1999 record: 5-11, last place in the NFC East.

Last five years: 34-45-1.

Coach: Andy Reid is 5-11 in one year with Philadelphia.

Playoff past: Philadelphia is 5-10 in postseason play since the merger, including a loss in Super Bowl XV. The Eagles qualified as a wildcard entry in 1995 and '96 under Ray Rhodes, but have not won a division title since 1988 and have just two playoff victories in the last 10 seasons. In the past two seasons, Philadelphia totaled only eight wins. There's a good chance, if quarterback Donovan McNabb plays well in his first season as a full-time starter, that the Eagles will match that victory total this season. It's still a team, though, about a year away from the playoffs.

Outlook:

During his two-year tenure as the Green Bay Packers quarterbacks tutor, Andy Reid gained the admiration of Brett Favre, who publicly afforded the passing games wizard his personal seal of approval when the longtime assistant moved to the Philadelphia Eagles as head coach in 1999.

"He's a great teacher and, if they get him some players in Philadelphia, he'll work some magic over there," Favre said at the time.

One year later, Reid has at least one potential star skill-position player at his disposal, and is hoping that second-year quarterback Donovan McNabb can pull the Eagles' first playoff berth since 1998 out of a hat. If that occurs, both student and mentor will be able to take a bow. But while Reid quietly turned in one of the NFL's top coaching performances in his '99 inaugural season, and McNabb at least occasionally flashed some of the big-play skills that made him a standout at Syracuse, this is a team that might still be a year removed from postseason play.

The Eagles hope Corey Simon will be able to adapt quick enough to make an immediate impact.(AP)

Particularly on the offensive side of the ball.

Make no mistake, the Eagles can play defense, and should be even more improved in 2000. Coordinator Jim Johnson is one of the best, if unheralded, defensive schemers in the league and, if he can get first-round tackle Corey Simon into the lineup after a 10-day camp holdout, he will have the interior anchor the unit has lacked. Despite ranking 24th in overall defense last season, the Eagles specialize in the takeaway.

Led by a tenacious secondary that features strong cornerback play from Troy Vincent, Bobby Taylor and Brian Dawkins, the NFL's best emerging young free safety, Philadelphia led the league in takeaways (46), was third in interceptions (28) and eighth in turnover differential (plus-7). Now that third-year pro Jeremiah Trotter has settled in as the full-time middle linebacker, this is a unit that figures to only get better. In last weekend's preseason opener, the Eagles' No. 1 defense dominated the Cleveland offense for four series before taking the rest of the night off.

But it is on offense where the Eagles must make the quantum leap, and even another giant step forward by McNabb might not be quite enough to get them over the hump. Competitive and fiery, the kind of player around whom teammates rally, McNabb can make plays with his feet or his arm. At this point in his career, after just six starts, it's still more the former than the latter. To help speed the ascent of McNabb, and to keep him from giving up on the pass play too quickly, coordinator Rod Dowhower has the youngster throwing a lot of three -- and five-step drops.

"It forces me," McNabb said, "to get into the timing of the passing game. If I get the ball out (of my hands) quickly, I'm not going to start scrambling around. The reads are quicker. I want to unload a lot quicker this year."

There are some notable players on the offense, led by hard-running tailback Duce Staley, who is beginning to develop as a receiver, too. The Eagles spent exorbitantly to lure right tackle Jon Runyan (Tennessee), deemed by SportsLine.com as the best unrestricted free agent available this spring. Left tackle Tra Thomas is a future Pro Bowl player if he gets his weight under control. But the Eagles need more plays from their wide receivers, and veterans Charles Johnson and Torrance Small might not be the answer. The team also lacks a solid tight end, a detriment to Dowhower, who likes to work bigger receivers deep up the middle of the field.

Schedule preview: The Eagles open with road games in three of the first four weeks, but then don't travel away from Veterans Stadium for back-to-back contests the rest of the season. Their first two games, at Dallas and home against the New York Giants, should give coach Andy Reid some gauge as to how the team stacks up in the division. The "bye" week comes on Dec. 17, almost too late in the campaign to really make much of a difference. Philadelphia has four games against AFC Central teams, but only Tennessee should be favored over the Eagles.

1999 offensive ranking: No. 30 overall, No. 17 rushing, No. 31 passing.

1999 defensive ranking: No. 24 overall, No. 28 vs. the rush, No. 15 vs. the pass.

Key players lost from 1999: C Steve Everitt (released), DT Steve Martin (Kansas City), TE Jamie Asher (released), OG Jeff Dellenbach (retired), SS Tim Hauck (unsigned), PK Norm Johnson (released), LB William Thomas (released), WR Dietrich Jells (released), OG David Diaz-Infante (Denver), TE Kaseem Sinceno (Green Bay).

Key additions for 2000: OT Jon Runyan (Titans), RB/RS Brian Mitchell (Redskins), LB Carlos Emmons (Steelers), FB Stanley Pritchett (Dolphins), DT Paul Grasmanis (Bears), TE Jeff Thomason (Packers).

Rookies to watch: Although he missed the first 10 days of training camp in a contract dispute, first-round pick Corey Simon should in time anchor the interior of the Philadelphia defense from his tackle position. Simon isn't particularly big, but he is an active, one-gap type player with a lot of penetration skills. Once he gets into shape, he'll be a starter. Second-round wide receiver Todd Pinkston is reed-thin but durable and, given the lackluster quality of the holdovers at the position, could be a starter by midseason. The coaches want Bobby Williams, the other second-rounder, to start at right guard and are force-feeding the former Arkansas tackle.

Offensive line: When the Eagles shelled out $30.5 million over five years (including $10 million in compensation for 2000) to pirate right tackle Jon Runyan away from Tennessee, it immediately upgraded the entire unit. A mauler in the running game, Runyan doesn't have particularly quick feet for pass blocking. But he does own a huge frame and long arms and can ward off most of the upfield rushers in the league. If things work according to plan, second-round selection Bobby Williams, a former college tackle, will start at right guard. Williams has a tough-guy mindset and the potential to be a solid in-line blocker.

Left tackle Tra Thomas, who two years ago looked like a burgeoning All-Pro pass protector, needs to commit to conditioning to reach his potential. But he is a superior talent. The biggest question mark is in the middle, where Bubba Miller replaces the departed Steve Everitt.

Wide receivers/tight ends: The problem is that Philadelphia has too many complementary type receivers and no true go-to guy to bail Donovan McNabb out of trouble. Veterans Torrance Small and Charles Johnson were imported as free agents and, when they aren't injured, are solid enough players.

But somewhere on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, when he was traveling from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia as a free agent, Johnson lost a step. Instead of being a deep threat, he's become more a possession receiver. Small continues to be what he always has been: an underneath receiver who has nice run-after-catch ability. The answer could be second-round pick Todd Pinkston, a rangy, almost anemic-looking sprinter with surprising toughness and durability. It shouldn't take too long for Pinkston to establish himself as the home-run hitter in this lineup. The options are not overwhelming at tight end, where neither Luther Broughton nor Jeff Thomason possesses the kind of speed coordinator Rod Dowhower likes at the position.

Running backs: Fourth-year pro Duce Staley got 366 "touches," rushing attempts plus catches, in 1999 and the staff would like to see that workload reduced a bit in 2000. Enter Brian Mitchell, the former Redskins return specialist who figures to become the third-down back. That doesn't mean, though, Staley's role will be dramatically reduced. He is a tremendous inside runner who breaks through arm tackles and punishes safeties that come up on him. He won't run away from anyone, as demonstrated by the fact his longest run in 1999 was 29 yards, but he can erode the front seven with his sledgehammer style and he'll occasionally pinball outside when he spins off a tackle. Although the team imported former Miami fullback Stanley Pritchett, the starter might remain second-year veteran Cecil Martin, a tough blocker. Pritchett may line up with Martin in an "elephant" backfield on short yardage and will provide another good receiver in the backfield.

Quarterbacks: It's not hyperbole to suggest the success of the Eagles rests primarily with the performance of Donovan McNabb in his second season. The former Syracuse star, and second player selected overall in the '99 draft, McNabb became the starter over the second half of the season. While he flashed playmaking ability, his 49.1 percent completion quotient and puny passer rating of 60.1 are tangible indicators of how far he still has to go. McNabb must learn to be more patient in the pocket, to go through his progressions in reading the secondary coverage, and to not be so quick to pull down the ball and run with it. One promising sign is that he rarely threw the killer interception. Of the backups, Doug Pederson is like having another quarterbacks coach around and Koy Detmer displayed some toughness when he played in '99.

Defensive line: There are a lot of "ifs" on this unit. Maybe, in fact, too many. If rookie tackle Corey Simon, the team's first-round draft choice, makes an immediate impact. If speedy end Hugh Douglas, one of the best pure pass rushers in the business, can overcome the injuries that limited him to two starts in 1999. If end Mike Mamula can hold up physically while playing out of position on the left side. If tackle Hollis Thomas gets his weight under control.

Certainly there is potential, abetted by the one-gap style coordinator Jim Johnson prefers, but his remains the most suspect area of an improving defense. There isn't much collective size and the Eagles tend to get rag-dolled at times, so Simon needs to simply deliver. Notable is that Mamula, labeled a first-round bust much of his career, is coming off his best NFL season with 8½ sacks.

Linebackers: The insertion of former Pittsburgh starter Carlos Emmons, signed as a free agent, seems to have galvanized what already was a pretty good unit. In the past few seasons Philadelphia had problems matching up with the opposition tight end. While he isn't a prototype strongside player, Emmons seems to have developed nicely into that role during training camp. The result is that Philadelphia now has depth and can play some other veterans at their more natural spots.

The emerging player here is middle man Jeremiah Trotter, who clearly struggled with the mental side of the game his first few seasons, but is getting better in his recognition skills. He is big and has great range and doesn't have to come off the field in third-and-medium situations. Barry Gardner moves to the weakside, where his quickness is an asset. The Eagles might have to make a decision on former second-rounder James Darling, who hasn't showed a lot in his first three seasons. Veteran journeyman Mike Caldwell is versatile and heady.

Secondary: Without much fanfare, this has developed into one of the NFL's premier coverage and takeaway units, largely because of the emergence of free safety Brian Dawkins. Selected to the Pro Bowl for the first time in '99, the four-year veteran runs well enough to cover wideouts in the slot but still hits like a linebacker. He has superior instincts and is rarely out of the frame when the videotape rolls on a play. If big, physical corner Bobby Taylor could just stay healthy for a season, the tandem of he and Troy Vincent would be top shelf. Vincent tied for the league lead in interceptions (seven) last season and is even a ferocious defender in run support, where he regularly flies up to stop the sweep. After eight seasons, he still has enough speed to run deep with almost any wideout and he uses his hands well to redirect an opponent's routes. Taylor is the perfect complement, an overpowering physical presence, when he isn't in the whirlpool. The strong safety likely will be second-year veteran Damon Moore since Tim Hauck hasn't re-signed.

Special teams: Although he looked slow and indecisive when he saw him last week, former Redskins return man Brian Mitchell should upgrade a problem area for the Eagles. And there is a pretty nice alternative, too, in Allen Rossum, a sprinter on kickoff returns. The team is gambling that relatively untested kicker David Akers can replace Norm Johnson, the fourth-leading scorer in NFL history. Punter Sean Landeta, even after 15 seasons, remains one of the best.