Relieved Maclin: 'I'll Be Back Out Here in a Little Bit'

Jeremy Maclin said today his left knee bone bruise is something that "just takes a little time to heal ... I'll be back out here in a little bit," and that having come back from an ACL tear in college at Missouri, he was very relieved to find he hadn't suffered a catastrophic injury on the final play of Tuesday afternoon's practice.

"I'm blessed and I'm thankful that it didn't turn out as bad as it could have," said Maclin, who worked hard in the offseason to improve on his strong rookie season at wideout. "I'm happy that it is what it is; I mean, I wish I was out there competin', but now I've got to get better and get out there as soon as I can."

Maclin didn't offer a timetable. A few weeks seems likely.

Maclin said Eagles head athletic trainer Rick Burkholder called him Tuesday night to tell him his MRI showed no ligament damage.

"Rick kinda called me and explained it to me. It was a sigh of relief," he said.

Andy Reid said: "I don't think it'll be very long" before Maclin returns, and added that Maclin "did some running inside" today..

***

Maclin's teammates held a brief, noncontact practice this morning before heading down to Philadelphia for the Flight Night scrimmage, which raises money for the Eagles Youth Partnership. Fans won't see Maclin on the field, obviously, or the other starting wideout, a fellow named DeSean Jackson, who was glimpsed jogging on a practice field again today, alongside Asante Samuel. Jackson is out with a lower back problem, Samuel with a hamstring.

Middle linebacker Stewart Bradley is scheduled to take part tonight, having gotten over his ouchy hammy, and not being weirded out by last year's Flight Night experience, in which he blew out and ACL, causing him to miss the season.

"We'll have a regular practice (tonight)," Reid said. "It'll be a little condensed, but it'll still have the same intensity level; the guys will be in full pads and banging away. It should be exciting for our fans to come see that."

Over the years, Reid has been strong on a steady routine, which Flight Night, started last year as a replacement for the fan carnival,  definitely disrupts. Reid said he doesn't mind.

"Ya know, I like it. It think it's a great changeup for the players, plus I think it gets 'em on the home field, before you get to the preseason game, gives 'em, especially all the new guys, get a little lay of the land of the stadium and locker room and then the fans, how close they are to the field -- the whole thing."

Reid said Bradley's devastating injury didn't make him nervous about the scrimmage.

"There was no contact -- that was just one of those crazy things that happens.I don't think that had anything to do with anything. It was a freak deal that happened."

The Eagles are scheduled to return to Lehigh tonight. Tomorrow will feature just one workout, in the afternoon.

Also not participating tonight: DT Antonio Dixon (concussion), RB Mike Bell (hamstring), TE Martin Rucker (hamstring), CB Macho Harris (hamstring), and C A.Q. Shipley (ankle), in addition to DE Victor Abiamiri (knee), LG Todd Herremans (foot) and C Jamaal Jackson (knee) who came into training camp with injuries.