[5teamparlay]

	Posted on Sat, Sep. 09, 2006
	Another year, another dose of optimism By LES BOWEN bowenl@phillynews.com ASKED WHETHER he had a sense that this Eagles team might be special, coach Andy Reid said: "They sure have a chance to be. Every team develops its own personality, but this team came back with a great attitude." Middle linebacker Jeremiah Trotter called the defense the most talented unit he'd ever played on. The Daily News declared quarterback Donovan McNabb "lean and focused." This week's buildup to tomorrow's season opener in Houston? Uh, no. Last year's buildup to the 2005 season opener in Atlanta. Yes, the season that unfolded as an epic disaster began in optimism. There were the obligatory nods to all the controversy that team endured in training camp, acknowledgments that the Terrell Owens situation could blow sky-high, caveats about how five of the previous six Super Bowl runners-up had failed to return to the playoffs the next season - but bottom line, almost everybody around that group thought a winning season was much more likely than 6-10. So, we really don't know where this season is going. We know what people say and we know how they looked in meaningless preseason games and we know who's here who wasn't here last year, but until the season really gets going, we know a lot of nothing. "Nobody expects to have problems from the start," cornerback Lito Sheppard said yesterday. A year ago, Sheppard was coming off an All-Pro season; he had no idea the Eagles' lack of pass-rush pressure would leave him isolated and vulnerable, or that a collision Nov. 20 against the Giants at the Meadowlands would have him rehabbing a badly injured ankle well into 2006. "There was a quote maybe Mike Tyson said, 'Everybody has a plan until they get hit in the mouth.' That's kind of how football goes. We've got a good game plan and we feel comfortable with it, so we just can't wait to see how we go out and execute it." Reid didn't quote Tyson, but he essentially agreed. "That's what I tell you - you've got to play the games," he said. "You've got to come out and play. Up to this point, I have liked this team's attitude and their work ethic. This group has worked very hard during training camp. That's all I know right now. The rest is anticipation and what happens in the future. Unfortunately, none of us can predict that." Reid said he saw what he wanted to see in the preseason. "They've prepared themselves," he said. "They're ready to go, ready to play." Right guard Shawn Andrews said this training camp and preseason have felt different from last year's, even though he does recall that everyone had "high expectations" a year ago, as befitting a team that had made the playoffs 5 years in a row. "This year, the conversations, the feeling, the joking around - it's a greater feeling this year," he said. "It's a big plus. I think we're more excited this year." There is one tangible thing Andrews can point to - at the start of last season, he was well on his way to 400 pounds. Yesterday, he said, he tipped the scales at 337. Andrews actually had a pretty good season in 2005, even overweight. This year, he should be the key to Reid's plan for a more balanced attack. Left tackle William Thomas agreed that "we felt good" a year ago. "Of course, there were a lot of things going on that were messing us up," he said. "I think this offseason, though, we put in a little extra effort, to not have a season like we did last year." Baskett debut Andy Reid confirmed that undrafted rookie Hank Baskett will be the No. 1 slot receiver tomorrow, though he said the Eagles will be "rolling guys in there" - presumably meaning Jason Avant and Greg Lewis will get inside looks, as well. Baskett, who became the people's choice at Lehigh, acknowledged he was excited. "I bought, like, 20 tickets for this game," Baskett said. He said friends and family will fly or drive more than 600 miles from his hometown of Clovis, N.M., to Houston for his NFL debut. "I've already got more than 100 people from Clovis going to Dallas [when the Eagles play there Christmas Day]. All my town was Dallas fans, but now, people are trying to find a place to get Eagles stuff. It's weird for people who have been Cowboys fans to say they're Eagles fans now. That's bitter rivals, right there." Baskett tried to sum up what it means for a player to finally reach the top level of his profession. "My best friend and I were talking about it - high school coaches and college coaches always say, 'You see the guys playing on Sunday? This is how they do it'... Now, I'm the guy playing on Sunday. It makes you stop and think about things," Baskett said. Moving into the slot from the outside means going from playing a corner one-on-one to "feeling your way through" traffic, jousting with linebackers and safeties, Baskett said. At 6-4, 220, he seems well-equipped. "I like my size in there. I get to match up with those guys a little better," he said. "There's going to be more contact, but contact comes with the job." Birdseed Reno Mahe (ankle) remains listed as doubtful and didn't practice all week, so it looks as if Lito Sheppard will take the first turn returning punts, a role Sheppard said he welcomes. He has returned only eight punts in his four Eagles seasons. "I catch 'em all the time at practice," he said... Andy Reid indicated that he went with Sheppard over Brian Westbrook because Westbrook "is just getting back in the swing of things" after sitting out most of training camp with a foot injury... Jon Runyan returns to the city where he began his NFL career in 1996, as a Houston Oiler, and where he met his wife, Loretta. Runyan said it won't seem familiar, given that he's playing a different team in a different stadium. "I still have that Oilers helmet, though," he said.

[Tommy]

Thanks for the article 5 Team. We will see how the Birds fair this year. I say around .500 to be nasty about it, but they could suprise though. They have a nice young squad that will play their hearts out. McNabb needs one of his best seasons for the Eagles to contend in probably the most competitive division in Football this year.

[Wigington]

Go Eagles! I tihnk they win the East