CyberSproles, other fallen Eagles keeping close with colleagues it
PHILADELPHIA » When Eagles running back Kenjon Barner drops back to field punts Sunday, Darren Sproles will be with him.
Sproles has kept communicating personalized scouting reports to Barner despite suffering a fractured forearm and a torn ACL in the dramatic win over the Giants. Not coincidentally, Barner ranks second in the league with a 14.6 yard average on punt returns.
“He texted me right after surgery, literally right after surgery,” Barner said. “And I was like, ‘What do you mean? How are you texting me right now? You’re probably somewhere in the clouds.’ That’s special. That man is special.”
Sproles, rehabilitating his arm and knee on the West Coast, isn’t the only injured Eagles player to keep paying it forward to teammates. Special teams captain Chris Maragos (PCL surgery), playmaking linebacker Jordan Hicks (torn Achilles’ tendon) and offensive tackle Jason Peters (knee surgery) all are hanging around their teammates and providing help in some form.
Peters gave Eagles players a pep talk before the last game, a 33-10 win over the 49ers. And he did it on face-time.
“It was before a meeting just to talk to the guys,” Barner said. “He talked to us to just let us know. You love that attitude as a teammate knowing that those guys, even though they’re hurt, they’re still a part of this. You don’t find that many places. I’ve been in places where guys have been on IR and you never see them. You never see them, never hear them. Out of sight, out of mind. This is special.”
But back to Sproles, who made three straight trips to the Pro Bowl, all with the Eagles. He either led the league or ranked among the leaders in punt returns in that time.
It’s not happenstance that Barner has done a stellar job stepping in for Sproles. A Pro Bowl bid would seem to be a longshot as rookie Jamal Agnew of the Lions leads the circuit with two TDs and a 21.7 punt return average.
Barner, just the same, is living the dream. It doesn’t get much better than contributing to a 7-1 start with a six-game win streak entering a game Sunday with the Broncos.
Barner is so consumed with the bigger picture he didn’t realize where he was on the stat sheet. Yeah, just like Sproles.
“The one thing I’d say about Kenjon is his agility-to-speed ratio is very high from playing running back,” special teams standout Najee Goode said. “Not everybody can catch a ball and run full speed at the same time. He’s shifty and fast. We’ve been making sure we get in the right schemes to get him loose. If we get an open field, he can hit it.”
Barner is going to get chances against the Broncos, who are next to last in the league surrendering 13.8 yards on punt returns.
“When they played the Chargers, they gave up a runback and they started punting changeups,” Barner said. “The ball gets a lot higher and it’s end over end. It’s not a true punt. That basically allows the gunner and the punt team more time to get down the field. Against the Chiefs, it was all changeup. As a unit we have that mindset that when an opportunity presents itself, that those guys are going to go out there and block their tails off for me, and I have to do something as a returner.”
Considering the offensive struggles of the Broncos, and the way the Eagles play defense, Barner should be deep in punt formation on several occasions this weekend.
Last week the 49ers made no secret of punting away from him, having seen film of his 76yard return earlier in the season.
“They told me before the game that if I thought I was getting a chance to return, I was crazy,” Barner said. “You’ve just got to wait on that opportunity. And when that opportunity comes, you’ve got to make them pay. If a punter mis-hits a ball, does something he’s not supposed to do, you’ve got to make him pay. Our special teams is a special unit, has been for quite some time.“
Sproles relayed Barner the most recent scouting report Wednesday. The 34-year-old Sproles, who lists at 5-6, 190 pounds, has been a big brother to the grateful Barner, who also resides on the West Coast.
“That guy’s in my corner,” Barner said. “That dude has been amazing for me, special to me. The returns this year, that’s a credit to the guys in front of me opening lanes. That’s a credit to (coach Dave) Fipp, putting me in position to succeed. And none of that is possible without God, without my belief in him carrying me through. Nothing is possible without him.”
When Barner gets ready for his next opportunity Sunday, Sproles will be with him. That’s a credit to Sproles.
“I love that dude, I love Sproles,” Barner said. “He’s done so much for me. He’s helped me in so many different ways.”