Clay Harbor

CLEVELAND - Jeremy Maclin's bid for a breakthrough season began Sunday in a 17-16 Eagles win over the Cleveland Browns with a performance that could be hailed for its achievements or panned for its shortcomings. Maclin dazzled with seven receptions for 96 yards and a touchdown, but he also was treated twice for injuries, watched a Browns interception deflect off his hands and committed two penalties. The achievements included a 48-yard reception at the end of the first half that Browns coach Pat Shurmur said was all Maclin: Browns cornerback Buster Skrine stayed with Maclin and the Eagles receiver still made the play.

CLEVELAND - Michael Vick tied the black do-rag behind his neck, parked the white headphones on his forehead, and grasped the handle of his rolling carry-on. The Eagles quarterback was more than ready to leave Cleveland Browns Stadium Sunday evening, with this lesson, at least, learned: "I'll never take preseason for granted again," Vick said, with a weary shake of his head. "Need that work. " If the Eagles are going to have a decent season, you have to hope that was the root of the problem Sunday, those much-discussed dozen snaps Vick recorded in a pair of preseason games, before exiting with an injury each time.

The NFL culture already prompts coaches to conceal game plans and schemes like ATM pass codes, and the Eagles and Cleveland Browns encountered a scheduling anomaly this summer that added even more paranoia to the preparation for Sunday's opener. The teams played a preseason game Aug. 24 at Cleveland. That created a situation in which coaching staffs from the same tree - Browns head coach Pat Shurmur, offensive coordinator Brad Childress, and defensive coordinator Dick Jauron are former Eagles assistants - spent an entire preseason game operating with the most basic offensive and defensive schemes possible.

Recent history: The Eagles defeated the Browns, 27-10, in their third preseason game of the season. Their last regular-season matchup was on Dec. 15, 2008, a game the Eagles won, 30-10. The Browns lead the all-time series, dating back to 1950, 31-15-1. OFFENSE EAGLES: 399.1 yards per game (4th) BROWNS: 288.8 yards per game (29th) QUARTERBACK Eagles: Michael Vick played just 12 snaps in the preseason, and it remains to be seen how rusty he'll be in Week 1. Vick needs to be more efficient on third down than he was last year when he finished 26th in the league with a 71.1 rating and six interceptions in 103 third-down attempts.

The Eagles have some tough decisions to make come Friday, perhaps as difficult as they have ever had when faced with trimming their roster to 53 players. But every year they seem to find a way to keep their most talented players with few casualties. This year should be no different, although they may have to release a couple of budding youngsters and proven veterans that other teams could snatch up. The Eagles will comb the waiver wire as well following the 9 p.m. deadline, when final rosters must be sent to the league office.

EVERYBODY WANTS to know who makes the 53-man roster for the Sept. 9 Eagles season opener. Fact is, even with the Birds having flown from Lehigh Tuesday, to resume preseason work at NovaCare Thursday, the jury remains way, way out on roster spots. The Eagles have played one of their four preseason games. Everybody - yes, even safety Jaiquawn Jarrett, child of fan and media scorn after his inept performance in the preseason opener - still has a chance at redemption. The Eagles don't cut down from 90 to 75 players until Aug. 27, the day after the Flight Night practice at Lincoln Financial Field, and they don't have to get to 53 until Aug. 31, the day after the preseason finale.

CLAY HARBOR stays after practice each day to work on his pass-catching skills. Has a quarterback or a coach throw him 50 extra balls before he calls it a day and heads for the locker room. The extra work has paid off. Since training camp started 3 weeks ago, Harbor hasn't dropped a single pass. Not a one. Thirty-two practices and God knows how many passes thrown in his direction, and not one catchable ball has hit the ground. That wasn't the case this spring during the Eagles' minicamps and OTAs when the normally sure-handed tight end had an inordinate number of drops.

Crunch Time is a compilation of notable hits and a few misses from Eagles training camp at Bethlehem. * Michael Vick, moving to his left, lofted a long strike down the left sideline for Jason Avant, flicking it just over the coverage of Nnamdi Asomugha. Avant caught it in stride. * O.J. Atogwe tried to jump a short route on Nick Foles and Clay Harbor. Foles zipped the ball to Harbor, who had no one behind him and romped to the end zone. * Kurt Coleman sniffed out a budding flea flicker and "sacked" Vick, just after the QB got the ball back from LeSean McCoy.

BETHLEHEM, Pa. - It's the dog days of training camp, and a few Eagles were fighting like cats and dogs on Sunday. Late in the afternoon session, Clay Harbor caught a shovel pass inside the 5-yard line as the Eagles practiced red-zone drills. The third-year tight end crossed the goal line, but he got tangled up with defensive tackle Derek Landri. Landri threw a couple of punches at Harbor - one was an uppercut - then he ripped off the tight end's helmet and threw it at him. Harbor didn't appear to want to engage in a fight, but when Landri tossed his helmet, he threw the football at the defensive tackle.

OK, WHO had the second quarter of the first preseason game in the when-will-Michael-Vick-get-hurt pool? Twenty minutes. That's how long it took for the nervousness over the possibility of Life Without Mike to turn into genuine panic. On a third-and-8 play from his own 22 with 9:57 left in the second quarter of Thursday night's 24-23 preseason win over the Steelers, Vick heaved an incompletion over the head of tight end Clay Harbor. During his follow-through, he slammed his throwing hand into the back of center Jason Kelce's helmet.