The telephone is on. My fingers are ready to go. Once I get the word on who the Eagles are releasing from the 75-man roster, I'm on the move. It is that kind of weekend, the kind that happens once a year, the kind that moves so quickly and without warning that it makes the head spin. The Eagles are primed to reduce the roster to 53 players by 6 p.m. on Saturday.

And there could be cuts made any minute. Why wait until Saturday if some of the work can be done today? Think Howie Roseman is working the phones as we speak? I do. I see the names out there. I hear the rumors. This "name" player is cut. That "name" player wants to be traded. The Eagles have the responsibility of making the roster the very best it can be, and if that means Roseman has to move some players, do some deals, wheel and craft some out-of-the-box tinkering, hey, I'm all for it.

So this is just to let you know that I'm alert. You're on alert. It is that kind of weekend. The frenzy before the regular season begins to get the roster in place. The players are off on Friday and Saturday before returning to the NovaCare Complex on Sunday for practice. Tensions are high. Some young men will have played the last football of their lives.

And the Eagles -- specifically Andy Reid, Howie Roseman, Ryan Grigson, Louis Riddick -- are checking the waiver wire non stop. They are talking to the rest of the league. They are strategizing from a position of strength -- healthy roster, extra draft picks next year to deal if they wish, a roster they already like -- and it is a time to make some moves that perhaps could make a difference down the line.

Us? We wait. Thanks for joining in the fun ...