Eagles Notes: Eagles' Evan Mathis takes Pro Bowl snub in stride

Evan Mathis did not make the NFC Pro Bowl roster, instead being voted a third alternate. The offensive guard has had a strong season for the Eagles, but he did not sound miffed about not making the game.

"I'm going to keep trying to be the best player in the league whether or not anybody is watching," Mathis said. "If it comes by accolades, it's fine, but I'm not going to pout if it doesn't."

Mathis understands outsiders have a hard time assessing offensive line play. Much of it is based on reputation. Green Bay Packers center Jeff Saturday was voted into the game even though he has been demoted from starter.

One issue is that there are no statistics to apply to the offensive line, so fans and even other players have no metric to use to judge a lineman's performance.

"It's tough for people to even want to pay attention to offensive line play," Mathis said. "And then to be able to say this guy or that guy is playing better, it's hard. It would take a tremendous amount of effort to give an accurate analysis on it."

LeSean McCoy said he expects to take less time off after the season the Eagles have had.

"I'm looking forward to getting back on the field, looking forward to getting into training camp, and getting my team together and get into next season," McCoy said.

McCoy has run for 795 yards and is on pace for his first sub-1,000-yard season since he became a starter in 2010. He also missed four games with a concussion, but his 4.2 yards per carry is his lowest average since his 2009 rookie season, and it pales in comparison to the NFL's other top running backs.

"It's hard because at first you look at the team, and the team's not playing well at all," McCoy said. "As frustrating as it would be to compare myself to other backs, it gets overlooked because of the season we've had as a team. That's the first part you look at it. I'm sure if I had a bad year rushing but we were going to the playoffs, it would be a little different."

Linebacker Mychal Kendricks said he was in the second stage of a five-step process of recovering from his concussion, and he's not sure whether he will play Sunday against the New York Giants.

Kendricks is the only rookie to start throughout the season, and he is a key part of the defense's future.

"Individually, I feel I did well, and I'm definitely setting my bar higher next year," Kendricks said. "I feel I've earned some stripes now, and it's my time to kick it up."

Wide receiver Jeremy Maclin missed practice with a knee injury, but he expects to play Sunday. Kendricks and defensive tackle Fletcher Cox missed practice with concussions. Tight end Evan Moore was out with a back injury. . . . Special-teams coordinator Bobby April said it will be a game-time decision as to whether Bryce Brown or Brandon Boykin returns kicks. "I wouldn't criticize him, but I wouldn't necessarily overly praise him either," April said of Brown, who returned last week.