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Eagles Believe They Have Weapons To Replace Jackson

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The big question heading into the season for the Eagles is how life would be like without DeSean Jackson. The players believe they have the answer.

While many of Jackson's former teammates acknowledged the receiver's game-breaking abilities, players such as LeSean McCoy said the returning players along with the newcomers appear to be ready to compensate for the loss of Jackson.

"It's obvious the type of speed he has," said McCoy. "But as far as making plays.....Sproles is making plays. I'm making more plays. Maclin is making plays. The young kid that nobody even knows about except everybody here in Philadelphia or the guys here, Jordan (Matthews)...he's making plays."

McCoy isn't the only veteran who has been praising Matthews. The rookie wide receiver has drawn rave reviews for his skills and his work ethic. For Matthews, it's part of what he believes is expected from him in the NFL.

"I think everybody here works hard," Matthews said. "People just have different ways of showing it. If I don't catch the ball and run out the play, then I can't rest easy at night. I can't lay my head on the pillow and know I gave my best. That's just who I am and that's the standard I have for myself."

Wide Receiver Jeremy Maclin is also hoping to be part of the solution for dealing with the absence of Jackson. Now that he has fully recovered from his knee injury, he is eager to make his mark on the offense and doesn't believe he'll see much of a difference in coverage.

"It gives you an opportunity to go out and make plays," said Maclin. "If anybody had more attention on them, I think it was our running backs. As far as us, if there's one-on-one coverage all game, I'll take that."

While the Eagles are optimistic about what their offense can do in the post-Jackson era, even McCoy admits the answer won't come until the season gets underway.

"I think you have to wait until you really play to really find out for sure," McCoy said. "In the game, it's a lot easier. When you go against the same guys every day, they know your tendencies and what you like to do."

The Eagles will practice again on Friday and then have an off-day on Saturday.

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