Wideout Armageddon seems nigh.

Reggie Brown did not take part in the final substantive workout before tomorrow's season opener at Lincoln Financial Field, against the St. Louis Rams.

Coach Andy Reid listed Brown as doubtful. Reid said that when Brown, who injured his left hamstring on the first play of the Aug. 14 preseason game against Carolina, finally returned to practice on Wednesday, he suffered a setback.

"He went out and practiced, and it just didn't feel right to him," Reid said. "He stretched out for a ball and he felt it kind of tug in there. We backed off immediately on him."

So, with the other returning starter, Kevin Curtis, already sidelined following sports hernia surgery, your wideouts for the opener are rookie DeSean Jackson and the trio of Hank Baskett, Greg Lewis and Jason Avant, barring the miraculous recovery of Brown. If this proves insufficient against St. Louis, Reid probably can't count on the fan base taking the long view, after it spent the entire offseason agitating for better wideouts.

Reid indicated that Jackson will stay in the flanker spot (where he has to know only one set of patterns and responsibilities), while the three others rotate. Expect to see Brian Westbrook and Lorenzo Booker split wide a lot and to see the tight ends catch some balls. Given that the field is likely to be a little iffy after today's expected heavy rain and the Temple-Connecticut game, it wouldn't be a shock to see the Birds try to run a little more than usual.

The injuries amp up the expectations for Jackson, who gives every appearance of being a rare talent, but probably shouldn't be expected to take over the game in his first NFL start.

"Being a rookie, coming into a starting spot like that, it's very tough," he said yesterday. "You've just got to do what you've got to do to get the job done."

Then Jackson acknowledged that "I'm juiced, I'm pumped up."

"It'll be all right," he said. "I just feel like with the other guys we've got here, Greg, Hank, Jason - I feel very comfortable with the guys here."

Avant hasn't gotten on the field as much as he would have liked since being drafted in the fourth round in 2006. He caught seven passes as a rookie, 23 last season. He would like to show he can do more, though he said he wasn't particularly concerned with calming the panicky populace.

"It's an opportunity for every one of us," Avant said. "I don't really care what people think. I don't play the game for people, at all. The only time I hear about that stuff [fan perception of the wideouts] is when you guys bring it to me. I don't really care. We just go out there and play hard."

Baskett was shoved into somewhat of a tight-end role last season after L.J. Smith got hurt. His catches went down, from 22 as a rookie to 16. He has been angling all offseason for a bigger role, honing his body and concentrating on the sideline and end-zone stuff he ought to be good at, as a 6-4 former high jump champ.

"It was a pretty good offseason for me and a good training camp," Baskett said. "I've dropped about 13 pounds from last year [when he was listed at 220]. I'm feeling light on my feet. I can go longer, I'm getting out of my breaks quicker. I'm still fine-tuning the little things, but I definitely feel like from my first offseason to this offseason, I've made a tremendous difference."

"As [receivers] coach [Dave] Culley always tells us, 'Time to bull up,' " Baskett said. "That's one thing the receivers are good at - we take care of one another."

Baskett sounded the theme that Reid loves so well - that this offense is built around spreading the ball to multiple receivers and no one guy has to take the load. But as the Eagles have discovered in the past (anyone remember 2005?), you can look bad throwing the ball to multiple receivers, if most of them aren't that good at getting open and catching it.

"You never know, anybody can make a play at any time," Baskett said. Then he mentioned the "anybody" most observers will be watching, the rookie from Cal, Jackson.

"That's a big-time playmaker, right there," Baskett said.

He might have to be, sooner rather than later.

Oh, and by the way, even if the Eagles get past the Rams, there's no guarantee Brown will be OK next week, and Curtis certainly will not be. Week 2, the Birds travel to Dallas.

Lito update

 

"It does nothing for me, but 'Plax' is a buddy of mine, so I'm happy to see him get the situation worked out," Sheppard said.

Rams receiver Torry Holt told St. Louis-area reporters that the Rams expect Sheppard to try to take his contract frustrations out on them.

Asked about the Birds' defense, Holt noted that Asante Samuel "was a Pro Bowl guy. (Sheldon) Brown is a press guy who likes to get in your face and can run and will challenge you at the line of scrimmage. Sheppard has his little contract dispute, so he's going to be a little angry. We have to be leery of that. He's going to come out and probably take a shot at a couple of guys. That's cool, but it will be a challenge all the way around." *