By Patrick Del Gaone, Sports Talk Philly staff writer 
Philadelphia Eagles head coach Doug Pederson knows that the best offensive linemen in the NFL are often the most ill-tempered and vindictive football players.
The Eagles offensive line allowed four sacks and five quarterback hits in the first half against Tampa Bay on Thursday night. Following practice today, Pederson was asked if he's concerned following the dismal performance by the Philadelphia hog-mollies.
"I’m really not," Pederson said. "I look back to our days in Kansas City, we had a lot of injuries there. Moving guys around, having a young left tackle, and we made it work. I’m looking for five tough, dirty, nasty guys that want to go out and just play football. I don’t care which five it is, we’re gonna find the best five."
One of the top offensive lineman on the Eagles is former 2013 No. 4 overall draft pick Lane Johnson, who is reportedly facing a 10-game suspension for violation of the league's performance-enhancing drug policy. Pederson is adamant that his players need to bear the responsibility when it comes to what substances go into their bodies.
"You have got be smart with what you put into your body," Pederson said. "Everybody’s responsible for that. At the end of the day, you’ve just gotta make good choices that way. We just gotta move forward."
Quarterback Carson Wentz didn’t take reps in team drills this morning after being body-slammed in the fourth quarter on Thursday. Despite being limited on Saturday, the head coach noted that holding back their prized quarterback was just a precaution.
"The second to last play of the game, he got hit pretty hard on the right side," Pederson said. "He stayed down on the ground for a while. It’s just sore, it bothered him to throw a little bit, he’s fine. He’ll get treatment on it and he’ll be back out tomorrow."
Pederson foresees Wentz being ready to go next week against the Steelers despite his sore ribs.
Starting quarterback Sam Bradford has dealt with his share of injuries since coming into the league, which was reason to snicker when asked if he has any advice for Wentz in regard to staying healthy.
"Obviously you try to get hit as little as possible," Bradford said. "The guys across from you, they’re big, they’re strong, they’re fast. The hits usually don’t feel very good. Just eliminating the unnecessary hits, taking care of your body on the off days. I really don’t think there’s a lot of secrets though, you’re gonna get hit, you kind of gotta deal with it."
Wentz seems to relish contact when he gets his deceptively fast 6'5", 225-pound body running downhill. On Thursday, Wentz kept a zone-read and chose not to slide when he was met by a smaller cornerback, who sent the rookie quarterback airborne before landing head-over-heels.
You can see the full press conference from Pederson and Bradford below.
