Philadelphia Eagles Rookie Earl Wolff Out Vs. Cardinals
By Kevin McGuire
Rookie safety Earl Wolff is the only member of the Philadelphia Eagles likely to miss playing time this weekend against the Arizona Cardinals. Wolff's knee injury held him out of practice all week as the Eagles mostly got healed up during the bye week.
"Everybody's gone full," Eagles head coach Chip Kelly said Thursday. "We have three more days of training. If we had to play a game today, everybody would be eligible to go except for Earl."
Wolff injured his knee in a game against the Green Bay Packers earlier this month. The injury was initially believed to keep him out of action for a few weeks, so his absence this weekend is not a surprise. His loss for Sunday does have an impact on the secondary of course, but Nate Allen and Patrick Chung are ready to goand Kurt Coleman will be available to step in when needed. Colt Anderson should be available if needed as well, although he is listed as probable for this weekend with an ankle injury. Anderson did have full participation in each practice this week though.
The defense has a couple of other players listed as probable, but every player on the roster listed as probable this week took part in a full practice all week so there are no real concerns heading in to the home game against the Cardinals. Linebackers Mychal Kendricks (knee) and Jake Knott (hamstring) should be good, while corner back Bradley Fletcher (pectoral) should be available to start this weekend as well.
The Eagles reported no injuries on the offensive side of the football this week. Quarterback Mike Vick is fully available if there is a need to take Nick Foles out of the game. Both quarterbacks have been roughed up at various points this season so although Foles has done well in leading the team the last few games the concern should not be silenced just yet. Having Vick available could come in handy down the line.
Injuries have been a far smaller concern this season for the Eagles compared to last season. Perhaps that is a significant factor in the turnaround on the field in addition to a new coach breathing new life in to the franchise. Having just about the entire team that was available for the season opener still available in the final weekend of November is not always a common occurrence in the NFL. The offensive line alone has been one of the more consistent units on the team this year thanks to being healthy, which could not have been said for much of last season. The results have been dramatic, especially with Foles under center. Foles was being protected by a mash unit of linemen last season but will go in to Sunday afternoon with a healthy and stabilized line in front of him.
Out
- S Earl Wolff (knee)
Probable
- S Colt Anderson (ankle)
- CB Bradley Fletcher (pectoral)
- LB Mychal Kendricks (knee)
- LB Jake Knott (hamstring)
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Kevin McGuire is a Philadelphia area sports writer covering the Philadelphia Eagles and college football. McGuire is a member of the FWAA and National Football Foundation. Follow McGuire on Twitter @KevinOnCFB. His work can be found on Examiner.com.
