The Philadelphia Eagles head into a historic crossroads in 2012 as the team make decisions about its coach, defense, big-play receiver and quarterback.

The guessing has already started about head coach Andy Reid’s fate, but owner Jeff Lurie and president Joe Banner also must make big personnel decisions on other coaches and key players.

Fox 29 spoke with Garry Cobb aka “Gcobb” on Good Day and the former Eagles linebacker thinks the coaching staff will be back in its entirety in 2012. But here is our look into the Eagles’ future.

1. Andy Reid.

The veteran coach has been with the Eagles since 1999 but hasn’t won a Super Bowl. The Eagles came close in 2005, but haven’t been to the big game since Jacksonville.

The popular thought is that Reid returns for one more season. He actually has two years left on his deal at approximately $4 million a year.

The Eagles wouldn’t let Reid go and then watch him sign with another club after collecting $8 million.

But if a team like San Diego asked for permission to speak with Reid, it could be a different issue.

Forecast: Reid stays.

2. The Eagles defense.

Juan Castillo’s first year as defensive coordinator ended better than it started, but the horrible start sunk the Eagles’ playoff chances.

Two former Eagles assistants who coached under Jim Johnson could be looking for jobs: Leslie Frazier and Steve Spagnuolo. Another name that could surface is former local high school coach Mike Pettine, Jr., who is with the New York Jets.

If Spagnuolo is let go by the Rams, he also could get another head coaching offer. But if Reid is in place as the Eagles’ coach in January, the team could sign Spagnuolo as its defensive coordinator and move Castillo to another position.

Forecast: Eagles get Spagnuolo, Castillo moves back to offense.

3. DeSean vs. LeSean.

The Eagles receiver DeSean Jackson is a free agent and the team must decide about a contract extension for LeSean McCoy.

Jackson picked a bad time to have a bad season. Not only is the free agent pool deep for wide receivers, Jeremy Maclin will also be looking for extension, too.

Forecast: DeSean leaves, Eagles pay LeSean McCoy.

4. The 2012 NFL Draft

The Eagles’ last two drafts have been busts under Reid and Howie Roseman. The impact players have been offensive linemen Jason Kelce and Danny Watkins and tight end Clay Harbor.

On defense, Nate Allen is been inconsistent, while Brandon Graham can’t get on the field.

The big question is if the current staff can evaluate young talent enough to pick defensive players in the draft.

The 2012 draft isn’t deep at linebacker and safety, where the Eagles need the most help. But if Asante Samuel is traded, cornerback is another need.

But the biggest question is the decision to go after an impact player at the top of the draft, since the Eagles will have a top 13 pick.

Forecast: The Eagles pick a defense playmaker and move up in the draft.

5. The Quarterback Situation.

Michael Vick was inconsistent and hurt in the first year of his big deal with the Eagles. After the 2012 season, the Eagles could move Vick to another team and not take a big salary cap hit.

If the Eagles decide to start planning beyond Vick, a quarterback could be a draft option. It won’t be Robert Griffin III, with Dan Snyder picking ahead of the Eagles. But the team could look for an upgrade over Mike Kafka.

With Vince Young also likely leaving, the Eagles could look for a veteran backup who knows Andy Reid’s offense. It’s unknown yet if Donovan McNabb will play another season in the NFL, but the Eagles are one of the few teams who fit his skill set.

Prediction: Vick starts but the Eagles draft a quarterback early in the draft. McNabb retires after signing with the Eagles for one day.
 

Read More: Brent Celek (TE – PHI), Akeem Jordan (LB – PHI), Winston Justice (OT – PHI), Juqua Parker (DE – PHI), King Dunlap (OT – PHI), Owen Schmitt (FB – PHI), LeSean McCoy (RB – PHI), Brandon Graham (DE – PHI), Nate Allen (FS – PHI), Philadelphia Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles were without tight end Brent Celek and running back LeSean McCoy during their Thursday practice leading up to the much-anticipated Monday night contest against the Chicago Bears.

McCoy was sent home early in the day with a stomach flu, according to a report from the Philadelphia Inquirer. Head coach Andy Reid said he expected McCoy to be back at practice Friday.

Celek missed the practice with a hip bruise, but said he expects to play Monday. The only other Eagle to miss practice was linebacker Akeem Jordan, who suffered a concussion last week against the Cowboys and has yet to be cleared to come back to practice.

Safety Nate Allen (knee), offensive tackle King Dunlap (back), offensive tackle Winston Justice (knee), defensive end Juqua Parker (ankle) and running back Owen Schmitt (groin) all made full participation in practice.

Defensive end Brandon Graham also continues to practice, despite being on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list. The Eagles have until 4 p.m. Sunday to decide if they want to activate him for the Bears game or release him.

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Jason Peters is a go.

Trent Cole is a go.

Brandon Graham may be a go.

The Philadelphia Eagles will be getting some welcome reinforcements coming into Sunday night’s nationally-televised clash with the Dallas Cowboys at Lincoln Financial Field.

“Trent is good to go. Jason Peters is good to go,” Eagles coach Andy Reid said.

Peters had been sidelined with a hamstring injury and Cole a calf injury.

Peters’ return gives the Eagles the offensive line they had projected several weeks ago with himself and Todd Herremans at left and right tackles, Danny Watkins and Evan Mathis at guards and Jason Kelce at center.

Winston Justice, who started for the Eagles in the win over Washington before the bye week, returns to a reserve role.

“I thought Winston did a nice job the last game, but again, I made the decision to go with Todd at the right tackle spot,” Reid said. “I think they have a chance to be a very good offensive line.”

The line will be challenged by a Cowboy defense ranked No. 8 in the league in sacks with 17 and coached by Rob Ryan, who inherited his father Buddy’s passion for blitzing and harassing quarterbacks.

“We’ve actually had pretty good success versus the blitz,” Reid said. “You know you’re not going to hit every one of them, no quarterback does that, no offense does that. But again, we’ve had some pretty good plays against the blitz.”

Mathis said the offensive line will benefit from continued work together.

“Moving forward and taking big steps are what we’re all about,” he said. “We’ll go out there, give our best, and there will still be things to learn from and to improve as we move forward. You can’t be content. You can always strive to get better because there is always room for improvement. If you keep that frame of mind and play like that going forward, good things will happen for us.”

Getting Graham, sidelined since December 2010 because of knee surgery, back would be a good thing, too, to boost the Birds’ pass rush and allow more rotation of the defensive line.

“I’m feeling good, no soreness, no nothing, you know I feel regular,” Graham said. “The only thing is my feet hurt just from not using them for a little bit but that’s about it. I feel good. I know that I have to get my wind up a little bit and as I play in the games it will get better. But right now I’m just focusing on what I need to do, and that’s getting off the ball, and then everything else will come later.”

Graham has entered the 21-day period when players on the physically-unable-to-perform list can practice with the team without counting towards the 53-man roster. If Graham was not to be activated in that span — and of course the Birds would have to make a roster move to do so — he would be unable to play for the remainder of the season.

That would seem exceedingly unlikely, though Reid hedged about whether Graham would return for the Cowboys.

“He’s been working out like crazy, so it’s a matter of getting into football shape, and banging around a little bit, and catching up with that part of it,” Reid said. “I’m not going to tell you he’s all the way back. We’ll see how it goes. I kind of have an open agenda with this one. We’ll see how he does and we’ll kind of progress from this point.”

Graham can’t wait.

“It’s been hard because you want to be a part of wins or losses, you know however it goes, and be a part of the team,” Graham said. “And I haven’t felt like that because I haven’t been able to be out there to help. But now I’m feeling a lot better.”

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Oct 24, 2011 – Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham practiced Monday for the first time this season and could be activated from the PUP list this weekend when the Eagles host the Cowboys. Graham has been out the entire season after having microfracture surgery on his right knee in December and will likely miss Sunday night’s home game against Dallas, as well.

Graham is currently on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list and is allowed three weeks of practice before the Eagles must decide if they want to place him on the injured reserve list or return him to the 53-man roster.

“We’re just taking it one day at a time,” Graham said. “I know they’re going to evaluate me during the week. I know that all eyes are on me for right now, so I’m giving them everything I’ve got.”

Graham says that he felt good after today’s practice.

“I feel good. I know that I have to get my wind up a little bit and as I play in the games it will get better. But right now I’m just focusing on what I need to do, and that’s getting off the ball, and then everything else will come later.”

Monday’s practice was a short one as the team returned from its bye week and began preparing for Sunday night’s hotly anticipated contest with the Cowboys. Defensive end Trent Cole (calf) and left tackle Jason Peters (calf) also suited up for practice. Right tackle Winston Justice, who played his first game of the season against the Redskins two Sundays ago, practiced with the second string.

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Read More: Trent Cole (DE – PHI), Winston Justice (OT – PHI), Jason Peters (OT – PHI), Brandon Graham (DE – PHI), Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys

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Coach Andy Reid rewarded his players and coaches with a week off. That’s typical for him during the bye and it’s paid off throughout his tenure. The Eagles are 12-0 after a bye under Reid.

“I want them to get away, and you can’t help it,” Reid said Monday. “You’re in the season and there are games going on around you. You’re not going to forget about that, and I’m not even sure you can do that in the offseason. I want them to get away and take a deep breath, and get their bodies and minds back where they’re able to relax. Then, get them back here and get them to work again. I think the bye comes at a good time.

“It’s close enough to the middle of the season where I think it’s a good thing.”

A loss to the Redskins, who came in at 3-1 and off a bye, would’ve all but finished Philadelphia’s season. No team has opened a season 1-5 and reached the playoffs since Cincinnati did it in 1970. The Bengals started 1-6 that year before winning their last seven games.

Michael Vick made sure the Eagles wouldn’t have to try to climb out of a similar, seemingly insurmountable hole. Vick led a turnover-prone offense to 20 first-half points, and the defense had its best all-around effort in holding off the Redskins. The Eagles blew fourth-quarter leads in three of their four losses.

“It was just one win,” Vick said. “I think if we get the next one, we’ll get that confidence. But we definitely feel good about where we are right now. Obviously, there’s a lot of work to be done. We’re committed to getting that done. I’m excited for the guys. I’m proud of the defense, offense, special teams, my offensive line guys, the receivers made great plays when they needed to. I felt like I made the plays that I needed to make minus a couple.”

This season hasn’t gone the way the Eagles expected. They entered with a Super Bowl-or-bust mentality. Instead, they’re sitting in last place with November approaching. The consolation is the fact they’re only two games behind the New York Giants, and have a favorable schedule coming up.

The Eagles play their next three games at home, starting with a Sunday night matchup against Dallas (2-3) on Oct. 30. They host Chicago and Arizona before playing their next road game at the Giants on Nov. 20. Considering the trips to Washington and New York are by train, the Eagles will go seven weeks without a plane ride for a game. Many players will be flying somewhere during their week off, however.

Wherever they go, they’ll be a little happier after a tension-filled week in which fans were calling for Reid to be fired and players were left to defend their coach.

“I still think we can win this division,” center Jason Kelce said. “I don’t think the division is out of reach by any stretch of the imagination. We have been getting better each and every week and more consistent each and every week and striving to be consistent.”

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Notes: DE Brandon Graham, a first-round pick last season, could return to practice next week. Graham had knee surgery last December and has been on the physically unable to perform list since training camp. “He’s coming off major surgery, so you want to bring him back in and let him get back into football here, and that normally takes a little bit of time,” Reid said. “You have to be realistic about it and then go from there. I can tell you, his last play was his best play. It was a phenomenal move on his last play when he hurt his knee. So we’re looking for him just to get back in the swing and get in that groove of playing football. He hasn’t had contact with anybody yet. You can’t do that when you’re on the PUP list.” … The four teams the Eagles have lost to, have won a total of 16 games.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.