Brilliant sunshine. A great feeling in the City of Philadelphia. If there is ever a day for the Eagles to begin the rest of their season the right way ... Here are a couple of significant things to note as the kickoff approaches ...

• The Falcons are missing left tackle Sam Baker, which means Todd Weiner starts. Weiner started at right tackle in the NFC Championship Game, and Derrick Burgess had a huge day against him. The Eagles should be able to take advantage. Trent Cole is going to come hard.
• Atlanta is really thin at cornerback. Brent Grimes is a player the Eagles felt they had a good advantage against, and he won't play. Look for a lot of three- and four-wide receiver sets for the Eagles. I think they're going to throw the heck out of the ball today.
• I'm watching Tra Thomas today. He goes against John Abraham, which is an interesting matchup. How well is Thomas playing this year? I think he's playing pretty well, and today is his biggest test. Abraham has seven sacks.
• No Reggie Brown, but I kind of, sort of knew that on Thursday. Brown just didn't come along as well as he wanted during the week. I wonder how he is going to work into the lineup when he is healthy. The Eagles can't take DeSean Jackson off the field. Kevin Curtis is a starter. Where is Brown going to get his playing time?
• Perfect weather conditions today. Nothing quirky there.
• Here is hoping that tight end L.J. Smith gets into the action. The Eagles need Smith to be a factor, especially in the red zone. I wonder if the Eagles will take a few looks at him early.
• Now that Brian Westbrook is back and healthy, I hope the coaches don't forget about Correll Buckhalter. All he did was tear it up against the 49ers a couple of weeks ago. He shouldn't be forgotten.