Big Red addressed the media today and handed down the team news for tommorow night's preseason home opener against the Carolina Panthers. Tra Thomas will miss the game with back spasms and starting LG Todd Herremans will slide over to tackle to take his place. Scott Young starts at LG. Chris Clemons will also be missing as he nurses a calf injury. Presumably this opens up the door for Jerome McDougle to get some extra snaps. Jason Avant is questionable and if he couldn't go that would certainly open up the door for Hank Baskett and Desean Jackson to get mroe looks. Reggie Brown is expected to be back.

Asante Samuel will start at the left CB spot with Sheldon Brown on the other side at right corner. Lito Sheppard is your nickel corner for the night. Andy is hoping that Samuel will be able to play a full half. Apparently this is not a problem for Lito, yet...

If Jim Johnson ends up starting Asante Samuel and Sheldon Brown at cornerback in tomorrow night's preseason game against Carolina at Lincoln Financial Field, as Johnson has hinted, Lito Sheppard will not fly into an immediate snit.

"Nah, I don't think so,'' Sheppard said, when asked yesterday if this would be a problem for him. "Not right now.''

So, flying into a delayed snit remains a possibility.

All starters are expected to play a full half, and Andy says he hopes to give Kevin Kolb some more time maybe even the entire second half.

Pro bowl G Shawn Andrews will not play, but some reports suggest that he could be back practicing as early as this Sunday.

The team hasn't said what the plan is for Andrews - when he reported to camp Sunday he might as well have checked into the witness protection program, as far as fans and reporters are concerned - but teammates expect him to join practice soon, probably when workouts resume at NovaCare on Saturday, following tomorrow's home preseason game against Carolina and an off day for players on Friday.

Andy Reid seemed satisfied with Andrew's level of fitness.

"He told me he had been working out. We put him through some things here in the last couple of days, so it looks like he's in pretty good shape," Reid said. "I think he has handled the last few days very well, but I'm not naive to the problem either. I want to make sure everything is set up for him so that he has a foundation there that he can bank on."

As to whether Andrews will be able to play in the 3rd preseason game against the Pats, which is usually the penultimate game for the starters, Marty Morningwheg said that his status is a "day to day thing."