Ertz to Eagles rookies: Lay off low hits
There was concern when the Eagles walked off the field at practice Friday because tight end Zach Ertz and wide receiver Jordan Matthews were not with them.
There was concern when the Eagles walked off the field at practice Friday because tight end Zach Ertz and wide receiver Jordan Matthews were not with them.
Both players were escorted to the locker room by the medical staff before practice ended. The Eagles' top two pass catchers were victims of low hits during drills with live tackling periods.
Ertz was cleared after passing a concussion test. Matthews injured his left knee, but the injury is not considered serious, and coach Doug Pederson expects Matthews to be sore for only a few days.
Other players also joined them on the injury report during a physical practice. A concussion was diagnosed for defensive end Marcus Smith, and he must go through the league-mandated concussion protocol before he can return to practice. Defensive tackle Mike Martin left with a sprained knee.
But the scares to Ertz and Matthews underscore the risk of live tackling at practices, especially when the defenders tackle low. Ertz went to the ground on a hit by rookie safety Blake Countess, and Matthews took a hit by rookie cornerback Jalen Mills.
"I think it needs to be addressed," Ertz said of the low hits. "It is what it is. It's live football. That situation is in the game, so we've got to get ready for it. But obviously with Jordan and I getting hurt today, you don't want to see that."
Pederson said he does not second-guess the physical practices. He said once "you second-guess, you get beat." He wants defenders to use the proper form when tackling, but he neither fears injuries nor plans to curtail his format because of injuries.
"I just know this: Football is a contact sport," Pederson said. "It's going to happen. Whether it happens today or it happens [in the exhibition opener] Thursday night, it's part of the game. I'm a big believer [that] you never shy away from contact. You've got to have contact. It's a contact sport."
Ertz said he came off the field because of the league's increased measures on concussion spotting. He shook his head after the hit, and that prompted the training staff to take him inside for evaluation.
Safety Rodney McLeod hit Ertz low on Wednesday, and the two discussed the hit after practice. McLeod, a veteran, said that was the only way he could hit Ertz because of the angle. Ertz jumped to make the catch, and McLeod charged toward him for the stop. At 5-foot-10, McLeod found the legs of a leaping 6-foot-5 tight end.
A hit too low is an alternative to a hit too high, which is penalized and monitored with more diligence because of the danger of concussions. But Ertz said there is an understanding of how to tackle during practices, and low hits around the knees would seem to be off limits. He knows rookies are trying to make the team, although he believes veterans won't tackle that way.
"I don't think Malcolm [Jenkins] would go low," Ertz said. "I think if he went high, I'd go down a little easier with the respect factor playing in. Guys got to be pros. These rookies are coming in. They don't know what the atmosphere is like, the respect that's given in practice. So Malcolm, I think if me and him were going against each other, there'd be a little respect factor."
The Eagles escaped the practice without serious injuries to Ertz or Matthews. And with more than a month until the season begins, a short-term injury comes with time to heal. Players suffered serious injuries in non-contact drills under Chip Kelly, so they are not exclusive to live tackling periods. But with the way the Eagles practice, this likely won't be the last of this issue.
"You can't second-guess coaching. That's first and foremost," Ertz said. "That's when you kind of have dissension if the locker room, and you can't have that. Everyone is full-go on Doug Pederson. Everyone is fully behind him. Obviously, we've had some injuries. That's part of football."
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