Saturday Update

Some Rams news:

* WR Donnie Avery is out. He is an explosively fast rookie and is really going to be important for their offense this year. Torry Holt is no longer a field stretcher. Avery is the kind of guy that defenses get nervous about.

* CB Fakhir Brown will play. He's still not 100%, so this isn't necessarily a good thing. I think he's playing as much due to necessity as anything. Brown has a bad shoulder and isn't sure how long he'll hold up or how he'll do in live action. Expect the Eagles to throw short passes to his side and force him to come up and make tackles. He's going to struggle to bring guys down if he's got a bum wing.
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The Eagles will likely be without WR Reggie Brown. His hammie bothered him the other day and he's not practiced since. He's officially doubtful. How much will the team miss him? With Curtis still out, Reggie is the top receiver. Losing your best wideout is never a good thing.

However. Reggie had one catch in last year's opener. He had 2 in the '06 opener. I think he is officially allergic to September success. Somebody tell him it is October and get his butt on the field. We're gonna need him in Week 2 against the Cowboys.

I think the Birds are good enough to beat the Rams without Brown. Rookie DeSean "Peanut" Jackson will likely be the main beneficiary of Brown sitting. Jackson could have a big game. The opportunity is there. All he has to do is seize it.

DeSean scored a TD on his first college reception. He scored a TD on his first college punt return. He's stepped up big time when given the opportunity in the past. He didn't care about being a Freshman. I don't think he cares about being a rookie. He sees himself as a playmaker.

The Rams secondary is in a major state of flux. We're minus our starting wideouts. The one man who has a big smile on his face is Peanut. He's got a chance to have a major impact in his first NFL game.
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One interesting matchup at the line of scrimmage will be between LT Orlando Pace and DE Trent Cole. Pace has been a great blocker when healthy. Unfortunately he's got a sore shoulder right now. He had a major injury there last season. His shoulder is going to be tested against Cole. Trent stays incredibly low when rushing. He also is a powerful guy. That means Pace has to reach down, really stretch his arms, and have a lot of power when he does get his hands on Cole. Pace has the footwork to still be a top blocker, but the shoulder is going to get a real test from Cole.
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