Eagles Dealing With Depleted Group Of Linebackers
By Ed Benkin
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Part of life in the NFL is dealing with injuries, but the Eagles linebackers can be forgiven for saying enough is enough.
As the Eagles get set for Sunday's game against Miami, they once again are faced with an injury problem at linebacker. DeMeco Ryans remains day-to-day with a hamstring injury and has missed the last two games. Kiko Alonso returned last Sunday, but is still not taking his normal amount of snaps on the field. Rookie Linebacker Jordan Hicks is out for the season after suffering a pectoral injury.
The trainers have certainly been busy will Bill Davis' linebackers, and the defensive coordinator is doing his best to work with his walking wounded.
"Every now and then it happens," said Davis. "When it hits, it's like you're snake-bit in one spot and you've just got to try to get out of it. Luckily, you're not getting injuries at other spots. Injuries are going to happen in the NFL."
Perhaps the biggest blow is the injury to Hicks. The rookie has far exceeded expectations and has been one of the team's best players this season. Davis says Hicks was performing as well as any first-year player in the NFL this season.
"It's a big hit," Davis said. "It's a shame that it happened but as soon as I saw the nature of the injury, you've seen enough of them, been around enough, especially having a background in linebacker coaching, I kind of had an idea that's what happened. Like we talked about last week, Jordan did a great job of bringing himself into the conversation of a main rotation guy."
Ryans was on the sidelines doing limited work on Tuesday as the Eagles went through a light workout in their practice bubble. It is possible the veteran could miss his third straight game, and the loss of Hicks means extra minutes for what was once a crowded linebacker rotation. Mychal Kendricks says the team's linebacker depth has been essential throughout an injury-plagued season.
"That's why we have the depth," said Kendricks. "If there's any year for us to have the depth that we have, I think this would be the year for the LBs. We've had a numerous amount of injuries, and the whole depth situation has helped us out."
Kendricks was part of the injury list early in the season. He will be called upon for an even greater role while many of his fellow linebackers remain sidelined. However, Kendricks knows he is always one snap away from the possibility of another injury. Kendricks understands that it's part of being an NFL player.
"That's just what it is," Kendricks said. "One man's down, the next man's up. It's the nature of the game. This is what we all get paid for. Whoever's in there to fill in will do just fine."
