Peters ready for full game against Saints
Eagles’ left tackle Jason Peters tried to play through a quad injury last week in Washington, but only lasted one quarter. He assures he’ll be a full-go against New Orleans this weekend.
PHILADELPHIA » Jason Peters tried to play through a quad injury last week in Washington, lasted one quarter, then rested for the rest of the Eagles’ 23-20 loss.
That’s not going to happen this week when the New Orleans Saints visit the Linc, the veteran left tackle assured. And why? “Because,” he said, “I am who I am.”
So let it be known: Peters, who did not practice Wednesday but practiced fully Thursday, is not only prepared to play Sunday, but is certain it will be with complete effectiveness.
“I’m going to play, yeah,” he said. “I feel good. I did the whole practice today. I’m going to ice up and be ready for Sunday.”
The availability of Peters will reduce Chip Kelly’s offensive-line puzzle. With Lane Johnson (knee) still bobbing onto the fringe of the injury report, the head coach was keeping all of his line options open earlier Thursday, mentioning Dennis Kelly and Matt Tobin as tackle possibilities.
Like Peters, Johnson has vowed to play. He practiced fully Thursday after having limitations Wednesday. Kelly said he would continue to “monitor” Johnson’s progress.
With Johnson and Peters likely to play, there is an equally pressing question: How well will the line perform, given its ineffectiveness in the running game through the Birds’ 1-3 start?
“We’re not far,” Peters said. “We just have to start getting our chemistry together, getting everything tightened up. Right now, we’re on a slump. But we’re not far from where we used to be.”
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After missing practice Wednesday with a quad issue, Byron Maxwell practiced fully Thursday and said he is “good to go,” for the Saints game.
“I feel good,” he said. “It was rough. I had two days off so I feel pretty good.”
With that, he will accept the challenge that is veteran Saints quarterback Drew Brees.
“The game is moving slow to Drew Brees,” Maxwell said. “Facing him is a challenge. But we are ready for it. We are excited for it.
“He is known for being extremely accurate, placing the ball where only the receiver can catch it. He’s known for that. So you have to wait for your opportunities to make a play. And when it comes your way, you have to make it.”
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The Eagles are 1-3, a troubling record. But if anyone knows that it doesn’t mean the season is over, it’s Kelly, whose Birds were 1-3 just two years ago … yet still reached playoffs.
“I know we had the same record, but I think it was different circumstances,” he said. “There were different players, a different time, a lot of newness to what we were doing. We had played three games in 11 days to open the season. We opened on a Monday night, played a Sunday and then played again on a Thursday. So the schedule was different. So there’s a lot of different things. I don’t think there’s a lot that is the same, aside from the record being the same.”
In that season, Kelly’s first in the NFL, the Birds played the Saints in the postseason, falling, 26-24, at the Linc.
Sunday, they will play New Orleans for the first time since that wild-card game.
“We didn’t make enough plays, especially down near the end,” Kelly recalled. “I thought we put ourselves in a hole. We were down, 20-7, at one point. There are a million things that go through your mind. There are a lot of different things when I think about that game.”
*** Kiko Alonso (knee), Brandon Bair (groin) and Mychal Kendricks (hamstring) did not practice Thursday.
Allen Barbre (groin), Taylor Hart (shoulder), Chris Maragos (quad), and Cedric Thornton (hand) joined Johnson, Peters and Maxwell as full-practice participants.