Eagles start t~e season off on the right foot

·>ySharvon Urbannavage staff writer

Regardless of minor injuries early in the ;_eason,the Philadelphia Eagles' 2001 roster ,hows promise of reaching further into this rear's playoffs.

Andy Reid returns for his third year as 1ead coach of the Eagles. Reid came to the ~agles after spending seven seasons as an 1ssistant coach with the Green Bay Packers Nhom he helped reach the playoffs six ;traight times from 1993-98.

His plan to make the Eagles a champimship team has been evident throughout •he last two years by a reflection of his style Jf coaching. Reid has an affinity towards borough preparation and attention to detail.

Reid's organizational skills will be crucial his season, especially with the recent inuries of running back Duce Staley and cor.1.erbackTroy Vincent. Staley suffered a ,mall tear in the cartilage of his right shouljer. Expect the Eagles to rely heavily on ookie Correll Buckhalter since Staley's inury prevents him from playing. Vincent, Nho is considered one of the best corner>acksin the league, has an AC sprain in his .eft shoulder but remains optimistic about .lis recovery.

David Akers kicks the ball on Sundays game against long time rivals, the Dallas Cowboys .

Other key players to watch for this season include quarterback Donovan McNabb, free safety Brian Dawkins, cornerback Bobby Taylor and wide receiver James Thrash

Immortalized in the form of a bobblehead doll, McNabb has kept the drive alive for the Eagles after passing for over 300 yards against Seattle. Dawkins, at the top of his game, has been especially effective blitzing this year and has not made a single mental mistake.

Taylor, complementary to Dawkins and Vincent, has been strong in coverage and solid so far this season. Thrash, who was signed to a five-year contract in March, has made great progression from undrafted rookie to starter.

The Eagles have a good chance of improving their league ranking. "On this football team we don't get into the records and what other people perceive to be. We're going to take each one just like we do all teams and prepare ourselves the same way we do for every team in this league.," Reid said in a press conference on Wednesday, September 26. "We're not out there to judge the other team. We're out there to play the team, respect the team, and do the best possible job that we can do and get ourselves ready for that. That's how we're going to go about doing it."

With three games under their belt and a 21 record, the Eagles are in full swing for the season. The optin.lismemanating from both the Eagles' coach and players show the fans that the best may be yet to come this year.