When the Eagles return to practice today, things are going to look a little different.
After going through mostly light walk-through style practices a week ago to rest players, the Eagles are going to be more physical this week, with a padded practice this week and another next week when they know who they’ll face in the divisional round.
Via Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Eagles coach Doug Pederson said his player leadership council approached him with the idea last week.
“This is something that the players want,” Pederson said. “It’s not a punishment thing; it’s not coming directly from me. It’s what the players want. I listen to my guys. I think they understand that there is a sense of physicality that we have to get back to. I’m not saying we’re not there because obviously football is a physical game, but I think there is a sense over the course of a few weeks when you’ve been in shells, pad level begins to rise, and intensity sometimes can be minimized.”
They aren’t going to go full Oklahoma drill or anything, but they do want to change the tone before they open the playoffs next week, and hope a more physical preparation gets everyone’s attention.