It began with potential.

It was filled with frustration and disappointment.

It ended with hope.

The 2007 season has come and gone in a flash for the Philadelphia Eagles and while there were certainly some moments to remember, in all it was a year to forget.

Game number sixteen was a chance to end the season with three wins in a row, a chance to get back to .500 and the Eagles defeated the Bills 17-9.

Donovan McNabb started and played the whole game with Kevin Kolb somewhat of a surprise backup. McNabb went 29 for 41, throwing for 345 yards. There are surely some plays that he would have wanted to have back - including an interception in the red zone - but for the most part McNabb was poised and efficient, hitting ten different receivers.

Brian Westbrook only touched the ball eleven times in the game (for 99 total yards) but he did enough to set franchise records for yards from scrimmage and receptions in a single season. Westbrook really was fantastic this season from beginning to end and proved once and for all that he could carry the load over the course of a season.

Kevin Curtis finished his excellent year with a team-high seven catches while Reggie Brown led the way with 83 yards receiving. The two players also combined on the Eagles’ second touchdown in the game as Brown caught a long pass inside the five and fumbled the ball into the end zone where Curtis fell on it for the TD. This was the second game in a row where Curtis recovered a fumble for six - a rare feat for sure.

Brown’s season has to be considered a disappointment as he failed to emerge as a true number one that the team needed. This is something to look for going into the summer as the team searches for the true playmaking receiver - something they’ve only had once in the Reid/McNabb era.

The Eagles’ first TD was caught by tight end Brent Celek, with UFA-to-be L.J. Smith out of the lineup once again. The team’s red zone struggles throughout the year could partially be attributed to the lack of consistent production from the tight end position, so this will be another area of interest entering the off-season.

For much of the year Philadelphia’s defense stepped up and made plays in the red zone and this game was no exception as the D held Buffalo to just three field goals. On the downside though was the lack of momentum-changing plays and today the Eagles’ defense had no turnovers and no sacks.

Both Brian Dawkins and Lito Sheppard were out of the lineup with injuries and their replacements J.R. Reed and Joselio Hanson both had strong games. Trent Edwards completed just 16 of 30 passes for 133 yards, the longest pass play going for just 24 yards.

The young linebackers had an up-and-down game, making some big plays but allowing Marshawn Lynch to break a 56-yard run in the third quarter. Also blocked out on that play was rookie defensive end Victor Abiamiri who logged quite a bit of playing time and showed some potential.

Another rookie who played quite a bit was Winston Justice, who replaced Jon Runyan early on after Runyan suffered a concussion. Justice certainly fared better in this game than he did in that Giants fiasco and although he made some mistakes this will give him something to build upon hopefully.

It’s almost not even worth mentioning because it’s such a common theme for this Eagles’ team, but the special teams didn’t come up with any big plays once again. Aside from Brian Westbrook the Eagles just don’t have anyone who is a threat to take a punt/kick back and this definitely hurt the team this year. We’ve seen throughout the league the huge role that special teams play and it’s not enough to just have a player back who can catch the ball and fall down. Next year this is an area that must be improved.

With Donovan McNabb at the helm the Eagles won their last three games to finish 8-8. Will McNabb be back? At this point I would say yes, unless the team is ready to take a significant step back. If healthy (and of course that is a big if) McNabb still has the skills to play at a Pro Bowl level, which is something that certainly can’t be expected from A.J. Feely or Kevin Kolb next year.

Once the quarterback question is answered, the Eagles need to go into the off-season looking for playmakers on all units, much like they did the summer they brought in Terrell Owens and Jevon Kearse.

With a big splash in the summer, Philadelphia can build off this strong finish and certainly could be a major player in the NFC once again, the same way the Packers turned things around this season.

Although there is a lot of football still to be played, for Eagles’ fans the summer cannot come soon enough.

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Last post (s) by Daniel Tolensky

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