Join Jeff McLane for a live Eagles chat Wednesday at 11 a.m.

You miss Brian Dawkins, right? The Eagles do, too. Many of the reporters miss the long-time Eagles safety, as well. But there might not be another Eagles-affiliated person that is more wistful about Dawkins than the current strong safety Quintin Mikell.

Mikell said he watched last night's Broncos-Bears game and admitted it was odd seeing Dawkins, who wore a large protective cast over his broken hand, in another uniform.

“It was really weird, that orange jersey on and stuff, it was a little different seeing him," Mikell said. "It was fun watching him play. He was flying around out there and having fun and playing physical.”

So did watching Dawkins play make Mikell wish that No. 20 was still an Eagle?

“You don’t want to get caught up in that," Dawkins said. "I will say it was a little nostalgic sitting here [thinking], ‘I remember those hits’ and stuff like that. It was a little weird but I’m happy with the situation that we’re in and I’m sure he’s happy. It’s the position we’re in. We just have to move on.”

While not having Dawkins around may be difficult for Mikell, it's a mixed bag for Quintin Demps. Dawkins leaving, obviously, opened the door up for Demps. But Demps has the inenviable position of following a legend and it seems to have hampered his play. He still hasn't locked up the job yet and has admitted that he's been playing as if he's afraid to make mistakes instead of just playing.

“I think, especially in the secondary, it’s tough because he’s Dawk –  we always go back to that. Everyone kind of gets compared to him and that’s fine," Mikell said. "I think Quintin, he’s learning that."

Click here for our earlier story on Donovan McNabb. And scroll to the bottom for news on Jeremy Maclin and Shawn Andrews.

Well, that didn't take long.

According to Michael Irvin, who hasn't been to one Eagles practice or game this preseason, the Eagles have a quarterback controversy.

Apparently, Irvin -- a long time Donovan McNabb hater -- and local radio yakker Howard Eskin are simpatico. Eskin tried to whip up a storm today when he asked the Eagles quarterback about his supposed conversation with offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg when it was fairly clear the occassional inserting of Michael Vick in the last preseason game was disrupting the flow of the offense.

ESKIN: "Marty said he didn't remember your discussion on the sideline. Do you remember it and, if so, have you talked to him about what you apparently told him in the sideline about Vick."

[Mornhinweg, in fact, said he did remember the discussion. "We did have a quick discussion about that," he said Sunday. What he said he didn't see was McNabb waving his hand under his neck, apparently calling for the Mornhinweg to cut out the Vick plays.]

MCNABB: "Well, I remember the conversation. That's kind of talk of everything right now. But I thought the conversation was very productive and very important. It's a communication between quarterback and coordinator that I think we came up with answers and we were able to go out and execute. As far as anything else, I don't remember any of that."

ESKIN: "Did you talk to Marty?"

MCNABB: "Yeah, I talked to Marty."

ESKIN: "Did you figure out how you could make this better?"

MCNABB: "Just play football. That's over. You have to understand with everything that's going on right now everybody is making a big deal out of our whole situation. We communicate every game. We communicate in practice. We communicate here in the building. So it's no different than what we've done in the previous years. Now I know that with everything going on people are searching trying to find something."

McNabb was asked if he would be more comfortable with Vick coming in for successive snaps or for a whole series as opposed to the new quarterback jumping in for a play here and there. McNabb evaded the question, with something like, "Before you can come up with gimmicks, before you can come up with something else, you got to get your base offense going."

UPDATE: The Eagles announced that they released tackle Chris Patrick. They roster now stands at 79. Teams need to be at 75 players by tomorrow at 4 p.m.

Check back for more from today's practice.

Maclin back at practice

After leaving Sunday's practice with an undisclosed injury, rookie wide receiver Jeremy Maclin is back at practice today. Maclin left the field Sunday after catching a pass from quarterback Michael Vick.

Andrews moves up depth chart

Eagles offensive tackle Shawn Andrews is back with the first-team offense today, just three days after returning from a back injury that had prevented him from practicing through training camp and most of the preseason.

He returned to practice Saturday and worked with the scout team, then ran primarily with the second-team offense Sunday. The two-time Pro Bowl guard who has made the move to tackle also said before practice that he has some new music material about to be posted on You Tube.

It's two weeks until opening day and the Eagles remain uncertain about who is going to replace the injured Stewart Bradley as the starting middle linebacker.

Joe Mays had that title for the first three preseason games, but veteran Omar Gaither will be running with the starters this week in practice, according to defensive coordinator Sean McDermott.

"I feel like I'm going home," Gaither said. "I feel like Dorothy."

Gaither probably shouldn't get too excited about clicking his red cleats together because all indications are that he's still in an open competition for the middle linebacker job with Mays. Rookie Moise Fokou got to play one series with the starting defense at middle linebacker in Thursday night's preseason game against Jacksonville, but the competition for the starting job appears to be between Mays and Gaither.

"I didn't click my heels," Gaither said. "I got on my knees and did a lot of praying. It's good, though. I'm looking forward to it. It will be exciting for me."

Gaither has sat out the last two preseason games with a sprained knee and was already running with the first-team nickel defense at middle linebacker. He admitted that when Bradley went down during the first week of training camp that he wondered why he wasn't the starter.

"You try to justify and understand things that happen, but you can't do that," Gaither said. "You have to keep playing. You would think I would be the guy that went in there right away, but Joe played well last year and they felt like he could go in there and do some things. You always have to earn stuff around here and it has been that way since I got here."

Gaither, in fact, has twice lost his starting job. He lost his starting middle linebacker job to Bradley near the end of the 2007 season, but was moved into a starting role at weakside linebacker. He lost that starting job to Akeem Jordan when the Eagles played at Baltimore in Week 12 last season.

McDermott did not commit to Gaither as the starter, but said "you will see him with the ones during practice."

Mays' response to McDermott's decision?

"I'm not going to read into this too much," he said. "It's competition. Everybody is going to get their chance and he's getting his chance right now. That's the way  I see it and all I can do is keep working. I just have to sit back and continue to prepare like I'm going to be the starting middle linebacker and when the day comes, we'll see who they call."

Shawn Andrews is back and his back felt fine after practice today.

"It felt good," the Eagles tackle said. "I had no [reservations]. Went through this thing full speed. Of course, it wasn't much contact ... but still got a good feel on some leaning and pass rushing."

Andrews did his work with the scout team, but could be back with the first team line later this week. Another big step will come tomorrow morning when Andrews wakes up, and later in the day with the Eagles likely practicing in full pads.

"The reason I had him working with the second group there and going with the scout team is so he doesn’t go out there and do something crazy with the first group there," Reid said. "We’ll just ease him into it and see how he does this week. I don’t know exactly where he’s at football wise right now because he hasn’t been able to do it."

Reid didn't rule out Andrews playing in Thursday's preseason game at the Jets, but it's likely the team will wait until the season opener at Carolina to play Andrews. The tackle kept the door open for a Thursday return

"These next couple of days prove that, hey, I'm in pretty decent shape and go out let football be football and have fun," Andrews said.

Andrews injured his back during a conditioning run on July 30, the first day of training camp for veterans. He then spent the next few weeks receiving treatment indoors -- not out on the practice field with the rest of the injured players. Ten days ago, though, he flew to Los Angeles to see the specialist that performed surgery on his back last October.

Dr. Robert Watkins found no structural damage and since then Andrews has taken steady steps toward a return.

“He basically went through all the rehab that [head trainer] Rick [Burkholder] could put him through and his symptoms, he felt good," Reid said. "The doctor thought we could increase his workload and start getting him back into playing football. Most of all it’s been the communication there and the doctor’s okay on it.”

Fullback Leonard Weaver (knee), tight end Tony Curtis (ankle) and cornerback Sheldon Brown (ribs) were back practicing after missing Thursday's preseason game against Jacksonville.

Wide receiver Kevin Curtis (knee), defensive end Darren Howard, linebacker Charleston Hughes (foot), guard Max Jean-Gilles (shoulder) and tight end Rob Myers (groin) sat out the light practice.

Reid said that Kevin Curtis' knee was just inflamed and that it wasn't serious; same with Jean-Gilles' strained shoulder. Myers was getting an MRI done.

Reid said that surgery to correct Todd Herreman's foot stress fracture was a success. The coach did not set a return date for the guard. Nick Cole and Jean-Gilles are competing for Herreman's spot.

Reid said there was a good chance that quarterback Michael Vick would play Thursday. He hadn't decided exactly who else might play, but he intimated that middle linebacker Joe Mays and free safety Quintin Demps would also play. Apparently, those two haven't won starting jobs yet.

Here are a few quick observations off the Eagles-Jaguars game that may have been lost in all the Vick hoopla:

DEFENSE

-- Having Trent Cole back makes a huge difference. The end was a disruptive force in the first quarter -- his lone 15 minutes of play. He could have had two sacks -- Eugene Monroe was called for holding after Cole burned him on the outside and Jacksonville quarterback David Garrard barely dumped an incomplete pass off before the Eagles' end dropped him.

-- Joe Mays is, unfortunately, going to be a work in progress. Early in the game he over-pursued on a screen pass and later on the Jags exploited the linebacker's over-aggressiveness with another screen. If you want a middle linebacker to stuff the run or straight out blitz, Mays is your man. But he has some learning to do when it comes to dropping into coverage. Mays did tip a Garrard pass in the first half.

-- Asante Samuel has arrived just in time for the season. The cornerback had an interception, nearly decapitated a wide receiver and gave the Eagles D some sass last night. Ellis Hobbs, filing in for the injured Sheldon Brown, also came out with a litte fire. He was downright awful last week against the Colts -- as was Samuel. But Hobbs, if anything, secured a spot on the team. He also had a nice kick return for 26 yards.

-- Quintin Demps has a tough job in replacing the beloved Brian Dawkins, so you don't want to pile on. But the safety has been underwhelming, to say the least. He was completely flummoxed on the Maurice Jones-Drew 45-yard screen that led to a TD. Demps had no solo tackles and just one assist. He's pretty much got the starting job by default -- Sean Jones has been just OK -- but it's not a position without worry with the regular season two weeks away.

-- Moise Fokou has been steadily earning more playing time this preseason and with Omar Gaither recovering from a knee sprain, the rookie could sneak onto the first team in the nickel. He led the team with six tackles last night and, despite his relative youth, could be the contingency plan if Mays doesn't work out.

-- I think Jason Babin made this team. Makes you wonder what Chris Clemons and Bryan Smith are thinking.

OFFENSE

-- Jason Avant will be Donovan McNabb's second favorite wide receiving target during the regular season. DeSean Jackson will get the most looks, but Avant's crisp routes and reliable hands will give McNabb a better option that Kevin Curtis.

-- Shady McCoy had his second straight subpar night. He's a rookie and there's going to be a learning curve. He sometimes tries to do too much and when he's faced with a tackler always seems to want to kick it outside. He'll be fine, though, as a complement to a healthy Brian Westbrook.

-- Speaking of running backs, I think Lorenzo Booker has finally found his way out of town. He had no carries last night while Eldra Buckley took three. I'm not sure if Buckley finds a roster spot. He hasn't been consistent catching the ball out of the backfield. But he's ahead of Booker at this point. Kyle Eckel's fumble last night may have doomed his chances of making the team.

-- I heard that a certain former Eagle -- rhymes with Few Fouglas -- was critical of Jeremy Maclin's play last night. I actually thought Maclin looked good and made strides over his previous two games. There's no way he has the impact Jackson brought to the wide receiving corp last year, but he'll have his moments as he becomes familiar with the offense.

-- Curtis had only one catch for 14 yards. That gives the veteran wideout just two catches in the preseason. The Eagles say he's fine, but you have to wonder if he's completely recovered from that off-season sports hernia surgery.

-- Kevin Kolb's night got off to a bad start with the safety, but he rebounded and threw perhaps the best pass of the game when he zipped a throw to Reggie Brown for a 9-yard TD. Kolb, in my estimation, had a rotten camp and that may have had something to do with the Vick acquisition. But he was better last night -- not great or even good -- and he'll have a sizeable portion of next week's game to solidify his backup spot.

UPDATE: Elder statesman Bob Brookover took exception with my assumption that Clemons or Smith could be the odd defensive ends out. He suggests that the Eagles could carry seven ends (Cole, Victor Abiamiri, Darren Howard, Juqua Parker, Babin, Clemons and Smith) because Howard and Abiamiri can also play some tackle. [Plug alert] Brookie, by the way, will predict the 53-man roster in Sunday's paper.

Best friends

Is Donovan McNabb already at odds with the Wildcat and Michael Vick's role on the team? Before you start accusing me of being a rabble-rouser, take this response from the Eagles quarterback when he was asked if he thought the WildVick disrupted the rhythm and whether the offense needed to get back to basics during the first half of tonight's game with the Jaguars:

"Absolutely, Absolutely,” McNabb said. “I did. In that situation, it’s needed. I know what we were trying to do [with Vick] and we were able to get that done. And I thought it was time for us to kind of get our offense going. After the first play when I tried to go deep to DeSean [Jackson] and threw it out of bounds a little, we started to get positive plays. We got the drive going and I think that’s very important in a game, whether it’s in the regular season or the preseason, to get that rhythm going. If you’re going to show different looks make sure it’s the right time. That’s the what the preseason’s for to make sure you know when that time is, and we’ll get that time together. I thought it was important at that time to get out and run our offense.”

McNabb was then asked if he motioned to offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg and the Eagles' coaches to stop running the plays with Vick (all told, Vick was inserted six times). Donovan, naturally, dodged the question with a joke.

"Yeah, I sat all of them down and I told them, ‘That’s it,’” McNabb said.

Reid was asked if he saw McNabb gesture. "That had nothing to do with Michael," Reid said. "You can ask McNabb. He was fine with it."

Reid didn't think the Vick plays were much of a problem.

“If you're going to use that a little bit, then you have to work it in there," Reid said. "That's what we're going to do as we go down the road here. I expect the guys to make that part of the rhythm and make it work. I don’t see that as what happened there.”

Reid, meanwhile, announced tonight that Todd Herremans would have surgery on his left foot. The guard, who had a stress reaction, now has a stress fracture. Reid said he would miss a few weeks of the season. Nick Cole is the likely replacement at left guard.

Also, safety Macho Harris had an ankle sprain and guard Chris Patrick had a knee strain.

Michael Vick was given a standing ovation from many at the less-than-half-full Lincoln Financial Field tonight.

The Eagles' new quarterback checked in on the team's second play from scrimmage. As Vick trotted out on the field, a large portion of the crowd rose to their feet to cheer on the disgraced former Atlanta Falcons player. If there were boos, they were drowned out by the majority who appeared to be in favor of the controversial move.

Vick lined up behind center in the shotgun on second down, with McNabb split wide right. He flipped a shovel pass to running back LeSean McCoy, who picked up four yards. Vick then departed before the Eagles' drive stalled.

On the Eagles' second possession, Vick entered again on the second play of the drive. This time, the "Wildcat" took the snap, faked a handoff, and rolled out left to run. Vick managed only one yard. He was inserted later in the drive and was split as a wideout. Quarterback Donovan McNabb faked a throw to Vick, but instead handed off the McCoy.

Vick had his first throw several downs later when he zipped a 14-yard completion to wide receiver Hank Baskett for a first down that moved the Eagles down to the Jaguars' 13-yard line.

The Eagles eventually settled for a 31-yard field goal from kicker David Akers and a 3-0 lead.

You're looking Live at my blog.

And I'm looking live at Lincoln Financial Field in what's expected to be an overcrowded press box. There's already a collection of grizzly sportswriters from all around the land in house. The cafeteria is overwhelmed.

Michael Vick is at the Linc for tonight's preseason game against the Jaguars. He's presently out on the field warming up with the other QBs, including Donovan McNabb.

A number of the players from both teams have been taking to the field for warm-ups. Apparently, Vick made it back in time from Newport News, Va. He was there today for a bankruptcy hearing. Apparently, he wants to get out of bankruptcy (Join the club!). No word on how that's going.

I arrived fairly early hoping to avoid the protests, supporters and the various onlookers hoping for some sort of clash between dog lovers and Michael Vick lovers. Instead, the trip was a rather smooth one. I have a feeling the protests/shows of support will be limited.

I walked 100 yards from the lot to the media entrance and saw two Vick shirts on a couple of fine young lads. I can't say I spotted any other No. 7s at the pre-game tailgates. Of course, I arrived two-and-half hours early.

There are cops all over the place. There was a K-9 unit situated on the street across from the West Gate entrance. Some comedian suggested to one of the policeman that maybe it would be wise keep Fido away from the players' entrance. Everyone laughed (not really).

A team spokesman said that Vick will talk at his locker following the game, but the questions will be limited to football-related matters.

Back with more.

Westbrook won't play

Running back Brian Westbrook will warm up and be on the sidelines for tonight's game, but he will not play against the Jaguars. That means the Eagles' No. 1 running back will not play in a preseason game as predicted by Dr. Mark Myerson, the foot specialist who removed two bone spurs from his right ankle in early June.

Westbrook actually has recovered enough, but coach Andy Reid decided to keep perhaps his most valuable offensive player in the sideline protection program on the night Vick makes his Eagles debut.

Jervonte Jackson with Jags

Defensive tackle Jervonte Jackson, the brother of Eagles center Jamaal Jackson, is now on the Jacksonville roster and is in uniform for tonight's game. He had been with the Eagles during training camp at Lehigh University.

Tra's return

Former Eagles tackle Tra Thomas and safety Sean Considine are both playing tonight. Thomas is listed as the Jags' starter at left tackle, but Jacksonville drafted Virginia tackle Eugene Monroe in the first round and he's projected to take over that position in the near future. Thomas was asked by the Jaguars' web site if he'd consider moving to right tackle when Monroe is ready to play left tackle.

"I could do it, if that's what is needed," Thomas said. "It would take a little time. I've been in a left-handed stance my entire career."

 Considine is the Jaguars' starting strong safety.