Eagles Set For Practices With Patriots
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- This time, Cary Williams was all smiles.
The Eagles cornerback joined his teammates in a walk through Monday before heading to New England. The Eagles will practice with the Patriots during the week before battling Bill Belichick's squad in a preseason game on Friday. After discussing his dislike for the Patriots earlier in training camp, Williams offered an endorsement of the workouts on Monday.
"I'm Employee 26," said Williams. "I do what I'm told. If the coach says to go up and practice against them, we'll go up and practice against them. It's no bitterness in my heart about the situation. I look at it as an opportunity to get better."
The workouts with the Patriots will take place on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. The two teams will then play a preseason game on Friday. Cornerback Bradley Fletcher says the workouts with the Patriots will offer a fresh change of pace.
"It is different," Fletcher said. "The tempo is definitely going to go up some more when we go play a different team. We're going to have the pads on, so it's going to ramp it up."
The Eagles held similar workouts last season when the Patriots came to Philadelphia for the week. Center Jason Kelce found the practices beneficial a year ago and believes this week's workouts will once again help the team prepare for the upcoming season.
"I think it's a good opportunity for us," said Kelce. "Last year, we got a little taste of it when they came here. It's always good when you can go against someone different and get as many reps against as many different players as you can."
The defense should get a strong test going against Tom Brady and the Patriots' high-powered offense. Defensive Coordinator Bill Davis says going against the likes of Brady can only make his defense better.
"You really do know where you are when you go against the elite of the elite when you get to play and practice against them," Davis said. "We're real excited about going up there and challenging ourselves and going against the best."
Check Out These Sports Stories:
