Things really looked to be clicking on all cylinders for the Eagles in 2006 before Donovan McNabb tore his ACL and was done for the season! For most teams that would have meant the season was over. That certainly was not the case for the Eagles though as Jeff Garcia stepped in and kept the Eagles rolling. The Eagles kept flying and went on to win the NFC East with a 10-6 record. We certainly don’t see much slippage this year with McNabb back. Keep in mind too that the Eagles ability to win without their #1 quarterback last season says an awful lot about how complete this team is!

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As noted above, Donovan McNabb was having a fantastic season last year until he tore his ACL. Although it's early in his evaluation process for this season we have liked what we have seen so far as he readies for the season. Not only are we comfortable with the fact that he will be healthy, we like the fact that McNabb feels he has something to prove after Garcia stepped in and won games for this team last year. Without a shadow of a doubt, McNabb will be motivated heading into the 2007 season.

There is no doubt that football games are won and lost in the trenches. We like the Eagles lines on both sides of the ball: Their defensive line and especially their offensive line are stout! They are veteran groups that know what it takes to win games and just as important – they have been running the same systems for quite awhile! This is unlike other teams in their division where there has been coaching turnover. As for the Eagles, the coaching staff has stayed intact with very little change during Andy Reid’s time at the helm. Also potentially helping the Eagles in the trenches is that the defensive line should be improved this year with the return of Jevon Kearse from knee injury.

Wide receiver and linebacker have been an area of concern for the Eagles in recent seasons but the off-season pick ups of WR Kevin Curtis and LB Takeo Spikes will result in marked improvement in those two areas. These two players are proven NFL players who have starting experience. Drafting LB Stewart Bradley should also help bolster the linebacker corps.

It should also be noted that the Eagles schedule works very favorably for them this season. The Eagles will not travel outside of the Central and Eastern Time zones and this is a big benefit as they will avoid any long West Coast road trips. The Eagles schedule is set up well for success. The majority of their division games look very winnable. Also, what looks to be their two toughest opponents – Chicago and Seattle - will be Eagles home games. Philadelphia also has four primetime games on the docket this season and this team is well known for performing well under the lights in recent seasons.

Also, helping the Eagles is that we definitely are not sold on the strength of the NFC East this year. Although the Cowboys have improved in certain areas, they will also be adjusting to a new head coach, Wade Phillips. The Giants have issues with unrest within the organization as head coach Tom Coughlin remains but will definitely be on the hot seat. The Redskins are still a mess as they try to find a way to score points and will be lucky to top last year's five wins. In other words, the Eagles should definitely fare very well within the NFC East. The Eagles have won 5 of the last 6 NFC East titles. This included last year (without McNabb for the second half of the season!) and to win the East again this year, which we feel they will, the Eagles will notch more than 9 wins!

Philadelphia Eagles OVER 9 Wins -120