The Eagles play their preseason opener tomorrow night against the Baltimore Ravens, just a couple weeks after the NFL opened for business. Many of the newest Eagles have only been practicing for a week and yet here we are, with a game to play. Just another feature of what has been bizarre start to the NFL season. Because of the late start, injuries, holdouts etc, we will not be seeing the Eagles at full strength but we will get a chance to get our first look at some of the new toys.
Despite only practicing for a few days, Nnamdi Asomugha will get the start at corner opposite Asante Samuel. Reid says that the starters are penciled in to play only the first quarter.
"Really simple rotation," Reid said. "The ones will go the first quarter, the twos the second quarter, and obviously there's some groups that are a little thinner than others, so they might carry over into the third quarter in certain positions. The third quarter the threes will go, and again, some of those guys might carry over into the fourth quarter. The fours, and I'm really giving you the quarterbacks right now, will go in the fourth quarter, or at least part of the fourth quarter."
Neither DeSean Jackson nor Jeremy Maclin will play, so that leaves Jason Avant and Jeremy Maclin as the starters at WR. Maclin is still sidelined with the illness that the team refuses to discuss and DeSean Jackson only came to camp just two days ago, so he's certainly not ready to play a game yet. He reportedly dos plan to play next week against the Steelers however.
Reid admitted that a game so soon after the start of camp is odd, but he expects everyone to be giving maximum effort.
They're going to get in and try to show, and I think for those younger players, or the veteran players trying to make the team, or a team, you get an A-effort for wherever they're at right now condition-wise and knowledge of the offense or defense-wise. Everybody is going to play in this game, so that gives them an opportunity, if they don't make this team, then at least they have some tape out there and some work they've shown on tape that they might be able to get picked up by another football team. So it's important that they give it their best shot."