Bradford makes appearance at practice

In a bit of surprise, quarterback Sam Bradford was out on the NovaCare practice field Tuesday for the Eagles' one-hour practice session.

Bradford, who suffered a concussion and an AC joint sprain in his left (non-throwing) shoulder in Sunday's 20-19 loss to Miami, was in a red jersey and wasn't wearing a helmet. He didn't do anything. But typically, players with concussions aren't even usually outside on the practice field that soon after the injury.

NFL Network reported Monday that Bradford likely would miss not just Sunday's game against Tampa Bay, but also the Eagles' Thanksgiving game against Detroit.

Bradford is going through league-mandated concussion protocol. So he can't practice or play until he is cleared by an independent neurologist. Last week, safety Malcolm Jenkins, who suffered a concussion in the Eagles' Week 9 win over Dallas, was cleared on Thursday morning.

Bradford was replaced by backup Mark Sanchez on Sunday. Sanchez completed 14 of 23 passes for 156 yards, but had a devastating red-zone interception with 4 ½ minutes left in the game when the Eagles already were within range for a go-ahead field goal.

If Bradford can't play Sunday, Sanchez will get his first 2015 start against the Bucs.

"Mark is very aggressive,'' offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur said Tuesday. "He's very aggressive pushing the pace. He's very aggressive with his throws.

"It's important to match that aggressiveness with staying in the moment and matching the situation that kind of reveals itself within each play.''

Asked whether coaches need to remind a quarterback in a situation such as Sunday's to be extra careful because a field goal would give you the lead, Shurmur said, "He knew the situation certainly. But every time you call a run play, you don't tell the running back, 'Don't fumble.'

"And every time you call a pass play, you don't tell the quarterback, 'Don't take a sack. Don't throw a pick.'

Shurmur said there was nothing wrong with the play call when Sanchez threw the interception.

"That was a great play call,'' he said. "It's just that we threw an interception, which we don't want to do. Why does that fall on the play call?

"That was a simple naked (bootleg) play that was off of a run play that they defended earlier. In that situation, you had a deep (throw), an intermediate and two short throws. It's all layered up there for you. I thought it was a great call.''

Sanchez has 81 interceptions in 72 career games. He started eight games last year after Nick Foles went down with a broken collarbone and had 11 interceptions and three lost fumbles. The Eagles were 4-4 in Sanchez's starts.

Asked how you fix Sanchez's penchant for throwing picks, Shurmur said, "What you want to do is go out and execute the plays the way they're designed and match that with the situation you're in. That's what you do.

"If you go out there with all this anxiety that I'm going to make a mistake, then you won't be able to receive the snap. So you train. You train against what you're going to see, and then you go out there and let it rip and try to do what's right.

"The primary thing for a quarterback is being a good decision-maker, throw the ball on time, and be accurate with your throws. That's what we're always working on.''

Left tackle Jason Peters, who has missed the last two games because of a back injury, was in uniform and at practice Tuesday. Safety Walter Thurmond and linebacker Connor Barwin did not practice.