The Philadelphia Eagles are poised to make a Championship Run

There are a lot of different off season strategies that NFL teams implement each year. Some decide to just tweak their rosters and some undergo a complete overhaul. The Philadelphia Eagles decided to do a little bit of both this year as they ushered out some veterans and brought in some promising young stars to complete players like Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook.

The Eagles have always been a competitive team that seem poised to make a big splash in the playoffs. Under Andy Reid they always field a competitive team and even in the worst years they are right in the thick of the playoff race. This year the team has had a tremendous off season and seem poised to take that next step.

After a disappointing loss in the NFC Championship game last year the Eagles let a few players walk away via free agency including L.J Smith, Tra Thomas, Jon Runyan and Brian Dawkins. The team also traded away cornerback Lito Shepphard who had been causing some problems in the locker room. Instead of spending money resigning all these players the Eagles moved toward a younger, more explosive team to compliment the veterans already on the squad.

The biggest move the team made was the acquisition of Jason Peters from the Buffalo Bills. Peters is coming into his prime and is one of the best left tackles in the league. Upgrading the offensive line was a major priority for the Eagles as the team competes against a number of divisional rivals that have explosive defensive ends. On top of Peters the team adding Stacy Andrews to the line to play alongside his brother Shawn.

With the O-line retooled the team was able to focus in on some dynamic young players at the draft. They picked up Jeremy Maclin and LeSean McCoy. Maclin will provide another deep threat for McNabb and will give the receiving corps some extra oomph. McCoy is often compared to starting RB Brian Westbrook and should help a lot in terms of easing the load put on Westbrook and giving the team more options out of the backfield. With Maclin and McCoy already joining the offensive weapons that the team has, the Eagles could be one of the most explosive teams in the NFC. Especially if Donovan McNabb can continue being one of the premier quarterbacks in the league.

While a number of teams sat idly by this off season hoping to build upon the team they had already put together, the Eagles made some big changes in hopes of turning the corner. If the experts are right about the moves made, then this team could be well on its way to bringing that elusive championship back to the fans of Philadelphia. Of course not all moves work out the way they are planned and that is why each game means so much. If good off season moves always lead to immediate success, then there would be no need for the players and teams to drudge it out through a full season