Quintin Mikell

LOOKING BACK at the Eagles' 31-13 win over the Rams while wondering what Jay Paterno would be doing for a living right now if his father wasn't Penn State's head coach:   BY THE NUMBERS *  Because of the problems they had against the run, particularly early on, the Eagles stayed in their base defense much of the game. They used their nickel sub-package (two linebackers, five defensive backs) just five times in the first half and a total of 11 times in the first three quarters.

It's a new season, but if Week 1 is any indication, some of the same questions will follow the Eagles and Michael Vick this year. Can he and his offensive line handle blitzes? Can Vick punish teams for sending extra rushers? And can he remain in one piece when defenses gets their hits on him? Vick acknowledged Monday that it could be a key to the Eagles season. "Over the last month was the first time I really tried to learn defenses more and more as far as where they can come after you, where they can get you, who's the free guy coming, what protections pick up what blitzes," Vick said on WIP-FM (94.1)

ST. LOUIS - When Michael Vick signed for $100 million, 8 months removed from his breathtaking, Pro Bowl comeback season, 2 years removed from prison, there was considerable debate. Could he deserve that much money? Well, this is what $100 million gets you. It gets you a fadeaway flick in the face of a ravenous linebacker, a ball that traveled 10 yards farther than any other human could throw it, a 6-yard put-away touchdown that traveled about 25 yards through the air in the third quarter.

ST. LOUIS - Things hardly could have been going better for Rams safety Quintin Mikell. He clearly was stung by the Eagles' lack of interest in re-signing him after 2010, when the led the locker room and went to his first Pro Bowl. He landed in St. Louis with a 4-year, $28 million contract - a deal the Eagles never would have considered - and found himself playing his first game against the team that nurtured him for 8 years. And everything was going right . . . before a 31-13 loss.

ST. LOUIS - School was back in session on Sunday in the Edward Jones Dome, and there was plenty to learn about the 2011 Philadelphia Eagles, lessons both large and small. Some of what was gleaned from the 31-13 opening win over the St. Louis Rams will have to be updated for later editions of this season's textbook. Some of the bad stuff will get fixed. Some of the good stuff will get figured out by the opposition. Guys will develop. Guys will get hurt. It is truly a work in progress, with progress being the weekly key to the whole thing.

ST. LOUIS - School was back in session on Sunday in the Edward Jones Dome, and there was plenty to learn about the 2011 Philadelphia Eagles, lessons both large and small. Some of what was gleaned from the 31-13 opening win over the St. Louis Rams will have to be updated for later editions of this season's textbook. Some of the bad stuff will get fixed. Some of the good stuff will get figured out by the opposition. Guys will develop. Guys will get hurt. It is truly a work in progress, with progress being the weekly key to the whole thing.

ST. LOUIS - It wasn't blocking on the right flank that felt weird for Todd Herremans , it was not standing at his long-time spot in the huddle. Herremans started his first game ever at right tackle on Sunday, and while there were several breakdowns on the offensive line, the group held up much better than many were forecasting in the Eagles' 31-13 win over the Rams. "The great thing about it is that it's only going to get better on from here," Herremans said. "The more we play together, the more reps that we can get, the more we can come together as a unit.

FIRST, IN JULY, Vince Young painted a bull's-eye on the Eagles' back with his "Dream Team" comment. Then, last month, Michael Vick lacquered the target after signing his $100 million deal, with his Super Bowl or Bust declaration. Nine hundred miles away, new Rams safety Quintin Mikell cringed. And smiled. Mikell remains attached to Philadelphia, where he developed over the past 8 years before leaving via free agency for 4 years and $28 million. But nothing Mikell could say this weekend could better fire up his new team to beat the old one when they meet Sunday.

It's a fair question to ask on the eve of the Eagles' regular-season opener at St. Louis. Did the Eagles err in not re-signing Quintin Mikell - now with the Rams - in light of Nate Allen's slow recovery and rookie Jaiquawn Jarrett's stunted progress? "Did they make a mistake?" Mikell asked Wednesday during a conference call with Philadelphia-area reporters. "I don't know. That's not a question for me. Any time you're in a situation like that your first reaction would be like, 'Yeah, you know.' But me personally, there could have been multiple reasons why I wasn't picked up. " The reasons are, not in any particular order: age, money, a new defensive coordinator, and, more subjectively, performance.

Several Eagles players have professionally framed copies of a group photo sitting inside their lockers. The wide, panoramic-style picture features Michael Vick, DeSean Jackson, Asante Samuel, David Akers, Quintin Mikell and Colt Anderson, all in suits. They were the team captains for the Eagles wild-card game against the Packers in January. That's four regular Pro Bowlers, along with Mikell, a veteran leader on last year's team. And then there's Anderson, a special teamer who had spent the first eight weeks of the season on the Vikings practice squad yet was a captain for the Eagles biggest game of the year.