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Eagles' preseason opener a big deal to some

BBETHLEHEM - It's only a preseason game, the sort of meaningless drudgery Eagles chairman Jeffrey Lurie said recently he is working hard to eliminate - in favor of adding more lucrative regular-season games to the NFL slate.

Nate Allen is the only rookie expected to start for the Eagles tonight. (Yong Kim/Staff Photographer)
Nate Allen is the only rookie expected to start for the Eagles tonight. (Yong Kim/Staff Photographer)Read more

BBETHLEHEM - It's only a preseason game, the sort of meaningless drudgery Eagles chairman Jeffrey Lurie said recently he is working hard to eliminate - in favor of adding more lucrative regular-season games to the NFL slate.

But to the Eagles' only rookie starter, and some of his teammates, tonight's exhibition opener at Lincoln Financial Field against the Jacksonville Jaguars is pretty darned noteworthy.

"It's a huge deal," said second-round rookie Nate Allen, who is scheduled to start at free safety. "It's my first professional game and I'm excited. I'm starting to zone out a little bit and get in the game mode."

Allen has adapted seamlessly to a starting role, at least at Lehigh, rarely making mental or physical mistakes. Obviously, he wants to further that impression, playing against a less familiar offense.

"Just showing them I have a good grasp of the playbook and I can definitely come in and be ready to start," he said, when asked of his goals. "I'm just ready to get out there and start playing again. I haven't played a game since, what, January? And it's the NFL, it's the top guys; I'm just ready to go out and compete."

First-round rookie defensive end Brandon Graham won't start, because veteran Juqua Parker has done nothing to relinquish that role, but Graham will play with the first unit in the nickel and on the second team when it takes the field for the second quarter and probably part of the third.

"I'm treating every game like it's a real game," Graham said. "I just want to show 'em that I'm ready. I'm ready to go out there and compete, go out and make plays . . . I'm just wondering what I can do, wondering how it plays out. I know how it was in college. I want to see if it's the same way, when I get out there."

Fans will notice Graham wearing No. 54, formerly the jersey of Jeremiah Trotter. Yes, Graham does know who Trot is, even if he hasn't yet met him.

"I'm just ready to put Brandon Graham's stamp on 54," he said.

Mike McGlynn isn't a rookie, but this might be the most significant moment of his NFL career, which started when the Birds took him in the fourth round out of Pitt in 2008. McGlynn, a center and guard who has found his way onto the field only three times in two NFL seasons, is scheduled to start at center, because Jamaal Jackson is still recovering from ACL surgery and Nick Cole has been bothered by persistent knee swelling that is starting to look like more than a minor annoyance. McGlynn could start the regular season as the Eagles' center, but that journey begins tonight.

McGlynn said his goal is to "get out there, get everybody on the same page, and you know, just do your job. Nothing out of the ordinary, nothing ridiculous, just go out and play football."

Eagles coach Andy Reid, who reiterated yesterday that his starters will play a quarter tonight, has indicated he has little doubt McGlynn can handle the physical challenges of playing center. The potentially difficult part is making the blocking calls for the line, given McGlynn's lack of experience.

"I think the last 4 or 5 days, I've been doing really well at it," Mc-Glynn said. "We haven't missed a beat with me being in there, and that's a good sign."

Reid said: "He's worked very hard for that opportunity, and we're fortunate enough to have some depth there. I think it will be a good experience for him."

Of course, the main focus from fans' perspective will be on Kevin Kolb. Kolb started two regular-season games at the Linc last year and has logged quite a bit of preseason time behind center since arriving in 2007. But this time Kolb is the present as well as the future, the guy who has succeeded Donovan McNabb. How Kolb plays tonight probably won't tell us much, in the long run, but it will create an impression with the fan base.

Reid said he will look for what he looks for from any QB - "to execute the offense and lead the offense and to make sure he manages the game the proper way."

Obviously, Kolb symbolizes a new Eagles era, leading a team of relatively new faces.

"I think there's going to be a little bit more excitement . . . we haven't been out there yet, so we're looking to execute perfectly," Kolb said. "We want to make sure we just keep taking those steps forward. We don't want to settle. Being flat is not going to be an issue. Guys were pumped [Wednesday], when we were doing the install."

Reid said there is so much young energy, the task will be to dial it down a bit, to stay focused, which was a bit of a problem last week during the Flight Night intrasquad scrimmage.

"You put the players in the players' environment, in that stadium, and all of a sudden, just something goes off . . . we're all creatures of habit. Listen, players, they get in this stadium and they're going to play and their juices are going to flow. It doesn't matter if it's a practice, if it's a preseason game, regular-season game, they're going to be ready to roll."

Birdseed

Andy Reid said rookie Chad Hall will return punts, Quintin Demps will return kicks . . . Running backs Mike Bell (hamstring) and J.J. Arrington (foot), defensive tackle Antonio Dixon (concussion), cornerback Macho Harris (hamstring), center Nick Cole (knee), offensive lineman Fenuki Tupou (ankle) and wide receiver Hank Baskett (knee) will not play, in addition to center Jamaal Jackson (knee), defensive end Victor Abiamiri (knee) and guard Todd Herremans (foot), who have not yet practiced in camp, and are on the physically unable to perform list.

For more Eagles coverage and opinion, read the Daily News' Eagles blog, Eagletarian, at www.eagletarian.com.

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