PHILADELPHIA (AP) – Hugh Douglas was holding a dance party in the Philadelphia Eagles’ training room, noticed Jeffrey Lurie standing by and invited the team owner to bust a move.

Even the man who signs the players’ checks isn’t immune from Douglas’ shenanigans.

Douglas returned to Philadelphia last summer to bolster the pass rush and provide depth on the defensive line. His biggest contribution for the NFC champions has been keeping everyone loose in the locker room with his playful personality.

“He’s a big factor in there,” Eagles coach Andy Reid said of the team’s top prankster and comedian. “Everybody respects the heck out of him, just for the great player he is and has been. He’s got that personality that is contagious and it kind of touches everybody in that locker room and if there’s any anxiety, he loosens it up right away.”

A few hours after Lurie proved he has no rhythm, Douglas walked off the field with tears of joy streaming down his face. The Eagles had defeated the Atlanta Falcons 27-10 to win the NFC title, and Douglas was going back to Jacksonville to play against the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl.

A three-time Pro Bowl defensive end with the Eagles from 2000-02, Douglas returned to Philadelphia after he was released by the Jaguars following a difficult season in 2003. His role is different now – he plays fewer downs and spends more time leading cheers on the sidelines.

“I knew coming back would be a sacrifice, not playing as much,” said Douglas. “I always felt when I came back that this was a special team. If this is what I had to sacrifice in order to get to the ultimate goal, sometimes you have to make sacrifices.

The Eagles gave up the fewest points (260) in the NFC, and tied with New England for the second-fewest allowed in the NFL.

Before the reserves gave up 38 points in a meaningless regular-season finale against Cincinnati, Philadelphia had the stingiest defense in the league.

In the playoffs, Kearse, Trotter and Co. shut down Daunte Culpepper, Randy Moss and the rest of the Minnesota Vikings, limiting the NFC’s second-highest scoring offense to just 13 points in a second-round win.

They were even better against Michael Vick and the Atlanta Falcons, holding the league’s best rushing attack to 99 yards on the ground and 202 total yards on offense.

“We probably got respect for beating Atlanta, but we’re back in the no respect’ category again,” All-Pro safety Brian Dawkins said. “That’s the way it is with this team. We don’t get any respect. We understand that. You don’t have to give us that. You can take those things.”

Under defensive coordinator Jim Johnson’s guidance, the Eagles have always had a strong defense known for blitzing and creating turnovers. They became an elite defense this year, holding 11 opponents to 17 points or fewer.

Philadelphia’s only weakness early on was stopping the run. Once Trotter replaced Mark Simoneau in the starting lineup the ninth game of the season, he solidified the run defense. The Eagles were 24th on defense and 27th against the run when Trotter took over. In the next six games, the defense allowed averages of just 70.2 yards rushing, 227.2 total yards and 10.7 points per game.

Meanwhile, Kearse wreaked havoc throughout the season. He harassed quarterbacks, intimidated blockers and disrupted offenses, drawing constant double-teaming that allowed teammates to come open and make big plays.

When quarterbacks had time to throw against the Eagles, cornerbacks Lito Sheppard and Sheldon Brown and the rest of the secondary hardly gave them any openings.

Considered a weakness at the start of the season after the departures of five-time Pro Bowl cornerback Troy Vincent and nine-year starter Bobby Taylor, the secondary was outstanding, sending Sheppard and strong safety Michael Lewis to the Pro Bowl along with Dawkins.

“We’re very confident in our ability. We trust each other. I think most importantly, we’re a team,” Trotter said.

AP-ES-01-26-05 1910EST