Eagles left tackle Jason Peters wants all his teammates, even those who may not make the team to play and practice with confidence. Photo by T. J. Engler / contrastphotography.com

In many ways, the NFL training camp season the most dramatic time of the year. It is not about wins and losses, or statistics necessarily.

It is the human drama of making dreams come true. The NFL training is about finding the best players to represent the club.

The rest go back to the “normal” life.

The Eagles have 16 offensive linemen in camp. The team will keep about nine on the roster, one maybe on the practice squad. The rest have to go. Some will catch on with another team, some not.

That is the reality of the NFL.

Not everyone can play. Not every good player makes the roster. Only five can start and there are about four backup spots not counting the long-snapper.

The Eagles No. 1 lineman is Jason Peters, the multiple Pro Bowler and All Pro left tackle’s spot is more than safe, so is center Jason Kelce’s and right tackle Lane Johnson’s.

The rest of the spots are up for grabs. Peters says he wants everyone to play and practice with confidence regardless of the odds.

“Everybody knows that,” said Peters after a recent training camp practice. “We’ve talked about it in the meeting room as a whole unit. We’ve got 16 guys and everybody can’t make it, everybody knows that. The guys that we keep, we’re going to keep. The guys that gotta go, they gotta go….they understand that.”

All players have to practice and learn the system as if they are going to stay. It is not easy to stave off anxiety and focus on the task at hand especially during preseason game when keeping the quarterback vertical and establishing a running game is so important.

“I just try to lead them,” Peters said. “Get the guys some confidence that they can do the job. They wouldn’t be in there if they couldn’t do the job. I just want to keep them confident.”

While questions remain about the guard spots, there are no questions about the status of the Eagles backfield. DeMarco Murray, Ryan Mathews and Darren Sproles has the potential to be an all-time great rushing unit in club history.

Peters talked about Eagles the tradition of the Eagles backfield.

“Just look at the history of the Eagles,” Peters said. “You can go all the back to Ricky Watters. They’re always going to keep a stud back here in Philly. We always have, and always will. With Murray, Mathews, Sproles…it just speaks to the organization…they will always a stud running back here.”
Peters talked about the confidence the line has that they will keep Murray at the top of the rushing world.

“We are going to run the ball,” Peters Shady (McCoy) was here we ran it. And that’s what we are going to continue to do. At one point Shady was the rushing champ. So we’re going to try to put Murray back on the map by making him back-to-back rushing champ.”

Peters wants Eagles fans to feel his confidence with new quarterback Sam Bradford as well.
“I like Bradford,” Peters said. “(He’s a) real confident guy in the huddle. He can throw that ball, real strong arm. I like him.”