METAIRIE Haloti Ngata Jerseys Stitched , La. (AP) ¡ªthe poise and postseason accomplishments of Eagles backup quarterback Nick Foles.Philadelphia had better hope Klein is right, because the Superdome was home to Eagles starter Carson Wentz¡¯s worst game this season before he went out with a back injury.Bringing heavy pressure amid the deafening din of the Superdome, the Saints stifled Wentz in a 48-7 rout back in mid-November, holding him to season worsts of 57.6 percent passing for just 156 yards.Now comes a rematch in the divisional round of the NFC playoffs, and the Saints must prepare to play one of the NFL¡¯s best known backups. Foles carried Philadelphia to its only Super Bowl triumph after Wentz was injured last season, and helped the recently resurgent Eagles survive this postseason¡¯s opening weekend with a razor-thin victory in Chicago.¡°He¡¯s far from just a plug-in player,¡± Klein said. ¡°Don¡¯t forget he won a Super Bowl for them last year and he was the MVP of that game. So we¡¯re not taking him lightly. He¡¯s not just a person that is just a backup, reserve type of guy. He goes out and when he plays, he wins.¡±In some ways, the Eagles are a familiar foe, and not just because the two teams met on the same field just more than seven weeks ago. Two of the Eagles more prominent veterans ¡ª safety Malcolm Jenkins and running back Darren Sproles ¡ª both were part of multiple Saints playoff teams.But Saints coach Sean Payton cautioned against any presumption that the vast gulf separating the Saints and Eagles back on Nov. 18 still exists.¡°They¡¯re a different team than we faced Youth Nigel Bradham Jerseys , obviously, earlier in the year. A different quarterback¡¯s playing right now. There is a confidence you see,¡± Payton said. ¡°Our league is game to game.¡±Particularly in the do-or-die postseason, when the pressure is turned up. Klein stressed that the Eagles¡¯ 4-0 record in their past four playoff games cannot be overlooked.¡°They¡¯ve been in this situation before and they know how to win, so obviously we¡¯re not expecting them to be the same team because they¡¯re not,¡± Klein said. ¡°They¡¯re playing really good football right now and we¡¯ll just be prepared to obviously get their best shot and obviously we¡¯re going to give them ours.¡±Two of the biggest differences the Saints will have to contend with in the rematch are Foles and Sproles, neither of whom played in the previous meeting.Saints players and coaches left little doubt about their respect and admiration for Foles. His composure is a big reason why.¡°There¡¯s a confidence level he has in operating in rhythm, spreading the ball around,¡± Payton said. ¡°He does a great job of beating pressure with the throw.¡±In the Eagles¡¯ 16-15 victory on Sunday in Chicago, Payton noted, ¡°you saw him a handful of times with a free rusher coming in his face make some throws outside the numbers that were real impressive. ¡­ There¡¯s a calmness obviously when you watch him play that we all see.¡±Added Klein Nigel Bradham Jerseys Stitched , ¡°You could see that he¡¯s poised and he has great control of the offense and great control of that team. ¡­ He handles pressure well.¡±New Orleans also is wary of Sproles¡¯ ability to produce as a runner, a receiver out of the backfield and a punt returner. The Saints know from experience. Sproles¡¯ 2,696 all-purpose yards with New Orleans in 2011 remains a single-season NFL record.Now Sproles is 35 and plans to retire after this season, but Payton hardly sounded inclined to underestimate him.¡°He¡¯s a very, very smart player. It¡¯s one of his great traits along with his ability,¡± Payton said.¡°He¡¯s got very good elusiveness and quickness. He¡¯s done a good job with their draws and one-back run schemes. And obviously he¡¯s a dangerous punt returner, but someone who¡¯s a special player.¡±Meanwhile, the Saints haven¡¯t exactly looked like the juggernaut they resembled in midseason, when the Eagles were among a string of teams that lost to New Orleans by multiple touchdowns.During the last five weeks of the season, the Saints went 3-2, and the average margin of victory in their past three wins was 6.7 points.Klein said the Saints hope the opportunity to self-scout ¡ª and rest ¡ª during their first-round playoff bye will help New Orleans look its best in the postseason.The Saints used last week to ¡°look at certain situations throughout the season where we¡¯ve been not so good and figure out why and get those things shored up Tommy McDonald Jerseys Stitched ,¡± Klein said.¡°And obviously the time off and be able to rest and get some guys healed up who¡¯ve been banged up the past few games has been very important.¡± Plus: more thoughts on veteran leadership and young wide receivers." />Skip to main contentclockmenumore-arrownoyesHorizontal - WhiteBleeding Green Nationa Philadelphia Eagles communityLog In or Sign UpLog InSign UpFanpostsFanshotsEaglesOddsAboutMastheadCommunity GuidelinesStubHubMoreAll 322 blogs on Horizontal - WhiteFanposts Fanshots Eagles StoriesScheduleRosterStatsYahoo Eagles NewsYahoo Eagles Team PageYahoo Eagles ReportYahoo Eagles Depth ChartYahoo Eagles TransactionsYahoo Eagles PhotosOdds About Masthead Community Guidelines StubHub ✕Doug Pederson talks Eagles injury updates, Jason Peters mentoring Andre Dillard, and moreNew,6commentsPlus: more thoughts on veteran leadership and young wide receivers.EDTShareTweetShareShareDoug Pederson talks Eagles injury updates, Jason Peters mentoring Andre Dillard, and moreThe Eagles are halfway through their mandatory minicamp and head coach Doug Pederson spoke to the media just before the team took the field on Wednesday.On veteran leadershipDuring Tuesday¡¯s practice, Jason Peters would frequently go up to rookie Andre Dillard in between plays to give him some pointers, and Pederson said that he encourages the veterans on the team to help develop the younger guys, especially during training camp. But right now, Pederson said this is a good opportunity for Dillard to watch Peters and see how he moves and operates.Pederson was asked about Malcolm Jenkins wanting a new contract and whether he thinks that will carry over into his performance on the field. The head coach didn¡¯t think that was something to worry about. On the team¡¯s energyPederson was asked about several guys saying they have a chip on their shoulder this offseason, especially with how they got knocked out of the playoffs Brian Dawkins Jerseys 2019 , and whether he¡¯s seen a difference in their energy on the field. He agreed that many were disappointed with how last season ended and felt like they were catching their stride again late in the year.Pederson said his message to the team back in January was that they have to remember these times and let them make them stronger in the future. He said they still want to take things one game at a time, because it is a long season, but he has seen a bit of extra motivation from the guys this spring.Additionally, he sees them having more energy with a longer offseason to get their bodies back in shape and healthy.On some of the younger receiversPederson talked a bit about receivers Greg Ward and Marken Michel. He noted that Ward has been around the team and knows the offense, and coming off his AAF stint, came back to Philly really eager and really ready to go to work. Ward is also a little bigger and a little stronger than he was the first go-around, and he¡¯s also a better route-runner with some additional experience under his belt.Michel is a young, explosive player and they didn¡¯t know much about him at the beginning, but they¡¯ve been able to watch him more in the slot. He and Ward have both flashed this offseason so far and done a really good job.Pederson said there¡¯s a lot of competition right now, and that it¡¯ll be an interesting camp when it comes down to having to make some of those decisions.He was also asked about guys like Ward and Braxton Miller, who have quarterback experience and can throw the ball. Pederson said the spring is the time to play with some gadget plays and see who ¡ª throughout the roster ¡ª might be able to help in that regard. He said it does help to have that QB background Youth Brian Westbrook Jerseys , and if you get to the regular season and they are on the active roster, it also gives them an emergency quarterback should they need it.Injury updatesPederson opened with a question about what is keeping Nelson Agholor out right now, and the head coach noted it was a lower body injury and they were trying to let him rest as much as possible at this point, but he¡¯ll be ready for training camp.He noted that it was exciting to see Mack Hollins back and participating in drills, pointing out that he¡¯s done a great job all offseason to get healthy. On why Hollins has had such a lengthy rehab, Pederson admitted he wasn¡¯t quite sure but that everyone heals differently and timetables are different.The head coach also said Ronald Darby has done a great job approaching his rehab this offseason, but again, every injury and recovery is different.Derek Barnett is another guy that Pederson said he¡¯s optimistic will be ready to go in time for training camp, but he isn¡¯t going to put a timetable on it and wants to make sure he¡¯s 100% before they put him back out there.