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Expect the DeSean drama to continue

By Jeff McLane and Jonathan Tamari, INQUIRER STAFF WRITERS

Posted: December 01, 2011

Here are some things to look for when the Eagles visit the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday:

DeSean Drama, Part IV

Two weeks ago, he was benched for missing a team meeting. Then he put on an explosive show against the Giants (but not without drawing an absurd 50-yard penalty). Then he shrank against the Patriots. What does Jackson have in store this week? Whatever it is, it's a safe bet we'll all be talking about it Friday.

Watch out!

For a backup quarterback, the Eagles could do a lot worse than Vince Young (ask Bears fans about that). But Young might run out of receivers if he continues with the kind of throws he lobbed up against the Patriots. Several of his passes led fellow Eagles right into enemy sights. Jason Avant got clobbered, and others were in line for huge hits as well. Let's see if he's more careful this time, or if the carnage only gets worse.

The sideline

Assistant coaches Marty Mornhinweg and Jim Washburn have supposedly buried the hatchet. They probably have. But it's safe to say there might be just a few more eyes on the Eagles sideline this week just in case they have Round 2 in store. And you don't even need pay per view for this one.

Young 'uns

With the playoffs just about out of reach, one of the big things to watch is how young Eagles play and if they get more time on the field. The team thinks highly of Brandon Hughes, but he had a rough outing against Tom Brady. If he has to start again in place of Nnamdi Asomugha, how does he bounce back? Do we see more of Curtis Marsh and Jaiquawn Jarrett?

Watch the snap

The Eagles had three false-start penalties last week (two by wide receivers) and jumped offside twice. The Seahawks don't have a lot to boast about, but their news release this week noted that since 2005 their home field has led to more opponents' false starts than any team in the league - about two per game. Can the Eagles play it smart?

Revenge factor

Jason Babin said he was mistreated in Seattle and vowed to exact revenge this week. Chris Clemons was shipped out of Philadelphia and promptly turned into a sack machine for the Seahawks. Which pass rusher really makes his former team feel the pain?