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Mathis says waiting is better

Eagles injured guard Evan Mathis says he agrees IR designation so he didn't have to rush back before being healed.

Eagles offensive linemen Evan Mathis and Jason Peters. (Matthew Hall/Staff Photographer)
Eagles offensive linemen Evan Mathis and Jason Peters. (Matthew Hall/Staff Photographer)Read more

PUTTING EVAN Mathis on injured reserve, designated for return, was a good move for the Eagles and for Mathis, the Birds' left guard said yesterday - but he also noted that if he had stayed on the roster, there's a good chance he would be playing before Nov. 10, against Carolina.

After Mathis suffered a left MCL sprain in the season opener, Sept. 7, the Eagles used their one flexible IR slot, the rules of which said Mathis couldn't practice for 6 weeks or play for 8. So he returned to practice yesterday, his knee braced, and said he felt good.

"I went out there with the idea that I was not going to hesitate, I was no going to be gun-shy," Mathis said. "Even in warmups, full-speed running and everything like that, that's when I was first able to start testing it, and it felt great. The hitting comes after that. Everything was awesome."

Mathis said if he weren't "designated" and this week's contest was, say, a playoff game, he might very well try to play in Arizona. But he said he's glad he has the designation and doesn't have to make that decision.

"It pretty much lines up with the IR designation to return," Mathis said. "It's the best option for the injury that I had, because if I wasn't on that, I'd probably be trying to rush it back sooner than I could, and put myself and my team at risk."

Mathis' mishap came early in a string of early-season Eagles offensive-line injuries; the team certainly benefited from being able to use his roster spot. Someone must be chopped from the 53 when Mathis returns.

Mathis said as frustrating as it has been not being able to play, "it's the best thing for me to have these 3 weeks of preparation before I have to play."

Complimenting Cox

One of the keys to the strong play of the Eagles' front seven has been defensive end Fletcher Cox, who has been disruptive against the pass and the run. But Cox, somewhat typical for a 3-4 lineman, does a lot of his work only to see the linebackers reap the glory; they have 13 of the Birds' 19 sacks, and Cox has none.

"I can't say enough about Fletcher Cox and what he's done for the pass rush," defensive coordinator Bill Davis said yesterday. "We talk about it all the time . . . Fletcher is probably the biggest guy moving [the quarterback] off the spot right now. The sack numbers haven't fallen his way, but I'm willing to bet at some point those numbers are going to pop for him, because he's that close that often."

Cox, the 12th player taken in the 2012 draft, said he isn't worried about getting Pro Bowl numbers.

"I'm taking care of my job, disrupting the pass, being a force in the run. I put a lot of good teams in third-and-long," Cox said.

Birdseed

As expected, the Eagles listed Jason Kelce (hernia), Mychal Kendricks (calf), Darren Sproles (knee) and Evan Mathis (knee) as partial practice participants yesterday. Chris Polk (hamstring) and DeMeco Ryans (groin) were listed as full participants, and Polk said he felt good. "I definitely felt better today, even more confident. The plan, even [Tuesday] was to play [this week]," Polk said . . . Bill Davis said Kendricks' return is "a day-to-day thing." If the third-year inside linebacker can play at Arizona, Davis said it will help, especially in nickel and dime packages, against a team that goes "to four and five wide receiver sets more than most teams we've faced" . . . Arizona coach Bruce Arians said on a conference call that his "good college offense" remark last year was aimed at offenses in which the quarterback regularly runs the ball, not so much the Eagles' offense. "They do as good a job running the football as any team in the National Football League," Arians said . . . Cards wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald told a conference call that he considers Davis a friend; Davis was with the Cards from 2007-10, the final two seasons as defensive coordinator. "I know how hard he works to put his plans together, and guys have been able to execute it very well this year," Fitzgerald said. "He doesn't run a cookie-cutter defense; he uses guys and their strengths and puts them in position where they can have success. Look at the year that Connor [Barwin] is having right now."

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