The Eagles didn't let go of Brian Dawkins until he was 35

For the Eagles, the "known" included not only McNabb, the team's starter from 2000 through 2009, but also a core of veterans who led the team through a decade of playoff appearances and a loss in the 2005 Super Bowl. In the past two years, nearly all those veterans — Brian Westbrook, Brian Dawkins, Jon Runyan, Tra Thomas, Sheldon Brown and others — were traded, were released or left through free agency. The current Eagles are so young that when Reid excused players older than 30 from an afternoon practice, only one nonkicker qualified.

With so few veterans around, particularly on offense, Kolb and the younger players have adopted a leadership-by-committee approach.

"Our big push is just 'one unit' right now," he said. "We don't care about individuals, we don't care about spotlights."

Kolb recognizes his role as a de facto leader, but stresses that he was "not going to force anything." Younger players have more opportunities to assert themselves than in years past. "We speak up when somebody wants to speak up, and everybody listens and trusts each other."

Other players sound comfortable both with Kolb's style and with the team's democratic philosophy.

"Everybody had their question marks, but I think he's definitely answered those," the second-year receiver Jeremy Maclin said of Kolb. "Now we have a team that grows as a unit."

A number of factors contributed to safety Quintin Mikell's decline in 2009: the loss of Brian Dawkins, the revolving door at linebacker, the risky play of the cornerbacks and a new defensive coordinator in Sean McDermott.

But Mikell told the Inquirer that he also let his discontent about his contract affect his play last year. Playing for a relatively paltry four-year, $4 million deal, Mikell thought that he deserved an extension as the starting strong safety. But the Eagles had smartly locked him in at a cheap rate before he became a starter, and Mikell had little leverage to get a deal done.

Now 29, Mikell's one of the Eagles' oldest players on a team that's constantly looking to get younger. And the Eagles have never rushed to provide more money to players entering his thirties. But there are a number of factors that suggest Mikell will be in Philly for the next few years.

First, Mikell's really not that old. The Eagles didn't let go of Brian Dawkins until he was 35. Dawkins was, of course, somewhat of an athletic freak, but his case shows that the team is willing to pay an older safety. Giving Mikell an extension of three to four years at age 30 isn't unreasonable. Plus, since Mikell only became an every down player in 2008, he has relatively little wear on his tires.

Second, Mikell's not going to command Antrel Rolle money. Rolle, who got a five-year, $37 million contract this off-season from the Giants, was 27 years old and one of the best safeties in the league. Mikell can be a solid starter, but he's not a difference-maker who deserves a huge deal. The Eagles should be able to compensate him adequately without breaking the bank for an aging player.

Finally and most importantly, Mikell's more valuable in Philadelphia than anywhere else in the NFL. Let's assume for a minute that he has at least as good a season as he had in 2009, and probably an improvement from that down year. Can the Eagles afford to let him go? Even if Nate Allen looks good at free safety this fall, he's still very young. Pairing him with an even more inexperienced replacement at strong safety -- such as 7th-round pick Kurt Coleman -- could be a disaster.