IT HAPPENED a lot two seasons ago, and just a little too often last season.

Eagles wide receiver Todd Pinkston would take his first step off the line of scrimmage, but before Pinkston could unfurl his long stride, he'd be knocked sideways by an opposing cornerback. In a West Coast offense where timing is everything, Pinkston often wasn't where he was supposed to be when quarterback Donovan McNabb got ready to deliver the ball.

Though Pinkston improved dramatically from 10 catches and one start as a rookie to 42 catches and 15 starts last season, detractors looked at his spindly frame, especially his Olive Oyl-thin legs, and wondered why the Eagles ever wanted to invest a high second-round pick (36th overall) in this 6-2, 174-pound project.

This season, though, Pinkston seems to be taking another big step forward. With 25 catches in six games, heading into tonight's encounter with the visiting New York Giants, he is on a pace for about 65 receptions this season. Pinkston isn't a game-breaker, but he has made some clutch catches, and he doesn't seem to get bounced around as much by opponents.

"I think he's better technically," offensive coordinator Brad Childress was saying last week, when asked if Pinkston is getting off the line more effectively. "I think he's stronger physically. I think he's learned to use his speed and his levers. He's a long-armed guy who can back people away from him...He's more technically proficient at getting off 'press' and getting off bump-and-run. We're paying him to do that. Those corners get paid to get one bump in, within 5 yards, so it's a pretty good 'chicken' fight out there with those guys."

Pinkston said he did a lot of offseason work on strength, not bulk, in the weight room. Just as important, he said, has been the opportunity to work in practice against corners Troy Vincent, Al Harris and Bobby Taylor, who have helped him decipher the tricks of their trade. Vincent also has helped Pinkston with training in the offseason.

"I had to get stronger, and I needed to work on tendencies, what various players are going to do against you. [The Eagles' corners] being in the league as long as they have, I have to respect that. I just try to take what they give me and apply it to the opposing players," Pinkston says.

"Last year was my first year as a starter. I'm more confident now, I'm making more plays downfield. [Consequently] teams seem to want to play a lot of 'cover 2,' stay off me, not let me get behind them."

Last week against Tampa, Pinkston's output wasn't all that remarkable: four catches, 61 yards and a touchdown. But the Eagles emphasized their ground game against the Bucs; Pinkston accounted for almost half the Birds' 127 yards passing.

"The biggest thing for 'Pink,' I think, is just having a year [behind him] that he's played. He's using that game experience to his advantage," says fellow wideout James Thrash. "He's one of those guys who can really run, he has those long arms, he's stronger than he looks. He just needed to relax and run."

This week, the Eagles face another ballyhooed defense, the key to the Giants being 3-3 despite scoring just 86 points, an average of less than 15 a game. Last season, the Eagles targeted Giants corners Will Allen and William Peterson, who both were rookies. This season, Pinkston isn't so sure that will be the strategy.

"They've definitely improved from last year," he says.

Peterson missed the Giants' Oct. 13 game against Atlanta with a toe injury, but given the bye week to recover, he is expected to play. Jason Sehorn started for Peterson against the Falcons.

Because at least in Philadelphia, the Eagles are perceived to be on the way up and the Giants on the way down, Pinkston and other Eagles were asked a lot over the past week about a "letdown," coming off their emotional victory over Tampa Bay.

"It's 'Monday Night Football,' " Pinkston says, shaking his head. "It's the NFC East."