By Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor 
Eagles head coach Doug Pederson faced all the questions about Lane Johnson's pending suspension after Thursday night's game and talked about the possibility of having to move forward without the right tackle.
On Saturday, that was put into action as Johnson played with second-team linemen and the Eagles rotated in potential replacements like Allen Barbre and Isaac Seumalo.
Johnson left immediately after Thursday's game and did not address the media. On Saturday, he spoke out about the pending suspension and had some harsh words for the NFL Players Association.
"It’s been a nightmare," Johnson said. "I’ve known this for a couple weeks and have come out here like nothing’s wrong and that’s been the hardest thing."
Johnson said he expects the B sample to return with a positive reading as well, which would make a 10-game suspension definite. Johnson said he feels failed by the NFLPA's method of players getting approval for any supplements, and heavily criticized the NFLPA for the way they treat players.
"I want that to be clear that the NFLPA does not stand up for players," Johnson said. "They don’t check the supplements. They give us an app, and then when you call them and ask them if you test positive for something they approve, it doesn’t matter. That’s all I got to say about that.
"Even if it does come back contaminated, there’s nothing I can do. The NFL says you’re responsible for what you put in your body, but I feel as a player, there needs to be more coverage."
Johnson was suspended for four games for a similar violation in 2014, but the lineman and former first-round pick admitted there was an element of fault that fell on him that time.
"The first time, I knew I was at fault," Johnson said. "And there’s no worse feeling than having to go through this again. This is something I desperately wanted to avoid. This is something I never want to be apart of again. I learned my lesson and I feel like the players have no rights. I feel like the supplement industry is not regulated, so you do not know what’s in it."
The NFLPA responded in the following statement.
Courtesy of CSN Philly:
We always stand up for the rights of our players. Mr. Johnson's statements are factually inaccurate and we have been in touch with both Lane and his agent, who now understand the facts.
"The NFLPA does not approve any supplements or substances. Since 2012 and at the request of player leadership, we have had a partnership with Aegis that provides a mobile app as a resource for players to check listed ingredients on a supplement to see if it is on the banned list. We constantly remind all players that even if a supplement is "checked green" the supplement provider may not list certain ingredients therein that a player can test positive for.
"This slide is used at every team meeting to inform players about the Aegis App and other aspects of the drug policies. This same information is distributed to agents as well.
"For several years, the NFLPA has provided a free service to every NFL player who wishes to have us test a supplement they send to us and this service was offered to Lane."
In the meantime, Pederson started to prepare for being without Johnson for the majority of the season. In any other scenario, there is no doubt that Johnson would be among the starters. But Johnson understands that Pederson has to prepare for his absence.
"Yeah, and that’s smart of them," Johnson said. "I’m just taking it in stride and trying to go from there."
