At halfway mark, a look at the Eagles

"We wanted to beat the Dallas Cowboys, and that's a big game," Reid said at his Monday news conference. "But there are eight more big games, and we're sitting here with a decent record and a good position. We just have to make sure we take care of business."

A 5-3 record at the midpoint is nothing to be ashamed of, although four wins have come against teams that are a combined 7-25 and one of the losses was against the 2-6 Oakland Raiders.

If others are seeing the glass as half empty, they realize what lies ahead. The combined record of the Eagles' remaining opponents is 36-29, with only two having losing records. The Eagles also will play just three home games and five on the road.

To make the playoffs, finish first in the NFC East, and contend for a trip to the Super Bowl in Miami, the Eagles need to do a lot of things better in the next eight games than they did in the first eight.

Here's a look at the things that did and did not work during the first half of the season:

Worked. DeSean Jackson as the No. 1 receiver. The second year can be difficult for a rookie who had a lot of success, but Jackson has continued to emerge as one of the league's most explosive young players. The Eagles should try to get the football in his hands at least 10 times a game.

Didn't work. Josie and the Pussycats were more entertaining than Michael Vick and the Eagles' Wildcat. Reid said he was not disappointed by the production of Vick and the Wildcat. He used to say that about Lorenzo Booker, too.

Worked. Brent Celek as the starting tight end. By the end of last season, Celek had taken the position from L.J. Smith, but some still thought the Eagles needed to upgrade there. After eight games, Celek leads all NFC tight ends in receiving yards and touchdowns.

Didn't work. The offensive-line makeover. This didn't have a chance from the first day of training camp, when Shawn Andrews' back stiffened after the conditioning test run. Andrews never played a down and is spending another season in Los Angeles while big brother Stacy is being paid $4.62 million this season to be a backup right guard. Left guard Todd Herremans missed the first five games with a stress fracture in his right foot. Jason Peters is battling a sprained ankle and has not been the best left tackle in football. Center Jamaal Jackson is the only offensive lineman who has started and finished every game.

Worked. Kevin Kolb as the backup quarterback. There are still questions, but he showed promise by throwing for more than 300 yards in each of his two starts and leading the team to a win over the lowly Kansas City Chiefs.

Didn't work. The decision not to re-sign Brian Dawkins. With Dawkins gone, the Eagles have had a revolving door at free safety, and people can't help but notice the impact the departed veteran has had in Denver's surprising 6-2 start. That said, the Eagles haven't lost that much in terms of what Dawkins does on the football field these days. Indeed, they have an interception and a sack from the position. Dawkins has not registered a sack or come up with a takeaway in the first half of the season.

Worked. The first two picks of the draft. Second-round pick LeSean McCoy leads all NFL rookies with 511 yards from scrimmage and is second to Denver's Knowshon Moreno in rushing yards with 348. First-round pick Jeremy Maclin's 25 catches are tied for fourth among rookies, and his 337 receiving yards rank sixth. The two have combined for five touchdowns.

Didn't work. The return of Jeremiah Trotter. The Eagles' biggest injury loss this season has been middle linebacker Stewart Bradley, because he had the size and speed to stop the run and cover running backs and tight ends. The trade acquisition of Will Witherspoon has stabilized the position, but all Trotter's addition has done is give the Eagles a coach in uniform.

Contact staff writer Bob Brookover at 215-854-2577 or bbrookover@phillynews.com.