Eagles HC Doug Pederson on Carson Wentz, Brandon Brooks, injuries

On the eve of another Thanksgiving, Philadelphia Eagles head coach Doug Pederson spoke with the media and touched on Brandon Brooks, Carson Wentz, and injuries among other things.

If we’re going to get some clarity on what’s going on with Carson Wentz, Brandon Brooks, and whether or not everyone from Lane Johnson to Alshon Jeffery has a chance at playing in Week 13, there’s probably no better person to ask than Philadelphia Eagles head coach Doug Pederson.

Finally, we have something to talk about other than who pointed the finger this week, whether publicly or anonymously. Coach hung out with the Philly media prior to practice and one day prior to Thanksgiving and spoke for about 12 minutes.

Here are a few of the highlights:

1. What’s being said to Carson Wentz to ensure his confidence for this final stretch?

As a former quarterback, Coach Pederson has the ability to communicate with Carson Wentz in a way that many can’t. Pederson was asked what was being said to keep QB1 in the right frame of mind. Here’s some of his response:

"I think the biggest thing for me and him (is you just have to) let the offense work… Trust your offensive line… Trust your defense… You don’t have to go into a game looking for plays… Let (the plays) unfold… It starts in practice… We want to get him to focus on (other things) and not worry about the outside… This is a resiliant group… I can help that with (play design)… I’ve seen us bounce out of hard times… (We’ll get it) back on track."

2. How is Brandon Brooks doing?

Coach, Howie Roseman, and offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland met with Brooks earlier this week to discuss the battle everyone’s favorite right guard has with anxiety. Though Pederson didn’t go into great detail (as he shouldn’t), it appears that the meeting was successful, everyone has a better understanding of what he’s dealing with, and Brooks is on the road to recovery. We should all be happy about that.

3. Can we get an update on everyone that’s been out?

According to the coach, Lane Johnson has been cleared to practice, but we’ll have to wait and see if he can play in Week 13. Running back Jordan Howard hasn’t been cleared for contact. He’ll do some individual drills on Wednesday, and his status for Sunday remains up in the air.

He also stated he expects both Alshon Jeffery and Nelson Agholor to practice. He’s been happy with what he’s seen from Greg Ward, and there’s no guarantee that he or JJ Arcega-Whiteside won’t play on the outside if one or neither of those guys can play in Week 13.