Eagles lose Allen for season to knee injury

Seventh-round rookie Kurt Coleman is now the Eagles' starting free safety, with second-round rookie Nate Allen rupturing his right patellar tendon late in the first half yesterday. Andy Reid didn't officially say so, but Allen is done for the year. An Eagles security guard declared him off-limits to reporters as Allen fetched his belongings from the visiting locker room, moving stiffly.

Coleman seemed to play well after Allen went down.

"Absolutely," Coleman said, when asked if he is ready. "They brought me on this team for a reason . . . [Quintin Mikell] has been helping me out tremendously. So I'll definitely be ready next week."

The Eagles lost their first two 2010 draft picks to season-ending knee injuries in back-to-back weeks.

"It's kind of scary," said defensive end Brandon Graham, maneuvering through the locker room on crutches. "But I believe stuff happens for a reason. This is just a comeback for both of us next year."

Graham, by the way, watched the game from the private box of Giants co-owner Steve Tisch. Graham and Tisch's son, Alan, were friends at Michigan. Graham said at the end of the game, as he waved his crutches around and whooped and hollered, it suddenly dawned on him where he was, and that he should take it outside.

- Les Bowen