Bradley, Kolb show progress
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Bradley, Kolb show progress
Quarterback Kevin Kolb and linebacker Stewart Bradley were able to sit in on team meetings today, the Eagles said.
Neither will take part in practice, as they attempt to make progress from concussions suffered in Sunday's loss to Green Bay. Both players would need to be cleared by an independent specialist before they can return to the practice field, according to the league's guidelines.
As reporters left the locker room just before practice Thursday, Bradley was visible in the weight room, running in place, under a trainer's supervision.
Defensive coordinator Sean McDermott said he has "a lot of confidence" in Omar Gaither, should he be needed to fill in for Bradley at middle linebacker.
"He’s done a good job and having worked with Omar over the years I have a lot of confidence in him and I think his teammates have a lot of confidence in him, as well," McDermott said. "So, it is like having a fourth starter when he steps into that role.”
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Eagles special teams coordinator Bobby April took responsibility for the team's problems covering kicks, which began in the preseason and continued through last week's opener. April vowed to fix the problem; he also said he would reevaluate how he runs OTA and training camp practices. But kick coverage at full speed with tackling is the one thing teams never, ever practice, which can make a deficiency hard to fix.
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Offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg expressed great respect for Detroit's front four; given the Eagles' blocking struggles, that will be an especially important matchup.
"Yeah, it’s just a whole different squad there," he said. "On defense, I believe they have as many as 17 different players and I believe it’s eight that are starting. And they have a quality guys. They’ve got a five-time Pro Bowler in [LB Julian Peterson] and they’ve got an excellent front. He’s a five-time Pro Bowler, so they’ve got some excellent players on the defensive side of the ball.”
Mornhinweg indicated that Owen Schmitt, acquired to replce injured Leonard Weaver at fullback, will be able to transition quickly enough from a similar offense in Seattle to help out this week.
"He’s had a good practice yesterday, a good walkthrough yesterday, a good practice yesterday, a good walkthrough just now, so great confidence in him," he said. "He’s been in this terminology before, so he’s pretty sharp. He’s a big, physical guy.”
He also was asked about the balance of getting the ball in DeSean Jackson's hands without forcing it.
"We’ve been through that before," he said. "It’s cyclic just a little bit. There will be games where he catches a bunch of balls. I would suggest, I would think there will be others where other guys are catching the ball. Certainly tried to get it to him down the field several times. Got it in underneath several times to him. That’s a real fine line there. Look, when we don’t have it down the field to him, we’ve got to complete the ball and gain yards.”
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On the Eagles injury report, only Bradley and Kolb missed practice.
Everyone else listed was a full practice participant: WR Jason Avant (back), DE Antwan Barnes (wrist), RB Mike Bell (toe), G Nick Cole (knee), G Todd Herremans (ankle), T Austin Howard (back), LB Akeem Jordan (groin), DT Trevor Laws (oblique), P Sav Rocca (left hamstring). Avant, Jordan and Rocca were not listed on the injury report on Wednesday.
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Detroit linebacker DeAndre Levy took part in the open portion of practice today, his first practice since straining his groin in the third preseason game. Levy told the Detroit Free Press that "I feel close" when it comes to the issue of whether he is ready to play against the Eagles.
Safety Louis Delmas (groin) returned to practice today. Defensive end Cliff Avril (knee) and quarterback Matthew Stafford (shoulder) remain sidelined.
The Lions are still 2,000 tickets short of a sellout as the deadline hits for the game to be blacked out in Detroit. The team has been granted an extension until 1 p.m. Friday.
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To read our earlier post, click here.
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Its gonna be hilarious when Vick tears it up this sunday and possibly against the jags as well lol the eagles will be 2-1 and vick will get that swagger back and then BOOM!!! here comes our savior and quite frankly the greatest football player ever.... Mr. Kevin Kolb. I don't get how people honestly think he's really THAT good. I admit its way too early to judge, but i have a feeling the eagles blew it again ~ PingasMan out!!!!- Comment removed.
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DonovanwitaRealTeamNow -- ashley fox is not hotter then the spanish chic. do you want to make a wager on detroit my friend? put your money where you mouth is.
I can't wait to see Andy Reid throwing Mike Kafka out there to run the Power I on short yardage downs!...or wait, will he actually let Vick get into a game rhythm?— nyphilsphan- Let's look at last week: Kolb led the "loser" offense to 3 points in one half; McNabb led his offense to 6 points in an entire game. Kolb gets ripped and McNabb gets interviewed post-game. Hmmmm; methinks Rush was right.— JoeJanko
- JoeJanko - i don't agree with Rush L. an awful lot but he was 100% right on this one.— sasquatches
- This is pathetic...Defensive coordinator Sean McDermott said he has "a lot of confidence" in Omar Gaither....just come out and say the truth, 'there's a reason he's a backup, if he wants to prove he's a starter, here's his shot'....The job of the coaches is not to protect these overgrown childrens' fragile pshyche, it's to make them play better. Tell him the truth and see if he doesn't play a little harder, faster, and better.— Bleue
- Oh yeah, I can hear a coordiator say "Well, um, wow, we're having to go with Gaither, and I'll keep my fingers crossed that he doesn't make a fool of himself. If any of the notorious bunch of negativists coached NFL players they'd all be institutionalized before the end of training camp.— retzlaff
- Gaither stinks!!!!!!! This team is paper thin at OL, LB, and DB. Why can't we get it together? The injuries will be the end of our season.— warbird
- donovanwitarealteamnow: your attempts at ruffling our feathers = epic failure.— Omorales510
Rush is da man. That Redskins fan should get prepared for some serious worm killing at Fedex field.— blaqjaq- donovanwitarealteamnow, let's see how you feel after a couple more masterpieces like the one that Donovan put out there on Sunday, but what would I know, i am just another idiot Eagles fan who knows nothing about football. You will be happy with Donovan because he is better than anyone your team has had in a while, but if he is sooo happy being a redskin, how come he hasn't signed a contract extension yet..........— tiredofthewhining
- WOW. WHY DON'T YOU GUYS JUST CALL MCNABB AND VICK THE N WORD. KOLB IS SMART? REALLY. BLACK, WHITE OR BLUE KOLB JUT CAN'T PLAY FOOTBALL. NOT BECAUSE HOW CAN YOU SIT A WATCH AN OFFENSE FOR THREE YEARS AND NOT HAVE A CLUE? TELL ME THAT. PLEASE MR. RUSH L LOVERS.— coachbarnes10
