The performance of the Eagles' young linebackers in 2007 provided the coaching staff and front office enough confidence for 2008 to release veteran Takeo Spikes. What Jim Johnson has now is one of the youngest groups in the league and, certainly, one of the very youngest ever in Philadelphia.

Spikes was released on Thursday after one season with the Eagles, a year during which he was solid, not spectacular. Acquired in a trade with Buffalo last year right about this time, Spikes played good football for the Eagles. That he was released now isn't so much an indictment on how Spikes played; rather, it is a chance for Johnson to get his young linebackers on the field.

He will do that. On this day, the Eagles are looking ahead with relish at the chance to work with some extremely talented kids. How it works out and who plays where will be decided in the post-draft camps and in the summer at Lehigh University. What the Eagles think is that the combination of Omar Gaither, Chris Gocong, Stewart Bradley and Akeem Jordan is a pretty terrific group. They think that they are going to take a long look at Pago Togafau, who was on the roster last year and who only played sparingly on special teams.

They think that when it is all said and done, everybody is going to contribute and that the group will grow over time.

Together.

"I'm excited about these guys, I really am," said Johnson earlier in the offseason. "They made great progress last year. Gaither moved from the weak side to the middle and got better and better. Gocong was the same way. Every week you saw more and more. Bradley showed us late in the season that he is a playmaker on the field. Jordan came a long way and made plays.

"It's a good group. These guys are going to be fun to work with."

Now we can all speculate on who plays where and how the pieces are going to fit into place. What the Eagles have here -- in addition to so much more athleticism and raw, young talent -- is a ton of versatility. Gaither started as a rookie on the weak side and then moved to the middle and played very well last year. Bradley, who was just a beast in the middle late last year, knows the SAM position as well. Gocong is the starting strong side linebacker who can also put his hand down in certain pass-rushing situations. Jordan, "the natural," no longer carries the label of a "small-school" player around with him. The young man can run and cover and play physical football.

It wouldn't surprise anyone familiar with how Johnson thinks to expect him to work a lot of different combinations at linebacker. For the first time in many years, this group of linebackers doesn't come in with at least one new face. Everyone has been in the system. Everyone has at least a year under his belt and can take off and go from the first snap of the post-draft mini-camp running 100 mph in the scheme.

Spikes was a total professional in his time here, and everyone wishes him the best of luck. He will go and become a productive player on another team. What the Eagles are trying to do is grow a corps of linebackers who can be dominating.

"They have a lot of talent and they work very hard," said Johnson. "That's one of the things I like about all of these young guys. They work so hard studying the game and trying to improve."

At this point, I'm not sure you can pencil in any of the players as starters at a particular position. It's easy to say that Gaither will slide back to the WILL, and that Bradley will play MIKE and that Gocong is set at SAM. But Jordan is going to arrive at the NovaCare Complex for the offseason conditioning program in a couple of weeks shooting for a starting job at WILL, and he is good enough to make a real push. Gaither had a lot of success at the MIKE last year, so who is to say he isn't the best fit there for Johnson? And the Eagles may decide that Bradley's ability lining up over the tight end is important enough to deem him the starter on the strong side.

Then there is the nickel alignment, in which two linebackers remain on the field. Last year it was Spikes and Gaither. Late in the year, the Eagles really liked what they saw from Jordan in coverage. Bradley, of course, starred in coverage against New Orleans. Gaither was outstanding all year dropping back and making plays.

What has happened at linebacker in 12 months' time is really remarkable. Twelve months ago, after the Eagles traded for Spikes, the starters were Spikes, Jeremiah Trotter and Gocong. Now, only Gocong remains. Incredible.

There is still room to mix this whole thing up between now and September, of course. The Eagles are going to bring in linebackers either in free agency, the draft, after the draft, through trades, whatever. They want to challenge the kids they have. They want the best competition possible.

The way it looks now, though, the five holdover linebackers are going to be in a doozy of a fight for playing time this season. And if competition brings out the best in players, the Eagles will be in fine shape across the board here not only in 2008 but for many years to come.

Releasing Spikes is part of the business, the toughest part of all. He is a good man who treated everyone well in his brief time here. But the Eagles are a busy team right now, moving bodies to and fro, hoping to set up a roster that is the very best it can be. I don't think there is anything about this move that suggests another move is coming. This is not one that sets up another domino, for example. The Eagles have their plan and they are sticking to it. There is plenty more to come, I'm sure, between now and when the players report to the post-draft mini-camp, set to win jobs and earn their playing time.