Aggressive Eagles display Super Bowl desire

BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- Those first 24 agonizing hours went by without a move. Silence. Nothing but silence.

No signings. No trades. No activity whatsover. Not a whisper.

What the heck is going on up there on the second floor of the NovaCare Complex?

What about that aggressive plan Joe Banner had promised? What about all the players the Eagles were supposed to bring in? What about the Kevin Kolb trade?

Nothing.

All we heard the first day of free agency was the frustration of those Eagles fans who make the frequent mistake of confusing a team that makes the first moves with a team that makes the best moves.

Turns out there was a plan all along. It just took a few hours to come to fruition.

And once the Eagles started, they didnt stop to take a breath. From Thursday morning until Saturday afternoon, in the span of about 55 hours, they unloaded a backup quarterback and added a Pro Bowl defensive end, two Pro Bowl cornerbacks, a Pro Bowl quarterback and one of the NFL's top pass-rushing defensive tackles.

Just like that, a defense that was shredded at times last year now has -- for now -- three Pro Bowl corners and two Pro Bowl pass rushers. To go with an offense thats already one of the NFLs most explosive.

Its a Dream Team, Vince Young marveled Saturday.

You wanted aggressive? Thats simply one of the greatest two-day hauls in NFL offseason history.

Factor in a much-needed overhaul of the coaching staff, most notably the additions of legendary line coaches Howard Mudd and Jim Washburn, and the Eagles have overhauled the franchise since that frustrating playoff loss to the Packers six months ago.

Love em or hate em, owner Jeff Lurie, team president Joe Banner, general manager Howie Roseman and head coach Andy Reid backed up their bluster.

We have aggressive personalities, all of us, and hopefully that reflects our attitude and our philosophy, Roseman said. Were not going to hold back. Were trying to win a world championship, just like everyone wants us to do, and were going to do everything we can to hopefully put ourselves in a position to do that.

In Jason Babin, the Eagles signed the best available defensive end on the market. Babin recorded 12 12 sacks last year with the Titans.

In Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, the Eagles acquired a guy who has more interception returns for touchdowns than any other player in NFL history in his first three seasons.

In Nnamdi Asomugha, the Eagles signed the consensus No. 1 cover cornerback in the NFL.

And in Young, the Eagles gave Michael Vick the best backup in the NFL -- a guy who even in a disappointing 2010 season had the fifth-highest passer rating in the entire league.

Four guys. Seven Pro Bowls among em. All four have gone to the Pro Bowl as recently as 2009.

Factor in the Eagles' latest acquisition, defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins, who hasn't been to a Pro Bowl but is a big-time pass rusher, and that's five major additions.

In 55 hours.

Its impressive, Babin said. It sent shock waves throughout the entire NFL. They said, Listen, this is what were going to do. Were going to win, and this is how were going to do it. They put their foot down. I love it.

The last few days kind of feels like those couple days in January 2004, when the Eagles acquired Terrell Owens and Jevon Kearse on consecutive days. That was the beginning of the road to Jacksonville for Super Bowl XXXIX.

Theres nobody left on the roster from that Super Bowl roster. This is a completely new team. But the mentality remains the same.

Theres a big focus on relieving the stress and pain of having been so close so many times and not winning it all, Banner said. Were very focused on getting that knot out of our stomachs.

They havent done everything right. They havent always brought in the right players or the right coaches. They do things that baffle all of us. Theyre certainly not perfect.

But they want to win.

They really do.

If the last couple days arent evidence of that, what else can they do?

Since 2000, this is the fourth time the Eagles have secured -- either by trade or free agency signing -- the top player available in the offseason. Thats Jon Runyan in 2000, Owens in 2004, Asante Samuel in 2008 and now Asomugha.

The Eagles are all-in, thats how were looking at it, Banner said. Were doing anything and everything we can. ... Were not afraid of a goal as high as, We must win the Super Bowl to feel satisfied with the season.

In three days, the roster has been overhauled. Nobody has had a better week than the Eagles. The difference between the 2010 Eagles -- who lost by four points in the playoffs to the eventual Super Bowl-champion Packers -- and the 2011 Eagles is dramatic.

It is dramatic, Banner said. We went in with an aggressive plan. You never know how much of your plan youre going to be able to successfully execute. There was competition for all the players we were able to acquire. We got some good fortune, and we were very aggressive about it, and were at the point where this is considered one of the most desirable places to play in the league. Weve got a lot of players who want to win a Super Bowl, and they view this as a place they have a real chance to do that at this point.

For over a decade, expectations have been high at Lehigh. You know the numbers. Theyve been to the playoffs nine of the last 11 years. Theyve been to five NFC Championship Games in the last 10 years. Theyve had one losing season since 2000. Theyve averaged over 11 wins a year.

Yet ultimately, theyve been a disappointment. Without a Lombardi in the NovaCare Complex foyer, that wont change.

Until they win it all, theyre a failure.

They understand that, and it motivates them every day.

Sometimes, to our disadvantage, weve never put our goal any lower than winning a Super Bowl, Banner said. And sometimes thats resulted in expectations that we havent hit, and even though weve achieved a lot, its left people disappointed, but theres no other way to do it. You run the risk if you dont do that of shooting for a lower bar than whats been our goal all along.

But I dont mind that. Theres pressure in that, and thats fine. I want everybody here, and I dont care what part of the organization theyre in, feeling like thats what its about. Whatever it takes to try to get there, thats what were going to do. I want the players to feel like thats the goal, and if we fall short of that, then we didnt hit the goal. Its really that simple.

Im glad that the mindset is that we have a real shot to do it. Thats what were shooting for. The expectations are high internally as well as externally, and I think thats a good place to be.

E-mail Reuben Frank at rfrank@comcastsportsnet.com

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