Injury may put Eagles’ run game at a loss
Add Corey Clement to the list of walking wounded at running back, where the Eagles already will be without Darren Sproles and Jay Ajayi when they oppose the Indianapolis Colts Sunday at the Linc.
Clement is questionable for the game with a quadriceps issue.
Josh Adams, the 6-foot-2, 225-pound rookie out of Notre Dame, is scheduled to make his NFL debut at running back. Adams’ family won’t be the only collection of locals cheering him on, as he grew up in Warrington Twp., Bucks County and starred at Central Bucks South High School.
“It’s going to be great,” said Adams, who played in the preseason finale for the Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. “First real game, and no telling how much I’m out there but I’m going to take advantage of every opportunity I get. As a team we’re just trying to get this win. And that’s what we’re focused on.”
The Eagles cannot seem to figure out how best to use Clement, who barely played in the opener where Sproles got 29 offensive snaps, and last week led the club in rushing and all-purpose yards, playing 33 snaps.
Clement’s 15-yard scoring run tied the game, although the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had more than enough firepower to secure
a 27-21 victory.
Clement was unavailable for comment Friday.
“You can’t tax him one way or the other because he’s a versatile and he’s a very valuable piece of what we’re trying to do on special teams and on offense,” Doug Pederson said. “There’s a balance there, and we’ve got to make sure that we have the right combination of plays for him.”
The good news is Alshon Jeffery, who hasn’t played since the Super Bowl, also is listed as questionable although Pederson insisted the wide receiver hadn’t been cleared for contact. No one would be surprised if Jeffery joined Carson Wentz for his debut Sunday. Jeffery is coming off rotator cuff surgery.
In addition to listing Ajayi (back) and Sproles (hamstring) as out, the Eagles list left tackle Jason Peters (quadriceps) and linebacker-special teams ace Kamu Grugier-Hill (groin) as questionable.
The Eagles are sevenpoint favorites over the Colts, who will play without running back Marlon Mack (foot-hamstring), left tackle Anthony Castonzo (ham), tight end Jack Doyle (hip), cornerback Quincy Wilson (concussion) and defensive tackle Hassan Ridgeway (calf). All but Wilson and Ridgeway are starters.
Questionable are cornerback Chris Milton (concussion) and safety Clayton Geathers (elbow).
••• An ageless record, maybe
even two, could fall Sunday at the Linc.
Forty-five-year-old Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri, the oldest player in the NFL, needs four field goals to break Morten Andersen’s record of 565. Six field goal attempts vault Vinatieri into second on the all-time list behind Gary Anderson (672), who last kicked for the Eagles in 1996, the year Vinatieri’s career began with the Patriots.
“He’s been playing in the NFL longer than I’ve been born,” Eagles cornerbackspecial teams player Rasul Douglas said. “That’s crazy. Before I was even in the womb he was in the league. He’s a vet-vet, a double vet.”
Actually, Douglas was one, as in 1-year-old, when Vinatieri’s career began. Douglas turned 23 this past August. Why ruin a great quote?
Former Eagles linebacker Najee Goode, now with the Colts, calls Vinatieri “the golden toe.
“I used to call Jake (Elliott) the Golden Toe until I got to see Vinatieri kick,” Goode said, referencing the Eagles’ kicker. “Vinatieri is the real Golden Toe.”
••• Clement and several Eagles were scheduled to sign autographs Friday at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks. The group also includes Jeffery, Douglas, Ajayi, Hill, Brandon Graham, Corey Graham, Dallas Goedert, Fletcher Cox, Jalen Mills and Lane Johnson.
••• Speaking of Goode, the 29-year-old veteran of six seasons, including five with the Eagles, misses his old buddy Nigel Bradham.
The duo roomed together on road trips and shared the old “whatever it takes to win” philosophy.
“Nigel is a dog, that’s my boy,” Goode said. “He’s a beast. We came out together. We were behind each other at the combine and we’ve been close ever since. I love playing with him because you know at the end of the day he’s going to do whatever he’s got to do to get the job done.
“That’s just how he plays. The physicality from back at college all the way to now, that’s one thing that he brings to that defense. And the leadership.”
Goode has warned teammates who Bradham puts on the ground not to take what they hear personally.
“Nigel is definitely going to say something,” Goode said. “I’m pretty sure y’all have seen his head moving around when he makes a big hit or he makes a play. That’s what’s cool about him, he’s competitive. So, it’s something our offense is going to have to pay attention to, the intensity.”
••• We would be remiss if we didn’t mention the class shown by former Eagles offensive coordinator Frank Reich.
Awaiting reporters in the Media House Friday morning was a gift offering of Termini Bros. pastries including cannoli.
The gift note read, “Dear Eagles Media, thank you for treating my family and I so well. It was an honor to work with you all. Have a great year!”
Just another example of a very classy, authentic guy who wants the best for everyone.