Let us review the final preparations the Eagles are making for their preseason game Thursday night against Tampa Bay at the Linc~~
Most of these updates you already know, but I list them here for posterity:
Tackling-to-the-ground phase of training camp drills is over…kaput… from here on out it’s wrap-and-release… “But we will continue to practice in pads throughout training camp and into the regular season,” said coach Pederson.
The team had its final full practice on Monday before the preseason game Thursday night. Sam Bradford and Chase Daniel had pretty nice outings in the live offensive formation plays according to most observers—Carson Wentz apparently had some timing and accuracy issues with some of his passes.
Speaking of Wentz, he’s going to play closer to a half on Thursday—far more than the quarter of play originally predicted here.
The players will be off Tuesday and have a brief walk-through session Wednesday. Pederson plans to have quarterbacks Sam Bradford and Chase Daniel split the first half of action.
“I’m going to try to get them all in the game,” Pederson said. “Obviously, Sam will start with the ones. I got Chase going in there. Carson [Wentz] will take the bulk of the second half.”
Playing time will be decided based on the game itself.
“I would go as far as saying, if it’s like a three-and-out deal, I would probably keep the ones in there for a little bit longer,” Pederson said. “It all just depends on how many plays they get. I don’t have a set number of plays. If they go down and score, maybe pull them out. It’s your typical first preseason ballgame from that standpoint.”
The game will be the NFL debut for Wentz, the No. 2 pick in the 2016 draft.
“I want to see the timing, the accuracy and the decision-making with him. I want to see him being able to move our offense. … I just want to see that execution. I want to see him lead the football team, especially in this first game.”
Meanwhile wide receiver Jordan Matthews with a knee strain is expected to miss the next few weeks of training camp, head coach Doug Pederson said Monday. Matthews injured his knee during Friday’s practice session. Rookie cornerback Jalen Mills hit Matthews low, one of several incidents that led veteran offensive players to complain.
Linebacker Mychal Kendricks was the only player to leave practice on Monday. Coach Pederson afterwards called it “soreness in his hamstring”, saying that the linebacker “should be fine” though the team will continue to monitor him.
Left tackle Jason Peters (quadriceps), safety Malcolm Jenkins (hamstring) and rookie running back Wendell Smallwood (quadriceps) have missed the past several days of practice. Matthews, 24, was the Eagles’ leading receiver in 2015 with 997 yards on 85 receptions. In his absence, Josh Huff has taken a lot of first-team reps in the slot. Veteran Rueben Randle is also a likely candidate to replace Matthews.
Defensive tackle Mike Martin (knee), wide receiver Marcus Johnson (quad) and cornerback JaCorey Shepherd (hamstring) all sat out on Monday.
Wentz says he is ready to trade in his red “no contact” jersey and learn what it feels like to play against a live NFL pass rush: “We quarterbacks, we’re just talking about that the other day, (we’re) kind of ready to get hit,” Wentz said. “We’ve been out here in practice, guys running by us, tagging us off, and then trying to react and finally to get out there and play football, real ball again – it’ll be exciting.”
“The biggest thing is just mentally playing faster, knowing what’s going on, knowing what’s happening with protections and everything. I feel like I’ve come a long and I’m feeling very confident with that,” Wentz said. “I’m not a finished product. I’m going to keep learning, keep getting better every day, but so far I feel very comfortable with where I am.
“I’m not going to try and blow anybody away or anything. I’m just going to go play ball … and show what I can do and I think the rest will take care of itself.”
Other rookies will be fighting to prove they belong on the roster. Cornerback Aaron Grymes may be new to the NFL, but he was very successful in two seasons in the Canadian Football League. Although this will be Grymes’ first time stepping onto an NFL field, he believes his experience in the CFL will bode well for him.
“There’s a little bit of nerves. It’s going to be my first NFL game,” Grymes said. “But I’ve been in a preseason before (in the CFL) and I’ve been in a professional camp before so I kind of know how to approach the game.”
“From my standpoint, I’m approaching it like a regular season game because I have to compete for a roster spot, so I don’t have time to try and save myself for the first game of the season,” Grymes said. “I have to go out there and give it my all like it’s a real game.”
The flip side of the coin is the veterans in camp. The older guys in the “1’s” and “2’s” groups have a different take on the preseason games.
For them, it’s mostly about pacing yourself and taking care of your body in a cautious way.
“The older you get, you have to do it or you’re not going to be in the NFL. I don’t care who you are,” 31-year-old Brent Celek (whom I like) said. “You talk to guys who get up to eight, nine, 10 years and even beyond like (Jason) Peters and (Darren) Sproles – it’s not easy. You really have to do things that you didn’t have to do when you were 21 years old. I’ve got to do a lot more stretching, a lot more soft tissue work. I’ve got to eat healthier. I’ve got to get to bed earlier. It’s just small stuff to take care of my body.”
“Knock on wood – I’ve been saying this the last few days – I feel really good, but I’ve got a long way to go.”
“Whatever my role is on the play, whether it’s blocking, running a route, pass blocking, I’m just going to try to do it to the best of my ability and get my job done for the betterment of this team,” Celek said.
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