Eagles' defensive backs are a determined group

Two of them are brash, outspoken, their confidence bubbling out in their words. Two are serious, reserved, quietly sure of themselves.

The Eagles' starting four defensive backs, though, have this in common: They have something to prove.

On the corners are Asante Samuel and Ellis Hobbs.

Samuel, a three-time Pro Bowler whose interception totals are outdone only by his trash-talk word count, has faced relentless criticism for poor tackling.

Hobbs boasts a defiant confidence despite questions about how he will tackle after he suffered a herniated disk in his neck last year and how, at 5-foot-9, he will cover bigger opponents.

In between them in the secondary are safeties Quintin Mikell, trying to rebound from a year in which, by his own assessment, he was subpar, and Nate Allen, the 37th pick in April's draft, a laid-back rookie seemingly at ease while preparing to start in his first year.

The questions about all four made the Eagles defensive backs one of the primary concerns heading into training camp, especially after a year in which the team struggled covering big receivers and tight ends.

But coaches and teammates raved about the way all four have performed.

"Everybody in the secondary is on top of their game right now, and it's made everybody better," Mikell said.

Also helping is new defensive backs coach Dick Jauron, who has spent 37 years in the NFL as a player and coach.

"There's nothing that he hasn't seen," Mikell said, describing the even-keeled Jauron as a calming presence.

Samuel, according to coaches, worked to add muscle in the off-season. In the Eagles' first preseason game, he made a third-down stop on the Jaguars' 6-6, 275-pound tight end Marcedes Lewis. Against the Chiefs, he leveled running back Dexter McCluster and flexed his biceps for the crowd.

"I think he realized that he needed to get in the weight room, which he has," defensive coordinator Sean McDermott said.

Hobbs, meanwhile, held his own in training camp and the preseason.

After matching up with the flamboyant Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco in the second preseason game, Hobbs dressed in the Bengals' drab visitors' locker room and pulled on a red T-shirt. It read: "Your swagger sucks."

Hobbs has his own swagger, despite spending a miserable 2009 split between the bench and injured reserve.

His neck, he said, won't stop him from hitting, and the speedy cornerback said his technique will help him in battles against the NFC East's big receivers.

Also looking to rebound is Mikell, the Eagles' longest-tenured defender. Mikell, who will turn 30 on Thursday, is entering the last year of his contract, and it's not clear whether he will be part of the team's long-term plans as they move toward a younger roster.

Last season, he tried to fill the leadership void left by Brian Dawkins' departure, but Mikell admits he forced himself into the role and didn't fit well. His game suffered.

This year, he said, he has been more focused.

Mikell has been helped by Allen's quick learning. The safety, a South Florida native with a chilled-out demeanor that seems positively Southern California, quickly has blended into the defense.

"Having Nate out there helps me play better," Mikell said. "In this defense, you've got to have two safeties that know how to play both positions, two safeties that can cover, two safeties that can blitz."

Allen has had his learning moments - Bengals running back Cedric Benson blasted through him in the first real game contact of Allen's career - but he bounced back. Allen returned the next play to hurry the quarterback, and later nearly forced a fumble with a stinging hit on Benson.

Allen surely will endure more lessons as the season goes along, but Eagles coaches have praised him as a fast learner.

He and the rest of the defensive backs face an immediate challenge Sunday against Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Later in the season, they will take on Peyton Manning, Matt Schaub, Brett Favre, and Donovan McNabb.

For a group with something to prove, there will be plenty of opportunities.