With possible lockout looming, Eagles players face an uncertain off-season

Normally, there is a clear process in place for this point in the NFL calendar.

A team is eliminated and the players scatter, but they know when they'll be back to work, when they will have minicamp and "voluntary" practices, and when training camp begins. If they are free agents, there are specific dates they can sign new contracts.

But in a profession dictated by routine - exacting plays, formulaic weekly schedules - this off-season is shaping up as a strange one thanks to the labor dispute between the NFL's owners and players.

Eagles with expiring contracts don't know when they can seek new deals, and those sticking around might not have access to the training room at the NovaCare Complex. But several Eagles said they would try to treat the coming months of relaxation and preparation like those in any other year.

"You've got to approach it the same way you have in previous years. Just expect [a labor deal is] going to get done, and if it doesn't get done, you adjust from there," said tight end Brent Celek.

Even without the structure of a looming team schedule, long snapper Jon Dorenbos said, players will take responsibility for their own fitness.

"This isn't high school and college. These guys don't need to be baby-sat to be in shape because this is how they provide for their family and this is how they make a living," Dorenbos said. "You've just got to prepare like there's a season whether we meet as a team or not. One day you can get a call that says we're meeting tomorrow, we play in a week."

That works for those who still have contracts and are fairly assured of coming back next year. But for free agents, the off-season brings even more questions than they would normally face at the end of their deals. They don't know whom they'll be playing for and don't even know when they'll be able to find out.

"I really don't know what tomorrow holds. We'll just have to wait and see," said cornerback Dimitri Patterson, who this year got his first chance to start but whose contract ends soon. "There's a time for play, and there's a time for business. Right now it's a time for business. Simple as that."

As for the new collective-bargaining agreement, he said, "Patience is the key word."

The off-season could truly get tricky for players in September, when, if there is no CBA, they could start missing paychecks.

"Hell yeah, I'm worried about a lockout," said defensive end Trent Cole. "It's a thing that messes with our livelihood. People have a family to feed, and people's lives are devoted to football."

Cole said that while he has done well financially, a lockout would hurt players who haven't received big contracts or bonuses.

"You might walk into McDonald's one day, you might see a running back who hasn't been paid yet working behind the counter," Cole said.

Several players said they don't expect the dispute to drag on into the regular season.

"There's got to be something pretty crazy to happen for us to not be playing, because there's a lot of money out there," Celek said. "I don't know how anybody can make any money if we're not playing any football."

Just in case, defensive end Darryl Tapp said, he's prepared.

"I'm fine," Tapp said. "I still live like I'm in college."

Eagles to sign three. The Eagles agreed to terms with tight ends Cornelius Ingram and John Nalbone and wide receiver Jeremy Williams. Ingram, a fifth-round pick in 2009, has struggled with knee injuries but spent part of 2010 on the practice squad.