McCoy signing is another big step for Eagles

Now it's star running back LeSean McCoy who has a new contract, and let's hear it for the Philadelphia Eagles. You can't say they didn't learn from their mistakes.

And their mistakes were committed last season when they paid top-dollar to incoming free agents instead of unhappy veterans on the roster. DeSean Jackson was one of them, and you saw what impact the experience had on his game. He sulked, and he wasn't very good.

Neither, of course, were the Eagles. They finished 8-8 only after winning their last four.

So they tried a different approach this year -- actually, the approach they used to take in previous seasons -- and saved their big money for deserving veterans. Todd Herremans gained a new deal. So did Trent Cole. And Jackson. And now McCoy, the team's MVP in 2011.

This is a critical season for coach Andy Reid and his club, and he -- they -- need everyone pulling in the same direction, something that wasn't happening last year. So they went into the offseason determined to take care of their own before taking care of others, and they succeeded.

The latest move demonstrates to others within that locker room that if you're valuable to the club, it will reward you. That wasn't the case last year. The Eagles rewarded outsiders they thought could be valuable, and the team chemistry suffered.

Did I say, "Chemistry?" There was none. There should be now, and that's a warning to the NFC East and the NFC in general. The Eagles went about their business the wrong way last year, and they suffered for it. But they learned from their error and now seem to be making all the right moves.