THE FOLLOWING statement is guaranteed to be both gluten- and hyperbole-free: The Eagles' secondary should face its toughest test of the season Sunday afternoon. Ben Roethlisberger is the best quarterback the Birds are likely to encounter until late November clashes with Seattle's Russell Wilson and Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers. And Roethlisbeger has better weapons than either of those guys.
The problem isn't just that Roethlisberger is good - a four-time Pro Bowler with two Super Bowl rings, whose longevity (13 seasons), career passing yardage (43,554), completion total (3,522), touchdown total (278) and career completion percentage (64.1) would make him the Eagles' all-time franchise leader going away, if he'd been drafted by the Birds in 2004.