Eagles Rumors

UPDATE:  Matt Ryan has already been ruled out for this Sunday.  Big break for the Eagles.

Andy Reid updated the injury status of several players at his day-after presser.

DeSean Jackson does indeed have a minor concussion.  Reid says he hasn’t ruled him out for Sunday, but it would be extremely surprising if he plays given the environment of the league at the moment.

Akeem Jordan again has a shot to return to practice this week.  Like we said last week at this time, if he practices on Wednesday or Thursday he’s got a good chance.  But he won’t be showing up for practice just on Friday and then playing Sunday.

Kevin Curtis and Brian Westbrook are definitely not returning to action this week.

Celek and Bunkley have minor injures (hand and ankle, respectively).  Reid expects them to be ready to go.

Important come-from-behind victory for the Birds today.  If they can pull one off in Atlanta next week, they will really be in great shape for a playoff push.

But that trip to Atlanta could be even more shorthanded.  It looks like Brent Celek may have a major injury to his hand — some torn ligaments.  He actually informed the Eagles medical staff that the pain was too great to catch the football.

And DeSean Jackson got his head smashed into the ground and suffered a concussion.  Given the environment around the league right now, it seems unlikely he’ll be playing in a week.

Tuesday evening saw some interesting events, in what is usually a quiet day of the week.

First, the Eagles signed CB Geoffrey Pope.  To make room for Pope, CB Jack Ikegwuonu was cut.  “Iguana” had his chance to make an impact on the roster this season — presumably healthy while corners in front of him were going down — but he couldn’t impress enough to ever see any action.

The Eagles still have another roster move to make — likely to be an offensive lineman added to the practice squad.

Also, Jon Runyan is back in the NFL!  He signed a one-year deal with the San Diego Chargers.  Good luck to you, Jon.

Finally, we want to give thanks to everyone who’s visited the site since we launched in February.  The Eagles have the most passionate fans in the NFL, and we’re happy to be a very small part of Eagles nation.

Have a great Thanksgiving, everyone.

First, an update on the injury situation.  Asante Samuel does not have a stinger, as initially reported by the team during the game.  He simply has a neck strain, and should be fine for this week’s game.

Akeem Jordan has a chance to play this week.  If he’s practicing Wednesday or Thursday, look for him to go.  If he can’t do either of those days, expect Reid to forget about Friday as well and give him another week.

In “news that would have been surprising 3 months ago”… the Eagles have signed Winston Justice to a contract extension.   Justice is now signed through 2013.  (Update: Details are in, it’s worth $18 million with a $6 million signing bonus).

What does this say about the roster?  Well, the Eagles see Justice as a starter at right tackle for the next several seasons.

And while it’s nice to see that the Eagles have capable, talented depth — it also hurts to have two big contracts that are unlikely to get dividends from (the Andrews’ brothers).

Big win for the Eagles last night — a fourth quarter comeback against a conference opponent.  We are approaching the home stretch, currently in playoff position, but with only a tenuous hold on that spot.

The remaining games:  Washington, @ Atlanta, @ NY Giants, San Francisco, Denver, @Dallas.

There were some injuries last night.  Asante Samuel is dealing with a stinger and his situation will be updated by Reid today and monitored throughout the week.

Jason Peters aggravated his ankle injury, but continued to play.  He might miss some practice time this week in order to rest up.

Like we stated yesterday, the chances of Sheldon Brown playing were better than the report from Domowitch.  Brown practiced today, albeit on a limited basis.

Not so encouraging signs from Akeem Jordan, who is still unable to practice.  He isn’t giving up on playing this week, but things aren’t looking good.

Which brings us to Joe Mays, who reportedly saw many of the first-team reps as the middle backer today.  If he starts, he’ll be the fourth starting middle linebacker for the Eagles this year (Gaither, Witherspoon, Gocong).

Specialists in Pittsburgh have given their opinion about Brian Westbrook’s injuries and their impact on his football future — and they are encouraging.

They used the phrase “excellent prognosis” and “expect a full recovery”.  Rehab will continue through the next two to three weeks, so he’ll be out at least that long.

Westbrook may choose to see others for a second opinion, which would be wise.  These doctors may have told him what he wanted to hear, but that doesn’t mean the second opinion is any less vital.

Sheldon Brown gave some indication that he’ll be ready to play on Sunday, despite not practicing today.  His hamstring strain appears to be minor.  Paul Domowitch tells a different story, though.

Jason Peters returned to practice today, though Andy Reid said he’s not completely healthy (is any player at this point?).

Not practicing — Akeem Jordan, though he could play on Sunday.  Kevin Curtis will not practice at all this week, either.

You probably already have heard the details on Westbrook.  He’s seeing a specialist today, and is already ruled out for Sunday.  This expert’s opinion will help determine if Westbrook can or should return this season.

Another disappointing but not surprising loss.  The Eagles are banged up pretty badly and they were playing a good team on the other side of the country.  Despite the lack of discipline and consistency from all units, the team is still in position to win the NFC East.

Injuries — Expect Brian Westbrook to be out for a while, possibly the rest of the season.  That’s a concussion in each of his last two games, and that is scary business.

Sheldon Brown’s hamstring injury is a strain, and he’ll be iffy for the weekend.

Akeem Jordan could be back practicing this week.  Kevin Curtis will not be.

More to come.

A very surprising moment from NFL V.P. of officiating Mike Pereira, he admitted on his weekly NFL Network show that the ball could have and should have been moved upon review of the fourth and one play Sunday night.

This, not surprisingly, hasn’t made us feel any better about the game.