Trent Cole

Join the conversation after every Eagles game with the Daily News. Send reactions by email to dnsports@phillynews.com ; use the hashtag #eaglesaftermath on Twitter, or visit the Eagletarian Facebook page and leave a comment on our wall. A sampling after yesterday's win over the Dolphins:   Just what the doctor ordered: warm weather, a weekend on South Beach, probably some Joe's Stone Crabs and third-stringer J.P. Losman. Typical for South Florida - Good sacks!

THE EAGLES started the season with this impossibly deep, imposing defensive-line corps that was going to terrorize the league. It didn't look so imposing down the stretch Sunday. Rookie defensive tackle Fletcher Cox was ejected for throwing a punch at the bottom of a pile following a Lions extra point with 10:30 left in regulation. Veteran Derek Landri, who frankly hasn't excelled this year, was playing with a bad knee and looked really creaky. More under the microscope, though, are the three veteran starters who lead the group - defensive ends Trent Cole (30 years old)

Love them or hate them, the Eagles' draft picks on the defensive line usually have been memorable. They are rarely boring. They have been stars who set standards of Eagles excellence. They have been colorful. They have been busts of historic proportions. They have been hated and loved and have died tragically early. Start at the top, with Reggie White, who was taken in the 1984 supplemental draft and became one of the greatest defensive players in NFL history. He made seven Pro Bowls with the Eagles and six with the Green Bay Packers after leaving as perhaps the most sought-after free agent in NFL history.

ON THE DOCKET Eagles at Cowboys Dec. 24, 4:15 p.m. (Channel 29) The Eagles could be playing out the string, miles from home on Christmas Eve, or could still be breathing in the NFC East race and maybe even the wild-card race. The odds are stacked against this being a meaningful game for the Eagles, but it's still the Eagles-Cowboys. No matter the records, it's a big game for Philly fans. BIRD TRENDS * First things first: Heard on the radio yesterday that the Eagles can be eliminated from playoff contention before they take the field at 4:15 Sunday against the Jets.

Love them or hate them, the Eagles' draft picks on the defensive line usually have been memorable. They have been stars who set standards of Eagles excellence. They have been colorful. They have been busts of historic proportions. They have been hated and loved and have died tragically early. They are rarely boring. Start at the top, with Reggie White, who was taken in the 1984 supplemental draft and became one of the greatest defensive players in NFL history. He made seven Pro Bowls with the Eagles and six with the Green Bay Packers after leaving as perhaps the most sought-after free agent in NFL history.

ARLINGTON, Texas - Eagles linebacker Casey Matthews called it something that should have happened much sooner. Defensive end Trent Cole called it a very satisfying day. William Shakespeare might have called it much ado about nothing, but Michael Vick sure wasn't looking at it that way. "Absolutely," he replied when asked if the Eagles' 20-7 win over the Cowboys was something the team could build on for next season. "I've watched this team grow as the weeks have went on," Vick said.

On an NFL Tuesday that was supposed to be all about the new, the most revealing moment for the Eagles came when a familiar face, tackle Todd Herremans, talked about a contract extension that will keep him in the same place he has spent his entire career. "The Eagles have been known for a while as a team that doesn't take care of their draft picks and pays everyone else's as picks and players," Herremans said. "I think they're trying to change that stigma that they have. " Herremans wasn't trying to stir controversy - he repeatedly expressed gratitude toward the Eagles.

BETHLEHEM - If you watched the Eagles' preseason game against Baltimore last week or have been to Lehigh for any of their training-camp workouts, you probably noticed the somewhat unusual positioning of the defensive ends. They often can be found lining up 2 or 3 yards wider than most defensive ends in a 4-3 alignment. This isn't because they're anti-social or don't care for the body fragrance of the defensive tackle next to them, or want to be closer to the fans. It's because that's where defensive line coach Jim Washburn wants them.

As we count down to the beginning of training camp, the Daily News will answer a Big Eagles Question each day. In Part II, how will the defense — and the wide-nine — fare with its additions, subtractions and mainstays under second-year coordinator Juan Castillo? SO, CAN THE wide-nine defensive line scheme progress in its third iteration in less than a year? Yes … assuming Trent Cole remains healthy and productive. Any defense, even Juan Castillo's, works with Cole as its fulcrum.

THE EAGLES aren't necessarily focusing on winning their next preseason game, Monday at New England; after all, they won the preseason opener against the Steelers that everybody was so upset about. What they need to do is reassure themselves, give the starters a jolt of confidence in their last significant action before the real season starts, when they really do need to win. And, yeah, they say this isn't just mid-August rhetoric, a talking point to help the time pass until the season starts.