Eagles injury update: Cole joins injured Birds
BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- Trent Cole is the latest Eagle to land in Sick Bay, thanks to swelling in the AC joint in his shoulder.
Cole joins Brent Celek (knee strain) and Jason Babin (calf strain), who are also sidelined with injuries suffered in the first week of training camp at Lehigh.
Head coach Andy Reid said Cole could miss anywhere from a day to a week with the injury, suffered at practice on Monday.
With Babin already on the shelf for anywhere from two to five weeks with a Grade 2 right calf strain suffered Saturday, the Eagles now have both of their Pro Bowl defensive ends out for the time being.
“I think with injuries in this day and age of football, you've got to be patient," head coach Andy Reid said. "You don't want to put the player in a bind. You think about them first and then the practices. You don't want to put them in a position where they get hurt worse than what they already are.”
Cole didn’t seem very concerned about the injury, saying only, “I’m always ready.”
Reid said trainer Rick Burkholder reduced the swelling in Cole’s shoulder on Tuesday, the team’s day off, but it returned on Wednesday.
“He came back this morning, and it was swollen it a little bit more this morning than it was even yesterday,” Reid said. “He’ll keep working on it. We get that swelling out, and he’ll be back. It could be a day, could be a week. I don’t know."
Babin, who recorded 18 sacks last year, said he’s never had a calf injury before, adding, “We’re going to learn as we go.”
He said he’s already rehabbing and sensing progress.
“It’s part of the game, getting injured,” he said. “You get a little dinged up and you get back at it.
“We got some pretty high-tech gear here. This G-treadmill, where it allows you to put a certain amount of body weight [on it]. Even today, I already started my conditioning. It’s pretty nice to have that technology at my disposal.
“We have a good [training] staff here, and they’re going to progress me at the pace that they see fit. Of course, knowing my personality, I’m going to push them as hard as I can.”
It sounds like Celek will be back fairly soon, possibly in the next few days. He got hurt last Thursday on one of his first snaps of the first full-team practice at Lehigh.
“He's getting better, but he's not quite ready to go today,” Reid said. “We'll see here in the next couple days how he improves. He's taken big steps here today.”
Celek has been running sprints on a side field during practice and looks great. He said running straight isn’t an issue anymore but cutting is. Once he’s able to cut, he’ll be back.
“Every day I keep getting a little bit better, it’s just that these days are so long,” he said. “It feels like each day is a week. I’ve got to be patient with it, and the trainers are doing a good job with me. It’s been a week and it’s felt like three months.
“I’ve just got to take my time, I can’t get discouraged about it. Keep my head up and get ready for this preseason.
“I don’t see me being out too terribly much longer. That’s up to the trainers to decide that type of stuff, but I’m starting to feel better.”
There’ve been years where Celek gets so beat up in training camp, just because he plays the game so hard, that it takes him a few weeks of the regular season just to get back healthy. Celek blamed his disappointing 2010 season for the beating he took at Lehigh.
So maybe missing a week of pounding is a blessing in disguise?
“Maybe a little bit, but I like being out there with the guys,” he said. “Everybody’s out there banging. This is where you put work in to be good during the season. This is a necessary part of football and I wish I could be out there with the guys. It’s frustrating sitting on the side.”
Meanwhile, safety and special teams demon Colt Anderson continues to rehab on his own and is getting close to being activated from the PUP list.
Anderson tore his knee up on Dec. 8, and the Eagles generally try to get a guy on the field eight months after an ACL. Eight months out from Dec. 8 is a week from Wednesday, an off day preceding the preseason opener against the Steelers.
There’s a good chance Anderson could be back on the practice field on Aug. 11, when the team returns to work after the Pittsburgh game.
E-mail Reuben Frank at rfrank@comcastsportsnet.com
