Scott has been productive, but welcomes Sanders’ return
With Miles Sanders missing two games with a knee injury, the Eagles increased their reliance on Boston Scott.
Scott responded by averaging 4.3 yards per carry, catching a touchdown pass and contributing to victories over the Giants and Cowboys that solidified the
Eagles’ status as the NFC East’s best.
But since Sanders is expected back Sunday in East Rutherford for the Giants’ rematch, Scott’s workload likely will be diminished.
Thanks for nothing? “That’s above my pay grade,” Scott said Monday. “But I am ready for whatever role Doug P (Doug Pederson) wants me in. I’m ready to contribute any way
I can, and I will be ready for that opportunity.”
Even with Sanders available earlier, Scott was a useful change-of-pace back.
“Miles is definitely a great player,” said Scott, who averaged 4.2 yards per carry in the first two weeks. “We’re excited to get him back. You’ve seen his productivity. You can see what he does with the ball in his hands. So I am excited to have that guy back.
“He’s a pleasure to work with. He’s a pleasure to be around. And I am looking forward to working with him.”
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Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz believes he became a better football coach just by watching game show host Alex Trebek.
Trebek, the legendary host of
Jeopardy, died Sunday at age 80.
“You see lessons learned that carry over to football,” Schwartz said. “It’s not just getting the right answer; it’s getting the right answer quicker than everybody else.
“In general, he had a command over the game. I thought it was always interesting that you never knew if he really knew the answer or if he just sold it because it was written on his card. He did it for so long, he had such consistency and it didn’t happen by mistake. He was such a professional. He never flubbed a word. He never flubbed a syntax. So you knew that every question he had read probably 20 times. And that’s a lot of questions. He prepared himself, and it showed in his performance.
“So I think there’s some carryovers. Practice is important. Big news flash there. Command is important. Thinking quick is important. Competitiveness is important. Those are the lessons that I learned from just watching a silly game show on TV.”
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Nate Gerry is on the injured list with an ankle injury. Schwartz was vague Monday about whether the problem contributed to the linebacker’s earlier on-field struggles, though it sounded like it was an ongoing and worsening condition.
“That’s really not my realm to talk about injuries,” he said. “That’s a question for either Coach (Doug) Pederson or for Nate himself. A lot of guys play with a lot of different things that nick them up and they are still able to go play. Some things get to where you can’t play, and we just deal with all those things as they come up.”
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Safety Marcus Epps has landed on the Reserve-COVID list. Fellow defensive back Rodney McLeod, for one, does not fear a resulting in-house virus spread.
“I hope he gets better soon and we can get him back here as quickly as possible,” McLeod said. “But I am confident in our protocols and our staff and how everyone has approached the COVID situation, with us all wearing our masks, and most importantly, the contact tracers.
“I think what’s most important is no one, based on the trackers, came in close enough proximity where the staff felt like they had to remove any one of us, which is a good thing. Guys are practicing social distancing the right way and are very cautious and mindful of this.”
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Jordan Mailata played left tackle when Jason Peters was injured. In the last game, against Dallas, he played right tackle in place of Lane Johnson.
With both veteran tackles expected to by Sunday, where does that leave him for the Giants game?
“I think,” Mailata deadpanned, “I am going to be a running back.”
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After missing five games with a thumb injury, Jalen Reagor returned to face Dallas.
Though it is likely among his professional destinies, the coaches are not yet ready to use the rookie receiver as a punt returner.
“We’ll see with Jalen,” special teams coach Dave Fipp said. “Obviously, he just got back. He had been not able to practice for a long time. We didn’t want to just throw him right back there in that situation. But I’m sure as we get going, we’ll work him back in and see him more and more back there.”