PHILADELPHIA >> Doug Pederson called it a “double whammy.”
For all practical purposes, it could be a triple-whammy.
Eagles veteran running back Darren Sproles sustained a career-threatening torn ACL and a broken arm in the 27-24 win over the Giants Sunday.
The Eagles will have to add another running back to the committee now populated by LeGarrette Blount, Wendell Smallwood and Corey Clement.
“It’s unfortunate,” Pederson said Monday. “He’s a great man. He’s a great leader. He’s a lot of energy and that’s hard to replace. It’s unfortunate and sometimes it happens to great people and great men.”
Sproles clutched his left knee after cutting inside on a sweep early in the second quarter. The left leg was his plant leg.
While Sproles was hit by safety Darian Thompson, it appeared the 34-year-old veteran’s right wrist was caught beneath him when he tried to brace his fall.
Smallwood led the Eagles with 71 yards on 12 carries Sunday. Blount added 12 runs for 67 yards and a one-yard TD run. Undrafted rookie Clement, from Glassboro, N.J., ran for 22 yards, including a 15-yard score.
“I think with saw with Wendell and some things with Corey it’s going to have to be that next man up mentality,” Pederson said. “But I think Wendell on third down, specifically, and Corey as well are going to have to step up and assume that role.”
It’s a devastating loss obviously with the punt return and the special teams aspect of it. We’ll look at everything in the next couple of hours, or day or so.”
Wide receiver Torrey Smith is the next guy up on punt returns per Pederson, who called the injury to Sproles “devastating” in the return game. Smith returned one punt for nine yards Sunday.
Elsewhere on the injury report, Eagles linebacker Jordan Hicks (ankle) and defensive tackle Fletcher Cox (calf) are day-to-day per Pederson.
On another front, Pederson wasn’t amused by Odell Beckham’s TD celebrations Sunday.
After Beckham’s first scoring grab he got on all fours, crawled to the edge of the end zone, lifted his leg and pretended to pee on the carpet.
Beckham was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct.
“Our players see it, our fans see it,” Pederson said. “It’s one of those things I think you just file away in the back of your mind and you just remember those things, you know? And you move on. It’s unfortunate. I have to control our guys obviously and every other coach has to control their players but it’s something that, you don’t want to see it, obviously in the game. It takes away from a great player that he just made. But uh, yeah …”
Beckham, after his second TD, raised his fist in what sure looked like a sarcastic play on Malcolm Jenkins’ raised fist during the National Anthem. Pederson suspects it may have impacted Jenkins’ coverage on Beckham later in the fourth quarter.
Jenkins clothes-lined OBJ around the neck, the act drawing a 28-yard pass interference penalty. Eagles teammate Jalen Mills also was in coverage.
“I think it’s possible,” Pederson said. “But at the same time it was a quick snap and Jalen was actually caught kind of off-guard at the time, so Beckham was actually behind our defense on that play. And Malcolm just knew that it was either going to be a big play, possibly a touchdown or it wasn’t going to be a play at all. So he felt at that time it was a good time to go ahead and have the interference penalty.”
