"You're playing the game before you get to the game," Bell said. "You're taking the reps before you get those."
Bell expressed his eagerness about Sunday's game, and it's a chance to reverse his reputation in Philadelphia. The Eagles signed him to a lucrative contract after Jason Peters suffered an injury, but Bell was demoted during training camp and lost the job to Dunlap. Bell had a strong week of practice last week, and he is pleased with the way Wednesday and Thursday have gone.
Maclin limited
Wide receiver Jeremy Maclin practiced on a limited basis, an improvement over one week earlier, when he missed the Thursday practice. Maclin is dealing with a hip pointer, and his status for Sunday remains unknown.
Dunlap was the only player to miss practice. Wide receiver Riley Cooper was limited as he continues to recover from a broken collarbone. Safety Colt Anderson, who did not practice Wednesday, was a full participant Thursday.
Henry working on hitch
Eagles punter Chas Henry averaged only 32.4 yards on five punts Sunday, part of a forgettable performance that raised the same questions that had plagued him last season.
Special-teams coordinator Bobby April said Henry does not drop the ball to his foot consistently because of a technical flaw in which his pinkie goes in or his thumb goes out. Henry is working on the issue, and April said it's "critical" for the punter to improve.
"Do I think he's going to get more consistent? Yes. Will he totally iron out the deal and never have a bad punt? Absolutely not," April said. "He's going to miss some. He may have a game or two where he misses some."
Extra points
The Eagles will leave for Arizona on Friday because of the distance. They will have their mock game there on Saturday. . . . Offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg said that special teams factored into running back Dion Lewis' being inactive for the Baltimore game.
