The Reggie Brown era is finally over

Finally! After years of dwindling production but a big salary cap hit, the Eagles have rid themselves of Reggie Brown, trading him to the Bucs for an undisclosed 2011 draft pick. Early speculation is that the pick will be in the 6th round but it might change depending on what kind of production Tampa gets from Brown.

No matter what the compensation, getting Brown off the Eagles was a long time coming. After a great start to his career in 2005, Brown peaked in 2007 when he had 61 catches for 780 yards. Brown then quickly slid down the depth chart due to injuries and ineffectiveness and found himself catching only 9 passes last season in very limited playing time.

The Eagles now have four receivers on the roster: DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, Jason Avant and Kevin Curtis. There is some talk that Curtis may be the next to go but that would leave the Birds awfully thin at wideout. I bet the Eagles wish they could have held on to Brandon Gibson just a little longer, 2010 could have been his season to emerge.

Eagles/Panthers Week 1 Inactives

The Eagles and Panthers have announced their inactive players for Week One:

Eagles: RT Shawn Andrews, DE Jason Babin, WR Reggie Brown, WR Brandon Gibson, OL Todd Herremans, S Sean Jones, LB Joe Mays, G Mike McGlynn

Panthers: FB Tony Fiammetta, DT Ra'Shon Harris, QB Matt Moore, OL Duke Robinson, RB Tyrell Sutton, DE Hilee Taylor, OL Garry Williams, DB C.J. Wilson

As expected, 2/5ths of the Eagles projected starting offensive line will be sitting out this week as Shawn Andrews and Herremans deal with injuries. That forces Nick Cole and Winston Justice into the starting lineup. While Cole should do just fine, whoever lines up against Justice for the Panthers (Julius Peppers) will be licking his chops. Not very many other surprises for the Eagles, I figured they would only dress 5 wideouts and that Brown and Gibson were the odd ones out. Jason Babin, everyone's favorite preseason defensive end, will have to wait to make an impact. The Eagles did not declare a third QB because they don't have one!

None of the Panthers inactive players are surprising, nor have I really heard of any of them. Sutton is the 3rd running back and his benching means that Jonathon Stewart is healthy enough to be the backup.

Just under an hour now until the Eagles season kicks off! Go Birds!

One foot short: The Video

No matter how many times you watch this clip, the ball never breaks the plane:

Hat tip to whoever uploaded this to Youtube.

Eagles/Redskins Inactives: Curtis out, Brown back in

The Eagles and Redskins announced their inactives for today's big NFC East game:

Eagles: OL Shawn Andrews, WR Hank Baskett, RB Lorenzo Booker, WR Kevin Curtis, QB A.J. Feeley, LB Joe Mays, OL Chris Patrick, DE Bryan Smith

Redskins: OG D'Anthony Batiste, DT Ryan Boschetti, QB Colt Brennan, DT Kedric Golston, DE Rob Jackson, T Jon Jansen, WR Malcolm Kelly, G Will Montgomery

Reggie Brown returns to the field today in place of Kevin Curtis. Look for him to try to prove that he should be in the line-up every week. Hank Baskett is also out, leaving McNabb with one less target. For the Redskins, Clinton Portis suits up and there are no surprise inactives. Portis is banged up but he always seems to have a good day against the Eagles.

The Eagles are in must-win mode against a struggling Redskins team. The Bucs are currently trailing the Chargers so the Eagles might get the help they need. They can't look past this Redskins team, even though they are struggling there isn't nothing they would want more than to eliminate the Eagles.

Eagles/Browns Inactives: Brown still benched

The Eagles and Browns have announced their inactives for Monday Night:

Eagles: OL Shawn Andrews, WR Reggie Brown, RB Correll Buckhalter, QB A.J. Feeley, LB Joe Mays, OL Chris Patrick, TE Matt Schobel, DE Bryan Smith

Browns: S Hamza Abdullah, LB Beau Bell, CB Travis Daniels, LB Kris Griffin, RB Jerome Harrison, DL Santonio Thomas, TE Kellen Winslow, OG Scott Young

For the Eagles, all of their inactives are the same as last week except Correll Buckhalter returns to the lineup to replace Lorenzo Booker. Wideout Reggie Brown still can't find the field. The fact that he doesn't play special teams makes him useless to the Eagles.

The Browns will be without Kellen Winslow, one of their top receiving threats. The rest of the players are no-names to me.

The Eagles pretty much control their own destiny if they win out. They have to take care of business against a weak Browns team this week and then we can really start talking about playoffs. GO BIRDS!

Eagles/Giants Inactives: Westbrook to start, Brown benched

The Eagles and Giants have announced their inactives for today's big NFC East clash:

Eagles: OL Shawn Andrews, WR Reggie Brown, RB Correll Buckhalter, QB A.J. Feeley, LB Joe Mays, OL Chris Patrick, TE Matt Schobel, DE Bryan Smith

Giants: DT Jeremy Clark, DT Leger Douzable, OL Adam Koets, CB Sam Madison, DE Jerome McDougle, K Lawrence Tynes, RB Danny Ware

Brian Westbrook will play, as expected. The biggest surprise inactive for the Eagles is Reggie Brown, who isn't injured, he's just fallen that far on the depth chart. What a waste of a 2nd round draft pick. None of the rest of the inactive players are a surprise. Chris Patrick is the player they pulled up from the practice squad to fill Max Jean-Gilles' spot on the roster.

The Giants will be without Sam Madison, meaning Corey Webster will start at cornerback. Former Eagle Jerome McDougle is benched against the Birds once again, proving the Eagles were smart to just let him go. He's made little to no impact for the Giants this season. The Giants will also be without Plaxico Burress, of course.

The season is on the line today for the Eagles, let's see if they can make another one of their late season runs at the playoffs. Go Birds!

Eagles/Seahawks inactives: Brown is back

The Eagles and Seahawks announced their inactive players for Sunday's game:

Eagles: G Shawn Andrews, WR Jason Avant, FB Kyle Eckel, QB A.J. Feeley, G Mike Gibson, LB Joe Mays, G Mike McGlynn, TE L.J. Smith

Seahawks: WR Deion Branch, K Brandon Coutu, DT Howard Green, QB Matt Hasselbeck, TE Will Heller, DE Patrick Kerney, LB Lofa Tatupu, G Mansfield Wrotto

No real big suprises for the Eagles. Reggie Brown was expected to be back this week, and his return pushes Jason Avant out of the mix. L.J. Smith is out as he deals with concussion issues which allows Brent Celek to get the start and Matt Schobel to suit up. Kyle Eckel will continue to watch from the sidelines as he learns to play fullback for the Eagles by studying Dan Klecko.

The Seahawks are incredibly banged up. Their best QB, wide receiver, linebacker and defensive lineman are all out. Seneca Wallace will start under center for the Seahawks which should have the Eagles defense licking its chops.

The Eagles have every reason to dominate this week against a hobbled Seahawks team. Should be a fun game, GO EAGLES!

Eagles/Falcons inactives: Westbrook, Curtis in, Brown out

The Eagles and Falcons announced their inactives for today's game:

Eagles: G Shawn Andrews, WR Reggie Brown, FB Kyle Eckel, QB A.J. Feeley, LB Joe Mays, G Mike McGlynn, TE Matt Schobel, DE Bryan Smith

Falcons: T Sam Baker, S Thomas DeCoud, DE Simon Fraser, LB Tony Gilbert, CB David Irons, WR Laurent Robinson, QB D.J. Shockley, C Alex Stepanovich

Donovan McNabb gets most of his offensive weapons back as Brian Westbrook returns to the lineup and Kevin Curtis makes his 2008 debut. Reggie Brown is now the only player missing from the offense, although he's more of a 3rd receiver with the emergence of DeSean Jackson. Newly acquired Kyle Eckel is inactive and will presumably watch Dan Klecko play fullback to learn his responsibilities. None of the other inactives are surprises for the Eagles.

For the Falcons, I can't say I've ever heard of most of their inactives, although not having Baker will hurt them as the try to protect Matt Ryan from the Eagles blitz packages.

It's time for the Eagles to get back over .500, GO BIRDS!! (Eagles, not Falcons!)

Eagles/Steelers Inactives: Brown in, Andrews out

The Eagles and Steelers have announced their inactives for this afternoon's showdown:

Eagles: DE Victor Abiamiri, G Shawn Andrews, WR Kevin Curtis, QB A.J. Feeley, LB Joe Mays, G Mike McGlynn, DE Bryan Smith, TE Matt Schobel

Steelers: LB Bruce Davis, QB Dennis Dixon, T Trai Essex, T Tony Hills, DE Brett Keisel, WR Limas Sweed, CB Deshea Townsend, LB Donovan Woods

As expected, Andrews is unable to go, meaning Max Jean-Gilles will be the starter at guard. Reggie Brown is finally back, but all indications are that he won't be starting. The rest of the inactive list is pretty much the same, although Winston Justice will suit up this week and the Eagles have benched their third tight end, Schobel. Justice is probably needed for insurance along the line with Jean-Gilles starting. Mike Gibson and Bryan Smith have swapped every other week, Gibson gets the nod this week for more depth along the offensive line.

The Steelers don't have any big names out.

Enjoy the game, GO EAGLES!

Eagles/Cowboys Inactives for Monday Night: Brown still out

The Eagles and Cowboys announced their inactive players for the Monday Night Showdown:

Eagles: DE Victor Abiamiri, WR Reggie Brown, WR Kevin Curtis, QB A.J. Feeley, G Mike Gibson, OT Winston Justice, LB Joe Mays, G Mike McGlynn

Cowboys: CB Alan Ball, QB Brooks Bollinger, DE Stephen Bowen, S Courtney Brown, OT Doug Free, G Montrae Holland, WR Sam Hurd, G Kyle Kosier.

The Eagles list is almost exactly the same as last week, except Mike Gibson sits out while DE Bryan Smith gets to suit up. The Eagles will once again rely on DeSean Jackson, Jason Avant, Hank Baskett and Greg Lewis to do the receiving, although I expect a heavy does of Brian Westbrook tonight. The Cowboys don't have any surprise inactives, they seem healthy and ready to go.

Enjoy the game tonight, GO BIRDS!!

Eagles/Rams Week One Injury Report: Philly even thinner at receiver

Here is the injury report for the Eagles heading into their Week One contest with the Rams:

Out: Victor Abiamiri, DE (Wrist), Kevin Curtis, WR (Hernia)
Doubtful: Reggie Brown, WR (Hamstring)
Probable: Lorenzo Booker, RB (Hip), Chris Clemons, DE (Calf), Sean Considine, S (Hand), Brian Dawkins, S (Ankle)

The biggest news here is that Reggie Brown doesn't look likely to play. That means the Eagles will be lining up on Sunday without their two best receivers, leaving DeSean Jackson, Hank Baskett, Jason Avant and Greg Lewis as their only options. It's sad that the best healthy receiver the Eagles have is a rookie. Expect to see a lot of Brian Westbrook lined up as a wideout.

Expect all of the Probable players to play, not that anyone would really miss Sean Considine. Considering how poor he looked this preseason, Chris Clemons might not suit up even if he is healthy enough to play.

The Rams don't have any significant injuries:

Out: Donnie Avery, WR (Knee)
Probable: Fakhir Brown, CB (Probable), Brian Leonard, RB (Shoulder), Brett Romberg, C (Hand)

Kevin Curtis is out, Eagles need recieving help

The Eagles have yet another reason to pursue Anquan Boldin. Kevin Curtis, the Eagles number one wide receiver, will be out for "quite a while" according to head coach Andy Reid. Curtis will undergo surgery on Thursday for a sports hernia and is expected to be out for at least part of the season.

This is a pretty big blow to the already thin Eagles receiving group. Number two wideout Reggie Brown has been out the last week as he deals with a hamstring injury, leaving mostly unproven players and mediocre veterans as the only healthy wide receivers. Brown is expected to be healthy enough for the first game of the season, but he certainly won't be 100%.

Let's hope that the Eagles are doubling their efforts in trying to pry Anquan Boldin away from the Arizona Cardinals, because all of the sudden the wide receivers look really weak. The Eagles never really did have a true number one receiver, but Curtis was effective at stretching the field and making big plays. With this sports hernia injury, even if he comes back sometime during the season, Curtis won't have the same breakaway speed he uses to get open.

The Eagles should now be scouring the league for another receiver. They can't start the season with DeSean Jackson, Greg Lewis and Jason Avant as the only healthy wideouts. Whether it's pulling off the rumored trade for Boldin or signing a veteran like the recently released Joe Horn, the Eagles need to get a dependable, healthy wideout on the team. If they can't, then this team could be closer to an 8-8 team than a playoff team.

All wet: Eagles offensive starters flop while back-ups shine

(Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images)

Well, that was an ugly game. In a game marred by rain and a lengthy lightning delay, the Eagles pulled out an impressive 24-13 come-from-behind win over the Panthers. While wins and losses in preseason NFL games doesn't really matter, the way the team plays does. And, from what I saw, the Eagles offensive starters did a lot more bad than good while the back-ups stole the show.

Positives:
- The Carolina Panthers aren't an offensive juggernaut, but you still have to be impressed with how the first team defense played for the Eagles, holding the Panthers to under 100 yards in the first half. They started the game with a pair of 3 and outs, showing a big improvement over how they started last week. The defense put pressure on the quarterback, stepped up to make solid tackles and Asante Samuel made a nice play to break up a pass in his first game as an Eagle. The Panthers did manage to put together one good drive, but the Eagles did well to keep them out of the end zone. Back-up cornerback Lito Sheppard even stepped up for an interception that could help out his trade value.

- The first team offensive line looked great, giving Donovan McNabb all the time in the world to move around and find open receivers. McNabb only had to rush his throw one time, so credit has to be given to the big guys up front for doing a great job protecting their starting quarterback.

- DeSean Jackson again showed a ton of promise in the passing game, catching 7 balls for 71 yards while playing the entire game. He really showed his versatility, catching some balls in traffic as well as along the sidelines. He even helped Tony Hunt find the end zone on a long run by making a few blocks. I doubted how effective the little guy could be as a wide receiver in the NFL, but so far he has really proven he could be a solid number two receiver.

- I called out Kevin Kolb's play last week, but he showed definite improvement this week. He showed off his strong arm and made some beautiful passes, including the 33 yard touchdown toss to Greg Lewis. He also showed poise in leading the Eagles to two late touchdowns to win the game. He just might have a bright future as an Eagle quarterback.

- Jerome McDougle recorded a sack and forced a fumble in his second straight good preseason game. He was all over the field and was seemingly involved in every play. When I made my projections for the Eagles 53 man roster, I didn't include McDougle on the team. That will probably change when I make my next projection. McDougle looks like a man determined to make the team, or at least make himself attractive to another team in a trade.

- Another guy I left off the projected Eagle roster was Tony Hunt, who made a strong case that he deserves a spot on the team tonight as he rushed for 79 yards on 5 carries. Most of his yards came on an impressive 51 yard touchdown run, but if you take that run out of the equation, he still averaged 7 yards per carry. He is still a longshot to make the team because there is virtually no room on the roster for 4 running backs, but he just made Andy Reid's job a little tougher as he makes cuts.

Negatives
- Despite a strong start, the first team offense failed to score a single point. After completing four straight passes to start the game, Donovan McNabb finished only 11 of 24 in the passing game, although he did manage to spread the ball around to seven different receivers. He seemed to get worse the longer he played, overthrowing several receivers and nearly throwing it right to the Panthers several times. Of course, it didn't help that the receivers kept dropping the ball. Early on in the game (before the lightning), the Eagles were racking up the yards, making it even more concerning that they weren't able to punch it in the end zone when they got close, a problem they had last year. Of course, they easily would have had six points if it wasn't for a missed David Akers attempt and a lame fake field goal attempt.......

- The fake field goal attempt by the Eagles was stupid. I don't know whose idea it was or why they did it, but obviously it wasn't a bright move. What's the point of using a fake play in preseason, anyway? If the fake was any good, you wouldn't be wasting it in a meaningless game. Thank goodness this wasn't a regular season game or Andy Reid would have a ton of explaining to do. On the positive side, at least we won't be seeing that play again.

- It didn't take long for Reggie Brown to get hurt again, did it? Brown missed last weeks preseason game against the Steelers with Achilles' tendinitis, and he left during the first drive of tonight's game with what looked like a hamstring injury. With the way DeSean Jackson is playing, Brown is already in danger of seeing a reduced role and these nagging injuries aren't helping him get ready for the season.

- The Eagles brought in DeSean Jackson and Lorenzo Booker to help fix their return game, but both had some real problems holding on to the football. Jackson really showed his explosiveness on a great punt return of over 25 yards but got stripped right before he fell to the ground. Booker looked even worse, muffing two kickoff returns and averaging only 6.7 yards per return. I know the ball was wet, but the Eagles have to hold on to the football in the return game or we might see Reno Mahe suiting up soon, and no one wants to see that.