In those four games, the Eagles allowed an average of 11.5 points per contest, forced 8 turnovers, racked up 17 sacks -- 9 in a win over Miami -- permitted an average of just 161 1/2 passing yards and showed the kind of creative, attacking scheme that portends nicely in the developing mind of coordinator Juan Castillo.
But how much did those games matter?
The argument against counting too heavily on those games is that the Eagles were playing against struggling offenses with less-than-average quarterbacks and that they were 4-8 in the previous 12 games and that there were just too many warts -- tackling, missed assignments -- to go overboard assessing the importance of the wins against Miami, the Jets, Dallas and Washington.
The Eagles have to take everything into consideration as they evaluate the steps needed to move into Super Bowl contention for 2012. What does this defense need to be Super?
Let's take a look ...
DEFENSIVE END
This is a good group that could be great ... if third-year man Brandon Graham gets healthy and lives up to the promise that made him so attractive to the Eagles in the 2010 draft. Pro Bowl ends Jason Babin and Trent Cole are the starters, and second-year man Phillip Hunt is on the fast track here toward earning some serious playing time with veteran Darryl Tapp in the rotation.
Veteran Juqua Parker looked good late in the year once his ankle sprain healed, but he is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent and is a question mark to return.
Then there is Graham, who earned an immediate starting job as a rookie and was productive before tailing off. Graham suffered a knee injury in December of his rookie season and missed a full calendar year of playing time before stepping back on the football field.
When he played in 2011, Graham lacked explosiveness and durability. He is back in the weight room, back into his conditioning program, and the Eagles want to get a long look at him when the team's conditioning program begins in mid-April. Graham needs to be in the best shape of his life. The Eagles are counting on him in a big way.
Should Graham come through, the Eagles have a great, great situation at defensive end. The alternative is to use another high draft pick on a position where you just can't have enough great players.
DEFENSIVE TACKLE
Cullen Jenkins was one of the top free-agent signings in the league last year, lending a physical and productive presence to the Eagles' defensive interior in 2011. He also has a bonus due in his contract that is reportedly in the range of $5 million due on March 13, adding a wrench in the plans just a bit.
Can the Eagles fit that kind of bonus, and a reported $7.5 million total for the year, into their salary-cap structure? How much value does Jenkins bring to the table?
These are the kinds of questions the Eagles have to answer as they strategize for 2012.
Beyond Jenkins, who was a first alternate to the Pro Bowl and who is an enormously popular player in the locker room with a lot of good football in front of him, the Eagles have some big-picture items to discuss at the defensive tackle spots.
Mike Patterson had a terrific season after suffering the training camp seizure, and he is expected to be fine after having surgery in the offseason. Patterson is a cog in the defensive plans here.
Then there are a couple of players scheduled to be unrestricted free agents: Trevor Laws, who played well in the nickel giving pass-rushing pressure from the inside, and veteran Derek Landri, a do-everything, try-hard player who was very productive last season.
Antonio Dixon missed much of 2011 with a shoulder injury. He is scheduled to become a restricted free agent and is someone the Eagles want to develop with coach Jim Washburn. What kind of tender would the Eagles have to place on Dixon to retain his services if they don't sign him to a long-term contract?
Another player to consider is second-year man Cedric Thornton, who has a chance to thrive with Washburn. Thornton needs to be a beast in the weight room in the months ahead and get stronger and focus on the technique used here.
LINEBACKER
There is a lot of youth here, and the Eagles have to project how much those players are going to mature before they think about tearing the group apart and starting new. Again.
The constant turnover in personnel has not allowed the Eagles to build any continuity at linebacker over the years. They need to find some answers and stick with those players to allow the position to grow together.
Do the Eagles have some of the pieces already in place?
Maybe.
Maybe not.
They certainly have some prospect. Jamar Chaney is the best of the group and he is the incumbent middle linebacker after switching back his rookie position after an early-season experiment at SAM. Chaney is a good player who runs well and is physical. He is coming off neck surgery, which is always a scary thing in the NFL.
Veteran Moise Fokou is recovering after having an ankle injury end his 2011 early and he is the front-runner to play the strong side. Second-year man Brian Rolle made a lot of plays from his weak-side position and should only get better in 2012.
What about the reserves? Casey Matthews started early in the middle and struggled, but he found his niche in the nickel making plays with his speed chasing the football. Keenan Clayton earned more playing time late in his second season in a similar role to Matthews'. Akeem Jordan was outstanding on special teams and late in the season from the line of scrimmage. Second-year man Greg Lloyd will get a chance in the middle or on the strong side.
But is that enough for the defense? Are they going to rely on young veterans blossoming? Or will they go out and sign a veteran in free agency or even use a high draft pick -- a first-round selection, even? -- on a linebacker?
CORNERBACK
The Eagles are in the very unusual position of determining whether the talent they have is too much to handle, or if it is just the right amount. Certainly, they have something no other team has -- Pro Bowl players like Nnamdi Asomugha, Asante Samuel and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie pushing for playing time. All three have been in Hawaii, but only two players can start at a time.
A late-season injury to Samuel opened the door for Rodgers-Cromartie to start and he played very well against Dallas and Washington. What does that mean for the evaluation process?
Asomugha was up and down in his first year here, but more familiarity with the scheme, and with new defensive backs coach Todd Bowles, will aid the talented Asomugha.
Many think Samuel is going to be traded, but that is far from a given. Samuel is a premier play-making cornerback and there just aren't very many players like him in the league.
How the team deals with the three-headed cornerback situation is, perhaps, the most intriguing question for this defense in the offseason.
Joselio Hanson played the slot position solidly for the defense last year and the Eagles developed youngsters Brandon Hughes and Curtis Marsh, both of whom need to prove they are ready to contribute heavily in 2012. Marsh, a third-round draft pick last April, has a particular spotlight. He is a big body, is strong and showed well in training camp last year.
Overall, it's a good position, one that needs to determine if he can improve with the old addition-by-subtraction formula.
SAFETY
The last line of defense may have the first line of questions for the season ahead. The Eagles must get more consistency and more production from their safety positions.
Third-year man Nate Allen showed flashes of becoming the outstanding player the Eagles feel he will be, but he was too inconsistent last season. Recovering from a torn patellar tendon injury clearly limited Allen at times, but he looked great in the final month of the season, an exciting prospect for 2012.
Kurt Coleman started 13 games, had 4 interceptions and probably played a lot better than most thought he would. He is a heady, tough guy who needs to tackle more consistently and play a physical game, despite a lack of bulk and size. Coleman is a good player, but does he change the game on a week-in, week-out basis?
It's likely that Coleman and Allen, for that matter, will face competition from second-year man Jaiquawn Jarrett, a second-round draft pick last April. Jarrett is a hitter who is going to be immersed in the playbook in the offseason. He has to be ready to compete when training camp arrives. The big question on Jarrett is his ability in coverage.
Colt Anderson is going to be on this roster if he recovers from his knee injury because there are very few players in the game as dynamic in kick coverage. Anderson didn't get much of chance to play safety last year, and who knows how Bowles and safeties coach Michael Zordich feel about Anderson in the defense. But he is a game-changing player on special teams, a definite Pro Bowl talent.
Tom Nelson came in late in the season to replace Anderson on special teams.
What do the Eagles do at safety? This is another group, much like linebacker, that has young talent. How long can the Eagles afford to wait to see if the young talent is good enough to make a positive impact for the defense?
NEXT: Special teams
