Jim Johnson nailed it during the mini-camp. Asked about the offseason additions to the defense, the venerable Johnson spelled out the big-picture perspective for his side of the ball. His words ring true, in fact, for the entire team, but particularly for the defense. And when you really think about it, Johnson provided all the encouragement and understanding you need to have about the strides this team has made since January.

"I think it's been a good offseason," said Johnson. "If you get Asante (Samuel, cornerback) and Chris Clemons (defensive end), those are two playmakers. I told our defense that we are on a three-game winning streak. We beat Dallas and New Orleans on the road and Buffalo here (to end the 2007 season), and we didn't really lose any players. We picked up some more players and had a good draft with what we wanted draft-wise, so you feel good and you feel positive."

We picked up some more players

No question about it, the Eagles picked up players in the offseason. We've documented the additions before, but if you want to make a mental note again, here is the list: Samuel, a starter at left cornerback; Clemons, a pass rusher who adds more speed and punch off the edge; Rocky Boiman, a linebacker who provides depth across the board there and who helps on special teams; Trevor Laws, a second-round draft pick who gives the defensive tackle position another talented player; Dan Klecko, who comes in to push for a spot at the fullback position; Kris Wilson, who adds depth at tight end; DeSean Jackson, who has a chance to make a difference on special teams and as a receiver, and Lorenzo Booker, a situational running back who the Eagles think can help as a pass catcher and a ball carrier who can get to the edge and help the offense with his speed and his versatility.

We didn't really lose any players

What Johnson means is that the Eagles didn't lose any players who figured into plans in a prominent way this season. OK, Jevon Kearse could come all the way back and be a factor for Tennessee -- especially because, in that scheme, he can come flying in off the edge and not worry about having a run responsibility -- but Kearse lost more and more playing time last year. The Eagles cut linebacker Takeo Spikes after they saw the kind of difference young players like Stewart Bradley and Chris Gocong and Omar Gaither can make on the field.

Who else left? William James signed with Buffalo as a free agent, but the Eagles felt they had enough depth at cornerback to sustain that loss. Thomas Tapeh signed with Minnesota in free agency, but the Eagles had decided before then that they would go in another direction at fullback.

Plusses, minuses. How could anyone possibly say the Eagles haven't improved themselves significantly? Write down the list of additions. Write down the list of subtractions.

So we're looking ahead here. The coaches evaluated the film from the mini-camp and liked what they saw. They liked what they heard in the meetings. The Eagles have a lot more depth -- on paper -- and they should have some excellent competition at key spots. Let's peek at those key spots right now ...

FULLBACK: Seems to me it is a two-man race between Klecko and Jason Davis. Davis is the starter and he played well in the camp. He knows the system and he understands the position. Klecko is more physically imposing and has a lot more athletic ability than you expect from a 265-pound man, but Davis is in the lead here. Rookie Jed Collins showed up, too, at the mini-camp. He caught the coaches' eyes.

HALFBACK: It looks like five players fighting for three, possibly four, spots. Brian Westbrook is the star and the front-runner and he is so good and in such good shape and he knows everything about the offense and he should have another terrific season. Booker took a lot of reps in the camp and it sure seems like the Eagles want to get him on the field quite a bit. Correll Buckhalter has more speed and burst than he has had in many seasons and he has to find some playing time. After that? Ryan Moats is  talented kid who has recovered completely from his broken ankle. He had a strong mini-camp mentally. He knows the system now. He has great skills and is a dangerous runner. Tony Hunt is in the best shape of his life and had a good camp, too. Who is the odd man (men?) out here?

OFFENSIVE GUARD: Todd Herremans took all the reps at first-team left guard and apparently played well, and while he is the lead dog in the race for the starting job, Herremans knows that Scott Young and Max Jean-Gilles will push in training camp. I expected Jean-Gilles to get more time and maybe even see some reps with the starters, but it didn't happen in the mini-camp. Young is helping his cause by playing center, too. And don't count out fourth-round draft pick Mike McGlynn or even sixth-rounder Mike Gibson. They may not start, but the youngsters will see time very soon in training camp.

DEFENSIVE END: I think Victor Abiamiri can be the most improved Eagle on this defense. He is going to push Juqua Parker for the starting job at left defensive end, but what really matters is that both players give the Eagles confident options at the position. Chris Clemons gained some rave reviews for his work off the edge on the left side, and rookie Bryan Smith -- who is still very much in the learning stage -- has a lot of ability and potential. Trent Cole is probably the only undisputed starter along the defensive line. Everyone is expected to rotate, and everyone should benefit from the competition. Helping matters is that the Eagles have talented players like Jerome McDougle and A.J. Schable pushing, too. Usually the team has one or two lineman with very little experience in the deep reserves in training camp. The Eagles have talent throughout at defensive end.

LINEBACKER: Taking Joe Mays and Andrew Studebaker in the draft make things interesting here. I am not saying the starting lineup is set, but the Eagles are clearly high on the trio of Bradley, Gaither and Gocong. Akeem Jordan was tremendous in the camp, and the Eagles have Boiman as a veteran fifth linebacker. The real story is who will win the other job as the sixth linebacker.

CORNERBACK: With Samuel, Lito Sheppard and Sheldon Brown, the Eagles have as talented a trio as there is in the NFL. All three are high-quality players who showed in mini-camp that they already have a nice chemistry. With Joselio Hanson cast as the fourth cornerback, the Eagles have a wonderful situation at cornerback. The battle will be for the fifth cornerback spot. Nick Graham is the leader at the moment, pushed by Tanard Davis and Therrian Fontenot. This is going to be a good battle to watch.

So those are some of the areas where the Eagles can really point proudly at the depth they've accumulated. Tight end, with Wilson battling Brent Celek and Matt Schobel for a role behind L.J. Smith, is another to consider. So is quarterback, with Kevin Kolb making a run at A.J. Feeley's No. 2 job. Wide receiver is always interesting and Jackson was so good last weekend that it's hard not to see him on the field in the offense.

I think the Eagles are going to fly high this season. Look at the roster. Look at the team. The Eagles are worlds better than they were a year ago.

NEWS, NOTES AND THIS AND THAT

• Looking ahead to next year's draft, the Eagles have all of their picks in rounds one through seven and also have three extra picks: A first-rounder from Carolina, a fifth-round from Cleveland (from the Hank Fraley trade) and a sixth-rounder from Minnesota (from the Kelly Holcomb trade). That's 10 picks. The Eagles are not likely to be awarded any compensatory picks from the NFL.
• I watched an interview with a Comcast Sportsnet reporter from Chicago, Pat Boyle, who sat with Donovan McNabb and had the same, boring questions. Do we have to hear McNabb asked about being "scrutinized" so much every time he does an interview? Let's move on with the questions for McNabb, people. Geez ...
• All of these offseason Power Rankings and such are extremely fun to read. The consensus is that the Eagles are in range of 10-15 in the league, which means absolutely nothing but which gets me all kinds of excited about the season ahead.
• Want a longshot to consider? King Dunlap has some really good feet and athletic ability. I don't think he is ready to play at this level yet, but offensive line coach Juan Castillo has a lot to work with here.
• McNabb's shoulder is fine, by the way. He didn't practice on the final day of the mini-camp because the coaching staff recognized that he threw a ton of passes in the first two days of two-a-day practices. No worries with McNabb's health.