The Philadelphia Eagles front office should get an award. A major award. Like a Nobel Prize-type award. Any front office that can shut up the cantankerous Philadelphia fan base deserves to be canonized. Eagle fans were ready to foam at the mouth this spring.

Their team had just gone to its fifth conference championship game in head coach Andy Reid’s decade-long tenure and, for the fifth time, come away without a Super Bowl ring. For most fan bases, the sting of their team’s fourth conference championship defeat may have been ameliorated by the fact that the 9-6-1 Eagles had made an improbable run to even get as far as they did, and by the fact that the next door neighbor Phillies, three months before, had brought a World Series to the title-parched City of Brotherly Love. But these are Eagle fans we’re talking about. The most fervid, impatient and unreasonable bunch in sports.

Heading into this offseason, these fans were ready to bark. The personnel moves Philadelphia needed to make were obvious. Three beloved veterans were to become unrestricted free agents: safety Brian Dawkins, left tackle Tra Thomas and right tackle Jon Runyan. Running back Brian Westbrook would be 30 in September and battling a degenerative knee and bad ankle. The star wide receiver that had been eluding this offense since the breakup with Terrell Owens had just shown up in the form of electrifying rookie DeSean Jackson, yet, for some reason, Philly fans were adamant that their club still needed to trade for a veteran like Anquan Boldin or Braylon Edwards.

Say this about Eagle fans: ornery as they are, they’re not completely ignorant. All of their concerns were shared by Andy Reid, GM Tom Heckert and team president Joe Banner. We know they were because before the fans could scream about their team’s problems, these men fixed them.

It’s no accident that the offseason in which Philly had its biggest rebuilding necessities happened to come in the same year that the team had two first-round draft picks and some $40 million in salary cap space. This is the finest-managed organization in the NFC.

Just as fans started to carp about losing Thomas and Runyan, the Eagles shipped the No. 28 overall pick to Buffalo in exchange for gilded 27-year-old left tackle Jason Peters (whom the Eagles also made the highest-paid offensive lineman in league history). This came shortly after the signing of versatile ex-Bengal Stacey Andrews. Besides upgrading the offensive line himself, Andrews brings stability to the life of his younger brother, Shawn Andrews, Philly’s All-World power-blocker who missed virtually the entire ’08 season with a back injury and depression. Shawn Andrews now moves to his natural right tackle position (replacing Runyan), forming a remarkable bookend with Peters (who, by the way, was Andrews’s roommate at Arkansas). In short, the Eagles now might have the best O-line in football.

The loss of Dawkins hurt, but Philly coaches pointed out that soon-to-be 29-year-old strong safety Quintin Mikell is a burgeoning star and second-year free safety Quintin Demps has an uncommon blend of size and speed. Plus ex-Brown Sean Jones and former Patriot Ellis Hobbs give the secondary fantastic depth. Overall, the defensive backfield is better than it was last season.

As for the ball handlers…the decline of Brian Westbrook was mitigated with the second-round selection of Pittsburgh’s LeSean McCoy. McCoy is good enough to immediately lighten Westbrook’s load, and he’s versatile enough to one day replace him outright. The first-round pick the Eagles didn’t give up for Peters was spent on Missouri receiver Jeremy Maclin. This is a move that basically says, “If one DeSean Jackson isn’t enough for you, how about two DeSean Jacksons?”

The only person happier than the Eagle fans about Maclin’s arrival is Donovan McNabb. But the subject of McNabb is where the music stops. He and Reid are entering their 11^th year together––the longest current quarterback/coach partnership in pro football. Yet the quarterback remains as enigmatic to his coach as he is to the rest of the world. Last season’s remarkable playoff run was portrayed as a comeback story about a star signalcaller inspired by his shocking Week 12 benching. But Reid’s decision to bench McNabb wasn’t a brilliant motivational ploy. Had Kevin Kolbe not stunk up the joint in the 36-7 loss at Baltimore, McNabb would have never stepped back on the field. The fact that McNabb played masterfully after the benching was mere serendipity––as if Reid had mistakenly said “hit me” on 17, then got dealt a Four of Clubs.

McNabb was angrier about the benching than people realized, and his relationship with Reid ostensibly suffered a blow. Wanting an extension to the final two years of his contract this past offseason, the Eagles were only willing to give him a raise (he’s now slated to make about $19 million). His future with the team is no less murky than it was last December. Of course, as we just learned, maybe that’s a good thing.

Offense

Philly’s quarterback situation is drastically simplified by the fact that third-year pro Kevin Kolbe has proven to be nowhere near mentally ready to compete in the NFL. As polished as the pocket passer looks in practice, Kolbe has been absolutely lost at reading defenses in live game situations. It’s a moot point in ’09 anyway because, for as erratic and scrutinized as Donovan McNabb is, it’s easy to forget that the man is still an upper-tier quarterback. When in rhythm, McNabb’s accuracy and creativity make him dangerous both in and out of the pocket.

McNabb still has perplexing bouts of random ineptitude from time to time. This year, he won’t be able to blame any of it on the weapons around him. A passing game that already ranked sixth in 2008 should improve with leading receiver DeSean Jackson and starting tight end Brent Celek simply being more experienced. Jackson, a refreshingly polished route runner who is lethal with the ball in his hands, is poised to be a Top 10 wideout, though maybe not just yet. Still, the maturation he showed as a rookie is encouraging. As for Celek, shoddy blocking isn’t enough to overshadow his laudable pass-catching abilities. He’s reliable in the flats and a better athlete than he appears. He’s not, however, as athletic as fifth-round rookie Cornelius Ingram, a 4.6-speedster who would have gone in the early rounds if not for a knee injury. If Ingram is 100 percent––and it seems that he is––then he’ll likely move ahead of experienced but timid blocking tight end Matt Schobel.

Fans are going to want to see rookie Jeremy Maclin right away, but the first-rounder did not run many intermediate routes at Missouri, which could complicate his transition to this intricate West Coast offense. In the meantime, precise route-runner Kevin Curtis is a stellar No. 2, and valorous 6’0”, 212-pound Jason Avant has shown too much growth to abruptly yank out of the slot. Thus, Philly can afford to initially groom Maclin out of a No. 4 role. In fact, given that Reggie Brown and Hank Baskett are both big, athletic targets (albeit inconsistent ones), the Eagles could even keep Maclin at No. 6 on the depth chart and be okay.

The nature of this quick-striking passing attack inherently minimizes the number of sacks that McNabb endures. But with Jason Peters and Shawn Andrews as bookend tackles, five and even seven-step drops shouldn’t be an issue (Peters gave up a league-worst 11.5 sacks with the Bills last season, but that was due to aberrational early season rust stemming from a training camp holdout).

These tackles, like the rest of the front five, actually shine more as run-blockers. Peters is frighteningly athletic in space, which helps radically-underrated left guard Todd Herremans (a superior technician who moves pretty well himself). Andrews is a devastating straight-line mauler, which helps right guard Stacey Andrews (a man who, coming off ACL surgery, may be forced to play only north and south). If one of the Andrews brothers isn’t healthy, either Max Jean-Gilles or Nick Cole, two 350-plus-pounders who filled in well at right guard last season, will see action. Round things out is center Jamaal Jackson, who must become more dynamic in order to keep his job from Cole.

Offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg and Reid have both indicated that if LeSean McCoy doesn’t improve as a blocker, he won’t play much. But that’s only true if Brian Westbrook is healthy. Westbrook wasn’t healthy all summer. Besides being undersized and almost 30, the league’s ’07 leader in yards from scrimmage is coming off June ankle surgery and fighting the long-term effects of two ACL operations from his days at Villanova. That’s a lot of chips stacked against Philadelphia’s most important player. Westbrook’s versatility obligates defenses to be cautious up front. If he’s unable to be a home run threat on the ground or short-area receiving weapon, this offense will start to stagnate.

This is why the team is banking on McCoy––a 204-pounder with similar attributes as Westbrook––to prosper right away, either as an Option B in a one-two punch, or Option A in an emergency. The only other backfield contributors are lead-blocker Leonard Weaver and scat back Lorenzo Booker, neither of whom is worthy of more than a few token touches.

Defense

Defensive coordinator Jim Johnson spent much of the offseason undergoing more chemotherapy for cancer in his spine. The 68-year-old’s presence is important both emotionally and schematically, as he’s been the driving force behind Philly’s ruthless 46 attack for 11 years. Secondary coach Sean McDermott, Johnson’s 35-year-old protégé, spent most of the offseason filling in as coordinator.

Whoever calls the shots will be doing so with a loaded unit that ranked in the top five of every major statistical category last season. The aggressive Eagles front seven has always benefitted from having an outstanding secondary behind it. Starting cornerbacks Asante Samuel and Sheldon Brown are every bit as good as Troy Vincent and Bobby Taylor were earlier in the decade. Samuel is the feared playmaker while Brown is the hope-dashing stopper. Brown, frustrated with the four years remaining on his contract, requested a trade during the offseason. The Eagles recently fought a similar battle with Lito Sheppard and, for two years refused to budge. (This offseason they traded him to the Jets for a conditional mid-round draft pick.) Brown, a starter for 88 straight games, is too reliable to simply dismiss. Though with Ellis Hobbs coming aboard and soaring nickelback Joselio Hanson re-signing for five years (and getting paid starter money), Philadelphia has plenty of depth to fall back on. The Eagles also like the long-term outlook of Jack Ikegwuonu, a first-round prospect who fell to Round Four last season because of a serious knee injury.

Ikegwuonu can be encouraged by the fact that the Eagles tend to wait patiently for their defensive backs to develop. The best example might be strong safety Quintin Mikell, a bone-rattling hitter who has progressed precipitously since being an undrafted special teamer in 2003. Mikell will lead the secondary from the box. Quintin Demps will bring range and girth to free safety, while Sean Jones will handle the all-important miscellaneous duties of the third safety (a fairly prominent position in this scheme).

Philly’s frequent use of defensive backs limits the snaps of strongside linebacker Chris Gocong and weakside linebacker Akeem Jordan. Gocong is a sturdy playside run-defender, while Jordan, who stole the starting job from muscular but mundane Omar Gaither last December, is an agile tackler who makes things happen in space. Both young linebackers have bright futures, but not of an incandescent variety like middle man Stewart Bradley. Few 6’4”, 255-pounds can travel laterally as well as Bradley. As his awareness continues to improve, his punishing impact near the line of scrimmage should become even more prevalent.

Undoubtedly, Bradley’s development has been partly due to the emergence of athletic run-stuffing tackles Mike Patterson and Brodrick Bunkley. Both have recently lived up to their first-round status, ensuring that developing two-gapper Trevor Laws and hearty fan favorite Dan Klecko remain firmly entrenched in backup roles.

None of these defensive tackles are great pass-rushers, which is why defensive end Darren Howard often slides inside on nickel. Howard isn’t strong or durable enough to start and still be productive, so Juqua Parker (the definition of solid) and ascending third-year pro Victor Abiamiri (the future definition of solid) will rotate at the end position opposite star Trent Cole (a fervid all-around force who thrives off outstanding leverage). Speedy linebacker lookalikes Chris Clemons and Bryan Smith could also see some time as situational pass-rushers.

Special Teams

David Akers has been mostly outstanding for 11 years, but if he doesn’t regain his consistency from long distance, he could be shown the door. Sav Rocca has worked hard to become a fine placement punter.

The Eagles have several options in the return game. Quintin Demps averaged 25.3 yards on kickoffs last year and will have a chance to keep his job from the electrifying Ellis Hobbs. On punt returns, DeSean Jackson sends chills down the spines of opposing special teams coaches, though don’t be surprised if rookie Jeremy Maclin gets a shot at these duties in 2009.

Bottom Line

You can’t reload much better than Philadelphia has. All three levels of the defense remain chocked with physical mega athletes who are in their prime. Offensively, the Eagles built arguably the best line in the game, and they’ve surrounded Donovan McNabb with fruitful young talent at all the skill positions. Ultimately, this season may hinge on whether Brian Westbrook (or LeSean McCoy) can be the multidimensional star that this offense needs.

Predicted finish: 1^st NFC East