Brandon Graham News

JIM WASHBURN WAS telling a story the other day, a story about himself, laced with equal parts down-home, self-deprecation and what-the-hell. It is what the Eagles' defensive line coach does.

The depth on the Eagles roster is deep enough so that very few players are guaranteed as starters heading into training camp.

The Eagles led the NFL with 50 sacks last year. Then they spent the offseason trying to make their defensive line even better.

I could talk to Jim Washburn all day. He has this homespun way of making you feel like you have a clue about football, even when that's not really the truth.

Talent alone doesn't win football games. The Eagles learned that the hard way in 2011, but the coaches appear to have their talent in a better position to succeed this season.

In today's ever-increasing world of instant news and social media, breaking news is no longer breaking news when it's been out for 10 minutes or more.

Under Andy Reid, the Eagles have always been movers in the draft. In fact, Danny Watkins is only the first round pick in recent years that the Eagles stood pat and took.

It's easy to call someone a bust. You just look at a series of poor performances for a guy who was drafted highly, write that he's a bust, and boom, he's a bust.

Philadelphia Eagles rookie defensive end Vinny Curry is one of a multitude of talented defensive linemen on display at this week's organized team activity.

Cantor Gaming became the first Nevada sportsbook to release over/under win totals for NFL teams yesterday, and the Birds' number was set at 10: The Texans, Saints, Steelers, Ravens and 49ers are all also at 10.

It comes as no surprise that Michael Vick has been in the headlines - both locally and nationally - this week, with full-team OTAs under way at the Novacare Complex.

What the Eagles did: Back in February, I ran the numbers on the pass rush from Jim Washburn's Wide 9 defensive line scheme.

New Eagles' D opens OTAs with same safeties To fill their needs at safety, the Eagles are counting on familiar faces: Kurt Coleman and Nate Allen , who both had up-and-down seasons last year.

When he arrived here in 2010, Brandon Graham was all smiles, a cheery defensive end who promised to put quarterbacks in the dirt.

The Philadelphia Eagles coaching staff will get their first look at the 2012 team as organized team activities begin on May 22.

If year 2 is an NFL player's "leap year" where he makes his biggest jump in terms of understanding the game and being physically able to play it, year 3 is really his "make it or break it" year.

When full-team OTAs get under way next week, we'll start to get a sense of how the pieces fit along the Eagles' defensive line.

The demise of the 2011 Philadelphia Eagles was marked primarily by fourth-quarter collapses, which could be traced back to a subpar group of linebackers and safeties.

It's not enough that the Eagles added so many high-end defensive players in this year's NFL Draft, after acquiring accomplished middle linebacker DeMeco Ryans in a trade.

Last night, I hit a late-night party at Sumo Lounge , where Philadelphia Eagle Jeremy Maclin was celebrating his birthday .