Eagles Notes: Jeremy Maclin to play Sunday

Jeremy Maclin will play Sunday against Denver with the torn plantar fascia in his left foot. And he said he doesn't expect to be hindered after missing last week's win against San Francisco.

"It's already torn," Maclin said of the injury. "So it is what it is."

The injury will not require off-season surgery, Maclin said. Right now, the treatment is spending a lot of time in the trainer's room to undergo exercises designed to strengthen the foot.

The rookie wide receiver said practice on Wednesday went well and he felt little effect from the injury a day after.

"It's not bad at all," Maclin said. "There's a little something there, but if you can deal with it, you can deal with it."

Offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg said he expected Maclin to start and spend the same amount of time on the field that he did before the injury. Maclin ranks third among rookie wide receivers in the NFL with 623 receiving yards.

Maclin said the injury and missed time shouldn't affect his role in the offense.

"Not at all," Maclin said. "I've gotten to the point where I'm comfortable enough to do that. Obviously, you want to be out there each day getting better, kind of learning new things and getting better each day. But I think I've got a good grasp on it and I should be able to step right in."

With Quintin Demps still nursing an ankle injury suffered against San Francisco, special-teams coordinator Ted Daisher said he is uncertain if Demps will return kicks this week.

"We're not quite sure where he's at in his recovery," Daisher said. "It's a day-to-day thing. We have to see how his ankle is doing, what he's able to do [Thursday] and kind of just go from there."

If Demps cannot go, Macho Harris will return kicks. Demps returned the opening kickoff last week for 48 yards to give the Eagles prime field position at midfield. Five plays later, the Eagles scored.

"He's very strong, a very physical guy," Daisher said. "He has some speed, he's a tough guy. He's just had a bad run of getting nicked up and injuries have set him back a bit."

Defensive coordinator Sean McDermott said that rookie Moise Fokou would start ahead of Chris Gocong at strong-side linebacker for the second straight week. Last week, Fokou was announced as the starter but did not play much because the Eagles mostly used a nickel defense.

This is the first time this season that Gocong has not been a player in the mix-and-match linebacker lineup.

"It's about having our best 11 on the field and giving our team a chance to win a football game," McDermott said. "Whatever we feel as a staff that requires, that's what we'll do. I think the players, to their credit, have embraced that."

Michael Vick's mentor and current NBC analyst Tony Dungy chimed in on Vick's winning the Ed Block Courage Award, saying the Eagles quarterback is "proud" of the honor.

Speaking on the Dan Patrick Show, Dungy called the award the most prestigious among players because they vote on it themselves.

"And it's not for things that necessarily happen on the field. . . . it can be," Dungy said. "It's guys that overcome injuries. It's guys that have personal problems off the field. I know Reggie Wayne won it one year for [the Colts], the year his brother died during the season. So there are things that players know that each other are going through that maybe the public doesn't know.

"So I know it's one Michael is proud of, and there didn't seem to be any debate on that team who should get it."

Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Labor said that two of Vick's former financial advisers are barred from managing pension plans again as part of an agreement related to the misuse of about $1.3 million, the Associated Press reported.

Mary Wong of Omaha, Neb., and David Talbot, whose address was not listed, helped manage Vick's money while he was in federal prison on dogfighting charges.

The Labor Department filed a lawsuit against Vick, Wong, and Talbot earlier this year. Officials accused Vick and his advisers of making a series of prohibited transfers from a pension plan sponsored by MV7, a celebrity marketing company owned by the Eagles quarterback.

After practice, everyone on the team was invited to Quintin Mikell's house for a Christmas Eve get-together. Mikell distributed fliers across the locker room.

The Eagles will practice today, but a little later than a normal Friday so players and coaches can spend the morning with their families.