FanHouse TraThomas

Who moved to the head of the NFL class during the draft? Find out with FanHouse's team-by-team 2009 Draft Grades.

Earlier this offseason Donovan McNabb said he wanted to see how the Eagles upgraded the roster before he would talk about a contract extension. After last fall, when things got so bad that Andy Reid benched McNabb for Kevin Kolb, it looked as if neither head coach nor starting quarterback would be in Philly another year, much less long term.

With the draft approaching, we ignore projections and identify the dream scenario for each team in a series we call The Perfect Draft.

The Eagles' perfect draft dream scenario actually played out last week: after opting not to re-sign 34-year-old Tra Thomas, the organization swung a deal for Jason Peters, one of the league's best young left tackles (or, if you're Andy Reid and into hyperbole, the best left tackle.) It cost Philadelphia the 28th pick, but given Peters' track record (even after an uneven 2008 season) -- as well as the uncertainty that comes with drafting a player to step into a starting role -- it was worth it.

The Eagles are a better team this morning. They've replaced aging Tra Thomas with one of the best, young left tackles in the game, Jason Peters. It cost them a handful of draft picks (including the 28th overall selection next week), but the club still has the 21st pick, and can use it to assuage Donovan McNabb's concerns by taking an impact offensive player. Possible candidates: running back Knowshon Moreno, tight end Brandon Pettigrew, or any of the remaining wideouts on the board.

Eagles head coach Andy Reid described Peters as "the best left tackle in football," which might be overstating it a bit, particularly after a rocky 2008 campaign. Still, Peters is in the top five, and he improves a team that, despite a tumultuous regular season, was a lousy quarter of football away from the Super Bowl.

With the draft approaching, we ignore projections and identify the dream scenario for each team in a series we call The Perfect Draft.

The Jacksonville Jaguars are on the brink ... of something. Last year we thought it was a Super Bowl run. This year it could be collapse. Or maybe mediocrity. That's the beauty of parity, injuries and scheduling in the NFL -- a full-blown title contender can go to also-ran and then back to title contender quicker than Blake and Antoine can execute a patented two snaps and a twist.

The Jaguars hope that the 2009 NFL Draft will help them execute that second 180-degree turn, but in order to do that, they'll need it to be ... perfect. (Sorry, I've been watching way too much CSI: Miami lately.)

The Jaguars opted to let 2005 second-rounder Khalif Barnes test free agency, which meant that they had a gaping hole at left tackle heading into the offseason. (At least in the sense that with Barnes no longer on the team, there physically isn't anyone manning the position; that said, at times last season, Barnes played like he wasn't on the field.)

On Monday, they found their stopgap, if only temporarily: the club signed Tra Thomas, 35, who spent the first 11 years of his career with the Eagles.

Last offseason, the Bengals franchised offensive tackle Stacy Andrews, the team's 2004 fourth-round pick, even though he had just 17 career starts. He started 15 more times last season, but a Week 17 knee injury convinced Cincinnati to let him walk this time around.

The Eagles, who are in need of reinforcements along the offensive line due to age and, ironically, injury, wasted little time in signing Andrews. His younger brother Shawn just finished his fifth year with the Eagles, and has 47 career starts at guard and tackle. Stacey's addition means that 34-year-old Jon Runyan's Eagles' career is likely over.

While the offensive line might not represent a direct draft day decision for your roster, few areas of knowledge can offer a competitive advantage in fantasy football like having a good grasp of the various units of trench soldiers around the league. Over the course of a couple weeks, I'll break down every NFL team's offensive lines into five tiers: the crème de la crème, the highly competent, the serviceable, the grim, and the bunk.

The "serviceable" group is akin to a pack of trusty white Hanes beefy tees. They don't necessarily add a whole lot, but they work well for most situations and won't let you down very often. Just be careful not too rely too heavily upon them, because they'll stain your armpits and turn into something that resembles yellow bulletproof glass. Maybe we better just get started.

The Jacksonville Jaguars: Any team that can rack up 2,391 rushing yards and average 4.6 yards per carry with Fred "It's Pronounced Frahgeelay" Taylor leading the way must have a decent offensive line. Despite being a group of pretty obscure names with zero Pro Bowlers, this is a reliable unit. Brad Meester is a solid center and Tony Pashos, a free agent signing after the Jags waived Chris Naole due to injury (nice right?), should do well at right tackle.

2007 Sacks Allowed: 31

2007 Yards Per Carry: 4.6

Continue reading for the rest of the "Serviceable" offensive lines.

To get you ready for week 14, FanHouse is previewing all 16 NFL games. Here is the New York Giants/Philadelphia Eagles preview.

2007 Records:

New York Giants: 8-4 (2nd in NFC East)
Philadelphia Eagles: 5-7 (4th in NFC East)

Last Game(s):

Giants 21 - Bears 16
Seahawks 28 - Eagles 24

When the Giants have the ball: You never know what to expect from New York's offense these days. Which Eli Manning will show up? How foolish will offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride get with the play calling? And how will some of the injured players perform? Those questions are nearly impossible to answer, but on the bright side, at least the Giants will have Brandon Jacobs and Steve Smith back on the field.

Defensively, the Eagles will look to do what Jim Johnson does: blitz, blitz and blitz. They'll aim to knock Manning around, hit hard and try to force a turnover ... or four. If they can stick to their gameplan, it could be a long day for the Giants struggling offense.

Welcome to another successful installment of Five Questions with an Enemy Blogger, where each week, via email, I will be exchanging hot questions and [sometimes] answers with a rival blogger about their team and the upcoming matchup.

This week I sat down with BleedGreen of Bleeding Green Nation, a Sports Blog Nation column that covers the Philadelphia Eagles.

Dan Benton: "Do the Eagles have a death wish? Why bring Donovan McNabb back this Sunday? Osi Umenyiora and Michael Strahan are licking their chops!"

BleedGreen: "Well, I think they feel better about him back there with Brian Westbrook and William "Tra" Thomas starting, neither of whom they had last time they faced the Giants. Osi Umenyoria is a very good pass rusher, but let's be honest, he's never had six sacks against Thomas. Plus, having Brian Westbrook to hand off or dump off two will always make a DE keep an extra eye out."