's has to be a cause for concern. Reid and company used to get the benefit of the doubt, but ever since they got burned by Bryan Smith and Chris Gocong it's impossible not to second guess when they reach so badly.

However, credit must be given when credit is due. Of their 13 picks, Pauline has six rated as value picks. Ricky Sapp (DE/LB - 5th round), Riley Cooper (WR - 5th round), Charles Scott (RB - 6th round), Jamar Chaney (LB - 7th round), Kurt Coleman (S - 7th round), and Jeff Owens (DT - 7th round).

Sapp had a second-round grade, while Cooper, Scott, Chaney, Coleman, and Owens all had third-round grades.

Sapp will probably compete at SAM linebacker because of his size (6'4, 250), but the rest of these guys will have a difficult time finding a role outside of special teams.

Cooper will probably make the team solely on his ability to play special teams. Scott will have to compete with Eldra Buckley for the third running back spot and have to show he can play special teams -- an area in which Buckley excels.

Chaney will probably have to compete with Gaither, but Gaither's versatility will make it very difficult for him to find a place on this team, much less with a role on the defense. Owens, a run-stuffing defensive tackle, will have a very hard time because the Eagles have an abundance of tackles like Owens.

Brodrick Bunkley, Mike Patterson, and Antonio Dixon are all run-stuffers, so unless Owens can generate some pressure up the middle in preseason he could find himself on the practice squad or simply cut altogether.

Coleman, a safety out of Ohio State, probably has the best chance of the late-round picks to make the team. With Nate Allen probably stepping into the role of free safety right away, Marlin Jackson and Macho Harris could be moved to cornerback. That would leave Quintin Demps as the only backup safety.

Coleman is currently listed as a strong safety, making it even more likely that he becomes the guy behind Quintin Mikell since the Eagles are currently lacking a true No. 2 strong safety.

No draft class can truly be evaluated for three seasons, so it's impossible to know how well the Eagles have done with these picks. But on the surface, it looks like a great haul for a young team looking to retool and compete immediately and for the next five or six seasons.

-- BOB CUNNINGHAM
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