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Good afternoon, Eagles fans! We're only two days away from #BirdDay. While you wait for Thursday's game, take a look at all the latest Eagles content in the November 24th edition of the Read-Option ...
Get Up, Dust Off, And Prepare For Detroit - Dave Spadaro
"Monday was not a day to look back. Monday was a day to pivot toward Detroit and the kickoff on Thursday at 12:30 p.m. The hours move quickly. The preparation time is squeezed. And the ability to shake off the loss on Sunday is absolutely critical.
What happened to the Eagles in the 45-17 loss to Tampa Bay on Sunday? It was an utter disaster, everyone agrees. Nothing went right. Nobody has much of an explanation. It was a snowball that rolled downhill into a mountain and the Eagles did nothing to reverse the momentum.
'It's a game you want to forget quickly,' cornerback Nolan Carroll said. 'From that standpoint, it's a good thing we're playing on Thursday.'
Hey, we all know the situation here: The Eagles are 4-6, having lost two consecutive home games after that huge win at Dallas in overtime. They are one game behind in the NFC East, but that really isn't the story here. A 2015 season that began with extraordinarily high hopes has become this. The heat is on. There is no doubting that. You don't lose 45-17 and just brush it off.
Yet that's what the Eagles are forced to do given they lose 72 hours and 30 minutes of prep time (the difference in time between Thursday's 12:30 p.m. start and a Sunday at 1 p.m. kickofff.)
'You know, we have to get ready both mentally and physically,' safety Walter Thurmond said. 'There's no explanation for how we played against Tampa Bay. Missed tackles. Missed assignments. The execution wasn't there and we're all disappointed about it. We've just got to play better football.'"
Tweet Of The Day
Community Monday: Thanksgiving Baskets
Brandon Graham, Bennie Logan and Eagles employees packaged 100 Thanksgiving baskets ...
Eagles employees stuffed Thanksgiving baskets for Care partner Northern Children's Services on Community Monday ...
Eagles employees worked together to stuff Thanksgiving baskets for Northern Children's Services
They used supplies from Acme supermarkets
Everyone gave a helping hand
Studies have shown that the poverty rate in Philadelphia is double the rate at both the national and state leves
More than one-third of children in this city are hungry on a daily basis
In all, Eagles employees stuffed 100 baskets
Everyone had a great time helping out
Even Bennie Logan and Brandon Graham stopped by to help out after practice
Great work, guys!
When the baskets were finisher, it was time to send them to Northern Children's Services
Time to place the last few in the truck
The Eagles had a great time!
Graham's Long Road Back To Detroit - Julie Bacanskas
"Now a full-time starter for the first time in his career, Graham is able to enjoy his spot on this Eagles' defense, a team he will be part of for the long haul.
'I appreciate it so much more because when I first got here, yeah I went in the top and I'm going to start by default because they selected me in the first round,' Graham said. 'But for me, I went through an injury. I had to come from the threes (third team on the depth chart) all the way up to now ones. That was a long, hard journey.
'For me, I appreciate it that much more because I know what it's like to get dismissed real quick. I thought I wasn't going to be here a couple years ago just because new coach, my season wasn't going as good, new scheme, all kinds of different things. But for me, I knew football was going to be football and once (Chip Kelly) saw that I could play, I was going to be all right. I just stayed with it.'
Throughout it all, Graham had his family by his side. He had his mom, Tasha, his grandma and his wife, Carlyne, to turn to when things were rocky.
In the end, the linebacker remained positive, kept his gregarious personality and continued to grind. He'd been powering through and exceeding expectations all his life. He knew he could do it again.
'I just had a core group of people I could call and vent to,' the linebacker explained. 'Once I kind of got past that stage where it is what it is, I was hurt. I'm not worried about that stuff. What else can they say? Let me get back and when I come back, I'm going to make sure they eat those words. That was my motivation.'"
360: Defense Looks To Bounce Back
Other Views
Concussed Sam Bradford Cleared By Neurologist, Eagles Say - Les Bowen, Daily News
"Sam Bradford has been cleared by an independent neurologist, the Eagles said, meaning he has completed the NFL concussion protocol, but Bradford was just a partial participant in Monday's practice, the only full-scale workout before the Thanksgiving game at Detroit.
So it seems likely Mark Sanchez will again quarterback the Birds against the Lions; offensive tackle Lane Johnson said that was his expectation. The two other concussed Eagles, running back Ryan Mathews and tight end Zach Ertz, are expected to sit, as well.
Eagles coach Chip Kelly, speaking before practice, did not give any specifics or even confirm that Bradford had been cleared, something the team announced after the workout. So we don't know whether Bradford stayed out of team drills Monday because they're easing him back in from the concussion or because of the Grade II AC strain Bradford's left shoulder suffered when he was hit by Miami's Chris McCain during the Eagles' Nov. 15 loss."
Notes: Josh Huff Talks Snaps - Adam Hermann, Birds 24/7
"'I don't think you guys need to look too much into it,' said Huff. 'It's just the way the game played out.'
Huff admitted that 'it hurts to be on the sideline like that,' and it hurt him to see the fans walk out of the stadium as the game became irredeemable for the Birds.
'It's just embarrassing,' Huff said. 'Obviously we've got to be better.'
Huff's answer about the snap count mirrored the way his head coach answers similar questions, pinning his team's personnel and play calls on the way 'the game expresses itself.'
That head coach, Chip Kelly, has come under a little fire since the Eagles' ugly loss to Tampa Bay, and Huff was asked today about the heat Kelly received in the media.
'We've been playing poorly. That's the way it is,' Huff said. '[The team's coaches] do an excellent job putting a game plan together, and going at it like that, and we work hard during the week, but come the game, it's not there for us.
'[Our] offense is stagnant, and that puts pressure on the defense, special teams, etcetera. We've got to play smarter moving forward and stay close-knit, like we've been staying.'"
