Eagles May Make Changes In The Secondary
By Ed Benkin
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Eagles fans have been demanding changes in the secondary after watching opposing wide receivers burn the Birds with big plays. There is a possibility the fans may get their wish.
While nothing has been made official, the team will evaluate their cornerbacks in practice this week as they get set for their season finale against the Giants. The rotation won't change during the team's training sessions, but Defensive Coordinator Bill Davis says all options are on the table for Sunday.
"We haven't made that decision yet," said Davis. "What we're going to do is look at it all week and at the end of the week, we'll make a decision on how and what groupings we use to defend these guys."
It is common for the Eagles' defensive backs to rotate during workouts, and the rotation seemed to be the same during Tuesday's training session. If there is any chance of changes coming, Cornerback Brandon Boykin hasn't been told by the coaching staff.
"That's the thing," Boykin said. "Coaches would never tell you before practice. That will kind of mess up the whole routine. Like I said, we don't know anything and we just practice hard and get ready for an opponent. Whatever happens will happen."
The player who has received the most criticism in recent weeks is Bradley Fletcher. The cornerback has been burned by a host of big plays, but Davis was quick to defend Fletcher for his body of work throughout the past two seasons.
"Bradley Fletcher has a lot of good football he's played for us over the past two years," said Davis. "Him and I have talked a lot about the confidence issue. You just can't yank all of these guys. There's not a whole lot of players that you have options for, anyway, but you can't just bail on a guy."
Fellow Cornerback Cary Williams can sympathize with Fletcher. He understands the pressures of being and NFL cornerback and the consequences when mistakes are made in the secondary.
"I care for Bradley," Williams said. "I care for his family. I care for him as a teammate. I care for him off the field as well. I think it's a situation that's almost bigger than football."
No matter who is on the field on Sunday, Safety Nate Allen knows the Eagles have to be emotionally ready for the Giants, even though their playoff hopes came to an end last weekend.
"That's part of being a pro," said Allen. "You have to be able to have that mindset that we're going to treat it like it's a Super Bowl. You're going to go out an execute and play your best game of the season."
Eagles Linebacker Trent Cole returned to practice after missing last week's game with a hand injury.
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