Eagles in a familiar spot at quarter pole

October 1, 1:25 AMPhiladelphia Eagles ExaminerGordie Jones

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Right now, things are looking down for the Birds.

It’s only the quarter pole, of course – four games into a 16-game season. Any evaluations of the NFC East made now must be made with that in mind.

Be further advised that there have been only three divisional games played to date – Giants over Redskins, Cowboys over Eagles, Redskins over Cowboys. And that the only one that will be played in the month of October is coming up this Sunday, when the ’Skins visit the Birds.

But just for grins and giggles, let’s consider where we are. Let’s consider a Giants team that at 3-0 is playing with the swagger that might be expected of a Super Bowl champion. That doesn’t seem to miss Michael Strahan or Osi Umenyiora, much less Jeremy Shockey. Yes, there is the chance that this whole Plaxico Burress mess might blow up in their faces. But for now, they look like the most cohesive bunch out there.

The 3-1 Cowboys remain the division’s most talented team, but never underestimate Terrell Owens’ ability to undermine a club, as we saw this past weekend. So let me get this straight: He’s complaining about not getting the ball enough when Tony Romo aimed 17 passes in his direction (according to one report), if not 18 (according to another)? On a day when he caught seven balls and ran it twice?

As the saying goes, it’s time to get your popcorn ready. Because this could get real entertaining.

The Redskins (3-1), quarterback Jason Campbell in particular, appear to have figured some things out under new coach Jim Zorn, who in another lifetime was a terrific QB for the Seahawks. Campbell is fifth in the league in passing efficiency, having competed 65.3 percent of his attempts, for 878 yards and six touchdowns. He has not been intercepted.

Which leaves us with the Eagles (2-2) – and leaves us with ... what, exactly? While there are some obvious improvements from a year ago, especially on defense, we also see some of the same maddening trends. An inability to score in the red zone. Problems sustaining offense over an entire game. Some special teams hiccups.

Mostly, we again see a team that plays just well enough to lose. Last year they were 3-5 in games decided by a touchdown or less. This year, they are 0-2 in such games, with four-point losses to Dallas and Chicago.

In no small part because of their problems in nail-biters, they finished 8-8 in 2007, meaning they were the only team in the division to miss the playoffs.

Yes, there’s a long way to go this year. But they seem headed in the same direction.