Previously, the coach has preferred to keep some suspense about whether key players will be able to go, but with the Eagles flying across the continent yesterday afternoon, and the bye week ensuing, it made little sense to bring along players who wouldn't be able to help. It also might be of some benefit to Correll Buckhalter, knowing 2 days beforehand that he is starting and probably will carry the largest workload he has seen this season, with the Birds seeming to turn more toward the run this week to bring some consistency to their faltering offense.

Rookie wideout DeSean Jackson and veteran Hank Baskett, who saw their roles diminish the past few weeks as Brown recovered from a hamstring injury and became McNabb's top target, can expect to be back on center stage, along with Buckhalter.

As Reid said: "They might have expected it, but now they know it. It's cut-and-dried. Brian doesn't need to travel, and Reggie doesn't need to travel - in particular Brian, with the pain he's in."

It never seemed likely Westbrook would play tomorrow, after an MRI exam revealed Monday that he had fractured two ribs early in Sunday's 23-17 home loss to the Redskins. That gave the Eagles their third conference loss and made tomorrow's game at San Francisco even more crucial.

Brown, who has caught 10 passes for 163 yards the past 2 weeks, left Wednesday's workout with a groin injury. He has been bothered by a succession of problems since the start of training camp. Andrews is still battling a back injury.

Reid is holding open the possibility that Kevin Curtis, the Eagles' top wideout a year ago, could make his 2008 debut. Curtis had sports-hernia surgery Aug. 21. He has been practicing the past few weeks, and this week moved up from the scout team to the regular offense. Curtis is listed as "questionable" and was scheduled to make the trip, so obviously, there's a decent chance he plays. It's hard to see Curtis taking on a major role, however.

"We're just gradually bringing him back in," Reid said. "He is prepared to play."

Reid acknowledged that the bye week, and the chance to rest the franchise running back for 2 Sundays, played into his decision to leave Westbrook home.

"I didn't think of it without the bye week, knowing that it was there," Reid said. "To say that it factored in - it did factor in, because I know it's there."

The Birds have played without Westbrook only once this season, in their 24-20 loss at Chicago 2 weeks ago. That game, Reid and offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg seemed to de-emphasize the running attack, 46 planned passing plays vs. 21 planned running plays. Buckhalter was effective, carrying 16 times for 66 yards and a touchdown.

Buckhalter figures to get at least that many carries tomorrow, with the Eagles looking to establish some offensive rhythm against a 49ers defense that ranks 18th against the rush. (Of course, the 49ers are 32nd against the pass, so don't look for the single-wing-looking formation the Dolphins have been running, or anything.)

Speaking of the Dolphins, we ought to really find out this week whether Lorenzo Booker just hasn't gotten the right opportunities, or the Eagles wasted that fourth-round pick they sent to Miami for the second-year running back on draft day. It was clear back in the spring and summer that if anything happened to Westbrook, the Birds wanted the ability to retain the running back flexed-wide plays and the outside running plays that aren't so suited to Buckhalter. But Booker, with 12 carries for 27 yards and five catches for 10 yards, has not been a factor thus far.

It will be interesting to see whether Tony Hunt really gets the ball in his return to running back, after the team uprooted Dan Klecko from Jim Johnson's defensive tackle rotation to fill in for Hunt at fullback. One way to look at the move was that it gave the team more running-back options with Westbrook out. Another way to look at it was that the fullback blocking play has been pretty bad so far, and if the Eagles are going to establish the run, they need a fullback who can clear a path. Klecko, who said he goes about 275 right now, could fill that bill.

As Mornhinweg said this week, when asked about Klecko: "He is a big guy who will hit you." He is not, however, an accomplished fullback, especially away from the goal line. One minicamp of watching Klecko in space, running pass patterns, led the Eagles to move him to d-tackle last spring and to trade for the now-forgotten Luke Lawton.

The Birds also are looking for better blocking from their tight ends, all three of whom have made crucial mistakes in goal-line situations the past few weeks.

"The run game starts with the offensive line," Mornhinweg said this week. "They have to play well as a unit to give us a chance. However, the tight end and the fullback are heavily involved. Those two positions can make a good run game into a great run game."

Birdseed