That said, it doesn't mean he didn't agree with him.

"I like our talent as much as I've liked [the talent] on any of the teams that I've had," Reid said in early June, long before Banner's remark. "But it's a team sport, and we've got to make sure that we bring that talent together.

"What we need to do is, we've got a lot of new faces and we've got to come together. The big reason for some of the success of the other teams we've had here is that they gelled. Players had played together for so long that they knew they had that continuity there."

Reid's 11th Eagles team has a lot of positive qualities, but continuity isn't one of them. It's got more new parts than a restored '65 Mustang.

Eighteen of the 53 players on the Eagles' current roster weren't with the team last season. Another nine are in only their second year in Midnight Green.

That means that in just 2 years, the Eagles have turned over more than 50 percent of their roster. Throw in a new defensive coordinator, Sean McDermott, who replaced the late Jim Johnson, and you can see why there was some sentiment to switch the team's fight song from "Fly Eagles Fly" to "Getting To Know You."

The Eagles, who made their fifth trip to the NFC Championship Game in the last 8 years in January, entered the season as the league's tenth youngest team, and the youngest in the NFC East, with an average age of 26.81 years. Twenty-seven of their 53 players are 26 or younger. Thirteen of those 26 have less than 2 years of NFL experience.

Ten of their 22 starters against the Giants last week, including seven of their 11 offensive players, either weren't with the team or weren't starters at the beginning of last season.

Yet, here the Eagles are, off to their best seven-game start (5-2) since 2004, with a chance to take sole possession of first place in the division Sunday night when they host the 5-2 Cowboys at the Linc.

The Eagles got a major break from the NFL schedule-maker, who gave them a soft early-season schedule, which included five teams - the Panthers, Chiefs, Bucs, Raiders and Redskins - with a current combined record of 8-28.

It gave young players like wide receiver Jeremy Maclin and running back LeSean McCoy and free safety Macho Harris, and new additions like offensive linemen Jason Peters and Stacy Andrews and fullback Leonard Weaver and safety Sean Jones a chance to get acclimated to a new system and new teammates without the Eagles digging themselves into an early hole.

"We're still a work in progress," Reid said. "You've got to just keep pushing along. These guys are working hard. As long as they're willing to work hard and the coaches keep coaching, good things should happen.

"If guys get down on themselves and start thinking less of themselves as a player because they're making a couple of mistakes, then you've got a problem."

Reid and his staff have had their hands full in the season's first 2 months. They've had to deal with a potential crisis at middle linebacker after starter Stewart Bradley, and then his replacement, Omar Gaither, went down with season-ending injuries. They came up big there, swinging a trade-deadline deal with the Rams for Will Witherspoon, who has stepped right in and played well in both the base and nickel packages.

They had to grab the duct tape and patch their offensive line after left guard Todd Herremans went down with a stress fracture in his foot and Stacy Andrews struggled early on with his surgically-repaired knee, and his Pro Bowl brother Shawn, who was supposed to replace iron man Jon Runyan at right tackle, was placed on season-ending injured reserved due to a persistent back problem.

Herremans finally returned in Week 6, while Winston Justice so far has done a surprisingly serviceable job as Shawn Andrews' replacement at right tackle.

The soft early schedule also has been a great benefit to rookies like Harris, Maclin, McCoy and defensive tackle Antonio Dixon, who head into the meat of the schedule much more battle-

tested and prepared than they were 2 months ago.

Maclin, the team's first-round pick, has started the last six games and has 22 receptions and three TDs. McCoy is coming off an 82-yard rushing performance in Sunday's 40-17 win over the Giants. Dixon, who was picked up by the Eagles in early September after getting released by the Redskins, has quickly developed into a valuable part of McDermott's defensive tackle rotation.

With so many new players,

Reid has had to be a little more tolerant of mistakes early on.

"There's going to be mistakes here," he said. "You kind of know that. But there's also going to be great energy. It's give-and-take.

"Sometimes you have to just bite your lip and teach as opposed to screaming. You hope you brought guys in who learn it the first time and are not going to keep making the same mistake.

"I know [mistakes] are going to happen. You just know that. I just don't want the same things to happen the second time. If there's a problem, fix it and learn from it and let's move on. So far, that's what the guys have been doing."

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