Reid hopeful extended break will help heal Eagle's injuries

The injury news was optimistic yesterday when Eagles coach Andy Reid spoke to reporters, as his players began a much-needed 5-day break.

Reid said cornerback Asante Samuel (knee) and defensive end Juqua Parker (hip), who have missed the last two games, "are making progress and when we resume practice, they should be available to go."

Right tackle Winston Justice, who left Thursday night's game with a left knee injury after Amobi Okoye rolled onto the back of his leg with a little more than 9 minutes left, has a hyperextension, Reid said, not a sprain. That makes it seem possible Justice also might be ready when the Eagles start to prepare for their Dec. 12 visit to Dallas.

Everybody will feel a little fresher by Wednesday, when practice resumes. The team originally was scheduled to regroup Monday for a light workout, but Reid canceled that practice yesterday, and players quickly scattered. They'd just gone 3-1 in a stretch of four games in 18 days.

"I think we needed that [break]," Reid said. "We played a lot of games here in a short period of time, and we played some teams that had had extended time to get ready for us and were fresh. And it looked like it helped some of the other teams, so I welcome it right now. I can't tell you I was thinking that before we played a Thursday game, because those are a little bit rough to get ready for, but now it's done, and everything worked out OK, it's good to have this year."

Other highlights:

* Reid gave props to general manager Howie Roseman for the in-season additions of running back Jerome Harrison, fullback Owen Schmitt and safety/special-teams ace Colt Anderson, all of whom figured in the win over the Texans. Reid said Harrison, who carried three times for 20 yards, "is definitely worthy of playing more."

Harrison seems to be caught in the vortex that severely limited Correll Buckhalter's touches for severa years - Reid and offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg are reluctant to use more than one back at a time.

"It's just hard at times to take [LeSean] McCoy off the field when he's in the swing of things and doing as well as he's doing," Reid said. "But it seems like every time Harrison gets in, he does a good job. And we need him. We need him to spot McCoy."

* Reid said defensive coordinator Sean McDermott "is beating himself up" over the defense's last-in-the-NFL red zone performance. (So, presumably, McDermott knows how his players feel?)

"We've got to just continue to put guys in the right position, and guys, when they have opportunity to make plays, they have to make plays," Reid said. "It's really that simple, so we'll keep on working on it, so that we get better there."

* The right guard spot, where Max Jean-Gilles started so Nick Cole could rest his ailing knee, seems to be up for grabs right now. Reid said Jean-Gilles played well.

"I'm not sure exactly what I'm going to do there, but I have full confidence in both of them," he said.

No Eagle has ever managed as many receiving yards his first three seasons as DeSean Jackson, who has 2,830 . . . The Birds are 4-0 in prime time this season, with another one coming up at Dallas, Dec. 12 . . . The Eagles' 42 opening-drive points lead the NFL . . . The Eagles trailed in the fourth quarter of their last two home games, against the Giants and the Texans, winning both. *

For more Eagles coverage and opinion, read the Daily News' Eagles blog, Eagletarian, at www.eagletarian.com.

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