Early Birds: DeMarco Murray running out of the shotgun; Eric Rowe at nickel; DBs vs. Aaron Rodgers

1) DeMarco Murray's biggest schematic adjustment in coming from Dallas to Philadelphia is running out of the shotgun formation instead of getting the ball from a quarterback is who under center. It's similar to how he played at Oklahoma, though, when he last took handoffs from Sam Bradford.

"We didn't do much of it in Dallas, but I've done it in the past," Murray said. "Hopefully we'll get more downhill runs and get in the home position, but I think just the way we run and the plays, it's hard for teams to set on one guy, set on one formation. We have a lot of things."

There are advantages and disadvantages. LeSean McCoy preferred taking handoffs when the quarterback was under center because he was 7 ½ yards deep and he said it helped with his vision. He had the running start in that scenario as opposed to in the shotgun, when McCoy said he started running sideways.

Murray said he actually gets to "see more of the field" when it's a shotgun formation.

"I get to see a lot of the things the offensive line are doing, and hear their calls and really know where the ball should go in different fronts," Murray said.

2) Eric Rowe was the Eagles' first-team slot cornerback last week. The job is open, and if Rowe could win it, it would be a good way to get the second-round pick on the field. Defensive coordinator Bill Davis said the Eagles kept the calls "pretty simple," but Rowe did a "nice job."

"He's got a nice press technique," Davis said. "He understood leverages, which is what you really have to do in the nickel slot spot. Eric is still growing outside, on the outside, so he'll swing back and forth, and I've said this for a couple years now, it's hard to know the outside and the inside and all the little different parts of it, and as a young guy, we try to stay out of that."

If the Eagles are more comfortable with Rowe on the outside, they could move Nolan Carroll or Byron Maxwell to the slot and put Rowe on the outside in nickel situations. Or the Eagles could move one of their safeties to the slot, and play an extra safety.

"Right now, we're trying to see if one of the corners will take the nickel spot so we can keep the safeties back deep, but it's still up in the air," Davis said.

3) Don't expect the game plans to be too intricate for either the Packers or the Eagles on Saturday, but it's always a good test for a secondary when Aaron Rodgers is on the field. The Eagles' worst game last season came against the Packers. For however long Rodgers plays, it will test the Eagles' new-look secondary.

"I hope Aaron plays a lot because I'm really excited to see our guys go up against them," Davis said. " We took a pretty good beating last year down there, and we're excited about the challenge. … And even in the second half when Aaron Rodgers isn't in, they're still moving that ball, throwing it around, and they've got depth at the receiver position, and we'll be challenged. It'll be interesting to see where we are."

zberman@phillynews.com

@ZBerm