The Draft

Let me paint you a picture. What if you were a fan of a football team who went from being the best to being the worst in just one season. Heartbroken, you witnessed countless players succumb to injury while an egotistical jackass ruined the team chemistry from within. Hopes of back-to-back Super Bowl appearances were crushed as you watched helplessly from home as your football heroes fell into the realm of mediocrity. After the cursed season was finally over, the coaching staff you trust signs a couple of players who look like they will fit well with the team, and your hopes start to rise again. Despite criticism about not signing the flashy or "big" names, you know that certain needs were addressed, and that all your team needs now is a good draft to translate into success. You wait anxiously to see if your beloved team will be able to get at least ONE of the two players they have targeted as top prospects.

Now imagine they get both.

Isn't it beautiful? It's almost as if you can feel the warm light of a winning season already beginning to poke its way through the dark clouds of a bad 2005 season. Like Bob Ross from "The Joy of Painting", I have to just stand back for a bit and admire the fantastic brushstrokes of head coach Andy Reid and GM Tom Heckert's draft masterpiece.

If you're confused, I apologize for getting ahead of myself. Going into Saturday's NFL draft, I knew (and prayed) that the Eagles would address one of two concerns: a pass rushing/run clogging defensive tackle, or a large and talented offensive lineman. In the first round, Brodrick Bunkley (arguably the best DT in the draft) was still available at pick #14 and the birds got him. Then early on in the second round, the Eagles traded up and got Winston Justice, a nasty OT from USC with a lot of size and upside. The Eagles wanted at least one of these two players, and by the grace of God himself they got both. So to say I'm happy is a giant understatement.

Would you believe people still say that Reid drafts poorly? The Eagles also traded up to get an absolute stud LB/DE who was easily the best division I-AA player in the country, recording over 23 sacks his senior year. They also drafted a nice OG and two talented WR whose stocks dropped for unknown reasons. Add another solid DT and LB and . . . oh God, I'm sorry, I have to go clean up.

Was I surprised by how well the draft went? In some ways I was. I've always had faith in the Eagles franchise, and I'm quick to defend the coaching staff for any player decisions they make because they've always been the right moves. But I never expected them to do so well in the draft, and I don't think they expected it either.

Like the Eagles, my hopes are flying high, and all I can do now is wait for the Eagles to once again march down the road to victory.

E - A - G - L - E - S , EAGLES!!!!