Jim Johnson is pleased. His Eagles defense, coming off a strong 2007 season, didn't stand still in the offseason. Quite the contrary, in fact, and Johnson knows that when the post-draft mini-camp begins on Friday when the team arrives at the NovaCare Complex, the defense has a chance to begin a great leap forward.
"It was a good offseason, we all know that," said Johnson, seated in his NovaCare Complex office, taking a break from his non-stop film study and preparation for 2008. "When you start it off by signing a player like Asante Samuel in free agency, you feel good. We were fortunate, with a lot of competition out there, to bring in a player like that. He's a playmaker. He needs to come in here and learn our system, so I'm looking forward to that. Then we get Chris Clemons, who is a good pass rusher and a good third-down player and I think he will complement Trent Cole on the other side. We will still be playing JP (Juqua Parker, formerly Thomas, in case you missed the name change) and so those are good additions.
"We picked up speed and we picked up playmakers. Then came the draft, and it kind of topped things off."
Johnson has every reason to be excited. The Eagles defense, in a rebuilding season last year, allowed the fewest points in the NFC East and tied with Indianapolis in allowing the fewest touchdowns in the entire league. But it wasn't enough, because a lack of turnovers and zero scores troubled Johnson, troubled the team, and thus the Eagles added significantly -- subtracting some veterans, too -- and now has a defense that has every piece in place.
"I'm looking forward to everyone being in here and playing a little bit in practice," said Johnson, referring to the camp that runs Saturday through Monday. "We will get a little feel for what we have."
In addition to Samuel and Clemons, the Eagles added depth at linebacker with Rocky Boiman, who figures to play both the SAM and MIKE positions. Johnson said he is heading into this camp with the idea that Chris Gocong will be the starting SAM, Stewart Bradley will play in the middle at MIKE and Omar Gaither will start at WILL.
"I like this group a lot, I really do," said Johnson. "We're pretty well set there. A young player like Akeem Jordan stepped up last year. I liked the way he played, and now I see him as a swing linebacker, playing WILL and SAM. Rocky is going to be in there. It's a good group."
Up front, Johnson welcomes some of the drafted help. Of top pick Trevor Laws, Johnson sees good things. He is, in a lot of ways, a mini version of Mike Patterson, and Johnson thinks Laws will help right away.
"A lot of people don't realize that we really wanted to get a tackle, and if we couldn't get it in free agency, we wanted to find one in the draft. He fits into what we do. He is a lot like Mike Patterson. He is a strong kid, a good run player. He has long arms for his size, and he had a great Senior Bowl and we needed a guy like him. He can be a rotation right now. He's a good player, a smart player.
"Bryan Smith, I really like. He is kind of like Clemons because he has that speed. I wish maybe he could play some linebacker, but I think we're going to let him be a rush end in his first season. Overall, we added some impact. We added speed. More and more, we're getting faster. Our linebackers are faster than they have been. I think we're a much quicker team. I like the combination of having more speed and being more physical up front."
The faces have changed in the last couple of years for Johnson. Other than some players from the secondary -- specifically, Brian Dawkins, Lito Sheppard, Sheldon Brown and Quintin Mikell, the defense has been made over in the last three years. Cole and Patterson came from the 2005 draft. Brodrick Bunkley, Gocong and Gaither joined in a year later.
Welcome to the NFL.
"It's amazing. Those things happen," said Johnson. "I think this is going to be a very, very quick defense. We need more turnovers and we need to get to the quarterback more. We did a good job keeping our points down last year, and now it is time to get better in other phases. We want to help our offense, help our team. We're on a winning streak. We won our last three games last year, so we want to build on that, and I think we will.
"I'm excited to see a player like Gocong. He played so well last year, and now he has a year under his belt and I think he has so much more confidence now. A guy like Quintin Mikell, he proved himself last year. He is our starter at strong safety. He came a long way. He took advantage of an opportunity. Bunk, he was a totally different player in his second season. He is going to grow from there. He's having an excellent offseason."
Johnson has some options, for sure. He admits that using more of a 3-4 look is "in the back of our minds," depending on what the team does on first and second down. Johnson remains committed to stopping the big play first, but he also recognizes that the run defense made tremendous strides last season and that Patterson and Bunkley are emerging as one of the best young tandems in the league. The linebackers are all young, fast, physical and intelligent. The secondary has a bunch of good cover men.
Promising. Promising.
"People forget what kind of draft we had last year, because, let me tell you, Stewart Bradley and Victor Abiamiri are really going to help us. Victor is going go to be a good defensive end for us. He is going to play a lot of us. He's another smart player. Just like the linebackers. Just like Trevor Laws and Mike and Bunk inside. If those young guys can handle all we throw at them, they get on the field faster.
"I really like our linebackers. Those two young guys, Chris and Stewart, they really came on last year. And Omar, of course, he's a young guy, too. He knew what he was doing very early on."
One of the needs the Eagles have is a return to form from Dawkins. He was injured for most of last season and was never the Dawk we have all come to love so much. This is an important offseason for the veteran free safety, and Johnson is encouraged by what he has seen.
Just think what the defense could be with Dawkins on the field making plays.
"I think Dawkins is going to have a good year. He's healthier and I think he is ready to have a comeback year," said Johnson. "He knows what he has to do to do it. Sean Considine will probably be our third safety, working back and forth at both spots."
With Dawkins and Sheppard injured last year, the Eagles were not Johnson-like in the turnover department. It cost the Eagles dearly, and it is a point of emphasis for Johnson. He welcomes the glut of talent at cornerback.
"You can never have enough cornerbacks," said Johnson. "There will be plenty of opportunities for everyone. We used to roll the corners with Troy Vincent, Bobby Taylor and Al Harris, so I can see doing that again. When we are in nickel or dime, we're going to have a lot of cornerbacks on the field. I see it has a positive. I will take all the good cornerbacks I can have.
"Top to bottom, I think we have improved a great deal. We're young, but the light has gone on for this group. It's a hungry team, a smart bunch of players who can run and who like to play physical football. When you have that combination, you know you can do a lot of things. I think this defense is going to keep getting better. We're going to work hard and we're going to play fast, physical football."
