Patriots Blog: Who Not To Expect Against Eagles
FOXBORO (CBS) - Here are some of the players that I don't think will see any action in tonight's preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
- Stevan Ridley has missed the last couple of days of practice. I don't expect to see the running back out there, and that means Shane Vereen should get a run with the first team. It will be interesting to see how he does, as he had a lot of success last week against the Saints' second-tier defenders. If Vereen continues to run hard, there could be a running back battle in camp.
- Sebastian Vollmer was taken off the PUP list on Sunday, but don't expect him to be in the line-up. The lineman needs to be in shells for a couple of days and then inserted into practice, but the good news is he appears close to a return. To have him back would really help strengthen the offensive line, which has taken it's hits over the last week.
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- Safety James Ihedigbo was a staple on this team last year but he's missed a ton of practice time in camp. He will not be out there once again tonight and his spot with this team could be in jeopardy. Ihedigbo needs to get healthy and get out there for the final two preseason games or he could find himself on the chopping block come August 28.
- You won't be seeing Jabar Gaffney hauling in passes from Tom Brady tonight as the veteran receiver is nursing a leg injury. He's been at practice the last couple days, mostly as a spectator, and hasn't been in pads. This should give Deion Branch and Donte' Stallworth some more PT.
- I feel I should say no Brian Waters, but that kind of states the obvious. But the silence on the Waters front has people worried there is no comeback in the cards. Many are feeling that if he was going to come back, we should start to hear something very soon.
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No matter who plays or doesn't play, this should be a relatively exciting preseason matchup (which should always come with an asterisk). The Eagles will likely play their starters for extended time (they don't have three games in the next 10 days) meaning there should be tons of Michael Vick, LeSean McCoy and DeSean Jackson on the field, just to name a few of the more explosive Eagles on offense.
This will give the Patriots defense plenty to play for, and a great test -- even if it is just for a half.
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