Eagles rookie Casey Matthews is the man in the middle

Philadelphia’s Michael Vick will be the man in the spotlight Sunday when he returns to Atlanta to play his old team.

But Casey Matthews will be the man in the middle.

Matthews, a rookie from Oregon, will make his second start at middle linebacker for the Eagles, who will be put to the test by a Michael Turner-led Falcons run game.

The Eagles gave up 154 yards rushing at St. Louis last Sunday, underscoring some concerns about their inexperienced linebackers — Matthews flanked by a pair of seventh-round picks, Jamar Chaney (drafted in 2010) and Moise Fokou (2009). The run defense might have struggled more had Steven Jackson not suffered a strained quadriceps in the first quarter that sent him to the sideline.

Eagles Coach Andy Reid said he sees progress in the team’s young defensive players. Progress is good, but that’s no guarantee the Eagles are ready for Turner, who rushed for 1,371 yards last season, second in the NFC to Minnesota’s Adrian Peterson.

Matthews said he felt better about the way the defense played in the second half against the Rams.

“As a defensive unit, it was a little slow to start; you can expect that, especially the first game of the year,” Matthews told the Philadelphia Daily News. “But once we made the adjustments, we felt in the second half we came together and shut down what they had for us. We can always play better. There’s always stuff you can learn from.”

Matthews, the younger brother of Green Bay star Clay Matthews, didn’t have the benefit of a typical off-season to prepare for training camp. Instead, because of the lockout, the fourth-round pick had to step right into the starting lineup in August and learn on the fly.

That’s not a lot of time to study. Regardless, another big test is coming.