Today’s Eagles practice itself is at walk-through speed, so there’s probably nothing worth noting. The real news of the day came during Chip Kelly’s press conference, in which he made some major announcements regarding player personnel in their first preseason game against the Colts on Sunday.
He announced that Zach Ertz will miss the entire preseason with a core muscle injury and that Sam Bradford will not play in the Colts game. Alright, before the overreactions begin for either of those pieces of news, let’s break them down.
Is Bradford Ready?
The short answer is no. If he were ready, he would be playing. It’s as simple as that. But I don’t think “ready” in this sense means in terms of health. I think football-wise, he still needs another week where he’s getting reps in 11-on-11 drills before he can jump into a game and look good. Why rush him and throw him into a game if he’s not ready for it? They have four preseason games for a reason, and there should be plenty of time for him to show himself in the ones he does play in.
Plus, he has an injury history in the preseason. Last year, he tore his ACL in the preseason and missed the whole year. They know there’s a risk of him re-injuring his ACL anyway, so why put him in meaningless games for just a couple series of play anyway?
Yes, it is certainly important for him to play a little bit before the regular season to shake off some rust. But he’s going to be rusty anyway. In my opinion, sitting him the first week isn’t the greatest situation, but it’s definitely the safest. I’m fine with it.
What Ertz, Zach?
The answer to my cringe-worthy pun is his “core muscles.” Here are some details:
Ertz is with Dr. Meyers today. Meyers is a core muscle (sports hernia) injury expert. No decision yet on whether a procedure is required.
— Zach Berman (@ZBerm) August 14, 2015
As a result of this, he will miss the entire preseason. It’s a shame that he won’t play, but he’s a lock for the roster anyway and has nothing to prove, so it’s not a massive loss. The one worrying thing is the nature of the injury. An updated report said that the injury is just a groin strain and not anything too serious, which is definitely good news. The injury to Jason Kelce last year that kept him out for six weeks was an abdominal tear, which was more serious and is why he was out longer. I’m just hoping Ertz gets better soon.
Jason Kelce said he had full abdomen tear, hence his sports hernia surgery. A procedure for Ertz would presumably require less recovery time
— Jeff McLane (@Jeff_McLane) August 14, 2015
In conclusion, are these pieces of news worth being concerned about? Probably not, but it’s important to keep a close eye on how they develop. The Redskins lost starting tight end Niles Paul last night to a season-ending injury in their first preseason game. That’s the kind of thing the Eagles are trying to avoid, and it makes sense. One can only hope it works.
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