Eagles at Bengals on FOX : players to key on…

Radio: 94 WYSP
Sirius: 125

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This is really Cincy’s third preseason game due to the Bengals having appeared in the Canton Hall of Fame game, which means the Bengals are a little tired, pretty beat up, and very cranky about now…The Birds, on the other hand, are fresher, on the mend, and happy to have broken a grueling camp at Lehigh. 

Of course, the Hollywood angle on this exhibition game will be the Terrell Owens Show, with special guest Chad Ochocinco as Bonnie to Terrell’s Clyde….

I don’t need to remind regular readers of this, but for the newbies or out-of-towners, Owens had a memorable 22-game stint with the Eagles in 2004-05, though he has faced his former team several times (notably with Dallas) since leaving the Eagles organization in disgrace midway through the 2005 season.

To be fair, Owens looked pretty impressive at wideout last week.

After struggling offensively in the Hall of Fame Game loss to  Dallas, the Bengals looked sharp in their 33-24 win over the Denver Broncos. Cincinnati quarterback Carson Palmer was 12-for-15 passing for 105 yards, with Owens coming through with four catches totaling 23 yards before exiting.

Philadelphia, meanwhile, will be looking for more positive signs out of quarterbacks Kevin Kolb and Michael Vick. With a decent showing against a somewhat depleted defensive front, Kolb was 6-for-11 for 95 yards against the Jags, while Vick was 11-for-17 for 119 yards with an interception and a 10-yard touchdown run. Kolb and the first-team are expected to play about a half on Friday.

Marvin Lewis plans to play most of his starters “about a half”, according to reports from Cincinnati.  I asked Josh Kirkendall over at “The Cincy Jungle” which Bengal players we as Philly fans should key on as the guys most likely to have a “make-or-break” night in this game. He pointed me to the battle for cornerback in Cincy, which should come to a head against the Eagles.

“Consider that the Bengals took five cornerbacks last year. Let’s give three of those spots away now to Johnathan Joseph, Leon Hall and Adam Jones. That leaves Morgan Trent, Brandon Ghee, and rookie free agents Johnny Sears, David Jones, and Orien Harris for the final two spots. Of my surprise picks that makes the team, Sears will claim one of those spots. “

So I’ll be focusing on that cornerback drama for Cincy, as it dovetails nicely with the ongoing battle for the 4th, 5th and possibly 6th WR positions the Eagles have going…Air Force grad and free agent Chad Hall (5-8, 179) is the suddenly popular dark horse bet of Philly fans to make the team as a backup receiver and return man, so this could be a make-or-break night for him in Cincinnati.

On the injury front for the Bengals, defensive end Robert Geathers (foot) and fullback Fui Vakapuna (shoulder) will not play for Cincinnati, but 2009 first- round tackle Andre Smith (foot) could be in action for the first time this year.

Among the Birds that won’t dress for the game are offensive lineman Todd Herremans (foot), Jamaal Jackson (knee) and Nick Cole (knee). Cornerback Asante Samuel (hamstring) and running back Mike Bell (calf) are questionable, and running back J.J. Arrington (knee) is expected to be in a Philadelphia uniform for the first time after missing the Jacksonville game.

Since the ultimate Dress Rehearsal for both teams is not until next week, I will be content to focus on Kolb and the offense in the first half , how the OL executes, and how Kolb is able to check down to second or third receiver options under pressure. I will pray for no serious injuries on either side, as happened to the Bengals already at the Hall of Fame game when Brian Leonard suffered an injury that will have him out until early October. I will hopefullly breathe a sigh of relief at halftime, then relax a little as I witness the CB battle of the free agents for Cincy and the Chad Hall “Survivor” drama for the Eagles.

“So Terrell…Chad’s down to the final cuts on his reality show…look! It’s on the big screen!…”