Following Wolff's path

IT SURE seemed that Nate Allen was going to practice yesterday, during the loosening-up drills reporters were allowed to watch. But the Eagles' safety said afterward he hadn't done much, "little light movements and stuff," and the team officially listed him as not having practiced.

Which brings us to Earl Wolff.

(Brings us to Earl Wolff. According to Chip Kelly, if Allen can't play, the Eagles might start special-teams ace Chris Maragos Sunday at Houston, or even rookie corner Jaylen Watkins, who later classified himself as only an "emergency" safety. Hey, practice-squad quarterback G.J. Kinne also might be in Chip's mix.)

Wolff is the 2013 fifth-round draft pick who started six games last season and showed promise, or at least seemed less snakebit than Patrick Chung. Wolff suffered a knee injury last Nov. 10 at Green Bay, and his path since then has meandered. This season, the Eagles have gone exclusively with Malcolm Jenkins at one safety spot and Allen at the other. Wolff has played special teams, and a down here or there when one of the starters has gotten dinged.

"I have a lot of confidence in myself, and my teammates have a lot of confidence in me," Wolff said after taking most of the first-team reps in yesterday's practice. "I know I can play at a high level . . . It's all about consistency."

Kelly mentioned consistency as a problem this week, when he was asked about Wolff. Yesterday, Kelly noted that "there was a lot of football he didn't play last year" after the knee injury, which he said left Wolff behind where a player otherwise might be midway through his second NFL season.

Asked if Wolff had come along the way he'd hoped or planned, Kelly said: "Hoped? I don't have any hopes or aspirations for anybody . . . I think they are the one that has to have their own plan in terms of the way they want things to work out. If you ask me what my plan was, it was for him to start every game, have 27,000 picks and win a Super Bowl. So he has not exceeded that right now."

Wolff was asked if he'd hoped to have a bigger role by now.

"Yeah, I would," he said. "I pray about it all the time . . . it was kind of getting to me after the preseason. But then I feel like God just told me it's all about his timing, when he wants me to get in there, when he wants me to play. It's not all about me . . . When I do find myself thinking about it, I just tell myself that he has me."

Allen, injured last week in Arizona, said: "We'll see, man. It's really up in the air." But it would seem to be significant that he couldn't practice at all Wednesday or yesterday, the two heaviest prep days each week.

"He hasn't gotten many [snaps] in the game, but he's gotten plenty in practice," Jenkins said yesterday of Wolff. "Earl's a really good athlete. He can do everything we ask him to do - play in the box, play deep. The biggest thing is the communication, and settling that side of the field. When people move [in the offensive formation], reiterating his calls, making his calls loud, so everybody understands what he's doing, everybody's on the same page.

"That's really the biggest thing about our position and the biggest concern we would have with putting in a new person, is making sure that communication stays at the same level. Nate does a really good job of getting calls out, getting guys on the same page, so we don't have the confusion and those blown coverages."

Jenkins said "being the quarterback of your side" has been Wolff's biggest developmental challenge.

"Him talking not only to the other safety but talking to the corner, talking to the 'backers, the d-line if he has to, and doing that quick and fast and loud, so everybody's lined up and feeling comfortable . . . That's one thing you've got to have as a safety, is just a little bit of that leadership quality," Jenkins said. "He's done well this week in practice."

Asked why he seems to know so little about injuries, when he compiles detailed data on practice, sleep habits and diet, Chip Kelly said yesterday that those are things he can affect, that he can't affect injuries. "I'm not Dr. Miyagi," Kelly said, referring to Mr. Miyagi from the "Karate Kid" movies. "I can't put my hands together . . . touch his leg and make him better." (Though Kelly probably wouldn't admit it, he has to know the extent of an injury in order to plan.) . . . Corner Brandon Boykin (hamstring) was a full practice participant and Boykin said he felt "optimistic" about playing this week. The outlook is similar for center Jason Kelce and running back Darren Sproles . . . Right guard Todd Herremans practiced fully but declined to discuss his plan to play Sunday with his torn left bicep braced . . . Wide receiver Brad Smith (groin) is back at practice this week as a limited participant . . . Texans running back Arian Foster has rushed for more than 100 yards in each of the last four games.

Blog: ph.ly/Eagletarian