Nate Allen Sidelined At Practice; Sproles To Miss Game


Safety Nate Allen was sidelined for Friday’s practice with a hamstring injury.

Wearing just a jersey and baseball cap, Allen looked on as the rest of the team worked under the bubble at the NovaCare Complex Friday afternoon.

This is a concerning development for the Eagles, who lack quality safety depth. Allen exited in the fourth quarter against Detroit with a hamstring injury a couple weeks back and it cost the defense. Colt Anderson, a quality special teams player but unproven at safety, replaced Allen and the unit suffered for it.  This time around, they  are expected to call on David Sims if Allen can’t go.

“Nothing’s finalized yet,” said Allen. “We’re going to take it day-by-day and see how it feels.”

Allen tweaked his left hamstring in practice on Thursday. It was a right hamstring injury that forced him out of the Detroit game.

“It is [frustrating],” said Allen. “But Monday is not out of the picture yet.”

This is not an ideal opponent to be down a man in the secondary. The Saints’ passing offense, led by Drew Brees, is ranked first in the NFL (316 yards per game).

Danny Watkins (ankle) and Mardy Gilyard (hamstring) also sat out. Cullen Jenkins (knee) was a full participant after missing Thursday.

The Saints will be without one of their key offensive weapons, meanwhile, as Darren Sproles will miss the game with a broken hand according to multiple reports. New Orleans, which ranks last in the league in rushing, still has Pierre Thomas and Mark Ingram. Chris Ivory is an option as well.

Sproles has 117 rushing yards, 323 receiving yards and four combined touchdowns on the season. He is also the team’s punt and kick returner.

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