In the world of headlines and sports spotlight shows, the stars get the attention. Conventional thought says that for the Eagles to do well, their cast of stars and starters have to lead the way for the team to have a chance to win the Super Bowl. And, of course, nobody with sense would argue with that idea.

But it takes a village to win it all, and there are some players in the locker room who just don't garner the attention and the accolades and, yes, the importance they deserve. So with training camp less than a month away -- yeah! -- why not spend some time speculating on the "lesser-light" players who are ready to stand up and make a difference this season? Thinking out loud ...

CHRIS GOCONG, LB

As far as under the radar, Gocong really doesn't fit the bill. He enters his second season as a starter at SAM linebacker, and the Eagles are counting on big things from him. But I'm ready to suggest that Gocong has the skills to contribute in a variety of ways this season, and that he is prepared to be a big-play maker at linebacker.

Gocong made a great transition last year, even if his numbers weren't through the roof. Gocong learned to play the angles last year. That was huge. He became a linebacker. He played in space, he learned to drop in coverage and he learned to play with a combination of timing, finesse and rage. Now it is time for Gocong to take the next step and play with more speed and make plays.

I expect a huge difference in the blitz game. If the Eagles can free up Gocong and get him home on some blitzes, big plays will follow. He had a handful of near misses on the blitz last season, and the slightest hesitations cost Gocong some sacks and cost the defense some turnover possibilities.

Gocong knows the defense and he has more than a clue out on the field. He isn't a blind man feeling his way around an NFL field. The intensity and the speed with which Gocong played in college should become more evident in his second year as a starter with the Eagles.

LORENZO BOOKER, RB

In his 56 touches last year with the Dolphins, Booker averaged 6.5 yards per touch. Imagine what that kind of production would mean to this offense. Booker played in just seven games as a rookie, but his workload should be much increased in this offense. The Eagles think he fits in perfectly with his versatility and speed.

The idea is to get the football in his hands.

How much Booker plays remains to be seen. He and Brian Westbrook should see some time together in the backfield, with one or both of them capable of moving out to wide receiver. The Eagles want to get Booker into space, and they want to see what he can do with a well-structured offensive scheme around him.

The truth is that the Eagles loved Booker when he played at Florida State and that they targeted him prior to draft weekend. They landed Booker, gave him the football more than any player in the practices since then and are thrilled with the way he has picked up the offense. How many touches for Booker? Maybe four or five per game. Maybe more. Whatever the touch count, the Eagles think Booker will be productive.

JON DORENBOS, LS

All he has to be is perfect, and Jon Dorenbos was pretty darn close to that last year. So I expect more of the same. The hope is that Dorenbos makes everyone forget about the long-snapping position, which has not been an issue during the Andy Reid era. That doesn't happen in every NFL city. But with Mike Bartrum and then Dorenbos, the Eagles have been in a nice situation.

Dorenbos also hustles down the field and is a critical part of the team's coverage plans. He has a long-term contract and some security. Dorenbos enjoyed a very good spring and heads into training camp with a lot of confidence.

JOSELIO HANSON, CB

If all goes according to plan, the Eagles are going to have as deep and as talented a group at cornerback as any team in the league. And everybody is going to watch to see how it works with Asante Samuel, Lito Sheppard and Sheldon Brown. But the fourth cornerback spot is going to be important, and that is where Joselio Hanson comes into the picture.

Hanson is going to match up against offense's third or fourth receivers, and that is a matchup the Eagles can win. Hanson is heady, he plays the ball well and he knows the inside and outside of this defense. Plus, Hanson will be a key player on special teams.

Obviously, Hanson's profile rises if he has to be the nickel cornerback. He has played well in that role before. Hanson isn't a headline kind of corner, but he is a good, good player.

LUKE LAWTON, FB

The more I think about it, the more I think that the fullback position is more wide open than I once thought. Dan Klecko is out of the picture. Jason Davis is the front runner for the job, but I believe Lawton will push. Whatever injury Davis had at the end of the passing camp is a bit worrisome to me, because I know that Davis has to show he is tough enough, durable enough and can maintain his weight to win the job.

Meanwhile, Lawton is a legit standout on special teams. To me, winning a roster job could come down to playing on special teams. Davis has a real chance, but so does Lawton. Everything is up in the air at fullback.

AKEEM JORDAN, LB

As a fourth linebacker, Jordan's responsibilities are many. He has to know all three positions and fill in at a moment's notice. He has to play in coverage in the nickel. He has to stand out on special teams.

Jordan is able to do all of the above, and more.

He is a super-athletic young player with intelligence and maturity. Jordan showed us last year that he has that kind of talent. Now he has to go to the next level and become a starter-quality player.

The Eagles are extremely young across the board at linebacker. They're going to mix and match this group in different defensive packages, and Jordan is very much in the big picture. He won't sneak up on anything this year. Other teams are going to know all about him. Jordan needs to rise to the challenge.

VICTOR ABIAMIRI, DE

At a crowded defensive position, Abiamiri has a little bit of a different skill set. He is right around 275 pounds. He is more of a power player than a speed rusher off the edge. So the Eagles can use him in some ways to take advantage of the skills he brings to the table.

Will Abiamiri start? Maybe. But it really doesn't matter, because the Eagles are going to rotate their ends a lot and keep them fresh. I look for Abiamiri to share time with Juqua Parker and Chris Clemons at left end. I think Abiamiri is probably best suited to play on first and second down at this point as he develops his pass-rushing skills, but he is coming. He had a good spring.

The best of Abiamiri awaits.

TODD HERREMANS, OG

Everybody expects him to have Max Jean-Gilles pushing for a starting, but that is not how it looked in the spring. Herremans appears to be the clear-cut favorite to win the left guard job heading into training camp. He had a fantastic spring and is in great shape. Herremans took a bit of a step back last year, and now needs to take two steps forward here to get on the rising track he was on a couple of years ago.

Big and strong, Herremans really worked hard in the offseason. He is the guy, at the moment, to start at left guard this season.

HANK BASKETT, WR

Oh, where did he go last year? It was very strange as Baskett disappeared from the offense. But Baskett showed what kind of player he was by going out and helping the Eagles on special teams. He led the team in special teams production points and understood that he had to excel there to get on the field.

Baskett will again have trouble getting time on offense. He may play more in the red zone, and he has always been a good blocker in the running game, but the Eagles have a good situation at wide receiver and Baskett is going to have a tough time earning reps.

It won't stop Baskett from being a good player on this team. He may very well become a focal point on special teams, a true underrated player who simply goes out and helps his team win games.

SAV ROCCA, P

Strictly by numbers, Rocca's rookie season was only OK. He averaged 42 yards per punt. He had a string of 10 punts inside the 20-yard line in the final five games. Not bad at all. Not great, but not bad.

This year, a much better Rocca is expected. He knows the game. He knows the mechanics of punting in the NFL. Rocca searched long and hard for consistency last year and actually was better than many expected. How many out-and-out shanks did he have? Any? Even on his poor kicks, Rocca averaged 35-plus yards.

This isn't to suggest that Rocca will shoot up and average 50 yards per punt. But the Eagles have a chance to have a real weapon in Rocca. He should be considerably better in year two. No longer is he an experiment. He is a tried-and-true NFL punter, and he should be much better in 2008.