Eagles fans have been borderline obsessed with the notion of a No. 1 wide receiver since about 2000. Charles Johnson was solid, but nothing special. Neither James Thrash nor Todd Pinkston developed into a top player. Freddie Mitchell …I think calling his career a disappointment would be fair. Donté Stallworth showed a lot of potential, but had limited production. Reggie Brown is still a mystery. Kevin Curtis looked very good in his first season as an Eagle. We'll talk more about him.

Terrell Owens is the only guy who flat out played like a star receiver in that time span. He was dominant in 2004. His play was much more up and down in the bizarre 2005 season. Unfortunately, T.O. went T.O. and that ended his time in Philly.

So exactly what is a No. 1 receiver? There is no definitive answer. There are several factors that I look at. Production is obviously a key. The guy also needs to be a playmaker. Certainly the receiver needs to be a very clutch player. He has to be very good on a consistent basis. It isn't just a case of someone being a star. Not every team has one. In my mind, a No. 1 receiver should be special.

Some of the guys around the league that I think do fit in the category are Owens, Plaxico Burress, Steve Smith, Marques Colston, Anquan Boldin, Larry Fitzgerald, Torry Holt, Randy Moss, Chad Johnson, Braylon Edwards, Hines Ward, Andre Johnson, Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne. I left off a few players who might surprise some people. I know some fans will think that Lee Evans, Roy Williams, T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Santana Moss belong on the list. I left them out because they come up short in some area. I do think each of them has a lot of talent and is just a notch below the first group. Young receivers like Greg Jennings, Brandon Marshall and Dwayne Bowe each have the potential to make the list if they continue to play at a high level.

Let's go back to my criteria. We'll start with production. There isn't one specific category that is the key. You want a No. 1 receiver to catch plenty of passes. He doesn't necessarily need to have 90 or 100 receptions a year, but you can't have that guy bringing in only 40 to 50 passes. A good target number is 75.

As for scoring, ideally you'd like a guy to catch 10 or more touchdowns in a season. It doesn't matter whether the scores came on deep bombs, fade passes, or simple slants. A No. 1 receiver gets to the end zone on a regular basis. I can live with a guy only catching eight or nine touchdowns in some years, but lower than that becomes a concern unless there are extenuating circumstances.

Consistency is another factor. You want a receiver to put up good numbers year in and year out, week in and week out. You want him to make plays all year long, not just in a handful of games. Teams need to know they can count on a No. 1 receiver. Good games and big plays are not surprises. They are expected.

Earlier I mentioned a No. 1 receiver needing to be a clutch player. When it is 3rd down and it is late in the game, it shouldn't matter that a player is facing a great cornerback or that he's double-teamed or that the opponent knows the ball is coming his way. Big-time receivers come up big when it counts.

I also think a No. 1 receiver should be someone that opposing defenses fear. They should need to gameplan to try and contain the player. Some receivers might get the job done with speed. Some are very quick and elusive. Some guys are big and strong. It doesn't matter how they do it. You simply want the defense to be nervous anytime a throw goes that receiver's way. Is this going to be a big gainer? Is this a clutch catch that will move the chains? Is this going to be a touchdown?

Kevin Curtis recently talked about being a No. 1 receiver. I do not think he fits the above description. In his defense, he did put up good numbers despite getting very up and down quarterback play from Donovan McNabb and A.J. Feeley. I'm curious to see what Curtis can do in 2008 with McNabb hopefully staying healthy all year long and playing at a high level. I think Curtis could put up 80 catches, 1,100 yards, and 10 touchdowns. The biggest problem he had in 2007 was inconsistency. Curtis looked like a Hall of Fame player against the Lions. He was very quiet in some other games. I'm sure part of that is on the quarterbacks, but the best receivers overcome that and make the players around them better. We'll just have to wait and see what Curtis does in 2008.

I think a lot of fans underestimate how good Reggie Brown can be, but I'm not sure that he'll ever play like a true No. 1 receiver. Brown's biggest problem is also a lack of consistency.  There are times when he looks really good. He made a terrific adjustment on a deep ball from McNabb in the second Washington game and gave us a 45-yard touchdown. Brown caught a clutch third-down pass late in the Jets game that helped us to keep the ball and run out the clock. There are times when you see him play like a very good receiver. Unfortunately there are also too many drops. He also has gotten off to a very slow start the last couple of seasons. That has to change.

The ironic thing about all of this is that teams don't need a No. 1 receiver in order to play at a high level or win a Super Bowl. Since 2000 the Ravens, Buccaneers and Patriots have won titles without having elite receivers. Each team did have very good role players. They also had very good defenses. The Patriots are the most interesting team. They won three Super Bowls in four years with a good group of receivers, but no true stars. Deion Branch, David Givens, David Patten and Troy Brown made up a good receiving corps.

They functioned well as a unit and with Tom Brady throwing the passes. The top three all left for big contracts. Patten was a huge bust in Washington. Givens got hurt and did very little for the Titans. Branch cost the Seahawks a first-round pick and has delivered them only eight touchdowns in two years. I'm not sure that is what they were looking for.

With this foursome, the Patriots won three titles. They replaced this group with a much more talented bunch in Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Stallworth and Jabar Gaffney. The new guys helped the Patriots set several NFL records in 2007. Despite all the regular season success, that group came up short in the Super Bowl. The better set of receivers delivered the undefeated regular season, but no ring. The ""solid"" group of receivers helped make Tom Brady and Bill Belichick the legends they are today.

You don't need star receivers to win. You do need guys who know their roles and play up to their talent. The Eagles foursome of Brown, Curtis, Jason Avant and rookie DeSean Jackson has talent. Soon enough we'll find out just how good those guys are. A big year from the foursome will go a long way to the Eagles getting back to the postseason.

I know some fans still hold hope that the team will trade for a stud receiver. Don't count on it. Focus on the guys already here. With a potentially stifling defense and a running back combination of Brian Westbrook and Lorenzo Booker, I don't think that the Eagles will need great receiver play.

Irving Fryar was a top-flight receiver back in 1996 and 1997. Terrell Owens was great in 2004. The Eagles will land another No. 1 receiver. Trust me. If NASA can find water on Mars, the Eagles can find a stud receiver. Heck, maybe Curtis will have a huge year. Maybe DeSean Jackson will exceed expectations. Or maybe the Eagles will run the ball so much we'll all just forget about wide receivers. Just making sure you're paying attention with that last one.