Roster

Player   College   Yr.   Pos.   High school    Olaniyi Adewole   Temple   Jr.   LB   Upper Darby    Ryan Alderman   Temple   Jr.   WR   Bishop Shanahan    Taj Alexander   Rutgers   So.   DL   Downingtown East    Brandon Arcidiacono   Rutgers   Fr.   OL   Archbishop Wood    Mark Arcidiacono   Penn State   Jr.   OL   St. Joe's Prep    Deion Barnes   Penn State   Fr.   DE   Northeast    Wyatt Benson   Temple   Jr.   FB   Haverford School    Seth Betancourt   Boston Coll.   So.   OL   St.

Players from the seven-county South Jersey area have a long history in the NFL, and the tradition is continuing this season. Thirteen local players were on opening-day, 53-man NFL rosters. An additional five players were on injured reserve, the practice squad, or the reserve/non-football injury list. The most recognizable name is Audubon grad Joe Flacco, the fifth-year starting quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens, who guided his team to the AFC championship game last season.

Howie Roseman joked that there aren't many issues that don't keep him up at night, the type of concerns that leave a general manager rolling over in bed and staring at a dark ceiling. But there's one overriding problem that Roseman admitted is particularly troublesome, and it's one without a concrete answer. "You have a limited number of resources, whether it's draft picks or salary-cap room," Roseman said. "You try to build a team with depth. It's not always going to be perfect.

Throughout the last month, Eagles coach Andy Reid often cited a desire for roster competition. Almost every job seemed for the taking, when taking Reid's comments with a literal interpretation. The Eagles trimmed their roster to the league-mandated 53 players on Friday, and the decisions were an ode to the organization's missive. Quarterback Trent Edwards, who was out of football last season and barely took any snaps early in training camp, made the roster as the No. 3 quarterback.

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.

EAGLES COACH Andy Reid spoke this week about how "you want to keep the best players" when you cut down, as the Birds must do, to get from 75 players to the regular-season roster limit of 53 by 9 p.m. Friday. Well, duh. But what Reid meant was, you might find yourself going into the season heavy at one position and light at another, because the fourth safety might not be as valuable a player as the fifth defensive end. Keeping subpar players to plug holes while letting better players walk at other positions is less than optimal.

The Eagles released 10 players Saturday, trimming their roster to 80 players. They have until 4 p.m. Monday to get to 75. The following players were cut a day after the Eagles beat the Browns, 27-10, in their third preseason game: wide receiver Elvis Akpla, safety Wade Bonner, defensive end Xavier Brown, wide receiver Brian Hernandez, wide receiver McKay Jacobson, wide receiver Tiger Jones, guard Alfred McCullough, safety Tom Nelson, cornerback Kevin...

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.

In 2004, Heather O'Reilly was just a 19-year-old lucky enough to be playing soccer alongside her idols. Then she scored the overtime goal that sent the United States women's national team into the gold-medal game of the Olympics. The squad went on to win the gold over Brazil. "I was definitely awestruck," O'Reilly said. "First of all by making the team and playing alongside my idols like Mia Hamm, Julie Foudy, Brandi Chastain, all players that I looked up to for years. In 2004, I was just along for the ride.

BETHLEHEM, Pa. - When Brandon Boykin returned home in mid-June to Fayetteville, Ga., he breathed a sigh of relief. The Eagles minicamp had just wrapped up, and finally he could take a break. After three days passed, boredom crept in. "You're ready to get back up there and get going," the 22-year-old cornerback said. "I'm definitely glad it's here. . . . I'm ready to see how I can do in this atmosphere. Everybody's excited. " Boykin, the Eagles' fourth-round pick in this year's draft, was among the team's rookies reporting to training camp Sunday afternoon.