Eagles run an intense practice to stay sharp during bye week
The last thing the Philadelphia Eagles want to do in the playoffs is start off rusty.
One of the biggest rewards for a top tier team NFL is the first-round bye in the playoffs. The Philadelphia Eagles seemed to have no problem locking up one of the two byes issued in the NFC. As a matter of fact, the Eagles stayed on top of the conference with a 13-3 record despite losing multiple impact players to a season-ending injury.
With the week off, though, the Eagles still look like just another team to the general public. Without their star quarterback under center, many NFL fans have grown to be quite skeptical of the Eagles. While the Philadelphia fan base worries deep-down, the Eagles’ are using the doubt as fuel to the fire that they intend on bringing out in the divisional round.
Now with a break from Wild Card Weekend, the Eagles are left with the weekend off. That may seem like the time to rest some people. But to the Eagles locker room, it means it is time to turn up the intensity and stay sharp.
Staying in game shape…
Eagles head coach Doug Pederson intended on giving the Eagles a light week of practice. For anybody that was injured or fatigued after a long and hard-fought season. To a team that is near full strength and rolling, that may sound like a relief. To the Eagles, it sounded like a trap for players to get too comfy and rested.
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Select veterans were not having it according to Pederson. The Eagles decided to make a collective decision to turn up the intensity this week and put on the pads. For those who don’t know, teams around the NFL are told to stick to light practices during the season. Although they issued a limit for full contact drills, the Eagles decided to use some of theirs for playoff time.
This week they did just that. When the team returned back to the Nova Care Complex on Wednesday, guys were going at it. Multiple players like Jason Kelce, Zach Ertz, and Nigel Bradham have made it clear that the team was bringing it on Wednesday. Kelce even stated that it felt like they were back at training camp once again.
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Maybe these intense practices are exactly what the Eagles need these next two weeks. The full contact drills will keep them sharp so they can avoid any unwanted slow starts when they return back to the field next week. It’s also a plus that they are reminded of training camp so they can get a taste of what it was like when they first started. It shows them how far they have really come.