The Eagles were handily defeated in their lone playoff game this past season. The Cowboys dominated Philadelphia from start to finish in the 34-14 Eagles defeat in Dallas. “They were better all the way around,” Eagles head coach Andy Reid said. “When you get your tail kicked, it’s not a great feeling. No one expected it.”

The Cowboys were indeed the better team in the game, as they were in the other two contests between the teams this season. When a team beats you thoroughly in three straight games, it’s pretty safe to say that they are better than you. And it is also safe to say that some changes need to be made. The Cowboys had 426 net yards in the playoff game against the Birds, almost 200 of those yards were on the ground. Cowboys running back Felix Jones had a field day in the game. He rushed for 148 yards and averaged a whopping 9.3 yards a carry. Those are video game numbers. Let’s not forget the 73-yard touch down run he had in the game. The Eagles were also unable to generate enough pressure on quarterback Tony Romo, who carved the Eagles secondary up. Who will go into training camp as the Eagles starting quarterback?

That’s the question inquiring Eagles fans want to know. My guess is that it will be Donovan McNabb. But it shouldn’t be.

I wondered why Michael Vick was signed in the first place. That question was never answered for me during the season. Other than a few flashes, Vick really served no purpose on this team other than to break the rhythm of the offense. Reid and offensive coordinator Marty Morningwig certainly chose some odd times to bring Vick into games. From a skill standpoint, Vick still has a strong arm. He was extremely inaccurate in the limited number of throws he had this season. Another thing became clear to me as I watched him. His [Vick’s] explosion is not what it used to be. He is still faster than most quarterbacks, but Vick is not even close to the threat running the football as he was before being incarcerated. Vick said he wants to be a starter. That certainly won’t happen here. It’s time to turn the page on the Donovan McNabb story here in Philly. I believe this team has gone as far as it can go with him at quarterback. McNabb is not going to scare defenses with his legs like he did in years past. He is no longer a dual-threat quarterback. He is a pocket passer at this stage in his career. And an inconsistent one at that. Veteran QBs should not be great one week and subpar the next.

We can’t use the excuse that he [McNabb] doesn’t have weapons anymore because he now has some of the best. As I see it, we are running out of excuses for number 5. McNabb will turn 34 during next season. I think the Eagles should trade him while he still has value. The Vikings may need a quarterback, and we know the Cardinals could use one now that Kurt Warner retired. I’d like to see the Eagles go with Kevin Kolb as their starting quarterback going into training camp. He played pretty well in the game against New Orleans this past year. And he played great against Kansas City. Kolb does not have as strong an arm as McNabb. He [Kolb] gets rid of the ball faster. He is more accurate with his throws. Kolb is also more adequate at hitting receivers in stride. This gives them a much greater chance of making yards after the catch. Am I one hundred percent certain that Kolb is going to lead the Eagles to a Super Bowl victory? No, of course not. But I am fairly certain that will not happen with McNabb at the helm. I am also sure of another thing. Kolb will enter his fourth season in the National Football League next year. It’s time for us to see what number 4 can do as the Eagles starting signal-caller. We already know what number 5 can and cannot do, and quite frankly, it’s not enough.

Sadly, running back Brian Westbrook’s brilliant career as an Eagle appears to be over. Westbrook is a free agent and it seems unlikely the team will resign him. Rookie LeSean McCoy had a solid season. He finished the year with 637 yards rushing at a 4.1 yard-clip. McCoy has good elusiveness and good speed. Though, I do not see the same explosiveness from him that Westbrook had in his early years. McCoy also showed that he can be a threat out of the backfield. As he caught 40 passes this past season. I think McCoy has a chance to be a good running back, but not a great one.

DeSean Jackson has become one of the 2 or 3 most dangerous weapons in the NFL. Jackson has developed into the number one receiver the Eagles have long desired. The 5-10 receiver is also a dynamic punt returner. Every time this guy touches the football, he is a threat to take it to the house. Jackson did not care for McNabb’s comment after the loss in Dallas at the end of the regular season. In which McNabb stated that the team’s youth hurt them in the game, and alluded to the fact that somehow the Eagles young players were responsible for the loss. I must have been watching a different game because what I saw was their youth open on several occasions. It was their 33-year-old quarterback consistently over-throwing, under-throwing, and throwing behind open young receivers. McNabb needs to remember that those fabulous young players are the reason the team had one of the better offenses in the league.

Jeremy Maclin has a chance to be a very special receiver. Right after the Eagles drafted him in the first round in 2009, I wrote that I thought he had number-one-wide-receiver potential. I haven’t changed my mind on that. Maclin’s skill level is extremely strong. He shows the ability to beat corner backs deep. The youngster from the University of Missouri has a willingness to catch the ball over the middle of the field. And he possesses good hands along with stellar ability after the reception.

The Eagles have a very solid third receiver in Jason Avant. He has a great knack for making big catches on third down. Avant is certainly no picnic for any nickel corner that is trying to cover him. He also might have the most reliable hands of any receiver the Birds have. Brent Celek played at an All-Pro level this season. He seems to be open on almost every play. Celek is not just a catch-and-go-down tight end. He is very good at gaining additional yards after hauling the ball in. Celek has emerged to become McNabb’s favorite receiver.

The Eagles offensive line took a step back this season. The team, and the quarterbacks for that matter, truly missed their bookend tackles, Jon Runyan and Tre Thomas. Left tackle Jason Peters made the Pro-Bowl. But then, didn’t everybody? If Peters played at a Pro-Bowl level this season, then I am Mickey Mouse. He [Peters] really seems to struggle with speed rushers. The massive left tackle is most effective when he gets his hands on would-be pass-rushers. I didn’t see the intensity from Peters on every snap that would warrant the contract he signed when Philadelphia traded for him. The former tight end certainly has the feet to be a dominant left tackle. But he simply needs to bring it on every snap.

I think Winston Justice is an average-at-best right tackle. He is not a good run blocker. And he also struggles with speed rushers.

The Eagles need a mauling guard in the run-game to man the right guard position. They need someone they can consistently run behind to convert in those third and short situations. Stacy Andrews is not the answer. And who knows what kind of condition his brother Shawn will be in mentally and physically come training camp. When he is committed to football, Shawn Andrews is one of the very best guards in the NFL.

Todd Herremans is a solid left guard. The team is fine there.

The Birds may need a center. As no one knows how Jamaal Jackson will come back from his injury. When healthy, Jackson is a pretty good center, but not great by any stretch. I did not like what I saw from Philadelphia’s defense at all this season. The team suffered two huge losses. The loss of the great Jim Johnson at defensive coordinator and they lost middle linebacker Stewart Bradley. I am not sure which loss was greater. The D lacked the attitude quite often that it possesses when Bradley is patrolling the Mike position. The team tried to replace Bradley with several players. Each experiment failed miserably.

Sean McDermott replaced Johnson, who lost a battle with cancer, and did not do a very good job. His defensive schemes and blitz calls were quite predictable at times. Johnson was a one-of-a-kind blitz-design artist. The jury is still out on McDermott, but better personnel wouldn’t hurt. The Eagles need to decide who their starting weak-side linebacker will be. Will it be Will Witherspoon or Akeem Jordan? Jordan is the younger of the two, but I think Witherspoon brings more to the table. He [Witherspoon] is more of a playmaker and a pretty good cover linebacker. A big powerful linebacker with speed is a huge need for the Eagles on the strong side. No one like that is currently on the roster. Perhaps they could find a player like that in the draft. I would like to see the Eagles acquire two pass-rushers in the offseason-one from the defensive end position to complement Trent Cole, and the other from the defensive tackle position to generate a rush in passing situations. Broderick Bunkley, in my opinion, has been a huge disappointment for where the Eagles drafted him [14th in the first round]. Bunkley was pushed all over the field in the three games against the Cowboys. And he only managed one sack all season. That is not good enough. Mike Patterson is a pretty good defensive tackle in the run game, but then he also struggled in the games against Dallas. And he had just one and a half sacks last season. If you don’t pressure the quarterback up the middle, he gets way too comfortable.

The Eagles must generate a greater pass-rush with their front four. Most NFL quarterbacks are too good to blitz on a regular basis. The blitz should be a surprise, not a reliant. I would like to see the Birds move corner back Sheldon Brown to free safety. He has good enough skills to play that position and is definitely physical enough. I actually felt that Brown would make a better safety than corner when he came out of South Carolina. He has lost a step and it’s difficult to cover NFL receivers with savvy alone. Brown is very susceptible to the double move. Just ask Tony Romo and Miles Austin.

Quintin Mikell did not have a great year at strong safety. But I believe he will be better in the 2010 season.

Asante Samuels needs to get a little better at guessing when to jump a route and when not too. I know he had 9 picks this season, but he also gave up his share of big plays. David Ackers had an All-Pro caliber year. I think the team may consider a change at the punter position. Sav Rocca is far too inconsistent.