DeMarco Murray, Kiko Alonso unlikely for Eagles' preseason opener

IT SEEMS unlikely fans will see two of their team's shiny new acquisitions, running back DeMarco Murray and linebacker Kiko Alonso, in Sunday's preseason opener against the Colts at Lincoln Financial Field.

Both players missed training-camp practice yesterday. The mystery behind what's going on with Murray's frequent practice absences deepened. Alonso still has not cleared the NFL's concussion protocol, though defensive coordinator Bill Davis continued to assert that Alonso is "fine," Davis saying: "I've got no worries about Kiko. He'll be all right. Just being cautious, that's all."

The list of Eagles sitting out was lengthy: In addition to Murray and Alonso, DeMeco Ryans, Mychal Kendricks, Zach Ertz, Jerome Couplin, Bryan Braman and Earl Wolff did not take part.

So, there would seem to be a good chance none of the Birds' ballyhooed trio of inside linebackers - Alonso, Kendricks and Ryans - will play against the Colts. Najee Goode and Jordan Hicks, come on down.

Safety Malcolm Jenkins was concerned for the comfort of his afflicted teammates, as they watched their friends toil in the sun. So Jenkins brought a folding chair over from a fan tent for his sidelined brethren.

"We had a lot of guys, for whatever reason, take a day off," Jenkins later explained. "I just wanted to make sure they had a nice little seat and a place in the shade while we were all working out there."

At first, it seemed the gesture might be aimed at Murray, whose on-and-off practice schedule has been the source of much speculation and conjecture. Jenkins said Murray , standing with Kendricks near where the chair was placed, was not his specific target.

"I got all those guys. DeMarco's the last one," Jenkins said. "Little joke. All of them obviously have reasons they're staying out, but when you're warming up and they've got their visors on, you've got to laugh or you'll get upset.''

Maybe it's something or maybe it's nothing, but linebacker Marcus Smith appears to be losing that deer-in-headlights look he had most of his rookie season, when the 2014 first-round pick played just 79 defensive snaps.

He has been more aggressive in 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 team work, and he put backup offensive lineman Dennis Kelly on his butt a couple of days ago in a pass-rush drill.

This comes on the heels of a frustrating spring when he missed much of the OTAs and minicamp practices because of a nagging groin injury.

"He's way ahead of where he was," Bill Davis said. "The biggest thing that changes from your rookie year, especially when you're a first-round draft pick, is that pressure mode. The pressure you're putting on yourself and that others are putting on you kind of calms a little bit on you [the second year] where you actually have some coping skills where you can handle it and still function and play and put your focus on the football part.

"And I think Marcus has his focus on the football part and controlling what he can control. He's in a much better place. He's playing faster. He's reacting faster. He's seeing the field better. Those are all indications that he's really taking some big leaps forward.''

Bill Davis recalled yesterday his introduction to Sam Bradford, in Bradford's first NFL game, Sept. 12, 2010. Bradford and the Rams hosted the Arizona Cardinals, with Davis as the Cards' d-coordinator.

"I blitzed [safety] Adrian Wilson off the edge probably 10 to 15 times,'' Davis recalled. "He kept hitting Sam and hitting Sam, and it must have been in the third quarter, Adrian comes over to me and says, 'Hey, Billy D., we're in for a long one. This boy's not rattled. I keep hitting him with everything I have, and he won't rattle. I can't shake him.' So we knew right then that Sam had the mental toughness and capacity. Then, his throwing ability, you've just got to watch practice to know he throws a real accurate, real pretty ball.''

Nonetheless, Arizona won, 17-13, intercepting Bradford three times, Wilson picking him twice. Bradford attempted 55 passes - not ideal for a rookie's debut - completing 32, for 253 yards and a touchdown.

Bill Davis said Byron Maxwell probably will move around, playing wherever the opponent's top weapon lines up. The Eagles tended to keep former corners Bradley Fletcher and Cary Williams on their respective sides last season . . . Davis said he looks at tackling in the preseason opener, because the Eagles don't do that in training camp . . . Good practice day for a couple of rookies, corner Eric Rowe and wideout Nelson Agholor . . . Today's workout will be a walk-through, in preparation for Sunday's game. Next week the Eagles host the Ravens in joint practices leading up to next Saturday's preseason game at the Linc.

pdomo@aol.com

On Twitter: @LesBowen

On Twitter: @Pdomo