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Does the Eagles' preseason even matter?

The lessons of Lambeau Field lingered in the Eagles' locker room this week. The Eagles play the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday in the third preseason game of the summer, which will likely be the final tune-up for the starters before the regular season begins on Sept. 11.

The lessons of Lambeau Field lingered in the Eagles' locker room this week. The Eagles play the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday in the third preseason game of the summer, which will likely be the final tune-up for the starters before the regular season begins on Sept. 11.

Last August, the Eagles emerged from this game as a national story. Sam Bradford completed all 10 of his passes for 121 yards and three touchdowns on three drives. Chip Kelly took Bradford out after the first quarter because, what more was there to see? The Eagles were ready for the regular season, and travel agents could start taking Super Bowl reservations.

Then they lost three of their first four games to begin the season, looked rusty on offense, and reinforced the lesson of overreaction to how a team looks in the preseason.

"I think I understand the preseason," quarterback Sam Bradford said. "I think I have a better perspective on it. I think some people, especially outside the building, live and die with it. Last year, after the third preseason game, everyone thought we were going to the Super Bowl. But there's very little game-planning that goes into the preseason.

"Obviously it was nice to go out there and execute like we did in the third preseason game, but I don't think anyone in our locker room really bought into the fact that because we looked great in the preseason game it was going to be easy in the regular season."

The Eagles are 2-0 in this preseason. Their defense has excelled, but the first-team offense sputtered in extended action last week. The players were cautious about reading too much into either development. In the past 10 preseasons, the Eagles once finished 4-0 - in 2012, when they went 4-12 in the regular season. They went 3-1 twice in preseason - last season, when they finished 7-9 and in 2011, when they finished 8-8. The lesson: Perspective is important.

"It happens around the league," coach Doug Pederson said. "Teams start 0-4 and end up winning 12 games, or you go 4-0 and then win four games. It feels good to win games, but at the same time too you also understand the dynamic of preseason. You're playing a lot of guys. We'll get a better feel, obviously, this week and see where our guys are at. You get to the regular season, things turn up a notch. The intensity level goes up. As coaches too, you're game-planning a lot more specifically for your opponent and really putting your guys in positions to be successful."

Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz knows this well. He inherited the Detroit Lions in 2009 after they went 0-16. But that same winless Lions team went undefeated in August. As a defensive coordinator in Tennessee in the middle of the decade, Schwartz remembered the Indianapolis Colts' preseason futility and regular season dominance. From 2005 to 2009, the Colts went 4-21 in the preseason and 65-15 in the regular season.

"Take it for what it is," Schwartz said. "You can read a little bit. Here's what I think is important: to see how well we're executing the scheme and to see individual - I don't want to say effort - but individual production within the scheme. Can you make the plays that should come to you?"

In that spirit, there will be plenty to watch on Saturday. The starters will play into the third quarter, so there will be an extended look of both Pederson's offense and Schwartz's defense. Bradford said the key for the first-team offense will be establishing a rhythm and honing its efficiency, which comes from sustaining drives and avoiding penalties and negative plays.

The offensive line has its third different starting lineup in three games, with Stefen Wisniewski stepping in for Isaac Seumalo at left guard. Pederson said Seumalo won't lose the starting job because of a pectoral injury, but he also said that Wisniewski could still win it. Even if the two are mutually exclusive, the left guard will be an important position Saturday because if Wisniewski plays well Pederson will have a difficult decision to make for Week 1.

New wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham is also expected to receive more playing time with the top unit after only playing a bit role last week.

On defense, Mychal Kendricks is playing his first game this summer. Kendricks was inconsistent one year ago and is being counted on as the team's starting weakside linebacker this season. How he performs in coverage will be a big test considering it was a problem area one year ago. Schwartz's defense has forced eight turnovers in two games, and if it remains stout it would at least be a positive sign, if not a convincing sign, of what's to come in September.

There is intrigue on special teams, where Caleb Sturgis will kick again. Sturgis did not kick last week after he suffered a concussion in pregame warm-ups when he took a ball to his head. Sturgis and Cody Parkey are competing for the one kicker spot, and these games will determine who wins the job.

But if the offense looks like it did against the Packers last summer or against the Steelers last week, it's worth maintaining perspective. Come Week 1, it's an entirely different season.

"I think the funniest thing is last year we played extremely well in the preseason, got into the season, didn't play well, and everyone's like, 'Preseason don't matter,' " wide receiver Jordan Matthews said. "And then the first preseason game we don't play well, and everyone is like, 'The preseason matters. You guys [stink]!' I'm like, 'Hold on, I thought it didn't matter.' "

zberman@phillynews.com

@ZBerm