Eagles cornerback Byron Maxwell says he can 'fix' his problems

BYRON MAXWELL hasn't been here all that long yet, but he has been able to intuit over the past couple of days that Eagles fans weren't pleased with the first outing of their team's $63 million free-agent cornerback.

"I understand that's what it's going to be," Maxwell said yesterday. "They're going to react like that. They're going to love you when you do well and hate you when it goes the other way. That's part of the business that we're in. You've got to take one on the chin and keep moving. Keep going. You can't let it bother you too much.

"Obviously, you hear about it, but you can't let it get to you. You have to be a professional and go out and do your job."

Maxwell was clear on the fact that he didn't do his job against the Falcons and Julio Jones, who yesterday was named NFC offensive player of the week for his nine-catch, 141-yard, two-touchdown performance in Atlanta's 26-24, season-opening victory.

"I didn't play up to par. My technique was bad on a couple of those big plays. Definitely could have been better . . . My eyes were bad, and all that. Didn't play well," Maxwell said.

Maxwell said that on the 44-yard Jones catch that led to what turned out to be the game-winning field goal, "I played a step-kick technique, and I just wasn't aggressive enough . . . when I should have hit him, shocked him [at the line], I didn't."

He also said he "definitely can fix it."

"Timing, rhythm, everything is going to get back Game 2," Maxwell said. "That's just how it works; the more you get into the season, the better your game becomes, the sharper your game becomes."

Maxwell and the Eagles would seem to be getting a huge break this week with the absence of Dez Bryant. If you were going to list a handful of other world-class receivers with Jones' skill set and size, Bryant's name would rank at or near the top. But Bryant suffered a broken foot as the Cowboys struggled past the Giants in their opener. He's expected to miss four to eight weeks.

Dallas quarterback Tony Romo called Bryant "the heartbeat of our team" yesterday on a conference call with Philadelphia-area reporters.

"They've still got a great group of guys there," Maxwell said. "That's why they're a playoff team, because they've got more than one guy that can play ball."

Eagles safety Walter Thurmond, who played with Maxwell in Seattle, said he didn't think the Monday night debacle would get into his head.

"I think he's fine. He knows the situation, what happened out there - a little miscommunication, some technique. Nothing to go crazy about. He's a very smart football player and he's a very confident football player. He knows what he has to do to get ready for this week and the rest of the season," Thurmond said.

Safety Chris Maragos also played with Maxwell in Seattle.

"The thing about Byron is, he's a fierce competitor," Maragos said. "He's very confident in his abilities, always has been . . . He's going to be just fine."

Romo is capable of carving up a secondary as well as or better than Matt Ryan did Monday night. The Eagles' pass rush seldom hindered Ryan, as he mixed in quick throws with longer deep crossing patterns.

Outside linebacker Brandon Graham - already two behind his stated goal of getting two sacks a game - said "it's tough to get home" when the other team is max-protecting the way the Falcons did.

"I don't think they will," Graham said, when asked if he expects to see max protection from the Cowboys. "They might chip a little on the outside, but I think they trust their o-line a lot."

Dallas' offensive line is much more highly regarded than the makeshift unit that handled the Eagles so easily in Atlanta.

"Those dudes have great double-team, with some of the guys inside," Graham said. "I think we need to disrupt 'em by coming off the ball and putting our hands on 'em."

Tight end Zach Ertz played Monday night, just four weeks after surgery to repair a muscle tear in his abdomen. Ertz said he's dealing with normal soreness after playing for the first time since the 2014 season finale, but isn't worried.

"It doesn't feel good. I'm going to get better every day - that's the big thing, is that I haven't had a setback yet," Ertz said. "I'm doing everything I can to not have a setback . . . I attacked it, just like I do everything else.

"I'm not 100 percent. I'm going to be gaining on that number each and every week."

Marcus Smith said his hamstring is 100 percent now and he hopes to play this weekend but doesn't know if that's in the plans. Starting outside linebackers Brandon Graham and Connor Barwin got all the base-defense reps Monday . . . Back again by popular demand - or at least by the season-ending biceps tear David Molk suffered on Monday's missed Cody Parkey 44-yard field-goal try - is reserve offensive lineman Julian Vandervelde . . . The Eagles also signed tight end Connor Hamlett to their practice squad, replacing waived Andrew Gleichert . . . Wideout Seyi Ajirotutu remains sidelined with a concussion suffered in Atlanta.

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