Stepping Up

Jeremy Maclin and LeSean McCoy were selected in the first two rounds for a reason. The rookies showed just how far they’ve grown and matured during the course of the season against their NFC East rivals. McCoy caught a couple of short swing passes and added a short run as the Eagles moved 90 yards in 10 plays to score a touchdown. They had to go for a 2-point conversion so after a timeout, Donovan McNabb shoveled a pass to McCoy, who used solid second effort to keep from going down to score the 2-point conversion. Next it was Maclin's turn with the big play by hauling in a 35-yard pass from McNabb. After McCoy ran twice, Maclin caught a 6-yard pass and McCoy finished off the drive with two more runs to get the ball into field goal range.McCoy finished with a game-high 76 yards rushing on 17 carries and snared four passes for 25 yards. Maclin grabbed five balls for 63 yards. It was pretty huge of them to step it up since star receiver DeSean left the game with a concussion.

Philly "Egos"

Andy Reid is in the unaccustomed position of having to juggle some big-time offensive talent - and the egos that come with that talent. Reid and Donovan McNabb said after Sunday's win that the Bucs rolled their coverage to Jackson, a big part of why rookie Maclin always seemed open, to the tune of six catches for 142 yards and his first two NFL TDs. "It's definitely frustrating to go from a situation where you're getting all those catches, and then you have a game with one catch," Jackson said last night on ESPN 950's "DeSean Jackson Show." He has 13 catches for 260 yards in four games. "There's going to be times when the other team is going to try to take me out of the game. It was good to see Jeremy go over the top and make those catches ... Jeremy just came up huge ... As long as we're winning, everybody's happy." The other position, running back, Westbrook made it clear afterward that eight touches a game is not what he has in mind, now that he feels his ankle is healthy.Reid said the Eagles would rotate Westbrook and McCoy "as long as we need to, and as long as [Westbrook] feels comfortable with his foot. We can increase things, but right now, that's where we're at, and we'll see how it works this week."

Philly Update

A few Eagles update: With Michael Vick on the exempt list, Eagles offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg said a position player would be the third quarterback but declined to say who. Mornhinweg also acknowledged that he has not gone into a season with as many untested parts as he has this season. The goal for the offense is to “get a little better each game,” he said. Mornhinweg hinted that we shouldn’t expect rookies Jeremy Maclin and LeSean McCoy to have large roles right away. “He’s ready to help us a little bit, at least situationally,” Mornhinweg said of Maclin. With Brian Westbrook healthy, McCoy likely will have a role similar to what Correll Buckhalter did last season, he said.

As for the defense, coordinator Sean McDermott said rookie starting free safety Macho Harris is “a guy that’s battled all through the spring and training camp,” and is “a natural football player.”

Catching on Fast

Despite missing valuable learning time, Maclin proved in his first day of practice at Lehigh's Goodman Campus on Wednesday that he won't have a problem catching up fast. Maclin had participated in the Eagles' minicamp and optional training activities as well as quarterback Donovan McNabb's annual summer workout for receivers in Arizona. But nothing he's done since being drafted 19th overall in April compares to what he'll go through the rest of training camp.Outside of a few slips and mistakes, Maclin looked every bit like a receiver that will help the Eagles boast perhaps the best receiving corps McNabb has ever had. Also he is looking to get plenty of chances as the kick returner and punt returner during the Eagles' preseason opener Thursday night against the New England Patriots. If anything that is what he will see the most time playing this season.