Trent Cole

IT'S BEEN almost a month since Brandon Graham called himself "a bust. " Back in May, amid a week of high-octane work in which he showed his old speed and a new, svelter frame, Graham said he was well aware of the tweets and social media taunts that have accompanied his long return from microfracture surgery to repair a torn right anterior cruciate ligament, and the stunning emergence of Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul, who was taken a few...

IF THE EAGLES lost Michael Vick to injury in the offseason, the alarm would be deafening. The fringy residents of Eagle Nation would hyperventilate if LeSean McCoy tore a chest muscle lifting weights. If DeSean Jackson's right knee buckled at the beach, or if Trent Cole dislocated his shoulder falling out of a tree stand, or if those Pamplonan bulls outrun Jason Babin, the Bleeding Green might slit their wrists. There should be at least as much anxiety surrounding the absence of Jason Peters.

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. It was a story from back in 1999, when Washburn was interviewing for a defensive line coach job with Jeff Fisher, then the coach of the Tennessee Titans. "It was me and him and Gregg Williams – ooh, I shouldn't have said that," Washburn said, smiling. Williams, of course, is the man who was banished by the NFL for running a bounty program in New Orleans.

For a two-time Pro Bowler, a top-flight defensive end on a high-profile team, a guy who has had double-digit sacks four of the last five years, we don't often hear a lot about Trent Cole. He said he's fine with that. Cole bluntly said he believes he could drum up more attention for himself if he made himself more media friendly and sought out exposure. But he'd rather hunt. "I could go out there and exploit myself, and they'll recognize. . . . It can help me out here or there.

When Trent Cole arrived in Philadelphia, he was a fifth-round pick recovering from two bouts of pneumonia and felt decidedly out of place in a big city hundreds of miles removed from the rural stretches of Ohio where he spent his childhood hunting. "When I first got here, I was like, 'Man, I don't know about this,' " Cole said. "I'm serious, I told 'em, 'Direct me to the woods.' " Eight years later, Cole is one of the three longest-tenured Eagles and has established himself as one of the most prolific pass rushers in the NFL. He still has a noticeable drawl - when he says "woods" it sounds as if he's using four O's, not two - but South Jersey and Philadelphia have become home.

Never have so many been so glad to see a bunch of professional football players running around in shorts. Organized Team Activities (OTAs or, as we called them before the NFL was completely bloated with self-importance, minicamps) have come to South Philadelphia. That is welcome news for two reasons: one, because it signifies the unofficial start of the 2012 season; and two, because it signifies the official end of all the lame excuses about how the lack of running-around-in-shorts time hurt the Eagles in 2011.

What a difference a few months make. After a toxic 2011, Andy Reid and the Eagles management have restored a sense of optimism and hope around their team. Even the loudest Reid critic should be impressed with what the Eagles have done the last two months, including the draft that just unfolded. "It's a positive thing. When you're around the team right now you feel that," Reid said Saturday, wearing a signature Hawaiian shirt. "I think they're excited to get going. " For anyone else it would be a bit early for short-sleeves with a tropical motif, but as the weather warms and the Eagles' barren January fades in the distance, the team once again looks great in the offseason.

If you already have a strong pass rush, do you really need more? For an easy answer to that question, all the Eagles have to do is turn their gaze to New Jersey, where the Giants have used a succession of star defensive ends - from Michael Strahan to Justin Tuck to Jason Pierre-Paul - to take home two championships in five years, roughing up Tom Brady both times with the help of a deep front four. So, no, a 4-3 defense can never have enough horsepower up front, which is one reason the Eagles could add another early pick there when the NFL draft opens Thursday.

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.

If you already have a strong pass rush, do you really need more? For an easy answer to that question, all the Eagles have to do is turn their gaze to New Jersey, where the Giants have used a succession of star defensive ends - from Michael Strahan to Justin Tuck to Jason Pierre-Paul - to take home two championships in five years, roughing up Tom Brady both times with the help of a deep front four. So, no, a 4-3 defense can never have enough horsepower up front, which is one reason the Eagles could add another early pick there when the NFL draft opens Thursday.