Lane Johnson: 'A little bit more (ticked) off each day'

Eagles coaches and players acknowledged this week how eager they were for the new first-team offensive line to get more game reps together, in Saturday's third preseason game, at Indianapolis, traditionally the dress rehearsal for the regular season.

That won't happen.

Rookie left guard Isaac Seumalo suffered a pec strain a few days back in practice, Eagles coach Doug Pederson said, and Seumalo, listed as "day-to-day," won't play against the Colts. Instead, veteran Stefen Wisniewski will step in, a development that muddies the waters, just as they were starting to clear from the big splash of right tackle Lane Johnson's positive PED test.

Johnson was in the news Wednesday, as well, vowing to sue the manufacturer of the amino acid supplement he says is responsible for his positive test, and lamenting the limbo he has had to navigate since news of his situation became public two weeks ago. The airing of the failed test, which Johnson said he learned about on July 30, allowed the team to move former left guard Allen Barbre into Johnson's spot, and Seumalo to left guard, without having to answer questions about something that would have seemed strange and mysterious.

"Food and water. That's all I'm going to put in my system. Food and water. No supplements, no powders, nothing," said Johnson, who presumably faces a 10-game ban, having been suspended four games two years ago for taking Adderall without clearance. A third drug violation would trigger a two-year suspension, which would be career-ending, for all practical purposes.

Johnson said Wednesday he feels "stuck in cement" and "a little bit more (ticked) off each day" at a system he thinks doesn't adequately protect players. There is no official list of approved supplements, and the league's stance is that players are responsible for what they put into their bodies. League action is contingent upon the test results from Johnson's "B" sample, which he expects will be no different from what his previous sample showed.

"It sucks, the situation I'm in. Put the blame all on me — you're responsible for what you put in your body — but as far as that's concerned, I've been honest," Johnson said.

"Just mentally frustrating. It's hard to concentrate on what you need to concentrate on," Johnson said.

When the suspension is finally levied, Johnson is likely to face a tough choice. He can appeal, usually about a four-week process, and play while the appeal goes forward. But appeals are rarely successful. The team, and Johnson, surely would rather he serve his time from the start of the season than have him play a few games, get suspended, and then presumably not be reinstated until well into December. A 10-game suspension from the start of the season would leave Johnson eligible to return Nov. 28.

Johnson said he would do what is best for the team. He declined to identify the supplement manufacturer.

Wisniewski, meanwhile, called this "a good opportunity to work with the 'ones' and show what I can do."

Pederson has all but said that Seumalo will be the team's Week 1 starter at left guard, but Wisniewski, who has 77 career NFL starts, 62 of them at center, was talking Wednesday like a guy who believes he still has a chance to win the job.

"I definitely think (the Colts game) is an audition to be the starter," Wisniewski said. "I think I've been playing starter-quality football all camp. The job's still open.

"I'm gonna try to continue to do what I've been doing and show them that I should be the starter. As far as I've been aware, it's been an open competition and it's still an open competition."

Pederson, asked about that, said: "I'm not saying (Wisniewski) can't win it, but I'm saying right now I'm not going to let an injury keep Isaac out of the starting rotation."

Pederson indicated that with veteran players, having to adjust to a different starter on the o-line shouldn't be a huge problem. He said the current o-line has played a lot of snaps.

"Maybe not a lot of snaps together, but they've played a lot of snaps in the National Football League," he said.

"I lean back to our days in Kansas City where we lost (guard) Jeff Allen for the season, and had to plug in guys, and move (tackle) Donald Stephenson around. It can be done ... You keep your schemes simple for them, allow them to play fast, and get as many reps during the week as you can."

Based on a search of Miami-Dade court records, it would seem that Nigel Bradham's arraignment hearing on an aggravated battery charge was postponed eight days, from Wednesday until Sept. 2. Bradham has said he does not plan to attend the hearing ... The Eagles waived rookie wideout Hunter Sharp (hamstring) with an injury settlement ... Doug Pederson said that injured players who won't play against the Colts include wide receiver Jordan Matthews (knee), cornerback Aaron Grymes (shoulder), defensive end Alex McCalister (calf), linebacker Joe Walker (torn ACL), quarterback Carson Wentz (ribs) and defensive tackle Mike Martin (knee).

Daily News columnist Paul Domowitch contributed to this blog post.

Still no word on Lane Johnson's drug test "B sample," two weeks after the Eagles right tackle acknowledged he expected the NFL to suspend him 10 games for a positive PED test.

Johnson reiterated Wednesday that his plan going forward will be to not take any supplements at all, after what he said was an amino acid supplement caused him to test positive for peptides, substances that bond amino acids in ways that will build strength and boost recovery. Last week, Johnson said, "I can't take anything," given that this would be his second drug-related suspension, and a third would carry a two-year banishment.

Wednesday, Johnson expanded on that sentiment, and said he plans to sue the supplement manufacturer, which he has refused to identify.

"Food and water. That's all I'm going to put in my system. Food and water. No supplements, no powders, nothing," Johnson said.

Johnson has known about the failed test since July 30. Since the information became public, the Eagles have demoted him to the second team, to get former left guard Allen Barbre ready to play right tackle.

Johnson said Wednesday he feels "stuck in cement" and "a little bit more (ticked) off each day" at a system he feels doesn't adequately protect players. There is no official list of approved supplements, and the league's stance is that players are responsible for what they put into their bodies.

"It sucks, the situation I'm in. Put the blame all on me -- you're responsible for what you put in your body -- but as far as that's concerned, I've been honest," Johnson said.

"Just mentally frustrating. It's hard to concentrate on what you need to concentrate on," Johnson said.

When the suspension is finally levied, Johnson is likely to face a tough choice. He can appeal, usually about a four-week process, and play while the appeal is going forward. But appeals are rarely successful. The team, and Johnson, surely would rather he serve his time from the start of the season, rather than have him play a few games, then get suspended, and presumably not be reinstated until well into December. A 10-game suspension from the start of the season would leave Johnson eligible to return Nov. 28.

Johnson said he would do what is best for the team.