McKelvin swears hamstring won’t keep him down and out again
PHILADELPHIA >> Leodis McKelvin had ignition, but no liftoff warming up his ailing hamstring for the Eagles’ showdown last Sunday with the Redskins.
At the end of the day the 31-year-old cornerback didn’t know which felt worse, being scratched for the third time in five games or consoling teammates after a second straight loss.
“Ticked off, I was sad a little bit,” McKelvin said Friday. “It’s just frustrating. The initial burst was good. The extra drive wasn’t there. Being able to see the ball and track it, and being able to explode to go get it was the issue. That’s always a problem if somebody is going to go deep on your ass.”
McKelvin isn’t going to let anything keep his rear end out of the lineup Sunday when the Eagles (3-2) oppose the Vikings (5-0) at Lincoln Financial Field. McKelvin says he’ll suit up in spite of the injury report that lists him, defensive tackle Bennie Logan (groin), cornerback Ron Brooks (calf) and linebacker Mychal Kendricks (ribs) as questionable.
McKelvin has practiced in full all week. He and his defensive mates cannot wait to challenge quarterback Sam Bradford, who they competed against through training camp.
The weekend regular season, before the the Eagles shipped Bradford to Minnesota for first- and fourth-round draft picks. You don’t have to tell anyone around here that Bradford hasn’t thrown an interception this season or that McKelvin hasn’t had a pick this year.
“Shoot, if you’re not out there playing, you’re not performing,” McKelvin said. “That’s how I feel. I’ve been with these guys since I came in here. We hit the grind together. We’ve been practicing. We’ve been doing everything possible to get to that point. And me not being able to get to that point and be able to play and help my guys is definitely disappointing. It’s going to be different this week. We’re going to go out there this week, play as a team, win as a team.”
If Brooks is unable to play, head coach Doug Pederson indicated the Eagles would roll with safety Malcolm Jenkins at the nickel, as they’ve done in the past.
*** Though Pederson said Logan would be a game-time decision, he’s likely out this week at the minimum.
Pederson called defensive tackle Beau Allen, who would step into the starting lineup this week “one of the bright spots last week with his ability to come off the ball.
“He’s a bigger body guy that takes up some good space up front and draws a lot of double teams,” Pederson said of Allen, who lists at 6-3, 327 pounds. “He and Fletcher Cox both, in there. He’s a high-energy guy, a high-motor guy that doesn’t seem to tire and wear down. If Bennie can’t go, then obviously his workload will increase extensively in the next few games.”
*** Pederson said he’s dealing with plantar fasciitis, just like center Jason Kelce, and it’s “a nagging deal, kind of a sore.
“You can refer to it as a stone bruise, whatever you want to refer to it as,” Pederson said. “I talked to him yesterday. He was fine yesterday. We’ll just manage him and make sure he’s getting treatment and the proper medication and everything to try to keep it to a minimum.”
Kelce was able to practice fully every day but Wednesday.
*** The Eagles hope to rotate all four of their running backs into the game against the Vikings, which would seem ambitious considering the uniqueness of the defense and it’s Double-A gap blitzes.
Veteran backs Ryan Mathews and Darren Sproles, the latter despite his size, are much more adept at reading the blitzes, trying to pick them up and running the quick routes necessary to defeat it.
With 18,337 all-purpose yards, Sproles needs just 120 more to pass LaDanian Tomlinson (18,456 from 2001-11) for eighth on the all-time NFL list.
*** NOTES >> Kendricks is the older brother of Vikings inside linebacker Eric Kendricks, who helps make the A gap blitzes work. Four active Eagles have brothers playing in the NFL, the list also including Kelce, whose brother Travis plays tight end for the Chiefs, tight end Brent Celek, whose sibling Garrett is a tight end for the 49ers and safety Jaylen Watkins, whose brother Sammy is a wide receiver with the Bills. ... Lauren Hart is scheduled to sing the National Anthem Sunday amid breast cancer awareness activities at Lincoln Financial Field. Hart survived non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and has thrown her support behind causes fighting cancer.