subject: Ray Rice officially listed as questionable [print this page] Rice said Friday he is optimistic he will be able to play. Rice has been nursing a deep bone bruise.
He was injured in the fourth quarter of Sunday's 24-17 win against the Cleveland Browns. An MRI exam earlier this week revealed no ligament or cartilage damage.
Although he did not practice Wednesday, Rice said he was able to run and cut a little bit on his own NFL jersey .
"If I'm able to do the things I can do and be the Ray Rice I can be, there's no question on whether I'll play or not," Rice said. "At the end of the day, Sunday's the ultimate test."
He also said he's certain the Steelers won't target his knee.
"I don't think they're dirty," Rice said. "I don't think anybody has the intent to go out there and hurt anybody. I have respect for them, they have respect for us. I don't think it's going to be one of those situations where they're going to take a blatant shot at the knee."
Defensive end Cory Redding could not practice Friday because of a concussion and has been downgraded to questionable for Sunday's game.
Linebacker Tavares Gooden (shoulder), wide receiver Donte' Stallworth (foot) and tackle Jared Gaither (back) are ruled out.It would be poor form for him to admit this in a public forum, but Reid is still astounded the Eagles haven't won at least a couple of Super Bowls. Even in the early days of the Reid era, there was a belief that he and president Joe Banner had a blueprint that was foolproof. Fans may have booed the decision to choose McNabb over Ricky Williams in the draft, but it turned out pretty well.
In 11 seasons, McNabb displayed remarkable leadership in leading the Eagles to five NFC title games and one Super Bowl. But the flipside of that is he received most of the blame for losing four of those title games and the Super Bowl against the Patriots. Terrell Owens would famously accuse McNabb of throwing up in the huddle in that game, a charge that has stuck even though it's been debunked by many mlb jerseys .
He is undoubtedly the best quarterback in the history of the Eagles, but he was too much of a lightning rod to be the most beloved. That title probably belongs to Randall Cunningham, whose tenure wasn't nearly as successful as McNabb's.
I've never lived or worked in Philadelphia, but my sense is that fans relate more to athletes who wear their emotions (and losses) on their sleeves. Mike Schmidt was one of the greatest sluggers of all time, but he was too stoic to engender much passion from fans. Sixers such as Charles Barkley and Allen Iverson never won titles, but their outlandish behavior and passion struck a nerve with fans.
McNabb didn't hurt enough after losses and he seemed too quick to chuckle after interceptions. But quite honestly, his ability to insulate himself from the criticism is also what allowed him to be so successful. On Wednesday morning, I asked Kevin Kolb what was the most important thing he learned from observing McNabb for three NFL jerseyseasons.
"He had a good attitude at all times," said Kolb. "He never let the media or rough times affect his demeanor in the locker room."
For the record, I've never believed the little smirk McNabb wore to postgame news conferences or giggling on the sideline translated to a lack of passion. No matter what he says publicly this week -- and every word will be carefully parsed -- I think he was humiliated by the Eagles' decision to trade him to a division rival. He told me in early August that he would "put a big bear hug" on Andy Reid before this game and that he didn't have any hard feelings against the organization. I believe the hug will happen, but I also think there's lingering resentment.
