NFL schedules seldom are what they seem in April. A year ago at this time, the Eagles' 2006 dance card looked like rainbows and lollipops early and monsters and dragons late. So what happened? They went out and lost six of their first 11, then finished with five straight wins to make the playoffs.
On the surface, this season's schedule has the same kind of easy-early, tough-late look as last year's initially did. The Eagles face just one '06 playoff team in the first 4 weeks (at the Giants in Week 4) and don't face a club with an '06 winning record until Week 6, when they play the Jets (10-6) at the Meadowlands. And that comes after a Week 5 bye. FYI: the Eagles are 8-0 in games after the bye under coach Andy Reid. Continue