Five Things to Watch for in Tonight's Game...

...although those of us living in exile outside the Philly media market will be stuck watching tomorrow afternoon's NFL network replay.  At least I have DirecTV, so my local cable operator can't wrench away my NFL Network access as part of some negotiating power play.

The last two seasons, the Eagles have lost the first pre-season game and bounced back with a win in the second.  Will the pattern hold tonight?  That probably depends on Jeff Garcia, which brings us to our list of things to watch tonight:

#1 - Which Jeff Garcia will show up tonight?

Will it be the veteran back-up ready to step in if McNabb misses any time this season?  Or will he again look like a guy who watched way too much of Mike McMahon's game film?

The answer could very well decide the Eagles season.  Clearly the Birds aren't going to make noise in the post-season, if they even get there, if they lose McNabb to another serious injury.  But if he gets dinged and has to miss a game or two, will Garcia and a dominant defense be enough to hang on for awhile?  We'll find out more tonight.

#2 - How well will the Eagles offensive line handle the 3-4 front of the Browns?

The Eagles have typically struggled against 3-4 defenses the last few years.  That's something that has to change this season, particularly since Dallas has now completed its transition to a three-down front. 

One of the reasons Jamaal Jackson was moving up on Hank Fraley -- even before Fraley's injury last year -- is that he's a bigger guy who's better able to match up against the giant nose tackles that line up right over the center in a 3-4 defense.  That's the theory anyway, we'll see how it plays out tonight. 

(An interesting side note to all this is that due to injuries and weird happenstance, the Browns' starting center will be Alonzo Ephraim, a former Eagle who in 2003 made the active roster ahead of one Jamaal Jackson, who was cut but stayed with the Eagles as part of their practice squad.)

#3 - Can the Eagles receivers and tight ends carry the offense while the fourth, fifth and sixth-string tailbacks are on the field?

Out tonight with injuries are Eagles running backs Brian Westbrook, Ryan Moats and Bruce Perry.  Facing a decapitated depth chart, the team has been forced to scramble for healthy bodies to plug into the backfield -- none of whom will remind viewers of Westbrook or Moats.

The offensive line should still be able to open running lanes, but how will the rest of the offense respond to the loss of team's most dangerous weapon?  Will the receivers and tight ends step up and make plays, or are we in for a series of ugly three-and-outs?  If they can't, what does that say about this offense?  Which brings up #4...

#4 - Will we begin to see separation among the unproven wide receivers?

It's a heck of a lot easier going out and playing "loose" in the middle of Ohio in front of a non-partisan crowd.  Let's see how the young guys do with their first taste of the Linc experience. 

My guess is Jason Avant, who played in some crazy stadiums in his day, will be fine.  Of course, we're all curious to see how Hank Baskett does, but it's also going to be interesting to see if the "veterans" like Jabar Gaffney and Greg Lewis look like NFL-caliber players.  I actually don't think Lewis is making this team this year.  Hopefully tonight will begin to answer some questions about these guys.

#5 - And finally, will the Eagles first-team defense continue to have success stopping the run?

The pattern for the Eagles over the last couple of years has been that they can stop the run intermittently, when they play with desire and intelligence, but then they lose focus and teams start gashing them up the middle.  The starting defensive line was ridiculously good last week, so all eyes will be on them again.

Even with Darwin Walker out, this team is a lot stouter up the middle than it used to be (helloooo Brodrick Bunkley), but will that continue to translate into effective run-stopping on a week-to-week basis?  We'll know (a little) more after this game.

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So go Eagles.  Be careful though, he's a soldier.