2008 Philadelphia Eagles Training Camp has officially started. And so far, the star of the show has been the 49th overall Eagles 2nd round selection Desean Jackson. The slight hamstring pull in the OTA’s for Jackson, is a distant memory after a day and a half of the hot Lehigh humidity. Other then the usual McNabb watch, Jackson has stood out on the field.

There seems to be a concentrated effort to get him the ball, and he seems to be delivering so far. This portion of camp is for rookies & selected veterans, and with only 2 dozen players here until the whole team reports on Thursday, Jackson has been getting a lot of work, being 1 of 4 WR’s in attendance.

While most experts & fans expect the rookie WR to do most of his damage this year on Special Teams returning punts, he has received a lot of attention in the offense so far. He has been rotating with fellow rookie Q. Demps at punt returner, who also has shown some skills early in camp, and even had an INT during yesterday’s session. But if you follow the flashes from the fans cameras, Jackson is the focus of everyone’s early attention.

Even Donovan was giving praise, after a impressive catch, to the newest weapon in his arsenal. He is cat quick in & out of his routes and has an knack for finding space within the defense. He is clearly becoming a favorite target for all three quarterbacks in this early portion of camp. He has run all types of routes, mostly from the slot position. Fly routes, curls, slants, flats, - all while still taking reps at punt returner.

There was alot of high praise for Bloom as well, and we all know how that worked out for the team as soon as the hitting started, so it remains to be seen how his small frame will hold up to the NFL pounding. He opened day 1 with a drop on his 1st pass, but has since displayed the athleticism and good hands that could make him the 1st rookie WR to be able to contribute in his 1st year since Reggie Brown set the rookie receptions record in 2005 with 43.

Rookies traditionally struggle in this offense in year 1, but hopefully some of this quality work will translate to the field during the season.

Also, this season, he will grace the cover of EA Sports’ NCAA Football 09, traditionally given to one of the previous season’s most exciting college football players that have moved on to the NFL.

Training camp is almost here and its time to take a look at the season ahead; particularly the competition in the NFC East. Several teams have made some key off-season additions. Let’s look at them team by team.

Dallas Cowboys – (13-3 in 2007)

The Dallas Cowboys didn’t go crazy this year, but did add two key players that could mean trouble for the rest of the NFC. (and maybe for the Cowboys themselves) They drafted RB Felix Jones in the first round, who looks to be a good complement to Marion Barber. (I hate to admit it, the dude is just a beast) We’ll see how he does in the NFL, but I would suspect that he will do fairly well, and will give Barber some rest; although I hope he doesn’t work out, and Barber is exhausted by the fourth quarter of every game. They also added troubled CB Adam “Pacman” Jones (I don’t care if he’s dropping the “Pacman,” its not going anywhere) We don’t even know if this guy is going to be able to play, although he probably will. Commissioner Roger Goodell temporarily lifted Jones’ suspension so that he could practice with the Cowboys, but he could still be suspended for the season. Again, I’m pretty confident he will be on the field. The good thing for Eagles fans is that Jones hasn’t played since 2006. We can hope he’s lost something in that time. I doubt it, but there’s always hope. With troubled players and draft picks, its always a risk. We’ll see if these players work out. If they do, the Cowboys could once again take the #1 seed in the NFC. They are the number one competition, not only for the Eagles, but the entire NFC.

New York Giants – (10-6 in 2007)

The Giants were relatively quiet this year as far as key acquisitions go. They did draft WR Mario Manningham, and S Kenny Phillips, but their off-season is more on what they lost. They lost three of their starters to free agency; S Gibril Wilson, LB Kawika Mitchell, and LB Reggie Torbor. The biggest loss to the Giants has to be the retirement of Michael Strahan. Strahan’s retirement was bitter sweet. As an Eagles’ fan I was glad to see him go. We won’t have to see that guy put McNabb on his back anymore. As a fan of the game, and an Eagles’ fan, I’m going to miss him. He’s a great guy (at least he’s going to be on Fox’s pregame show.) His battles with big Jon Runyan were great. I’m going to miss that feud. I would think with Giants’ fans, its going to be a wait-and-see mentality for the upcoming season. Which Manning will they get? 20 interceptions in a season, or the near perfect QB we saw during the playoffs? Can the defense repeat with all the losses? We’ll all find out soon enough. Dallas may be the biggest competition, but the Giants are the team to beat.

Washington Redskins – (10-6 in 2007)

Who knows what to think with this team? Hall of Fame coach Joe Gibbs retired from the game, again. Some say the game passed him by, and I have to agree. They made the playoffs twice, but also went 6-10 in 2004, and 5-11 in 2006. The Redskins made no huge splash in free-agency, seeing as how they were almost maxed out on their salary cap.

They did have a fairly good draft though. They picked two big receivers in the draft in Malcolm Kelly and Devin Thomas. Thomas is a high risk-high reward pick. He came out after a very productive junior year, but was relatively quiet in his other two seasons. We’ll see how he turns out. Kelly was most noted for his complaining about the turf he ran his forty on during his pro-day. After switching to a different turf, he still didn’t do all that hot, but when it comes to playing the game, does it really matter was his pro-day forty time was? I don’t know what to really expect from the Redskins. Honestly I don’t expect much, and I see them bringing up the rear in a tough division.

Philadelphia Eagles – (8-8 in 2007)

You would think after an 8-8 season it would be hard to get your hopes up. Not so for Philly fans. McNabb is back and healthy. We got little production from the tight ends, and you have to believe with L.J. Smith back to full health, and Brent Celek having a year under his belt, that this will change in 2008. The Eagles were not quiet during the off-season, especially on defense. I think they took it personally, and they should, that the Giants won a Super Bowl using their defensive scheme. The Eagles signed CB Asante Samuel, possibly the biggest name on the free agent market, and DE Chris Clemons, (a situational pass rusher for the Oakland Raiders), on the first and second day of free agency. Samuel has had 16 interceptions in his last two seasons. (The Eagles only had 11 last season as a defense) There are questions as to whether he was only productive because of New England’s system, or if he’s really just an outstanding playmaker. I’m going to have to go with the latter. I don’t care how good the system is, 16 interceptions in two seasons, 22 career, is just outstanding, and you have to be a special player to do that no matter what system you are in. Clemons only played about 35% of the snaps last season and was able to rack up 8.5 sacks. That’s pretty impressive in itself. You have to think he will be able to help our pass rush.

There wasn’t anything too exciting about the draft. The Eagles traded out of the first round, again. They did draft WR/PR Desean Jackson and DT Trevor Laws. Jackson is an immediate boost for special teams, and looks to actually get on the field as a receiver. Laws lead the nation last year in most tackles for a loss. He should be a great help to our run defense, and will give Bunkley and Patterson some rest.

Andy Reid was dealing with family issues last off-season. (his two sons were arrested on drug charges) You have to believe that was affecting him during the season. With this issue somewhat cleared up, Reid should be back to the great coach he has been for so many years here in Philadelphia.

The outlook for this team is high, and to answer the question, the Eagles are able to compete within the division and the NFC. Our defense should be even better than last year. With added pressure on the QBs, we should see turnovers go way up. Our run defense is solid and should be a top ten again this season. Our offense should look more like it did in 2006. We came up short on the big plays (plays over 20 yards) last year, unlike 2006 when we were tied with Saints for first. Things look good for 2008 and the Eagles should be contenders, not only in the NFC East and the NFC, but throughout the NFL.

After finishing with an 8-8 record, some analysts, and fans, are calling for the Reid era to end. Missing the playoffs for two of the past three years, and coming in dead last in what is, arguably, the toughest division in the NFL. (if it is not, then it’s a close second to the AFC South) It is easy to see why people would think he is on the hot seat. This just isn’t the case with Reid.

Andy Reid is not only the best coach the Philadelphia Eagles have ever had, (his only flaw being the lack of championships), he is also one of the top coaches in the NFL. As far as the franchise goes, (according to philadelphiaeagles.com) Reid has a total of 96 wins, a .620 win percentage, making him the most winningest coach in franchise history. As far as the league goes, Reid is 16th all-time, and third among active coaches with at least 100 games coached. (Tony Dungy and Bill Belichick come in first and second)

Let’s not stop there though. Reid has the most playoff wins in franchise history with 8, while capturing the NFC East division title five times in six years. He coached the Eagles to four consecutive NFC Championship games, captured the NFC championship once, and led the Eagles to their first Super Bowl appearance in 24 years. He has been named NFL Coach of the Year twice, in 2000 and 2002.

So why is Reid on the hot seat? Well, from my perspective, he’s not, but let us look at it from someone else’s point of view. Reid missed the playoffs two out of the past three years. The two years that he didn’t make it, the team only went 14-18, mostly because of mediocre offenses, and the reason for that was usually because of injury to franchise quarterback, Donovan McNabb. Another point made by those who think this is Reid’s make or break season, is that the Eagles made it to four NFC championship games and one Super Bowl appearance without a win. No parade down Broad Street, no ring, no trophy. Well, we’re all disappointed at this, but it doesn’t mean that he won’t get us a Super Bowl win. Bill Cowher had a similar circumstance in Pittsburg, until he finally won the big one in 2005.

Reid has been the best thing to happen to the Eagles, period. He brought in possible future hall of famer, Donovan McNabb. Not to mention, he has had some of the best drafts in all of my years as an Eagles fan. He has found gems like DE Trent Cole in the 5th round, (12.5 sacks and his first pro-bowl last year), Brian Westbrook in the third round, (who is now one of the top three running backs in the league, and possibly the most dangerous player on the field), and Stewart Bradley in the 3rd, who we hope will live up to the expectations we have of him after the game against the Saints last year. (He became the first rookie to get his first interception and first sack in his first career start.)

He has also brought in big first day bangs, such as, QB Donovan McNabb, G Shawn Andrews, and CB Lito Sheppard. Reid has put together one of the best teams in the league, and it is only a matter of time until he gets us our first Super Bowl title. He has done everything to turn the Eagles from constant losers into perennial winners. He deserves the chance to take this team back to the Promised Land, and he’s earned the right to do it without us calling for his resignation.

RB Kevin Jones still wants to come home.  The Philadelphia Daily News is reporting that the back, who will have a workout for teams tomorrow, still has a desire to play for the Eagles in the 08 season.  “I’m still interested in the Eagles, but the situation has to be right,” said Jones. “I’m not ruling out any team. I feel really good. I’m not in any pain, there’s no discomfort, and I’m able to make my cuts. I feel great. I can’t wait to work out for these teams. I know I can still play in the NFL.”

Jones played his high school ball at Cardinal O’Hara, and has eyed the Eagles since his release from the Lions.  He suffered a torn ACL in his right knee back on December 23rd vs the Chiefs, but feels that he’ll be ready to contribute to a team this season.  Jones last year ran for 581 yards on 153 carries for the Lions, and in his four year career has 3067 yards rushing and 24 touchdowns.

It’s believed that the Titans, Cardinals, Bears and Saints are some of the other teams that have an interest in Jones, who was the Lions first round pick back in 2004 out of Virginia Tech.

Corner back Lito Sheppard is an unhappy player.  It appears as it stands he will not be a starter in Philadelphia this season, and he’s a player that has been the talk of trade rumors ever since the team spent a ton on free agent CB Asante Samuel.  Despite being unhappy and not showing up to OTA’s and possibly not showing up to training camp, the Philadelphia Daily News says it will not necessarly force the Eagles into trading Sheppard.

It went so far Friday as Eagles President Joe Banner saying “He will be with us this year.”  Sheppard skipped some workouts this past week, and word is he’s also unhappy with the five-year extension he signed in 2004.  A four-year starter with the Eagles, Sheppard has missed significant time with injuries in each of the past three seasons but is perhaps the team’s most explosive defensive player.

Last season he played in 11 games for Philly, making 51 tackles and two interceptions.  He was a first round pick of the Eagles back in 2002.  In his career, he has 234 tackles, 17 inteceptions, and three touchdowns.

The Eagles and Colts made a trade earlier today, as the Colts have sent fullback Luke Lawton to the Eagles for a 2009 conditional draft choice. The deal really means nothing to either side unless Lawton makes the Eagles roster, which if he does, then a choice will go to the Colts for him. The 27-year-old has been on the Giants and Bill practice squads, and played in 4 games for the Jets back in 2005, and 11 games for Indy last season.

He has never started a game, but last year did score a TD vs the Jags on a 1-yard shovel pass from Peyton Manning. The Eagles are moving DT Dan Klecko to fullback, but would like to have some more players in the position that have a bit more experience, which is why the did the deal. They had Thomas Tapeh at that position, but he moved from Philly to the Vikings as a free agent this past offseason.

It looks as if there are still a number of teams that have an interest in Dolphins unhappy DE Jason Taylor.  The drama between Taylor and the Dolphins is out of control, and a meeting between he and the team was scrapped, basically just admitting that there is no repairing the damage that has already been done between the new Dolphin brass and the former Defensive Player of the Year.

NFL.com’s Adam Schefter is reporting that no less than five teams appear to be in the running to try and acquire Taylor’s services.  They are: New Orleans, Philadelphia, Tampa Bay, Dallas and San Diego.  The Chargers rumor has been out there for awhile, and they have denied that report.  Miami, with Bill Parcells doing the talking, and his old team the Cowboys, have already made a deal this offseason right before the draft.

As far as Philly, Tampa Bay and New Orleans go, it likely would be what team would be willing to give up the most.  Is Taylor worth a first round draft pick at this point in his career?  Probably not, and no team is going to give Miami that knowing the situation between Taylor and the team.  If Miami can convince a team to give up a 2nd or 3rd round pick, they would come out winners in this saga.

NFL Gridiron Gab has spent the past few weeks breaking down the divisions with our “Offseason Overviews.”  We went through all 32 teams, and today we highlight the NFC East.  Click below to read the Offseason Overview of your NFC East team:

New York Giants - Were the Giants a One-Year Wonder?

Dallas Cowboys - Cowboys Look to Move Past Playoff Letdown

Washington Redskins - Redskins to Have a Much Different Look in 08

Philadelphia Eagles - Can the Eagles Fly High in the Tough NFC East?

It appears that the Eagles are going to have a new VP of Player Personnel, as the Philadelphia Daily News is reporting that Jason Licht has been dismissed from that position.  The report says that the team has no comment on the matter, and that the announcement about Licht being gone has yet to be made public.

He’s been with the club since 2003, when he came over from the Patriots.  The 38-year-old worked closely with GM Tom Heckert.  The story says that Licht had a “falling-out” with vice president of football administration Howie Roseman.  The two were at one point close friends states the story.

Who will get the position is unknown, two names that are mentioned as possible replacements include Roseman, and Director of College Scouting Ryan Grigson, who is thought of highly in the organization.