Eagles fans will be looking to fly high

by DAVE WIGGINS

Philadelphia Eagles fans must feel like they're in the NFC East catbird seat as the NFL gets ready for a new season.

And they have the Dallas Cowboys to thank.

It was the 'Boys uninspired off-season hiring of retread Wade Phillips as their new head coach that made sittin' pretty possible for the Philly faithful.

Dallas could have hired an unknown who turns out to be a wunderkind a la Chicago's Lovie Smith or Sean Payton of New Orleans. Instead, they opted for the twice-pink slipped Phillips, a proven mediocrity.

Thus, Eagle fans can breathe easier, knowing they have their divisional coaching ducks all in a row _ just the way they like 'em. Hey, the easier the path to a title, the better.

Now in charge on rival NFC East sidelines are the no-threat Phillips and two ex-greats in deep doo-doo _ Washington's Joe Gibbs and the New York Giants' Tom Coughlin.

Here's why things are just ducky for Eagles followers.

For starters, instead of butting heads twice-yearly with the retired Bill Parcells, who's won big everywhere he's coached, they'll face Phillips who have never won a play-off game.

Birds fans can thank Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and Terrell "The Human Hemorrhoid" Owens for this early Christmas gift.

One senses Jerry tired of taking a back seat to Parcells and wanted to be at the wheel once more in hiring the more malleable Phillips.

Either that or Jonesy's toupee tape was cutting off circulation to his brain. How else to explain his widely panned choice of Phillips?

Parcells was an overbearing control freak of a success. Yet, even the Big Tuna wearied of Owens, cancer cleats everywhere he's played, prompting Bill to swim off.

In his stead is the laid back Phillips, who will not only put up with Jones' meddling but also has a rep for letting the inmates run the asylum.

Already, Owens has praised Phillips as "a player's coach". Translation: TO can now throw temper tantrums with impunity.

Dallas under Phillips is a disaster waiting to happen.

Can you be removed from the Hall of Fame for a disastrous redux? That's what Redskins' mentor Joe Gibbs has to be worried about now as he struggles in his NFL comeback.

As a three-time Super Bowl winner before the salary cap, Gibbs rammed the ball down foes throats behind his humungous offensive line, the "Hogs". But now, foes can offset that ground game with free agent whales up front on defence.

In turn, unlike the old days, serviceable QBs (see Mark Brunell) and smurf wideouts (like Antwan Randle El) can't cut it in Gibbs' second coming, either.

Plus, Gibbs is saddled with an owner in "Dan the Fan" Snyder who insists on having a hand in the football operation based solely on playing Strat-o-matic as a youth.

The Washington situation is as good (i.e. bad) as Philadelphians could hope for.

In New York, you've got a once strict but highly successful coach (Tom Coughlin) who has clearly lost control of his team.

The Giants are loaded with prima donnas who want to both play AND coach.

Last season, Jeremy Shockey, Plaxico Burress, the now-retired Tiki Barber and others turned the Giants locker room into Camp Run-Amok with their constant carping and second-guessing.

Coughlin seems unwilling to crack down on his bunch of miscreants for fear of an all-out mutiny that would get him fired.

The criticism by Barber had to be especially galling.

Tiki was just a third down back with fumbleitis until Coughlin taught him how to carry the ball safely and turned him into an All-Pro.

Cap'n Coughlin's thanks?

A likely long walk off a short plank after this season.

Yep, high-n-dry Eagles fans must feel like they've hit the NFC East coaching trifecta.