PHILADELPHIA - They're young and they're hungry.

Most importantly, they're fast.

No one knows right now just how good this season's Eagles defense will be. It's hard to imagine them playing as poorly as they did at the end of last season, when they were embarrassed by the Cowboys in back-to-back games. But it's still too early to guess if they're going to be vastly improved.

One thing for sure, though. Through just two preseason games, the first team has shown a quickness it hasn't displayed in years.

"We have a very fast defense this year,'' end Trent Cole said. "I'm just excited to see what's going to happen.''

Aren't all Eagles fans?

Take Cole, add rookie defensive end Brandon Graham, new linebacker Ernie Sims and rookie safety Nate Allen - along with maybe the biggest part of the equation, middle linebacker Stewart Bradley, and what you get is one fast-moving attack.

These guys cover a lot of ground in a hurry.

Will this added speed translate into better play? Will it mean more wins? Will these guys give defensive coordinator Sean McDermott the power to run the pressure defense he learned from Jim Johnson?

Hard to say, but for the Eagles' sake, it better.

Let's face it, this isn't the biggest defense in the world. They're not going to overpower many teams with their size. So the Eagles better hope the old saying rings true: speed kills.

"This really isn't something new for us,'' said Bradley, one of the quickest and most aggressive middle linebackers in the league. "We always had a downhill style. An aggressive style. We just have a few more players we can use to run that style this year.''

Bradley was lost for the year during "Flight Night" last preseason at Lincoln Financial Field and the Birds defense basically struggled from there.

Oh, sure, it put up some decent numbers, had its share of takeaways, caused enough havoc to get the job done most games. But all in all, it had its share of problems, especially late in the year.

This year, with all the new additions, things could be different.

"The more guys you have causing problems the easier it (getting to the ballcarrier) is going to be,'' said Cole, who caused opposing offenses many problems as his 12 1/2 sacks will attest. "We have a lot of guys this season, more than a handful of guys that can cause a lot of problems and that's what I like.

"Being fast and flying around the ball. You can tell that's what (the coaching staff) wants. They want a fast defense and they built a fast defense.''

That's one of the reasons the brain trust decided to move up in last April's NFL Draft to take Graham. The Michigan product weighs about 265 pounds and is barely 6-foot-2, but he's got quick moves.

Like Cole, Graham likes the fact the Eagles have built their defense around speed. But Graham thinks the Birds can actually shift into another gear.

"Well, I think it can be faster,'' Graham said. "I know we're fast already, I just think we're not all the way where we need to be by the first game, but I think we're going to be there."