Bowen: Chase Daniel becoming Carson Wentz's go-to guy

THE EAGLES get a lot of praise nationally for having two former NFL quarterbacks overseeing Carson Wentz, in head coach Doug Pederson and offensive coordinator Frank Reich, along with a well-regarded quarterbacks coach in John DeFilippo. But the guy you see Wentz talking to the most on the sideline during games is backup QB Chase Daniel.

"The one thing that Chase really prides himself on is just understanding our opponent, and he does it through film study," Pederson said Friday. "This is what I've seen these first few weeks with Carson, and really Aaron (Murray, the practice squad quarterback) . . . To have a backup quarterback - and obviously, I know the role very well - to be prepared like a starter, but yet, at the same time, you're there to assist the starter and be another set of eyes for him on the field, is beneficial. That's what Chase has done, besides teaching him how to study and what to study and what to look for."

Pederson said Daniel acts as "sort of a calming presence for Carson on the football field and in games," as Pederson did for Brett Favre in Green Bay.

"The coaches have so much to worry about on game day as is," Daniel said Friday. "This holds true everywhere I've been, usually the starter comes off (the field), whether it be Drew (Brees in New Orleans), Alex (Smith, in Kansas City) or even Carson, and he goes straight to me.

"We go to a tablet every time, and we talk about what we see" from video they can call up on the device. "If you see Carson sometimes, even after plays on the field, he's looking over at me, confirming, and I'm hand-signaling. . . . Carson really likes that verbal feedback, and that's what I'm there for, to help him."

Eagles cornerback Nolan Carroll said one thing Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford is good at is the back-shoulder fade, which would seem a tough thing to handle in man coverage.

"Really, when they're running the fade down the field, you kind of go through your progressions," Carroll said. "When it gets 10 to 15 yards down the field, that's when it's usually thrown, but Stafford, that ball's, like, 20, 25 yards down the field, and it's back shoulder. It's one of those things you've just got to feel.

"We're taught to turn the other way, we're taught to turn inside and locate the ball, but you've got to kind of feel where the receiver is and tell if his shoulders are kind of tilted coming back to the ball toward the sideline, or his hands are coming over on the fade. It's one of those things that's kind of on the run that you have to feel, and it's a bang-bang thing; it's not one of those things where you have a lot of time to react. If you see his shoulders turn, then you've just got to kind of play his hands. You can't really turn back and look for the ball, because that's when it could be placed anywhere."

Eagles coach Doug Pederson said Friday that defensive tackle Bennie Logan suffered a "left calf spasm" in practice Thursday that will make him the only Eagle listed as "questionable" heading into Sunday's game at Detroit.

Pederson said Logan was "feeling much better" Friday morning but would not practice in the 3-0 Birds' final tuneup before taking on the 1-3 Lions. If Logan can't play Sunday, Pederson said, Beau Allen will start.

After practice, Logan was not available to reporters, but Allen said he is ready to shoulder as much of the load as necessary. He also seemed to think that, given Logan's reputation for toughness - appearing in 49 of a possible 51 games since arriving as a third-round draft pick from LSU in 2013 - Logan is likely to play.

The Eagles also are primed to get tight end Zach Ertz (displaced rib) and starting corner Leodis McKelvin (hamstring) back against the Lions.

The Eagles practiced indoors, despite the beautiful weather, so the coaches could pipe in noise to simulate conditions at domed Ford Field. Carson Wentz hasn't played in an NFL dome yet. Pederson said the Birds' silent-count work has gone very well.

"It's hard on the tackles and tight ends" who are farthest from the center, Pederson said. "Because it's all based on head movement or taps . . . I thought that this week, and even leading up to the Bears game, we've handled it well . . . You could almost do the whole season in 'silent,' even your home games, because you're so used to doing it that when you go back to your normal cadence, it's a little weird sometimes to hear a live voice . . . We're able to mix a lot of different, multiple snap counts, even in the silent count."

Pederson said he thinks players returned from their early bye week in the right frame of mind.

"I think they've really handled it well this week; energy's been great all week long, very spirited, which you love to see, coming off the bye . . . I think they understand that it's still a long season. They're excited, obviously, for where we are, but by no means are they satisfied by just being 3-0," he said.

The Lions seem likely to be missing top pass-rusher Ziggy Ansah, tight end Eric Ebron and linebacker DeAndre Levy when the Eagles visit . . . Doug Pederson said he thinks running back Ryan Mathews, who didn't play after the first quarter of the Steelers game because of an ankle problem, healed well during the bye and should be more effective against the Lions . . . Pederson lauded Jordan Matthews' leadership of the Eagles' young leadership group . . . The Eagles again switched out corner JaCorey Shepherd for guard Darrell Greene on their practice squad. This is the fourth Shepherd-Greene exchange, if you're keeping score at home. (My theory: They're trying to pay both of them without violating the limit of 10 guys on a practice squad) . . . Ex-Villanova linebacker Don Cherry also was axed from the practice squad in favor of Matt Rotheram, a guard from Pitt who formerly was with the Packers.

@LesBowen

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