Eagles Begin Preparations For Falcons
By Ed Benkin
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The long wait for the regular season is almost over for the Eagles.
The Eagles will open up their 2015 campaign against the Falcons in Atlanta on Monday night. On Wednesday, the team returned to the practice field for the first time since the preseason. The focus was on the Falcons, and linebacker DeMeco Ryans is happy the regular season is finally going to get underway.
"I'm very excited for the season to start," said Ryans. "We've been geared up for this thing for a while now. It seems like we've been waiting forever to get this season going. Now that it's actually here, we're overly excited and happy to kick it off on Monday night."
The Eagles will be facing an Atlanta squad with a new head coach. Dan Quinn takes over the Falcons after spending time as an assistant in Seattle. Chip Kelly caught Washington completely unprepared in his coaching debut back in 2013, and knows Quinn may have their share of surprises on Monday night.
"You've just got some preseason games and obviously I don't think Dan used everything in the preseason," Kelly said. "You've got to kind of look at the coordinators and where they came from and kind of match up what you think is going to happen, but there will have to be some in game adjustments both offensively and defensively in terms of what we are preparing for."
Sam Bradford will play in his first regular season game since suffering a knee injury in the middle of the 2013 season. Bradford missed all of 2014 after suffering another knee injury in the preseason, but the quarterback feels completely healthy and will be eager to take the field in Atlanta.
"It will probably be the same as it has for every other season opener," said Bradford. "Except now, I just enjoy things a little bit more. I'll take time to just enjoy the small things out there and have fun because you never know when it's going to be taken away from you."
Bradford is hoping to have tight end Zach Ertz at his disposal on Monday. Ertz was back at practice Wednesday after missing the preseason with an injury. Ertz wants to be available for the opener, but he understands he has to be cautious.
"I don't want to miss any games," Ertz said. "I worked so hard in the off-season to be ready for the games and make an impact for this team. I know if I have an opportunity to play, I'm going to play. Obviously, we have to be smart because it is the first game of a long season and hopefully, a playoff run as well."
In addition to Ertz, linebacker Marcus Smith returned to practice Wednesday after missing time with a hamstring injury.
