Watching the Super Bowl had to get every Eagles fan to thinking about the defensive line.  The Giants were able to get a lot of pressure on Tom Brady and really control the game.  The Patriots offensive weapons were neutralized for much of the game because Tom Brady didn't have enough time to throw. 

The first thought for Eagles fans is either "I want that" or "Why don't we have a line like that?"  Let's understand something about the Giants.  That line was built over a long time.  Michael Strahan was the 40th pick of the 1993 draft.  You remember 1993, right?  That was the year that Eric Allen had the unbelievable 94-yard interception return against the Jets for a touchdown.  Our left tackle was Broderick Thompson.  Doug Pederson led the Miami Dolphins to a victory over us and our quarterback, Ken O'Brien. 1993 was a long time ago.

Strahan is the foundation of that line.  Former second round pick Osi Umenyiora has developed into a top flight pass rusher at right defensive end.  He just finished his fifth season.  Justin Tuck broke through in his third year and became a disruptive force, whether at end or tackle. 

The point to all of this is that their line was built over time and developed.  Be careful about thinking the Eagles can make a move and suddenly duplicate what the Giants have. 

Back to the Eagles. Let's talk about what we have and what we need.  Clearly, right defensive end Trent Cole is the foundation of the line.  I wouldn't call him a great player yet, but he's very good and has gotten better with each season.  I'm really excited to see what he can do in 2008. 

The defensive tackle spots are fine.  Brodrick Bunkley and Mike Patterson both played quite well this year and still have room to grow.  The only need at tackle is depth. 

Left defensive end is a bit of a mystery.  We have two returning players who are likely to fight for the spot.  Victor Abiamiri played sparingly as a rookie, but the Eagles speak highly of him.  Veteran Juqua Thomas took over as the starter about midseason and was okay. 

I've had several people ask me what should be done at left end.  Should the Eagles go after a top player in free agency?  Should they aggressively pursue someone in the draft?  Is it smart to go with Abiamiri or Thomas? 

There is no clear cut answer at this point.  A lot of fans would love to go after a free agent.  Jared Allen of Kansas City is the top target, but will almost certainly get the franchise tag.  That would take him out of the equation.  Terrell Suggs of the Ravens has shifted between end and linebacker during his career.  He posted five sacks this year.  Is that a guy you hand big money to?  Cincinnati's Justin Smith only had two sacks this year. 

I don't see any of these guys being players that I would aggressively pursue.  When you go after a free agent, find someone who is a good player and a good fit. 

Some people want the team to find a top pass rusher in the draft.  The top three ends are Chris Long, Vernon Gholston, and Derrick Harvey.  Long is likely to be a top-five pick and out of the reach of the Eagles.  Gholston is most likely a top-10 pick.  He is someone the team could move up for, but the price would be high.  I think Vernon would be a terrific fit for us.  He played left end a lot at Ohio State.  He's quick off the ball, but also strong and physical.  The problem with him is whether we would have a legitimate shot to move up for him. 

Some teams may have Gholston pegged as a top-five talent.  Trading up from No. 19 into that range is nearly impossible.  We'd need him to slide down to around pick ten to have any kind of real chance to go get him.  Even then, the price would be high.  Should you get him, there is no guarantee he would have an impact on the 2008 season.  Plenty of ends struggle with the transition from college to the NFL. 

The other prospect I mentioned is Derrick Harvey of Florida.  There is a possibility that he could make it to 19 or at least our area.  The question with Derrick is whether he would be the best player for us with that pick.  I have not finished with my evaluation of him, but he is a very good pass rusher.  Derrick has played a lot on the left side.  He has the kind of size we like (goes about 6-4 and 260 pounds). He is athletic and quick off the ball.  I also like Harvey's production. He had 19.5 sacks over the last two seasons. 

I do think the Eagles will strongly consider Harvey with pick 19.  Would they move up for him?  Too early to tell.  Sorry for the lame answer, but we need to see what he does at the Scouting Combine.  The game tape on Derrick is very good, but in order to decide whether a guy is worth pick 15 or 20 you need as much information as possible. 

The X-factor in all of this is what the Eagles think of Victor Abiamiri.  Is he this year's Brodrick Bunkley?  The coaches and scouts may feel that he is ready to take over at left defensive end.  Victor didn't play much this year, but neither did Bunk last year.  The coaches liked what they saw in practice and made Bunkley the starting right defensive tackle.  He rewarded them with a good year. 

Think about the Giants again.  They stuck with Tuck despite him having two quiet seasons.  Justin finally broke out this year.  Umenyiora had one sack as a rookie.  He then had seven the next year and 15 in his third season.  Making Abiamiri the starter might actually be the smart thing to do.  There obviously is no guarantee he will turn out to be a good player, but if the coaches believe in him, why give the playing time to someone else? 

A bonus of making Victor the starter is that it would push Juqua Thomas back to his role as the No. 3 defensive end.  He has played really well the last two years when coming off the bench.  His sack total dropped when he became a starter and played more snaps.  With Victor starting, you would have a very good player on the right side (Cole), a good backup (Thomas), and a young guy on the left side.  That actually is a pretty good set up. 

The Eagles have another player who will be part of the pass rush, linebacker Chris Gocong.  He was learning linebacker this year and Jim Johnson had him concentrate on that.  Only late in the year did Jim start using him as a defensive end.  I anticipate Jim using him more at end in 2008.  I do not think he'll move there full time.  I like him better as a linebacker and situational pass rusher.  You can more fully take advantage of his skills that way. 

I think the smart thing for the team to do is make Abiamiri the starter.  If I had a shot at either Gholston or Harvey in the draft, I would likely go for them, depending on what the other options are.  This is not a strong class of defensive ends.  Because of that fact, I think teams will aggressively go after the first three guys.  I think we will need to find a defensive end elsewhere in the draft. 

The Eagles did well with finding Trent Cole in the fifth round.  They got Juqua Thomas as an afterthought in free agency.  They signed Marques Murrell as an undrafted free agent last year.  He was on the practice squad for most of the year before signing with the Jets late in the season.  There is some real logic to the Eagles going for a player in the middle or late part of the draft and trying to develop him. 

I'm going to mention a few possible names.  The Eagles will have interest in more guys than this, but these guys seem like the kind of players we are likely to target. 

• Cliff Avril, Purdue – Edge rusher who goes about 250 pounds.  Quick off the ball.  Plays bigger, stronger than he is.  Mid-round prospect. 
• Joe Clermond, Pitt – Reminds me of Trent Cole with how hard he plays.  Can be quick off the ball.  Also has good pass rush moves. 
• Bruce Davis, UCLA – Only goes about 240 pounds, but he is a relentless pass rusher.  I watched him fight through double and triple teams to get to the quarterback. 
• Marcus Howard, Georgia – Didn't play much until his senior year, but led the team with 10.5 sacks.  Lists at 250 pounds, but might be smaller. 

There are a couple of other guys who could be of interest.  Eric Foster played defensive tackle at Rutgers.  He recently played end in an all-star game.  Eric looked pretty good on the outside.  He is explosively quick.  Eric is a guy who would offer the team help rushing the passer from end or tackle.  Wallace Gilberry of Alabama is not explosively quick.  He started at defensive end and also played tackle in the nickel defense.  He is more of a strong, physical player.  Again, he would offer a guy who could rush the passer off the edge or up the middle. 

I haven't talked about some guys currently on the roster.  There is a lot of speculation about the future of Jevon Kearse and Darren Howard.  At least one of them is probably going to be released.  Actually, there is a good chance both guys could be gone.  The argument for keeping Kearse is that he might be healthy this year (he had a knee injury in 2006) and you should keep him around to see what he can do.  The argument for keeping Howard is that he offers you depth at end and tackle.  The argument against both is that they are expensive. 

Jerome McDougle is still an Eagle, believe it or not.  You can't count on him at all.  His injury history is longer than the federal tax code.  Xzavie Jackson was on the practice squad late in the year.  He could turn out to be a player, but you can't count on him either. 

I like what we have at defensive end already, but as the Giants proved this year, you can never have too many good pass rushers.