Eagles running back Ryan Mathews returned to practice on Tuesday and thinks he’ll be ready to play on Sunday against the Bills.
“I want to play,” Mathews said. “I’m really optimistic about it, but just whatever the coaching and training staff have for me, that’s it.”
Mathews, 28, missed the last three games with a concussion he suffered against the Dolphins on Nov. 15.
It wasn’t his first concussion. Mathews missed nearly a month of action and was barely seen at practice over the last few weeks, but on Tuesday, he said he wasn’t worried.
“No,” he said. “The training staff was on it. They did a great job. My coaches and teammates were all behind me, so it made it a lot easier and I'm happy to be back.”
Before the concussion, Mathews was the Eagles’ most productive running back. On the season, he has 75 carries for 427 yards (5.7 yards per carry). On Tuesday, he admitted that after the time off, he needs to ease his way back in.
What’s the biggest challenge coming back?
NFL
“The speed,” Mathews answered. “It’s amazing how the speed can change and just how fast it is. You take a few days off, a week off, a couple weeks off and come back, and it’s fast. You just have to get the timing down and just really get your legs back under you and everything."
Without Mathews on Sunday, the Eagles used their running backs a little differently in New England. Darren Sproles led the team in carries with 15, followed by Kenjon Barner with nine and DeMarco Murray with eight.
A report surfaced on Tuesday saying that Murray went to owner Jeff Lurie to vent frustrations about his role in the offense (see story). Murray declined to speak to reporters on Tuesday, saying he would talk Thursday.