Nick Foles gained some fans after his performance against Pittsburgh, for sure, but suffice it say it’s still safe for him to leave his hotel room.

“Nothing really,” said Foles, when asked about any notable fan interaction since his preseason debut against the Steelers. “Nothing out of the ordinary. Just sort of go about my business like I always have, and stay the same. No fun stories. I’ve had a couple people say hi and be really friendly. But I usually have my glasses and hat on…that’s how I’ve always been — just really laid back, normal.”

On a scale of 1-to-Tebow, Foles isn’t registering. But another strong outing against the Patriots in prime time Monday night, and he’s sure to have better stories than a couple people coming up to him and saying, “Hi.”

Locally, we hear Michael Vick talk pretty much everyday.

The Eagles quarterback answers reporters’ questions coming off the practice field or at his locker whenever he’s at the Novacare Complex.

But it’s still noteworthy when Vick goes national and is featured on a network like ESPN because it puts the spotlight on him around the country. That can be a bad thing if he isn’t careful about what he says (see: dynasty). But as he continues to work to reshape his image, it can also be a good thing.

In no particular order, here’s what I’ll be keeping an eye on tonight when the Eagles take on the Patriots in their second preseason game.

UPDATED: The Boston Herald is reporting that Tom Brady will not play Monday night against the Eagles. The report goes onto say that the Patriots will be resting “some high profile healthy players” due to their jam-packed upcoming schedule.

According to Mike Rodak of ESPN Boston, Brady, receiver Brandon Lloyd and tight end Rob Gronkowski worked off to the side at practice Friday while the rest of the team was prepping for the game. He took it as “a sign that they may see little, if any, action tonight.”

Join Tim and Sheil for a live chat Monday night as the Eagles take on the Patriots at 8 p.m.

Andy Reid wouldn’t tolerate the hazing taking place up the turnpike. Plus, a member of the Eagles is earning some high praise from ESPN.

It was a term Howard Mudd used to describe a player who doubted himself. An explanation for a lack of confidence, or a matter of indecision.

On one of the first days of training camp, Mudd was talking about second-year guard Danny Watkins, and he brought up the “valley of darkness.”

As the mistakes mount and the regular season draws closer, eyes around the NFL are beginning to zero in on the replacement officials. Some have seen the league’s Plan B up-close-and-personal, and came away less than impressed.

“I noticed even for the first preseason game (against the Steelers) there were a lot of missed calls that I was making that they were missing,” said one of the Eagles defensive starters. “If they are going to be in there they have to be able to perform at the level that we need them to so that everyone is safe and everyone is having a fair game. Without it, it can determine a win or a loss if the refs aren’t seeing the right things.”

There is a very real possibility that the regular season will begin with replacement referees officiating the games. A recent report suggests the lockout could linger for nearly a quarter of the season.

The Eagles have a couple weeks before they have to trim their roster down to 53 players.

As we’ve discussed at length here on Birds 24/7, when that deadline arrives, Andy Reid and company will have difficult decisions to make on their defensive line.

One player whose role could go a long way in determining who stays and who goes is Cullen Jenkins.

Kevin Kolb‘s rocky start  in Arizona has not gone unnoticed by his former teammates.

“I’m going to call him tonight. That’s my boy,” said Michael Vick Saturday. “From what I hear, he needs some protection. Other than that I really don’t know. [I’m going to reach out]  just to encourage him more than anything.”

When Andy Reid ran through the players who won’t be on the field Monday night against the Patriots, one name he left out was Nnamdi Asomugha.

Asomugha participated in practice Friday and Saturday after suffering a lip laceration and sore neck in a collision with Nate Allen Monday afternoon.

It’s hard to imagine things getting much worse for Kevin Kolb.

The former Eagles second-round pick didn’t do much last night to make his case for being the Cardinals’ starting quarterback, going 3-for-6 for 22 yards. Kolb completed his first three passes as Arizona scored on its opening possession, but then things went downhill. He was sacked three times, including once in the end zone, for a safety. The offensive line deserves criticism too, but Kolb is now 5-for-15 for 47 yards, no touchdowns and an interception in the preseason.

To make matters worse, Kolb’s opponents are now ripping him.

What better way to test drive a couple of your rookies than to put them up against the best the NFL has to offer in an exhibition setting?

That will be the case for Mychal Kendricks and Brandon Boykin, who get to see how they stack up against the league’s elite Monday in New England.

Nnamdi Asomugha was a full participant in practice Friday afternoon for the first time since a violent mid-air collision with Nate Allen on Monday.

Asomugha suffered a lip laceration and a sore neck. On Tuesday, Andy Reid said the cornerback had “whiplash-type symptoms.”

Yesterday, Asomugha began practice, but did not finish because of discomfort in his neck. He said today that he couldn’t talk much because his mouth (lip) is still recovering. Asomugha added that his neck is fine.

Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie was fined $21,000 by the league for his hit on Steelers quarterback Byron Leftwich last Thursday.

The play in question occurred at the 1:12 mark of Thursday night’s game against Pittsburgh. Leftwich escaped pressure, rolled to his right and tried to find a receiver. Rodgers-Cromartie, who was in coverage, came running towards him, left his feet and launched himself at Leftwich, leading with his right shoulder.