DeSean "so-so", Samuel practices
DeSean Jackson said his sprained foot feels "so-so" but Asante Samuel was a full practice participant, a positive sign for his availability Sunday.
DeSean "so-so", Samuel practices
DeSean Jackson said his sprained foot feels "so-so" today and was walking with a slight limp in the locker room, but Asante Samuel was a full practice participant, a positive sign for his availability Sunday.
Jackson, who sat out practice, said he has not heard from the NFL for his end zone celebration Sunday. Asked if he would play against the Giants he said "that's the plan" but didn't elaborate.
Samuel didn't share much with the media, saying he didn't want to give the Giants an edge, and also that he didn't want to do an interview until he played (he was willing, though, to talk to us about his statistics and Pro Bowl credentials).
"Expect 22 to do everything in his power to be out there to make my fans and our fans happy because I want to take it to the top," Samuel said.
Thursday will be a key day as the team sees how his sprained knee responds to a full day of work.
Winston Justice was limited in practice.
FROM EARLIER:
DeSean Jackson will miss practice today with a foot sprain, but Asante Samuel and Winston Justice are expected to try again to go through the full session as the Eagles prepare for the Giants.
Jackson is "day-to-day" head coach Andy Reid said. "I think he's going to be OK, but we'll just see how it goes here."
Of course, Reid had also been optimistic about both Samuel and Justice in recent weeks. Samuel has now missed three consecutive games with a knee sprain and Justice also sat out Sunday's game against the Cowboys with a knee injury.
It has been a busy day. Reid confirmed that Jamar Chaney will start at middle linebacker, with Omar Gaither at back up; Derrick Burgess was back in the locker room; Chaney talked about getting ready for his first career start in a crucial game and Reid cleared up some of the mystery behind Jorrick Calvin's bizarre non-return.
Reid said Samuel went through the team's walk through this morning.
"I think he feels pretty good," Reid said. "We'll see."
Justice said he has to see how he feels today and as the week goes on. His standards for whether he can go Sunday?
"That I could still move effectively … not being in any pain, because as much as I want to be out there it's selfish to go out and play if I’m not 100 percent," he said. "In my mind, I’m 100%, but realistically I don’t really know until I really go out there and move around."
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Reid said Burgess provides depth, but that the team wants to see how he gets through full practices before deciding his role on Sunday. Burgess, brought in after Brandon Graham was injured, has been out of football since the end of the preseason.
"We’ll see how he does today. If he’s moving around OK, maybe he gets a few snaps on game day," Reid said.
Burgess said that even with a similar scheme to his first stint in Philadelphia, he still has new terminology to learn. "I feel good, I know it's going to be rusty, but I'm just trying to learn this defense."
Rookie third round pick Daniel Te'o-Nesheim may also get a chance to fill in.
"Anytime someone at your position goes down it's an opportunity," Te'o-Nesheim said.
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Chaney was eager to get his first start, and show something to all the teams that passed on him in the draft.
"I was disappointed to be a seventh round pick, but at the same time, I came in here with a chip on my shoulder, wanting to prove everybody wrong. This is a great opportunity to do that too," Chaney said. "A lot of GMs passed on me, so I want to make it known that they made a mistake when they passed on me."
The rookie will have to make plays calls at the middle of the defense.
"I've been calling plays ever since Mississippi State," said Chaney, who played middle linebacker in the 4-3 in college. He missed almost all of the 2008 season after breaking his leg and tearing ligaments in his ankle, likely part of the reason he slipped to the seventh round, despite rebounding in 2009 and running the fastest 40 of any linebacker in the draft.
He said he expected to go no later than the fourth round.
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Reid also cleared up the questions surrounding why Jorrick Calvin was running around the end zone against the Cowboys, even though the clock wasn't running. Reid said the Cowboys create so many touchbacks, that he wanted to force their coverage team to run downfield anyway and play through the entire play.
Calvin's ensuing penalty, though, for shoving a Cowboy, "that part wasn't planned," Reid said.
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Doesn't sound very promising on Asante.— n62- I'm not buying the whole "we wanted the 'boys to run down the field" nonsense. Somebody didn't know the rules.— joeibt
- Rookie middle linebackers. O-linebackers who over play. No Samuel?. D-backs who run around like "lost boys" and don't know how to tackle. This is the Giants...and that's a recipe for disaster. Hope it's not the case, but I say a 30+ points and 350+ yds. day for the Jersey Giants!— Mule53
- So what if he didn't know the rule. What is the big deal? I guarantee that most of the guys in the league don't know that rule. Chris Collinsworth didn't mention it right away, and he invented the game. I like the fact that he was trying to do something positive on a play where he had nothing. He could have really screwed up and brought the ball out. The personal foul on the other hand was inexcusable.— realzeel
- hahahaha, at this point you can only laugh
http://backporch.fanhouse.com/2010/12/15/donovan-mcnabb-booed-at-lakers-wizards-game/?ncid=edlinkusspor00000004— peteike - Can someone explain to me why rules are never discussed in team meetings? It would seem to me a logical extension of coaching. And as for that inexcusable, boneheaded, asanine, freaking STUPID retaliation that moron Calvin did.....I think I'll take the high road and not venture an opinion. Wouldn't want to get a penalty for piling on.— TBear
D-Jack at "so so" speed is better than anyone else in the NFL. What a great game against the Cowgirls. Vick, Jackson, Celek, Avant, Macklin et al. . . these Eagles are for real. And to think the Eagles frittered away all of last year with McNabb. Oh well, Eagles and Falcons for the NFC crown . . what a game.- Answering the question posed: The Eagles absolutely need Asante Samuel to win PERIOD— billtfla
- Hanson, Patterson and Lindley did pretty well against the cowboy's run game, along with the lb's (except Sims the shark, who minnow'ed it up for the 3rd game in a row). Do they need him? Hard to say, but would it be nice to see him out there shutting down the leftside and free'ing up a Safety for run support? ABSOLUTELY!— Bleue
- The defense is entirely different with 22
- Anybody that thinks Colvin didn't know the rule, and thats why he was running back and forth, is an idiot. It was clearly coached...and it was good coaching!!! Buehler is a beast on kickoffs...but why give the Dallas coverage units a free pass?? Tire them out just like any coverage unit should be. By not immediately taking a knee, Colvin forced the Cowboys to run down the field like on any other kickoff.— adzack3441
