Explosive Eagles Could End Up Among League's Elite Offenses

PHILADELPHIA -- You don't think of the Eagles along with the Saints or the Colts or the Patriots in terms of the number, the variety and the explosiveness of their offensive playmakers. Teams like that set the standard, and the Eagles don't feel like they fit into that kind of conversation. And that's fine, because they're not there yet.

But if you watched the Eagles score on big play after big play Sunday afternoon against the Giants, you got the feel that they might very well be there soon. Andy Reid's Philadelphia offense remains a work in progress, but with the number of different weapons he has at his disposal on any given play, we could soon be talking about the Eagles as one of the most exciting and dynamic offensive teams in the league."I think we're just kind of touching the surface," Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb said after the 40-17 victory over the Giants. "I really feel like the sky's the limit for us."

What strikes you about the Eagles' offense is its quick-strike ability. Philadelphia scored five touchdowns Sunday, and the shortest of those was a 17-yard pass to tight end Brent Celek. The other four TD plays measured 23, 41, 54 and 66 yards.

"We're all for the big plays," offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg said.

Equally impressive was the fact that those five touchdowns were scored by five different players. Fullback Leonard Weaver broke a 41-yard touchdown run to get things going. Then McNabb's TD pass to Celek. With 1:38 left before halftime, DeSean Jackson got open for a 54-yard TD catch -- his sixth touchdown of 50 or more yards this season. Rookie receiver Jeremy Maclin caught the 23-yarder right before halftime. And in the fourth quarter, rookie running back LeSean McCoy raced 66 yards for the game's final score.

Notably absent from that list is starting RB Brian Westbrook, who missed the game with a concussion. And remember when the team signed Michael Vick to give it another athletic offensive weapon for the wildcat formations? Well, Vick wasn't on the field much Sunday, but if Reid isn't saving some sort of Vick-related trickery for the second half of the season, then it's hard to imagine why they brought the guy in.

Point is, this Eagles offense right now is a thrill-a-minute. And this while it's still finding itself.

"Putting up 40 points against the Giants is more of a message to ourselves," Maclin said. "We can do that against anybody. And I don't think this is the last time we're going to do that this year."

McNabb is gaining trust and confidence in Maclin. He loves throwing to Jackson, because he knows great things can happen once he has the ball. He threw six times to Celek, the reliable safety valve. McCoy doesn't just look like a good Westbrook replacement -- he looks like a Westbrook clone. And he was one of two Eagle running backs, as Reid pointed out, who gained at least 75 yards on the ground in this game.

"Offensively, it's always big when you can spread it around," McNabb said. "Being able to establish the running game and the screen game opens up a lot of things. Today we were very balanced and we were able to pick upo big plays all throughout the drives, and that led to touchdowns for us."

An offense with a penchant for big plays, playing with a defense that leads the NFL in takeaways with 21, is a frightening combination for the rest of the league. And if it hasn't yet become obvious how frightening this Eagle team can be if its offensive line holds up and McNabb is making his throws, then it will be obvious to everybody soon enough.