Wide receiver Reggie Brown's time was going to come at some point this season. The key was whether the Eagles could count on Brown once he was needed.
Just two years ago, Brown caught 61 passes for 780 yards and four touchdowns. However, the emergence of young receivers DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin pushed Brown down the depth chart.
On Sunday, Brown made two catches for 64 yards and each catch led to a touchdown in the Eagles' 34-7 win over the Falcons as Jackson was sidelined with a concussion. The win was extra sweet for Brown as it came in his home state of Georgia and at the stadium where he played before as a University of Georgia Bulldog.
"I was really excited to get back to the home state and play a little football," Brown said. "Luckily, it turned out to be a good day. That's one for the books."
Brown's day certainly didn't start as well as he had hoped. On the Eagles' first offensive drive, quarterback Donovan McNabb looked to Brown over the middle on a third-and-6 from the Falcons' 15-yard line. Brown was open over the middle right around the first-down line, but dropped the pass.
McNabb didn't hesitate to go back to him on the next drive.
On a third-and-13 from the Falcons' 25-yard line, McNabb changed the protection just before the snap and quickly flung the ball for Brown along the right sideline and Brown did a great job of hauling in the ball and making sure his feet were inbounds. McNabb took advantage of Brown's one-on-one matchup with cornerback Brent Grimes. On the next play, McNabb hit Leonard Weaver for a 4-yard touchdown pass.
"We've been playing together for a while. He knows that I'm going to come back," Brown said. "It's good for your quarterback to have that kind of confidence in you and I definitely appreciate it."
In the fourth quarter, Brown made another spectacular grab. With Michael Vick in at quarterback, Vick faked the handoff and rolled to his left. He fired the ball down the field and Brown jumped and twisted in the air to make the grab despite tight coverage from Grimes and a diving Christopher Owens for a 43-yard gain. Vick hit Brent Celek for a 5-yard touchdown pass to cap off the drive.
"With a guy like Vick, he's a special athlete who can do so many things," Brown said. "That's just a memory that's going to stay in your head forever."
For the season, Brown has five catches for 104 yards. Jackson said he expects to return to the lineup this Sunday against the Giants, but Brown proved just how strong the depth is at wide receiver by contributing when needed most.
-- Posted by Chris McPherson, 3:14 p.m., December 8
