Tonight at 8:00, the Eagles will take the field at Lucas Oil Stadium to face the Indianapolis Colts for their second preseason game. There are several interesting storylines going into the game. Who will step up in place of the injured starters? Which players will help themselves in position battles? How will the first team gel?
Andy Reid has announced that he intends to play the starters for the first half of the game, with the second and third team splitting the remaining time. This should give the Eagles faithful ample time to see all three teams perform, but what positions should we be watching closely? Here are a few questions fans should be asking for each position:
Quarterback: With Kevin Kolb and Michael Vick still out, will RFA Adam DiMichele get any playing time?
Halfback: Will Eldra Buckley give us a repeat of last week's two-touchdown performance?
Fullback: Can Leonard Weaver do no wrong?
Tight End: Can Eugene Bright and Rob Myers stop fans from worrying about the gaping hole at TE?
Wide Receiver: Will Jeremy Maclin improve his punt return skills or will we have to resort to Danny Amendola?
Left Tackle: Can King Dunlap prevent Donovan McNabb from being flattened by the Colts' pass rush?
Left Guard: Could Nick Cole make a push for a starting position?
Center: Can Jamaal Jackson maintain his dubious honor of being the only starting offensive lineman not to miss significant playing time?
Right Guard: Is Max Jean-Gilles fully healed from last season's broken ankle?
Right Tackle: Is starting Winston Justice really worth the possibility of increasing his trade value?
Left Defensive End: Can Victor Abiamiri make up for all his lost playing time?
Defensive Tackle: Will the return of Trevor Laws take away any playing time from Brodrick Bunkley or Mike Patterson?
Right Defensive End: Will Jason Babin continue to impress during Trent Cole's absence?
Weakside Linebacker: With Omar Gaither temporarily out of the picture, is this Akeem Jordan's time to shine?
Middle Linebacker: Can Joe Mays play for all three downs?
Strongside Linebacker: Can 7th round pick Moise Fokou perform well enough on special teams to earn a roster spot?
Left Cornerback: Will Asante Samuel step up as a leader of this defense?
Right Cornerback: Will Sheldon Brown's absence help Dimitri Patterson beat out Jack Ikegwuonu for the 5th CB slot?
Free Safety: Can Quintin Demps solidify his hold on the starting FS position?
Strong Safety: Who exactly is Brandon Harrison and will we be seeing him on the field?
Kicker: Will David Akers get his kicking team under control and start nailing those 60-yarders we've all been waiting for?
Punter: Can Sav Rocca and the punt unit improve on their 19.7 yard net average of last game?
Tonight's Injured Birds: Staying home this week will be Trent Cole (AC), Kevin Kolb (MCL), Brian Westbrook (ankle), Omar Gaither (knee), Shawn Andrews (back), Sheldon Brown (ribs), Todd Herremans (foot), Darren Howard (groin), Jason Peters (quad), Bryan Smith (concussion), Stacy Andrews (knee) and Michael Vick (suspension). How will their absence affect the performance of the team?