The great news is the Eagles won a big game in Green Bay to get back into the NFC East Division title conversation again…and that alone is possibly worth the price of a few casualties in personnel at key positions.
But there's still a huge game coming up against the Redskins at home before the Birds get a much-needed Bye vacation.
Now here's the quandary: the Eagles are depleted by injury at key positions. The march to 5-5 has taken its physical toll. Out for the time being are super-tackle Jason Peters (quadriceps, concussion), coverage OLB Mychal Kendricks (knee) and the improving rookie safety Earl Wolff (knee). These combined injuries were the price of victory in Green Bay. And that doesn't count the lingering injured status of cornerback Bradley Fletcher (pectoral) or QB Michael Vick (hamstring) or Jake Knott (hamstring)…not to mention the dozens of guys who are just plain dinged up and desperately in need of a week off to rejuvenate their bodies before the 2013 stretch run commences.
Yet I am somewhat encouraged by the front office's vision in having arranged for some key back-up provisions as far back as August of 2013. With any kind of continued momentum and luck, the Eagles have the kind of depth on their bench that conceivably could get them over the injury hump and allow them to peak at full strength after the Bye.
For example, when Roc Carmichael (cornerback, Virginia Tech, 4th Round 2011 draft pick by Houston) was signed off the Texans' practice squad back in late September, I didn't even give it a mention. Now I realize I was wrong to write off the move.
At 5-10 and 190, Carmichael's presence on the Eagles active roster this past Sunday was a difference-maker.
I'm surprised more by the fact that BROZER, our own award-winning Bored member and resident Hokies fan, also seemed to ignore the signing of Carmichael back in the waning days of summer.
The Eagles had added him to the 53-man roster and placed cornerback Brandon Hughes on short-term Injured Reserve. Hughes, who had only been recently cleared to return from a broken hand suffered in a preseason game against the Carolina Panthers, injured his hamstring against the Chargers. NFL teams are allowed to designate one player to be able to return during the season from Injured Reserve. That designation was not used on Hughes.
“We've had concerns since we got here with depth at the cornerback spot,” said head coach Chip Kelly. “So that is a big concern for us overall.”
Carmichael (4.56 in the '40) played six games for Houston last year. He had nine tackles and one pass breakup. His rookie season was spent on IR due to a shoulder injury, but he became a solid special teams performer while with the Texans.
Other former Texans on the Eagles' roster are linebackers Connor Barwin and DeMeco Ryans, tight end James Casey, and receiver Jeff Maehl. Ryans was added in a trade prior to the start of last season; the others arrived this season.
At the time Carmichael was signed by the Eagles, there were already injuries limiting Bradley Fletcher, Brandon Hughes, Jordan Poyer and Shaun Prater. It was getting so bad you even saw safety Patrick Chung taking some reps in the slot corner position.
So it turns out it was a prescient move to bring Carmichael into the mix.
And starting at corner in place of Fletcher, it turns out Carmichael graded out as the best player on the defense against Green Bay, according to Pro Football Focus, which also graded Peters' replacement at left tackle, Allen Barbre, as a +2.2, or outstanding.
Najee Goode, who came in for Kendricks at OLB, just missed out on a pair of interceptions, but at least was in position to make them in a very capable relief effort.
"We always get some [reps] in practice to be sure we know the schemes," Goode said. "You have to be ready for every situation. Had a chance for some pass breakups, but just have to keep working to capitalize on them and make a good play into a great one.
"It was real fun just to be able to come in there and play against a great team in a great stadium."
On offense, Barbre made sure the Eagles didn't totally miss Peters, at least for one day, and the play-calling did not have to be changed whatsoever.
"We can run our offense when Allen is in there," Kelly said. "We've got a lot of confidence in him. He can play both guard and tackle. He's been a real versatile player for us. We knew at some point in time that we were going to have to use him during the season, and we were really happy with how he stepped up."
"As the season wears on and injuries begin to mount, the spotlight will start to shine brighter on the team's backups and the ensuing trickle-down effect the personnel shortages will have on special teams." — Nick Fierro, Allentown Morning Call.
Over these next six weeks, we'll probably get a much better sense of the overall roster strength, which Kelly on Sunday claimed to love. "I think [the Green Bay game result] speaks a lot about the depth," he said. "And you have to have it. It's a tough, hard-nosed, physical game, and everybody has got to be ready to play at any point in time. When you only have 46 guys active on game day, you've got to go, and that's what this deal is all about."
"But I thought those guys stepped up and came in and did a really nice job."
The good news is that none of Sunday's injuries appears to be season-ending, according to hints coming from the complex. Still, the Eagles have to be prepared for everything and anything, and their roster-building philosophy of not overspending at any position could be put to the test (even though they're approximately $18 million below this year's salary cap figure anyway).
Can Barbre and Carmichael maintain the level of play they displayed Sunday?
Are Kurt Coleman and Colt Anderson capable of filling any void that may arise at the safety positions? Coleman has extensive starting experience, after all, and Anderson has started some games, too.
What is linebacker Emmanuel Acho, signed when special teams standout Jake Knott injured his hamstring, capable of delivering in the regular season after being one of the stars of training camp who was inexplicably one of the team's final cuts?
For now, it's safe to add players like Barbre, Goode and Carmichael to a list already populated by proven reserves such as defensive linemen Damion Square, Clifton Geathers and Vinny Curry, who on Sunday became the team's sack leader with five.
But even the Chippah gave away his own secret trepidation of relying too much upon his reserves when he made this statement:
“Roc did a nice job for us,” Kelly said. “He’s been getting better. We’re hoping Fletch is back next week.”
Freudian slip or psychological projection? At the very worst, a backhanded compliment to Carmichael. At best, the Chippah just got caught whistling past the graveyard…
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