Two hours to kickoff

The parking lots immediately surrounding the Lic were already jammed ehn I got here about 45 minutes ago, and smelling like a heart attack. Inside, this game has the feeling of a big event, with a different level of media celebrity walking around. (It was interesting to pass by Michael Wilbon and hear him ask a PR aide for something or other while he blared away on PTI on all the televisions. That must have been tough for him to get used to at first too.)

The naturally high stakes of a Monday Night Football game cannot obscure what is on the line for the Eagles tonight, however. This is as close to a must-win game as Week 2 gets. Philadelphia can ill afford to fall two games behind Dallas in the NFC East. On the other hand, a win tonight gets them back to zero again, especially since the Packers beat the Giants. The Birds would be second in the division with a chance to take out a suspect 2-0 Detroit team at home next week.

Anyway, there are no real surprises or news items yet, other than the fact that Shawn Springs is listed as a starter at Redskins corner instead of Fred Smoot, who started last week. We'll see if it stays that way.