San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers is sacked by Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Darren Howard, left, and Victor Abiamiri.

Philadelphia defensive end Trent Cole, right, celebrates with teammate Darren Howard after sacking Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler in the third quarter of the Eagles 24-20 victory.

Bold statements from Donovan McNabb have come more freely and frequently since the quarterback signed a deal in August that guaranteed him at least one more season to guide the Eagles' offense.

With their backs against the wall, the Eagles turn to their healthiest and freshest set of legs Sunday to get back in the win column.

Andy Reid doesn't throw around words like "ridiculous" every day. So when the coach, asked about being fourth in the league in penalty yardage assessed, reached deep into his bag of press conference responses, right past "I have to do a better job putting the players in position to make plays," and "everyone has a little piece of the pie," to "It's ...

History is on the Eagles ' side as they head down the stretch run of what has so far been an uneven regular season.

Did you notice him lining up at left defensive end instead of right defensive end? He and Juqua Parker flip-flopped, but it didn't seem to do Cole much good.

The Eagles waited three weeks for Brian Westbrook to get better and they believed Westbrook had satisfied all the criteria needed to get back on the field without risking another concussion.

Sheldon Brown was asked by a reporter after practice Wednesday if he'd be surprised to learn that teammate Joselio Hanson had taken steroids.

Even though he practiced both Wednesday and Thursday, Brian Westbrook didn't take any repetitions at practice today and is listed as questionable for Sunday's showdown against the Cowboys.

Brian Westbrook and Macho Harris are questionable for the Giants game, Eagles coach Andy Reid said today.

Normally, with a Sean McDermott-coached Eagles defense, getting into the mug of the Giants quarterback would consist of a steady stream of blitzing.

A short week to prepare following a brutally hard road game against the Washington Redskins on Monday night left the Eagles with little time to get their legs back under them for the New York Giants on Sunday.

Eli Manning, who has a perfect regular season mark in Philadelphia, needs to have a big game to avoid a three-game losing streak.

Philadelphia Eagles WR Brian Westbrook sat out practice for a third consecutive day Friday as he continues to recover from a concussion suffered in Monday night's 27-17 win over the Washington Redskins.

The play was called a Z deep cross, DeSean Jackson said. Lined up in the slot, the Eagles wide receiver faked like he was going across the field and then rolled back out toward the sideline.

Trent Cole, an avid hunter, knows he can sometimes be the bait. On Sundays in autumn, the Eagles defensive end lures offensive linemen the way he may entice a wild boar: with cunning and patience.

During training camp, one of the most-watched position battles was at free safety.

Brian Westbrook did not practice yesterday, but Eagles coach Andy Reid said that his running back, who is recovering from a concussion, would begin aerobic exercises today.

USUALLY, PRAISE from Eagles coach Andy Reid amounts to a declaration that a designated player is doing "a good job." Not too helpful, for those of us hoping to gain insight, which is pretty much how Reid likes it.