Let’s get it back to the Eagles.

Doug Pederson spoke earlier today in a press conference that was shoved to the back burner while the Marlins and Phillies news was breaking. It was waaaaay back there on the further and most remote burner.

The Birds ball coach dropped a couple of tidbits, speaking first on Jason Peters, who officially re-signed with the team 13 days ago:

“We had many conversations with Jason. We took a look at our roster obviously and felt that where Jason is and the type of player he is, obviously his leadership on the football team, that the transition would be relatively easy. I’m not going to say it’s going to be easy, but relatively easy, for him being a veteran guy moving into that guard spot and quite frankly, we love where Andre (Dillard) is at. He’s had a tremendous off-season.

The things he did for us last season, the couple games that he played and started for us, he did well and it’s just going to be a great opportunity for him moving forward. I’m looking forward to really getting these guys, those five guys, working up front with Stout (Offensive Line/Run Game Coordinator Jeff Stoutland) to see where they can go this season.”

Quite frankly, we love where Andre is at.” 

Interesting line there. Maybe just lip service. Regardless, they need their first-round draft pick to step into the left tackle role in year #2, or else you’ll start hearing the worst ‘bust’ thrown around.

Doug was also asked about the Marlins/Phillies situation and said that he trusts the protocols and guidelines installed by the NFL:

“I’ll say this: My hat goes off to the many, many people in the organization. I think about our stadium people. I think about the grounds people. I think about Don Smolenski, everyone that had a hand in getting us where we are today and to come back safely into NovaCare. The protocols that the NFL has put in place, with the Players Association, the agreement there, with all of our doctors, it gives us hope. It gives us excitement moving forward.

We understand that the virus is real and we do everything we can in our powers to stay safe, protecting ourselves when we’re in the building, protecting our players, and it’s unfortunate what has happened. But we do have a lengthy set of protocols that we have to abide by, and this is our new normal right now, working in these conditions as probably most of you working in your conditions, as well. It’s something that we are going to embrace. We are going to make it a positive. It is what it is, and we’re going to embrace it and move forward.

I feel extremely safe. Obviously coming into it, there might have been some skepticism about the testing and the screening that goes on but it’s very thorough. When you’re here, you get tested in the morning, you have a screening process that you have to go through to get into the building; wearing masks in the building, everywhere we go, I feel extremely safe.

Pederson was asked straight up if the Birds had any positive tests and declined to answer, as that information is confidential. I’m sure we’ll be able to put two and two together as the full team reports and we determine who is physically present and who is not.

On a related note, maybe you saw the story earlier, but in the ultimate case of irony, the Vikings’ Infection Control Officer tested positive:

He’s okay and is now self-quarantining with his family.