Last modified: Saturday, August 23, 2008 1:04 AM EDT Patriot linebacker Mike Vrabel (50) has his eye on Eagle QB Donovan McNabb. (Staff photo by MARK STOCKWELL) PATS NOTEBOOK: Green sees action BY MARK FARINELLA SUN CHRONICLE STAFF FOXBORO - There was a list of 13 players who weren't expected to play for the Patriots in Friday night's preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles. For the first time this year, Jarvis Green wasn't one of them. "The first three two or three weeks I've been out, and I've been trying to get back on the field," said Green, the veteran defensive tackle who spent the first few weeks cooling his heels as he recovered from offseason shoulder surgery. "For me, it's a different mindset. I've got to get out there and play football." Green was part of the early defensive line rotation, manning the right side. He was credited with one tackle in the 27-17 loss by the Patriots before taking a seat for the night. His preparation time for the season that starts Sept. 7 against the Kansas City Chiefs will be at a premium. The Patriots have just one more preseason game, Thursday in East Rutherford, N.J., against the world-champion Giants (7 p.m.; Ch. 5, 64). That's what made his appearance in Friday night's game all the more important, Green said. "Hey, we've just got to get ready, man," he said. "We've got to get ready for (Kansas City). After this, we've got another week of practice and preseason to get better. "That's our preparation for the season," he continued. "Everybody can talk about what happened last week, but that's the game where everyone is playing, for all the teams. It's a time for everybody to get better, and we've just got to go out there and get better taking it one day at a time." The Patriots' defense will have a blueprint from which to proceed; the Eagles converted 50 percent of their third-down situations and had a 242-56 edge in total yards at halftime. Quick kicks The players announced by the Patriots who wouldn't be playing against the Eagles were Tom Brady, Jason Webster, Brandon Meriweather, LaMont Jordan, Mike Richardson, Kyle Eckel, Stephen Neal, Matt Light, Billy Yates, Oliver Ross, Sam Aiken, Le Kevin Smith and Adalius Thomas ... Tedy Bruschi registered a 6-yard sack in the first quarter when Donovan McNabb slipped and fell in the backfield ... Bruschi made a more legitimate play when he batted a touchdown pass away from L.J. Smith in the end zone to end Philadelphia's first drive and force a field goal ... Matt Cassel's 22-yard run in the first quarter was the Patriots' longest run of the preseason to date ... Through three quarters, Vince Wilfork led the Patriots with eight tackles, while rookie Jerod Mayo and Bruschi had seven apiece. Wilfork's total stood as both team- and game-high totals ... Stephen Gostkowski improved his preseason output of field goals to a perfect 5-for-5 with a 35-yarder in the second quarter. Cassel's final tally: 8-14, 60 yards, three sacks for 16 yards, no TDs or interceptions, passer rating of 67.6 ... Through three quarters, the Patriots had only nine first downs ... The Patriots will have to make their first cut Tuesday, going from 80 players to 75.