Here are 10 things to know about this weekend’s matchup between the Eagles’ offense and the Giants’ defense. If you missed the first cheat sheet, click here.

My Brian Dawkins moment happened on Friday, November 4, 2005. I know the date only because it was the same day Terrell Owens issued one of the most unconvincing apologies in American history after saying on national television that, among other things, the Eagles might be undefeated if they had Brett Favre as their quarterback instead of Donovan McNabb.

This was my first time inside the NovaCare gates and my introduction to the circus that can be the Philadelphia Eagles. For all the drama that was unfolding in the auditorium, it is what I saw before I even left my car that made a lasting impression.

Right after I parked a sleek four-door sedan pulled in about 10 yards in front of me. This was definitely a player. I was new to the game, this was pretty damn surreal, and I wasn’t moving until I found out who it was. Turns out, I would have to wait a while.

Though it’s hard to imagine now, Brian Dawkins was not the leader of this team from the moment he put on an Eagles uniform. He served as an understudy until it was his time to emerge, as he explained Friday.

“When I first got here we had some great guys already here,” said Dawkins, who will have his No. 20 jersey retired Sunday night. “And I didn’t have to do nothing. I was like, ‘Hey, if you guys have a question, you know where to go at. You go to Irving [Fryar], you go to Troy [Vincent]. I’m good. I’ll just go sit back and play football.’ Watching them handle their business as leaders, and knowing they were leaving, it was just something I knew that someone needed to step up and grab the reins.”

He never let a single finger slip from them until ultimately parting with the team following the 2008 season. The Eagles have  been trying to find the next man up since Dawkins left, but their efforts have been unsuccessful to this point. Dawkins was asked if he sees any evidence that the leadership void on the defensive side might start filling in.

For all the hype surrounding Victor Cruz‘s return to Lincoln Financial Field, it’s another Giants receiver who has been garnering the most attention inside the NovaCare walls.

“The first thing that Coach [Todd Bowles] said was, they’ve got a good pass attack but he pointed out [Hakeem] Nicks as being their complete receiver, or their number one receiver” said Nnamdi Asomugha. “That’s what he kept saying: ‘This is the guy we’ve got to watch.’ Obviously in the slot when they come out and spread it, Victor starts to get more of the looks. But when they’re just playing base football? It’s a little more Nicks.”

Now it looks like their primary concern might not even take the field.

September 25, 2011 is the day that Victor Cruz — and his salsa dance — were introduced to the world. It also marked the first time Eagles fans began to really question if the the substance matched the hype when it came to Nnamdi Asomugha. These two events are not mutually exclusive. Asomugha was around the ball for both backbreaking Cruz touchdowns but didn’t make the play. The next thing you know, Cruz was on the map.

The crew over at Bovada has put odds out on the possibility of Michael Vick getting benched this year for a non-injury-related reason.

Here’s exactly how they word it: Will Michael Vick be pulled from a game when losing or not start a game in the 2012 Regular Season? (Non-injury related)

Here are 10 things to know about this weekend’s matchup between the Giants’ offense and the Eagles’ defense.

Let’s break out five Eagles numbers that matter today:

1 – The number of blitzes Juan Castillo dialed up against the Giants in the teams’ Week 11 meeting last season. Eli Manning dropped back to pass 38 times in that game, and the Eagles sent extra pressure just once. They were still able to sack Manning three times and hit him on 10 occasions with their front four. That’s the formula. By my count, the Eagles have blitzed 16 times in the first three weeks. Opposing quarterbacks are 6-for-13 for 109 yards when they send extra pressure. The Eagles also have two sacks (and there was an offensive pass interference penalty). But there’s always risk when you blitz. Of those six completions, three have gone for 20+ yards. DeMeco Ryans has been the most frequent blitzer. He’s gone after the quarterback 14 times, per Pro Football Focus. No other Eagles has blitzed more than five times.

With Akeem Jordan nursing a hamstring injury, Jamar Chaney will get the start at WILL linebacker Sunday night.

Every Thursday we select a few of your Twitter questions and provide the long-form answers they deserve. For a chance to have your question published on Birds 24/7, send it to @Tim_McManus.

In the midst of defending the Eagles offensive approach, Marty Mornhinweg paused for a second after one of his explanations, then said: “I’m not trying to get sensitive or anything. I try not to.”

The offensive coordinator’s decision-making has come under heavy fire following a 27-6 loss in Arizona, in which he called 25 passes to five runs in the first half. Mornhinweg conceded that he would have approached the game a little differently if he could do it over again. But he also took up for himself, and believes the heavy imbalance in the run-pass ratio was somewhat  justified.

Giants linebacker Mathias Kiwanuka talked about a shifting philosophy both within his organization and around the league when it comes to defending Michael Vick.

“It used to be try and contain him, don’t pressure him because he’ll get by, but now it’s more like, just go after him,” said Kiwanuka, via the New York Post.” We’ve had that philosophy here for a while. We don’t change that. We do that no matter whom we’re playing. I think you’re seeing other teams adopt that same game plan. I think it has just become a point of emphasis for everybody.”

Here’s what I saw from the Eagles’ defense after reviewing the All-22 footage from this week. If you missed the post on the offense, click here.

In the spirit of the LeSean McCoy-Osi Umenyiora feud, Eli Manning was asked during a conference call with the Philly media: Who is your biggest nemesis on the Eagles?

Trent Cole was his answer.

Here’s the roundup of what the national media are saying about the Eagles. As you might have guessed, Michael Vick takes a beating this week.