ball in the baskett

ESPN's John Clayton likes the way the Eagles have been aggressive in free agency and he believes those moves, coupled with a 100 percent Donovan McNabb, will translate into good things for the Eagles in 2008 ...

"I like what the Eagles have done. You can't go wrong when you sign the best cornerback available in free agency. One it shows aggressiveness and two, when you sign a player of Asante Samuel's caliber in free agency, you usually come out of it fine if you have other pieces around him. The Eagles have other pieces. Samuel makes plays. He makes interceptions, he is smart and he is a good fit.

"Clearly, the steal of free agency was Chris Clemons. He was the steal of all of free agency. To get Chris Clemons, who had eight sacks and who the Raiders really liked, to get him for less than $3 million a year was a steal. The Raiders kind of looked at him like he was the next Derrick Burgess. He is a guy who is on the rise and the Eagles got him at a great price.
QB Donovan McNabb

"The two moves on defense, and being aggressive and trying to hit a home run on a wide receiver even though it doesn't look like it's going to work out, puts the Eagles right toward the top again. Just like that.

"Donovan McNabb is the key, of course, and I think he is going to come back and have a great season. Last year, I made a 600-mile trip to talk to Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer, who told me what it is like to come back from an ACL injury. What Donovan went through was exactly what Carson described. I don't think people understand fully what it is like for a quarterback to come back from that injury. He starts off at 80, 85 percent and his mechanics are messed up because he has spent all of his time rehabbing the injury.

"Naturally, there were going to be times when McNabb was going to be inaccurate and throw high, when he was going to worry about the knee, when he just couldn't get the thing done that he had gotten done in the past. Toward the end of the season, as Carson explained, Donovan got closer to 100 percent. Those inconsistent periods in the beginning and in the middle of the season were totally expected.

"Unlike other positions, you can play at a reasonably high level at quarterback coming off this kind of injury. You aren't asked to make the moves of a running back or a wide receiver or a cornerback. You make moves in a pocket. You work in a short area. You can be efficient, but you are not going to be as accurate that first year.

"This year, Donovan should be able to get more accuracy. I don't think he is in decline at all. I think he is still one of the best quarterbacks in the league, and with that, the Eagles are ready to be one of the best teams in the league again."

__________________