Howdy-doo, boys.  Been away for a while but I'm back.  Let's get right to bidness...after the Dallas and San Diego losses it's natural to start pointing the finger and getting discouraged.  But my new Zen approach to the Eagles has me thinking otherwise.  There are certainly holes in this team, but there's still time to right the ship.  As far as I'm concerned, it's still anyone's division.  The Eagles can climb back into this thing, and here's how they can do it:

OFFENSE

1. Focus on the offensive line during practice.  Right now, this group should be the first guys on the field and the last guys off.  The pass protection has been okay, but the run blocking has been terrible.  Attention, Juan Castillo: we don't have big bruisers at RB.  We currently have LeSean McCoy, who is Westbrook 2.0, and Eldra Buckley, who will probably be bagging groceries this time next year.  They can't muscle their way for first downs like they're Earl Campbell or something.  Injuries have been a major issue for this unit, but not so much that they can't improve on opening up holes.  Even in a pass-first offense, you need the running game to open up the air game.

2. Use Brent Celek more.  He's currently the team's most reliable pass-catcher, in and out of the red zone.  Andy and Marty seem too fixated on trying to stretch the field; sure, watching DeSean Jackson get wide open and score a 75-yard TD is fun and good for a score in a pinch, but opposing defensive coordinators have already keyed to him.  Sending Celek over the middle more often will draw double-teams and allow the offense to spread the ball to guys like McCoy and Jason Avant.  Remember how well throwing the ball to B-West just a few yards upfield used to work?  Plus, it'll eat more of the clock.  Why try to go for the quick strike and risk coming up short when you can use up time and set up a good balance of the pass and run?

3. Be less conservative.  Usually, Andy and Marty strive to be creative in their playcalling, and I think they've gone a little conservative of late because they're realizing that the Wildcat hasn't worked out like they'd hoped.  Trading field goals for touchdowns when you're in the middle of a playoff race?  That dog just ain't gonna hunt.  Using McCoy and Eldra Buckley on the goal line isn't the answer.  Leonard Weaver would be better here.  Celek at the back of the end zone would be too; fade routes, anyone?  And when you're out of the red zone, utilize the screen pass more; no team in the NFL runs it better, and now's a good time for McCoy to pick up where Westbrook left off and learn from the master.  And how about letting Michael Vick uncork one once in a while?  This is a guy who used to throw 70 yards in the air from a knee, so why not let him throw deep on occasion?

4. More L-Train!  Why sign a true fullback if you're not gonna use him enough?  LeSean McCoy and Weaver could be an explosive one-two punch in the backfield.  I thought he was brought in to help cure our short-yardage woes.  For god's sake, he's a fullback who ran away from defenders!  That's saying something!  Andy and Marty have to put their heads together on this one; he's also a good pass-catcher who can swing out of the backfield on a screen.  Having not one but two rushers that can do this?  Siiiick.

5. More Jason Avant.  He could be a starter somewhere else, and his performance on Sunday proved it.  He has the best hands of any receiver on the team, and he's not afraid to get hit.  Even though he's not particularly fast, he's good at gaining yards after the catch with his toughness and athleticism.  I don't know why we haven't seen him in the slot more often.

DEFENSE

1. LEARN TO TACKLE!  This arm-tackling and body-checking garbage is getting us nowhere.  Calling Asante Samuel!  What happened to wrapping and driving?  Sean McDermott has to let his unit know that their fundamentals are going by the wayside, so this should be focused upon in practice.

2. More Jason Babin.  The guy has shown he can be a disruptive force off the edge; he has 2.5 sacks in 4 games.  I believe he should get a shot at starter over the mediocre Juqua Parker.  Other disappointments include Chris Clemons and Victor Abiamiri; they haven't done much of anything.  In Abiamiri's case, he can't seem to stay healthy.  Having Babin in there from the start might keep the opposing offensive line honest, and he could wind up being an excellent complement to Trent Cole.

3. Blitz 'em early.  I think McDermott needs to set a tone by blitzing the bejesus out of the opponent on the first drive.  Sure, he's been using the old Jim Johnson blitz packages, but he needs to learn to adapt to the opposing offense when it starts to read blitz.  Keep 'em guessing, Sean.  You just gotta let your boys know they need more pressure on the QB.

4. Stop giving opposing receivers so much respect.  It seems like the secondary has become a liability with its soft-coverage schemes, giving receivers who don't deserve it way too much space.  Let them try to deflect more passes on man coverage than try to play catch-up when the completion's already been made.  With the talent of Asante and Sheldon, this shouldn't be too tall an order.

5. The linebacker question - huh boy.  This is a tough one.  It's hard to fix the problems at linebacker when injuries lie at the middle of them.  All I can think of is put each LB where they are best suited to play.  When he gets healthy again, Akeem Jordan looks like he might become a mainstay.  He's a great tackler, and he flies to the point of attack.  Gocong and Witherspoon should be ok on the outside...we just can't afford to lose anyone else.  So I suppose the thing would be to tell the entire linebacking corps to take it easy and not try to do too much.

At 5-4, we're hardly out of the NFC East race.  The entire division has proven that it can beat anyone but also lose to anyone.  The way it stands, New Orleans and Minnesota, barring disaster, both look like they're headed to division titles and first-round byes.  That leaves us with the Cardinals in the West, the Cowboys and Giants in our own division, and possibly the Falcons.  We can beat any one of these teams, but we can't afford to lose more than two or three more games, especially in our own division.  We play the Giants at the Meadowlands and the Cowboys in Texas (only steers and queers come from Texas), and we have the Redskins at home.  Our remaining schedule is kinda tough, so the team needs to pull it together now.  The way I see it, 10-6 should be good enough for a wild-card spot, if not the division title itself.  But with the division rivals, Bears, Falcons, 49ers, and Broncos looming on the horizon, we need to play a brand of football that is conducive to moving the chains and retaining possession.  As stated before, we have proven we can lose to anyone, but we can also be one of the most dangerous teams in the NFL.  A wounded dog may fear you, but the second you turn your back, he's gonna attack.