Two Bills Drive

‘It clearly isn’t Andy Reid’s first choice. But for people who paint him as stubborn and unyielding about this stuff, you really haven’t been paying attention. When it isn’t working the other way, Reid will run – and last year proved it.’

‘”Dirk’s proved that he can punt in the NFL, under high-pressure situations,” Harbaugh said. “When your job’s on the line – David Akers talked about this his first year here, he felt like in some ways he was being evaluated every week for 16 weeks; he was just waiting to see if he was still on the team on Tuesday. I’m sure Dirk feels that way. But Dirk has punted great. He’s proved he can do it.”‘

‘”In a no-wind situation, perfectly calm conditions, I say David can go 60, 65 yards,” Eagles special-teams coach John Harbaugh said. “If the wind is at his back, I’m not sure he can’t go farther. He’s capable of breaking the record for sure.”‘

‘McNabb was poor the first two games. He completed 37-of-82 passes (45.1 percent) for 334 yards with three interceptions, two fumbles and no touchdown passes in losses to Tampa Bay (17-0) and New England (31-10). His 41.4 rating is the lowest in the NFL. He is the only starting quarterback who has yet to throw a touchdown pass.’

‘This week, Bills quarterback Drew Bledsoe must think he can do at least as well as Brady and Tampa Bay’s Brad Johnson have done against the Eagles. In fact, the young defensive backs are bracing for an aerial assault. “Why not?” said Brown, a second-year cornerback when asked if he expected to see Bledsoe put a lot of balls in the air Sunday. “We got two rookies out there, and I’m sure they think they can throw on us.”‘

‘One of the big questions surrounding their game against the Bills this week is whether the Eagles will try to run the ball more than they have in the first two games, both of which ended in losses.’

‘But two games – two losses – into the 2003 season, Smith and McMullen have combined for a grand total of zero catches.’

‘”I’ve never been a part of anything like this,” he said. “There are times when you just don’t play well or you don’t put points on the board, and to do it on back-to-back games is tough. But as a leader and the quarterback of this team, I can’t let it bother me or bother my play. You just have to focus on the next opponent and go out and show your team that your head is high and things are going to turn out positive.”‘

‘After two games, the Eagles aren’t even close to 50-50. Again, if you take away quarterback McNabb’s 10 carries, the Eagles have run the ball 18 percent of the time and passed it 82 percent.’

‘The Eagles rank 27th of the 32 NFL teams in pass defense, giving up an average of 242.5 yards per game. They have allowed five touchdown passes in two games, after giving up just 18 all last season.’

‘Akers kicked a career-best 57-yard field goal when the Eagles lost to the New England Patriots 31-10 on Sept. 14. That kick has been the brightest offensive moment for the Eagles this season, and it left open the question of whether Akers would be permitted to try other long attempts as the season goes along.’

‘The Eagles’ offense hasn’t done anything to pick up the slack. In the first two games, the offense has been on the field an average of 22 minutes and 53 seconds, meaning the shorthanded defense has played just over 37 minutes per game. Only the Bears’ defense has been on the field longer.’

‘”I was a hard player, not a hard worker,” said DeLamielleure, who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame last month. “I loved playing, but I always felt lucky.”‘

‘Said defensive coordinator Jim Johnson: “I wouldn’t imagine they’d run. I think they’re going to stay with the vertical passing game. They want to go deep. I think they would like to run the ball better. We’ll see if they can, but I think their philosophy is to get the ball deep.” Bledsoe’s main target is the dangerous Eric Moulds, who has 13 receptions for 244 yards this season.’

‘Williams said Henry was feeling better and didn’t rule out the possibility of him playing without practice time.’