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UPDATED: The pieces start lining up

Darren Howard is ready.  He even takes a little bitty shot, saying "Now I'm just on a slightly bigger stage." Actually that's not much of a shot considering how badly Howard's relationship with the Saints unraveled last year.

The view from the Saints' side follows...

Former Eagles Hollis Thomas and Mark Simoneau, now with the Saints, also refuse to talk trash, with Simoneau calling the Eagles "probably one of the best teams we'll see all year." These are character guys. That being said, trading a backup linebacker (Simoneau) for Dante Stallworth looks like a great move by Reid... or it will look that way once Stallworth is healthy again.

For now Stallworth is still doubtful for Sunday.

"I'm real anxious, but this is like last" week, Stallworth said. "We have to be smart with it. I can't let the fact that we are going back to New Orleans affect the decision to get back on the field. I have to make sure I'm back out there healthy."

Fortunately, Lito Sheppard feels good after practicing. Not only did his ankle stand up to the stress of playing a full game (and what a game, it would be a career highlight for most cornerbacks), he reported no problems from practicing yesterday. That's all good news.

The rest of the Eagles' injury report is here.

Trivia note: FWIW, the story linked above says, "the Eagles during Reid's tenure are 11-4 all-time against the Cowboys and 8-6 the week after playing Dallas." There's no explanation offered for the discrepancy with this story which claims the Eagles' week-after-Dallas record is 5-5.  Recount!

Update [2006-10-12 16:26:21 by Dire Radiant]: Westbrook practices again and Stallworth runs on the sideline. It would be great to have them both in the lineup for Sunday, although Stallworth has said that may be a gametime decision.