"Somebody derived benefit from playing in that regular-season-ending loss to the Cowboys, after all.

Eagles coach Andy Reid affirmed yesterday what he first said on his radio show Monday night - that Dimitri Patterson remains the Eagles' right cornerback.

Patterson was benched in favor of Joselio Hanson in the third quarter of the Dec. 28 loss to Minnesota. But Patterson played a strong, assertive game against the Cowboys, particularly as a blitzer, as one of the few starters to see extensive action. He said yesterday that was the most he had ever blitzed; Patterson notched his first career sack, against Stephen McGee.

"My thing is just coming out and being confident, aggressive, just what I've been since I got here, to be honest, since I got an opportunity," said Patterson, a 5-year NFL vet who played almost exclusively on special teams before this season. He took over for starter Ellis Hobbs following the Oct. 24 loss at Tennessee. "I wanted to be aggressive on the ball, whether it's the run or the pass. That's always been my goal."

Patterson took a special-teams penalty against the Cowboys. Penalties have been a bugaboo, something that is often a byproduct of his aggressiveness. He was yanked from the Minnesota game after being called for pass interference while still managing to give up a 46-yard completion to Percy Harvin."