Vick in Philly ... but not to challange Donovan

QB Michael Vick officially signed with the Eagles on Tuesday, and held a press conference in which he said he hoped to be an "ambassador" to the game. Vick is still subject to a suspension until Week 6, which was announced by Commissioner Roger Goodell. However, Vick can participate in training camp, and continue to work out with the team during his suspension. He said QB Donovan McNabb lobbied coach Andy Reid to sign Vick, sight unseen.

"He’s familiar with our offense having done it the last few years in Atlanta before he was incarcerated. I was able to talk to him a little bit about that, and he recalls some of things such as the terminology and so on," said Reid. "There won’t be a quarterback controversy. That’s not how it is going to go down here. We have to make sure he gets back into football shape. He’s been out of this thing for a couple of years now, so it’s important that he gets himself into football shape. He is suspended for this [preseason] game and the next game, so he won’t play in either of those. He’ll be back for the last two preseason games, and then we’ll see what goes on with his situation in the regular season."

Westbrook -- and his knee -- will fuel Eagles' push

The Eagles have endured a dramatic first 10 weeks of the season well enough to keep their collective head above water. And suddenly they have a chance to make a sneak attack during the stretch run.

Despite the drama surrounding quarterback Donovan McNabb's up-and-down performance and his increasingly rocky relationship with the fan base. Despite coach Andy Reid's well-documented family issues that continue to stir debates on the national stage. Despite numerous injuries to key veterans on both sides of the ball.

Despite it all, the Eagles find themselves just two games out of the wild-card race in the NFC heading into Sunday's home game against a winless Miami team starting a rookie second-round quarterback.

The biggest key to the Eagles' potential run to the postseason isn't McNabb or Reid. It's not tight end L.J. Smith being healthy and productive in the red zone or free safety Brian Dawkins overcoming a neck injury to regain his Pro Bowl form.

It's running back Brian Westbrook, who has accounted for 48.6 percent of the offense the past two games while the majority of the media has credited McNabb's increased mobility.

For the Eagles' playoff aspirations to survive a brutal run after the Dolphins that includes a four-game stretch against winning teams with a combined 28-9 record, Westbrook has to stay on the field and remain the focal point of the offense.

Durability has always been an issue for the 5-foot-10, 203-pound sixth-year veteran who has never made it through an entire 16-game regular-season schedule. He won't again this year -- he has already missed one game with a knee that occasionally needs to be drained of fluid.

Westbrook didn't practice Thursday, and taking a few days off has become the norm to help the knee hold up. He'll play Sunday, and add to his 1,219 yards from scrimmage, which is second in the NFL.

The Eagles certainly would relish the opportunity to build a big lead against the Dolphins, turn to backup Correll Buckhalter and rest Westbrook for that playoff push they hope to make.

"Contenders" In Early Trouble

Nearly a third of the league is winless heading into Week 3, and many are hardly the usual suspects.

Philadelphia, New Orleans and both New York teams entered the season with high expectations for a run deep into January, but now find themselves in near must-win situations in September.

Their struggles aren't by coincidence -- all four have significant concerns that have contributed to their slow starts:

--Philadelphia: QB Donovan McNabb hasn't been sharp coming off knee surgery, and now RB Brian Westbrook, who has accounted for 47 percent of the team's offense, is battling a sore knee that could sideline him Sunday.
--New Orleans: RBs Deuce McAllister and Reggie Bush are touching the ball on 39.3 percent of the snaps compared to 48.1 last season. The result is fewer passing lanes opening for QB Drew Brees. And then there's the secondary, which has allowed 11 pass plays of 20 yards or longer.
--N.Y. Giants: Injuries and a porous secondary threaten to derail the season before it starts. RB Derrick Ward has done a commendable job, but he doesn't bring the bruising presence of Brandon Jacobs. And the Giants have to run the ball and chew up the clock, because their secondary shows no promise of improving.
--N.Y. Jets: QB Chad Pennington returns from last week's game, but he's facing another dilemma with Jets fans pining for backup Kellen Clemens to take over after a solid performance last Sunday. The Jets have their own secondary issues as injuries have left the unit razor thin.

Short-Term Pain, Long-Term Gain in Cutting Trotter

The word "surprise" was splashed all over headlines following the Eagles' release of popular veteran MLB Jeremiah Trotter. But anyone who follows the team closely, or watched Trotter get abused in coverage last season, saw this move coming for months.

First there was the trade for Takeo Spikes. Not only is he a proven veteran playmaker, but Spikes brings the lockerroom leadership the Eagles knew they'd eventually have to replace when cutting the cord with Trotter. And it didn't hurt that he has experience at all three linebacker spots -- including the middle.

For now, the man in the middle will be second-year pro Omar Gaither, a fifth-round pick who was impressive after supplanting disappointing Matt McCoy on the weak side for the final five games last season. In case Gaither stumbles, the Eagles have third-round rookie Stewart Bradley taking snaps in the middle after spending most of his time at Nebraska patrolling the strong side. Gaither will be flanked by Spikes on the weak side and mostly likely second-year player Chris Gocong on the strong side.

So while the exact timing of Trotter's release might have caught some by surprise, the Eagles are well-stocked to move on. He claimed to have lost nine pounds since last season, but Trotter still isn't the smaller, quicker, more agile middle linebacker needed in today's NFL.

The team was wise to make the move now, giving Trotter's teammates time to digest, complain a bit to the media and move on from losing a friend and team leader. Much better now than having that distracting during final cuts leading into Week 1, when the games count.

Injuries Already Threaten Eagles

The Eagles are a popular pick to be a serious contender in the parity-clustered NFC. But with the teams stacked so closely, injuries are already threatening to put Philadelphia in tenuous situation to kick off the season.

Three key starters -- right guard Shawn Andrews, tight end L.J. Smith and free safety Brian Dawkins -- are all dealing with injuries that could keep them out of the season opener in Green Bay. The Eagles should be able to get past the Packers minus all or part of the trio, but ensuing games against Washington, Detroit and at the Giants leading into the team's bye week will be more difficult short-handed.

Andrews is emerging as one of the best guards in the league, but is likely to miss at least the preseason schedule with a right ankle injury. And his backup, Scott Young, is out indefinitely with a sprained right knee.

Smith's injury might be even more concerning. He had offseason surgery for a sports hernia -- yes, the same injury that landed quarterback Donovan McNabb on injured reserve in 2005. Smith went down in practice last week with what the team is calling a groin injury, but it's eerily close to where the sports hernia stemmed from.

Dawkins is bothered by Achilles tendinitis, which has kept him out of practice since the first day of camp. He figures to be bothered by the injury all season, which is certainly a concern for a 34-year-old and leaves him more susceptible to rupturing the tendon. Dawkins is the leader of the secondary and arguably the team's most indispensable defender.