McLane: Eagles receivers still experiencing 'growing pains'

Greg Lewis saw up close how not having a top-tier group of wide receivers could hamstring a team.

In 2003, the Eagles' top three receivers were James Thrash, Todd Pinkston, and Freddie Mitchell. Pinkston infamously got beaten up by the Panthers secondary in the NFC championship game and that offseason Andy Reid went out and finally added an elite receiver by trading for Terrell Owens.

Owens didn't quite put the Eagles over the top, but they did finally reach the Super Bowl and came awfully close to winning. Lewis, an undrafted rookie in 2003, was the fourth receiver on those teams. He's now the Eagles' receivers coach.

The Eagles receivers of 2016 aren't quite as dire, but it has become increasingly clear over the first eight games that the team has found itself in a situation similar to that of 13 years ago - in need of a No. 1 receiver.

"T.O. got a lot of passes. Other guys did their jobs to help that. It was successful at that time," Lewis said Thursday. "But right now, that's not the situation that we're in. We're 2016. We're focused on the guys that we've got here."

Of the receivers Lewis has now, Jordan Matthews is more talented than anyone from the 2003 unit. But he lines up primarily in the slot and in his third season is still a notch below the top receivers in the NFL.

But Matthews hasn't been the problem. Outside receivers Nelson Agholor and Dorial Green-Beckham, while still only in their second seasons, have struggled to make consistent progress and have hampered the development of quarterback Carson Wentz. And like 2003, the receivers have drawn scorn from fans and critics.

"I can't control what's outside of us, or what people have said," Lewis said. "They can't control that."

The Eagles don't have a receiver in the top 34 in the league in terms of receiving yards per game. Matthews is 35th (63.4), Agholor is 120th (32.1), and Green-Beckham is 156th (24.2).

"It's going to be growing pains with younger players, but at the end of the day, this is our job," Lewis said. "This is what we get paid to do."

Lewis, who was a Saints assistant last year after three years as a college coach, was hired by the Eagles this offseason. He was one of six new assistants who came with coach Doug Pederson who had played in the NFL.

Only two assistants under previous coach Chip Kelly - running backs coach Duce Staley and tight ends coach Justin Peele - had NFL playing experience. Both are still with the Eagles. Bob Bicknell, who preceded Lewis, followed Kelly to the 49ers.

Rookie receiver Bryce Treggs worked with Bicknell in San Francisco this offseason before the Eagles signed him in September. While Treggs declined to compare Bicknell to Lewis, he did say that he related to the latter because like Lewis, he was undrafted.

"He's just fun to be around," said Treggs, who was active for the first time Sunday against the New York Giants. "He brings a lot of energy to our room. It makes work fun, makes it a fun environment."

But Treggs said that Lewis can be tough. For instance, even though he beat a cornerback on an "out" route and caught a pass during Wednesday's practice, Treggs said Lewis yelled at him because he didn't extend all the way for the ball.

"I feel it's a positive," Lewis said of being a former player, "because everything I'm trying to get them to do and coaching them to do, I've done, or I've been next to somebody who's done it."

Agholor said that Lewis started in the spring by reminding him of his strengths but also working on his weaknesses. The former first-round pick has made marginal improvement in his second season, but he has yet to have a game with more than four catches or 62 yards.

"Nelson has a real great skill set," Lewis said. "He's quick, he's fast, and he can get in and out of breaks. He has good hands. It's just we need to focus on . . . concentration."

Green-Beckham came in an August trade and had to be brought along slowly. The coaches have said he now knows the entire offense. And yet, the 6-foot-5, 237-pound receiver hasn't shown much improvement. He was targeted five times against the Giants but didn't have a catch.

"He's a big, powerful man and we want to use that to his advantage," Lewis said. "And we want to give him some auxiliary moves, as well - some quickness - because for a guy his size, he's relatively quick. . . . It's a work in progress."

If Matthews, Agholor, and Green-Beckham finish as they started, they will have a combined 170 catches for 1,916 yards and ten touchdowns. That's 50 catches, 285 yards and five touchdowns more than the 2003 group.

NFL offenses have become more pass-happy in 13 years, and if the receivers don't make enough progress over the last eight games, it might be time to call a T.O.-type receiver in free agency.

Jaylen Watkins has a secret weapon and he goes by the nickname "Weapon X."

The Eagles safety said that his after-practice sessions with Brian Dawkins have been one of the main reasons his tackling has improved. Watkins said that the former Eagles great has helped him specifically with how to strike receivers and ballcarriers.

"It wasn't a matter of having a will to tackle. I just really didn't know the technique," Watkins said Thursday. "I just went to him and asked him and he helped me."

Watkins, selected in the fourth round of the 2014 draft, started out at cornerback and then bounced back and forth between safety and corner over the next two seasons. But he made the full-time switch to safety this offseason and is now playing a key role as the third safety after starters Malcolm Jenkins and Rodney McLeod.

When the Eagles were in their nickel defense against the New York Giants on Sunday, Jenkins moved into the slot and Watkins took his safety spot. He played 95 percent of the snaps - the most of his career.

"The more he's out there, the more he has to take into account that now offenses are going to scheme him and they are going to know that he's on the field," Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz said. "He needs to raise his game."

Watkins had some inconsistencies. He took a bad angle and ran into cornerback Leodis McKelvin on a Giants touchdown. He was flagged for unnecessary roughness. And he was deep when receiver Sterling Shepherd caught a 32-yard touchdown pass, but Watkins said the Giants caught the Eagles in a zone that had him with two men to cover.

"It's just one of those things where it was hats off to the bad guys," Watkins said.

But Watkins has made significant improvement against the run and as a hitter. He delivered a blow to receiver Odell Beckham Jr. Watkins said that Dawkins, who now has an executive role with the Eagles, has taught him how to stay low and understand his individual strike zone.

"He's still intense," Watkins said of Dawkins. "Even helping me, he's still hitting the bag hard."

Darren Sproles has risen to the top of the Eagles' depth chart and is on pace to have the most carries of his career.

The running back has rushed 59 times in eight games and is projected to finish the season with 118 carries, which would be well above his career high of 93 in 2009. Sproles had 28 totes over the last two games, so it's conceivable that he may log even more than that estimate.

Sproles' averages the previous two years declined in nearly every category in the second half of the season, but he said he feels as healthy as ever. The 33-year old said that a regimen that includes increased stretching, cold and hot baths and massages has prepared his body for the long haul.

"Once I get in the game, it don't matter," Sproles said Thursday. "I'm just rolling. I'm not thinking about my snaps."

Sproles played 80 percent of the plays on offense in the last two games. Offensive coordinator Frank Reich said the plan heading into the Giants game last week was to use more of Sproles in three-receiver sets and Ryan Mathews in two-tight end sets.

"Not 50-50, but it's a good mix," Reich said. "And we got behind early."

Reich and coach Doug Pederson have talked about using more of backups Wendell Smallwood and Kenjon Barner, but they have had only 10 and 12 snaps, respectively, over the last three games.

When they have been on the field, they have generally been asked to carry the ball. Smallwood has 31 carries out of 52 plays and Barner has 20 carries out of 47 plays. Each has one reception.

Smallwood said he's ready for more.

"I hope so. I practice everything," Smallwood said. "I don't just plan on running the ball. I know I've got to pass-block, run routes. I'm ready to do it and I can do it."

1. What's the first position you played? Running back.

2. Who was your football hero growing up? I had a basketball hero. I was a hoops guy. I was a Michael Jordan guy.

3. Who is the toughest opponent you ever faced? 2015 Cam Newton.

4. Who is the best teammate you ever had? DeMeco Ryans because of the way he took me under his wing last year.

5. What is your least favorite piece of equipment that you have to wear? Socks. I never wear socks. I hate bending over, getting it around your heel, pulling it up. These socks aren't easy to put on.

Jason Peters has missed only 17 out of a possible 538 offensive snaps through the first half of the season. The Eagles left tackle played only 66 percent of the time last season and there was obvious concern heading into this season that the 34-year old wouldn't hold up. So far, so good.

"Hes got a lot of athleticism left in that body," Eagles offensive coordinator Frank Reich said. "I don't know how many plays he has left. But I really don't see any signs, and I wasn't here when he was in his prime, but he might be the best offensive lineman I've ever coached."

Peters has allowed just one sack in 313 pass-block snaps.

Brent Celek is planning to play Sunday even though he has a fractured rib. The Eagles tight end has missed only one game out of a possible 152 over his career.

Here is a list of the injuries Celek has played through over his 10-year career: torn right posterior cruciate ligament, concussion, double sports hernia, torn right medial collateral ligament, bruised left hip, torn right biceps, torn ligaments in thumb, high left ankle sprain, and torn right labrum.

Fletcher Cox hasn't recorded a sack in five games. It may be coincidence, but the Eagles defensive tackle's dry spell started at about the time that fellow tackle Bennie Logan injured his groin.

Logan, who is expected to return on Sunday against the Falcons after missing the last three games, said that Cox and defensive end Brandon Graham, have seen more double-team blocking.

"Lately the left side [of the line] has been getting a lot of attention," Logan said.

Lane Johnson is nearly halfway through his 10-game suspension. The Eagles tackle is eligible to return to the team on Dec. 19 for the final two games of the season. Several players, including center Jason Kelce and guard Allen Barbre, said that they have maintained communication with Johnson.

"I think he's staying ready to go," Barbre said. "He's not going to just disconnect from this world. He has a lot of friends here."

Rookie Halapoulivaati Vaitai, who has been filling in at right tackle, said he hasn't spoken with Johnson since he left the team. He said that if he has needed instruction from a player, he has gone to left tackle Jason Peters.

Johnson isn't supposed to have any communication with Eagles coaches, but it's virtually impossible for the NFL to monitor whether that is happening.

Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins and wide receiver Jordan Matthews made it clear on Wednesday when asked how they felt about the presidential election: They weren't pleased with the results but said they were ready to accept a Donald Trump presidency. Jenkins said that he voted for Hillary Clinton.

But there were also a number of Trump supporters in the Eagles locker room and guard Allen Barbre raised his arms in victory when approached and asked for his take on the outcome.

"I think it was pretty neat. I think it just goes to show that the country was ready for something different," said Barbre, who acknowledged that he didn't agree with all of Trump's policies and behavior. "What Hillary believed in seemed to be in line with the direction the country was already headed."

2.9: Average yards after the catch for Eagles tight end Zach Ertz, who is tied for 65th out of 69 NFL tight ends with at least two catches this season.

25: Total number of sacks (4), tackles for loss (8) and quarterbacks hits (13) for Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham, which is tied for the 13th in the NFL.

1.8: Average yards per play the Eagles defense has allowed inside the red zone (117 yards on 65 plays), which is best in the NFL.