METAIRIE
Darren Sproles Jerseys Stitched , La. (AP) — the poise and postseason accomplishments of Eagles backup quarterback Nick
Foles.Philadelphia had better hope Klein is right, because the Superdome was
home to Eagles starter Carson Wentz’s worst game this season before he went out
with a back injury.Bringing heavy pressure amid the deafening din of the
Superdome, the Saints stifled Wentz in a 48-7 rout back in mid-November, holding
him to season worsts of 57.6 percent passing for just 156 yards.Now comes a
rematch in the divisional round of the NFC playoffs, and the Saints must prepare
to play one of the NFL’s best known backups. Foles carried Philadelphia to its
only Super Bowl triumph after Wentz was injured last season, and helped the
recently resurgent Eagles survive this postseason’s opening weekend with a
razor-thin victory in Chicago.“He’s far from just a plug-in player,” Klein said.
“Don’t forget he won a Super Bowl for them last year and he was the MVP of that
game. So we’re not taking him lightly. He’s not just a person that is just a
backup, reserve type of guy. He goes out and when he plays, he wins.”In some
ways, the Eagles are a familiar foe, and not just because the two teams met on
the same field just more than seven weeks ago. Two of the Eagles more prominent
veterans — safety Malcolm Jenkins and running back Darren Sproles — both were
part of multiple Saints playoff teams.But Saints coach Sean Payton cautioned
against any presumption that the vast gulf separating the Saints and Eagles back
on Nov. 18 still exists.“They’re a different team than we faced, obviously,
earlier in the year. A different quarterback’s playing right now. There is a
confidence you see,” Payton said. “Our league is game to game.”Particularly in
the do-or-die postseason, when the pressure is turned up. Klein stressed that
the Eagles’ 4-0 record in their past four playoff games cannot be
overlooked.“They’ve been in this situation before and they know how to
win
Youth Jerome Brown Jerseys , so obviously we’re not expecting them to be the same team because they’re not,” Klein said. “They’re playing really good football right
now and we’ll just be prepared to obviously get their best shot and obviously
we’re going to give them ours.”Two of the biggest differences the Saints will
have to contend with in the rematch are Foles and Sproles, neither of whom
played in the previous meeting.Saints players and coaches left little doubt
about their respect and admiration for Foles. His composure is a big reason
why.“There’s a confidence level he has in operating in rhythm, spreading the
ball around,” Payton said. “He does a great job of beating pressure with the
throw.”In the Eagles’ 16-15 victory on Sunday in Chicago, Payton noted, “you saw
him a handful of times with a free rusher coming in his face make some throws
outside the numbers that were real impressive. … There’s a calmness obviously
when you watch him play that we all see.”Added Klein, “You could see that he’s
poised and he has great control of the offense and great control of that team. …
He handles pressure well.”New Orleans also is wary of Sproles’ ability to
produce as a runner, a receiver out of the backfield and a punt returner. The
Saints know from experience. Sproles’ 2,696 all-purpose yards with New Orleans
in 2011 remains a single-season NFL record.Now Sproles is 35 and plans to retire
after this season, but Payton hardly sounded inclined to underestimate him.“He’s
a very, very smart player. It’s one of his great traits along with his ability,”
Payton said.“He’s got very good elusiveness and quickness. He’s done a good job
with their draws and one-back run schemes. And obviously he’s a dangerous punt
returner, but someone who’s a special player.”Meanwhile, the Saints haven’t
exactly looked like the juggernaut they resembled in midseason
Jerome Brown Jerseys Stitched , when the Eagles were among a string of teams that lost to New Orleans by multiple touchdowns.During the last five weeks of
the season, the Saints went 3-2, and the average margin of victory in their past
three wins was 6.7 points.Klein said the Saints hope the opportunity to
self-scout — and rest — during their first-round playoff bye will help New
Orleans look its best in the postseason.The Saints used last week to “look at
certain situations throughout the season where we’ve been not so good and figure
out why and get those things shored up,” Klein said.“And obviously the time off
and be able to rest and get some guys healed up who’ve been banged up the past
few games has been very important.”Eagles vs. Buccaneers Final Injury Report:
Three Philadelphia players ruled out The Philadelphia Eagles released their
third and final official injury report on Friday in advance of their Week 2 game
against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.The following players have been ruled out for
Sunday’s contest: Carson Wentz and Alshon Jeffery, and Darren Sproles.Doug
Pederson already announced Nick Foles as Philadelphia’s starting quarterback
against the Bucs. There’s some reason to believe Wentz might be able to play in
Week 3. Nate Sudfeld will be the backup to Foles in the meantime. As for
Jeffery, he’s been limited to individual work during practice. Here’s what
Pederson said about his status on Friday:It was originally reported that Jeffery
might be able to return in Week 3. We’ll get a better idea if that’s still
possible leading up to next Sunday’s game. Sproles suffered a “slight” hamstring
tweak during Wednesday’s practice, according to Pederson. Sproles did not
participate in practice on Thursday or Friday. With Sproles out, the Eagles will
have three active running backs against Tampa Bay: Jay Ajayi, Corey Clement, and
Wendell Smallwood. Clement and Smallwood could see the biggest boost in playing
time compared to Week 1’s game. Pederson mentioned Clement and DeAndre Carter as
punt returner options in place of Sproles.One Eagles player has been ruled
questionable for the Bucs game: Shelton Gibson.Gibson returned to practice as a
full participant on Friday after being limited on Wednesday and sitting out
entirely on Thursday. Although he’s officially listed with a knee injury,
Pederson said: “It’s not a knee. It’s a little higher than that. It’s a quad.
But he should be fine.” Gibson only played four offensive snaps last week but he
did contribute heavily on special teams, including serving as the Eagles’ kick
returner. Pederson mentioned Clement and Smallwood as kick returner options if
Gibson can’t suit up. The Eagles will be down to just four healthy receivers if
Gibson doesn’t suit up: Nelson Agholor, Mike Wallace, DeAndre Carter, and Kamar
Aiken. Look for Agholor and Wallace to get a lot of playing time on the outside
with Carter filling in for the slot receiver role. Aiken
Youth Jordan Matthews Jerseys , meanwhile, projects as more of a special teams guy. (Hopefully, at least, considering how little the 29-year-old showed
offensively this summer.)It helps Philadelphia that the Bucs project to be
without both of their starting cornerbacks this week. Hopefully that allows
Foles and the receivers to have a more successful connection than they did last
week against Atlanta when they only combined for nine receptions and 43 yards.
One non-injury update: the Eagles are getting Nigel Bradham and Deiondre’ Hall
back this week after both players served suspensions in Week 1. That’s a nice
boost for Jim Schwartz’s defense. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES INJURY REPORT
(FRIDAY)OUTQB Carson Wentz (knee)WR Alshon Jeffery (shoulder)RB Darren Sproles
(hamstring)QUESTIONABLEWR Shelton Gibson (knee)...RESERVE/PHYSICALLY UNABLE TO
PERFORMS Chris MaragosRESERVE/NON-FOOTBALL INJURYDT Timmy
JerniganRESERVE/INJUREDCB Elie BoukaWR Mack HollinsCB D.J. KillingsTE Richard
RodgersTE Gannon SinclairOT Toby WeathersbyLB Paul WorrilowTAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
INJURY REPORT (FRIDAY)The Buccaneers ruled two players out: starting cornerback
Brent Grimes and first-round rookie Vita Vea. With Grimes out and Vernon
Hargreaves being placed on injured reserve earlier this week, Tampa Bay will be
without both starting corners against Philly. Vea being out, meanwhile, hurts
the Bucs’ interior defensive line depth. DeSean Jackson is questionable to play
after sitting out Wednesday and being limited on both Thursday and Friday. It’s
still unclear if he’s passed through the league’s mandatory concussion protocol.
He won’t be able to play until he does. I’m sure we’ll hear more updates on
Jackson prior to Sunday’s kickoff. The Eagles’ secondary will have a tough task
of containing him deep down the field if he does suit up.Starting defensive end
Jason Pierre-Paul, who was held without a single stat in Week 1 despite the fact
Drew Brees attempted 45 passes, is also questionable. It sounds like there’s
some optimism he’ll play. It’s fair to wonder just how effective he’ll be as he
deals with a knee issue. Starting offensive linemen Donovan Smith and Caleb
Benenoch were limited participants in practice on Wednesday and Thursday but
they were full go on Friday.Ryan Fitzpatrick will obviously start at quarterback
for the Bucs with Jameis Winston serving the second game of his three-game
suspension. He’s backed up by 28-year-old Ryan Griffin, who has never attempted
a regular season pass in his career.OUTCB Brent Grimes (groin)DT Vita Vea
(calf)QUESTIONABLEWR DeSean Jackson (concussion, shoulder)DE Jason Pierre-Paul
(knee)...RESERVE/SUSPENDED BY COMMISSIONERQB Jameis Winston RESERVE/NON-FOOTBALL
INJURYLB Kendell BeckwithRESERVE/INJUREDWR Sergio BaileyCB Amari ColemanDB
Maurice FlemingOT Cole GardnerCB Vernon HargreavesDT Stevie Tu’ikolovatuDT Mitch
Unrein
