Eagles' o-line injury shuffle

THE INJURY picture for the Eagles' beleaguered offensive line got a little clearer yesterday, when left guard Allen Barbre (groin) practiced fully, and limited practice participant Lane Johnson (knee, ankle) vowed to take team reps today.

Johnson presumably will play his usual right-tackle spot Sunday against the Saints, though Chip Kelly tossed reporters what smelled a bit like a red herring by mentioning that Johnson could play left tackle, should Jason Peters (quadriceps) be unable to go.

Peters left last Sunday's loss at Washington in the first quarter. Matt Tobin, who had started at right guard in the wake of Andrew Gardner having been placed on IR, ended up playing left tackle most of the day.

The most likely o-line group for this week is the one that finished the Washington game: Tobin, Barbre, Jason Kelce, Dennis Kelly and Johnson. Peters might try to tough it out again, but Kelly indicated he didn't want to get into last week's situation, when both Peters and inside linebacker Mychal Kendricks (hamstring) tried to play, but quickly limped to the sideline.

"You can't re-sub and say, 'Hey, we need to activate somebody else (during the game).' You have to live with it, so we'll have to make some determinations as we get to Sunday," Kelly said.

Kelly said that Peters is "as tough a guy as I've been around here in three years I've been here, and if he can go, he'll go. But he's a guy we've really got to take a real good look at this week in terms of what he can give us."

Johnson figures to someday (maybe a day not that far removed) be Peters' replacement, but he said yesterday he has practiced at left tackle "probably a few days out of my career here."

"It's just going to go down to reps. If I have to play it, I'll play it," he said. "Whatever I've got to do."

Asked about Peters, who was not available to reporters, Johnson said: "I heard he was sore today. I think he's in the weight room now, doing some work, just trying to get some of the soreness out."

Johnson said as far as he knows, he's playing right tackle this week.

Johnson said the o-line is primarily responsible for the 1-3 Eagles' struggles, which was not news to reporters, but did reinforce that the group is taking responsibility.

"The o-line is what's sinking the ship right now," Johnson said. "We gotta pick it up. There's a lot of football to be played. I think we're one game behind in the division."

Saints quarterback Drew Brees spoke glowingly of both of his former teammates, Malcolm Jenkins and Darren Sproles, on a conference call with Philadelphia-area reporters yesterday, but he was most eloquent when discussing Sproles.

Brees and Sproles were teammates in San Diego and in New Orleans; they work out together in the summers.

"Sproles is one of my favorite people, one of my favorite teammates I've ever had," Brees said. "We've trained together for a while now in San Diego, every offseason. I think we push each other, but it's really me trying to keep up with him all the time.

"His work ethic is second to none. His focus, his intensity . . . He's the epitome of what you would want in a teammate. Honestly, both him and Malcolm, the epitome of what you would want in teammates. The way that they work, the way that they prepare, the way that they compete - they love competition. They love the game of football. They want to win. They're big-time players in big-time moments. I miss those guys."

New Orleans is 8-12 since Sproles was traded to the Eagles and Jenkins left for the Eagles in free agency, following their key contributions to the Saints' playoff victory over the Birds in the 2013 postseason.

Chip Kelly said a lot of the blame for the Eagles' absurdly slow starts "is on us, coachingwise," that he needs to put Sam Bradford in better situations. This was a departure from earlier in the week, when Kelly was talking mainly about "execution" . . . Defensive ends Cedric Thornton (hand) and Taylor Hart (shoulder) were full practice participants . . . Cornerback Byron Maxwell (quad) did not practice but said the muscle felt good . . . New Orleans QB Drew Brees returned to defeat Dallas last Sunday after missing the previous week with a bruised rotator cuff. Yesterday, Brees said: "My shoulder's fine. I told them to take me off the injury report, so I don't have to answer any more questions on it" . . . Saints six-time Pro Bowl guard Jahri Evans, from Frankford High and Bloomsburg University, was a limited practice participant, his first time on the field since getting a knee scope two weeks ago.

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