Peter King Weighs In On The Birds From Lehigh

Peter King stopped by the Birds' training camp today and weighed in with the following observations:

1. I think Donovan McNabb is doing everything in his power to laugh off Terrell Owens. It's almost as though he's so determined to not have Owens affect this camp that he's bending over very far to show that the departed wide receiver has no bearing on his life or his team.

2. I think the running backs here worry me. Not only am I unsure of Brian Westbrook's ability to stay healthy for 16 games, I'm equally unsure whether Ryan Moats or the rehabbing Correll Buckhalter -- two ACL surgeries in the last three years -- can handle the job if Westbrook goes down.

3. I think I will be extremely surprised if tight end L.J. Smith isn't in the Pro Bowl this year. Smith is a man. If I were a safety and he was coming down the middle, I would think Mark Bavaro was heading my way.

4. I think I like both lines, offensive and defensive, a lot. I'll be surprised if many other teams have the depth the Eagles have in the trenches. The one guy who looked good in one-on-one pass-rush drills today was former Falcon Ed Jasper. But the 295-pound defensive tackle will be hard-pressed to get on the field given the high-draft-pick depth in front of him.

5. I think Jeff Garcia is a 500 percent improvement over either Mike McMahon or Koy Detmer as McNabb's backup. Garcia looks like he's spent about six hours a day in the gym for the last six months.

As a Rutgers' alum, I love LJ Smith more than most Eagles' fans. That being said, I still think he's inconsistent. Is Peter King crazy comparing him to Bavaro? I haven't seen LJ successfully block someone yet. Bavaro would pancake guys. Anyhow, this is a big year for LJ. In fact, he better step it up if this team is going to move the ball consistently. Although, he seemed ready to break through last year before McNabb's injury.

I agree with King's comments about the running backs. This was a major faux pas by the Birds this offseason. They need to pick up a bigger back to supplement Westbrook and Moats. They have a huge offensive line. Why not pick up a big running back to allow them to pound the ball when the passing game is not working? Oh well, I suppose they are due some lenience as they are the football geniuses and I'm just a schmoe writing a blog.

I really hope PK is right on with his comments on the defensive line. They sure seem more talented than any of their defensive lines in recent memory. Plus, this article had the following comment from Jim Johnson regarding this year's defensive linemen:

"I think this is the best rotation on the line we've had since I've been here."

Let's hope so. If they don't have a great year, we might see Lito do an awful lot of chasing again this year.