Depleted Eagles, Steelers open preseason tonight

Monday, Aug. 15, 2005 | 9:03 a.m.

SUN WIRE SERVICES

After two weeks of no-shows and sideshows, distractions and departures and wide receivers who don't show up or don't shut up, the Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers finally play a game tonight that Pennsylvania preferred to see in February.

Just don't expect anything resembling playoff-style football from the Eagles, who play for the first time since losing to the Patriots in the Super Bowl, or the Steelers, whose fourth loss in the AFC title game in a decade's time prevented an all-Keystone State Super Bowl.

The starters for teams that were a combined 28-4 last season will play about a quarter apiece -- that is, those regulars that are around. Plenty of marquee names are missing on both sides, from the chatty Terrell Owens and absentee defensive tackle Corey Simon of the Eagles to holdout Hines Ward and the injured Duce Staley and Joey Porter of the Steelers.

For quarterbacks Donovan McNabb and Ben Roethlisberger, that means barely enough time to get in a few tosses to mostly unfamiliar receivers before they sit down. Philadelphia's starting receivers will be Greg Lewis and rookie Reggie Brown, rather than Owens (tossed out of camp) or Todd Pinkston (season-ending injury), and Pittsburgh will start Antwaan Randle El and Cedrick Wilson rather than 2004 starters Ward (holdout) and Plaxico Burress (signed with Giants).

Big changes, yet with so little time to make them. Neither Eagles coach Andy Reid nor Steelers coach Bill Cowher is willing to risk injury to a key player, especially with important personnel already missing.

The pregame messages to their players from both coaches were almost identical: Get in there, get your work done and get out safely -- and, oh, yes, don't dwell on who's not around.

"I expect them to do a nice job," Reid said Sunday of Lewis and Brown. "If you focus in on the football and run the routes the right way, you'll be fine."

The Eagles' second units will start the second quarter and play into the third. Cowher will use his personnel similarly, with some starters -- such as running back Jerome Bettis -- likely going less than a quarter. Despite Ward's absence -- he has a year left on his contract, but wants a new deal -- Cowher doesn't expect any sustained problems on offense.

"Maybe in two or three games, it's going to start to come together," Cowher said. "I certainly want to see our first units go out and show some continuity. We don't need to be on all cylinders, but we need to show some positive steps."

The New York Jets quarterback, recovering from a torn rotator cuff that caused him to miss minicamp and offseason training, was scheduled to throw in both practice sessions -- the first time since camp began that Pennington will participate in more than one practice.

"He's feeling more comfortable throwing the ball and I just want to get him going a little bit more and he wants to do that, too, so we'll see where he's at," coach Herman Edwards said Sunday.

"Shane has a slight hamstring pull and will probably be limited this week," Turner said. "(Team trainers) didn't feel it was too serious (but) I wouldn't expect him to punt this week."

Grossman, expected to be the starter, was scheduled for surgery this afternoon and will miss three to four months. The injury occurred during the second quarter of Friday's preseason game at St. Louis, when he was flushed from the pocket and twisted to the turf by the Rams' Trev Faulk.

Grossman tried to walk off the field, before crumbling and grabbing his leg in pain.

Chad Hutchinson is now the starter and rookie Kyle Orton the backup. Coach Lovie Smith said that won't change with the addition of Blake, a former Pro Bowl selection.

Police spokesman Ron Reier said Sunday night that the two players were both arrested on suspicion of disorderly conduct.

According to police reports, the 335-pound Siavii charged officers, but was sprayed with a chemical irritant and arrested.