Another season ends in heartbreak for our beloved team and its embittered fans...so what are we gonna do about it?  Although the Eagles made a tremendous and unlikely run that ended one win short of the Super Bowl, it's obvious a few more pieces of the puzzle are needed to get us back over the hump.  Many pieces are already in place; we just need to re-sign them. 

Donovan McNabb takes top priority here; despite the fact that midway through the season I would stand outside and outyell the storms about how we needed to move on from him, Donovan pulled it together and earned his stripes (plus, from what we've seen of Kevin Kolb, making a change at this point would be disastrous).  We start with him, and the rest of our needs can be dealt with accordingly.  These needs, as I see them, are as follows (and in no particular order):

POWER RUNNING BACK

I'm sure you don't need to be reminded that a major Achilles' Heel for the offense this season was its difficulty on gaining ground in short-yardage situations.  3rd-and-1 on the goal line and we have trouble punching it in?  We need a big power back that can double as a battering ram.  Correll Buckhalter (who is also a FA) outshines Brian Westbrook here, but he still isn't powerful enough to move the pile by himself.  This is a role that I believe can be filled through the draft.  Shonn Greene of Iowa is the kind of between-the-tackles runner we could use, and is projected as a second-round steal.  The free agent market has the ultimate power back in Brandon Jacobs, but the Giants re-signing him is practically a foregone conclusion.  Even if it wasn't, he'll command too much money.  The Giants' Derrick Ward is also available, but he's more in the Westbrook mold.  Jacobs is certainly tempting (and is the kind of smashmouth juggernaut that Philly would love), but the bulk of the Eagles' off-season dollars are best spent elsewhere.  The draft is the answer here.

NO. 1 WIDE RECEIVER

There it is again.  Perhaps the most-oft-repeated phrase when it comes to talking about the Eagles' needs.  If yesterday's game proved anything, it's that a team is best equipped to win when it has a player that can take over a game and practically win it by himself.  Larry Fitzgerald is that kind of player.  His stats from yesterday: 9 catches, 152 yards, 3 touchdowns.  Imagine what Donovan could do with that kind of talent.  The FA market is the way to go here, because the draft is not deep at WR.  Michael Crabtree of Texas Tech, Percy Harvin of Florida, and Jeremy Maclin of Missouri are the top 3 prospects, and all of them could be gone by the time the Eagles pick.  Plus, if I know Andy Reid, he won't draft a WR up front two years in a row, and I don't blame him.  We need to use our draft picks at other positions.  Free agent TJ Houshmandzadeh of Cincinnati is our best option here.  He wants out of an organization with a clueless coach and a front office that seems intent on running its team into the ground.  He's generally considered to be the best number-two receiver in  the NFL, and he could easily develop into a number one in Philly.  So, hypothetically, if we sign him, our receiving corps could look something like this: 1. Houshmandzadeh, 2. DeSean Jackson, 3. Kevin Curtis, with Jason Avant and Hank Baskett (a FA) in reserve.  Andy will have a choice to make in keeping either Reggie Brown or Greg Lewis.  Brown is obviously in disfavor, as he's barely been on the field.  Lewis might have sealed his fate with that disgraceful drop of a perfect pass from Donovan deep in Cardinals territory.  Either way, Baskett should be retained for his height and the effort he gives, and we should give serious thought to bringing TJ on board.  His talent and toughness would give Donovan a serious weapon, as well as more options.  Anquan Boldin could be traded for as well...did anyone see him and the Cardinals' offensive coordinator going at it yesterday?  He's clearly not happy in Arizona's system, and a guy of his caliber would be a welcome addition in Andy's offense.

GAME-CHANGING TIGHT END

This is a position that one could argue does not need to be made; Brent Celek has proven that he is a good TE and that he deserves a starting spot.  His blocking is an issue, though.  It remains to be seen what the Eagles plan to do here, but just in case Celek hasn't completely won them over, here's some possibilities: Kellen Winslow is a name that has been brought up repeatedly, as he obviously wants out of Cleveland.  His reputation as a locker-room headache could put Andy off, however.  His talent is undeniable, but he needs to get his ego and temper under control.  As for the draft, the Eagles could spend one of their two first-round picks on Brandon Pettigrew of Oklahoma State, or even Chase Coffman of Missouri, if either of them falls that far.  Coffman would certainly be a second-round steal.  This is a curious situation for the Eagles; LJ Smith is all but gone, and Celek has filled in nicely.  But is Celek the kind of tight end that can take his game and the Eagles' offense to the next level?  It will be interesting to watch whether Andy will wait to see how Celek handles being a full-time starter, or if he bites the bullet and drafts a future one.  His interest in Tony Gonzalez earlier this season denotes his desire to have an elite TE on his roster, but Celek has come a long way since then.

OFFENSIVE TACKLES OF THE FUTURE

Before anyone calls for my head on a pike, let me first say we have to re-sign both Tra Thomas and Jon Runyan.  These old warhorses still have fight in them, and both (especially Runyan) will play until they drop.  But their age is starting to show (injuries and Thomas' slowed reaction), and I think it prudent to see about a new OT now, to prepare for the future.  There's been  talk that once either Runyan or Thomas goes, Shawn Andrews could be moved to OT.  I would not be adverse to this move, as the Eagles have players (Max Jean-Gilles, Nick Cole) that have shown they can play guard in Andrews' absence.  Andy will almost certainly look to the draft for a future OT.  He could even trade one of his two first-round picks to nab someone truly elite at this position.  Michael Oher of Mississippi, Andre Smith of Alabama, Phil Loadholt of Oklahoma, Eugene Monroe of Virginia, Jeff Smith of Baylor, Ciron Black of LSU, and Russell Okung of Oklahoma State are all names that could show up on Andy's draft board.  This is a draft so deep at OT that Andy could take any one of the guys above and still wind up with a potential future Pro Bowler.  Right now, the smart money is on Andy picking an OT in the draft.

FUTURE FREE SAFETY

We'll re-sign Dawk to make him a career Eagle, and I hate to even think about someone else replacing him, but I have to be realistic and come to grips with the fact that it will have to happen eventually.  Quintin Mikell is a future Pro Bowler at SS, so he's locked in.  Quintin Demps is simply not ready.  The one guy in a safety-deprived draft I wanted, Taylor Mays of Southern Cal, has said he will return for another season as a Trojan.  He would basically have been the draft's entire ball game at that position, so don't look for us to draft one, at least in higher rounds.  A replacement from lower rounds is unlikely but possible.  Signing a free agent is even more unlikely, because the safeties available are either not good enough or are too old (Rodney Harrison, Darren Sharper).  Dawk will still be our starting FS, but a replacement must be considered sooner rather than later, because it will take some time to find anyone who could potentially fill Weapon X's shoes.  This may wait until next year.

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS

The Eagles may want to add an elite pass-rusher to complement Trent Cole.  Julius Peppers, who has publicly stated that he wants to leave Carolina, is an unstoppable force coming into the prime of his career.  If we had someone like him, our defense would rival Baltimore's.  He'll command a lot of money, but he's a sure thing, and Andy would make this defense scary good by signing him.

What about a new kicker?  We all knew David Akers was on the downslope of his career, but come on, he misses a field goal and an extra point, and he boots the ball out of bounds on a kickoff...on the same day...in a dome?!  He had a great game in New York a week ago, but he's not the automatic point machine he once was.  He was nothing short of a liability yesterday, and Andy was visibly upset with him after the botched kickoff.  He may have nailed his own coffin shut with his poor performance.  I think it's one more season for him, but the Eagles will sign a replacement this off-season.

Well, these are just some things to consider as we prepare for another long, hard off-season pondering what could have been.  We have a good nucleus in place, and with the right moves, we can definitely compete for the NFC crown again next year.  Pretty soon we'll be back here discussing the draft, so get some mock drafts together and we'll compare.  It was a good season, gents, keep your heads up.