McCoy, the Eagles talented feature back, is entering his third year in the league. With one Pro Bowl caliber season under his belt, McCoy will be entering the final year of his rookie deal next season, much like Jackson is now.

With DeSean Jackson back in camp, it's not too early to look ahead to LeSean's potential contract situation next year.

Shady’s agent? Drew Rosenhaus. Of course, we all remembered that from Draft Day 2009 when Shady was chillin’ with Rosenhaus.

If Shady has a repeat season from a year ago, he will be in line to get paid. In his first year as the unquestioned starter, Shady toted the rock 207 times for 1,080 yards — a 5.2 yards-per-carry average. He also hauled in 78 balls for another 592 yards and scored a combined nine TDs.

Should McCoy improve his TD numbers — a question in Andy Reid’s pass happy offense, he could enter Marshall Faulk territory in terms of statistics. From 1998 — 2002, Faulk routinely rushed for 1,300 yards and caught 80-plus balls out of the backfield. In 2000 and 2001, he scored 26 and 21 TDs, respectively, for the Rams.

McCoy’s numbers aren’t far off. Oh, and last time I checked, those Rams teams had a decent passing attack with stiffs named Kurt Warner, Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt.

You can see how McCoy is in a similar situation and is in line to get paid. However, with the new CBA in place and a full year to negotiate, a holdout may not be necessary. The smart money says Michael Vick and Jackson get new deals in camp. Then, Shady gets his pay day in October or November.

Props to xXiRyuXx for the video.

LeSean “Shady” McCoy needed just 28 yards rushing to go over 1,000 for the season. Early on, it looked like it’d be a cakewalk to it since he took his first carry 20 yards.

After five carries, he has 30 yards rushing and now has 1,002 on the season. Shady also has two catches for four yards lat in the first half.

The Giants lead, 14-3, with just more than four minutes left in the half.

With the Eagles facing one of the better run defenses, Kevin Kolb had to step up his game if the Eagles ahd any chance to knock off the Atlanta Falcons. Getting DeSean Jackson involved was key to getting the Eagles offense going.

Kolb and Jackson did just that through the first quarter in giving the Eagles a lead they never surrendered. Jackson took an end around 31 yards to paydirt on the Eagles first offensive series. He later caught a 34-yard score from Kolb to put the Eagles up 14-0.

Desean Jackson started the game in impressive fashion before being knocked out by Dunta Robinson.

Jackson, however, was lost for the game in the second quarter on a vicious hit by Falcons corner Dunta Robinson. Just as quickly as optimism around the Eagles offense developed, nervousness set in.

Then, Jeremy Maclin decided to show up in a big way en route to giving the Eagles a decisive 31-17 win, leaving both teams at 4-2 after six games.

Maclin hauled in seven balls for 159 yards and two scores. His first score came in the second quarter when Kolb found him for an eight-yard TD. The two later connected on an 83-yard bomb in the third quarter to give the Eagles a 28-10 lead.

In between the Falcons put up 10 points on a Matt Ryan-Tony Gonzalez score, and a field goal.

Gonzalez also scored in the fourth quarter, while Eagles kicker David Akers connected on a 30-yard field goal to close out the scoring. Akers had missed three attempts before that try.

Kolb, under a ton of scrutiny after playing poorly all preseason and in the first half of the season opener, displayed why the Eagles wanted him to be under center this year. He went 23-of-29 for 326 yards and three TDs. He threw one pick late in the first half, although that really wasn’t his fault.

Kevin Kolb threw for more than 300 yards for the third time in five NFL starts in Sunday's 31-17 win over Atlanta.

LeSean McCoy put up 64 yards against a solid Falcons run defense.

On defense, the Eagles held the league’s second rushing team to just 65 yards, less than half of it’s season average. They also put pressure on Ryan all day, thanks to an improved scheme from second year coordinator Sean McDermott.

The 4-2 Eagles play at Tennessee next week.

Kevin Kolb against Matt Ryan. If you believed the hype that Andy Reid tried to sell us this spring and summer, this would be a matchup between two guys representing the future of the quarterback position in the NFL. Instead, it’s one guy continuing his rise to the top of his craft, and another holding onto the starting gig for another week due to injury.

If Michael Vick were healthy, this would be as much of a hyped game as McNabb’s return to Philly. Instead, it’s simply the 3-2 Eagles trying to stay in the NFC East race against the 4-1 Falcons.

Atlanta will give the Eagles defense fits today, especially in the running game. Atlanta comes in with the second-ranked rushing offense, averaging a cool 148.8 yards per contest. The Eagles rank 24th in the league against the run. Michael Turner should have a field day running over the Eagles defense, unless Stewart Bradley and the linebackers can cheat up and lay some bruising licks on the Falcons back.

Kevin Kolb must get DeSean Jackson into the end zone today if the Eagles have any chance to knock off the Falcons.

Through the air, Ryan will find it a bit more difficult leading his 16th-ranked pass offense against the Eagles, who are eighth in the league on defense. Roddy White will still get his yards. The key comes down to whether or not Tony Gonzalez is able to steamroll the Eagles defense like every other tight end in the NFL the last two seasons.

The Eagles 10th-ranked rushing offense will find room rough to come by against a Falcons squad that boasts the eighth best rush defense. LeSean McCoy must make the most of his opportunities, which will be limited behind a piss-poor Eagles offensive line. King Dunlap subbing for the injured Jason Peters will help on the penalty front, but not in production.

Kevin Kolb can also expect to run for his life today and must do a better job of finding DeSean Jackson down the field. If DJacc doesn’t have 100 yards and a score, there’s no way the Eagles win this game.

THE PICK: Falcons 27, Eagles 17. We just don’t see the Eagles being able to put up many points unless Kolb gets the ball to DJacc. And, based on what we’ve seen so far this year, the two just aren’t on the same page for whatever reason. Shady McCoy will not find much room to run. Atlanta walks out of the Linc with the win, and the Eagles will be begging to go back on the road.

Eagles rush offense, 10th 130.4 ; d=24th vs run
Eagles 13 pass 231 d = 8
Atlanta 16 pass 221 d=19; run d = 8

Following a turbulent week that saw Andy Reid flip more than a burger a Wendy’s, the Eagles and new starting signal caller Michael Vick will look to jump to a 2-1 record heading into a potential first-place showdown with the Redskins a guy named McNabb next week.

To do so, they need to take care of the Jacksonville Jaguars. This game comes down to three names for the Eagles: Vick, McCoy and Bradley.

Vick leads the eighth-ranked offense in the NFL into Jacksonville, a place the Eagles lost a fairly big game in February 2005.The Eagles, averaging 365 yards a game thus far this season, face the Jags who boast the league’s 29th-ranked defense as they average 420 yards a contest.

By contrast, the Jags enter with the 14th ranked offense (324 yards a game) and will face an Eagles defense that surrenders 371.5 yards a week.

By those numbers, the team’s seem about equal. There is a stat that jumps off the page however: The Jags are 23rd against the run while the Eagles are second in rushing offense.

Granted, Michael Vick’s 143 yards on the ground in two games helps juke the stats, but you can’t ignore the contribution of LeSean Shady McCoy. Last week, the second year back from Detroit had his first 100 yard game and found pay dirt three times as the Eagles beat the lowly Lions.

Michael Vick looks to continue his red-hot start against the Jaguars in Jacksonville today.

To be sure, the fact that the defense had to worry about Vick had to help open up some room for McCoy. The same should hold true this week. The Jags will have to put a spy on Vick, who looks much like the Human Joystick he was before his stint in the can. His ability to evade blitzers is the reason Reid went to him over Kolb, no matter what Captain Obvious tells us.

Vick’s presence will help the line open up holes for McCoy, and the Eagles back is showing everyone he can bull his way to extra yards, and accelerate when given an open lane.

On the defensive side, the Eagles have looked putrid over the last six quarters. Not coincidentally, starting MIKE backer Stewart Bradley has been out with a concussion suffered in the first half of the season opening loss to Green Bay. Since then, opposing tight ends have again had field days much like last year. Bradley is needed to shut down Mercedes Lewis as well as Jags running back Maurice Jones-Drew (real men hyphenate their names).

Jags quarterback David Garrard is serviceable, but without many weapons to throw the ball to, the Jags don’t have enough firepower to overcome an Eagles secondary that should improve with Bradley manning the middle. Look for Asante Samuel to add to his career interception total and Nate Allen to ballhawk his way to another fine game.

This will be far from a blowout, but as long as Vick and Bradley stay on the field, the Eagles should come away with a win and position themselves for a showdown with old friend McNabb next week.

THE PICK: Eagles 27, Jaguars 20

97.5 The Fanatic is reporting that NFL sources are indicating that Eagles wideout DeSean Jackson is parting ways with his current agent, DeBartolo Sports, to join the Rosenhaus Empire. Of course, your DailyPhiladelphian had this story a month ago.

Eagles wideout DeSean Jackson is about to sign with agent Drew Rosenhaus.

In any event, there is no need to go all all T.O.’d at the situation as it is completely different from the one that saw a player doing situps in his driveway. Jackson is not going anywhere.

The fact is, as much as we may despise Rosenhaus, he is not in the habit of holding players out. Anquan Boldin has yet to miss a game and he’s been begging for a new deal for years.

Furthermore, the Eagles have done deals with Rosenhaus players since the T.O. debacle. Rookies Shady McCoy and Cornelius Ingram are among his clients.

Finally, Jackson is not T.O. He won’t be a distraction. If needed, he’d probably go about getting a new deal the way Westbrook did. But, not even that will be needed.

Jackson is in the second year of his rookie deal and he is grossly underpaid. This isn’t like T.O. who wanted a new contract after just one year. The Eagles know DeSean needs and deserves a raise and he will get one. Joe Banner has no problem paying young talent.

Yes, we will have to deal with Rosenhaus, but won’t have to watch our star receiver leave town. It’s far from time to panic.

Next question.

According to a report, Brian Westbrook will miss tonight's game against Dallas.

According to Philly.com, Adam Schefter is reporting on ESPN that Eagles running back Brian Westbrook will not suit up for the Philadelphia Eagles as they host the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night.

Westbrook sustained a concussion on Monday Night Football against the Washington Deadskins two weeks ago, and was held out of the Giants game last week.

In his absence, Leonard Weaver emerged as a legit running threat and Shady McCoy helped carry the load. Both will need to bring their A-game again tonight if Westbrook is indeed held out.

In our opinion, keeping Westbrook out is the way to go if he is showing even one symptom from his concussion. A concussion is a brain injury and should not be messed with in any way, shape or form.

That was partly because Andy Reid finally committed to the run, partly because the Giants just sucked, and partly because Leonard Weaver showed he’s more than just an big blocking body in the backfield.

Leonard Weaver rushed for 75 yards last week, and will likely get more carries in coming weeks.

The fullback gained 75 yards on eight carries, including a game-changing 41-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. Shady McCoy also added 81 yards on 11 carries.

Westbrook now returns, but in what role? Is he still the main back?

He may want to continue in that role, but it’s becoming more and more clear as each game goes by that he is not an every-down back at this point in his career.

Westbrook still has gas left in the tank, but he’s now more of a gas guzzler instead of a hybrid. He’s great in bursts, but not for a 500-mile trip. He needs help, and the Eagles finally have — and trust — backs to help him.

Welcome to the new three-headed attack of Westbrook, Shady McCoy and Weaver.

The situation is a lot like the one Westbrook joined early in his career. Instead of being the young buck, he is now playing the part of Duce Staley — the cagey veteran who can still pound out the yards and find the end zone. And, he’ll still be a key to the passing game.

In the long run, however, sharing carries will help his career.

McCoy will now be the young guy, and Weaver the veteran who can be called upon when needed, much like Buckhalter was for years. Seriously, C-Buck rarely got more than a handful of carries each week.

Now, opposing defenders can’t key in one one back. They’ll have to pay attention to Westbrook, Weaver and McCoy. Plus, there’s always the chance that DeSean Jackson or Jeremy Maclin get the ball in the Wildcat offense.

The Eagles already had weapons on offense. Now, they have a couple more in the backfield.

The three-headed monster is ready to roll. Dallas, you’re first on the clock.

In the last year, owner Al Davis fired one coach he accused of being a liar and replaced him with one who is under investigation for knocking out one of his assistant coaches. Tom Cable also faces sanctions from the NFL if he is found guilty of assaulting defensive coach Randy Hanson.

On the field, the Raiders aren’t much better and the Eagles should set the tone for a banner Philly sports day that will culminate with a Phillies win over the Dodgers on Sunday night (weather permitting).

Brian Westbrook will look to help the Eagles run past the Raiders on Sunday.

Quarterback — Edge: Eagles. Raiders QB JaBustus Russell  is averaging 121 yards passing per game with an impressive 4:1 touchdown-and-interception ratio. Oh, yeah, four is the number of interceptions he’s thrown. He actually has thrown twice as many picks as Lord Favre. That’s pretty bad. By comparison, Eagles signal caller Donovan McNabb has thrown five touchdowns and one interception in two games this year.

Running Back — Edge: Eagles. Darren McFadden, the Raiders version of Reggie Bush, is out with an injury. Justin Fargas and Michael Bush are left to carry the load. Bush is an underrated, bruising back. However, with no passing game to speak of, the Raiders run game will go nowhere. Brian Westbrook and Shady McCoy should each get a touchdown this weekend.

Wide Receiver — Edge: Eagles. Javon Walker is a has been who doesn’t even appear on the team’s official depth chart. Darrius Heyward-Bey is a never will be. Heyward-Bey, Oakland’s first round pick this year, has two more receptions this year than his grandmom. The raiders top producing wideout is Louis Murphy, who has ten more receptions than Heyward-Bey. For the Eagles, rookie Jeremy Maclin had his coming out party last week, and teams with DeSean Jackson to give opposing defenders nightmares due to the wideouts’ speed. Jason Avant is an underrated slot receiver.

Tight End — Edge: Push. For the Raiders, Zach Miller is a solid, young receiver. Put him in an Eagles uniform with McNabb and Kolb throwing to him, and he’d probably be as productive as Brent Celek. The Eagles young gun is clearly have the better year. However, this is about production this week, and the Eagles linebackers have not stopped a tight end all season.

Offensive Line — Edge: Push. OK, it’s not really a push, but your Daily Philadelphian started feeling sorry for the Raiders. Give the Eagles the edge here, too. Robert Gallery is out for the Raiders. He is their most noteworthy lineman.

Defensive Line — Edge:Push. The Raiders line up two ancient, walker-dependent cagey veterans at defensive end in Richard Seymour and Greg Ellis. The two have combined for six sacks so far this season. Eagles starting defensive ends Trent Cole and Victor Abiamiri have combined for 4.5 sacks. The run stopping ability of each club is comparable.

Linebacker — Edge: Push. This is more of an indictment on the Eagles inability to cover a tight end than it is an attempt to give the Raiders any props.

Secondary — Edge: Eagles. Nnamdi Asomugha is a very good corner back, but he doesn’t get much publicity because he plays in a Black Hole for a team that has been lost for years. The usual suspects of Samuel, Brown and Mikell are clearly a step above the Raiders secondary.

Special Teams –Edge: Eagles. DeSean Jackson is always the x-factor. Plus, we’ll take David Akers over Seabass these days.

Wildcat — Edge: Raiders. They don’t run the gimmick offensive formation as much as the Eagles.

PREDICTION: Eagles 37, Raiders 16. The game is only this close because Andy Reid will call off the dogs by the start of the fourth quarter.

Westbrook will never again be a model of health during his NFL career. He can still be productive, but gone are the days of 20-plus carries and the breakaway speed that made DeSean Jackson look like Dikembe Mutumbo.

Knees, and ankles and injuries, oh my!

Brian Westbrook missed Sunday's game due to injury.

Westbrook was deactivated for today’s game against the Chiefs. In listening to Andy Reid’s postgame news conference, we’re left to conclude that the running back out of Villanova has a condition that will plague him for as long as he puts on pads.

“It’s not that he hurt it more,” Reid said of Westbrook’s aching ankle. “It’s more that it never really healed to begin with.”

The centerpiece of the Eagles offense had offseason surgery on his knee, and later on his ankle. Bone spurs had developed in the ankle, causing inflammation and impeding his ability to cut and accelerate in the open field.

He’s had knee swelling and soreness off-and-on for the last three seasons.

Now, however, his ankle is starting to become more of a concern. If it hasn’t really healed to this point, what gives anyone at One NovaCare Way confidence that it will ever really get better?

On WIP Radio this week, a doctor with no direct knowledge of Westbrook’s case, said it sounds like arthritis could be the issue with the running back’s ankle.

Arthritis? If that’s the case, the terms “healthy” and “Westbrook” will never be used together again. And, if they are, it’s an oxymoron.

Not having a healthy Westbrook hurts this team. However, with the speed of Jackson and Jeremy Maclin, plus the cutback running ability of rookie Shady McCoy, the Eagles will be competitive.

At this point, anything we get from BWest 36 should be considered a bonus. When he’s able to give it a go on gameday, Westbrook will still be good for two great plays a game. He may even put up 100 yard rushing and receiving games from time-to-time.

He’ll still give us visions of Pro Bowl performances of the past. Just don’t allow yourself to get used to them.

The best complete running back in Eagles history will never be even 85 percent healthy again. We need to get used to that and the idea that the Birds offense will operate without him a few more games this season.