The end (of preseason) is nigh! And not a moment too soon.

It’s time for the traditional preseason sojourn to Philadelphia to wrap up the preseason, meaning it’s Philly fans turn to get ripped off by being forced to pay full price for a “game” where none of the stars will participate, as neither team will be playing their starters for more than a series, if at all — last year, they didn’t even get on the field. UPDATE: Reid is considering giving his starters a series or two, which would suggest that Mangini might do the same.

As far as TJB Scout is concerned, this cuts two ways — it’s nice to get a sense of who and what to look for if you’re going to watch the game . . . yet, even the most diehard of fans are hardpressed to watch what will be a beyond meaningless exhibition.

Nonetheless, we’re still getting ready and working out new scout pieces for regular season (which can’t come fast enough!), so . . .

Cheerleader check: Hells yeah — and chances are, it will be the first string out there tonight, including the lovely Janelle here, who was also in Maxim.

Game specifics: It a road game in Philly at Lincoln Financial Field (aka “The Linc”), moved up to 6:30 to get out of the way of the Democratic National Convention and Obama’s acceptance speech. It is a natural grass surface, and with a chance of showers in the forecast, there might be some slippery going.

Record: The Iggles are 2-1 in the preseason, and that and $7.50 will get you a good cheese steak.

Barometer: Being preseason, the barometric pressure is still at zero. If it was the regular season, however, I’d say something like, “Under Andy Reid, the Eagles have been a consistent, well-coached and competitive team, having made the playoffs six of nine times during his tenure.”

Old Friends: None to speak of, although it always seems to me that Joe’s son Dan should be a Jet at some point.

Questions: There really is only one question for this game: Who will show enough to survive the final roster cuts?

Key injuries: Healthy or not, the guys you most likely know won’t be playing.

Three things to know about the Eagles offense:

1. The future is nigh? – Second-year quarterback Kevin Kolb has shown steady improvement throughout the preseason, and with Donovan McNabb’s seemingly endless injury woes, may find himself behind center before too long.
2. Hey rook! – Rookie receiver DeSean Jackson has been playing well, making some nice catches as well as making an impact on special teams. If this was a regular season game, he’d probably be lining up in the slot as the third receiver.
3. Hey Book! – Second-year running back Lorenzo Booker was acquired from the Dolphins during the draft, and although he’s a terrible blocker, he showed some promise last season coming out of the backfield and on third downs.

Jersey watch (offense): #10 of Jackson seems to like to make plays.

Three things to know about the Eagles defense:

1. Three of a kind – Three of the Eagles defensive rookies — tackle Trevor Laws, safety Quintin Demps and linebacker Joe Mays — all have been impressive and will be on the field quite a bit not only during this game, but during the regular season as well.
2. Akeem the dream – Second-year linebacker Akeem Jordan has been making progress and will also see more time on the field this season.
3. End of the line? – Former first-round pick (2003) Jerome McDougle has struggled with injuries throughout his career, and is being challenged for a roster spot at defensive end by free agent Chris Clemons. A big night against the Jets (while Clemons is out with an injury) could help his case dramatically.

Jersey watch (defense): The #95 of McDougle will be worth watching as he fights for his job.

Three things about the Eagles special teams:

1. Up and down – Two weeks ago against Carolina, Philly’s special teams were bad (including a botched fake field goal-shovel pass that was returned for a TD), while last week against New England, Demps returned a kickoff 101 yards for a TD while Jackson took a punt 76 yards to the house.
2. Thunder from down under – Like the Jets, the Eagles have had success converting an Australian rules football player into an NFL punter as Sav Rocca averaged 42.0 yards a punt with a net of 34.5. He has also shown improvement in the preseason.
3. Akers losing some leg? – After a solid decade in the NFL, fairly reliable veteran kicker David Akers has fallen off a bit the past three seasons, converting less than 80% of his attempts, including 75% last year.

What to expect from the broadcast booth: With the expected level of competition and the number of “Who dat?” players likely to be on the field, the broadcast should be about as informative as another one of those Joe Namath “on-air” interviews.

Spotlight matchup: The Eagles have good depth along the defensive line and should provide a decent challenge for the Jets second-team offensive line.

The pressure is on: The competition for the final roster slots will have players on both teams hitting and playing hard, trying to make good final impressions on the coaching staffs.

What could go wrong? The second-team offensive line struggles and Kellen Clemens or Brett Ratliff gets broken.

What could go right? The aforementioned #2 O-line has a good night in both the rushing and passing games, providing some comfort and answering questions about much-needed depth.

Bottom line: Get it over and get out with the team intact!

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