The following Eagles are inactive for today’s 1 p.m. game against the Falcons: Trent Edwards, Damaris Johnson, Dion Lewis, Jamar Chaney, Danny Watkins, Nate Menkin and Vinny Curry.
A reader asked this week if today’s game against the Falcons is the biggest of both Michael Vick and Andy Reid’s careers.
To that, the answer is no.
Vick has played in an NFC championship game. And Reid has played in a Super Bowl. Those were career-defining games – much more so than a Week 8 regular-season matchup.
Having said that, there’s no doubt that today’s contest is huge for both guys.
Join Sheil and Tim for a live chat Sunday as the Eagles host the Falcons. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.
Who’s picking the Eagles in Sunday’s matchup against the Falcons? Here’s the roundup.
The great question of our time has been answered: Todd Bowles will coach from the sideline Sunday, coming down from his usual perch in the coaches’ box.
“Just his presence on the field I think is important so he’ll be down on the field,” said Andy Reid.
New vantage point, new responsibilities for the veteran assistant coach who will be calling a game for the first time on the professional level. He has not had such duties since he was the defensive coordinator at Grambling State in the late 90’s.
This will not play well with the large portion of the fan base that was not on board with drafting a 26-year-old guard to begin with.
Andy Reid revealed Friday that Danny Watkins‘ ankle, the one that will likely sideline him for Sunday’s pivotal game against Atlanta, is “chronic.”
“Danny has kind of a chronic ankle and he has had it for years,” said Reid after Friday’s practice.
Here are 10 things to know about how the Eagles’ offense matches up with the Falcons’ defense. If you missed the first cheat sheet, click here.
Danny Watkins missed his second straight practice Friday with an ankle injury. It is quite possible that the right guard will be sidelined for Sunday’s game against the Falcons.
Rookie Dennis Kelly is expected to fill the void if Watkins can’t go. Kelly, a fifth-round pick out of Purdue, played exclusively at tackle in college. He worked in at guard during training camp and has gotten some reps at practice, but is inexperienced at the position.
It’s natural to wonder what was going through Bobby April’s head when he heard the news that Juan Castillo had been fired.
When Andy Reid announced Castillo’s dismissal, he said he was evaluating all aspects of his football team during the bye week. Presumably, that included special teams, a unit that ranks among the worst in the league.
Danny Watkins missed practice with an ankle injury Thursday. The second-year guard was on the injury report Wednesday as well, but was listed as a full participant.
Rookie Dennis Kelly got the reps at right guard in Watkins’ absence. The 6-8 rookie played tackle exclusively at Purdue. His only experience at guard has come during training camp and at practice.
Every Thursday we select a few of your Twitter questions and provide the long-form answers they deserve. For a chance to have your question published on Birds 24/7, send it to @Tim_McManus.
The Eagles’ offseason trade of Asante Samuel was complex for a few different reasons – most of all, because of Samuel’s contract.
The veteran cornerback had to restructure his deal with any team that wanted to trade for him, so in reality, it was almost like he was a free agent picking his destination. If the Eagles found a trading partner that was willing to offer up acceptable compensation, the call was still pretty much Samuel’s. No team in the league was going to trade for him and pay his original salary from the Eagles contract.
“It was a joint thing,” Samuel said, per the Falcons’ web site. “It was something we all had to agree on together. I had other choices that I was not going to pick. Atlanta was the place I wanted to come. They tried to not let me come to Atlanta of course, but we got it done. We got it done.”
We have everything covered for you here at Birds 24/7, including your game-day weather forecast — at least when a hurricane is pushing up the coast.
What effect will Hurricane Sandy have on Sunday’s 1 o’clock game between the Eagles and Falcons? We asked Glenn “Hurricane” Schwartz of NBC 10.
Todd Bowles wants to free up the Eagles’ pass-rushers, but he’s not overly concerned that the team has zero sacks in the last three games.
“They’re rushing the passer very well,” Bowles said. “There are times when there’s max protection. There are times when the ball comes out. But it all ties in. You can say you want to get the guys rushing better and doing things more, but if they’re running it down our throat, it’ll be hard. So you’ve got to kind of go off what you see off film and kind of pick your spots and time it out and see how it works.”
Several players this week have suggested that Juan Castillo‘s defense was predictable, and therefor vulnerable in the fourth quarter when the opposition deciphered what was coming.
Though it may have some truth to it and even come from a good place, it sure can sound like blame-shifting after a while. As in, Juan was the issue and the issue is gone, so we can now realize our potential with Todd Bowles at the helm.
Not everybody is on board with the notion that Castillo was a hindrance, or buying into the “predictability” line of defense when rationalizing back-to-back fourth-quarter lapses.
