Trent Edwards was wide-eyed as he fielded questions at his locker Thursday night. The same emotion that he showed following scoring drives  was written all over his face. It looked like some combination of excitement, hope and desperation.

Edwards got to run the show for the majority of the preseason finale against the Jets and again capitalized, going 22-of-32 for 197 yards with two touchdowns. He is officially in the conversation for the third and final quarterback spot behind Michael Vick and Nick Foles. 

With so many other topics to cover – Andy Reid, Michael Vick, Joe Banner – it took until the final question of Jeffrey Lurie’s press conference for someone to mention Juan Castillo.

Luckily, though, our boy McManus was able to ask the owner about the Eagles’ defensive coordinator. And his response was telling.

Is Lurie comfortable with Castillo? Does he feel he is the right man for the job?

The fact that Eli Manning has quarterbacked two Super Bowl teams in the last two seasons is not lost on Jeffrey Lurie.

He has long appreciated Tom Brady and got an up-close view of the quarterback’s ability in Super Bowl XXXIX.

Aaron Rodgers? Drew Brees? Lurie called them “some of the greatest players ever to play football.”

It was a long way of getting to his point: If the Eagles are going to be a Super Bowl team this season, it will be on the back of Michael Vick.

It may not have been his intention going in, but Jeffrey Lurie defined the level of success he needs to see in 2012 in order to keep Andy Reid as his head coach. At a minimum, this team has to be .500 for Reid to keep his job.

Lurie, at his annual state of the team address, reiterated that he expects to see a substantially improved team from last season.

Would an 8-8 record, a reporter asked, be good enough for the  longtime head coach to come back?

“No, it would not,” Lurie replied.

Join Tim and Sheil for a live chat as the Eagles close out the preseason vs. the Jets at the Linc. Kickoff is set for 6:30.

In this edition of the Twitter Mailbag, we look at DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin against T.O. and Todd Pinkston. Also, is Fletcher Cox in jeopardy of being a bust? And will we be seeing Donovan McNabb back at the NovaCare soon?

From Nick Foles to Cedric Thornton to Dennis Kelly, here are some things to watch tonight and a few leftovers I didn’t get to earlier in the week.

Sorry, Sheil, sometimes that’s the way the cookie crumbles. You went first, you selected Mat McBriar as your punter, and hours later the news came down that he would be cut.

So I submit my final projections for the Eagles’ 53-man roster at plus-one. And no, I take no shame in gaining an advantage this way. On the line is a night of whiskey drinking on the loser for the victor and a few of his friends. Tell my wife not to wait up Friday night.

Here we go.

Andy Reid said as recently as two days ago that the phones are “very active” this time of year as teams try to shape their rosters before the deadline to get down to 53 Friday night.

According to one analyst, the team could look to deal a running back.

Peter King had some interesting things to say about the Eagles during an interview with 97.5 The Fanatic Wednesday, including his thoughts on Andy Reid‘s job security and potentially pulling the plug on the Michael Vick era.

Yesterday, we went over how the Eagles’ offensive talent stacks up.

Today, let’s take a look at the defense.

I sometimes wonder if Sean McDermott looks at the moves the Eagles have made on that side of the ball the last two years and thinks: Where was this when I was the defensive coordinator?

This offseason, the Eagles used three picks in the first two rounds on defensive players. They also acquired middle linebacker DeMeco Ryans from the Texans. But is the Birds’ talent where it needs to be on defense?

The Eagles will release punter Mat McBriar, according to his agent, Jack Bechta.  Delivering the news on his Twitter account, Bechta adds that the move […]

The dynamic has shifted, and that could mean a spot on this team for Trent Edwards.

Coming into the preseason, each quarterback had his defined role. Michael Vick would be the starter; Mike Kafka the developmental backup with a couple years in the system; and Nick Foles the rookie unknown who would watch and learn and hopefully show some promise. Edwards, struggling to complete balls to unguarded receivers in practice, was an afterthought.

What no one accounted for was how well Foles would perform. He has become the story of the preseason and has earned the No. 2 spot behind Vick. The 6-6 slinger has stolen not just the backup spot from the injured Kafka, but also the title of the primary developmental quarterback in the system. If the goal is now to not just serve as a viable emergency option but help shepherd Foles along, then Edwards  might be the better choice.

Villanova head coach Andy Talley said he only brought up Brian Westbrook‘s name to Andy Reid once. It was at a banquet, and it was short and to the point.

“I just shook hands with him, and I just said: ‘Our No. 20 is very special.’ I never said another word to him,” said Talley. He trusted the Eagles would see the value all on their own.

A decade later, Westbrook stood at the podium inside the NovaCare auditorium, in front of a large gathering of family, friends and former teammates, to deliver his retirement speech and be honored as one of the team’s all-time greats.

If you were looking for the one person who isn’t concerned about Michael Vick getting hurt this season, I think I’ve found him.

Rob Vito, CEO of Unequal Technologies, the company that has produced a custom-fit Kevlar vest for the Eagles quarterback to wear during games, thinks Vick will be just fine.