Two ridiculous articles in as many days courtesy of NFL.com. Keep crankin’ out the laughs, boys. This time around it’s Vic Carucci telling us that the Philadelphia Eagles are getting old:

On one hand, [Donovan] McNabb remains the most talented player on a club with enough talent to be a serious Super Bowl contender. On the other, he is less than four months from his 31st birthday, making him one of a few key 30-plus players on an aging roster that ultimately could prevent the Eagles from going the distance this season. Oh, and did we mention he was battling back from a major knee injury he suffered in 2006?

Sure, Donnie Football might be a pretty good quarterback, but there is no denying that he’s benefited greatly from the offensive system in Philadelphia — you know, the one where they throw the ball 96.4% of the time. Last season should have opened a lot of eyes to the fact that it’s the system, not the QB, that makes Philly’s offense tick. What, you thought Jeff Garcia was actually that good? If McNabb goes down again it’ll hurt the team emotionally, but they’ll rebound just fine.

So when McNabb says “the time is now” for the old birds — players such as himself, safety Brian Dawkins and linebacker Jeremiah Trotter — to win it all, he is taking into account that such opportunities are dwindling on a squad that could field a starting lineup with an average age of nearly 28 years old.

Oh no! 28? This is terrible! Wait… I’m pretty sure the Patriots’ starting lineups from 2001 to 2004 were around that age range and they won three titles in that time span. Age has nothing to do with the Eagles’ failure to take home the hardware — they’ve just had way too many holes and therefore ended up as cannon fodder in January.

The fact is the window is closing. The deal does need sealing. And it can be done.

Finally, something intelligent! If I were to make a bet right now on who will be the NFC champion, I would put a sizable wager on the Eagles. The only two other possible contenders didn’t do much to patch up their weaknesses this offseason — the Saints all but ignored their linebackers and secondary, and the Bears still believe in Wrecks Grossman for whatever reason, so now is the time for the Eagles to take the conference by storm.

The Eagles should feel better about their receiver situation than they did when Donte’ Stallworth departed for New England in free agency. That’s because Kevin Curtis, the free agent they acquired from St. Louis, has been extremely impressive in camp. He has shown everything that made him a strong member of the Rams’ elite receiving corps, especially reliable hands and precise route-running.

Decent assessment here. Curtis has speed comparable to Stallworth’s, and his hands and route-running are both upgrades. He’ll do well in this offense.

The window is closing, but the Eagles can keep it open. It is up to McNabb and the other old birds to find a way to do that long enough to allow the team to realize what very likely is a final Super Bowl shot for them.

Find a way? Dallas and Washington still have no pass defense and Jersey/A is still a circus. Nobody’s going to stop the Eagles from taking the NFC East with an 11-5, and with or without McNabb they will be on the field in Glendale, Arizona on February 3rd.