Philadelphia Eagles news and links for 11/17/19.

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Philadelphia Eagles honorary captain Jon Dorenbos talks life, death, fathers and forgiveness - ESPN
Dorenbos has been busy since the previous Eagles-Patriots matchup. On top of career as a magician, Dorenbos has written a book called “Life is Magic,” which details his extraordinary journey, including how football and magic helped him through tragedy after his father, Alan, murdered his mother, Kathy, when he was 12 years old (Aug. 2, 1992). He opened up to ESPN about his life experiences, including sitting down with his dad earlier this year -- for the first time since his mother’s death. This Q&A has been edited for clarity and brevity. [...] “It was the idea of having closure in my past life, having peace, and it was taking the worst thing that has ever happened to me and trying to find some sort of silver lining. That good was basically me reliving that relationship and those emotions from what had happened when I was a kid, and looking at my dad and realizing all the things we missed out on, the things that should have been that weren’t, and finding motivation within that. Realizing the dad I wanted to be, realizing how I could do it differently than what my dad did, and being there for my daughter in ways he wasn’t there for me. That was pretty powerful.”

Report: Jordan Howard not expected to play in Eagles vs. Patriots, Jay Ajayi will be active - BGN
Philadelphia Eagles running back Jordan Howard is NOT expected to play in Sunday’s Week 11 game against the New England Patriots, according to a report from NFL insider Adam Schefter. Howard originally suffered a shoulder injury that Doug Pederson described as a “stinger” during the Eagles’ Week 9 win over the Chicago Bears. Howard was limited in practice leading up to this week’s game and was listed as “questionable” on Friday’s final injury report. As of Friday morning, Pederson said Howard hadn’t been cleared for contact.

Eye On the Enemy #7: Patriots Preview w/Taylor Kyles - BGN Radio
John Stolnis is joined by Taylor Kyles to get a New England perspective on the upcoming battle between the Eagles and Patriots! Powered by SB Nation and Bleeding Green Nation.

Jay Ajayi, Jason Kelce, Brandon Graham and more in Roob’s random Eagles points - NBCSP
It blows my mind that there are still fans out there — not a ton of them but enough to drive me crazy — clinging to this belief that the Eagles should have kept Nick Foles instead of Wentz, and they try to justify their misguided beliefs by constantly tearing Wentz down. We’ll all always love Foles for who he is and what he did, but the argument that Foles is somehow superior to Wentz because Foles won a Super Bowl with Alshon Jeffery and Nelson Agholor, and those guys are struggling this year with Wentz is laughable. Have you seen Jeffery? Have you seen Agholor? Do you honestly believe they’re the same players they were in 2017? Come on. Did Jeffery drop all those passes against the Bears because Wentz threw them? Did Agholor drop all those deep balls because Wentz threw them? Foles is a legend here. Always will be. You don’t need to tear down Wentz to prove it.

Did the Eagles mishandle DeSean Jackson’s injury? We spoke to an expert - PhillyVoice
“You do about 2-to-4 weeks of rehab and you see how he progresses and if he doesn’t you talk surgery. Every surgery has its own inherent risk, going under anesthesia, the recovering not going as quickly as it could, if you can go the conservative route, that’s the way to go. At Temple, where I treat at the college level, you try and avoid surgery as much as possible. We do a lot of conservative rehabs and most go well. He was obviously a guy who didn’t tolerate the conservative therapy well... He did return for a game, his rehab went well, he just reaggravated it. When you’re not playing and rehabbing, it can start to feel really good but once you get to the amount of force and speed needed for an NFL game you realize you’re not there.”

Joe Banner: Eagles smart to re-sign key player such as Brandon Brooks, with salary cap about to soar - Inquirer
Domo: OK, let’s move on to Sunday’s game. Do you like Eagles’ chances against the Patriots? ... Banner: I’m not going to go as far as saying “like,’’ but I think they have a much better chance than people think. They appear to be getting on track. And I risk sounding like a real moron by saying this, but I think the Patriots are somewhat overrated. I didn’t say the Patriots aren’t very good. I said they are somewhat overrated. I think their defense is very good. But I think it looks better than it actually is because of who they’ve played. I think their offensive line is creating huge problems for them. Problems they haven’t seen in a very long time. And there are ways to exploit that. Certainly, the Patriots are the favorites. They should be the favorites. They’re more likely to win the game. But I definitely don’t go into this, as some seem to be doing, thinking [the Eagles] can’t win. I think they have a chance to be competitive in the game.

The 8-Point Lead: Familiarity for Jordan Matthews, validation for Brandon Brooks, the first Wentz-Brady meeting - The Athletic
Wentz was on the sideline when the Eagles last played the Patriots. Sunday will be his first start against Tom Brady. Unless the two teams meet in the postseason or Brady, 42, plays until he’s 50, this will be their only meeting. As Wentz often does, he downplayed the quarterback matchup even though Brady is a quarterback he’s admired. “It’s always cool to play a competitor like him, arguably one of the best ever,” Wentz said. “Ton of respect for what he’s done. But I’m facing their defense and he’s facing our defense. But it’ll be cool to compete on the same field and hopefully get a chance to see him before and after the game.” This will be Brady’s seventh time starting against the Eagles in the regular season or postseason. Wentz will be the sixth different quarterback Brady has started against because the Eagles have used their backup quarterbacks in three of those games.

Week 11 Weather Forecasts - Rotoworld
New England at Philadelphia (4:25 PM ET): The rematch of the 2018 Super Bowl should be interesting with both teams coming off the bye. 43-degree temperatures, overcast skies, and 13 MPH winds won’t cause any issues for the time being. Given the difficult matchup, Carson Wentz should probably be on your bench and that decision would be even easier if wind speeds increase prior to game time.

Philadelphia Eagles vs. New England Patriots: 5 matchups to watch - PennLive
Patriots WR Julian Edelman vs. Eagles CB Avonte Maddox. Second-year cornerback Avonte Maddox is one of the new faces from the last time these two teams met. And he should have a difficult task in Patriots slot receiver Julian Edelman, who also didn’t play in the Super Bowl because of an injury. Edelman has 63 catches for 663 yards and four touchdowns this season. Maddox looked solid in his return from a concussion and neck injury two weeks ago against the Chicago Bears, but he can really make an impact for the Eagles in this one.

Patriots rule out Damien Harris, Patrick Chung for Sunday’s matchup in Philadelphia - Pats Pulpit
The New England Patriots will go without rookie running back Damien Harris and starting safety Patrick Chung. Both have been downgraded to out ahead of Sunday’s 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. [...] Chung, who is dealing with heel and chest injuries, missed two consecutive practices before returning as a limited participant on Wednesday. Sunday will mark the 11-year veteran’s third inactive since the start of October. And it will come opposite a set of Eagles tight ends in Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert that have combined for 748 receiving yards and five touchdowns thus far.

2019 PFF Week 11 NFL Power Rankings - PFF
1. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS. While much of the story surrounding the Patriots involves their defense, whether that be the unreal first eight games for the unit or the signs of weakness against a Ravens offense that is tearing through the league, it is ultimately their offense that will determine their success this season. Brady is still one of the top quarterbacks in the league when given time to operate from a clean pocket, coming in as PFF’s highest-graded quarterback in the NFL when not pressured this season. The same can not be said for when pressure does get home (19th among quarterbacks). That leads to the critical question for the Patriots season: How well can they consistently keep pressure off Brady with an offensive line that has taken a step back in 2019?

Malik Jackson and the gift of giving back - PE.com
Tomorrow’s Salute to Service Game is huge for me, even though I won’t be on the field with my brothers. Military members sacrifice so much for us. Salute to Service means a lot to the players because we have a lot of family members who are in the armed forces and we see those sacrifices firsthand. I’ve been able to travel to other countries and I realize how free we are as Americans. Why wouldn’t you want to help the people who allow you to wake up and not worry about anything? It’s important for us to recognize them and hopefully we’re giving back and helping them do more. When I played in Denver, the Broncos hosted a camp in Colorado Springs for military children whose parents were deployed. Just to see the smile on those kids’ faces was inspiring. One mom told me that she hadn’t seen her child smile as much as he did in a long, long time. That’s when I knew that I was going to start my own foundation, Malik’s Gifts.

Where to Eat Near Lincoln Financial Field, Home of the Philadelphia Eagles - Eater
With a Super Bowl win under their belts and big dreams of another one, there’s more reason than ever to see the Philadelphia Eagles play at Lincoln Financial Field — not to mention the dozens of concerts and other sporting events that take place at the South Philly stadium regularly. The Linc has good food, but where to go before and after? Luckily, the area near the stadium has plenty of classic Philly options. Within a mile, find sports bars, cheesesteak shops, red sauce Italian joints, plenty of hoagies, pizza, and even water ice.

Jaguars vs. Colts: Week 11 matchups to watch - Big Cat Country
QB Nick Foles vs. HC Frank Reich: A little unorthodox — usually I’d pick the opposing playmaker at safety opposite the quarterback. While Malik Hooker is finally healthy for the Colts and looking to make up for some lost time this season and rookie Khari Willis may be one of the most under-the-radar players in the NFL this year, this match up ultimately is for the (former) birds. We’ve heard about all the respect and admiration that Foles and Reich have for each other, but as Foles’ former coach with the Philadelphia Eagles, Reich knows every last thing about Foles — what he likes, and what he doesn’t like, and more. Sprinkle in the rust that Foles is likely going to have to shake off against a top-10 defensive unit in the NFL and this could be a matchup that immensely favors the Colts.

Bears TE Trey Burton placed on IR, Vaughters promoted - Windy City Gridiron
After already ruling out Trey Burton after he missed all week of practice, the Bears moved him to injured reserve Saturday and promoted linebacker James Vaughters. Burton played in eight games this season, starting five but had just 14 receptions for 84 yards and zero touchdowns. It’s been a disappointing season for the 2018 free agent signing from Philadelphia. Burton played well last year, catching a career-high 54 passes for 569 yards and six touchdowns. This year he’s dealt with a lingering groin injury that kept him out of the playoff game last season and then injured his calf last week, which is what ultimately landed him on IR (presumably, the team didn’t specify).

The Ravens Have Built the NFL’s Most Terrifying—and Fun—Offense - The Ringer
A team once defined by its defense now fields the league’s most electric unit on the other side of the ball. Baltimore’s system leans on two defining variables: Lamar Jackson and the pistol formation. [BLG Note: Imagine having an offense that could be described as “fun” to watch.]

Legal Implications of Colin Kaepernick’s NFL Workout - MMQB
Could the NFL’s failed attempt to host a workout for Colin Kaepernick lead to a potential controversy? The MMQB breaks down the legal possibilities.

I want to believe an NFL team will sign Colin Kaepernick, but I’m not holding my breath - SB Nation
The NFL’s latest move in the Colin Kaepernick saga is a scheduled workout with all 32 teams invited, but that’s hardly the full story. There are also unrealistic demands from the league, widespread doubt about the NFL’s intentions, and the overwhelming public opinion that this is all a farcical PR move. Oh, and Hue Jackson. Yeesh. Nearly three years after his last NFL game, Kaepernick is suddenly in a bizarrely rushed situation that virtually nobody seemed to know about ahead of time. The possibility of Kaepernick signing with a new team, after so much time being blackballed by the league for protesting racial injustice in America, seems higher than it has since he was last employed. But there’s a big ol’ asterisk on the whole thing, for a number of reasons.

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