CHARLOTTE -- The Philadelphia Eagles won at the beginning of the century's first decade, and after a late=season push to the NFC Championship Game last January, they're poised to win at its end.
In between, much has changed. There have been some constants -- head coach Andy Reid and quarterback Donovan McNabb -- but around them, the pistons that fire the Eagles' engine have been ever-changing, a constant evolution that has kept the team fairly dynamic, with seven playoff appearances and just one losing season since 2000.
Most of the changes have been gradual, a result of free agency and the passage of time. But in recent months, that evolution was forced upon the Eagles. On the field, the free-agency departure of stalwart safety Brian Dawkins and the season-ending torn anterior cruciate ligament to Stewart Bradley altered the middle of Philadelphia's defense. Off it, the defense lost its heartbeat with the death of defensive coordinator Jim Johnson to skin cancer.
Johnson's protege, Sean McDermott, stepped in as defensive coordinator, and his concepts remain a vital part of the Eagles' strategy and tactics. But forging forward without the sage sideline guru is difficult.
"It sure has been," Reid said. "We made sure we celebrated his life and to keep his legacy alive here, so we've taken a positive approach, the way Jim would want it. We are trying to keep a positive approach to a very negative situation. He wouldn't have wanted it any other way."
"Jim was one of the guys that was here with me for 10 years," added McNabb. "You talk about friendships and battles that we’ve had, through training camps, mini camps. We have competed at it all, whether it be at practice or in the cafeteria, we were close friends. I remember when his grandkids were very little and he would always bring his kids up to me and we would talk. That is something I will never forget. Despite all the glitz and the things he presented to the opposing quarterback, which I definitely enjoyed, you talk about a guy who would do whatever it took to help his team win. And he sacrificed everything for us."
The Eagles have dedicated this season to Johnson's memory. But if they are to provide the storybook epilogue to his life, they'll have to overcome the loss of Bradley, whose season ended before their first preseason game, leaving Charlotte native and Myers Park H.S. alumnus Omar Gaither to start in Bradley's place.
"Omar was competing in camp for the starting job at the weakside linebacker position with Akeem (Jordan in 2008) and then he tweaked his leg a little bit and he was playing some mike and nickel package. Then he had to shift his focus back over toward the middle linebacker spot," Reid said. "He's done a nice job there and he's very intelligent and a great leader."
That kind of leadership praise is also tossed at McNabb -- especially after the Eagles signed former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick in the preseason following a two-year prison sentence. Vick won't play Sunday as he serves a two-game league suspension, but even when the two former first-round picks are together, McNabb promises there'll be no awkwardness.
"I am very comfortable with the situation. I played a major part in bringing him here," said McNabb, whose relationship with Vick dates back to the latter's recruitment, when the two met while McNabb matriculated at Syracue. "I felt that he would definitely be an asset to our team and we want him to begin to be surrounded by a group of guys in our organization that will try to provide the right guidance and advice to go the right direction. I think everyone deserves a second chance and everyone should be put in the position to erase the negative past and create a positive future."
"(McNabb) has handled the Michael situation phenomenally," Reid said. "He was a big part of him being here. He has really embraced that part."
McNabb's willingness to be flexible through the changes that have transformed the Eagles in the last decade has given him a staying power unlike any Philadelphia quarterback in team history.
"The city of Philadelphia certainly appreciates him and the Philadelphia Eagles certainly appreciate him," Reid said. "He's a unique guy because he's so personable. If the teams needs to be loosened up, he can loosen them up, he's got a great sense of humor. And then the next minute he can crank. It takes a unique guy to do what he's done, as long as he's done it, at the level he's done it. I think that speaks for itself."
