If every player feels the same as I feel, then having the bye week right now is going to pay off for the Eagles. It has been a refreshing week away from the routine, with the excitement level high to return to the season. Before that, there are some things to discuss with this football team, so here we go with a great slate of football ahead this Sunday and Monday ...
**From The Health Department ...
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Donovan McNabb could very well practice on Monday and return to the starting lineup on Sunday against Tampa Bay. That is the expectation here. That is great news.
Same with Brian Westbrook, who has recovered from his sprained ankle. Westbrook was very close to playing against Kansas City before head coach Andy Reid backed him off and made him inactive for the afternoon. Obviously, Westbrook's long-term health is the concern, and there is no way of telling how durable he will be for the remainder of the season.
Kevin Curtis should be OK to resume practice, and the picture with him is different because you wonder how he will be when his knee takes the day-after-day pounding from practice. Hopefully, he will be ready to go against Tampa Bay. The Eagles could use his reliability down the stretch of this season.
The bye week didn't mean much to Todd Herremans other than he had a chance to see the doctor again and get one step closer to returning to the field. My guess: Washington at FedEx Field. The Eagles could really use him that week and the following Sunday when the Giants play at Lincoln Financial Field on November 1.
**From The Week That Was Office ...
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So what do the coaches do during the bye week? They worked until Wednesday and then enjoyed a few days off .When they were punching the clock, they did a lot of self-scouting and analysis. The defensive coaches, of course, spent a lot of time with new/old/welcome back Eagle Jeremiah Trotter seeing what he could do and introducing concepts to him.
It was a time of self discovery. A bit early in the process, yes, but welcomed by the coaches and scouts.
The players have been off since the win over Kansas City. Literally, gone. So when the team practices again on Monday, the Eagles should have a tremendously-high energy level. Remember, Reid is perfect after the bye week. He knows how to get his players energized with some time off.
**Checking In On The Roster
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Trotter is here, and that changes a lot of things on defense. He is probably going to see some time right off the bat when the Eagles are in run situations. Take a look at the schedule and take note of the personality of the offenses the Eagles are going to play. Tampa Bay's best suit offensivley is running the football. Same with Oakland. And the Redskins. And the Giants and Dallas and Chicago, and you understand how Trotter will be used. Hopefully.
How much he has to give remains to be seen. Trotter looks great, and he feels great and says he is moving better than he has in many, many seasons. He has 13 regular-season games and maybe 25-30 snaps per week to perform. Can he play downhill football and make the Eagles more physical and nasty against the run?
Curtis is a player to watch at wide receiver simply because of his health. Jeremy Maclin played well last week against the Chiefs. Look for him to get increased reps. Will he continue to start? It bears watching?
**This Weekend's Games
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There are so many games to watch today and Monday that impact the Eagles. The NFC East has a couple of gimmes -- no way New York loses to Kansas City and I can't imagine that Washington could lose to Tampa Bay -- and then there is a great one to watch when Dallas plays in Denver.
The conference has some terrific games, headlined by the Jets-Saints game and then the Packers-Vikings game on Monday night. The NFC is a conference of haves and have-nots, and the Eagles are certainly in the hunt.
We're all going to watch all day on Sunday and on Monday night and then the season is on. Again. And it won't stop, we hope, until a dreamy trip to Miami in February is complete.
