Eagles getting ready to take flight...hopefully

I know that the Phillies are in the thick of a pennant race, and that the first meaningful Eagles game is still more than a month away, but I’m really starting to get excited for football season. And also worried.

The Eagles, who rarely have non-Terrell Owens induced commotion, have already seen more training camp drama than in any of the Andy Reid years combined (not including 2005).

So far, three Pro Bowl players are either missing or unhappy, and the prize free agent acquisition, Asante Samuel is already hobbled with a hamstring injury.

While Donovan McNabb is looking healthy and sharp, Brian Westbrook, Lito Sheppard and Shawn Andrews are giving me headaches, and making it a lot harder to defend the Eagles’ Super Bowl chances to my friends from Washington, D.C. and New York.

Starting with the best player/drama queen, running back Brian Westbrook is going to get his money. I don’t think anyone can deny that he deserves every penny that he can get for carrying this team for the last two seasons, including making Jeff Garcia look like a Pro Bowl quarterback in 2006. The only holdup is that there are salary cap issues with re-negotiating his contract, but considering the fact that McNabb said he needs him, and Andy Reid and Joe Banner both know that Westbrook is Kevin Kolb’s only chance for success in 2009 or 2010, it’s almost a certainty that a pile of money will be headed down Route 36 West later this month.

But just in case, the Eagles did trade for Lorenzo Booker, who with a similar, yet inferior skill set, can run the same plays as Westbrook. The Eagles did the same thing the last time Westbrook was having a contract issue, but Ryan Moats turned out to be a bust.

On the defensive side of the ball, Lito Sheppard, who has missed nearly a full season of games since 2005, wants a new contract, and a little of the R-E-S-P-E-C-T that Aretha Franklin sings about. Lito needs to realize that with four years left on his contract, he needs to start picking off passes, instead of whining about his spot on the depth chart. The only thing that will get him a new contract or a ticket out of Philadelphia is solid play.

If Lito were smart, he would realize that being the nickel cornerback means covering an average receiver, instead of the Chad Johnsons and Plaxico Burresses of the NFL. A weaker receiver across from him means more interceptions for Lito, and then the big bucks from some other team.

I also don’t see Lito’s new agent, Drew Rosenhaus, causing any public trouble because his dog and pony show is wearing thin on many people around the league. Look for Lito to have a very productive season, and then be thrown into another sticky situation next year.

The final bit of drama regards guard Shawn Andrews. As of this writing, Andrews is working out “personal issues” far away from Lehigh. I don’t know what that means, and I won’t even venture a guess, but Max Jean-Gilles, who I have been very high on since the Eagles drafted him out of Georgia, is looking great in his place.

If Andrews comes back in shape, it is great for the Eagles to have gotten an extended look at Jean-Gilles, but if he doesn’t, the offensive line will be worse, but should still get the job done.After the first week, how much would you give to trade all of this for a simple McNabb/Kolb controversy?

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Quick observations from the first few days of training camp:

* The Eagles have far too many below average receivers. Greg Lewis, Jason Avant, Hank Baskett, and a bunch of guys who don’t really matter, are all fighting for two spots. My guess is that Jason Avant, for his route running, and Hank Baskett, because he’s the only wide receiver taller than 6-feet on the team, fill out the roster behind Reggie Brown, Kevin Curtis and DeSean Jackson.

* If Brian Westbrook and Lorenzo Booker are on the field at the same time, they are too quick for any team to cover with linebackers. Hopefully, Andy Reid is creative enough to develop passing plays for the dual running back set when teams leave their linebackers on the field. More importantly, hopefully he is smart enough, and not too stubborn, to run the ball with one of the backs or call a quarterback draw when teams switch to the dime package to counter the Eagles’ speed in the backfield. Hopefully teams will be forced to stack the box to contain their speed, which will make it easier for Brown, Curtis and Jackson to get open downfield for some big gains.

* Eventually, the Eagles need to cut bait on some of the young players who are taking up roster spots but not performing. Ryan Moats (who I thought would be great when he was drafted), Jerome McDougle, Scott Young, Sean Considine, Jason Avant, Hank Baskett, and Nick Cole should all be given a chance to shine during preseason or be released. The Eagles can’t keep drafting eight or nine players each year and letting them rot behind average starters and subpar backups. Either trade groups of draft picks for higher picks and better players, or release the ones who haven’t made an impact by their third year and let the rookies get a chance instead of sitting on the practice squad.