Eagles

PRETTY WOMEN in high-heeled, rhinestone-trimmed sneakers girl-tossing a pink football to each other. That's what I halfway expected to see the night I went to watch Philly's lingerie football team do some off-season conditioning. Boy, did I have it wrong. If they started out in makeup, they'd sweated it off by the time I got there. In fact, there was nothing the least bit glamorous about the Philadelphia Passion players I saw at 7 Deuce Sports, in Medford, N.J., last week. The women, whose team is part of the recently renamed Legends Football League , were hitting it hard, to the point that a few were hobbling.

The Eagles' defense has prepared for the Redskins' running game by looking back. The unit's early-season struggles against the run hit bottom against Washington in Week 4, when the Birds allowed 169 rushing yards and 4.8 yards per carry - both season highs - and couldn't stop the Redskins late in the game as they chewed up the clock. The Eagles have reviewed that game tape, with defensive coordinator Sean McDermott pointing out group and individual mistakes, several players said.

Ouch.

Who: Cowboys (6-1) at Eagles (3-4) When: Sunday, 8:15 p.m. Where: Lincoln Financial Field TV: NBC10 Radio: WYSP (94.1-FM) Series: Dallas leads, 53-42 Last meeting: Eagles won, 23-7, at Dallas last Christmas Day

Read The Inquirer's Eagles blog, "Birds' Eye View," by Jeff McLane and Jonathan Tamari, at Blog response of the week Subject: Eagles practice inside Response from DBLowell at 12:33 p.m. Friday. "They're practicing inside to be able to deal with crowd noise in Jacksonville, eh? How much noise can a bunch of empty seats make?"

RE ANNIE Cohen's Sept. 21 Rant of the Week: Annie, as an avid Eagles fan myself, I can completely sympathize with you about the longing for "it" to finally be "our year. " Here's the reason you'll always be an Eagles fan and never give up on them: Passion! What you are feeling is simply disappointment - I go through it every year myself. But how many things can inspire this much passion for you, me or the millions of other Eagles fans? We should be so lucky! Cowboys? Please . . . Scott M. McElroy, Huntingdon

WE'RE OFTEN asked to make the tough decisions here at the Daily News editorial board - knotty judgment calls like who to endorse for mayor and whether picnic tables at LOVE Park are a good or bad thing. So now that the paper has declared this Eagles week in anticipation of the season starter, we feel it's important that we lay out exactly where we stand on the team. No flip-flopping here! We're for: Touchdowns. We're against: Injuries. We believe: In Brian Westbrook.

Here is how Chip Kelly's new Eagles coaching staff, unofficial so far, appears to be shaping up: Head coach: Chip Kelly Offensive coordinator: Pat Shurmur Defensive coordinator: Billy Davis Quarterbacks: Bill Lazor Wide receivers: Bob Bicknell Running backs: Duce Staley Tight ends: Ted Williams Offensive line: Jeff Stoutland Defensive line: Jerry Azzinaro Linebackers: Rick Minter Secondary: Bill McGovern ...

THE EAGLES wanted $15 million up front from Temple before they would allow the football team to play in the stadium. Temple is a school that is just developing its football program in the modern era. It is a mainstay for the impoverished student with a large number of scholarships and a liberal student loan program. I would not have become a lawyer if it was not for Temple's reasonable cost 40 years ago. Now the Eagles want to ransom Temple University to allow it to play football in the new stadium.

Tonight at 8:15 8 Giants Stadium TV: NBC10 Radio WYSP-FM (94.1) Line: Eagles by 3 How They Match Up Eagles defense vs. Giants offense For the first time this decade, the Eagles didn't have to put together a game plan to stop Tiki Barber. The Giants, however, still have some weapons on offense, including running back Derrick Ward, who is seventh in the NFL in yards from scrimmage. The Eagles' more critical defensive mission will be stopping the Giants' passing game.