Maybe it's their sleek team colors, or the running back's All-Pro versatility, or the ever-present cloud of controversy that engulfs and embattles the quarterback.

But something is keeping the Eagles among the NFL's most interesting teams.

Even after the frustration of an 8-8 finish in 2007, the league schedule-makers tabbed the Eagles for five primetime games, including two Sunday night games on ABC, two Monday night games on ESPN and a Thanksgiving Day game on the NFL Network.

The Eagles were winless in four primetime games in 2007, but team president Joe Banner insisted on looking at the bright side on Tuesday afternoon, moments after the entire NFL schedule was released.

"I think it speaks to the passion that exists, not just locally, but even nationally about the team," Banner said Tuesday. "I think it also reflects a degree of optimism about the quality of the team. We love the opportunity to play in primetime."

One of those bright-lights dates is the third game of the Thanksgiving Day tripleheader, an 8 p.m. kickoff against the Arizona Cardinals at Lincoln Financial Field.

It's the first time since a 27-0 victory over Dallas in 1989 that the Eagles will play on Thanksgiving, and it's the first time since a 7-0 loss to Pittsburgh in 1940 that they have hosted a game on the holiday.

The other primetime games are Sept. 15 at the Cowboys; Sept. 28 at Chicago; Nov. 9 against the Super Bowl champion Giants at the Linc; and Dec. 15 against Cleveland, also at home.

Banner said the team got most of what it requested from the league, from an opening-week home game for the first time since 2004 to a road trip the week of the Army-Navy Game. Beyond that, Banner said he was pleased to note a Week 7 bye following one of the Eagles' West Coast road trips.

"We like to have the bye as far into the season as we can and we do like to have a break after a long trip like (San Francisco)," Banner said.

"By having a Thanksgiving Day game, we'll actually have 10 days before the game after that, which is the Giants game.

"So, there are a couple things in there that, in a subtle way, we're glad to see."

National exposure and bye-week preferences notwithstanding, the most favorable thing about the Eagles' 2008 slate of opponents wasn't a surprise: They have a fourth-place schedule.

Philadelphia will likely be favored in at least 10 games in 2008, and opponents like the Rams, the 49ers and the Bengals offer potential soft spots in the season, but there are no soft stretches.

For instance, the Eagles open the season Sept. 7 at the Linc against the Rams, but follow it with two seemingly tougher games, at Dallas and home against Pittsburgh.

Like the last time Philly had a fourth-place schedule, 2006, the the Eagles face a pivotal December with a decidedly NFC East flavor. They play three of their last four games against division opponents, finishing with a home game against Dallas on Dec. 28.

There are 15 weeks between the first Dallas game, the Eagles' last ever at Texas Stadium, and the second, the season finale. Conversely, there are only four weeks between Philadelphia's home game against New York and its final game at Giants Stadium.

Of course, the parity nurtured over time by the NFL could turn any schedule into a nightmare or a breeze, and after an active period of free agency, the Eagles are hoping to be prepared for either.

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