Dein erstes Forum » bad, not great. Green had two catches for 38 ya

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Carson Wentz has been waiting for this moment since he tore up his knee last December.No. 11 will be back under center for the Philadelphia Eagles (1-1) against the Indianapolis Colts (1-1) on Sunday after watching his teammates win the Super Bowl without him in February Ryquell Armstead Jersey , and missing the first two games this season.“It’s been a long time coming,” Wentz said. “It’s been quite the grind of an offseason. There’s a lot of excitement, a lot of built-up almost anxiety over when it was going to be that time, and almost relief finally being cleared to get back out there.”Nick Foles, the Super Bowl MVP in Philadelphia’s 41-33 win over New England, returns to the sideline to make way for Wentz, who finished third in NFL MVP voting after setting a single-season franchise record with 33 touchdown passes and helping the Eagles go from 7-9 to 13-3.Wentz will wear a brace on his left knee — he tore his ACL and LCL in Week 14 diving into the end zone on a scramble. He doesn’t plan to change the way he plays, but understands the importance of avoiding hits.“I feel extremely confident moving around, on the run,” he said. “Even last year, I never said I’m a running quarterback. I never want to be. But I’ll find ways to extend time in the pocket and make plays down the field. I don’t think that’s ever going anywhere.”Eagles coach Doug Pederson isn’t going to alter his game plan or his philosophy to accommodate a quarterback returning from injury, even if it’s the face of the franchise.“I’m not going to coach scared. I’m not going to coach paranoid,” Pederson said. “I’m not going to go in thinking, ‘Oh no, we can’t do ‘this,’ we can’t do ‘that.’ We just have to continue to go play and I (have) to coach that way. That’s where the confidence with the team comes Gardner Minshew II Jersey , by doing that.”Here are some things to know about the Colts-Eagles matchup:REICH’S RETURN:Colts coach Frank Reich was Philadelphia’s offensive coordinator the previous two seasons and is one of the most liked guys to come through the team’s building. He has a close relationship with Pederson and texted back and forth with him this week.“I am as close with Doug as I am with anybody in this profession,” Reich said. “I just think the world of him. I think he’s a superior coach. He’s an incredible coach and an incredible person.”The familiarity could give the Colts an advantage.“We feel like they know us and we know them, even though we don’t see each other every year,” Pederson said. “I’m excited to see Frank again. But at the same time we’re up on the things that he could make them aware of.”FAVORITE TARGETWentz will have Jordan Matthews back in the huddle with him. Matthews was traded to Buffalo last August but signed with the Eagles this week to bolster a depleted receivers corps. He was Wentz’s top target in 2016 and the two were close friends off the field.“Obviously, with Jordan, I feel good with him,” Wentz said. “He was gone only one season. He’s picking up things pretty quickly.”CAPTAIN ANDREWThe Colts got Andrew Luck back in Week 1 after playing without him for an entire season. Luck is benefiting from Reich’s new offense that’s designed for quick passes. His completion rate is 71.4 percent, but he does have three picks.“I feel I have a lot to improve on and that’s exciting,” Luck said. “It makes practice fun.BURNED DEEPRyan Fitzpatrick torched Philadelphia’s secondary last week in Tampa’s 27-21 win, throwing for 402 yards and four TDs, including a pair of 75-yard scores. The Eagles know they have to eliminate the big plays.“We were a sloppy defense in that game,” defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz said. “Our tackling wasn’t as good as it normally is, our technique wasn’t as good as it normally is. Our pursuit and things like that got a little bit sloppy at times. We need to do a better job.”MISSING MANThe Eagles traded up in the second round to select tight end Dallas Goedert and expectations were high after an impressive preseason. But Goedert has only played 34 snaps and has one catch through two games. Considering the Eagles were missing two of their top three receivers last week, it’s surprising Goedert wasn’t part of the offense.“We have a talented player in Dallas, and we need to find more ways to get him involved,” offensive coordinator Mike Groh said. CINCINNATI (AP)A.J. Green’s tiptoe catch along the sideline was so remarkable that his former offensive coordinator couldn’t believe he’d done it. Browns coach Hue Jackson threw the challenge flag after the Bengals receiver somehow came down with the ball for a tumbling Christian Wilkins Jersey , 13-yard gain during Cincinnati’s 30-16 win last Sunday. The replay videos showed that Green had indeed managed to pull in the ball while getting his toes down inside the white line. The 51,710 fans did a collective ”ooooh” in admiration as the play was shown on the video board. Green? Didn’t even bother to watch the replay. He knew what he’d done. ”We work on that every day – front foot down, drag the back,” Green said matter-of-factly. ”If you can get the front foot down, you can get your back one. You practice something enough, it becomes second nature.” Later Sunday in Pittsburgh, Antonio Brown made a similarly astounding sideline catch for a 23-yard gain that helped the Steelers get in range for their winning field goal on the final play against Green Bay. Just like A.J., AB made it look oh-so-easy. ”He’s awesome,” Steelers linebacker Vince Williams said. ”We use that word too loosely. But compared to like professionals, they’re not awesome. They’re good. He’s awesome.” Green and Brown could bring their graceful flair to one of the NFL’s nastiest rivalries on Monday night when the Bengals (5-6) host the Steelers (9-2) at Paul Brown Stadium; Brown is questionable with a toe issue. There figures to be a lot of trash talking and after-the-whistle pushing – there always is. And Green and Brown could be trying to decide it with moves that leave everyone wondering: How do they do that? ”Yeah, absolutely,” Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton said, referring to his top receiver’s fancy footwork. ”There’s a lot of stuff that A.J. does and it’s like, `Man, there’s not many people on this Earth who can do that.” The same goes for Pittsburgh, which is so accustomed to watching Brown work his magic. Brown has made so many incredible catches that it’s impossible to rank them. ”It’s hard because I see them all the time Michael Deiter Jersey , but it’s still pretty special,” quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said. The Steelers can move one step closer to another AFC North title with a victory Monday, which would be their sixth straight victory in the series. The Bengals have to win to maintain any thought of a playoff berth. The two receivers could have a lot to do with the outcome, even if they don’t have huge games. Brown leads the league with 80 catches and 1,195 yards receiving. Green is tied for 20th with 53 catches and ranks seventh with 809 yards. It’s not the numbers that define them as much as their artistry and their impact on every game in some form. Both command so much attention from defenses that their offenses get plenty of openings elsewhere. During the Steelers’ 29-14 win at Heinz Field on Oct. 22, Green had three catches for 41 yards while Brown had four for 65 – not bad, not great. Green had two catches for 38 yards in his only game against the Steelers last season, when a hamstring injury sidelined him for the rematch. Brown had a total of seven catches for 97 yards in the two games. Both receivers face familiar defenses that know how to contain them most of the time. ”When you look at (other) games, obviously he’s not getting challenged at the line,” Bengals cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick said. ”He’s running freely. When you press him, that’s when he seems to have a problem, and that’s what I’ve had success at. He knows I’m going to be hands on.” Even so, it’s likely that at least one of them will make a play that leaves everyone wondering: Did he really do that? ”God-given talent, I guess,” Green said. ”Just blessed to have it.” — AP Sports Writer Will Graves in Pittsburgh contributed to this report. —