Week 7 Practice Serves Reminder To Eagles That They "Have To Punch First"

PHILADELPHIA – Some wore shorts, others wore their padded pants. They all wore shoulder pads, and Wednesday’s Eagles practice was physical. The Eagles weren’t the more physical team in their last outing, a 34-17 loss to the New York Giants, and that is a rare thing for them - the bullies on the NFL block the past three years that led to two Super Bowls- to be bullied the way they were last Thursday.

So, they did something about it.

“It was a good physical practice, it was,” said left tackle Jordan Mailata “It’s a good reminder. It’s a physical game and we have to be the aggressor. We have to punch first.”

The Eagles have two more games to punch first, beginning on Sunday in Minnesota then again in a rematch against the Giants before the enter their bye week.

Wednesday’s during the season are typically walkthroughs, and they probably will be again, but not now when the Eagles have been consumed these past two weeks by talk of a predictable offense, an offense that lacks variety, and one that needs to execute better.

The Decision To Put Pads On

Jalen Carter, between Kelee Ringo (7) and Ty Robinson (95), was at practice during Week 7. | Ed Kracz/Eagles on SI

“Some players went to (head coach Nick Sirianni) and said no more walkthrough Wednesdays, we have to go, we have to have pads on,” said linebacker Nakobe Dean. “He was probably gonna do that anyway, knowing Sirianni. It wasn’t a big change. We went one week without it, and we lost two games, and it’s like, 'All right, get back in pads.' That’s for all the superstitious people out there.”

Rookies like Jihaad Campbell are going through their fall as pros, but he was grateful to have the pads on.

“It's big,” he said. “My feet wasn't hurting for the past few days just because the cleats weren't on. It's always good to get back to the morality of life. That's what we're doing right now.”

The work began Monday, two days before the Eagles put the pads on. For the defense, it began with individual meetings with defensive coordinator Vic Fangio.

“We know we gotta pick up the nastiness and the violence, and the toughness of the group,” said Dean. “We gotta get our swagger back. I feel like, I know, it’s going to happen.”

Putting the pads back on, like Mailata said, is reminder of that violence.

“Last week, we didn’t have the pads on,” said Dean. “That tells you the mentality that we’re trying to get back to, to the work.”

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