Best of the 2000’s

Let’s look back at some Eagles players of the past. I’ve put together my All-Eagles team for the 2000’s. My only requirement is that the player needed to start for at least two years as an Eagle.

OFFENSE

WR DeSean Jackson
WR Terrell Owens
WR James Thrash
QB Donovan McNabb
RB Brian Westbrook
TE Chad Lewis
LT Tra Thomas
LG Todd Herremans
C Hank Fraley
RG Shawn Andrews
RT Jon Runyan

DJax, TO and Thrash? DeSean joined the team in 2008 and was an impact player immediately. His speed was unlike anything we had seen from an Eagles player. TO was so much fun for one season. 2004 was magical. Things went haywire after that, but we can’t ignore how good he was when he did play. Thrash posted good numbers in 2001 and 2002. They dipped in 2003 (which is part of why the team went to get TO). I thought about Kevin Curtis, but he only had the one full season (2007). Injuries limited him after that.

McNabb was great. He wasn’t quite Hall of Fame level, but was a special player for a long time. He carried the offense on his back with athleticism early on before developing into a gifted passer. Why did he hate those worms? (old school reference for some right there)

Westy was a truly great player. Knee injuries cut his career short, but he was a weapon from 2002-2009. Westy was a gifted runner and could be a dynamic receiver. He was deadly on screens. He was a shifty runner with good burst. He was also strong enough to break arm tackles. And he was a really good return specialist before the team realized he was too valuable on offense.

Lewis got the nod over Brent Celek mainly due to longevity. Lewis never posted great numbers, but some of that had to do with the offense still developing at the time. Lewis did catch 209 passes during the decade.

Thomas was the best LT of the 90’s as well as the 2000’s. He was an elite pass blocker and solid run blocker. He protected McNabb’s blindside and helped the Eagles have a ton of success. Herremans went from a D2 school to starting in the NFL for a decade. Fraley was nicknamed “Honeybuns” and that alone makes him special. He started 71 games for the Birds. He wasn’t the biggest or best athlete, but Fraley was good out in space and did a solid job overall. Andrews is a complicated subject. At his peak, he was the guard version of Lane Johnson or Jason Peters. Andrews was special. Unfortunately he was a little kid in a man’s body. He preferred playing video games to playing football. That, combined with some injuries, limited him to 50 starts as an Eagle. But boy was he great in 2006. Runyan’s impact on the Eagles can’t be overstated. The OL had been an issue for a long time. Runyan arrived in 2000. He brought talent, stability and attitude. Lots of attitude. Some will say he was dirty. I think he just didn’t hear the whistle because of crowd noise.

DEFENSE

DE Hugh Douglas
DT Corey Simon
DT Mike Patterson
DE Trent Cole
MLB Jeremiah Trotter
LB Carlos Emmons
SS Quintin Mikell
FS Brian Dawkins
CB Asante Samuel
CB Troy Vincent
CB Sheldon Brown

Douglas was good and he was fun. He talked non-stop on and off the field. He made the Pro Bowl from 2000-2002 and had 37 sacks in that span. Cole wasn’t as big/strong as Douglas, but he was a relentless rusher. He gave maximum effort on every single snap. Cole had 47 sacks from 2005-2009.

Simon was drafted 6th overall in 2000. He sacked Troy Aikman on his first ever play. Not a bad way to start a career. Simon was a quick, disruptive player and was key to the defense early on. He gained weight and lost some of his athleticism. A contract dispute ended his time in Philly. Patterson entered the NFL as a 1-gap DT, but got bigger and stronger over time and became a terrific run defender.

Trot was a sledgehammer for Jim Johnson. He would attack blockers and blow up running plays. You just don’t see 260-pound MLBs anymore. The Axeman was a unique player and Johnson got the most out of him. Emmons signed as a free agent in 2000 and was the SAM. He could play the run and cover TEs. Emmons didn’t post gaudy numbers. He was just a reliable player who helped the defense play at a high level. There wasn’t a third LB worthy of putting on this list so I went with three CBs.

Dawk made the Pro Bowl six times between 2000-2008. He was the rare dude who could do it all. Great blitzer. Punishing hitter. Playmaking centerfielder. Mikell was a UDFA who earned his way on the roster by standing out on special teams. He got mixed in on defense over time and became a full time starter in 2007. Mikell made the Pro Bowl in 2009.

Samuel signed as a free agent in 2008 and helped the Eagles reach the NFC title game. He picked off 9 passes in 2009 and made the Pro Bowl both years. Vincent was the team’s best corner from 2000-2003. Brown only missed one start between 2004 and 2009. He didn’t have elite talent, but Brown was a very good hitter and tackler. He picked off 26 passes in the decade. He never made the Pro Bowl, but he was a good corner for a long time.

THAT hit by Sheldon Brown. (Jan. 13, 2007) pic.twitter.com/JV4VLjHr5E

— NFL Legacy (@NFLLegacy) October 24, 2022

SPECIAL TEAMS

LS Mike Bartrum
P Sean Landeta
K David Akers
RS Brian Mitchell
STer Ike Reese

Bartrum was the snapper from 2000-2006. He also caught 4 TDs as an Eagle (backup TE). Landeta punted for the Eagles from 1999-2002 and again in 2005. Akers was the best kicker in team history. He might be losing that title to Jake Elliott, but Akers is still a great Eagles player. Mitch was signed to be a backup RB and STer. He turned out to be a great RS, giving a big boost to the early Reid teams. My best memory of him is Mitch running through a kicker’s arm tackle and injuring the kicker. Mitch wasn’t big, but he was strong. Reese was a role player on defense. He stood out on STs and was a key member of the teams that went to four straight NFC title games.

JUST MISSED

There are always guys you hate to leave off.

Jamaal Jackson started 71 games for the Eagles in the decade (like Fraley). Jackson was big at 330 and gave the Eagles a powerful inside presence.

Jevon Kearse never became the dominating rusher the Eagles hoped, but he was very good in 2004 and had some great moments overall.

Lito Sheppard was great in 2004 and made a ton of plays in 2006. He was wildly inconsistent though. He could have been a star if he played up to his potential on a regular basis.

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