Sheldon Brown News

"No, not at all, not at all," the quarterback said, smiling extra wide, in case the questioner did not get that he was being facetious.

If you can't judge the Eagles' defense, as the players say, based on its shaky outing against the Saints' top-ranked offense in Week 2, then you can't gauge the success of the unit off five victories over lesser teams.

There is no reason I can think of for the Dallas Cowboys to even test the Philadelphia Eagles shutdown corner Sheldon Brown when the two teams face off Sunday night.

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

So much for the most complete test since New Orleans. The Eagles on Sunday battered a helpless New York Giants squad that appeared to be traumatized by back-to-back losses coming in, sending their NFC East rivals to a thoroughly humiliating 40-17 defeat in front of 69,144 fans at Lincoln Financial Field.

An informal poll of Eagles on Wednesday confirmed what everyone believed to be the case about their game Sunday against the New York Giants : It will be their most complete test since New Orleans and most important game of the season to date.

Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley For the most part, the Eagles and Giants don't have a lot of reason to talk smack at this point in the season.

Eagles cornerback Sheldon Brown certainly didn't leave Domenik Hixon open while breaking up a pass intended for Giants wide receiver Domenik Hixon last season.

Tomorrow night's gameA is set to be a good one. Both teams are coming off disappointing losses to poor opponents.

The one constant in the Eagles' topsy-turvy start is defensive coordinator Sean McDermott's weekly blueprint to blitz the pants off the opposing quarterback.

Oakland running back Justin Fargas tries to hurdle Philadelphia's Sheldon Brown while picking up a first down in the fourth quarter.

If there was one encouraging sign the Eagles could take from Sunday's miserable 13-9 loss to the Oakland Raiders , it was the previously absent bounce in the step of running back Brian Westbrook.

On W ednesday, Michael Vick revealed his feelings about the Eagles ' West Coast offense and how quarterback-friendly it is.

At least the Eagles' offensive and defensive players seemed to be in agreement about why they left the Oakland Coliseum late yesterday afternoon with one of the more shameful losses of coach Andy Reid's tenure in Philadelphia.

The Eagles launched their TAWK initiative yesterday by issuing $50,000 grants to the Humane Society of the United States, the Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society, and the Berks County Humane Society.

When the Eagles travel to Oakland tomorrow, they will face a cornerback who is almost universally considered the best in his profession.

EAGLES COACH Andy Reid hinted yesterday that when Nick Cole relinquishes the left-guard position to Todd Herremans - possibly as soon as next week, pending a Tuesday bone scan for Herremans - Cole won't necessarily move to the bench.

Andy Reid could have more than his 100th regular season win coming soon. The Eagles coach might have a new contract.

The Eagles are closer to having their regular offensive line back. On Wednesday, left guard Todd Herremans took his first major step toward getting back to practice after undergoing foot surgery during training camp.

PHILADELPHIA If it were up to Trent Cole, the Philadelphia Eagles would never play a difficult, close game.