McCants: do you think he will make it?

[3rd ID SOLDIER]

Posted on Sat, Sep. 02, 2006email thisprint thisPaul Domowitch | Gaffney, McCants on the cutting edgeEAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - This wasn't the way it was

supposed to be.

When Jabar Gaffney signed with the Eagles in March, the wide receiver expected to be spending this final preseason game on the sideline with his feet up and his helmet off, watching other less-fortunate guys duke it out for the final spots on the roster.

But there he was last night on the field in the Eagles' 20-17 loss to the New York Jets, trying to convince coach Andy Reid and general manager Tom Heckert to spare him today when they whittle their

roster to

53 players.

"In years past,

I was the one

sitting on the

sideline, sitting around watching the game," said Gaffney, a fifth-year veteran who caught 55 passes with the Houston Texans last season. "But this year, I'm fighting to get a spot."

He'll know by 4 o'clock this afternoon whether he won that fight. The Eagles likely will keep six wideouts on their 53-man roster. The first five are expected to be Reggie Brown, Donté Stallworth, Greg Lewis and rookies Hank Baskett and Jason Avant.

The sixth slot likely will go to

either Gaffney or Darnerien

McCants. McCants, who was twice cut by the Eagles last season and had just five receptions in 12 games, had four catches against the Jets for 69 yards, including a 30-yard catch-and-run and a nifty 23-yard grab on a fade pass that set up an Eagles touchdown. Gaffney had three grabs for 28 yards.

"McCants had some opportunities downfield and he made them," Reid said. "He made some big plays. Gaff, when he had the chance to make catches, he made the catches."

Read between the lines there

and it sounds like Reid was more

impressed with McCants than Gaffney.

When the Eagles signed Gaffney in March, they expected him to be their slot receiver this season. But he struggled to learn Reid's West Coast offense, which is much different than the system in Houston.

Early in camp and the preseason, he often was tentative and plummeted down the depth chart, below

Baskett, an undrafted rookie, and

below fourth-rounder Avant.

"At the beginning, it was a little

bit rough," Gaffney said. "But I'm pretty confident with it right now. I'm trying to learn all the adjustments, but I'm good with it now."

Gaffney led the Eagles with nine receptions in the preseason. But he averaged just 10 yards per catch.

McCants had six receptions for 113 yards, including a 32-yard touchdown grab in their second preseason game against Cleveland.

The 6-3, 215-pound McCants is bigger than the 6-1, 205-pound Gaffney and more physical. He also is a solid special-teams player, finishing fourth on the team last season in special-teams production points. That will carry a lot of weight when the Eagles make their roster decision.

"My goal from the beginning has been to try to make a statement," McCants said. "The hardest part is getting opportunities. When you get them, you've got to take full advantage of them."

If the Eagles cut Gaffney, it will be an admission that they made a mistake 5 ½ months ago when they signed him to a 1-year contract. But Reid is more concerned with making sure he opens the season with his best 53 players than having a little egg on his face.

"One thing that jumps out at you when you look at his hit tapes [balls thrown in his direction], he doesn't drop the ball," Reid said in March. "He has great hands. He runs very good routes. In this offense, those things go a long way.

"He has a good feel for the safety. We're going to use him a lot as the

inside receiver in three-receiver

situations. He works in space well. He wasn't afraid to cross the middle with the linebackers and safeties."

Gaffney said he was pleased with his play in the Eagles' final three

preseason games.

"I left it all on the field," he said. "I came and showed the coaches what all I can do. I showed them I could learn the offense. I did learn it. I made the plays when they came my way. It's out of my hands now."

McCants said he expected to be up late last night, but not necessarily because of his concern about

making the team.

"I don't sleep after games anyway," he said. "I'll be up until 4 or 5. I need to clean my apartment. So I'll probably be doing that.

"I'm trying not to think about things I can't control. I just tried to go out and play hard and make it tough on the coaches [to cut him]. If I get the nod, I'll be in for treatment [today]. If not, I've got to see if I can get another job."