The big free-agent signings were cornerback Asante Samuel and defensive end Chris Clemons. The first player taken in the draft was defensive tackle Trevor Laws. The major controversy has revolved around cornerback Lito Sheppard.

"Yeah, I think it's been a good off-season," defensive coordinator Jim Johnson said after the Eagles' morning workout yesterday. "If you get Asante and Chris Clemons, those are two playmakers."

So what about the offense? The biggest free-agent additions on that side of the football were fullback Dan Klecko and tight end Kris Wilson, and the major draft-weekend additions were wide receiver DeSean Jackson and second-year running back Lorenzo Booker.

Excited yet?

Before this turns into a bash session, it should be mentioned that the Eagles' offense is a lot better now than it was a year ago, and there is no reason to believe that it will not be considerably better once the players stop running around in shorts and start hitting opposing teams in five months.

No, they did not add Chad Johnson, Roy Williams, Randy Moss, or any of the other star wide receivers that this team's fans have craved since Terrell Owens' temperamental departure. But the fact that a healthy Donovan McNabb showed up for this minicamp is reason enough to believe that the offense will be better than it was last season.

"There's no comparison," offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg said when asked about McNabb's physical condition compared to a year ago at this time, when the quarterback was recovering from surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.

And there really is no comparison because A.J. Feeley was running the first-team offense while McNabb stood behind the huddle as a spectator.

"Donovan looks sharp, quick," Mornhinweg said. "He's throwing the ball well. Last year at this time, there was still a lot of work to be done physically with that injury."

McNabb had to overcome some mental barriers as well when he returned to the field.

When McNabb fielded questions from the media Saturday after the start of the Eagles' minicamp, the primary topic was whether the quarterback was satisfied with what the team had done in the off-season.

It's a line of questioning that he should have expected given what he wrote on his blog a week after the 2007 season ended, asking management to "secure playmakers in all three phases of the game." One part of that blog entry that received almost no attention was this: "Maybe some of those playmakers are already on the roster but have struggled with injuries, myself included, that have held us back a little."

That sentence has some diagram problems, but it makes as much sense as the public outcry by the quarterback and the fans for playmakers.

McNabb was not entirely healthy when last season started. Tight end L.J. Smith was even less healthy after being diagnosed with a sports hernia shortly after the Eagles completed their first off-season minicamp. That hurt the offense.

The quarterback still ended up having a decent season, throwing 19 touchdowns and just seven interceptions in 14 games. Only 13 quarterbacks threw more touchdowns, and no one who started as many games as him threw fewer interceptions.

Smith, on the other hand, had a disastrous season. He played 10 games but was not close to 100 percent in any of them. Don't underestimate the value of a healthy Smith: In his first two seasons as a starter, he averaged 56 catches, 647 yards and 4 touchdowns. Only six tight ends in the league had more receiving yards than that total last season.

"I was talking to my position coach [Tom Melvin] today, and he feels like when I'm on, then I'm one of the best," Smith said. "I think my biggest issue since I've been in the league is being consistent, and that's what the best do. Besides staying healthy, my biggest obstacle is to consistently play at a high level from the beginning."

If McNabb is healthier, if Smith is healthier, and if Brian Westbrook, Kevin Curtis and Reggie Brown remain healthy, the Eagles have enough talent to be one of the league's most potent offenses regardless of what uniform Chad Johnson, Roy Williams and Anquan Boldin wear this season.

"Everybody keeps talking about how we had T.O. in here, and we had a great run and went to the Super Bowl," Smith said. "People see that and say, 'Let's get another big-time receiver in here.' It doesn't always have to do with that. You don't need a big-time receiver in here. People just have to stay healthy, and guys have to know what they're doing and make plays consistently."

Right now, all the Eagles' best offensive players are healthy, and that's a lot more than you could say a year ago at this time.