Now that he is ready to return to action for the second-ranked offense in the NFC, he wants the fun to continue.

"The receiving corps is looking good; I'm just going to go out there and try not to mess things up," Brown said yesterday after participating in a full practice at the NovaCare Complex. "I want to go out there and try to add, not subtract, to what's going on. I'm going to try to go out there and do my job and not make mistakes."

Brown has been sidelined with a strained left hamstring that he suffered in the second preseason game. His practice time has increased, and after he came off the field yesterday, he said, "I'm ready to go," although it is not known if he will start Sunday's home game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

It has been a strange season for the Eagles' receiving corps, whose ranks were thinned by injuries in the preseason to Brown and No. 1 man Kevin Curtis (sports-hernia surgery). With fans having clamored all off-season for an upgrade at wideout, they held their breath waiting to see rookie DeSean Jackson, untested youngsters Hank Baskett and Jason Avant, and the inconsistent Greg Lewis at the position.

Through the first two games, the opinions mainly have been positive. Jackson has done a superb job, becoming the second rookie in NFL history to post 100-yard receiving games in his first two contests, or one fewer than the three 100-yard games put together by Brown in his first three NFL seasons.

Lewis has eight catches, Avant five and Baskett four, including a 90-yarder from Donovan McNabb that is the only touchdown scored by a wideout to date. McNabb is first in the NFC in yards passing with 642.

"We've been going up and down the field, putting points on the board, opening up the offense," Brown said. "Everyone is contributing and having fun. The team is really connected right now. We're really meshing together real good."

Offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg said he thought the addition of Brown to the mix would further contribute to the wideouts' productivity.

"There's no question [that] we need to get better," Mornhinweg said. "You've seen how we've done it during the games. We've rolled guys through, and the fellows have done an excellent job to date. Reggie will fit right in there. Then we'll just take it week to week and day to day with that if Reggie is available."

Brown apparently plans to be available, if for no other reason than it has been difficult for him to be idle.

"It's been pretty tough," he said. "I don't like to sit around and feel like I'm not able to contribute to the team and what we're trying to get done here. From that aspect as a player and a competitor, it hurts.

"But you just have to understand that it's a long season. I missed two games, and we still have 14 more and, hopefully, some playoff games and the Super Bowl. So I'm trying to look at the whole picture, not just one game at a time, and hopefully get back on schedule."

The important thing for Brown is that he's feeling good and thinks he can be effective.

"My role is to go out there and make plays whenever plays are needed," he said. "That's my expectation."