PHILADELPHIA | Never have the Eagles starting linebackers been better suited as a whole to run defensive coordinator Jim Johnson's system than they are heading into this season.

The gleam in Johnson's eyes says it every day. But mostly, their play says it for him.

Although Chris Gocong and new middle man Stewart Bradley are still pups -- they have 13 career starts between them -- they figure to complement Omar Gaither perfectly as Johnson moves forward with schemes and calls he never before felt completely comfortable with until this particular collection of athletes was in place.

A third-round draft pick in 2006, Gocong in his expanded joker (hybrid) role could be the linchpin following a slow maturation process in which he spent his entire rookie season basically stashed on the injured reserve list with a stinger.

thoughts, even negative (not bashing) ones are welcome this is why i'm here to feed this all back to the organization.

At first glance -- and maybe even second and third glance -- there's little reason to be optimistic about the Eagles' chances this season. They finished in last place last year and play in the same division as the Super Bowl champion New York Giants and two other teams that made the NFL playoffs in 2007.

Plus, the Eagles didn't make a big splash in free agency, except to sign a player ( Asante Samuel) at a position (cornerback) where they had two good players ( Lito Sheppard and Sheldon Brown), anyway.

And they didn't do a lot in the draft, either, trading away their first-round pick and coming away with a couple of guys who might become decent role players, but that's all.

However, there's at least one reason for Eagles fans to feel good about this season, and it's the same reason they felt bad about last season -- the quarterback.

we here at the organization stay positive about donovan, and quite fankly, we keep saying his shoulder and he will be fine, you all just need to keep the faith. lets stay positive and focus on what's important to us.

After being drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the fourth round with the 109th overall selection, Mike McGlynn believes his future is so bright that he has to wear shades.

"I'm excited to be an Eagle,'' he exclaimed. "This is a lifelong dream.''

McGlynn was understandably enthusiastic about the start of his NFL career, but other aspects of his life are going well, too. He graduated from Pittsburgh with a degree in criminal justice last August, but says he'd like to continue working in athletics as an executive when his playing days are completed.

we are looking for feedback on McGlynn, have any?

Brian Westbrook is not one to mince words. He doesn't like training camp.

"A lot of players say they like training camp, but I don't like training camp at all," Westbrook said yesterday during Week 2 of the Eagles' Organized Team Acitivity. "I think that we need the work, but I think that training camp is a little bit too long."

While the grueling two-a-days in Bethlehem remain a month away, it's hard to blame Westbrook's trepidation. For the second straight day, area thermometers tickled the 95-degree mark. On the practice field at the NovaCare Complex, even without pads, it felt like triple digits at times.

"It was hot out there," Westbrook said. "It was a great practice and it kind of gauged where you're at as far as conditioning."

Westbrook is coming off one of the greatest seasons ever by an Eagles running back. He carried the ball a career-high 278 times, gaining 1,333 yards on the ground and another 771 through the air. Westbrook broke franchise records in receptions (90) and yards from scrimmage (2,104).

But instead of rewarding Westbrook with a new contract, the Eagles are holding him to the five-year, $25 million deal he signed in 2005. Some feel the team may have brought in his replacement when they traded a fourth-round pick to Miami for Lorenzo Booker.

But Westbrook applauded the move, saying it gives the team another playmaker. After last year's 8-8 finish, something had to change.

"We have to get some momentum from the beginning and get our swagger," Westbrook said. "I think last year we lost our swagger along the way."

THOUGHTS, i got a few want to see what the rest of you bleeding green and non bleeding green think