Sanders ready to risk surgically repaired hand
It's not a Terrell Owens comeback, where you bounce back from a broken leg to give the Eagles a chance to win the Super Bowl … but it's close
Less than three weeks after hand surgery, Eagles running back Miles Sanders announced Friday that he'd be a full-go for the wild card game Sunday in Tampa against the defending Super Bowl champion Buccaneers.
There was no way Sanders was going to sit the game out, despite repairs to his right hand on Dec. 27, after leaving the field against the Giants the day before. And certainly not after contributing just nine carries for 56 yards in the 28-22 loss to the Bucs earlier this season.
If Sanders can grip the ball, he's an instant lift for the running game the Eagles must lean on to wear down a veteran Bucs defense. Sanders credited the team's training staff and his higher power for getting him to this point.
“I've doubted myself throughout these whole two weeks literally until a couple of days ago when I had a real good day,” Sanders said. “And then the next day was good. I'm just happy to be available for my team.”
Sanders, the Eagles' top running back, needed to know there would be light at the end of the tunnel before he got the surgery. He wanted assurances his season wouldn't be over. So, he walked into Nick Sirianni's office and put in a very personal request.
“I said, ‘Promise me the playoffs and I'll get the surgery,'” Sanders said. “And he said, ‘I gotcha.'”
The Eagles clinched a playoff berth the following game and rested the starters the next week in the season finale. They're 8.5-point underdogs versus the Buccaneers and Brady, the quarterback Eagles fans love to loathe.
It's also three weeks between games for Sanders, who not only feels “super fresh,” but had it confirmed by teammates telling him “how fast” he looked at practice.
“My quad and ankle feel better, too,” Sanders said. “I feel good.”
Sirianni realized how badly Sanders wanted to play during that visit before the surgery. Though the Eagles got stellar play at running back from Boston Scott, Jordan Howard and even rookie Kenneth Gainwell, Sanders is the key to the run game along with the offensive line that scooped up more honors Friday when Jason Kelce and Lane Johnson made the All-Pro team. Sirianni bent his rules for Sanders.
“I knew he was going to be out for a little bit, so I kind of said, ‘OK, I promise you' right there,” Sirianni said. “What it says about him is just how determined he is to get back and showcase his talent on a national stage here in the first round of the playoffs. “We know we're going to need all hands on deck to go out and do what we want to do this weekend. That group is no different. We're just excited that Miles is going to be ready to go and ready to play in this football game, because we know how important he is to this offense.”
Sanders basically went back to square one to work his way back to the field. He started with handoffs, then running with the ball, squeezing it, exposing himself to drills with coaches punching at it and finally catching passes.
The next step is seeing how effective he is playing with protective
padding.
“It's nothing really too noticeable,” Sanders said. “I'll just try to protect it as much as I can, but I'm not going to be out there hesitant or timid. It is what it is. It's good enough to play. I know what's at stake. I know I just had surgery. I know it's a broken hand, but what matters is just trying to be available for my team. I'm healthy enough to go out there and perform at a high level. So that's all that matters.”
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Kelce moved into rarified territory making his fourth first-team All-Pro team, a feat less than a handful of centers have managed.
Only three other pivots have done so since the NFL Merger in 1970: Dermontti Dawson (Steelers), who made the team six times, Mike Webster (Steelers), who did it five times and Dwight Stephenson (Dolphins).
All of those gents have busts in Canton.
Johnson was voted secondteam All-Pro at right tackle, the runner up to Tristan Wirfs of the Buccaneers.
Sanders saluted Kelce and Johnson.
“Those two guys right there are Hall of Famers in the making,” Sanders said. “I respect the heck out of both of those guys. They come to work each and every day ready to get better. Attention to detail. Especially Kelce. There's no center in this league that I think is close to him. They're the best of the best in this league. I'm super proud of them. It's been a historic year, too.”
The Eagles averaged a leagueleading 159.7 yards rushing per game, and set a franchise record with 2,715 rushing yards.
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Eagles edge rusher Josh Sweat
is questionable for the Bucs with a stomach ailment.
The good news is Sweat was cleared to return to the Eagles' facility Friday after being away a couple of days while suffering from abdominal pain.
Also questionable is guard Nate Herbig, who strained a knee a couple of weeks ago in Washington. Everybody else is good to go for the Bucs.
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The Bucs added starting cornerback Carlton Davis (back) to the injury report, listing him and fellow corner Sean Murphy-Bunting (hamstring) as questionable.
The real news is whether the Bucs activate linebacker Lavonte David (foot) and running back Leonard Fournette (hamstring) from injured reserve. Bucs head coach Bruce Arians called those “game time decisions” after practice Friday.