With cuts just two days away, it’s time for the Kapadia/McManus battle to reach its conclusion.

My final 53-man roster projection is below, and Tim will unveil his on Thursday.

If a player gets injured against the Jets, or if the Eagles make a trade before the Friday 9 p.m. deadline, I’ll update this post. But unless one of those two things happens, here’s how I see things shaking out.

Teams have until Friday night at 9 p.m. to trim their rosters down to 53.

For now, coaches and general managers are focused on making sure they keep the right guys. They’re exploring potential trades (as Andy Reid explained yesterday) and probably making practice-squad projections.

But they’re also looking at what’s going on around the league. With 31 other teams forced to let go of 22 guys each, Reid and Howie Roseman will need to have opinions formed on a new pool of about 682 players.

It’s that time of  year when teams are actively molding their rosters in search of that perfect blend of potency and balance. The Eagles just so happen to have an excess of talent at a couple key positions. It is a perfect case of supply and demand, and the calls are coming in fast and furious.

“They’re very active. People are…Howie [Roseman] is constantly on the phone,” said Andy Reid. “That’s how it works.”

As Tim explained yesterday, Michael Vick is trying something new to protect his ribs.

Vick will wear a Kevlar vest made by Unequal Technologies, a company he endorses. From what he said, it sounds like Vick is trying to cover a greater area of his mid-section.

Andy Reid said on Tuesday that as it stands right now, Nick Foles is the backup quarterback to Michael Vick.

That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s set in stone. Mike Kafka (fractured hand) will not play in the preseason finale against the Jets barring an unexpected development. But Foles will get the start Thursday night, and right now is the next man in. Foles will play the first quarter and Trent Edwards the last three quarters.

Compared to most of the Donovan McNabb-led teams, the Eagles are stacked at the skill positions on offense.

But how does the Birds’ talent compare to teams around the league?

Each summer, Michael Lombardi of NFL.com puts out his list of blue-chip and red-chip players. Click on the link for a full explanation, but here’s the basic version: Blue-chip players are among the top-five at their position, and red-chip players are among the top 10.

When first considering it, you’d think the Eagles would have a pretty good showing on the list, specifically on offense. But you’d be wrong.

Brian Westbrook will retire an Eagle and be honored during halftime of the team’s Week 16 home game against the Redskins.

If you click on the link for more, you’ll see video of Westbrook’s 84-yard punt return against the Giants from 2003.

The Eagles have until 9 p.m. Friday to cut their roster down to 53.

That means 22 players currently on the squad will be told not to show up next week.

Keeping that in mind, here are 10 players who are sitting squarely on the roster bubble.

If it’s football season, there’s a linebacker shuffle going on in Philadelphia. Death, taxes, and so on. Even an offseason dedicated in part to shoring up the position couldn’t totally shut down the dance. In the latest shift, Brian Rolle lost his job at WILL in favor of Akeem Jordan. Defensive coordinator Juan Castillo explained the move on Monday.

Nick Foles had another successful outing against the Browns, completing 12 of 19 passes for 146 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.

Here’s a detailed breakdown of how he played.

 Michael Vick has decided to beef up his rib protection.

After suffering bruised ribs against the Patriots, Vick says that he will continue to wear the Kevlar padding from Unequal Technologies. He’s just getting more of it.

The Eagles made a series of moves today, trimming their roster down to 75 players.

Mike Patterson has been placed on the non-football illness list, meaning he’s out for the first six weeks of the season. After that, he can return to practice and the Eagles have three weeks to either place him on injured reserve (ending his season) or add him to the 53-man roster.

The same rules apply to Jason Peters, even though he’s been placed on the non-football injury list.

Nate Allen left Flight Night with an injury to the same right hamstring that sidelined him earlier in camp. The safety described it as more of a spasm than a tweak and expects to be ready to go within a couple days.

“It’s nothing,” said Allen. “It’s not even close to how it was in training camp.”

Allen wasn’t scheduled to play in the regular season finale against the Jets regardless.

Mike Kafka has been cleared to take snaps, Marty Mornhinweg revealed Monday. There is a growing chance that his broken left hand will be healed enough to play in the Eagles’ preseason finale Thursday against the Jets.

Kafka has seen only nine snaps this preseason, and it would probably help all parties involved if the signal-caller out of Northwestern put some more on tape.

Andy Reid used the word stingy.

He was asked whether the Eagles could keep six defensive ends, and the head coach wanted to make clear that he’s not too fond of letting capable pass-rushers walk for nothing.

“There’s a chance,” Reid said. “I’m stingy when it comes to defensive linemen, so we’ve got to work the numbers and just see how all that pans out. There will be some tough decisions all the way around there.”