By: Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor 
Football finally makes its return to the City of Brotherly Love on Thursday night as the Eagles open the preseason against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The first game of the preseason is generally a first look at, well, everything. For the Eagles, that is the literal meaning of the first preseason game. New coach, new scheme, new playbook and plenty of new faces.
The learning curve may be evident, but knowing that this is just the first step of the four-week road to the regular season makes any mistakes seen on Thursday a little easier to take.
Here are six storylines and keys to the game worth watching.
- Doug Pederson’s Playbook – It’s Doug Pederson's debut on the sidelines and just as perfect execution is not expected on the field, there are bound to be some growing pains in Pederson’s decision-making and some things to work on from the playbook. But being his first game, this is a chance to take a closer look at the scheme the Eagles will run. There will be some fine-tuning throughout the preseason to this playbook, but this will be the basis for much of what the Eagles will run all season.
- Carson Wentz’s Debut – The second half of a preseason game doesn’t usually carry much excitement. That is, unless the starting quarterback of the future is getting his turn on the field. Eagles fans should embrace Carson Wentz’s first action on the field. For one, there may be very little of it beyond the preseason this year. But, like Pederson, this is the first chance to see the raw ability that the North Dakota State product has. All eyes will be on Wentz when the second half begins.
- New-look Secondary – There are a fair number of starters not available for Thursday’s game, but three that will get some early playing time in starting positions are Leodis McKelvin, Rodney McLeod and Ron Brooks. All three are new additions to the secondary and said to be upgrades. This is the first chance to see what they bring to the table.
- Defensive Scheme – There has been a great deal of conversation about how Jim Schwartz could revitalize the Eagles defense with his defensive scheme. It’s time to see that unleashed, albeit in small spurts during the preseason. Nevertheless, Schwartz is looking to bring a toughness back to the Eagles defense and this will be the first sampling of it in game action.
- Other Rookies – Wendell Smallwood is unfortunately listed as one of the inactives for Thursday, but two players that could garner some attention are Blake Countess and Jalen Mills. The two have been making some noise in camp and, despite being late-round picks, are looking to prove they are better than their draft placement.
- Undrafted Free Agents – This is the reason you have the preseason games to begin with. There’s always a chance that an undrafted free agent, someone unheard of, could come in and surprise and earn a roster spot. The roster of 90 is competing for 53 spots. Some names to watch among that group: Byron Marshall, Cedric O’Neal and Paul Turner.
