There's another, less fervently held, perhaps, but just as regularly practiced, that could factor into the outcome of the Eagles' matchup tomorrow with the Cincinnati Bengals : Six wideouts are preferable to three.

While Bengals coach Marvin Lewis figures to start T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Chad Johnson and Chris Henry and stick with them through ups and four downs, Reid will shuttle his six-pack of wideouts in and out.

Now that Reggie Brown and Kevin Curtis are healthy, the Eagles have been playing them all. All six played in the loss to the New York Giants. All but Greg Lewis caught a pass, none more than four.

Asked after practice yesterday if he'd like to see two or three from among the group of Brown, Curtis, Jason Avant, Hank Baskett, DeSean Jackson and Lewis step forward and become regulars, the Eagles coach indicated he liked things as they were.

"I don't mind playing all of them," Reid said. "As long as they're active, play them all. They're all very good, and they all do certain things very well. Keeps them all fresh."

Statistics tell the story of the playing-time disparity. Not surprisingly, Houshmandzadeh (61) has 23 more receptions than the Eagles' leader, Jackson. He and Johnson (37) have combined to catch nearly as many passes as all six Eagles - 98 to 113.

Then again, Cincinnati has won only one of nine games, a record likely more attributable to quarterback Carson Palmer's health than to any shortcomings among their wideouts.

"It's one of those things that you'll only be able to tell which is better [three or six] at the end of the year. I guess whoever has the best record," Brown said. "Sometimes it works like that with teams. If you've only got three receivers, then just play them. But if you've got six good ones that can come in and make plays, it only benefits you to use them all."

Despite their relatively modest numbers, none of the Eagles wideouts is griping about a lack of consistent playing time.

"We've got no egos. We all want to do what's best for the team," said Baskett, who is second among the wideouts with 20 catches for 285 yards.

"All players would love to be out there as much as possible," Avant said. "But you can't be selfish. When the coaches say these are the guys who need to play for us to win, then that's what we're going to do. We don't complain."

Some NFL observers have suggested that moving receivers in and out of the lineup during a game can prevent them from developing a rhythm with the quarterback.

No two wideouts, the theory goes, are the same; each has his own quirks and style. The more familiar a QB is with them, the more success they all will have.

Brown, who has 12 catches for 192 yards, didn't buy it.

"Donovan [McNabb] and a lot of us have been in this offense for a while," he said. "We all understand how it works and what we need to do to get the job done. I don't really think us moving in and out takes a toll on us or messes up our rhythm. This is the way we've been doing it here for some time, and it's been pretty successful."

Avant countered that after three-plus quarters of banging off cornerbacks at the line of scrimmage, getting smacked by safeties and running routes at full tilt, wide receivers who play every down can get weary late in games.

"Because all of us do different things, we complement each other," said Avant, who has 15 catches for 171 yards. By us coming in and out of the games, no one is ever tired in the fourth quarter. If we don't make a play, it's not like we were tired. It's a blessing."

Contact staff writer Frank Fitzpatrick at 215-854-5068 or ffitzpatrick@phillynews.com.