Eagles Worried About COVID-19 Outbreak in O-Line Room?

[time2rock]

Eagles Worried About COVID-19 Outbreak in O-Line Room?

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• By Mike Greger

• Updated Dec 20, 2021 at 6:42pm

Getty:  All-Pro tackle Lane Johnson would be a perfect fit for the Cincinnati Bengals.

With two offensive linemen – first, Landon Dickerson and now Andre Dillard – entering the NFL’s COVID-19 protocols in consecutive days it’s fair to wonder if an outbreak is on the horizon. The players share the same meeting rooms and stay around each other at the Philadelphia Eagles’ practice facility.

Dickerson tested positive on Sunday so there is still hope he’ll turn back a negative test prior to kickoff. Dillard seems like a longshot to dress, though, since he tested positive on Monday.

There has been no indication from the team that anyone else on the offensive line has been infected. Then again, players are tested daily and a league-wide spike in positive cases has everyone on edge.

 

"We’re very aware obviously of everything that’s going on and we’re taking precaution of what we’re doing,” Sirianni told reporters on December 15. "I’m not going to get into everything that we’ve done that’s different, but we’re taking precaution to make sure that we have a competitive advantage over other teams.”

Sirianni admitted to some "shuffling” of the meeting rooms, specifically among the quarterbacks. The team has put a bigger emphasis on social distancing inside the building and wearing masks whether vaccinated or not.

The majority of Eagles players are vaccinated, according to Sirianni. Remember, teams aren’t required to submit vaccination percentages to the media.

"I’m just fortunate that we came back in and that we didn’t have a lot of guys that tested positive after being on a bye week and being out and about,” Sirianni said. "So obviously, credit to the guys that they were safe when they were out. They were cautious about what they were doing.”

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Jack Anderson Could Provide O-Line Depth

The Eagles will need depth along the offensive line without Dickerson and Dillard. The starting left guard spot is all but assured to Sua Opeta, while Nate Herbig gets the start at right guard with Jack Driscoll on injured reserve. But the cupboard is a little bare behind those guys.

The Eagles may decide to call up rookie Jack Anderson off injured reserve, if he’s healthy and ready to play. He hit IR on November 20 with a hamstring injury, then got activated to the 21-day practice window on December 15.

There was a mild hype around the possible Richie Incognito clone. Other options include veteran swing tackle Le’Raven Clark and Brett Toth, along with Kayode Awosika or Luke Juriga from the practice squad.

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Jalen Hurts Carries No Injury Designation

Jalen Hurts will be the starting quarterback, barring some crazy last-minute setback during pre-game warmups. He was a full participant at practice all week and carries no injury designation heading into Week 15. Hurts was dealing with a high ankle sprain and his status had been up in the air.

"I feel pretty confident and feel really good about where he is at right now,” Sirianni told reporters on December 17. "The sooner you know the better, but that’s not always realistic. Sometimes you have to wait it out and sometimes you don’t have that liberty and you’re at the liberty of the ankle, the liberty of the player and how he feels, and what the trainers and the doctors and strength staff are telling you, too.”

https://heavy.com/sports/philadelphia-eagles/covid-19-offensive-line/

[UK_EaglesFan89]

It's absolutely ridiculous that the game gets delayed a couple of days and as a result we get double shafted. 

[time2rock]

40 minutes ago, UK_EaglesFan89 said:

It's absolutely ridiculous that the game gets delayed a couple of days and as a result we get double shafted. 

How is it we got double shafted??  We are down ONE player ... Dickerson.  Dillard ... big deal, he would not have suited up anyway (with the status of the interior OL I'm sure those with positional versatility like Toth and/or Clark would have been dressed over him).  WFT is still down 16 players (including their top 2 QBs).  If we can't beat them and also a 4 win Giants team (also minus their starting QB) even on short rest, we have no business being in the playoffs.  

[nipples]

19 minutes ago, time2rock said:

How is it we got double shafted??  We are down ONE player ... Dickerson.  Dillard ... big deal, he would not have suited up anyway (with the status of the interior OL I'm sure those with positional versatility like Toth and/or Clark would have been dressed over him).  WFT is still down 16 players (including their top 2 QBs).  If we can't beat them and also a 4 win Giants team (also minus their starting QB) even on short rest, we have no business being in the playoffs.  

Ok, and if the game was played on Sunday like it should have been, we’d be down no players. I don’t care that Washington still has a bunch on the list, which began due to an unvaccinated player BTW. That isn’t the point. 

 

[UK_EaglesFan89]

48 minutes ago, time2rock said:

How is it we got double shafted??  We are down ONE player ... Dickerson.  Dillard ... big deal, he would not have suited up anyway (with the status of the interior OL I'm sure those with positional versatility like Toth and/or Clark would have been dressed over him).  WFT is still down 16 players (including their top 2 QBs).  If we can't beat them and also a 4 win Giants team (also minus their starting QB) even on short rest, we have no business being in the playoffs.  

Because we lost Dickerson and have to play on a short week. 

[EaglesAddict]

Quote

Dickerson tested positive on Sunday so there is still hope he’ll turn back a negative test prior to kickoff.

If we assume Dickerson is vaxxed, didn't the new rule change say that only vaxxed players who show symptoms get tested now?  If this is the case, then no way he plays tonight.  

Not sure what time any news might come out today...but there's still a chance other OL could come up positive.  

[PoconoDon]

The reality is that you play with who you have whenever it's scheduled, and you do so without complaint. The Eagles should crush the WFT tonight. We'll see what happens soon enough.

[time2rock]

56 minutes ago, UK_EaglesFan89 said:

Because we lost Dickerson and have to play on a short week. 

Well they now lost their all pro RG Scherff (he would have played Sunday) so I'd say the loss cancels out losing Dickerson.  And mean if we don't beat NY even on a short week then like I said before we don't deserve a playoff spot.