No More Mills

We’ve been hoping Jalen Mills would come back one of these weeks.

Roster Move: #Eagles have placed CB Jalen Mills on Injured Reserve and promoted DT Bruce Hector to the active roster. pic.twitter.com/Hh2tMiTasm

— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) December 8, 2018

Zach Berman broke the story earlier today and the Eagles confirmed it.

Why keep Mills around all this time if he wasn’t ready to play?

Re: Mills injury — My understanding is that he wasn’t able to return for postseason (if Eagles make it), which is why he’s expected to go on IR. They had been keeping him on the roster hoping for a return. But that’s not looking like a possibility.

— Zach Berman (@ZBerm) December 8, 2018

That does make some sense. I guess Mills’ foot just wasn’t making the progress the team hoped for and they finally decided to move on.

Some are going to point the finger at the Eagles medical staff. This has been a rough year for players getting hurt. And the injuries have lingered in some cases. Darren Sproles hamstring injury seemed to last forever.

I don’t know what’s up with the medical staff. One of the problems we have is that the team is awfully secretive and Doug Pederson is flat-out confusing. I think Pederson is trying to keep info from other teams, but I don’t think he realizes the impact it has with fans and the media. Day-to-day and week-to-week don’t mean that, not based on his use of those phrases this year. God forbid he ever tells us a player is month-to-month. Go ahead and start digging the grave for that guy.

Mills wasn’t expected back in the next couple of weeks even through Pederson’s cryptic comments. This isn’t huge news for the team. They are focused on beating Dallas and trying to save the season.

Sidney Jones should be fine on the outside. The other spot is more uncertain. Rasul Douglas has good ball skills. He can hit and tackle. But he is vulnerable to quick receivers and double moves. Teams are going to throw his way a lot and test him.

It is possible Avonte Maddox could play outside when comes back. I still think the team might prefer him at FS. Corey Graham has not done much to impress this year.

One thing is for sure…these CBs need to stay healthy. This group is stretched about as thin as possible and there’s no help on the way.

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The promotion of Bruce Hector to the active roster makes you think Tim Jernigan could be out this week. His back spasms flared on Monday and have been an issue all week.

The Eagles need as many healthy bodies as possible to handle the Dallas run game.

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Eagles now have 4 defensive starters — CB Jalen Mills, CB Ronald Darby, S Rodney McLeod, and DE Derek Barnett — on IR. Also missing their starting MLB (Jordan Hicks), and Iikely a starting DT (Timmy Jernigan). They’ll probably have more backups starting on Sunday than starters.

— Jimmy Kempski (@JimmyKempski) December 8, 2018

This is less than ideal, but nobody cares. The players on the field must find a way to get the job done.

This becomes an opportunity for some backups to become heroes.

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Lane Johnson on Eagles needing to win in Dallas tomorrow

“It’s a do or die situation. It creates a sense of urgency in the locker room. You can feel it”#FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/7odNzyBUnE

— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) December 8, 2018

Let’s hope we see that sense of urgency on the field. This is going to be the biggest game of the year.

Win and you stay alive. Lose and forget about it.

I hope this pressure brings out the best in the Eagles. They were in must-win mode the past two weeks and still played up and down. This needs to be the performance of the year. Being underdogs and on the road could be just what this team needs to bring out the best in them.

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I’m interested to see how Pederson attacks the Dallas defense. Those LBs are flying around the field.

My guess is that there will be a mixture of quick hitters and mis-direction plays. You keep guys from running by attacking them. You also use their speed against them. Get them flowing one way and then attack the other.

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